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pofed to the malice, felf-ends, or revenge of any, which we fhall certainly be, if you relieve us not; many of us having already fuffered upon this fingle account and it is not to be thought, by wife and ‹ charitable men, that we have any ill defign in refufing to fwear, fince we always refufed it in our ' own cafe, though to our great DETRIMENT.'

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The Request of fome called Quakers, prefented to the House of LORDS, on the behalf of their suffering Friends.'

Ecaufe we are informed that this day you are 'pleased to confider of religion, particularly the Romish, we think it not improper to let you know, ' that there are many hundreds of us, that are severely profecuted, not only upon thofe laws that look upon us as diffenters in general from the church of England, but by feveral ftatutes particularly defigned against Popery, and perfons profeffing the Romish religion; infomuch that our perfecutors are proceeding to a feizure of two thirds of our eftates, and give us that trouble, as well as fubjecting us to the lofs, which will not only render tenants unable to pay their rents, and others to live upon their own, but make both a charge to the country, who have hitherto by their callings and eftates contributed to • others.

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'The injuftice of such strained executions, and cruel mifapplications of law confidered, we intreat you that you would be pleased to compaffionate our cafe, and out of your mercy and juftice relieve and right us: the way of doing it is left to your wifdom.'

Being thereupon admitted to an hearing before a committee, on the 22d of the month called March, 1678, he made the following fpeeches.

His

'IF

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His first Speech to the COMMITTEE.

F we ought to believe that it is our duty, according to the doctrine of the apoftle, to be always ready to give an account of the hope that is in us, and that to every fober and private enquirer; cer⚫tainly much more ought we to hold ourselves obliged to declare with all readinefs, when called to it by fo ⚫ great an authority, what is NOT our hope, especially when our very fafety is eminently concerned in fo • doing, and that we cannot decline this difcrimination ⚫ of ourselves from Papifts, without being confcious <to ourselves of the guilt of our own fufferings; for ⚫ that must every man needs be that suffers mutely, • under another character than that which truly and properly belongeth to him and his belief. That which giveth me a more than ordinary right to speak at this time, and in this place, is the great abuse • that I have received above any other of my profesfion; for of a long time I have not only been fuppofed a Papist, but a feminary, a Jefuit, an emiffary of Rome, and in pay from the POPE, a man dedicating my endeavours to the intereft and advance'ment of that party. Nor hath this been the report of the rabble, but the jealousy and infinuation of ⚫ perfons otherwise fober and difcreet: nay, fome zealous for the Proteftant religion, have been fo far gone in this mistake, as not only to think ill of us, ⚫ and to decline our converfation, but to take courage to themselves to profecute us for a fort of concealed Papists; and the truth is, what with one thing, and 'what with another, we have been as the wool-facks, and common whipping-stock of the kingdom: all laws have been let loose upon us, as if the defign were not to reform, but to destroy us, and that not for • what we ARE, but for what we are NOT: it is hard that we must thus bear the stripes of another intereft, and be their proxy in punishment; but it is worse

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• that

'that fome men can please themselves in fuch a fort of 'administration.

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'I would not be mistaken: I am far from thinking it fit that Papifts fhould be whipt for their con• sciences, because I exclaim against the injuftice of 'whipping Quakers for Papifts: no; for though the hand pretended to be lifted up against them, hath (I know not by what difcretion) lit heavy upon us, ' and we complain, yet we do not mean that any should 'take a fresh aim at them, or that they must come in our room; for we must give the liberty we ask, and 'cannot be falfe to our principles, though it were to ⚫ relieve ourselves; for we have good-will to all men, and would have none fuffer for a truly. fober and 'confcientious diffent on any hand: and I humbly take leave to add, that those methods against persons fo qualified, do not feem to me to be convincing, or indeed adequate to the REASON of mankind; but this 'I fubmit to your confideration.

