Chapter 15

These gave so punctual and full evidence that Thomas Zachary and his wife were in London all that day whereon the informers had sworn them to have been at an unlawful meeting, at a place more than twenty miles distant from London, that notwithstanding what endeavours were used to the contrary, the jury found them not guilty. Whereupon the money deposited for the fines at the entering of the appeal ought to have been returned, and so were ten pounds of it; but the rest of the money being in the hand of the Clerk of the Peace, whose name was Wells, could never be got out again.

Thomas Zachary himself was brought from Aylesbury gaol to Wycombe, to receive his trial, and though no evil could be charged upon him, yet Justice Clayton, who at first committed him, displeased to see the appeal prosecuted and the conviction he had made set aside, by importunity prevailed with the bench to remand him to prison again, there to lie until another sessions.

While this was doing I got an indictment drawn up against the informers Aris and Lacy for wilful perjury, and caused it to be delivered to the grand jury, who found the bill. And although the court adjourned from the town-hall to the chamber at their inn, in favour as it was thought to the informers, on supposition we would not pursue them thither, yet thither they were pursued; and there being two counsel present from Windsor—(the name of the one was Starky, and of the other, as I remember, Forster, the former of whom I had before retained upon the trial of the appeal)—I now retained them both, and sent them into court again, to prosecute the informers upon this indictment; which they did so smartly that, the informers being present as not suspecting any such sudden danger, were of necessity called to the bar and arraigned, and having pleaded _Not Guilty_, were forced to enter a traverse to avoid a present commitment: all the favour the court could show them being to take them bail one for the other, though probably both not worth a groat, else they must have gone to gaol for want of bail, which would have put them besides their business, spoiled the informing trade, and broke the design; whereas now they were turned loose again to do what mischief they could until the next sessions.

Accordingly, they did what they could, and yet could make little or no earnings at it; for this little step of prosecution had made them so known, and their late apparent perjury had made them so detestable, that even the common sort of bad men shunned them, and would not willingly yield them any assistance.

The next Quarter Sessions was held at Aylesbury, whither we were fain to bring down our witnesses again from London, in like manner and at like charge, at the least, as before. And though I met with great discouragements in the prosecution, yet I followed it so vigorously that I got a verdict against the informers for wilful perjury, and had forthwith taken them up, had not they forthwith fled from justice and hid themselves. However, I moved by my attorney for an order of court, directed to all mayors, bailiffs, high constables, petty constables, and other inferior officers of the peace, to arrest and take them up wherever they should be found within the county of Bucks, and bring them to the county gaol.

The report of this so terrified them, that of all things dreading the misery of lying in a gaol, out of which they could not hope for deliverance otherwise than by at least the loss of their ears, they, hopeless now of carrying on their informing trade, disjoined, and one of them (Aris) fled the country; so that he appeared no more in this country. The other (Lacy) lurked privily for a while in woods and bye-places, until hunger and want forced him out; and then casting himself upon a hazardous adventure, which yet was the best, and proved to him best course he could have taken, he went directly to the gaol where he knew the innocent man suffered imprisonment by his means and for his sake; where asking for and being brought to Thomas Zachary, he cast himself on his knees at his feet, and with appearance of sorrow confessing his fault, did so earnestly beg for forgiveness that he wrought upon the tender nature of that very good man, not only to put him in hopes of mercy, but to be his advocate by letter to me, to mitigate at least, if not wholly to remit, the prosecution. To which I so far only consented as to let him know I would suspend the execution of the warrant upon him according as he behaved himself, or until he gave fresh provocation; at which message the fellow was so overjoyed that, relying with confidence thereon, he returned openly to his family and labour, and applied himself to business, as his neighbours observed and reported, with greater diligence and industry than he had ever done before.

Thus began and thus ended the informing trade in these parts of the county of Bucks; the ill success these first informers found discouraging all others, how vile soever, from attempting the like enterprise there ever after. And though it cost some money to carry on the prosecution, and some pains too, yet for every shilling so spent a pound probably might be saved of what in all likelihood would have been lost by the spoil and havoc that might have been made by distresses taken on their informations.

But so angry was the convicting Justice, whatever others of the same rank were, at this prosecution, and the loss thereby of the service of those honest men, the perjured informers—for, as I heard an attorney (one Hitchcock, of Aylesbury, who was their advocate in court) say, “A great lord, a peer of the realm, called them so in a letter directed to him; whereby he recommended to him the care and defence of them and their cause”—that he prevailed to have the oath of allegiance tendered in court to Thomas Zachary, which he knew he would not take because he could not take any oath at all; by which snare he was kept in prison a long time after, and, so far as I remember, until a general pardon released him.

