A true declaration of the bloody proceedings of the men in Maidstone in the county of Kent: who write themselves, John Allen, mayor, Lambert Godfrey, recorder, John Chantler, constable, against John Stubs, William Caton, who by the scornful generation of men are called Quakers.

A TRUE DECLARATION OF The bloody Proceedings OF The Men in Maidſtone in the County OF KENT: Who write themſelves, John Allen, Mayor, Lambert Godfrey, Recorder, John Chantler, Conſtable, againſt John Stubs, William Caton, who by the ſcornful generation of men are called QUAKERS.

AFter nine or ten weeks travel and labor of VVilliam Caton, and Iohn Stubs, into ſeveral towns & villages in the County of Kent, wee came into Maidſtone upon the 27 day of the third moneth, being the firſt day of the week, about the third hour in the after-part of the day, having bin at a Baptiſt-meeting the former part, at a place called Bauton Green, 2 or 3 miles diſtant from the ſaid Maidſtone, & coming thither as aforeſaid, we went to one VVhetſtones houſe, tho unknown to him or any man outwardly in the town; and continuing there about half an hour, one of us went to the Steeplehouſe, where a people called Presbyterians meets, and the other went to a place where a people called Independants were, and when they that were ſet up to teach amongſt them had done, & all ſilent, we ſpoke; but with ſcorn and contempt I who were at the Steeplehouſe was put forth, but in the Steeplehouſe-yard I ſpoke ſomething to the people, til that one Iohn Chantler, Conſtable, came to me in ſury, & put me away, & gave another Conſtable charge with me, & by him carried to the Stocks, where I was kept awhile, & then brought me forth, and was had before one who writes himſelf Lambert Godfrey, cal d a Juſtice of Peace & Recorder, & there by him was e • amined what I was, and from whence I came; my education in my youth, & what vocation I had followed from my youth up unto this preſent, and many ſubtil & needleſs queries not worth mentioning; but what I was free in the Lord to anſwer to, I did notwithſtanding his malicious intentions againſt me, as afterward appeared; I told him for the moſt part, from a child I was kept at the School, until I was ſeve • teen or eighteen years of age; and ſome yeers after I was baniſhed forth of my own Countrey, in the Biſhops and Prelates time, for the teſtimony of a good conſcience, becauſe I could not bow to that image, which was by them ſet up, and maintained by that power then in being, and afterwards I was a Souldier neer from the beginning of the warrs in the Northern parts, and told him when I came off the Souldiery, and the cauſe wherefore; then he asked what imployment I followed ſince, and how I lived: I told him I lived with my wife and children in Biſhoprick, nameing the place where, but ſtill he urged upon me again and again to know what I wrought, and how I lived, and who maintained me, I told him the Lord maintained me, and in him I lived, moved, and had my being; but that would not ſatisfie him, I muſt tell him what I followed for an outward livelihood, then I told him, that I had a Tenement of Land, which did affoord me a ſufficiency in the outward; then ſaith hee, you are a Husbandman, I replyed that I was little brought up with it, but thou may write me what thou wilt, and he ſaid, he would ſet me on work tomorrow, and get me a Maſter; ſo he writes a Mittimus, and ſends me to priſon to a place in the town called the Brambles, and the next day I was called before him the ſaid Godfrey, and Iohn Allen, Mayor, and there examined again, part of which I have already related, in his former examination, which he againe quired; in the ſecond examination they demanded further, the moneth and yeer I came off the warrs, and many other fooliſh and needleſs queſtions, which were tedious to relate; and he asked mee the time when I came from my outward being, and when I came to London, and my continuance and imployment there; I told him my imployment and work was there to wait upon the Lord, to write and ſpeak as I was moved of the Lord, againſt the deceit of Prieſts and People; then they examined about our coming into Kent, the time when we came from London, the way we came, the places wee came to, the continuance in every place; all which was told them accordingly; and what wee did in D • ver and the Towns and Villages thereabouts, and how wee were imployed; I told him we were imployed in the work of the Lord, in declaring as we were moved, againſt the unjuſt dealings of men, falſe ways and worſhips, and when I would have ſpoken further, they interrupted mee; I told him, if thou doe write, take all my words, and not ſome few onely what thou wilt, and as thou wilt, but take my words as I ſpeak them; ſo ſcoffingly he ſaid, they are pure words, they muſt not want ſetting downe, then they dimiſſed me from their Court, and ſent me to hold againe, and ſhortly after ſent for me, and told me they had provided a Maſter for me; and they brought forth a Statute, and told me my wages was four pounds a yeer, and meat and drinke; I anſwered, Wilt thou compell me to ſerve this man againſt my w • ll? Here thou wilt exerciſe the office of a Tyrant, produce one Sentence and clauſe of Law which I have broken, if I have let me ſuffer accordingly, and make it appeare before this people wherein I have tranſgreſſed, or wherein thou haſt power to make mee a Slave in thy will co become another mans ſervant, and to limit me wages and time, what Law haſt thou for this? O man fear the Lord, and plead the cauſe of innocent, and know that one day thou ſhalt finde God will judge thee, and that juſtly; and therefore beware what thou doſt, ſee that thou act not againſt me in thy owne will, one ſentence and clauſe of Law bring forth againſt mee, let not thy will bee a Law, I am no Childe that thou needs to tender any ſuch thing to me as a Maſter, I deny it, and I ſpoke to him that they called my Maſter; Friend, thou wilt get no ſervice of me againſt my will, yet idleneſs I deny in my ſelf, and declares againſt it in others, in my calling and work I am, and he that called mee and ſets mee on worke is the Lord, which you know not, then they ſent me to priſon againe; all this while my deer fellow-labourer, and fellow ſufferer was abſent from me, being not then had to priſon by thoſe people called Independants, but was at liberty is his Lodging, where hee was all night at an Inne in the Towne; but ſoone after they had done with mee, they ſent for him, the manner of his Examination is as followeth.

