Prifon. for Meeting to Worship God, and fome for not Swear- 1663, ing; fo that the Prifon was very full. And many of them being poor Men, that had nothing to main- Lancaft. tain their Families by, but their Labour, which now they were taken off from; feveral of their Wives went to the Juftices that had committed their Husbands to Jail, and told them, If they kept their Husbands in Fail, for nothing but the Truth of Chrift, and for good Confcience-fake, they would bring their Children to them to be maintained. A mighty Power of the Lord rofe in Friends, and gave them great Boldnefs, fo that they spake much to the Juftices: Friends alfo, that were Prifoners, writ unto the Juftices, laying the Weight of their Sufferings upon them; and fhewing them both their Injustice,and want of Pity and Compaffion towards their poor Neighbours, 'whom they knew to be Honeft, Confciencious and Peaceable People, that in tenderness of Confcience 'could not take any Oath; yet they fent them to 'Prifon, for refufing to take the Oath of Allegiance. Though feveral of them, who were Imprifoned on 'that Account, were known to be Men that had 'ferved the King in his Wars, and had hazarded their 'Lives in the Field in his Caufe, and had fuffered great Hardships, with the lofs of much Blood for him; and had always ftood faithful to him from Firft to 'Laft, and had never received any Pay for their Service and to be thus requited for all their Faithful 'Services and Sufferings, and that by them that pretended to be the King's Friends, was hard, unkind and ungrateful Dealing. At length the Juftices, being continually attended with Complaints of Grievances, released some of the Friends, that were Prifoners, but kept divers of them ftill in Prifon. Amongft thofe that were then in Prifon, there were Four Friends Prifoners for Tithes, who were fent to Prison at the Suit of the Countefs of Derby (fo called) and had lain there then near Two Years and an half. One of thefe, whofe Name was Oliver Atherton, being a Man of a Weakly Conftitution, was through C 3 his Prifon. 1663. his long and hard Imprisonment in a cold, raw, unwholfom place, brought fo low and weak in his Body, Lancaft that there appeared no hopes of his Recovery, or Life, unless he might be removed from thence. Wherefore a Letter was written on behalf of the faid Oliver Atherton to the faid Countefs, and fent by his Son Godfrey Atherton, wherein was laid before her the Reafons, why he, and the reft, could not pay Tithes; becaufe if they did, they fhould deny Chrift come in the Flesh, who by his coming had put an end to Tithes, and to the Priesthood, to which they had "been given, and to the Commandment, by which they had been paid under the Law. And his Weak 'Condition of Body was alfo laid before her, and the apparent likelyhood of his Death, if fhe did continue to hold him there: that fhe might be moved to Pity and Compaffion; and alfo warned, not to draw the Guilt of his Innocent Blood upon her felf. But when his Son went to her with his Father's Letter,a Servant of hers abufed him; and pluck'd off his Cap and threw it away, and put him out of the Gate. Nevertheless, the Letter was delivered into her own hand; but the fhut out all Pity and Tendernefs, and continued him in Prifon, till Death. So when his Son came back to his Father in Prifon, and told him, as he lay on his Dying-Bed, that the Countefs denied his Liberty, he only faid, She hath been the Caufe of fhedding much Blood; but this will be the heavieft Blood, that ever fhe fpilt: and foon after he died. Then Friends having his Body delivered to them to Bury, as they carried it from the Prison to Ormskirk, the Parish wherein he had lived, they stuck up Papers upon the Croffes at Garstang, Preston, and other Towns, through which they paffed, with this Inscription: This is Oliver Atherton of Ormskirk-Parish, perfecuted to Death by the Countess of Derby for good Confcience fake towards God and Chrift, because he could not give her Tithes, &c, Setting fter Pri fon. Setting forth at large the Reafons of his refufing to 1662. pay Tithes, the Length of his Imprisonment, the HardThips he underwent,her Hard-heartedness towards him, Lanc and the manner of his Death. After his Death, Richard Cubban, another of the faid Countess her Prifoners for Tithe, writ a large Letter to her, on behalf of himfelf, and his other Fellow-Prifoners at her Suit; laying their Innocency before her: And that it was not out of Wilfulness, Stubbornness or Covetousness, that they refused to pay her Tithes; but purely in good ConScience towards God and Chrift: and letting her know, that if he should be fuffered to keep them there, till they every one died there, as she had done their FellowSufferer, Oliver Atherton; yet they could not yield to pay her. And therefore defired her to confider their Cafe in a Chriftian Spirit, and not bring their Blood upon her felf alfo. But fhe would not fhew any Pity or Compaffion towards them, who had now fuffered hard Imprisonment about two Years and an half under her; but inftead thereof the fent to the Town of Garfiang, and threatned