That night I was kept a prisoner-at the Marshalsea; and the next morning by six o'clock I was
ready and delivered to Captain Drury. I desired he would let me speak with Colonel Hacker
before I went, and he had me to his bedside. Colonel Hacker set upon me presently again, to go
home and keep no more meetings. I told him I could not submit to that, but must have my liberty
to serve God and go to meetings. "Then," said he, "you must go before the Protector."
Whereupon I kneeled by his bedside, and besought the Lord to forgive him, for he was as Pilate,
though he would wash his hands; and when the day of his misery, and trial should come upon him,
I bid him then remember what I had said to him. But he was stirred up, and set on by priest
Stephens and the other priests and professors, wherein their envy and baseness was manifest;
who, when they could not overcome me by disputes and arguments, nor resist the Spirit of the
Lord that was in me, then they got soldiers to take me up.
Afterwards, when this Colonel Hacker was in the Tower of London, a day or two before he was
executed, he was put in mind of what he had done against the innocent; and he remembered it,
and confessed to it to Margaret Fell, saying he knew well whom she meant; and he had a trouble
upon him for it. So his son, who told his father I had reigned too long, and that it was time to
have me cut off, might observe how his father was cut off afterwards, he being hanged at Tyburn
when the King came in.
Now was I carried up a prisoner by Captain Drury from Leicester; and when we came to Harborough, he asked me if I would go home and stay a fortnight. I should have myliberty, he said, if I would not go to nor keep meetings. I told him I could not promise any such thing. Several times upon the road did he ask, and try me after the same manner, and still I gave him the same answers. So he brought me to London, and lodged me at the Mermaid over against the Mews at Charing-Cross. As we travelled, I was moved of the Lord to warn people at the inns and places where I came of the day of the Lord that was coming upon them.
After Captain Drury had lodged me at the Mermaid, he left me there, and went to give the Protector an account of me. When he came to me, again, he told me the Protector required that I should promise not to take up a carnal sword or weapon against him or the Government. And I should write it in what words I saw good, and set my hand to it. I said little in reply to Captain Drury. But the next morning I was moved of the Lord to write a paper "To the Protector by the Name of Oliver Cromwell," wherein I did in the presence of the Lord God declare that I did deny the wearing or drawing of a carnal sword, or any other outward weapon, against him or any man: and that I was sent of God to stand a witness against all violence, and against the-works of darkness; and to turn people from darkness to light; and to bring them from the occasion of war and fighting to the peaceable gospel, and from being evil-doers which the magistrates' swords should be a terror to. When I had written what the Lord had given me to write, I set my name to it, and gave it to Captain Drury to hand to Oliver Cromwell, which he did.
Then after some time Captain Drury brought me before the Protector himself at Whitehall. It was in a morning, before he was dressed, and one Harvey,(3) who had come a little among Friends, but was disobedient, waited upon him. When I came in, I was moved to say, "Peace be in this house"; and I bid him to keep in the fear of God, that he might receive wisdom from Him, that by it he might be directed, and order all things under his hand to God's glory. I spake much to him of Truth, and much discourse I had with him about religion; wherein he carried himself very moderately. But he said we quarrelled with priests, whom he called ministers. I told him I did not quarrel with them, but they quarrelled with me and my friends. "But," said I,"if we own the prophets, Christ, and the apostles, we cannot holdup such teachers, prophets, and shepherds as the prophets, Christ, and the apostles declared against; but we must declare against them by the same power and Spirit." Then I shewed him that the prophets, Christ, and the apostles declared freely, and against them that did not declare freely, such as preached for filthy lucre, and divined for money, and preached for hire, and were covetous and greedy, like the dumb dogs that can never have enough; and that they that have the same Spirit that Christ and the prophets and the apostles had, could not but declare against all such now, as they did them. As I spake, he several times said it was very good and it was truth I told him that all Christendom (so called) possessed the Scriptures, but wanted the and Spirit that they had, who gave forth the Scriptures, and that was the reason they were not in fellowship with the Son, or with the Father, or with the Scriptures, or one with another.
Many more words I had with him, but people coming in, I drew a little back; and as I was turning, he caught me by the hand, and with tears in his eyes, said, "Come again to my house, for if thou and I were but an hour of a day together, we should be nearer one to the other"; adding that he wished me no more ill than he did his own soul. I told him if he did he wronged his own soul; and I bid him hearken to God's voice, that he might stand in His counsel and obey it; and if he did so, that would keep him from hardness of heart; but if he did not hear God's voice, his heart would be hardened. He said it was true. Then I went out; and when Captain Drury came out after me, he told me his Lord Protector said I was at liberty, and might go whither I would. "And my Lord says," he says, "you are not a fool, and said he never saw such a paper in his life" as I had sent him. Then I was brought into a great hall, where the Protector's gentlemen were to dine; and I asked them what they brought me thither for. They said it was by the Protector's order that I might dine with them. I bid them let the Protector know I would not eat a bit of his bread, nor drink a sup of his drink. When he heard this he said, "Now I see there is a people risen and come up that I cannot win either with gifts, honours, offices, or places; but all other sects and people I can." It was told him again that we had forsaken our own, and were not likely to look for such things from him.
