A Vision.

IN a Vision of the night, I saw in the Fir­mament six Suns; one at a distance from the rest, that did appear to be but half an hour high; the other five stood four-square, one in the middle; and they did cross over each other; the highest did not seem to be above an hour high. And when I did awake, I was troubled in my spirit to know the Vision; and I waited upon the Lord, and he signified to me in the Light, The six Suns were six Nations, whose Lights were near out; and the five which crossed each other, signified to me some rising amongst them.

And the Friar came to me, and said, It was God's will we should be kept there, or else they could not keep us. I told him, the Lord did suffer wicked men to do wicked­ly, but did not will them to do it. He did suffer Herod to take off John Baptist's head, but he did not will him to do it: and did suffer Stephen to be stoned, and Judas to betray Christ, but he did not will them to [Page 68] do it; for if he had, he would not have condemned them for it. He said, Then we are wicked men. I said, They are wicked men that work wickedness.

The Friar would say still, We had not the true Faith. We said, By Faith we stand, and by the Power of God we are upholden; dost thou think it is by our own power and holiness we are kept from a vain conver­sation, from sin and wickedness? He said, That was our pride. We said, No, We could glory in the Lord, we were children of wrath once as well as others; but the Lord hath quickned us that were dead, by the living Word of his Grace, and hath washed, cleansed and sanctified us through soul and spirit, in part, according to our measures, and we do press forward towards that which is perfect. He then said, We were good Women, but yet there was no redem­ption for us, except we would be Cathlicks.

Now the Lord said, Fear not Daughters of Sion, I will carry you forth as Gold tryed in the fire. And many precious Pro­mi [...]es did the Lord refresh us with in our greatest extremity, and would appear in his Glory, that our souls would be ravished in his presence. I had the Spirit of Prayer up­on me, but was afraid to speak to the Lord, [Page 69] for fear I should speak one word that would not please him. And the Lord said, Fear not Daughter of Sion, ask what thou wilt, and I will grant it thée, whatsoever thy heart can with. I desired nothing of the Lord, but what would make for his Glory, whether it were my liberty or bon­dage, life or death; wherein I was high­ly accepted of the Lord.

The Room wherein I was separated, was near the Chancery, where all the Bi­shops Courtiers did resort, and would come into the Inquisition Courts, and I had work amongst them daily; they would come on purpose to their condemnation: some would be smitten, and run as if they hunt­ed; and some would be set on fire, and cry, Caldere, caldere, and fuoco, fuoco; and many would pitty us, because we were not Catholicks: the Friars would say, We might be Catholicks, and keep our own Religion too: and we should not be known we were Catho­licks, except we were brought before a Justice of Peace. We askt if we should profess a Christ we should be asham'd of?

But as for the poor Workmen, they were willing to do any thing for us, and were diligent to hear us, the Witness of God in them did answer to the Truth: There were [Page 70] many eyes over them; had it not been for the great opposition, there were hundreds would have flown to the Truth.

And because I said, I did talk with G.F. he (the Friar) asked, Whether G. F. did bring me money to maintain me in prison? I said, No; but though I was ab [...]ent in bo­dy, yet I was present in spirit, and was refreshed in him, and in hundreds more besides. They said, I had seen Revelati­ons, and had talk'd with G. F. and he was God's Revelation. Sarah said, Christ was God's Revelation. He said, she came un­der the Haltar for saying Christ was God's Revelation. She answered, Paul said, As soon as it pleased God to reveal his Son in me, I did not consult with flesh and blood, but im­mediately I went and preached him; and is not Christ God's Revelation then? He said, Who denied that?

What they would have done to Sarah if they had taken her forth, we know not; but the Lord did work so wonderfully that night for the preservation of her poor soul out of their net, that he is worthy to be glorified for ever.

The next time he came to me, he came in Sheeps clothing, but he had a Wolf un­der his Gown; he gave me words as soft [Page 71] as Butter, and as smooth as Oyl, when he had a Sword in his heart, and a Spear in his hand; when they speak most fairest, then beware of them.

