The Testimony of Margaret Fox, concerning her late husband, George Fox: together with a brief account of some of his travels, sufferings, and hardships endured for the truth's sake.

Ir having pleased Almighty God to take away my dear husband out of this evil troublesome world, who was not a man thereof, being chosen out of it, and had his life and being in another region, and his testimony was against the world, that the deeds thereof were evil, and therefore the world hated him; so I am now to give in my account and testimony for my dear husband, whom the Lord hath taken unto his blessed kingdom and glory: and it is before me from the Lord, and in my view, to give a relation and leave upon record the dealings of the Lord with us from the beginning.

He was the instrument in the hand of the Lord in this present age, which he made use of to send forth into the world to preach the everlasting gospel, which had been hid from many ages and generations; the Lord revealed it unto him, and made him open that new and living way that leads to life eternal, when he was but a youth and a stripling. And when he declared it in his own country of Liecestershire, and in Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, and Warwickshire, and his declaration being against the hireling priests and their practices, it raised a great fury and opposition amongst the priests and people against him; yet there was always some that owned him in several places, but very few that stood firm to him when persecution came on him. There was he and one other put in prison at Derby, but the other declined and left him in prison there; where he continued almost a whole year, and then he was released out of prison, and went on with his testimony abroad, and was put in prison again at Nottingham; and there he continued awhile, and after was released again.

And then he travelled on into Yorkshire, and passed up and down that great county, and several received him; as William Dewsbury, Richard Farnsworth, Thomas Aldam, and others, who all came to be faithful ministers of the spirit for the Lord. And he continued in that country, and travelled through Holderness and the Woulds, and abundance were convinced; and several were brought to prison at York for their testimony to the truth, both men and women: so that we heard

of such a people that were risen, and we did very much inquire after them. And after awhile he travelled up farther towards the dales in Yorkshire, as Wensdale and Sedbur; and amongst the hills, dales, and mountains he came on, and convinced many of the eternal truth.

In the year 1652 it pleased the Lord to draw him towards us; so he came on from Sedbur into Westmoreland, to Firbank Chapel, where John Blaykling came with him; and so on to Preston, Grarig, Kendal, Under-barrow, Poobank, Cartmel, and Staveley, and so on to Swarthmore, my dwelling-house, whither he brought the blessed tidings of the everlasting gospel, which I and many hundreds in these parts have cause to praise the Lord for. My then husband, Thomas Fell, was not at home at that time, but gone the Welsh circuit, being one of the judges of the assize; and our house being a place open to entertain ministers and religious people at, one of GEORGE Fox's friends brought him thither, where he staid all night. And the next day, being a lecture or a fast-day, he went to Ulverston steeple-house, but came not in till people were gathered. I and my children had been a long time there before. And when they were singing, before the sermon, he came in, and when they had done singing he stood up upon a seat or form, and desired 'that he might have liberty to speak;' and he that was in the pulpit said he might. And the first words that he spoke were as followeth He is not a Jew that is one outward, neither is that circumcision which is outward; but he is a Jew that is one inward, and that is circumcision which is of the heart.' And so he went on and said that Christ was the light of the world, and lighteth every man that cometh into the world, and that by this light they might be gathered to God,' &c. I stood up in my pew, and wondered at hisdoctrine; for I had never heard such before. And then he went on, and opened the scriptures, and said, 'The scriptures were the prophets' words, and Christ's and the apostles' words, and what as they spoke they enjoyed and possessed, and had it from the Lord:' and said, 'Then what had any to do with the scriptures, but as they came to the spirit that gave them forth. You will say, Christ saith this, and the apostles say this; but what canst thou say? Art thou a child of light, and hast walked in the light, and what thou speakest, is it inwardly from God?' &c. This opened me so, that it cut me to the heart; and then I saw clearly, we were all wrong. So I sat down in my pew again, and cried bitterly; and I cried in my spirit to the Lord, We are all thieves, we are all thieves, we have taken the scriptures in words, and know nothing of them in ourselves.' So that served me, that I cannot well tell what he spake afterwards; but he went on in declaring against the false prophets, and priests, and deceivers of the people. And there was one John Sawrey, a justice of the peace, and a professor, that bid the

churchwarden take him away; and he laid his hands on him several times, and took them off again, and let him alone; and then after awhile he gave over, and came to our house again that night. And he spoke in the family amongst the servants, and they were all generally convinced; as William Caton, Thomas Salthouse, Mary Askew, Anne Clayton, and several other servants. And I was struck into such a sadness, I knew not what to do, my husband being from home. I saw it was the truth, and I could not deny it; and I did, as the apostle saith, 'I received the truth in the love of it:' and it was opened to me so clear, that I had never a tittle in my heart against it; but I desired the Lord that I might be kept in it, and then I desired no greater portion.

He went on to Dalton, Aldingham, Dendrum, and Ramsyde chapels and steeple-houses, and several places up and down, and the people followed him mightily: and abundance were convinced, and saw that which he spoke was truth, but the priests were all in a rage. And about two weeks after, James Naylor and Richard Farnsworth followed him, and inquired him out till they came to Swarthmore, and there staid awhile with me at our house, and did me much good; for I was under great heaviness and judgment. But the power of the Lord entered upon me within about two weeks that he came, and about three weeks end my husband came home. And many were in a mighty rage, and a deal of the captains and great ones of the country went to meet my then husband as he was coming home, and informed him, 'that a great disaster was befallen amongst his family, and that they were witches; and that they had taken us out of our religion; and that he must either set them away, or all the country would be undone.' But no weapons formed against the Lord shall prosper, as you may see hereafter.

