|
Parting from him, we went to Honiton, and at our inn inquired what people there were in the town that feared God, and we sent for them. Some of the particular Baptists responded and came to us with whom we had great deal of reasoning. I told them, 'they held their doctrine of particular election in Esau's, Cain's, and Ishmael's nature; not Jacob, the second birth; but they must be born again before they could enter the kingdom of God. And that as the promise of God was to the seed, not as many, but as one, which was Christ; so the election and choice stands in Christ; and they must be such as walk in his light, grace, spirit, and truth.' And many more words we had with them. After this we passed to Totnes, a dark town. We lodged there at an inn; and that night Edward Pyot was sick, but the Lord's power healed him, so that the next day we got to King's Bridge, and at our inn inquired for the sober people of the town. They directed us to Nicholas Tripe and his wife; and we went to their house. They sent for the priest, with whom we had some discussion; but he was confounded and quickly left us. But Nicholas Tripe and his wife were convinced; and since then there has been a good meeting of Friends in that country. In the evening we returned to our inn. There were many people drinking in the house and I was moved by the Lord to go among them, and direct them to the light ‘which Christ the heavenly man had enlightened them with and by which they might see all their evil ways, words, and deeds; and by the same light they might also see Christ Jesus their savior.' The innkeeper stood uneasy, seeing it hindered his guests from drinking; and as soon as the last words were out of my mouth, he snatched up the candle, and said, 'Come, here is a light for you to go into your chamber.' The next morning, when he was cool, I spoke to him of it, and told him, 'What an uncivil thing it was for him so to do;' then warning him of the day of the Lord, we got ready and left. We came next day to Plymouth, refreshed ourselves at our inn, and went to Robert Cary's, where he had a very precious meeting. At this meeting was Elizabeth Trelawny, daughter to a baronet. She being somewhat poor of hearing, came close up to me, and cupped her ear very close to me while I spoke; and she was convinced. After this meeting doctrinal disputing Baptists arrived; but the Lord's power came over them, and Elizabeth Trelawny gave testimony to the power; {she came and said that George is over all, and with a loud voice}. A fine meeting was settled there in the Lord's power, which has continued ever since; where many faithful Friends have been convinced. From there we passed into Cornwall, and came to an inn in the parish of Menhenniot. At night we had a meeting at Edward Hancock's, to which came Thomas Mounce and a priest with a large number of people. We brought the priest to confess that he was a minister made by the state and maintained by the state; and he was put to shame and silenced, so he went his way; but many of the people stayed. I directed them to the 'light of Christ, by which they might see their sins, and their savior Christ Jesus, the way to God, their mediator to make peace between God and them; their shepherd to feed them, and their prophet to teach them.' I directed them to the spirit of God in themselves, by which they might know the scriptures, and be led into all truth; and by the spirit might know God, and in it have unity one with another. Many were convinced at that time, and came under Christ's teaching; and there are fine gatherings in the name of Jesus in those parts at this time.
A Friend who was with me had this paper with him, and when we had gone three or four miles from Market-Jew towards the west, we met a man upon the road and gave him a copy of the above paper. {As soon as Will Salt told me he had given the paper to the man, I had a vision of being taken prisoner, several miles before it occurred. For giving this man a copy of the above paper, George Fox, Edward Pyot, and William Salt were later sent to prison}. This man proved to be a servant to Peter Ceely, a major in the army and a justice of peace in that county. He rode before us to a place called St. Ives and showed the paper to his master. When we came to Ives, Edward Pyot's horse needed new horseshoes. While he was getting his horse shod, I walked to the seaside. When I came back, I found the town in an uproar. They were haling Edward Pyot and the other Friend before Major Ceely. I followed them into the justice's house, though they did not lay hands upon me. When we came in, the house was full of rude people; at which point I asked, whether there was an officer among them, to keep the people civil? Major Ceely said that he was a magistrate. I told him, 'then he should exhibit gravity and sobriety and use his authority to keep the people civil because I never saw any people more rude; the Indians were probably more christian than they were.' After awhile they produced the paper before mentioned, and asked, whether it was mine? I said, yes. Then he tendered the oath abjuration to us. At which point I put