He desired us we would not think so hard­ly of him, as if he were the Author of all our wrongs and troubles; he was not (he said) but would do any good he could for us, were it with his blood. But we thought he had been the chiefest that cast the poor man in Pri­son, but he was the man that hope him out without any punishment at all, though the Inquisitor did say he should be severely punished. I told him he did well; he would have peace in it, and would never have cause to repent it. He did entreat us, he might not bear all the burthen. We told him of many wicked things he did act against us, and of his lying and cruel words. He bid us, take no notice what he did speak. But we did feel his spirit, that what he spake he would do, if he had not been chained. I did use to tell him, My conscience was not seared with a hot iron, I was not past feeling. At last he was so weary of coming to us, he did entreat the Inquisitor he might not come to us any more; the Judgment of the Lord did fol­low him so, it was like to kill him.

When we were partted, the Lord did work mightily for us, and we were kept by the Power of the Lord over our Enemies, and were bold for God's Truth, and did make war with them in Righteousness, so they could not gain-say us in the Truth: So that Scripture was fulfilled, The wicked mouthes must be stopped; and they were put to silence; praises be to our God, and were made to confess, or say Of a truth God was in us: our God was a consuming fire to them, they were not able to stand in his presence, but they would howl and make a noise like dogs, and cry, Jesu, Maria, and flie as people driven by a mighty rushing wind; the Power of the Lord did pursue after them like a sword; that Scripture was fulfilled, which saith, Christ came not to send peace on earth, but a sword, to cut down his Enemies; the Lord was on our side, and did take our part, and did fight for us, and did tread down our Enemies under our feet, that they could not hurt us. Mighty was the Work of God daily, our tongues cannot express it; they did work day and night with their Inchantments and Divi­nations, Sorceries, unclean spirits crying and foaming, insomuch that we could take little rest day or night sometimes; but the [Page 73] Lord was with us, and did work mightily by his Power, and kept us over them in the Life of the Son of God. My P [...]ison was nigh to the Palace, and to their Worship, that I could be heard of both; and it was laid upon me of the Lord to call them to Repentance, and to turn to the Light, wherewith they were enlightned, vvhich vvould lead them out of all their wicked Wayes, Works and Worships, to serve the true and living God in Spirit and in Truth; the Power did raise the Witness in many, and troubled them; they did sigh and groan, and some did stay to hear me so long as they durst; for there were many did watch; and it was upon pain of death, or at least to be imprisoned: As was the poor English-man that did come and speak to me, whom they hall'd down violently, and put him in prison; but the Lord delivered him for his Love.

And we were parted One Year, but great was the Work of the Lord, and great was the Power to carry it on. He was not wanting to us, glory be to his Name, but did give us Words & Wisdom according to our Work: So that Scripture was fulfilled which saith on this vvise, Ye need not pre­meditate afore-hand what to speak, or what [Page 74] to say; for it shall be given you of my hea­venly Father what ye ought to speak, that the Enemies shall not gain-say: they were so tormented, that they did run to the Hills and to the Mountains, to cover them from the Presence of the Lord, and from the Wrath of the Lamb, which sits upon the Throne, to judge them righteously, and to condemn them for all their wicked deeds, which they so ungodlily had committed against him.

Oh! the goodness of the Lord, and his long-suffering and forbearance, vvhich would lead them to Repentance; but they would not hearken to his Counsel, but turned his Laws behind their backs, and hated to be instructed by them; therefore the Lord did laugh at their destruction, and did mock when their fear came: Their wickedness was so great, and my burthen so heavy to bear it, that I cryed to the Lord, and said, It is better for me to die, than to live: and would gladly have given up my life in testimony against them all; I was (as 'twere) compelled to declare against all their Wayes, Works and Wor­ships, insomuch that they ran to the Inqui­sitor to have me chained, or punish'd some other way; but the Power of the Lord [Page 75] chained them, that they could not diminish a hair of my head; the Lord was my safe­ty, praises be to his Name for ever.

Now some, as they passed to their Wor­ship-houses, would sigh, and some pray, and some did throw stones at my Window; they did work night and day about the Pri­son, as though they would have broke through to slay me; but the Lord was with me, and did fight for me, and did scatter his Enemies as the dust before the Wind: Glory be to his Name for evermore.