So my husband came home greatly offended; and any may think what a condition I was like to be in, that either I must displease my husband or offend God; for he was very much troubled with us all in the house and family, they had so prepossessed him against us. But James Naylor and Richard Farnsworth were both then at our house, and I desired them to come and speak to him; and so they did very moderately and wisely: but he was at first displeased with them, till they told him they came in love and good will to his house.' And after that he had heard them speak awhile he was better satisfied, and they offered as if they would go away; but I desired them to stay, and not to go away yet, for George Fox will come this evening.' And I would have had my husband to have heard them all, and satisfied himself farther about them, because they had so prepossessed him against them of such dangerous fearful things, in his coming first home. And then he VOL. I.

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was pretty moderate and quiet, and his dinner being ready he went to it, and I went in and sat me down by him. And whilst I was sitting the power of the Lord seized upon me, and he was struck with amazement, and knew not what to think; but was quiet and still. And the children were all quiet and still, and grown sober, and could not play on their music that they were learning; and all these things made him quiet and still.

At night George Fox came: and after supper my husband was sitting in the parlour, and I asked him, if George Fox might come in? And he said, Yes. So George came in without any compliment, and walked into the room, and began to speak presently; and the family, and James Naylor, and Richard Farnsworth came all in: and he spoke very excellently as ever I heard him, and opened Christ's and the apostles' practices, which they were in, in their day. And he opened the night of apostacy since the apostles' days, and laid open the priests · and their practices in the apostacy; that if all in England had been there, I thought they could not have denied the truth of those things. And so my husband came to see clearly the truth of what he spoke, and was very quiet that night, said no more, and went to bed. The next morning came Lampit, priest of Ulverston, and got my husband into the garden, and spoke much to him there; but my husband had seen so much the night before, that the priest got little entrance upon him. And when the priest, Lampit, was come into the house, George spoke sharply to him, and asked him, 'When God spake to him, and called him to go and preach to the people? But after awhile the priest went away. This was on the sixth day of the week, about the fifth month, 1652. And at our house divers Friends were speaking one to another, how there were several convinced here aways, and we could not tell where to get a meeting; my husband also being present, he overheard, and said of his own accord, You may meet here if you will:' and that was the first meeting we had, that he offered of his own accord. And then notice was given that day and the next to Friends, and there was a good large meeting the First-day, which was the first meeting that was at Swarthmore, and so continued there a meeting from 1652 to 1690. And my husband went that day to the steeplehouse, and none with him but his clerk, and his groom that rid with him and the priest and the people were all fearfully troubled; but praised be the Lord, they never got their wills upon us to this day.

After a few weeks GEORGE went to Ulverston steeple-house again. and the said justice Sawrey, with others, set the rude rabble upon him. and they beat him so that he fell down as in a swoon,, and was sore bruised and blackened in his body, and on his head and arms. Then my husband was not at home; but when he came home, he was dis

pleased that they should do so, and spoke to justice Sawrey, and said, 'it was against law to make riots.' After that he was sore beat and stoned at Walney till he fell down, and also at Dalton was he sore beat and abused; so that he had very hard usage in divers places in these parts. And then when a meeting was settled here, he went again into Westmoreland, and settled meetings there; and there was a great convincement, and abundance of brave ministers came out there aways; as John Camm, John Audland, Francis Howgil, Edward Burrough, Miles Halhead, and John Blaykling, with divers others. He also went over the sands to Lancaster, and Yelland, and Kellet, where Robert Widders, Richard Hubberthorn, and John Lawson, with many others, were convinced. And about that time he was in those parts, many priests and professors rose up, and falsely accused him for blasphemy, and did endeavour to take away his life, and got people to swear at a sessions at Lancaster that he had spoken blasphemy. But my then husband and colonel West, having had some sight and knowledge of the truth, withstood the two persecuting justices, John Sawrey and Thompson, and brought him off, and cleared him; for indeed he was innocent. And after the sessions, there was a great meeting in the town of Lancaster; and many of the town's people came in, and many were convinced. And thus he was up and down about Lancaster, Yelland, West moreland, and some parts of Yorkshire, and our parts, above one year; in which time there were above twenty-four ministers brought forth, that were ready to go with their testimony of the eternal truth unto the world: and soon after Francis Howgil and John Camm went to speak to Oliver Cromwell.

And in the year 1653 GEORGE's drawings were into Cumberland by Milholm, Lampley, Embleton, and Brigham, Pardsey, and Cockermouth, where, at or near Embleton, he had a dispute with some priests, as Larkham and Benson, but chiefly with John Wilkinson, a preacher at Embleton and Brigham; who was afterwards convinced, and owned the truth, and was a serviceable minister both in England, Ireland, and Scotland. And then he went to Coldbeck and several places, till he came to Carlisle, and went to their steeple-house: and they beat and abused him, and had him before the magistrates; who examined him, and put him in prison there in the common jail among the thieves. And at the assizes was one Anthony Pearson, who had been a justice of peace, and was convinced at Appleby, when he was upon the bench, by James Naylor and Francis Howgil, who were then prisoners there, and brought before him; so Anthony Pearson spake to the justices at Carlisle, he being acquainted with them, having married his wife out of Cumberland; and after awhile they released him. Afterwards he went into several other parts of Cumberland, and many were convinced,