"Court was pleased to determine fines on Sandwich men for "meetings, sometimes on First days of the week, sometimes on "other days, as they say, 'They meet ordinarily twice in a week, "besides the Lord's day,' one hundred and fifty pounds, where"of W. Newland is twenty-four pounds, for himself and his wife, "at ten shillings a meeting; W. Allen forty-six pounds, some "affirm it forty-nine pounds; the poor weaver before spoken of, 66 twenty pounds. Brother Cook told me, one of the brethren at "Barnstable certified him, 'That he was in the weaver's house "when cruel Barlow, the Sandwich marshal, came to demand the "sum, and said, he was fully informed of all the poor man had, "and thought, if all lay together, it was not worth ten pounds.' "What will be the end of such courses and practices, the Lord "only knows. I heartily and earnestly pray that these and such "like courses neither raise up among us, or bring in upon us, "either the sword or any devouring calamity, as a just avenger "of the Lord's quarrel, for acts of injustice and oppression; and "that we may every one find out the plague of his own heart; "and putting away the evil of his own doing, and meet the Lord "by entreaties of peace, before it be too late and there be no "remedy.

"Our civil powers are so exercised in things appertaining to "the kingdom of Christ, in matters of religion and conscience, "that we can have no time to effect anything that tends to the "promotion of the civil weal, or the prosperity of the place; but "now we must have a State religion, such as the powers of the "world will allow, and no other; a State ministry and a State way "of maintenance; and we must worship and serve the Lord Jesus "as the world shall appoint us; we must all go to the public place "of meeting in the parish where he dwells, or be presented; I "am informed of three- or four-score last Court presented, for "not coming to public meetings; and let me tell you how they "brought this about. You may remember a law once made, "called Thomas Hinckley's law, 'That if any neglects the wor"ship of God in the place where he lives, and sets up a worship 66 contrary to God and the allowance of this government, to the

"public profanation of God's holy day and ordinance, shall pay "ten shillings.' This law would not reach what then was aimed "at, because he must do so and so; that is, all things therein 'expressed, or else break not the law. In March last a Court "of Deputies was called, and some Acts touching Quakers were "made; and then they contrived to make this law serviceable to "them; and that was by putting out the word and, and putting "in the word or, which is a disjunctive, and makes every branch "to become a law. So now, if any do neglect, or will not come "to the public meetings, ten shillings for every defect. Certainly "" we either have less wit or more money than the Massachusetts; "for, for five shillings a day, a man may stay away until it come "to twelve or thirteen pounds, if he had it but to pay them; and "these men altering this law now in March, yet left it dated, "June 6th, 1651, and so it stands as the Act of a General Court; "they to be the authors of it seven years before it was in being; "and so you yourselves have your part and share in it, if the re"corder lie not. But what may be the reason that they should "not by another law, made and dated by that Court, as well "effect what was intended, as by altering a word, and so the "whole sense of the law; and leave this their Act by the date "of it charged on another Court's account? Surely the chief "instruments in the business, being privy to an Act of Parlia"ment for liberty, should too openly have acted repugnant to a "law of England; but if they can do the thing and leave it on "a Court, as making it six years before the Act of Parliament, "there can be no danger in this. And that they were privy to "the Act of Parliament for liberty, to be then in being, is evi"dent, that the deputies might be free to act it. They told us, "that now the Protector stood not engaged to the articles for "liberty, for the Parliament had now taken the power into their "own hands, and had given the Protector a new oath, only in "general, to maintain the Protestant religion; and so produced "the oath in a paper, in writing; whereas, the Act of Parlia"ment, and the oath, are both in one book in print; so that "they who were privy to the one, could not be ignorant of the

"other. But still all is well, if we can but keep the people igno"rant of their liberties and privileges, then we have liberty to act "in our own wills what we please.

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"We are wrapped up in a labyrinth of confused laws, that the "freemen's power is quite gone; and it was said, last June Court, 'by one, 'That they knew nothing the freemen had there to do.' "Sandwich men may not go to the Bay, lest they be taken up for "Quakers. W. Newland was there about his occasions some ten "days since, and they put him in prison twenty-four hours, and "sent for divers to witness against him; but they had not proof "enough to make him a Quaker, which if they had, he should "have been whipped. Nay, they may not go about their occa"sions in other towns in our colony, but warrants lie in ambush "to apprehend and bring them before a magistrate, to give an "account of their business. Some of the Quakers in Rhode "Island came, to bring them goods to trade with them, and that "for far reasonabler terms than the professing and oppressing "merchants of the country; but that will not be suffered. So that, unless the Lord step in to their help and assistance in "some way beyond man's conceiving, their case is sad, and to "be pitied; and, truly, it moves bowels of compassion in all "sorts except those in place, who carry it with a high hand to"ward them. Through mercy, we have yet among us worthy "Mr. Dunstar, whom the Lord hath made to bear testimony "boldly against the spirit of persecution.