But though it pleased the Divine Providence, which sometimes vouchsafeth to bring good out of evil, to put a stop, in a great measure at least, to the prosecution here begun, yet in other parts, both of the city and country, it was carried on with very great severity and rigour; the worst of men for the most part being set up for informers; the worst of magistrates encouraging and abetting them; and the worst of the priests who first began to blow the fire, now seeing how it took, spread, and blazed, clapping their hands, and hallooing them on to this evil work.

The sense whereof, as it deeply affected my heart with a sympathizing pity for the oppressed sufferers, so it raised in my spirit a holy disdain and contempt of that spirit and its agent by which this ungodly work was stirred up and carried on; which at length broke forth in an expostulatory poem, under the title of “Gigantomachia” (the Wars of the Giants against Heaven), not without some allusion to the second Psalm; thus:—

Why do the heathen in a brutish rage, Themselves against the Lord of Hosts engage? Why do the frantic people entertain Their thoughts upon a thing that is so vain? Why do the kings themselves together set? And why do all the princes them abet? Why do the rulers to each other speak After this foolish manner, “Let us break Their bonds asunder; come, let us make haste, With joint consent, their cords from us to cast?” Why do they thus join hands, and counsel take Against the Lord’s Anointed? This will make Him doubtless laugh who doth in heaven sit; The Lord will have them in contempt for it. His sore displeasure on them He will wreak, And in His wrath will He unto them speak. For on His holy hill of Sion He His king hath set to reign: sceptres must be Cast down before Him; diadems must lie At foot of Him who sits in majesty Upon His throne of glory; whence He will Send forth His fiery ministers to kill All those His enemies who would not be Subject to His supreme authority. Where then will ye appear who are so far From being subjects that ye rebels are Against His holy government, and strive Others from their allegiance too to drive? What earthly prince such an affront would bear From any of his subjects, should they dare So to encroach on his prerogative? Which of them would permit that man to live? What should it be adjudged but treason? and Death he must suffer for it out of hand. And shall the King of kings such treason see Acted against Him, and the traitors be Acquitted? No: vengeance is His, and they That Him provoke shall know He will repay. And of a truth provoked He hath been In a high manner by this daring sin Of usurpation, and of tyranny Over men’s consciences, which should be free To serve the living God as He requires, And as His Holy Spirit them inspires. For conscience is an inward thing, and none Can govern that aright but God alone. Nor can a well-informed conscience lower Her sails to any temporary power, Or bow to men’s decrees; for that would be Treason in a superlative degree; For God alone can laws to conscience give, And that’s a badge of His prerogative. This is the controversy of this day Between the holy God and sinful clay. God hath throughout the earth proclaim’d that He Will over conscience hold the sovereignty, That He the kingdom to Himself will take, And in man’s heart His residence will make, From whence His subjects shall such laws receive As please His Royal Majesty to give. Man heeds not this, but most audaciously Says, “Unto me belongs supremacy; And all men’s consciences within my land, Ought to be subject unto my command.” God by His Holy Spirit doth direct His people how to worship; and expect Obedience from them. Man says: “I ordain, That none shall worship in that way, on pain Of prison, confiscation, banishment, Or being to the stake or gallows sent.” God out of Babylon doth people call, Commands them to forsake her ways, and all Her several sorts of worship, to deny Her whole religion as idolatry. Will man thus his usurped power forego, And lose his ill-got government? Oh no: But out comes his enacted, be it “That all Who when the organs play will not downfall Before this golden image, and adore What I have caused to be set up therefor, Into the fiery furnace shall be cast, And be consumed with a flaming blast. Or in the mildest terms conform, or pay So much a month or so much every day, Which we will levy on you by distress, Sparing nor widow nor the fatherless; And if you have not what will satisfy, Ye’re like in prison during life to lie.” Christ says, swear not; but man says, “Swear [or lie] In prison, premunired, until you die.” Man’s ways are, in a word, as opposite To God’s as midnight darkness is to light; And yet fond man doth strive with might and main By penal laws God’s people to constrain To worship what, when, where, how he thinks fit, And to whatever he enjoins, submit. What will the issue of this contest be? Which must give place—the Lord’s or man’s decree? Will man be in the day of battle found Able to keep the field, maintain his ground, Against the mighty God? No more than can The lightest chaff before the winnowing fan; No more than straw could stand before the flame, Or smallest atoms when a whirlwind came. The Lord, who in creation only said, “Let us make man,” and forthwith man was made, Can in a moment by one blast of breath Strike all mankind with an eternal death. How soon can God all man’s devices squash, And with His iron rod in pieces dash Him, like a potter’s vessel? None can stand Against the mighty power of His hand. Be therefore wise, ye kings, instructed be, Ye rulers of the earth, and henceforth see Ye serve the Lord in fear, and stand in awe Of sinning any more against His law, His royal law of liberty: to do To others as you’d have them do to you. Oh stoop, ye mighty monarchs, and let none Reject His government, but kiss the Son While’s wrath is but a little kindled, lest His anger burn, and you that have transgressed His law so oft, and would not Him obey, Eternally should perish from the way— The way of God’s salvation, where the just Are blessed who in the Lord do put their trust.

