that the prisons, or rooms therein, should be viewed, where the Quakers were confined, and affidavits to be made thereof before a master in chancery, which accordingly was done by an attorney, and the affidavits were sent up to me at London, containing a true account of matter of fact, relating to the places where our friends were so miserably confined.

Whereupon our friend William Crouch, went with me to judge Windham, to deliver the affidavits to him, esteeming him the most proper person to take cognizance thereof, being obtained pursuant to his order or advice, at the assizes before, that he might acquaint the king therewith; but instead of so doing, or of showing compassion to the sufferers, he refused to receive or accept the affidavits which he himself had ordered; only he did a little look upon and read them, or part of them, and fell to reproaching the meetings of our friends as being riots and riotous, &c., when they were forcibly kept out of their meeting-house, and met peaceably in the street; and there stood quietly waiting upon the Lord in a peaceable and inoffensive posture. Thus our friends at Norwich and other places did, as I told the judge; and that therefore such meetings could be no riots, nor riotous meetings, there neither being any show of arms, nor menacing words, nor any violence offered, nor any injury done to the persons or properties of any others; and therefore I conceived there was nothing of the nature of a riot committed by any of our friends in their said meetings.

that he had the opportunity and power to do our suffering friends in Norwich some kindness, in order to their relief; and that he, and I, and all men, must give account to the great Judge of all, for all our actions, and he for not relieving our poor suffering friends, or to that purpose: and seeing he would not accept the affidavits before mentioned, so as to deliver the same to the king, I asked him what we should do with them? He said, "You may carry them to my Lord Keeper, i. e., Lord North," which advice, though slightly given, I readily took hold of, having cleared my conscience to him, the said judge, who at last carried himself more mildly towards us than he did in the former part of our discourse.

The next day William Crouch and I went to the said Lord Keeper, at his house, and after being admitted to him in his closet, I told him at judge Windham's advice, we were come with certain affidavits from Norwich, which the judge had given order for, concerning the confinement of our friends, who were detained close prisoners; and then delivered the affidavits to him. Whereupon he began to accuse our friends' meetings with being riotous, &c., much after the same manner that judge Windham had done. I fairly reasoned the case with him a little while on our friends' behalf, and after some discourse, told him that we hoped he would present, or make report of those affidavits to the king, they being procured by judge Windham's order, pursuant to the king's instructions. Whereupon the keeper promised he would deliver them to the king; upon which I was eased in my spirit, for that the king might thereby see our complaints of our friends' hard usage in the jail and dungeon in Norwich confirmed by such a legal proof as he could not deny; not doubting the keeper's performance of his promise, we left the case with him, and withdrew. It was something remarkable, that the said judge Windham had no long time to master us I answered, I will not compare with thee with the law, which he menaced us with, i. c., as to knowledge and learning in the law. that the law should be master over us; which Thou hast had the advantage of education I took to mean the persecuting laws, or rather therein, as well as of age above me, which I the mal-administration of our persecutors, have not had; yet nevertheless I have had who would judge and punish our peaceable occasion in my time to understand some- religious meetings for riots, &c., when noththing of truth and justice, having been a suf-ing of a riotous nature or fact could ever be ferer myself on a conscientious account, under proved against them, or against us in them. the several governments since we were a Though the said judge appeared very fierce people, both in Oliver Cromwell's days and since; and in all my sufferings and trials, I never saw cause to change my judgment, or turn with the times, but rather through all to be the more confirmed in what I believe and profess respecting religion.

Upon this discourse the judge seemed of fended, and standing up with his arms a-kimbo, and his hands on his sides, he answered, viz: "You will know the law better than I, I warrant you; but I will have you know you shall not be masters over the law, but the law shall be master over you, so long as I live, or have to do with the law.

I also spake further and closely to him;

against our meetings, charging them, and threatening us with the law, &c., he knew not how near his time then was; for after that he lived but a short space, if he died in the next Norfolk circuit, as was reported: however he lived but a little time after he threatened us that the law should be master over us.

George Whitehead and William Crouch's Letter gave us back the mittimus and affidavits, and

to Friends at Norwich prison.

