Bishop of Salisbury. to be done to prevent any imposition being practised, either in my name by others, or, if I am led by a wrong spirit myself, it will be proved this year, and that no imposition may be practised upon the Jews, when I know, without a doubt, that I am with child. I am ordered to put in public print, all the names above mentioned, that I have sent the book and likeness to, that the Hebrews abroad, as well as those in England, may know that no deceit was practised upon them; but that the heads and rulers of the nation were made acquainted with it before it took place.

And this has been ordered

And now, sir, I will appeal to your judgment: suppose the heads and rulers of the nation should act like Mr. P., as soon as they find their names in public print, and hear that the truth of what was put into their hands is likely to follow; if they should say like him-"Now we will burn her likeness and her book, and will not acknowledge that we ever received them, that we may evade bearing testimony of the truth in the end." Here I must leave you to judge for yourself, what would be your feelings were you in my place? must I not say with the Prophet Amos,

They have turned judgment into gall, and the fruits of righteousness into hemlock?" Would not the justice of the Spirit and the judgment of the Lord, the way He hath directed to make every thing clear before them, be turned into gall and wormwood? And must they not turn righteousness from the earth? If all should act as Mr. P. hath done, if I be called forward in a public court, to prove the Birth of the Child, before Lord Ellenborough, to whom I have sent my likeness, that he may know I am the woman,

*The like communication has been subsequently made to John Reeves, Esq.

and 'the book that it was prophesied of, before it took place; but were he to burn the likeness, and refuse to own that he had received it, and come as an unjust judge against me; I must say, gracious heaven, how could I look upon such men! And what must be the language of the Jews when I bring forward all my witnesses, to prove how it was sent, and by whom it was delivered; and then for all these noblemen to deny it? What must the Jews in such a case judge of the Christians, to call them to believe in the Gospel, if they were to see that no justice or truth could be proved in the professors thereof? Then they must say on either side, we are lost in wonder how to judge. Will the great men and the honourable men of the nation, the judges and rulers of the land, let down their honour, to bring a disgrace upon an innocent woman? For if her report be true, which her witnesses affirm it to be as she hath said, and from her producing the Child in Court, and the Sign she mentioned in her book, it will certainly clear her in every respect. And yet my innocence would stand condemned, if they should act as Mr. P. hath done; for he appears to me as though a premeditated malice was kindled in him so strongly against me, that he would murder his own character to blacken mine, to make me appear an artful, deceitful, lying woman; and therefore I marvel not, from such an answer as he hath sent to you, that people should say I deserve to be burnt; and where he returns the letters of inquiry unanswered, that they should say, he was bribed not to contradict what I have said. To my words I am answered by the Spirit

If his conscience be awakened, from the likeness placed before him in thy letter, that he sees it is truth and upright dealings which must be unjustly condemned, if the rulers do as he hath

done; so, if this awaken him to acknowledge the truth, that he hath done himself what he should condemn in another; then he will clear thy character, and say the fault rested with himself. He may send his answer to Underwood, to assign his reasons why he acted as he hath, that thou mayest answer him again. But if he now goes on hardened, this letter must go in public print; for thy innocence I shall clear one way or other, by my directions, or thy putting the law in force against him."

When I consider my calling, in the manuer I now stand between God and man, it is my indispensable duty to clear my honour amongt mankind, to prove that no deceit has ever been practised by me; but what must the Jews judge of me, if I lie silent under the slander of Mr. P.'s pen, saying I have made false misrepresentations? I would not for any consideration whatever lie under such an accusation, at such a time as this. I do not want Mr. P. to believe in the prophecies; I only want him to send a satisfactory answer to acknowledge the truths I put into his hands, of what I enumerated in the letter I sent to him in 1804; and if he had acknowledged at that time that he did receive them from me, he would never have been troubled with any more letters on my. account. And I now only want a satisfactory answer from him, as he is not required to come forward himself now.

*

And now, Sir, as you was so honourable as to send Mr. P.'s letter to me, I shall esteem it a favour, if you will send my answer to him; and in so doing you will much oblige

your humble servant,

JOANNA SOUTHCOTT.

The gentleman wrote a letter from himself, and

E

a copy of the above, sending therewith the Third Book of Wonders; but, receiving no answer, when the Fourth Book came out, he sent him that also, with another letter, requesting that Mr. P. would give some answer to what he had written, concerning the books and his inquiries; but, to his astonishment, the books and letters were returned, with the following note:

"Sir,

"Mr. Pomeroy being absent, I have returned the enclosed. Indeed, was he at home he would not, I am convinced, have any thing to do with the contents. If seut again it will be returned. Indeed, Sir, if you knew the uneasiness it gives him, I am convinced you would not trouble him any more on the subject. All letters sent will be returned in the same manner, as Mr. P. will have nothing to say or do on the subject.”—

All being returned back in this manner, the gentleman informed my friends of it, which they told me of. I then intreated the favour of the whole that were returned being sent to me, as they concerned me only; and which I was answered should be printed in this book; unless Mr. P. sent a letter to the gentleman, before the eleventh day of June, declaring that they had been returned in his absence, which he himself should not have done. But as he hath kept silence all this while, he certainly must approve of what Mrs. P. hath done: as no other person but a wife could take that liberty, of sending back the letter unopened, and the book and letters sent before. As to Mrs. P. in one respect I cannot blame her, as she may wish to remove any cause that wounds the feelings of her husband, which is natural for a wife to do; but she should have considered this, that the real cause must be re- 1 moved, before the effects which she complains of

can cease. For, in the manner I now stand, at this present time, between God and man, my character must be cleared of every aspersion which Mr. P. has brought against me. However, I do not marvel that Mrs. P. should say that it caused him uneasiness of mind, to have any inquiry made to him on the subject; but this uneasiness will increase until he acknowledges how wrongly he hath acted; for he will surely find that the uneasiness and sorrow he hath caused me, in trying to wound my character, will turn back upon his own head. So, if his character be injured, it is his own doing and here I shall appeal to the world at large to judge between him and me.

The ANSWER of the SPIRIT.

"Thou hast marvelled in thy heart, why I should direct thee to a man who hath acted like him, whose conduct I have ordered thee to put in public print, for all men to judge from, and to judge by; that, where prejudice and envy are, the truth will be denied; and therefore it is just judges that they must now call forward. And know I have told thee, that as soon as the marriage is granted, on the conditions I have mentioned; then the heads and rulers of the nation, whom I ordered thee to send the Letter and Portrait to, are at liberty to send their Physicians, to pass their judgment whether they think it likely for such an event to take place. But as some may be prejudiced through unbelief, thinking it impossible to be; and, like Pomeroy, place it another way; therefore, when these physicians are sent forward, then thy friends have a right to come forward with their physicians, or medical men; and those whom thy friends have consulted with already will then be called forward to meet the others. For, as I told thee,