_Felix quem faciunt aliena pericula cautum_.

Happy’s he Whom others’ harms do wary make to be.

As the unreasonable rage and furious violence of the persecutors had drawn the former expostulation from me, so in a while after, my heart being deeply affected with a sense of the great loving-kindness and tender goodness of the Lord to his people, in bearing up their spirits in their greatest exercises, and preserving them through the sharpest trials in a faithful testimony to his blessed truth, and opening in due time a door of deliverance to them, I could not forbear to celebrate His praises in the following lines, under the title of—

A SONG OF THE MERCIES AND DELIVERANCES OF THE LORD.

Had not the Lord been on our side, May Israel now say, We were not able to abide The trials of that day When men did up against us rise, With fury, rage, and spite, Hoping to catch us by surprise, Or run us down by might. Then had not God for us arose, And shown His mighty power, We had been swallowed by our foes, Who waited to devour. When the joint powers of death and hell Against us did combine, And with united forces fell Upon us, with design To root us out, then had not God Appeared to take our part, And them chastized with His rod, And made them feel the smart, We then had overwhelmed been And trodden in the mire; Our enemies on us had seen Their cruel hearts’ desire. When stoned, when stocked, when rudely stripped, Some to the waist have been (Without regard of sex), and whipped, Until the blood did spin; Yea, when their skins with stripes looked black, Their flesh to jelly beat, Enough to make their sinews crack, The lashes were so great; Then had not God been with them to Support them, they had died, His power it was that bore them through, Nothing could do’t beside. When into prisons we were thronged (Where pestilence was rife) By bloody-minded men that longed To take away our life; Then had not God been with us, we Had perished there no doubt ’Twas He preserved us there, and He It was that brought us out. When sentenced to banishment Inhumanly we were, To be from native country sent, From all that men call dear; Then had not God been pleased t’ appear, And take our cause in hand, And struck them with a panic fear, Which put them to a stand: Nay, had He not great judgments sent, And compassed them about, They were at that time fully bent To root us wholly out. Had He not gone with them that went, The seas had been their graves Or when they came where they were sent, They had been sold for slaves. But God was pleased still to give Them favour where they came, And in His truth they yet do live To praise His Holy Name. And now afresh do men contrive Another wicked way Of our estates us to deprive, And take our goods away. But will the Lord (who to this day Our part did always take) Now leave us to be made a prey, And that too for His sake? Can any one who calls to mind Deliverances past, Discouraged be at what’s behind, And murmur now at last? Oh that no unbelieving heart Among us may be found, That from the Lord would now depart, And coward-like give ground. For without doubt the God we serve Will still our cause defend, If we from Him do never swerve, But trust Him to the end. What if our goods by violence From us be torn, and we Of all things but our innocence Should wholly stripped be? Would this be more than did befall Good Job? Nay sure, much less: He lost estate, children and all, Yet he the Lord did bless. But did not God his stock augment Double what ’twas before? And this was writ to the intent That we should hope the more. View but the lilies of the field, That neither knit nor spin, Who is it that to them doth yield The robes they are decked in Doth not the Lord the ravens feed, And for the sparrows care? And will not He for His own seed All needful things prepare? The lions shall sharp hunger bear, And pine for lack of food; But who the Lord do truly fear, Shall nothing want that’s good. Oh! which of us can now diffide That God will us defend, Who hath been always on our side, And will be to the end.

_Spes confisa Deo nunquam confusa recedet_.

Hope which on God is firmly grounded Will never fail, nor be confounded.

