blished, in which the informers had sworn against Friends for being at meetings which they were not at ; also for holding meetings at certain places and houses, where no meetings had been held; and they were also proved to have sworn upon trust, from one another's false and presumptuous information. These several cases of false swearing, occupied six broadsides; and there were numerous cases of excessive distraints, accompanied by force and violence. So many instances indeed, says George Whitehead, "we gave to the commissioners on the first day, of the horrid abuses of the informers, that they seemed almost weary with hearing them; matters of fact being evidently proved against the informers to their faces, and to their great shame and confusion." At the first meeting they did not get through one-fourth of the charges; and a subsequent meeting was held, at which, though they did not get through half the cases, the commissioners thought they had ample grounds on which to form their report to the king. George Whitehead wished them, seeing the charges of false swearing and violence had been so fully proved against the informers, to discourage or stop their further proceedings; but this the commissioners thought was without their province.

The informers were of course greatly enraged against George Whitehead; and they so threatened him, that some of his friends were afraid of their doing him a mischief. He was however no way intimidated: "I told them," says he, "that I feared them not; nor what they could do; for I was bound in conscience to make them manifest to the government: they should not deter me, by their threats, from appearing before the highest authority against them."

George Whitehead had several interviews with the commissioners, in which he laid before them the cases which had not been inquired into. On one of these interviews they showed him, at his request, the draft of their report; when he was surprised to find, that instead of stating the plain matters of fact, in regard to

which they had to inquire, they had given their opinion as to an easier way of dealing with the Quakers in future. George Whitehead remonstrated with them, for thus deviating from the points on which they were directed to report to the king; when "one of the commissioners told him how hardly they were put to it to draw up their report, being sent to out of London, by some great person or persons of the Church, and much requested to report nothing which might disable the informers, or put them by from their great service to the Church!" George Whitehead however pleaded for justice being done to them, by a report as to matters of fact being made to the king; and the commissioners did materially amend their report in consequence.

Some further information was given to the king relative to the cases, in a letter; in which, having referred to the mal-practices of the informers, as stated in the report of the commissioners, the Friends concluded by earnestly entreating the king to put a speedy stop to the cruel proceedings against them. Our author, with all his coolness and moderation, seems unable to repress the feelings of his virtuous indignation, against the system of plunder allowed to be carried on under pretence of law, by the informers. "A company," says he, "of loose, irreligious, profligate wretches, have been encouraged and suffered to plunder, rob, steal, break houses, commit burglary, tear away and make havoc and spoil of their neighbours' goods, to serve the CHURCH and KING! What Protestant age or church can parallel such barbarities and cruel persecution? How scandalous to church and state were such agents !"

The scandal however was on the eve of being removed. Whether the king was sincere or not, in his professions in regard to liberty of conscience, Divine Providence was pleased so to overrule events, as tended to the ease of the suffering members of Christ's Church, who dissented from the established worship. "The king," says the memoir, was at last induced so far to afford us relief from those devourers, by signifying his

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pleasure to some of his subordinate ministers, magistrates, &c. to put a stop to the destructive persecution and spoil, made upon us by the informers." "Their unjust trade and gain being discountenanced by the justices and the quarter sessions, in London and Middlesex, as well as other parts of the kingdom, and discoveries made of their wickedness and injuries, some of them were forced to fly; and others turned to beggary."

As during the severe sufferings which they had been called to endure for conscience' sake, the Friends had exhibited a remarkable instance of Christian patience; so also, when their enemies, the mercenary informers, became destitute, did they exhibit a no less striking instance of Christian forgiveness.

The Friends, though they had been so severely impoverished by the proceedings of the informers, did not hesitate to supply the wants of these worthless creatures in their destitution. George Whitehead gives an instance of this kind in his own case. "After the trade of informing was over," says he, "George Hilton, a notorious informer, came to my house, complaining to me that he was to be a servant to a great person, but wanted clothes, or money to buy him some; whereupon 1 gave him something, being willing to render good against evil; he having been a very injurious adversary against myself, and many others of our Friends; however, I was comforted that the case was so well altered, as that from taking away our goods by force, these poor wretches were fain to come and beg of us." Thus did these Christians heap the coals of charity upon the heads of their enemies.

SECTION XVII.

The state of Society in other parts of the nation.-Two meeting houses seized and used by the soldiers.-Application to king James respecting this and other cases of suffering.

The suppression of the wicked trade of the informers, though a very important step, was far from closing the sufferings of the Society, or the labours of many of its members, to obtain complete liberty of conscience. They wisely proceeded step by step in pointing out their grievances, and pressing them one after another upon the notice of the public, and of the highest authorities of the land.

Though the general pardon of the king had some effect in discouraging persecution, yet it did not alter the law; and a great number of Friends were at this time severely oppressed, and many of them greatly im poverished, by being charged or estreated in the exchequer, and by writs annually issued out thence against them, for seizure to be made on their goods and estates, under the old act against popish recusants; by which they were fined twenty pounds a month, and twothirds of their estates, for their monthly absence from their parish churches; and thereupon their corn, cattle, and other goods were seized by the bailiffs; "seizing," says the memoir, "for eleven months, twenty pounds a month, which amounts to two hundred and twenty pounds forfeiture in that time; the sottish, rude bailiffs, when they had seized on farmers' goods, remaining at their houses, eating and drinking until the goods were removed."

From the continued application of these cruel laws to the poor QUAKERS, who were the very antipodes of the PAPISTS against whom they were originally made, it is quite evident that the spirit of persecution was still

strong in the country. King James however, who had sheltered the real objects of this law, even more effectually than his brother had done, on being applied to by some Friends for a stay of proceedings, found it at least consist with his policy to grant the request; and "was pleased to give directions to the lord treasurer and attorney general, that the exchequer writs should not be issued out on that occasion." A respectful petition was then drawn up, addressed to the lord treasurer, praying that he would issue his warrant to the proper officer, the clerk of the pipe, for the staying of processes against the persons named in a list subjoined, who were under exchequer prosecution, and whose number amounted to several hundreds. The lord treasurer immediately granted the requisite order; and George Whitehead gives the following account of the subsequent proceedings.*

I was very industriously concerned, to obtain such a warrant for a speedy stop to be put to the said processrs, which were then ready to be issued forth of the said pipe office in Grays-Inn. I had something to do, first with the treasurer's deputy, and clerks of the treasury chamber, about their high demands of fees, which we could not answer: whereupon I made complaint to the lord treasurer himself; and he was so kind, as to cause them considerably to abate their demands, and to accept of what we could give; I remember our friend Samuel Waldenfield kept me company at that time; so the warrant was delivered to me.

After this, Rowland Vaughan went with me to the clerks of the pipe, with our warrant to stay process, who secing a long list of names annexed to the war

* The proceedings in this and many similar cases related in this work, strikingly illustrate, by contrasting them with the present state of things, the progress which has been made in the administration of justice, the establishment of the constitutional rights of the people, and the diminution or more careful exercise of the royal prerogative. Editor.