I. VV. C. being at an Inne at the ſigne of the Bell in Maidſtone, (there waiting for an opportunity to ſpeak with my deare Brother) was ſent for by the Magiſtrate, and being brought before him, was by him examined where I dwelt, and how long it was ſince I came from my outward being, and which way, and many more frivolous queſtions which is not worth mentioning; unto ſome I anſwered, as that I came by London, and he asked me what I did there while I continued in the City? I told him, in making known the everlaſting truth, as I was moved of the Lord, in whoſe work and ſervice I was imployed: Furthermore, he quired of me concerning my imployment ſince I came into this County, what it was, if it were the ſame that I followed at London? I told him, Yea: my labour and worke was to turne people from the darkneſs to the light, that with the light they might ſee themſelves and their wayes, and with it be brought to repentance from under the power of darkneſs: ſo then he ſaid, he had now gotten a Maſter for me, and that I might now bee ſet on worke, and bee bound unto him for ſo much a yeare; which I refuſed to bee bound to any man, or to be in bondage to any, for I told him, that I was called into the worke of the Lord, whoſe Truth as it was made manifeſt in me, I freely declared, for the teſtimony of which I ſaw then a calling to ſuffer to bear witneſs to it, and not when the time of tryall came to fall away; after that the children of Iſrael were brought forth of Egypt by the mighty power of the Lord, they were no longer under Pharoah, to bow to him; neither could I, being formerly ſervant to man, and made free by the power of the Lord, could not go out of my calling into which I was called by the Lord into his Vineyard to leave that worke, and ſo to turne from the Lord out of my owne freedome to be a ſlave to man; whereupon their wills being croſſed, and they ſeeing that to them I could not bow nor yeeld, but in the power of the LORD I was kept, in which power I was made willing to ſuffer for the teſtimony of his EVERLASTING TRUTH, which ſhall teſtifie againſt them his ENEMIES, who could not charge me with the breach of any LAW, neither was there any to accuſe mee, their rage and cruelty was ſo much towards the appearance of Truth in me, that from them my reward was correction at Bridewel.

When they had thus examined us ſeverally, they put us together, where I the ſaid I. S. had been all night, and ſhortly after the Goaler came and told us we had our liberty for paying our Fees, we told him we could pay none, he ſaid we muſt be paid, ſo he took us forth, and the ſaid Chauntler and another Conſtable took us away by Warrant with their black Staves of power, to conduct us to another priſon, called the Bridewell, comming thither we were committed into the hands of the keeper of the ſaid place, and many people, men and women did accompany us, few or no friends we knew amongſt them, onely they came to ſee what was to be done to us in that place, the Magiſtrates nor none of the Officers told us what fact we had done, what Law we had broken, though we deſired them to inſtance one Sentence or one Clauſe, neither did we hear the Mittimus, neither did any man accuſe us, nor lay any thing to our charge, but thus we were carryed as aforeſaid, to that place where the man took us into cuſtodie, and then ſearched us narrowly, and took our money, our Bibles, Gloves, Ink-horns, Knives, Papers, and ſuch things as we had in our Pockets from us, and then had into a Room where we were ſtripped naked, and our Legs and Arms put in the Stocks, and there whipped with Cords in the ſight of many, which forced teares from our adverſaries, and they that were to ſee execution done, deſired him ſeverall times to hold his hand before he did, but he was as partiall in executing his office as the Recorder, and the Mayor was unjuſt in their bloody proceedings againſt us, without any juſt colour of Law, for he gave my dearer fellow VV. C. more Stripes than I got, though by their own Sentence a leſſer offender.

