Bradford, since dead, to help on the matter, hearing of his coming, for that plantation danced after your pipe, as will appear by and by in the cruelties that ensue, which they inflicted on the innocent,-issued forth a warrant, "That none of Sandwich," whereunto he was come, "should entertain the poor man;" which, not availing, for their hearts were more tender than to cast him out, such an aged man, in time of Winter, he sent for him to Plymouth by a special warrant, which was twenty miles distant. But he, not being able to go, and writing to him, that "if he perished, his blood would be required at his hands," through the moderation of some of the then magistrates, he was permitted to stay until the Spring; but he, who there had done nothing, but had come into their jurisdiction for a little shelter in the Winter season, was then banished from thence to Rhode Island, and this so earnestly pressed in the early time of the year that he was like to have been cast away in his going thither: a piece of cruelty able to soften a heart of flint, and draw it into tears at the sense thereof, and which drew such compassion from a Sagamore, or Indian prince, that he told the old man, "If he would live with him, he would make him a warm house," calling him friend; and he further said, "What a God have the English, who deal so with one another about the worship of their God?” or words to that purpose. But from you it drew no relentings; but the spirit of iniquity having got over you, it hardened ye the more, by how much the more you were exercised therein,—yea, upon this very old man, as in its place I shall show, and by and by make manifest. "Even the sea monsters draw out the breast, they give suck to their young ones: the daughter of my people is become cruel, like the ostriches in the wilderness."—Lam. iv. 3. Thus entered, as I have said, this scene of blood, and what follows answers unto it.

For the eight aforesaid, namely, Christopher Holder, Thomas Thirstone, John Copeland, William Brend, Mary Prince, Dorothy Waugh, Sarah Gibbons, and Mary Weatherhead, who were committed before this law was made, and kept close prisoners for the space of about eleven weeks, the very day that Nicholas was cast

into prison as aforesaid, they were, by virtue of this law, conveyed on board a ship, the ship they came in, and sent to England, and Nicholas came into their room. Which prison ye have supplied with the bodies of the saints and servants of Jesus, for the most part, ever since, scarce one taken out, but some one or other is put into his room,—of which in its place.

But how came Nicholas Upshall to be concerned in a law for strangers, who was an inhabitant? in a law for Quakers, so called, who was a member of your church? in a law for masters of ships who shall bring into your jurisdiction any people that are called such, and for any such people who themselves shall come into your jurisdiction; whereas, he is neither master of a ship, nor brought in any such, nor came in, but is an inhabitant,-a freeman of Boston? How came he to suffer, and to have inflicted upon him a punishment above the penalty of the law? How came those eight to be sent away the day after the publication of a law, and by virtue thereof, who were imprisoned before the law was made? These things would be inquired into, and how repugnant they are to the laws of England?

DECLARATION.

"Notwithstanding which, by a back door they found entrance, "and the penalty inflicted on themselves proving insufficient to "restrain their impudent and insolent obtrusions, was increased "by the loss of the ears of those who offended the second time; "which also being too weak a defence against their impetuous, "frantic fury, necessitated us to endeavour our security; and, upon serious consideration, after the former experiments by "their incessant assaults, a law was made, that such persons "should be banished, upon pain of death, according to the ex"ample of England, in their provision against Jesuits. Which "sentence being regularly pronounced, at the last Court of As"sistants, against the parties above-named, and they either re"turning, or continuing presumptuously in this jurisdiction after "the time limited, were apprehended, and owning themselves to "be the persons banished, were sentenced by the Court to death,

according to the law aforesaid, which hath been executed upon "two of them."

ANSWER.

As the former was the entrance into, so this is the scene of this bloody tragedy, so very inhumane and cruel.

Declaration.-"Notwithstanding which, by a back door they

found entrance."

