American soil. The independents had already taught William Penn to purchase of the first owners.

Quakers had before this period been known in America. They are said to have "come and settled first among the antinomians in Rhode island. Here they were unhappily successful, not only in seducing the people to attend to the mystical dispensation of the light within, as having the whole of religion contained in it, but also to oppose the good order, both civil and sacred, erected in the colony'." Mary Fisher and Ann Austin were the first: they came from Barbadoes to Boston, July, one thousand six hundred and fifty-six, and about a month after, were followed by eight more. They were imprisoned and then exiled from the colony. When the quakers were, by beat of drum, prohibited from entering the territory, an inhabitant of Boston, whose name was Nicholas Upsal, entered his protest, and warned the magistrates not to bring the guilt of persecution on the country. For this wise and salutary remonstrance, he was heavily fined.

The quakers returned and were shamefully treated. Three of them endured the indignity of having their ears cut off; but the infamy rested on those who inflicted, rather than on those who suffered the punishment. They were first ordered to be sold for slaves; and though this law was so bad that it was not executed, it was followed by another, which doomed them to death, if found within the colony after a certain time. In the year one thousand six hundred and fifty-eight, four persons suffered death by this statute of blood.

s Neal.

Cotton Mather quoted by Neal, in History of New England, vol. I. p. 311.

It has been observed, that these were independents, who proved such deadly persecutors. Whatever they were, their conduct deserves to be held up to everlasting execration. But it should be remembered that there was no other religious profession, but the independents, in the colony; and let the promiscuous mass, which forms the population of any country be in a manner compelled to mingle with the purest communion under heaven, by having no other to which they can resort, and its genuine complexion will soon be changed. The independents in England wrote with the pen of Dr. Owen, a letter to dissuade those of New England from pursuing the bloody work. This epistle observes that the truth cannot be betrayed, or any way injured by allowing it liberty to speak for itself".

Quakers were now found almost in every quarter of the globe. Several travelled to Holland and Germany. Mary Fisher, a religious maiden," says Gough,

66

Historic impartiality requires us to observe also, that the quakers are charged with such offences against civil society, as imperiously demanded the interference of the magistrate. Neale says, "that Deborah Wilson went through the streets of Salem stark naked, and that G. Bishop defends this, saying, she was a modest woman, but that bearing a great burden for the hardness and cruelty of the people, she went naked as a sign; when the wicked rulers laid hold on her, and sentenced her to be whipped.' Another female quaker went into the meeting-house at Newberry as naked as she was born. Thomas Newhouse went into the meeting-house at Boston with two glass bottles, which he broke against each other, saying, thus shall ye be broken.' But though these are only a few of the extravagancies which justified coercive measures, the magistrates should have known how to preserve the peace without the sacrifice of humanity." Neale's Hist. of New England, vol. I. p. 342.

>

Gough, vol. I. p. 122.

"felt a religious concern upon her mind to pay a visit to Sultan Mahomet the fourth, then encamped with his army near Adrianople." She arrived safely in the camp, and was treated with great deference by the prince, who appeared to approve of all she said. But two others went to convert the pope himself, beyond which there seemed but one step which they could go. The Turk, however, remained a mahometan; nor did his holiness turn protestant. The relation of events, if not the order of history, intoduces here another tale of madness. James Nailor, a preacher in the society, fell into extravagancies, and on a public entrance into Bristol, suffered himself to be addressed by divine names and honours. The committee of parliament, instead of sending him to bedlam, took vast trouble to torture him. The friends in general condemned his conduct, of which he himself afterwards repented, and was restored to the bosom of the society.

1

On the death of Charles the second, the quakers are said to have joined in congratulating James, his successor. Hume has given their address as follows: "We are come to testify our sorrow for the death of our good friend Charles, and our joy for thy being made our governor. We are told that thou art not of the persuasion of the church of England no more than we, therefore we hope that thou wilt grant us the same liberty thou allowest thyself. Which doing we wish thee all manner of happiness." But Gough* denies that they sent on this oceasion any congratulatory address, and justly asks, how they could, with any truth, call Charles their good friend, who left,

* Gough, vol. I. p. 160.

at his death, near one thousond five hundred quakers in prison.

In the benefits of James's indulgence the quakers participated equally with other dissenters. They wisely availed themselves of the liberty, which was their undoubted birthright; without enquiring by what authority, or with what motives it had been bestowed. In their thanks to the king for his indulgence, they say, "we rejoice to see the day that a king of England, from his royal seat, should assert this glorious principle, that conscience ought not to be restrained, nor people forced for matters of mere religiony."

William Penn was now so great a favourite at court, that bishop Burnet speaks of him rather angrily, for being so busy to do that popish prince service. It was indeed a curious phænomenon to see these extremes meet; to behold a quaker the active courtier of a prince, who, to please his priests, attempted to deliver up his dominions to the pope, and thus bartered three crowns for a crucifix. Penn, who had been before, by some of his own society, suspected of leaning towards Rome, was reviled by his enemies as a jesuit in disguise.

But when the bishops were committed to the Tower by James, and were informed, that the quakers charged them with the death of some of their society, Robert Barclay paid them a kind visit; assuring them, that though they had too much reason, it was not their wish to remember injuries against them in the day of their adversity. Who can contemplate this unexpected scene, one of the

Y Gough, vol. III. p. 289.

persecuted sect of quakers paying a charitable visit to the lordly prelates of the persecuting hierarchy, now immured in a gloomy prison, without calling to remembrance the captive prince who, while dragging the chariot of his haughty conqueror, consoled himself by watching the revolution of the wheels, which reminded him that he who was exalted to the skies to-day, might to-morrow change places with him who is trodden in the dust?