my hand in my pocket, and produced the answer to it, which had been given to the protector. After I had given him that, he examined us all, one by one. He had with him a silly young priest, who asked us many frivolous questions; among the many questions, he desired to cut my hair, which then was pretty long; but I was not to cut it, though many were offended by it. I told them, 'I had no pride in it; and it was not my doing that it was long.' At length the justice put us under a guard of soldiers, who were hard and wild, like the justice himself; nevertheless we 'warned the people the day of the Lord, and declared the truth to them.' The next day he sent us guarded by a party of horse, with swords and pistols, who took us to Redruth. On First-day the soldiers wanted us to travel with them; but we told them, it was their sabbath, and it was not customary to travel on that day. Several of the town's people gathered around us; and while I held the soldiers in discussion, Edward Pyot spoke to the people; and afterwards Edward Pyot held the soldiers in discussion while I spoke to the people. In the meantime the other Friend backed away and went to the steeple-house to speak to the priest and people. The people were exceedingly desperate in a mighty rage against him, and they abused him. Also, when the soldiers missed him, they went into a great rage and seemed ready to kill us; but I declared the day of the Lord and the word of eternal life to the people that gathered about us. In the afternoon the soldiers were resolved to take us away; so we mounted our horses and left. When we had ridden to the town's end, I was moved of the Lord to go back again to speak to the old man of the house. The soldiers drew out their pistols and swore I would not go back. But I did not heed them and rode back, and they rode after me. So I cleared myself to the the old man and the people; and then returned to the journey with the soldiers, reproving them along the way for being so rude and violent. At night we were brought to a town then called Smethick, renamed Falmouth. It was the evening of the First-day and the chief constable of the place and many sober people came to our inn; some of the people began to ask questions about us. We told them that we were prisoners for truth's sake; and we had a long discussion with them concerning the things of God. They were very sober and very loving to us. Some of them were convinced and stood faithful ever after. When the constable and these people left, others came in, who were also very civil; and they went away very loving. When everyone had left we went to our chamber to go to bed; and about the eleventh hour Edward Pyot said, ‘I will shut the door, it may be someone may come to harm us.' Afterwards we understood captain Keat, who commanded the party, proposed to have attacked us that night; but the door being bolted, he missed his design. Next morning captain Keat brought a relative of his, a rude, wicked man, and put him into the room, while he stood outside the room. This evil-minded man walked huffing up and down the room; I told him to fear the Lord. Upon which he ran at me, struck me with both his hands; and clapping his leg behind me, would have thrown me down, if he could; but he was not able, for I stood stiff and still, and let him strike. As I looked towards the door, I saw captain Keat look on, and watch his relative beat and abuse me. Upon which I said to him, 'Keat, do you allow this?’ He said he did. I said, 'Is this manly or civil to have us under a guard, and put a man to abuse and beat us? Is this manly, civil, or Christian?’ I asked one of our Friends to send for the constables, and they came. Then I asked the captain to let the constables see his warrant or order, by which he arrested us; which he did; and his warrant was to conduct us safe to captain Fox, governor of Pendennis castle; and if the governor should not be at home, he was to convey us to Lanceston jail. I told him, he had broken his order concerning us; for we, who were his prisoners were to be safely conducted; but he had brought a man to beat and abuse us; so he having broken his order, I wished the constable to keep the warrant. Accordingly he did, and told the soldiers, they might go their ways, for he would take charge of the prisoners; and if it cost twenty shillings in charges to escort us, they would not have the warrant again. I showed the soldiers the baseness of their carriage towards us; and they walked up and down the house in their disappointment, being pitifully blank and down. The constables went to the castle, and told the officers what they had done. The officers showed great dislike of captain Keat's base carriage towards us; and told the constables that major-general Desborough was coming to Bodmin, and that we should meet him; and it was likely he would free us. Meanwhile our old guard of soldiers came by way of entreaty to us, and promised they would be civil to us, if we would go with them. This took most of the morning until about eleven; and then, upon the soldiers' entreaty, and promise to be more civil, the constables gave them the order again, and we went with them. The civility and courtesy of the constables and people of that town was great towards us. They kindly entertained us, and the Lord rewarded them with his truth; for many of them have since been convinced of the truth and are gathered into the name of Jesus, and sit under Christ, their teacher and savior. Captain Keat who commanded our guard, understanding that captain Fox, who was governor of Pendennis castle, was gone to meet major-general Desborough, did not take us there; but took us directly to Bodmin, on the way to Lanceston. We met major-general Desborough on the way. The captain of his troop that rode before him knew me and said, ‘Oh, Mr. Fox, why are you here?’ I replied, ‘I am a prisoner! 'Alas,' he said, 'for what?' I told him, ‘I had been arrested as I was traveling.' 'Then,' he said, ‘I will speak to my lord, and he will set you at liberty. So he came from the head of his troop, and rode up to the coach, and spoke to the major-general. We also gave him an account how we were arrested. He began to speak against the light of Christ, for which I reproved him. Then he told the soldiers, they might escort us to Lanceston; for he could not stay to talk with us for fear his horses should take cold. So we were taken to Bodmin that night; and when we came to our inn, captain Keat, who was in before us, put me into a room and went his way. When I came into the room, a man with a naked rapier in his hand stood there. Upon which I left the room and called for captain Keat, and said, ‘What now, Keat, what trick have you played now, to put me into a room where there is a man with his naked rapier? What is your end in this?' ‘Oh,' he said, ‘pray hold your tongue; for if you speak to this man, we can not control him, he is so devilish.' 'Then,' I said, ‘do you put me into a room where there is an uncontrollable a man with a naked rapier? What an unworthy, base trick this is? And to put me single into this room away from the rest of my Friends that were fellow prisoners with me?' Thus his plot was discovered, and the mischief they intended was prevented. Afterwards we got another room, where we were together all night; and in the evening we declared the truth to the people; but they were dark and hardened. The soldiers, notwithstanding their fair promises, were very rude and wicked to us again, and sat up drinking and roaring all night. It was nine weeks from the time of our commitment to the assizes; at which time many people came from far and near to hear the trial of the Quakers. Captain Bradden camped with his horse troop there, and his soldiers and the sheriff's men escorted us to the court through the multitude that filled the streets; and they had difficulty to getting us through the crowd. Besides that, the doors and windows were filled with people looking at us. When we were brought into the court, we stood a pretty long while with our hats on, and all was quiet; and I was moved to say, 'Peace be among you.’ Judge Glyn, a Welshman, then chief justice of England, said to the jailer, 'What are these you have brought here into the court?' 'Prisoners, my lord,' said he. 'Why do you not put off your hats?' said the judge to us. We said nothing. 'Put off your hats,' said the judge again. Still we said nothing. Then said the judge, ‘The court commands you to put off your hats.' Then I spoke, and said, ‘Where did ever any magistrate, king, or judge, from Moses to Daniel command any to put off their hats when they came before them in their courts, either among the Jews, (the people of God), or among the heathen? And if the law of England commands any such thing, show me that law either written or printed.' The judge grew very angry, and said, 'I do not carry my law books on my back.' 'But,' said I 'tell me where it is printed in any statute book, that I may read it.' Then said the judge, 'Take him away, prevaricator! I will ferk him.' So they took us away and put us among the thieves. Presently after he called to the jailer, 'Bring them up again. Come,' said he, 'where does it say that they had hats from Moses to Daniel? Come, answer me; I have you fast now.' I replied, 'You may read in third of Daniel that the three children were cast into the fiery furnace by Nebuchadnezzar's command, with their coats, their hose, and their hats on.' This plain instance stopped him; so that not having any thing else to the point, he cried again, 'Take them away, jailer.' Accordingly we were taken away and thrust in among the thieves; where we were kept a long time; and then, without being called again, the sheriff's men and the troopers made way for us to get through the crowd, and escorted us back to prison with a multitude of people following us and with whom at the jail we had held a lot of discussion and reasoning. We had some good books to define our principles and to inform people of the truth; which the judge and justices hearing of, they sent captain Bradden for them, who came and violently took our books from us. Some books were even pulled from Edward Pyot's hands, and they carried them away; so we never got them again.