Answer. And, why a back door? Was not the way by which they came as much before ye as the sea from England? Is sixty miles distance by land from Rhode Island, the place from whence they came, become farther than England? Indeed, one would properly think that it is the land that is before you which ye came to inhabit, and that it is the sea, from whence ye came, that is behind you; how came you then to say, "A back door? By a back door they found entrance." Is it because you missed it in your understandings, and so have put the front for the back, and the back for the front? Surely, then, ye were not wise in your generation, to bind the sea and leave the land at liberty. Is it because you had journeyed far enough from Old England, the house of bondage so accounted, into New England, a land of liberty, and now were returning from the land of liberty to the house of bondage? Surely, then, ye are in a bad state, to become persecutors yourselves who fled persecution! Or, is it because Rhode Island is the place into which ye banished those who differed from you in matters of religion, who yourselves were not banished, who differed in religion; and so, having turned your backs on their oppression, would not hear their cry, as did Joseph's brethren, when they sold him into Egypt? Then just is the Lord, to bring your condemnation from the place of those whom ye oppressed.

Declaration." Notwithstanding which," say ye, "by a back door they found entrance."

Answer. And why not? Are ye lords,-proprietors of God's creation? May not the Lord of heaven and earth send His messengers among you without your leave? May not an Englishman come into an English jurisdiction? What insolence is this, and

high obtrusion on the Creator of heaven and earth, who gave you your beings in the nation from whence you came, and in which ye first drew your breath, and the right of nature from which ye are derived, and from whence ye sprung?

Declaration.-"They found entrance."

Answer. And why should they not, seeing that the Lord of all is He that sent them?

Declaration.-"Notwithstanding which."

Answer. Notwithstanding what? Why the law, prohibiting all masters of ships from bringing in any, and themselves from coming in. Coming in,-from whence? Why from or by sea; for, as for the land, that door was not shut, the back door as ye call it, but the front was; "notwithstanding which," viz., the law aforesaid, say ye, "by a back door they found entrance." Then, how came they to be concerned in a law which was not fitted for them? It was for those that came in at the front door, by sea, and ship-masters that brought them, who were prohibited from bringing in any such, and themselves from so coming in,—I say, how came they to be concerned in a law which was not for them, and you to inflict upon them the penalty of a law which concerned them not? Might they not come in at the back door, it being open, when the front door was shut?-yea, a greater? For so say ye:—

Declaration.-"And the penalty inflicted on themselves prov"ing insufficient to restrain their impudent and insolent obtru"sions, was increased by the loss of the ears of those that offended "the second time."

Answer.-Insufficient, indeed! and well might it be, and too weak a defence,-as ye afterwards speak of cutting off ears, and therefore proceed from banishment to death, against Him who made the earth and the sea, and all that therein is, who giveth unto man life, and breath, and motion; whose time being come for the sounding of His everlasting gospel to those who sat in darkness and in the region of the shadow of death in your jurisdiction, He armed His messengers against the force of death and the strength of darkness with His eternal Spirit, and enabled

them to endure what the strength of the one and the gates of the other could inflict upon them; whom ye have killed and put to death, whipped and scourged, burned in the hand and cut off their ears; and so they bear in their bodies the marks of the Lord Jesus, and the dying of Jesus is made manifest in their mortal flesh, that they might not trust in themselves, but in Him that raised up Jesus from the dead. And they who loved not their lives unto the death, for the sake of Jesus Christ, shall receive a crown of life.

Lastly,-Insufficient against what? Against a few innocent lambs among wolves, a few simple people, men and women, who came to you, not with swords or with spears, but in the Name of the Lord; whom the Lord God of life sent to you through deserts and wildernesses, and necessities and straits, and hunger and thirst, and cold and heat, and perils by sea and perils by land, and temptations and distresses, to turn ye unto God; whom ye have imprisoned, and whipped, and burned, and cut off their ears, and put to death. And the time is at hand, yea, near to be revealed, wherein the righteous God will render unto you according to your deeds; yea, according to your deeds will He recompence you, fury to His adversaries, recompence to His enemies; yea, to His adversaries will He repay recompence. And the Lord God will thunder out of heaven upon you, and the whole earth shall be filled with His glory, when He shall have thrown ye down from your seats, and exalted the humble and meek; even when He shall have turned to hear the prayers of the desolate, and help him to right that hath no helper, and deliver the poor from him who is too strong for him, and the needy amongst men. This shall be written for the ages to come, and the children that are unborn shall praise the Lord. And your carcasses shall fall upon the earth, "and ye shall leave your name a curse unto My chosen, saith the Lord."-Isa. lxv. 13. Declaration.-"Which proving insufficient."

Answer.-What proving insufficient? Why, the penalty inflicted. So saith your

Declaration." And the penalty inflicted proving insufficient."