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"Our bench now is:-Thos. Prince, governor, Mr. Collier, "Capt. Willet, Capt. Winslow, Mr. Alden, Lieut. Southworth, "W. Bradford, Thos. Hinckley. Mr. Collier, last June, would "not sit on the bench, if I sat there; and now will not sit the "next year, unless he may have thirty pounds sit by him. Our "Court and Deputies, last June, 'made Capt. Winslow a major. "Surely we are all mercenary soldiers, that must have a major "imposed upon us. Doubtless the next Court they may choose us a governor and assistants also. A freeman shall need to do "nothing but bear such burdens as are laid upon him. Mr. Al-"den hath deceived the expectations of many, and, indeed, lost

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"the affections of such as, I judge, were his cordial Christian "friends; who is very active in such ways as, I pray God, may "not be charged on him, to be oppressions of a high nature."

Thus far the letter,-it was written by James Cudworth, in the Tenth month, 1658, in reference to conscience, for he could not persecute; for which, and the entertaining of some of them for a night or two, and giving them provisions during that time, against which there was no law, he was turned out as aforesaid. I shall not need to particularize much further, only a little as to the occasion, which was the coming of W. Brend and J. Copeland into a plantation in that Patent, called Scituate, and being entertained by this friendly man in the Winter season, which is very cold and hard to travel in, and even cruelty itself would be gentle to the most inconsiderable of men in such times, that they might not perish, one came with a warrant, which he had brought several miles in a cold night, from Major Winslow, and dragged them out of the house, and Sarah Gibbons also, not having respect unto the season; and for that purpose pretermitted the two magistrates that were in the town, and passed to the said Winslow. One of these magistrates, out of tenderness, when he saw the warrant, said, "Mr. Envy had procured that;" and, in lieu thereof, gave the strangers his protection, in these words:

"These are therefore to any that may interrupt these two men "in their passage, that ye let them pass quietly on their way, "they offering no wrong to any.

"TIMOTHY HATHERLY."

And now I am thus come unto particulars, I must lay to your charge for it was through your example and encouragement that these things were done-the further sufferings of the innocent in the particular, as you have heard something of them in the general, and that as to cruel whippings and scourgings, as well as to fines, imprisonment and banishment,-choosing rather to observe the order of time when the things were done, than the distinction of punishments.

First. These two, William Brend and John Copeland, whom the said tender and grayheaded Hatherly, as aforesaid, protected from wrong, instead of doing it, coming through the town of Plymouth in order to their passage, were pursued by Lieutenant Southworth, and brought before his fellow magistrates; who, because they could not promise to depart from the colony in fortyeight hours, for they waited in the Will of God, in which all promises are to be made, that they might know what to do,-the weather also being very unseasonable, hè caused them both to be whipped with rods of twigs,-W. Brend, a man of years, with ten lashes, in which four rods were broken; and John Copeland with twenty-two backward and forward lashes, on his breast and back and arms, and that with such fury, that it drew the blood on all, and wore out six rods in the laying on thereof, without law, and in the bitter, wet, cold, and snowy Winter season, it being the 9th of the Twelfth month, 1657; and would have had them to depart through a vast wilderness of sixty miles, in which were many rivers, when the weather was so thick, and the wilderness so close, that they could not see their way. And because they did not proceed, to the apparent hazard of their lives, they therefore dealt with them as aforesaid; and Thos. Willet, Thos. Southworth, and Will. Collier saw the execution, which so struck the by-standers, that one Edward Perry gave testimony in the presence of the magistrates, aud said, "That he was there an eyewitness that day of the sufferings of the people of the Lord;" for which Will. Collier called him "their fool." No marvel that James Cudworth so wrote as aforesaid, and that it preached more than a sermon, though it cost those servants of the Lord dearly.

Thus they began, and now proceeded to make laws, after that they had performed the executions. This is the justice and law of Plymouth Patent, which makes and acts mischief, and which many of the servants of the Lord have borne the smart thereof on their bodies; but you must in your spirits, if not in your souls and bodies also, bear the indignation of the Lord, which will certainly fall upon you, and divide you your portion with hypocrites and sinners, and plead the cause and avenge the blood