1663] Rewards for apprehending Quaker Preachers 37 with a letter & Leonarde ffell went with it [& I had written a letter against all plotts & plotters as aforesaid]. And soe from Will: Pearsons I past through ye Countryes visitinge freinds till I came to Pardsey Cragge where I had a large generall meetinge & all was quiet & peaceable & ye glorious powerfull presence of ye everlastinge God was with us. And att this time there was offred a noble & 5s a day to any men yt coulde apprehende ye speakers amongst ye Quakers. Butt ye Quarter Sessions beinge helde at this time in ye Country: these men which were soe hired was gonne to ye Sessions to looke for there wages: & soe all our meetinges was quiett. And soe as I passed from Pardsey Cragge towards Hugh Tickells1 {by Kessecke} [wee mett {a} many people yt was comeinge from ye sessions]. And [from thence wee came] to Tho: Lathes where wee stayde & freinds came there to visitt us: & to see us. And from thence wee came to {one} {Frances}" Bensons3 {in Westmerland}" neere Justice Flemminges house & there wee stayde all night. And yt freinde Benson tolde mee yt Justice Flemminge1 att ye Sessions at Kendall was in a {great} rage against ffreinds: & hee bid 51 to any man in open Sessions yt coulde take mee {& as I came to F: Bensons, I mett one man who had this 5li proferred him to take mee, & when I passed by him hee said yt is Geo: ffox: but hee had not power to touch mee, so ye Lords power preserved mee over them all}": soe ye wicked Justices beinge in such a rage against mee & I often beinge soe nigh ym It tormented ym ye worse. And from thence I came to James Taylors at Cartmell where I stayde ye first day: & had a pretious meetinge. And after ye meetinge was donne I came over Sand to Swarthmoore. And when I came there they tolde mee yt Coll: Kirby5 a The insertions Frances and in Westmerland are in another hand. The latter insertion takes the place of other words, erased, which appear to have read beyonde Hawkessyde. This insertion and those given in note " are in the same minute clear handwriting, one which is found in other Quaker мss. also. 38 Visit to Kirkby Hall [1663 had sent his leifetenant there to search for mee whoe had searched both boxes & trunkes for mee att Swarthmoore. And as I was lyinge in bed: I was moved of ye Lord God to goe ye next day to Coll: Kirbeys house about 5 miles off & to speake to him: & when I came there was ye fflemminges & severall of ye gentry was gathered togeather att Kirby hall {to take there leave of Coll: Kirby hee beinge then goeinge uppe to London to ye parlament}: & they had mee Into ye parlor amongst ym Coll: Kirby not beinge att that time within but gonne foorth a litle way: & they sayde litle to mee [but after a while I walkt out]. And after a litle time Coll: Kirby came in & soe I tolde him I came to visitt him understandinge yt hee woulde have seene mee: & to know what hee had to say to mee or whether hee had any thinge against mee: & hee saide before ye gentry yt was gathered togeather att his house yt as hee was a gentleman hee had nothinge against mee: but saide yt M: ffell must not keepe great meetinges att her house for yt they mett contrary to ye act. all But I tolde him yt act did not take holde upon us but upon such as did meete to plott & contrive & to raise Insurrections against ye Kinge & wee was noe such people: & hee knew yt those yt mett att M ffs house were his neighbors & a peaceable people. And soe after many wordes hee shooke mee by ye hande & saide hee had nothinge against mee & others of ym saide I was a deserveinge man & soe wee parted & I returned to Swarthmoore againe. And shortly after hee beinge gonne for London: to ye parlament I hearde over night yt there was a private meetinge of ye Justices & deputy leiftenants at Houlkar Hall: at Justice Prestons: & I hearde yt they had graunted foorth a warrant to apprehend mee. And soe I could have gonne away {over night) for I had not appointed any meetinge att yt time & I had cleered my selfe of ye north & Lords ye power was over all: but I considered there beinge a noise of a plott in ye north: if I should goe away they might fall upon poore freindes & soe if I gave uppe my selfe to bee taken: I shoulde choake ym & freindes shoulde escape ye better. 