When they had thus done they faſtned Irons upon us with great Clogs of Wood, and put us in amongſt other two, which were committed and were working, ſo after we had been in a little while, being about the ſecond hour of the ſecond day of the week, the Executioner commanded us to work, and ſet forth work for us, but we ſtanding out of his will and the will of man, could not anſwer his order, nevertheleſs he laboured much that afternoone and the next day, both by threatnings and faire ſpeeches to bring us in ſubjection to his will, and to the order of the place, as hee ſaid, which was, that all that came thither might work, or elſe not eat, ſo we ſeeing their tyranny and oppreſſion, could not be ſubject to their wills, but was made willing to undergo what they had power to infflict upon us, which we ſaw to be a tryall for us, and that it would but continue but a ſeaſon, though that then their threatnings and cruelty were exceeding great, for they would not let us have any thing for our money onely a little water once a day we had, by the perſwaſion of ſome ſouldiers, and ſome others; ſo he continued with us the ſecond and third day, ſometimes by fair ſpeeches and ſometimes by threatnings, to work if it were never ſo little, and we ſhould want nothing, if not, we might not expect to eat, then the fourth day of the week, about the eleventh hour, the ſaid Iohn Chauntler brought a diſcharge, with two ſeverall Warrants to convey us from Officer to Officer, to our own Countrey, and when he came to bring us our bookes and other things which they had taken from us, he the ſaid Chauntler kept our papers and letters, which was given forth and ſent to us from ſeverall friends and did not give us them again, but brunt them before our eyes which were precious papers, which tended to the deſtruction of ſin: To the advancement of Holineſs: That Satans Kingdom might be defaced, and the Kingdome of Chriſt renewed, that people might be brought from Darkneſs to Light, from under the Dominion of Satan unto God: From under the teachings of men unto God, the Teacher of his people: From under the teachings of Hirelings which Ieremy cryed againſt: And from the teaching of Dumb-Dogs, and Greedy Dogs, which can never have enough: And from ſuch as eat the fat and Cloath with the Wool, and makes a prey upon the people, which Iſajah, and Ezekiel teſtified againſt: And from ſuch as cries peace, peace to ſuch whom the Lord hath not ſpoken peace to, which perſecutors of the innocent holds up, in which ſtate you are, Godfrey Allen, and Chauntler, perſecuting them who with the ſame Light, as the Prophets of the Lord ſaw them then withall, doth ſee them now who you uphold, to be in the ſame ſteps that they were in, whom the Prophets of the Lord teſtified againſt, and therefore do we, as we are moved of the Lord, declare againſt them now, and layes open their deceits in writing now, ſo the ſame portion do we receive of you, as the Prophets of the Lord did of them, who upheld ſuch then; Oh horrible! how can you call your ſelves Chriſtians, and ſuch heatheniſh practiſes ſeen amongſt you, you exceed the tyranny of the Biſhops and Prelats, and Juſtices, and Mayors, and Recorders which were in power then, ſo as you exceed your fathers in cruelty and violence towards the innocent, if your puniſhment exceed theirs, ſay not God is unjuſt, when it comes you may remember you have been warned by one who have felt and born the Biſhops and Prelats rigour over the Conſcience by them then, ſuffered the loſs of Liberty, Friends, Means, and all outward, dear and near Relations whatſoever, not onely ſo, but travelled many years in the Parliaments Army, through much Scarcity, Watchfulneſs, Dangers, Perills, many cold Stormy Nights and Dayes; for ſeverall Years paſt over my Head, much pretious time ſpent, WIFE and ſmall CHILDREN forſaken, and LIFE Engaged many times in the WAR, yet in the midſt of the greateſt ſtraits and extremities ſtill hoping a DAY of FREEDOME would come, and now to be thus rewarded by this POWER which is now in being, for which I have beene made willing for many YEARES by paſt, to ſuſtaine the loſs of all to do him good to my utmoſt againſt HIS and the NATIONS ENEMIES, and now to be thus ſerved a poor REQUITALL, what EVILL have I done, let that in the CONSCIENCE ſpeak.

