and carried home, but so grievously wounded, that he died soon after; and the bull was become so fierce, that they were forced to kill him by shooting. This was the issue of Robinson's mischievous intent to go a fanatick hunting." I remember in my youth I heard with astonishment the relation of this accident from William Caton, who by a letter from England had received intelligence of it; for the thing was so remarkable, that the tidings of it were soon spread afar off. Now I return to G. Fox, who from Cornwall travelled to Bristol and then into Wales, from whence passing through Warwickshire and Derbyshire, he came to York. Here he heard of a plot, which made him write a paper to his friends, wherein he admonished them to be cautious, and not at all to meddle with such bustlings. And travelling towards Lancashire, he came to Swarthmore, where they told him, that colonel Kirby had sent his lieutenant thither to search for him, and that he had searched trunks and chests. G. Fox having heard this, the next day went to Kirby hall, where the said colonel lived; and being come to him, he told him, I am come to visit thee, understanding that thou wouldst have seen me, and now I would fain know what thou hast to say to me, and whether thou hast any thing against me. The colonel who did not expect such a visit, and being then to go up to London to the parliament, said before all the company, as I am a gentleman I have nothing against you: But Mrs. Fell must not keep great meetings at her house; for they meet contrary to the act. G. Fox told him, that act does not take hold of us, but on such as meet to plot and contrive, and to raise insurrections against the king; and we are none of those, but are a peaceable people. After some words more, the colonel took G. Fox by the hand, and said, "He had nothing against him;" and others said, "He was a deserving man." Then G. Fox parted, and returned to Swarthmore, and shortly after he heard there had been a private meeting of the justices and deputy lieutenants at Houlker hall, where justice Preston lived, and that there they had issued a warrant to apprehend him. Now he could have gone away, and got out of their reach; but considering that, there being a noise of a plot in the north, if he should go away they might fall upon his friends; but ifhe stayed, and was taken, his friends might escape the better; he there fore gave up himself to be taken. Next day an officer came with his sword and pistols to take him. G. Fox told him, "I knew thy errand before, and have given up myself to be taken; for if I would have escaped imprison D ment, I could have gone forty miles off; but I am an innocent man, and so matter not what ye can do to me." Then the officer asked him, How he heard of it, seeing the order was made privately in a parlour. G. Fox said, It was no matter for that; it was sufficient that he heard of it. Then he asked him to shew his order. But he laying his hand on his sword, said, "You must go with me before the lieutenants, to answer such questions as they shall propound to you." Now though G. Fox insisted to see the order, telling him it was but civil and reasonable to shew it, yet the officer would not; and then G. Fox said, "I am ready." So he went along with him, and Margaret Fell also, to Houlker hall. Being come thither, there was one justice Rawlinson, Sir George Middleton, justice Preston, and several more whom he knew not. Then they brought one Thomas Atkinson, one of his friends, as a witness against him, for some words which he had told to one Knipe, who had informed against him; and these words were, That he had written against the plotters, and had knocked them down: but from these words little could be made. Then Preston asked him, Whether he had a hand in the battledoor? (Being a folio book already mentioned) Yes, said G. Fox. He then asked him, Whether he understood languages? He answered sufficient for myself. Preston having spoken something more on that subject, said, "Come, we will examine you of higher matters:" then said George Middleton, "You deny God, and the church, and the faith." Nay, replied G Fox, "I own God, and the true church, and the true faith:" But, asked he, (having understood Middleton to be a Papist) "what church dost thou own?" The other, instead of answering this question, said, "You are a rebel and a traitor." G. Fox perceiving this Middleton to be an envious man, asked him, Whom he spoke to? Or, whom he called a rebel? The other having been silent a while, said at last, "I spoke to you." G. Fox then striking his hand on the table, told him, " I have suffered more than twenty such as thou, or any that are here; for I have been cast into Derby dungeon for six months together, and have suffered much because I would not take up arms against this king, before Worcester fight; and I have been sent up prisoner out of my own country by colonel Hacker to O. Cromwell, as a plotter to bring in king Charles. Ye talk of the king, a company of you; but where were ye in Oliver's days; and what did ye do then for the king? But I have more love to him, for his eternal good and welfare, than any of you have." Then they asked him, Whether he had heard of the plot? And he said, "Yes." Hereupon he was asked, How he had heard of it, and whom he knew in it? And he answered, He had heard of it through the high sheriff of Yorkshire, who had told Dr. Hodgson, that there was a plot in the north; but that he never heard any thing of it in the south; and that he knew none of them that were in it. Then they asked him, "Why would you write against it, if you did not know some that were in it." "My reason was," answered he, "because ye are so forward to mash the innocent and guilty together; therefore I wrote against it to clear the truth from such things, and to stop all forward foolish spirits from running into such things: and I sent copies of it into Westmoreland, Cumberland, Bishoprick, and Yorkshire, and to you here; and I sent also a copy of it to the king and his council; and it is like it may be in print by this time." Then said one of them, "O, this man hath great power." "Yes," said he, "I have power to write against plotters." "But, said one of them, you are against the laws of the land." "Nay," said he, "For I and my friends direct all the people to the Spirit of God in them, to mortify the deeds of the flesh: this brings them into well doing, and from that which the magistrates sword is against: which eases the magistrates, who are for the punishment of evil doers," &c. Middleton now weary, as it seemed, of his speaking, cried, Bring the book, and put the |