1663] my Memorable Scene at Holker Hall 39 And soe I gave uppe my selfe to bee taken & prepared selfe against they came. And ye next day an officer came with his sworde & pistoll to take mee: & I tolde him I knew his [message &] errande [ye night] before & soe had given uppe my selfe to bee taken for if I woulde have escaped there Imprisonement I might have beene 40 miles off before they came but I was an unnocent man: & soe matterd not what they coulde doe unto mee. : And hee askt mee howe I did heare of it (seeinge ye order was made privately in a parlor}: I saide Itt was noe matter for yt I did heare of it: & soe I askt him to see his order & hee layde his hande on his sworde: & saide I must goe with him before ye Leifetenants to aunswer such questions as they shoulde propounde to mee: & I tolde him Itt was but civill & reasonable for him to lett mee see his order but hee would not then I tolde him I was ready. And soe I went alonge with him & M: ff: went alonge with mee to Holkar Hall: & when wee came there there was many people gathered: & one Rawlinson1 caled a Justice & Thomas} Preston of Holkar: & one caled Sir George Midleton & many more yt I did not know. And one Thomas Atkinson2 a freinde of Cartmell: they brought as a wittnesse against mee {for some wordes} yt hee had tolde to one Knipe3 whoe had Informed ym which wordes was yt I had written against ye plotters & knockt ym doune which wordes they coulde not make much off: for I tolde ym I had hearde of a plott & had written against it. a And then olde Preston askt mee whether I had {any hande} in yt script: & I askt him what hee meant & then hee saide in ye Battledore : & I aunswered him yes: then hee askt mee whether I did understand {ye} languages I tolde him if I did I knew noe law yt was transgressed by it: & to understand those outward languages there was noe matter of salvation in ym: & if I did understande ym I Judged {& knockt} ym doune againe {for any matter of salvation yt was in ym}. a Ellwood editions insert here sufficient for myself. See page 43. 40 A Plot in the North [1663 And soe hee turned away: & said G: ffox knockes doune all ye languages: come says hee wee will examine you of higher matters. Then George Midleton saide: you deny God & ye Chuch & faith: & I replyed nea I owne God & ye true Chuch & ye true faith but what Chuch dost thou owne for I understoode hee was a papist: & then hee turned againe & said you are a rebell": & I askt him unto whome hee spoake or whome did hee call rebell: hee was soe full of envy for a [longe] while hee coulde not say to whome hee spoake it but at last hee sade hee spoake it to mee. And I struck my hande on ye table & tolde him I had suffred more then 20 such as hee or any yt was there: ffor I had beene cast Into Darby dungeon for six months togeather because I woulde not take uppe armes against this kinge att Worcester fight. And I was carryed uppe out of my owne Country by Coll: Hacker {before O: C: as a plotter to bringe in Kinge Charles in 1654 & I had nothinge but love & good will to ye kinge & desired his eternall good & welfare & all his subjects. Then said Midleton did you ever heare ye like: nea saide I you may heare it againe if you will: for you talke of ye kinge a Company of you: butt I had more love to ye kinge for his eternall good & welfare then any of you have. Then they askt mee whether I did heare of ye plott & I said yes I had hearde of it: & then they askt mee how I hearde of it & whome I knew in it. I tolde ym I hearde of it by ye high sheriffe of Yorkesheere1 whoe had tolde Dr Hodgeson2 yt there was a plott in ye north: & yt was ye way I hearde of it: & never hearde of any such thinge in ye south till I came Into ye north. And as for knowinge any in ye plott I was as a childe in yt for I knewe none of ym. Then saide they why woulde I write against it if I did not knowe some yt were in it: & {I saide} my reason was because you are soe forwarde to mash ye innocent & guilty togeather: I writt against it to cleere ye truth from such • Ellwood editions add and a Traytor. Ellwood editions add but where were ye in Oliver's days? and what did ye do then for him? |