Lambert Godfrey, Recorder; Iohn Allen, Major, Iohn Chauntler, you are recorded to be perſecutors of the Juſt, and worſe then your fore-fathers (who bare rule in the Kings dayes) that perſecuted the Innocent without cauſe: In your Precept (as you call it) you charge us to be wandring, idle, and diſorderly perſons, idleneſs and diſorder we do deny; and becauſe our work and travel is to turn people from their falſe wayes, falſe worſhips, heatheniſh Cuſtomes, from the Power of Darkneſs, and all unrighteouſneſs, and doth direct people unto the Light, which doth diſcover unto them their works of Darkneſs, and lets them ſee their diſorder and confuſion, and lets them ſee the wickedneſs which all the world lyes in, that ſo with this they may be turned from the evill of their doings, towards Chriſt Jeſus from whence it comes, who is the way to the Father: and when the Lord moves us to go to declare againſt his Enemies, ſuch as he cryed wo againſt, whether it be in Townes, Cities, or Villages, becauſe we are obedient unto his command, which is contrary to mans will ſo your wills being croſſed, you invented theſe three terms againſt us, upon which you grounded your cruelty, in ſaying we were idle, wandring, and diſorderly perſons, becauſe we declare againſt the hirelings and falſe Shepheards of England, of which number you three are recorded to be Enemies to Chriſt, and upholders of Antichriſt, but know aſſuredly, that the juſt judgements of our God wil you purſue, and them you cannot eſcape, for that in all your Conſciences ſhall (for the living God and us) bear witneſs, but againſt you eternally when the day of account comes, you ſhall witneſs what we ſpeak to be true.

And whereas we were ſeized upon and apprehended, the one at an Inne, the other at the Steeplehouſe, neither of us had any Law tranſgreſſed; wherein it doth plain-appear, that it was onely your wills that were croſſed, and ſo exerciſed your cruelty upon us; he that were at the Steeplehouſe after that all was ended, ſpeaking a few words to the Prieſt which you called a diſturbance; now let the Children of Light judge, whether this were diſturbance or diſorder, but order in the Church of Chriſt, which makes it clearly manifeſt that yours is no Church of Chriſt, but an Idolls-Temple, for in Chriſts Church if any thing be revealed to him that ſits by, the firſt is to hold his peace; now your Prieſt had finiſhed his glaſs, and ſaid his Prayer, and his bleſſing before I ſpoke, and after I had ſpoken a few words, they ſaid, take him away, which was done accordingly.

Therefore let all people judge (whoſe underſtandings are opened) betwixt us two that were impriſoned and whipped at Maidſtone, and the Prieſts and Teachers of this Nation, who are the moſt idle, wandring, and walks diſorderly, whether they who are out of the practiſe, and out of the life of the Prophets, Chriſt, and the Apoſtles, who wanders and turns from the Light in their Conſcience, which brings the children of Light from the wandring ſtate to be ſtayed upon the Lord, out of negligence and idleneſs into diligence, and to labour in the work of the Lord, and in his Vinyard, that all ſloathfull ſervants may be bound hand and foot and caſt into utter darkneſs, for curſed is he that doth the work of the Lord negligently; therefore be awarned all ye Hirelings every where in the Nation, the wo lyes near you, thoſe three crimes which we are charged withall, take them to your ſelves, perſecutors, Prieſt, and people, wanderers, idle, and diſorderly you are, who walks contrary to the Light in your conſciences, which comes from him who is a God of order, ſo acting contrary to this you wander from the pure commands of the Lord, and neglect his work, which is to labour in his Vinyard, why ſtand ye idle, yet making your ſelves a cloak to cover your filthineſs withall? taking the Prophets words, Chriſt and the Apoſtles words, and Preaches them for hire, which were ſpoken forth freely, here you are theeves, and we charge it upon you, for ſtealing the Saints words, and ſelling them to people for ſo much a year, but they that ſpoke theſe words which you make a trade of, they were ſuch as came thorow great tribulation, they followed the Lamb whitherſoever he went; there was no guile found in their mouthes, the Epiſtles were written to the Saints, for the perfecting of the Man of God, for Holy Men ſpoke them forth as they were moved by the Holy-Ghoſt, they were not written for proud men to trade withall but they teſt • fie aga • nſt pride and all manner of filthineſs, which are now practiſed among Prieſts, and People, and Profeſſors in this Nation, who have gotten the Saints words, which was redeemed from their vain converſation, but cannot agree about the meaning thereof, they are in ſuch confuſion among themſelves, that one cannot underſtand anothers Language though all Engliſh men: therefore, O England, England, it is time for thy towers to fall, when thy builders are thus confounded among themſelves, the pride of Prieſts and Teaches, and people in thee, is come into remembrance before the Lord, and thou cannot eſcape.