Scarce was the before-mentioned storm of outward persecution from the Government blown over when Satan raised another storm of another kind against us on this occasion. The foregoing storm of persecution, as it lasted long, so in many parts of the nation, and particularly at London, it fell very sharp and violent especially on the Quakers. For they having no refuge but God alone to fly unto, could not dodge and shift to avoid the suffering as others of other denominations could, and in their worldly wisdom and policy did, altering their meetings with respect both to place and time, and forbearing to meet when forbidden or kept out of their meeting-houses. So that of the several sorts of Dissenters the Quakers only held up a public testimony as a standard or ensign of religion, by keeping their meetings duly and fully at the accustomed times and places so long as they were suffered to enjoy the use of their meeting-houses, and when they were shut up and Friends kept out of them by force, they assembled in the streets as near to their meeting-houses as they could.

This bold and truly Christian behaviour in the Quakers disturbed and not a little displeased the persecutors, who, fretting, complained that the stubborn Quakers broke their strength and bore off the blow from those other Dissenters whom, as they most feared, so they principally aimed at. For indeed the Quakers they rather despised than feared, as being a people from whose peaceable principles and practices they held themselves secure from danger; whereas having suffered severely, and that lately too, by and under the other Dissenters, they thought they had just cause to be apprehensive of danger from them, and good reason to suppress them.

On the other hand, the more ingenuous amongst other Dissenters of each denomination, sensible of the ease they enjoyed by our bold and steady suffering, which abated the heat of the persecutors and blunted the edge of the sword before it came to them, frankly acknowledged the benefit received; calling us the bulwark that kept off the force of the stroke from them, and praying that we might be preserved and enabled to break the strength of the enemy, nor could some of them forbear, those especially who were called Baptists, to express their kind and favourable opinion of us, and of the principles we professed, which emboldened us to go through that which but to hear of was a terror to them.

This their good-will raised ill-will in some of their teachers against us, who though willing to reap the advantage of a shelter, by a retreat behind us during the time that the storm lasted, yet partly through an evil emulation, partly through fear lest they should lose some of those members of their society who had discovered such favourable thoughts of our principles and us, they set themselves as soon as the storm was over to represent us in as ugly a dress and in as frightful figure to the world as they could invent and put upon us.

In order whereunto, one Thomas Hicks, a preacher among the Baptists at London, took upon him to write several pamphlets successively under the title of “A Dialogue between a Christian and a Quaker,” which were so craftily contrived that the unwary reader might conclude them to be not merely fictions, but real discourses actually held between one of the people called a Quaker and some other person. In these feigned dialogues, Hicks, having no regard to justice or common honesty, had made his counterfeit Quaker say whatsoever he thought would render him one while sufficiently erroneous, another while ridiculous enough, forging in the Quaker’s name some things so abominably false, other things so intolerably foolish, as could not reasonably be supposed to have come into the conceit, much less to have dropped from the lip or pen of any that went under the name of a Quaker.

These dialogues, shall I call them, or rather diabologues, were answered by our friend William Penn in two books; the first being entitled “Reason against Railing,” the other “The Counterfeit Christian Detected;” in which Hicks being charged with manifest as well as manifold forgeries, perversions, downright lies, and slanders against the people called Quakers in general, William Penn, George Whitehead, and divers others by name, complaint was made, by way of an appeal, to the Baptists in and about London for justice against Thomas Hicks.

Those Baptists, who it seems were in the plot with Hicks to defame at any rate, right or wrong, the people called Quakers, taking advantage of the absence of William Penn and George Whitehead, who were the persons most immediately concerned, and who were then gone a long journey on the service of truth, to be absent from the city, in all probability, for a considerable time, appointed a public meeting in one of their meeting-houses, under pretence of calling Thomas Hicks to account and hearing the charge made good against him, but with design to give the greater stroke to the Quakers, when they, who should make good the charge against Hicks, could not be present. For upon their sending notice to the lodgings of William Penn and George Whitehead of their intended meeting, they were told by several Friends that both William Penn and George Whitehead were from home, travelling in the countries, uncertain where, and therefore could not be informed of their intended meeting, either by letter or express, within the time by them limited, for which reason they were desired to defer the meeting till they could have notice of it and time to return, that they might be at it. But these Baptists, whose design was otherwise laid, would not be prevailed with to defer their meeting, but, glad of the advantage, gave their brother Hicks opportunity to make a colourable defence where he had his party to help him and none to oppose him; and having made a mock show of examining him and his works of darkness, they, in fine, having heard one side, acquitted him.

This gave just occasion for a new complaint and demand of justice against him and them. For as soon as William Penn returned to London, he in print exhibited his complaint of this unfair dealing, and demanded justice by a rehearing of the matter in a public meeting to be appointed by joint agreement. This went hardly down with the Baptists, nor could it be obtained from them without great importunity and hard pressing. At length, after many delays and tricks used to shift it off, constrained by necessity, they yielded to have a meeting at their own meeting-house in Barbican, London.