This paper passing among them from the jury to the justices, they presented it to the judge; so when we were called before the judge, he told the clerk to give me the paper, and then asked me, whether that seditious paper was mine? I told him, 'if they would read it fully in open court that I might hear it, if it were mine, I would own it, and stand by it.' He would have had me to have taken it, and looked upon it in my own hand; but I again desired, 'that it might be read, that all the country might hear it, and judge whether there was any sedition in it or not; for if there were, I was willing to suffer for it.' At last the clerk of the assize read it with an audible voice, that all the people might hear it. When he had done, I told them, ‘it was my paper, and I would own it; and so might they too, except they would deny the scripture; for was not this scripture language, the words and commands of Christ and the apostle, which all true Christians ought to obey?' Then they dropped that subject; and the judge started in on us again about our hats, telling the jailer to remove them; which he did; and giving them to us, we put them on again. We asked the judge and justices, 'why we had been in prison for these nine weeks, seeing they now objected to nothing about us except our hats?' And as for putting off our hats, I told them, 'that was the honor which God would lay in the dust because they made it so important; the honor which is of men, and which men seek one of another, and is a mark of unbelievers. For "how can you believe," said Christ, "who receive honor one of another, and seek not the honor that comes from God only?" Christ said, "I receive not honor from men;" and all true Christians should be of his mind. Then the judge began to make a pompous speech, how he represented the lord protector's person, who made him lord chief justice of England, and sent him to that circuit, etc. 'We desired him then, that he would do us justice for our false imprisonment which we had suffered nine weeks wrongfully.' But instead of that, they brought an indictment framed against us; such a strange thing, and so full of lies, that I thought it had been against some of the thieves. 'That we came by force and arms, and in a hostile manner into the court;' who were brought as before said. I told them, ‘it was all false; and still we cried for justice for our false imprisonment, being taken up in our journey without cause by major Ceely.' Then this Peter Ceely said to the judge, 'may it please you, my lord, this man (pointing to me) went aside with me, and told me how serviceable I might be for his design; that he could raise forty thousand men at an hour's warning, involve the nation in blood, and so bring in king Charles. I would have escorted him out of the country, but he would not go. If it please you, my lord, I have a witness to swear it.' So he called upon his witness; but the judge not being forward to examine the witness, I desired, 'that he would be pleased to let my warrant be read in the face of the court and country, in which my crime was signified for which I was sent to prison.' The judge said, it should not be read. I said, ‘it ought to be, seeing it concerned my liberty and my life.' The judge said again, ‘It shall not be read.' I said, ‘It ought to be read; for if I have done anything worthy of death, or of bonds, let all the country know it.' Then seeing they would not read it, I spoke to one of my fellow prisoners, 'You have a copy of it, read it.' The judge said, 'It shall not be read. Jailer take him away. I will see whether he or I shall be master.' So I was taken away, and after awhile called for again. I still asked to have the warrant read; for that signified the cause of my imprisonment. I again asked my Friend and fellow prisoner to read it; which he did, and the judge, justices, and the whole court were silent; for the people were eager to hear it. It was as follows:
When it was read I spoke thus to the judge and justices, ‘You who say you are chief justice of England, and you justices, know that, if I had put in sureties, I might have gone where I pleased, and have carried on the design, (if I had had one), which major Ceely has charged me with. And if I had spoken those words to him, which he has here declared, judge you whether bail or mainprise could have been taken in that case.' Then, turning my speech to major Ceely, I said, ‘When or where did I take you aside? Was not your house full of rude people, and you were as rude as any of them at our examination; so that I asked for a constable or some other officer to keep the people civil? But if you are my accuser, why do you sit on the bench? It is not the place of accusers to sit with the judge. You ought to come down and stand by me, and look me in the face. Besides, I would ask the judge and justices, whether or not major Ceely is guilty of this treason, which he charges against me, in concealing it so long as he has done? Does he understand his place, either as a soldier or a justice of the peace? For he tells you here, that I went aside with him, and told him what a design I had in hand, and how serviceable he might be for my design; that I could raise forty thousand men in an hour's time, bring in king Charles, and involve the nation in blood. He said, moreover, "he would have aided me out of the country, but I would not go; and therefore he committed me to prison for want of sureties for the good behavior," as the warrant declares. Now do you not see plainly, that major Ceely is guilty of this plot and treason he talks of, and has made himself a party to it, by desiring me to go out of the country, demanding bail of me, and not charging me with this pretended treason until now, nor disclosing it? But I deny and abhor his words, and am innocent of his devilish design.' So that business was let fall; for the judge saw clear enough, that instead of ensnaring me, he had ensnared himself. Major Ceely got up again, and said, 'If it please you, my lord, to hear me: this man struck me, and gave me such a blow as I never had in my life.' At this I smiled in my heart, and said, 'Major Ceely, are you a justice of peace, and a major of a troop of horse, and tell the judge in the face of the court and country, that I, a prisoner, struck you, and gave you such a blow as you never had the like in your life? What! Are you not ashamed? Pray sir, major Ceely,’ said I, ‘where did I strike you, and who is your witness for that? Who was there?' He said it was in the castle-green, and captain Bradden was standing by when I struck him. 