Therefore all Magiſtrates and other Officers, who do this read, take warning and beware upon whom you lay your Law, for if you make your wills your Law, and exerſiſe your cruelty and tyranny upon the innocent; then that which is according to the Law of God in all your conſciences will you condemn, and better it had been for you, that you never had been born, than to have perſecuted and abuſed the Servants of the moſt high God; whoſe eternall power is made manifeſt in them, by which power he doth them preſerve and keep in the time of tryall: Therefore to that in all your Conſciences do we ſpeak, that with the Light in you the unjuſt may come to judgment; and ſo you may learn to judge according to that, and that will bring you to lay the Law in its place upon the tranſgreſſors, for the which end it was added becauſe of tranſgreſſion, and here them that do well will be praiſed and incouraged by you, and the evill doers terrified, and this will be acceptable with God, and ſuch a power we honour in our ſouls, and are ſubject to for Conſcience ſake, ſo we have cleared our Conſciences to you perſecutors at Maidſtone, in laying open your crueltie againſt us without cauſe, that herein you may ſee the evill of your doings and be aſhamed, and ſo come to repentance, that for the time to come you may be awarned, how you exerciſe your cruelty upon the innocent, to that which is juſt in you all we ſpeak, which is your condemnation for your unjuſt proceedings.

Iohn Stubs, VVilliam Caton.

CAIN was the Vagabond and the fugitive who had no habitation in God, but wo from God proceeded againſt him, for ſaid God to him, if thou do well ſhalt thou not be accepted, if not, ſin lyes at thy dore, and he did not well, and he was wrath, and his countenance fell, and he was a perſecutor of him that was in the faith, and a Murderer: and you be the Vagabonds and the Fugitives who perſecute them that be in the faith, though you may Sacrifice as Cain did, your Sacrifice God doth not accept, but wo from God doth proceed againſt you that are in Cains way perſecutors, envyers, and Murderers, full of wrath, whoſe countenance falls, as your fruits hath made appeare, and the Vagabond fellows would have murdered Paul, and the wandering Stars ſpoken of in Iude went in Cains way, which is Envy, Murther, and Perſecution, which Abel is not which was in the faith, and the faith is one; the Apoſtles which were in the faith, they ſaw the Vagabond fellows, they ſaw the wandering Stars which went in Cains way, and Balaams way, from the Spirit of God, with which Spirit we ſee ſuch who are born not of the Spirit, but of the fleſh, perſecuting them who are not of the fleſh, but of the Spirit, whoſe Sacrifice God accepts.

The Son of Man was no Vagabond, he had no place to lay his head; and the Apoſtles were no Vagabonds, who had no certain dwell • ng place, and ſuch who are ſpoken of in the Hebrews, who were in the Faith, which were impriſoned, and in Bonds, with ſcourgings, and tempted, and afflicted, and tormented, and deſtitute, but theſe were ſo at the Town called Maidſtone, through the Faith obtained a good report, who are ſuch as the world is not worthy, looking unto Jeſus who is the author and finiſher of their Faith, running their race with patience, enduring the croſs, and deſpiſing the ſhame, and knowing and ſeeing Jeſus, him that endured ſuch ſpeakings againſt of ſinners, in him we have faith from whom we have received it, which gives us victory over the world, which brings to inherit the promiſe.

And you at Maidſtone, who have ſhewed your unworthineſs in not receiving the Servants of the Lord, but by cruelty and perſecution, ſhaming your Religion, Teachers and Church: Now the folly of it is manifeſt, to that in all your Conſciences I ſpeak, the Light which comes from Chriſt Jeſus, who ſaith, I am the Light of the world, and lighteth every man that commeth into the world, there is your teacher to let you ſee what you have done, there is your condemnation, for this is the condemnation, the Light ſaith Chriſt, and remember in the day of your calamity and condemnation, that in your life time you were warned, and that the meſſengers of God were amongſt you.

G. F. FINIS.