Dear Friends,

Anthony Alexander, Mary Booth, John Fiddeman, &c., friends in prison in the dungeon, at Norwich. After the tender salutation of our dear love to you all in the Lord, these are to acquaint you of our care and industrious endeavours on your behalf, since we received your last letters, the one dated the 19th instant, and the other the 21st, together with the enclosed letter from the attorney, and the affidavits, mittimuses, and the county jailer's letter to your jailer, and also sheriff Stebbings' severe order to him. In answer to all which, and your desires sig nified, we return you this following account,

viz:

We did yesterday seek for John Hill, to whom the said attorney directed his letter, but he was out of the city, in the country.

We sought out judge Windham, and in the afternoon had admittance to speak to him. He was prepossessed with sheriff Stebbings' account against you and his own vindication, having rendered you obstinate, riotous, affronting the law in your meetings, and standing in the street, contrary to proclamation, &c. But be not discouraged at such injurious reflections.

We told him sheriff Stebbings is your extreme adversary, and party against you.

On the sheriff's account he also reflected upon you, as refusing to give in security for your appearance at sessions, and refusing to pay for convenient rooms in prison, and said that you chose a free prison, &c.* This and more from sheriff Stebbings' account. But still we excepted against him as not an indif ferent person.

said we might do what we would with the affidavits.

We gave account yesternight to the meeting of our friends, of our endeavours with the judge, and your letters and the affidavits were then read in the meeting, which left the matter to us further to manage and write to you, which herein we do.

This morning we went early to the lord Keeper's, obtained admittance to him, and spoke with him in your case and behalf. He showed us sheriff Stebbings' account against you, we told him what an extreme party and him the affidavits, and told him they were adversary he is against you; we delivered from indifferent persons who viewed the jail, and we desired his tender notice of them, and received them, and promised he would deliver to give report to the king accordingly. He them to the king.

and laboured for you, and vindicated your Lastly, we having thus far endeavoured to what you propose of drawing up your case cause much more than we can here express; to the king, we think it very meet, that if you be still continued under the same hardship, you briefly draw up your complaint by way of humble petition, or request to the king, showing your hard usage in the most material points; for we have lately found that some are apt to reject compliments at the council-board, unless the words [humble petition] be in the front.

Thus dear friends, having given you these
brief notes of our endeavours, being but as a
short index thereof, we hope that further en-
deavours will not be wanting, as the Lord
shall
open our way.

GEORGE WHITEHEAD,
WILLIAM CROUCH.

Our labour and solicitation for our oppressed friends at Norwich, held a considerable time, and their suffering was prolonged by their whose cruelty their chief complaints were; persecutor Stebbings, the then sheriff, of to excuse and palliate which, his endeavours

We told him we had affidavits enclosed in a letter from persons indifferent; upon which he called for the letter to John Hill, and opened it, and read the mittimuses and affidavits, which caused some calm, having before that read the letter dated the 19th of the first month, which he plucked out of George Whitehead's hand, wherein you give account of sheriff Stebbings being with the judge, and obnoxious as he could, aspersing them as obof his and the jailer's being more severe to-stinate, riotous, &c., thereby to incense the wards you since; which passages we made improvement of, to show the sheriff's contradiction to what the king, the lord-keeper, and judge Windham himself had ordered on your

behalf.

The judge said, he had delivered sheriff Stebbings' account to the lord-keeper, and he

* So they might, and not choose a dungeon under Guildhall.

were to render the sufferers criminal and as

This gave us occasion to be the more zeal. magistrates and government against them. ously concerned to discover to his and our superiors, his unwarrantable and inhuman harmless sufferers; and further to make apactions and proceedings against the poor, plication to the king in the sufferers' behalf. Wherein my ancient friend Gilbert Latey, was willing and free to be concerned with me; and accordingly we waited an opportu

nity to go to the king at Hampton-Court, our hats to any mortal, it should be to the when he was to come thither from Windsor. king first, but for conscience sake we could On the 25th of the second month, 1683, not to any mortal, but only in our approachwe took boat for Kingston, in the afternoon, ing God in prayer; to which the king gave but before we got to Wansworth, the weather no particular reply. began to be so very stormy and tempestuous upon the river Thames, that we were forced to take in at Wansworth, and lodge there that night at the widow Springet's. Next morning we rose by that time it was well light, and walked on foot to Kingston, it raining almost all the way, so that we were much wetted in going thither. We made some stop at Anne Fielders, at Kingston, till we had a little refreshed ourselves, and dried our clothes at the fire, and then we hastened away to Hampton-Court, to meet with the king before he went to council.