'I desired the judge to let him produce his witness for that; and called again upon major Ceely to come down from the bench, telling him, it was not fit the accuser should sit as judge over the accused.' When I called again for his witness he said captain Bradden was his witness. Then I said, 'Speak, captain Bradden, did you see me give him such a blow and strike him as he said?' Captain Bradden made no answer, but bowed his head towards me. I desired him to speak up, if he knew any such thing; but he only bowed his head again. 'No,' I said, 'speak up, and let the court and country hear; let not bowing of the head serve as the answer. If I have done so, let the law be inflicted on me; I fear not sufferings, nor death itself, for I am an innocent man concerning all his charge.' But captain Bradden never testified to it. The judge, finding those snares would not hold, cried, 'Take him away, jailer;' and when we were taken away, he fined us twenty marks apiece for not putting off our hats; to be kept in prison until we paid it, and sent us back to the jail. At night captain Bradden came to see us, and seven or eight justices with him who were very civil to us, and told us, they believed, neither the judge nor any in the court gave credit to those charges which major Ceely had accused me of in the face of the country. And captain Bradden said, major Ceely had an intent to have taken away my life, if he could have gotten another witness. 'But,' I said, 'Captain Bradden, why didn’t you witness for me or against me, seeing major Ceely produced you for a witness that you saw me strike him?’ When I desired you to speak either for me or against me, according to what you saw or knew, you would not speak.' 'Why,' he said, 'when major Ceely and I came by you, as you were walking in the castle-green, he put off his hat to you, and said, "How do you do, Mr. Fox? Your servant, sir." Then you said to him, "Major Ceely, take heed of hypocrisy and of a rotten heart; for since when have I been your master and you my servant? Do servants try to cast their masters into prison?" This was the great blow he meant that you gave him.' Then I called to mind that they had walked by us, and that Ceeley had spoken so to me, and I to him; which hypocrisy and rotten-heartedness he showed openly, when he complained of this to the judge in open court, and in the face of the country; and would have made them all believe that I struck him with my hand. Another time an officer of the army came to visit; he was a very malicious, bitter professor, whom I had known in London. He was full of airy talk, and spoke slightly of the light of Christ, and against the truth, as colonel Rouse had done, and against the spirit of God being in men, as it was in the apostles' days, until the power of God that bound the evil in him had almost choked him, as it had done to colonel Rouse. For he was so full of evil air, that he could not speak; but blubbered and stuttered. Ever since the Lord's power struck him and came over him, he had been more loving to us. The assizes were over, and we realized that we were not likely to be released any time soon from prison, so we stopped giving the jailer seven shillings a week apiece for our horses, and seven shillings a week for ourselves, and sent our horses into the country. This caused him to become very wicked and devilish, and he put us down into Doomsdale, a nasty; stinking place, where they used to put witches and murderers after they were condemned to die. The place was so noxious, that it was known few ever came out again in good health. There was no house of office in it; and the excrement of the prisoners, that from time to time had been put there, had not been carried out, (as we were told), for many years. So that it was all like mire, and in some places to the top of the shoes in water and urine; and he would not let us cleanse it, nor suffer us to have beds or straw to lie on. At night some friendly people of the town brought us a candle and a little straw; and we went to burn a little of our straw to take away the stink. The thieves layover our heads, and the head jailer in a room by them over our heads also. It seems the smoke went up into the room where the jailer lay; which put him into such a rage, that he took the pots of excrement from the thieves, and poured them through a hole upon our heads in Doomsdale, until we were so bespattered that we could not touch ourselves nor one another. And the stink increased upon us, so that what with stink and what with smoke, we were almost choked and smothered. We had the stink under our feet before, now we had it on our heads and backs also; and he having quenched our straw with the filth he poured down, had made a great smother in the place. Moreover he railed at us most hideously, calling us hatchet-faced dogs, and such strange names as we had never heard of. In this manner we were obliged to stand all night, for we could not sit down, the place was so full of filthy excrement. For a long time he kept us in this condition before he would let us cleanse it, or allow us to have any food brought in other than what we got through the window grate. One time a girl brought us a little to eat; and he arrested her for breaking in his house, and sued her in the town court for breaking in the prison. He put the young woman to a great deal of trouble; therefore others were so discouraged that we had a lot