to complain to the King and Council, and bring them into Trouble, for fuffering the Paper concerning Oliver Atherton's Death to be ftuck upon their Crofs. The Rage that she exprefs'd, made the People take the more notice of it; and fome of them faid, The Quakers had given her a Bone to pick. But fhe, that regarded not the Life of an Innocent Sufferer for Chrift, lived not long after her felf: For that day three Weeks, that Oliver Atherton's Body was carried through Ormskirk to be buried, fhe died; and her Body was carried dead that day Seven Weeks through the fame Town to her Burying-Place. And thus the Lord purfued the hard-hearted Perfecutor. Lanca her Af As for me,I was kept to the Affize: and then Judge Turner and Judge Twifden coming that Circuit, I was fize. brought before Judge Twifden, on the 14th day of the Month called March, in the latter end of the Year 1663. When I was fet up to the Bar, I faid, Peace be amongst you all. The Judge lookt upon me, and faid; Wbut! do you come into the Court with your Hat on! C 4 Upon iter Af fize. 1663. Upon which Words the Jailer taking it off, I faid, The Hat is not the Honour, that comes from God. Lanea Then faid the Judge to me, Will you take the Oath of Allegiance, George Fox? I faid, 'I never took any Oath in my Life, nor any Covenant or Engagement. Well, faid he, will you Swear, or no? I answered, I am a • Chriftian and Chrift commands me not to Swear; and fo does the Apoftle James likewife: and whether I fhould obey God or Man, do thou Judge. I ask you again, faid he, Whether you will Swear, or no? I anfwered again, I am neither Turk, Jew, nor Heathen, but a Chriftian, and fhould fhew forth Chriftianity. And I asked him, 'If he did not know, that Chriftians in the Primitive Times, under the Ten Perfecutions, and fome alfo of the Martyrs in Queen Mary's days refufed Swearing, because Chrift and the Apostle had forbidden it? I told him alfo; They had had Experience enough, how many Men had firft Sworn for the King, and then against the King. But as for me, I had never taken an Oath in all my Life: and my Allegiance did not lie in Swearing, but in Truth and Faithfulness; for I honour all Men, much more the King. But Christ, who is the Great Prophet, who is the King of Kings, who is the Saviour of the World, and the Great Judge of the whole World, he faith, I muft not Swear: Now, whether muft I obey, Chrift, or Thee? For it is tenderness of Confcience, and in Obedience to the Commands of Chrift, that I do not Swear: And we have the Word of a King for tender Confciences. Then I asked the Judge, If he did own the King? Tes, faid he, I do own the King. Why then, faid I, doft thou not obferve his Declaration 'from Breda, and his Promifes made, fince he came into England, That no man fhould be called in queftion for matters of Religion, fo long as they lived peaceably? Now, if thou owneft the King, faid I, why doft thou call me into queftion, and put me upon taking an Oath, which is a matter of Religion; feeing thou nor none elfe can charge me with unpeaceable . ་ peaceable living? Then he was moved; and look- 1663. ing angrily at me, faid; Sirrah, Will you Swear? W I told him, 'I was none of his Sirrabs; I was a Chri- Lancafter Af• ftian: and for him, that was an Old Man, and a z Judge, to fit there, and give Nick names to Prifoners; it did not become either his Grey Hairs, or 'his Office. Well, faid he, I am a Chriftian too. Then do Chriftians Works, faid I. Sirrah! faid he, Thou thinkeft to frighten me with thy Words. Then catching himself, and looking afide, he faid; Heark! I am ufing the word [Sirrah] again, and fo check'd himfelf. I faid, 'I fpake to thee in love; for that Language did not become thee, a Judge: Thou oughteft to Inftruct a Prifoner in the Law, if he were Ignorant, and out of the way. And I fpeak in Love to thee too, faid he. But, faid I, Love gives no Nicknames. Then he roused himself up, and faid, I will not be afraid of thee, George Fox: Thou Speakeft fo loud, thy Voice drowns mine and the Court's; I must call for three or four Criers, to drown thy Voice: Thou baft good Lungs. I am a Prisoner here, faid I, for the Lord Jefus Chrift's fake; for his fake do I'fuffer, ' and for him do I ftand this day: and if my Voice were five times louder, yet I fhould lift it up, and found it out for Chrift's Sake, for whofe Caufe I ftand this day before your Judgment-Seat, in Obe'dience to Chrift, who commands not to Swear; be'fore whofe Judgment-Seat you must all be brought, and muft give an Account. Well, faid the Judge, George Fox Jay, Whether thou wilt take the Oath, Tea, or Nay? I replied, "I fay, as I faid before, Whether ought I to obey God or Man, Judge thou? If I 'could take any Oath at all, I thould take this: for I do not deny fome Oaths only, or on fome Occafion; but all Oaths, according to Chrift's Doctrine, 'who hath commanded his, Not to fwear at all. Now if thou, or any of you, or any of your Minifters or Priests here will prove, that ever Chrift or his Apostle, after they had forbidden all Swearing, commanded Chriftians to Swear, then I will Swear. I faw |