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To conclude, I hope we fhall be held excused of the * men of that profeffion in giving this distinguishing ' declaration, fince it is not with defign to expose them, but first to pay that regard we owe to the enquiry of 'this committee, and in the next place, to relieve our'felves from the daily spoil and ruin which now at'tendeth and threateneth many hundreds of families, by the execution of LAWS, that (we humbly conceive) were never made AGAINST us.'

His fecond Speech to the Committee.

'TH

HE candid hearing our fufferings have received 'from this committee, and the fair and eafy ' entertainment that you have given us, obligeth me 'to add whatever can encrease your fatisfaction about I hope you do not believe I would tell you a lie, I am fure I should chufe an ill time and place to 'tell it in; but I thank God it is too late in the day for that. There are fome here that have known me formerly; I believe they will fay, I never was THAT

‹ us.

man;

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man; and it would be hard, if after a voluntary neglect of the advantages of this world, I fhould fit ⚫ down in my retirement short of common truth.

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Excufe the length of my introduction; it is for this I make it. I was bred a PROTESTANT, and that ftrictly too: I loft nothing by time or ftudy; for years, reading, travel and obfervation, made the religion of my education the religion of my JUDGMENT: my alteration hath brought none to that belief; and though the posture I am in may feem odd, or ftrange to you, yet I am confcientious; and (till you know me better) I hope your charity will rather call it my unhappiness than my crime. I do tell < you again, and here folemnly declare in the prefence of Almighty God, and before you all, that the pro• feffion I now make, and the fociety I now adhere to, < have been fo far from altering that Proteftant judgment I had, that I am not confcious to myself of having receded from an an IOTA of any one principle maintained by those first Proteftants and reformers of Germany, and our own martyrs at home, against the POPE and SEE of ROME.

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• On the contrary, I do with great truth affure you, that we are of the fame NEGATIVE faith with the an< cient Proteftant Church, and upon occasion shall be ready (by God's affiftance) to make it appear, that we are of the fame belief as to the most fundamental POSIC TIVE articles of her CREED too. And therefore it is we think it hard, that though we deny, in common with her, thofe doctrines of Rome fo zealously • protested against (from whence the name Proteftants) yet that we fhould be fo unhappy as to fuffer, and that with extreme feverity, by thofe very laws on C purpose made against the maintainers of thofe doctrines we do fo deny. We CHUSE no fuffering, for • God knows what we have already suffered, and how ⚫ many fufficient and trading families are reduced to great poverty by it. We think ourselves an useful 'people: we are fure we are a peaceable people; yet,

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if we must still fuffer, let us not fuffer as POPISH RECUSANTS, but as PROTESTANT DISSENTERS.

But I would obviate another objection, and that none of the leaft that hath been made against us, viz. that we are enemies to government in general, and particularly difaffected to this we live under: I think it not amifs, but very seasonable, yea my duty, now 'to declare to you (and that I do with good con'fcience in the fight of the Almighty God) first, that

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we believe GOVERNMENT to be God's ordinance; and 'next, that this PRESENT government is established by 'the Providence of God and law of the land, and that it is our Christian duty readily to obey it in all its juft laws; and wherein we cannot comply, through tenderness of conscience, in all fuch cafes, not to revile 'or confpire against the government, but with Chriftian humility and patience tire out all mistakes against us, and wait their better information, who, we believe, do as undeservedly as feverely treat us; ' and I know not what greater fecurity can be given ' by any people, or how any government can be easier 'from the fubjects of it.

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'I fhall conclude with this; that we are fo far from esteeming it hard or ill, that the House hath put us upon this difcrimination, that on the contrary we va 'lue it, as we ought to do, for an high favour (and cannot chufe but fee and humbly acknowledge God's 'Providence therein) that you should give us this fair ' occafion to discharge ourselves of a burden we have, 'not with more patience than injuftice, fuffered but 'too many years under: and I hope our converfation 'fhall always manifeft the grateful refentment of our ' minds for the juftice and civility of this opportunity; ' and fo I pray God direct you.'

The committee agreed to infert, in a bill then depending, a provifo or claufe for relief in the cafe complained of; and the fame did pass the House of Commons: but before it had gone through the House of

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