Now in Cumberland great threatenings were spread, that if ever G. Fox came there again, they would take away his life. He hearing this, went thither; but nobody did him any harm. Returning then to Swarthmore, where justice Anthony Pearson was at that time; he so effectually declared truth, that this justice was convinced, and not long after entered into the society of the despised Quakers.
G. Fox then, going again into Cumberland, went to Bootle, and there found preaching in the steeple-house, a priest from London, who gathered up all the Scriptures he could think of, that speak of false prophets, antichrists, and deceivers, and made application of them to the Quakers. But when he had done, George began to speak, and returned all those Scripture places on the priest; who being displeased at this, said that he must not speak there. But G. Fox told him that the hour-glass being run, and he having done, the time was free for him, as well as for the priest, who was himself but a stranger there. He having said this, went on, and showed who were the false prophets, and what marks the Scriptures gave them; directing people to Christ their teacher. When he had done, the priest of the place made a speech to the people in the steeple-house yard, and said, ‘This man hath gotten all the honest men and women in Lancashire to him; and now he comes here to do the same.’ To which G. Fox returned, ‘What wilt thou have left? and what have the priests left them, but such as themselves? for if it be the honest that receive the Truth and are turned to Christ, then it must be the dishonest that follow thee, and such as thou art.’ Some words were also exchanged about tithes; and G. Fox told them, that Christ had ended the tithing priesthood, and had sent forth his ministers to give freely, as they had received freely.
From thence he went to Cockermouth, near which place he had appointed a meeting; and coming thither he found James Lancaster speaking under a tree, which was so full of people, that it was in danger of breaking. G. Fox now looked about for a place to stand upon, for the people lay spread up and down. But at length a person came to him, and asked if he would not go into church. He seeing no place more convenient to speak to the people, told him, yes. Whereupon the people rushed in on a sudden, so that the house was so full of people, he had much ado to get in. When they were settled he stood up on a seat, and preached about three hours; and several hundreds were that day convinced of the truth of this doctrine.
From thence he went to other places, and particularly to Brigham, where he preached in the steeple-house with no less success. Afterwards coming into a certain place, and casting his eye upon a woman unknown to him, he told her that she had lived a lewd life; to which she answered, that many could tell her of her outward sins, but of her inward, none could. Then he told her, her heart was not right before the Lord: and she was so reached, that afterwards she came to be convinced of God’s truth.
Then he came near Coldbeck, to a market town, where he had a meeting at the cross, and some received the truth preached by him.
From thence he went to Carlisle, where the teacher of the Baptists, with most of his hearers, came to the abbey, in which G. Fox had a meeting. After the meeting the Baptist teacher, who was a notionist, and an airy man, came to him, and asked what must be damned? and he told him, that which spake in him was to be damned. And this stopt his mouth. Then he opened to him the states of election and reprobation, so that he said, he never heard the like in his life, and came afterwards also to be convinced of the Truth. Then he went up to the castle among the soldiers, who by beating of the drum called the garrison together. Among these he preached; directing them to the measure of the Spirit of Christ in themselves, by which they might be turned from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God: he warned them also to do no violence to any man, &c. G. Fox having thus discharged himself, none opposed him, except the serjeants, who afterwards came to be convinced. On the market-day he went into the market, though he had been threatened that if he came there, he would meet with rude treatment. But he willing to obey God more than man, showed himself undaunted, and going upon the cross, he declared that the day of the Lord was coming upon all deceitful ways and doings, and deceitful merchandise; and that they should put away all cozening and cheating, and keep to yea, and nay, and speak the truth to one another.
On the First-day following, he went into the steeple-house, and after the priest had done he began to preach. Now the priest going away, and the magistrate desiring G. Fox to depart, he still went on, and told them he came to speak the word of life and salvation from the Lord amongst them. And he spoke so powerfully that the people trembled and shook, and they thought the steeple-house shook also: nay, some of them feared it would have fallen down on their heads. Some women in the meanwhile making a great bustle, at length the rude people of the city rose, and came with staves and stones into the steeple-house: whereupon the governor sent some musqueteers to appease the tumult; and these taking G. Fox by the hand in a friendly manner, led him out. Then he came to the house of a lieutenant, where he had a very quiet meeting. The next day the justices and magistrates sent for him to come before them in the town-hall. So he went thither, and had a long discourse with them concerning religion, and showed them that though they were great professors, (viz. Presbyterians and Independents,) yet they were without the possession of what they professed. But after a long examination they committed him to prison as a blasphemer, an heretic, and a seducer. There he lay till the assizes came on, and then all the talk was, that he was to be hanged: and the high sheriff Wilfrey Lawson, was so eager to have his life taken away, that he said, he himself would guard G. Fox to execution. This made such a noise that even great ladies came to see him, as one that was to die. But though both judge and magistrates were contriving how they might put him to death, yet the judge’s clerk started a question, which puzzled them and confounded their counsels, so that he was not brought to a trial as was expected; which however was contrary to law. But such was their envy against him, that the jailer was ordered to put him amongst thieves and murderers, and some naughty women; which wicked crew were so lousy, that one woman was almost eaten to death with lice: but what made the prison the worse, there was no house of office to it, and in this nasty place men and women were put together against all decency. Yet these prisoners, how naught soever, were very loving to G. Fox, and so hearkened to his wholesome counsel, that some of them became converts. But the under jailer did him all the mischief he could. Once when he had been at the grate, to take in the meat his friends brought him, the jailer fell a beating of him with a great cudgel, crying, ‘Come out of the window,’ though he was then far enough from it. But whilst the jailer was thus beating him, he was so filled with joy, that he began to sing, which made the other rage the more, so that he went and fetched a fiddler, thinking thereby to vex him. But when this fellow played, he sang a hymn so loud, that with his voice he drowned the sound of the fiddle, and thereby so confounded the player, that he was fain to give over and go his ways.
Not long after, Justice Benson’s wife felt herself moved to eat no meat but what she should eat with G. Fox, at the bars of the dungeon-window. Afterwards she herself was imprisoned at York, when she was big with child, for having spoken, it is like, zealously to a priest. And when the time of her travail came, she was not suffered to go out, but was delivered of her child in the prison.
Whilst G. Fox was in the dungeon at Carlisle, there came to see him one James Parnel, a little lad of about sixteen years of age; and he was so effectually reached by the speaking of G. Fox, that he became convinced of the truth of his sayings; and notwithstanding his youth, was by the Lord quickly made a powerful minister of the gospel, showing himself both with his pen, and his tongue, a zealous promoter of religion, although he underwent hard sufferings on that account, as will be mentioned hereafter.
There were also many others, who not sticking at any adversities, came to be zealous preachers of repentance; among these was Thomas Briggs already mentioned, who went through many