Being set at liberty I went to the inn again where Captain Drury had at first lodged me. This Captain Drury, though he sometimes carried fairly, was an enemy to me and to Truth, and opposed it; and when professors came to me (while I was under his custody) and he was by, he would scoff at trembling, and call us Quakers, as the Independents and Presbyterians had nicknamed us before. But afterwards he once came to me, and told me that, as he was lying on his bed to rest, in the daytime, he fell a-trembling, that his joints knocked together, and his body shook so that he could not get off the bed; he was so shaken that he had not strength left, and cried to the Lord. And he felt His power was upon him, and he tumbled off his bed, and cried to the Lord, and said he never would speak against the Quakers more, and such as trembled at the word of God.
During the time I was prisoner at Charing-Cross there came abundance to see me, people of almost all sorts, priests, professors, officers of the army, &c. And one time, a company of officers being with me desired me to pray with them. I sat still, with my mind retired to the Lord. At last I felt the power and spirit of God move in me, and the Lord's power did so shake and shatter them that they wondred, though they did not live in it.
Among those that came to see me was one Colonel Packer,(4) with several of his officers; and while they were with me, came in one Cobb, and a great company of Ranters with him. The Ranters began to call for drink and tobacco; but I desired them to forbear it in my room, telling them if they had such a desire for it they might go into another room. One of them cried, "All is ours"; and another said, "All is well." I replied, "How is all well, while thou art so peevish, and envious, and crabbed?" for I saw he was of a peevish nature. I spake to their conditions, and they were sensible of it, and looked upon one another, wondring.
Then Colonel Packer began to talk with a light, chaffy mind concerning God, and Christ, and the Scriptures; it was a great grief to my soul and spirit when I heard him talk so lightly; so that I told him he was too light to talk of the things of God, for he did not know the solidity of a man. Thereupon the officers raged, and said would I say so of their colonel. This Packer was a Baptist, and he and the Ranters bowed and scraped to one another very much; for it was the manner of the Ranters to be so extreme in their compliments, that Packer bid them give over their compliments; but I told them they were fit to go together, for they were both of one spirit.
**********
After a while I went to Whitehall again, and was moved to declare the day of the Lord amongst them, and that the Lord was come to teach His people Himself; so I preached Truth both to the officers and to them that were called Oliver's gentlemen, who were of his guard. But a priest opposed while I was declaring the word of the Lord amongst them; for Oliver had several priests about him, of which this was his news-monger; an envious priest, and a light, scornful, chaffy man.(5) I bid him repent; and he put it in his news-book the next week, that I had been at Whitehall, and had bid a godly minister there repent.
When I went thither again I met with him; and abundance of People gathered about me. I manifested the Priest to be a liar in several things that he had affirmed; and so he was silenced. He put in the news-book that I wore silver buttons, which was false, for they were but alchymy. Afterwards he said in the news-book that I hung ribands on people's arms, which made them follow me; this was another of his lies, for I never wore or used ribands in my life. Three Friends went to examine this priest that gave forth this false intelligence, and to know of him where he had that information. He said it was a woman that told him so; and if they would come again, he would tell them her name. When they returned he said it was a man, but would not mention his name then; but if they would come again, he would tell them his name, and where he lived. They went the third time, and then he would not say who told him; but offered, if I would give it under my hand that there was no such thing, he would put that into the news-book. Thereupon the Friends carried it to him under my hand; but when they came, he brake his promise, and would not insert it; but was in a rage, and threatned them with the constable. This was the deceitful doing of this forger of lies; which he spread over all the nation in the news-books, to render Truth odious, and to put evil into people's minds against Friends and Truth. These. priests, the news-mongers, were of the Independent sect, but the Lord's power came over all their lies, and swept them away; and many came to see the naughtiness of those priests. The Lord's power went over the nation; insomuch that many Friends about this time were moved to go up and down, to sound forth the everlasting gospel in most parts of it, and in Scotland: and the glory of the Lord was set over all to His everlasting praise. A great convincement there was in London, and some in the Protector's house and family; I went to see him again, but could not get access to him, the officers were grown so rude. And sometimes they would turn up my coat and see for my leather breeches, and then they would be in a rage.
The Presbyterians, Independents, and Baptists were greatly disturbed; for many of their people turned to the Lord Jesus Christ and sate down under His teachings: they received His power, and felt it in their hearts: and then they were moved of the Lord to declare against the rest .of them.
**********
There was about this time an order for the trying of ministers (so called), and for approving, or ejecting them out of their places or benefices;(6) whereupon I wrote a paper to the justices and other commissioners who were appointed to that work.
**********
2.
Probably Captain Clement Needham, of Colonel Francis Hacker's regiment of horses. (N.P.)3.
Charles Harvey, groom of the bed-chamber to the Protector. (N.P.)4.
Major William Packer lived at Theobalds, near Waltham Abbey. (N.P.)5.
This was, probably, Henry Walker. (N.P.)6.
The Triers of ministers began work in March 1654. (N.P.)