A POSTSCRIPT

CONTAINING

SOME FURTHER SUFFERINGS AND JUDGMENTS OF GOD

ON THE PERSECUTORS.

First, Daniel Gould's Relation of some passages concerning William Robinson, Marmaduke Stevenson, and himself, etc., further than is related in the former treatise.

Now

OW, as to the two first that were put to death at Boston, to wit, William Robinson and Marmaduke Stevenson, after they were banished upon pain of death, they went from Boston to Salem. And I hearing of it, that they were banished upon pain of death, was much troubled; having knowledge of them before, and that they were men fearing God, I was minded to see them; so I overtook them at Salem, and people were much exercised in their minds concerning them, and some willing to hear. But, by reason of their cruel law, people were afraid to have a meeting in their houses. They had a meeting in the woods not far from Salem town, and great flocking there was to hear; and the Lord was mightily with them, and they spake of the things of God boldly, to the affecting and tendering the hearts of many; some of whom are alive at this day that can bear witness to the truth of their testimony.

And after we had been awhile at Salem, no man meddling with us there, we went to Piscataqua, and found the people, as we went, very tender and loving, though mixed with fear, by reason of their wicked law. And after we had been awhile at Piscataqua, we returned again to Boston, and several Friends from Salem with

us; and as soon as we got over Charlestown ferry, on Boston shore, no town nor people meddling with us, nor offering us any abuse, until we came to Boston, there meets us the constable, and a company of rude people with him, and takes us all up, which were about ten or a dozen of us, besides the two banished Friends, and, after some mocking and scoffing examination, had all of us sent to prison.

And God doth know, who is a just rewarder of all, how harmless, innocent, and peaceable we came into the town, and behaved ourselves in much fear and humility of mind; yet, notwithstanding, being Quakers, to prison we must all go, where we remained some days; it may be three, or four, or a week; and then the counsel, or Court, sent searchers to us to search our pockets, and took our papers, and what else they pleased, and carried them away; amongst which was William Robinson's journal of places where he had been. After our pockets were picked, we remained still in prison, till the Court's pleasure was to send for any of us; for sometimes they would send for several of us together, and sometimes for one alone. For I was once sent for alone, sifted and tried, being examined about many things; and seeing they were like a company of fowlers, to drive the bird into their net, I was sparing of speech; then they called me "dumb devil," and said I "could not speak." And some said, "I was simple and ignorant, and had no great harm in me, but that I was beguiled and led away by others that were more subtle." Then I said to them again, "If you think I am simply beguiled, and not wilful in error, how have you showed kindness to me? Or where has your love appeared to help me out of this ignorance and delusion you suppose I am fallen into? How has your endeavour appeared to open my understanding, to show me better? Do you think your prisons, whips, and bad usages is the way to do it? Is that the way to begin with, for the restoring of any from the error of their ways?" Then some again cried out, and said, "He is more knave than fool." Then I answered again, and said, "If I hold my tongue to your ensnaring questions, I am a 'dumb devil,' a 'fool,' and 'ignorant;' and if I speak, I am a 'knave.'

After this, the deputy-governor, Richard Bellingham, being full of envy, said to me, "Well, Gould, you shall be severely whipped." Which afterwards was done, with thirty stripes upon my naked back, being tied to the carriage of a great gun; and this is my comfort at this day, and I bless the Lord for it, that my suffering was in great innocency.

There were five more whipped at the same time, two men and three women, each having ten stripes a-piece, only one man fifteen; and for no other cause but for bearing the name of Quakers. And after we were thus whipped, we were all had to prison again, where our lodging was, with our sore backs, upon the hard boards, where we remained till after the execution, that they had hanged those two innocent and precious servants of the Lord, William Robinson and Marmaduke Stevenson, who were executed upon a lecture-day, after the priest had sharpened the people for the service.

But that priest is gone to his place. In the morning, before the lecture began, there came a multitude of people about the prison, and, we being in an upper room, William Robinson put forth his head at a window, and spake to the people concerning the things of God; at which the people flocked about the more earnest to hear, and gave serious attention. But quickly it was noised in the town, that much people was about the prison to see the Quakers, and that the Quakers were speaking to them. Upon which came James Oliver, a very fit man for their purpose, with a company with him, to disperse the people, and to drive them away from hearing the Quakers; but could not get them away, they being so many, and willing to hear. Then James, in a fret, left the people without, and came to us within; and being in a heat, that he could not master the people without, was the more furious to us within; hurling some of us very uncivilly down stairs, and left us not until he had brought us down, and shut us up in a little, low, dark cell, where we could not see the people, nor they us, where we remained until their lecture was done. During this time, though the hearts of the ignorant were hardened against us, to shut us up in a dark, solitary place, we sat together

waiting upon the Lord, for we had no helper in the earth; our reliance was only upon Him. And this was a time of love; for as the world hated us, and despitefully used us, so the Lord was pleased in a wonderful manner to manifest His supporting love and kindness to us in our innocent suffering.

And especially the two worthies, who had now nearly finished their course, they standing faithful in their testimony to God, by which they obtained witness; for God has said unto them, and given them a sure word, "That their souls should rest in eternal peace;" as you may see hereafter by their own writings. And this comfort they had in their sore trials, near unto death, for God was with them, and bore them through with a heavenly cheerfulness. And many sweet and heavenly sayings they gave unto us, being themselves filled with comfort; for so also said the apostle, "I am filled with comfort, I am exceeding joyful in all our tribulation."-2 Cor. vii. 4.

And now, their lecture being ended, the priest having sharpened and hardened them for the service, the officers and soldiers being now ready at the door; and while we were embracing each other, and taking leave, with full and tender hearts (God knows,) the officers and men appointed, like Friends' butchers, came in and took the two from us, as sheep for the slaughter, and had them away to the execution, where they were hanged to death, whose blood lies still at their door, and will, until they repent and their law is repealed, cry to the Lord from the ground, as did the blood of Abel.-See Gen. iv. 10.

A SHORT SUMMARY

OF SOME OF THE

Sufferings of the people of God called Quakers, in New England, both former and latter, as represented in a broadside to the King and Parliament, in the year 1669.

N these few lines, O king, thou and thy Parliament may see

In the continued sufferings of thy faithful and loving subjects,

under the cruel and bloody hands of the priests and rulers in New England, who, in the days of Oliver Cromwell (the time of thy suffering,) as if countenanced and commissionated by him, did, for divers years, most barbarously spoil and ruin the goods of thy innocent subjects there, hauling them out of their habitations to prison, far from their families and little ones, cruelly torturing their bodies with whips, and pitched ropes, and locking up

neck and heels in irons many hours, with famishings near unto death, being without pity to the aged parents, or to their helpless children; chaining to a log of timber night and day, a long and very cold Winter; dragging men along by the hair of their heads, and the tender women as they were on their knees in prayer, dragged out of the house by the hands, with their faces towards the earth, over stumps and old trees, through very deep frost and snow, to prison, near a mile, and causing the innocent to be hanged up naked by the hands, with a log hanged to the feet, and the body cruelly beaten with cords, by the hands of a strong negro.; one burned in the hand, and a great key bound in his mouth; others, their ears part cut off; together with banishing fathers, mothers, and children, and offering to send their little ones thousands of miles from their native country and father's