Geerge Whitehead.-We desire nothing to be done to the prejudice or dishonour of the king, nor to join with, or promote any interest against the king. The Lord knows our Secondly, the king questioned us about the hearts, we have not the least design or desire reason of our not putting off our hats, and for the subversion or change of the governusing the terms, thee and thou, yea and nay? ment. Nor can we reasonably be supposed To which we gave him answer, particularly to have any such design, seeing we were deep Gilbert Latey, viz: That if we could put off sufferers in Cromwell's time, as I myself was;

therefore there is no reason, we should seek to promote any interest against the king, but only desire, that God in his wisdom may direct | and preserve the king, and that nothing may be done or suffered that may be to the king's dishonour or hurt.

Gilbert Latey. We would not loose our point that we came to the king for; that is, the case of our distressed friends in Norwich, to whom we desire the king to show his princely clemency for their relief.

George Whitehead to the king, as he was withdrawing; We hope the king will be mindful of our suffering friends in Norwich.

Yet after so great endeavours and long solicitation, our suffering friends in Norwich were continued prisoners until the next assizes that summer, and then were released, pursuant to the king's promise and instruction, as it was concluded, to the great comfort and relief of them and their afflicted families.

Although, with God's assistance, we preAlthough it was my friend's care we should vailed with the king for relief in certain exnot be diverted from our point by other dis-treme cases of suffering through great labour course, I was as mindful of that as he could and solicitation, wherein I was much concernbe; but by the way, I was willing to clear our ed, in great compassion toward our sorely innocency from jealousies and prejudice wrong-oppressed friends, yet hitherto there remained fully suggested to the king against us and our friends.

In answer to Gilbert Latey. King. I will take notice of their case, and care about it, that it shall be called for in council.

George Whitehead. If there be any objections against us, i. e., in council, we pray the king to let us know them, and we hope to give such answers as shall be satisfactory.

great oppression and sufferings throughout most counties and cities in England, by divers kinds of severe prosecutions; insomuch that several of us, namely, George Fox, Gilbert Latey, Alexander Parker, Francis Camfield, myself, &c., were weightily concerned to have a general statement of our suffering friends' case and condition, drawn up by way of address or application, to be presented to the king, in order to make him the more sensible of the great oppressions and persecutions we still were exposed to. Accordingly I took particular care to have such an application effectually drawn to Friends' satisfaction.

The reason of this proposal by George Whitehead was, that we were informed the secretary, sir L. Jenkins, intended to produce an apology from the sheriffs of Norwich, against the affidavits concerning the jail and The intent whereof was, to clear our innodungeon wherein our friends were confined, cency from a plot that was reported to have whereupon we attended the council that day, been against the king and the duke of York, in order to be called in before them, or to To make the king sensible of our long conhear the result thereof, in our case, respect-tinued, as well as extreme sufferings for our ing our said suffering friends, but we were religious, tender consciences towards Almighty not called in, nor did we hear of any such God; and apology produced by the secretary, though he was a favourer of our adversary, sheriff Stebbings. It may be supposed, that the king's favourable answers to us, and his confessing that their suffering was against law, and pro- The humble address of the people commonly mising to take care concerning them, might anticipate and prevent producing any apology against them or their case.

To George Whitehead's last proposal before.

King. You shall know I will take care about your business.

Earnestly to move the king for our relief: a copy whereof follows, viz:

O king,

TO THE KING.

called Quakers.

The King of kings, and Lord of the whole earth incline thy heart to do that which is just and merciful in his sight, and to make such clear and equal distinctions, as that the George Whitehead. We gave affidavits to innocent may not suffer, in any case, for the the Lord Keeper, which we hope were deliver-guilty, that it may ever redound to thy honed to the king. our and safety, and thy peaceable subjects' comfort.

King. Yes, yes, I will take notice of their case, and it shall be called on in council.

Gilbert Latey. We accept it as a great favour, that we have this admittance to be heard, and pray God to preserve and direct the king.

George Whitehead to the rest of the nobility present, &c.; And we acknowledge all your civilities and kindness towards us.

Our innocency, love and good will to thy person and the government that God has committed to thee, encourage us, in this our humble address and application.