of difficulty getting water, drink, or food. About this time we sent for a young woman, Ann Downer, from London, who could write and take things well in short-hand, to buy and dress our meat for us. She was very willing to do this for us because it was also upon her spirit to come to us in the love of God; and she was very serviceable to us. The head jailer, we were informed, had been a thief, and was burnt (to mark him for life as a thief) both in the hand and in the shoulder; his wife, too, had been burnt in the hand. The under jailer had been burnt both in the hand and in the shoulder; his wife had been burnt in the hand also. Colonel Bennet a Baptist teacher, having purchased the jail and lands belonging to the castle, had placed this head jailer there. The prisoners and some wild people would be talking of spirits that haunted Doomsdale, and how many had died in it, thinking perhaps to terrify us. But I told them, 'that if all the spirits and devils in hell were there, I was over them in the power of God, and feared no such thing; for Christ, our priest, would sanctify the walls of the house to us, he who bruised the head of the devil.' The priest was to cleanse the plague out of the walls of the house under the law, which Christ, our priest, ended; who sanctifies both inwardly and outwardly the walls of the house, the walls of the heart, and all things to his people. As the time for general quarter sessions drew near, and because the jailer was still conducting himself basely and wickedly towards us, we drew up our suffering case, and sent it to the sessions at Bodmin. Upon the reading of which the justices gave an order, 'That Doomsdale door should be opened, and that we should have liberty to cleanse it, and to buy our meat in the town.' We sent up a copy also of our sufferings to the protector, documenting how we were taken and committed by major Ceely, and abused by captain Keat, as before said, and all the rest the abuse in chronological order. Upon which the protector sent an order to captain Fox, governor of Pendennis castle, to examine the matter about the soldiers abusing us, and striking me. There were at that time many of the gentry of the country at the castle; and captain Keat's relative that struck me was sent for before them, and much threatened. They told him, 'If I should change my principle, I might ask for the extreme penalty that the law allowed against him, and might recover damages against him.' Captain Keat was also stopped for allowing the prisoners under his charge to be abused. This was of great service in the country; for afterwards Friends might have spoken in any market or steeple-house in the area, and nobody would interfere with them. I understood that Hugh Peters, one of the protector’s chaplains, told him, 'They could not do George Fox a greater service for the spreading of his principles in Cornwall than to imprison him there.' And indeed my imprisonment there was of the Lord, and for his service in those parts; for after the assizes were over, and it was known we were likely to continue prisoners, several Friends from most parts of the nation came into the country to visit us. Those parts of the west were very dark countries at that time; but the Lord's light and truth broke forth, shined over all, and many were turned from darkness to light, and from satan's power unto God. Many were moved to go to the steeple-houses, several were sent to prison to us, and a great convincement began in the country: for now we had liberty to walk in the castle-green, and many people came to us on First-days, to whom we declared the word of life. Great services were had, many were turned to God, up and down the country; but great rage got up in the priests and professors against the truth and us. One of the envious professors had gathered together many scripture sentences to prove, 'that we ought to put off our hats to the people,' and he invited the town of Lanceston to come into the castle yard to hear him read them. Among other instances that he quoted was, 'that Saul bowed to the witch of Endor.' When he had done we got a little liberty to speak, and showed both him and the people, 'that Saul had left the favor or God and had disobeyed him, like them, when he went to the witch of Endor: that neither the prophets, or Christ, or the apostles ever taught people to bow to a witch.' The man went away with his rude people; but some stayed with us, and we showed them that it was not gospel instruction to teach people to bow to a witch. For now people began to be affected with the truth, and the devil's rage increased, so that we were often in great danger. {A Justice of the Peace came to visit us out of Wales; he came to be a fine minister and turned many to the Spirit of God, to sit under Christ's teaching. These people then suffered imprisonment. One of them convinced three priests, and one became a fine minister standing till this day}. One time a soldier came to us, and while one of our Friends was admonishing and exhorting him to sobriety, I saw him begin to draw his sword. Upon which I stood up to him and represented what a shame it was to draw his sword upon a swordless man, and a prisoner, and how unfit and unworthy he was to carry such a weapon; and that, if he should have done such a thing to some men, they would have taken his sword from him and have broken it to pieces. So he was ashamed and went his way; and the Lord's power preserved us. Now while I was visited by various sorts of people, some having come in good will to visit us, some out of an envious carping mind to wrangle and dispute with us, and some out of curiosity to see us; Edward Pyot, who before his convincement had been a captain in the army, and had a good understanding in the laws and rights of the people, being sensible of the injustice and envy of judge Glyn to us at our trial, took it on himself to try to make Glyn sensible to his injustices and wrote an epistle to him on behalf of us all which was as follows:
|
