Now the men that guarded G. Fox, said, it would be well, if the justice was not drunk when they came to him, because he used to be drunk early, G. Fox being brought in before him, and not putting off his hat, and saying thou to him, the justice asked the man that rode thither before, whether he was not mazed or fond? But the man said, ‘No: it is his principle so to behave himself.’ G. Fox, who was unwilling to let any opportunity slip, without admonishing people to virtue, warned the justice to repent, and bid him come to the light which Christ had enlightened him with, that by it he might see all his evil words and actions, and so return to Christ Jesus, whilst he had time, and that he ought to prize that time. ‘Aye, aye,’ said he, ‘the light that is spoken of in the third of John.’ G. Fox desired him that he would mind it, and obey it; and laying his hand upon him, he was so brought down by the Lord’s power, that all the watchmen stood amazed. Then he took G. Fox with him into a parlour, with the other men, and desired to see what he had in his pockets, of letters, or intelligence; for it seems they suspected him to be an enemy to the Commonwealth. Then he pulled out his linen, and showed that he had no letters; which made the justice say, ‘He is not a vagrant, by his linen.’ and set him at liberty. Then G. Fox went back to Patrington again, with that man who had rid before to the justice, and who lived in that town. Coming to his house, he desired G. Fox to go to bed, or to lie down upon it; which he did, that they might say, they had seen him in a bed, or upon a bed; for there was a report, that he would not lie on any bed, raised doubtless, because about that time he had lain often without doors.
When the First-day of the week was come, he went to the steeple-house, and declared the doctrine of Truth to the priest and people, without being molested. Then presently after, he had a great meeting at that man’s house where he lay, and many were convinced that day of the truth he preached; and they were exceeding sorry that they had not given him lodging when he was there before. From thence he travelled through the country, warning people, both in towns and in country villages, to repent, and turn to Christ Jesus their teacher.
On a First-day of the week he came to one colonel Overton’s house, and had a great meeting of the chief of the people of that country; where he opened many things out of the Scriptures, which they never heard before. Coming afterwards again to Patrington, he understood that a tailor and some wild blades in that town, had occasioned his being carried before the justice. This tailor came to ask him forgiveness, fearing he would complain of him; the constables also were afraid lest he should trouble them; but he forgave them all, and exhorted them to turn to the Lord, and to amend their lives. Now that which made them the more afraid, was, that he having been not long before in the steeple-house at Oram, there came a professor that gave him a push on the breast, and bid him get out of the church. To which G. Fox said, ‘Dost thou call the steeple-house the church? The church is the people, whom God hath purchased with his blood, and not the house.’ But justice Hotham having heard of this man’s thus abusing G. Fox, sent a warrant, and bound the said man over to the sessions. So zealous was this justice to keep the peace, that he had asked G. Fox before, whether any people had abused him: but he esteeming it his duty to forgive all, told him nothing of that kind.
From Patrington he went to several great men’s houses, warning them to repent. Some received him lovingly, and some slighted him. Passing thus through the country, at night he came to another town, where he desired lodging and meat, offering to pay for it; but they would not lodge him, unless he went to a constable to ask leave, which they said was the custom of strangers. But he told them, that custom was for suspected persons, and not for such as he, who was an innocent man. So after he had warned them to repent, and to mind the day of their visitation, and directed them to the light of Christ, and Spirit of God, he passed away. As it grew dark, he spied a hay-stack, and went and sat under it till morning. The next day he came to Hull, where he admonished the people to turn to Christ Jesus, that they might receive salvation. And being very weary with travelling on foot so far, he got that night a lodging there.
From thence he went to Nottinghamshire, visiting his friends there; and so passed into Lincolnshire, where he did the like. And coming to Gainsborough, where one of his friends had been preaching in the market, he found the town and people all in an uproar; the more, because a certain man had raised a false accusation, reporting, that G. Fox had said he was Christ. Here going into the house of a friendly man, the people rushed in after him, so that the house soon was filled; and amongst the rest was also this false accuser, who said openly before all the people, that G. Fox said he was Christ; and that he had got witnesses to prove the same. G. Fox kindled with zeal, stepped upon the table, and said to the people, that Christ was in them, except they were reprobates; and that it was Christ, the eternal power of God, that spoke in him at that time unto them; not that he was Christ. This gave general satisfaction, except to the false accuser himself, to whom G. Fox said, that he was a Judas, and that Judas’s end should be his; and that that was the word of the Lord through him, (Fox,) to him. The minds of the people coming thus to be quieted, they departed peaceably. But very remarkable it was: this Judas shortly after hanged himself, and a stake was driven into his grave. Now, though this was a well known thing in this country, yet some priests spread a report, that a Quaker had hanged himself in Lincolnshire, and had a stake driven through him. And though this was taken upon trust by hearsay, yet, out of mere malice, a certain priest gave out this falsehood in print, as a true matter. But this wicked slander prevailed so little, that many people in Lincolnshire were convinced of the truth preached by G. Fox.
After this he passed into Yorkshire, and coming to Warnsworth, went to the steeple-house in the forenoon, but found no acceptance; and being thrust out, he was sorely beaten with staves, and clods and stones were thrown at him; yet he exhorted to repent, and turn to Christ. In the afternoon he went to another steeple-house; but the sermon was finished before he got thither; so he preached repentance to the people that were not departed, and directed them to their inward teacher, Christ Jesus. From hence he came to Doncaster, where he had formerly preached in the market; but now on the First-day of the week he went into the steeple-house; and after the priest had done, he began to speak, but was hurried out, and hauled before the magistrates, who threatened him with death, if ever he came thither again. But notwithstanding all this, G. Fox bid them mind the light of Christ in them, saying, that God was come to teach his people himself, whether they would hear or not. After a while, being put out with some of his friends that were with him, they were stoned by the rude multitude. A certain innkeeper, that was a bailiff, seeing this, came and took them into his house, but one of the stones that were thrown hit his head, so that the blood ran down his face. The next First-day G. Fox went to Tickhill; where he went into the steeple-house, and there found the priest and the chief of the parish in the chancel, to whom he began to speak; but they immediately fell upon him, and the clerk struck him with his bible so violently on the face, that the blood gushed out, and he bled exceedingly. Then the people thrust him out of the steeple-house, beat and threw him down, and dragged him along the street, so that he was besmeared with blood and dirt, and his hat taken away. When he was got up again, he spoke to the people, and showed them how they dishonoured Christianity. Some time after, the priest coming by, scoffingly called G. Fox and his friends, Quakers. But he was spoken to, in such an authority and dread, that he fell a trembling; which made one of the people say, ‘Look how the priest trembles and shakes, he is turned a Quaker also.’ Some moderate justices now, hearing how G. Fox and his friends had been abused, came to examine the business; and the clerk was afraid of having his hand cut off, for striking him in the church: but G. Fox, as a true Christian, forgave him, and would not appear against him.
Thus far G. Fox only hath been mentioned as a preacher of repentance; but now some others of his persuasion began also to preach publicly, viz. Thomas Aldam, Richard Farnsworth, and, not long after, William Dewsbury. This made such a stir, that the priest of Warnsworth procured a warrant from the justices against G. Fox, and Thomas Aldam. The constable who came with this order which was to be executed in any part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, took Thomas Aldam, and carried him to York, and G. Fox went with him twenty miles; but though the constable had a warrant for him also, yet he meddled not with G. Fox, saying, he was loth to trouble men that were strangers; but Thomas Aldam was his neighbour. About