Whereas the late plot against the king, and his brother the Duke of York, is made an occasion to persecute many of us for our religious meetings more severely than formerly;

cities and places in this nation. Many houses, shops, barns and fields, are ransacked and swept of goods, corn and cattle, tending also to the great discouragement of trade and husbandry, and to the impoverishing of a great number of quiet and industrious people; and that for no other cause, but for their religious worship, and the exercise of their tender consciences towards Almighty God, who made them, who is the sovereign Lord of all, and king in men's consciences.

We do solemnly declare, that it is known to the divine Majesty and the all-seeing Wisdom, whereby kings reign and princes decree justice, that our manifold, extreme and continued sufferings, being only on a religious account, have not been the least motive or provocation to us, to desire, much less to contrive the least hurt either to thy person or government, or to the person of thy brother the Duke of York. We are clear in the sight of God, angels and men, from all hellish plots and traitorous conspiracies, and from all Therefore we humbly entreat thee, O king, murderous designs and undertakings against in princely justice, Christian charity and comthe king, his brother, or any person on passion, to open our prison doors, and take earth whatsoever, being works of the devil off our bonds; relieve the innocent and opand darkness; having contrariwise learned of pressed in thy land, who fear God and in Christ Jesus our Lord, by his light and grace conversation truly honour the king. Suffer in our hearts, not so much as by force to de- not the ruin of such as are quiet in the land, fend, much less avenge, ourselves from inju- nor the widow and the fatherless, for their ries done us, but to commit our cause to Him peaceable consciences, to lie at the door of a that judgeth righteously, as peaceable follow-prince professing the tender and compassionate ers of our Saviour and Redeemer, in his pa- religion of Christ. tient example and sufferings, who is the Prince of peace.

This address was presented to king Charles the second, and by him accepted, at Windsor castle, the 8th day of the sixth month, called August, 1683, by George Whitehead, Alexander Parker, Gilbert Latey, and Francis Camfield, and read distinctly to the king and the duke, in the presence of many more of the nobility, &c., by me.

After I had read it to the king, our ancient friend Francis Camfield declared a few words, very weightily, reminding him of the mercy of the great God to him, both in his great deliverances, preservation, and restoration; desiring that as the Almighty had shown mercy and compassion to him, in his afflictions and straits, he would show mercy and compassion to his afflicted people; or words to the same effect, so near as I well remember, and withal prayed for the king, according to our supplications hinted in the foregoing application, to which he said, I thank you.

O king, we do further declare, that God Almighty hath taught and engaged us to acknowledge and actually to obey magistracy, as his ordinance, in all things not repugnant to his law and light in our consciences, which is certainly agreeable to the holy Scriptures, and admits not of any immoral or injurious action. And that even where through tenderness of conscience we cannot conform, it is our duty patiently to suffer, and not to rebel or seek revenge. We hope by his divine grace, ever to demean ourselves as peaceable minded Christians, in our conversations under the civil government. As we do sincerely, and with reverence confess to his divine power and providence in thy restoration, and the preservation of thy person hitherto, so our prayers and supplications are to the Almighty for thy future safety and peace, and that in a thankful remembrance of God's great mercies towards thee, thou mayest be thereby obliged to show mercy, and to relieve the oppressed from these unmerited afflictions and persecutions, which a great number of us thy peaceable subjects, do even at this day suffer under, in our persons and estates, not only by laws made against, but also by laws never intended against us. And what is more extreme, divers severities of late have been, and still are I have been bowed in spirit under a great inflicted on us, for which no colour or pretence weight and concern, with earnest breathing of law hath been or can be alledged, several and secret supplication to the Lord to assist jails being so filled that they want air, and me, so often as I have had occasion personmany innocent persons are held under ex-ally to appear before the king, to make applitreme distress, without regard to age, sex, or condition, to the loss of some lives already, and the apparent hazard of many more, if not to the endangering of infection in divers

The king at that time appeared seriously affected with our complaint and sufferings, and soon after we were told by a great person, that he said to a duke that stood by, What shall we do for this people? The prisons are filled with them. And that the duke to divert him from his concern therein, drew him into other discourse.

cation or request to him on behalf of my suffering friends and brethren, and my exercise was the greater when it was difficult to obtain access to, or to meet with him, which I