I cannot express the large Love of our God, how he did preserve us from so many Deaths and Threatnings, as they did come to me with, falling down upon their knees, saying Mass, and would have me to say af­ter them; but in the Name of the Lord I denyed them. They would howl like Dogs, because they could not beguile the Innocent, and slay my righteous life; but praises be to the Lord our God, who did preserve me from the Wolf and the De­vourers, denying them & their Sacrifices.

And when they saw they could not pre­vail to betray us from the Truth, then they said, they would give us to the Devil to be tormented, and deliver us over to their bad Catholicks, to do by us as they pleased; for [Page 76] they would use us badly, and so they did seek to do: Oh the cursed noises and cryes the Sodomites did make, crying, Quake, quake, running about the Prison raging, and some singing, and crouding round the Prison night and day, as if they would have broke through to slay me; and the sons of Belial did run to bear false witness, so that I looked every hour when they would fetch me out, and slay me. The Enemy did so work to perswade, that they had prest my dear yoke fellow with stones, which was a great trouble to me, because I I could not suffer death with her; I did yeeld she had been slain. And afrerwards this great tribulation being ended, then they said, my (dear and faithful) yoke-fel­low should be sent to Rome, and I should tarry at Malta; which did so encrease my sorrow and wrought upon my spirit, to try and examine wherefore the Lord should deal so hardly with me, as to leave me be­hind; or whether he did not count me worthy to go and give in my Testimony with her, to Rome, and offer up my Life for the Testimony of Jesus, than to have my liberty to return to England with her? and I cryed day and night to the Lord, and would not give my soul rest, nor my eyes [Page 77] sleep, till the Lord did answer me, glory and praises be to his Name for ever. But we saw Jacob must part with all, Benjamin must go too. So we were willing to give up in obedience to the Lord; our tryals were unspeakable. Oh the unclean spirits! they would speak to us at noon-day; but the Lord did give us power over them, that we did not fear the wild Boars out of the Wood, nor the wild Beasts out of the Field.

Then there was one came and said, that Katherine and I must be both sent to Rome. Which did rejoyce my soul, and renewed my strength, because the Lord did count me worthy to go and give in my Testimo­ny for his Truth, the Word of his Prophe­sie, before the great and mighty ones of the Earth. The Lord said, I should not be a­fraid; and he shewed me in the Light how he had bowed them down before us, and I saw them in the Light of Christ, how the Pope, the Friars and Sorcerers stood in ranks, bowing down before us. So we saw our Dominion in Spirit. They did work to send us to Rome, but the Lord did blast it, and fought against them, that they could not send us.

Now our Testimony was as largely gi­ven in at Rome, as at Malta. The Friars came to me, and shewed me Mary and her Babe pictured against a Wall, and would have me look upon it. I stampt with my foot, and said, Cursed be all Images and Image-makers, and all that fall down to worship them; Christ Jesus is the express Image of his Fathers Brightness, which is Light and Life; who doth reveal the My­stery of Iniquity, the cunning working of Satan, to draw out the mind to follow him, from the pure Life, and to vail over the Just One from beholding the Presence of the Lord. But glory be to the Lord, who hath made him manifest in thousands of his, in this Day of his Power. When we were separated, we spake one and the same thing, being guided by one Spirit. They would go from me to Katherine, and they would bid her speak as Sarah did, and so she did, to their condemnation: Praises to the Lord, Amen.

THe Friar then came to me, and askt me, why I did not work? I said unto him, What work dost thou do? He said, he did write. I told him I would write too, if he would bring me Pen, Ink and Paper; and I would write Truth. He said, He would not that we should write; for St. Paul did work at Rome, and we might get nine or ten grains a day, if we did knit, that is three half-pence. I told him, if we could have that priviledge amongst them, that Paul had at Rome under Caesar, which was a Heathenish King, we would have wrought, and not have been chargeable to any. Paul lived in his own hired house two years, with a Souldier to look to him, and had Friends of the same Occupation to work with him, and could send where he would, and whosoever would come to him, might, and he taught them in the Name of the Lord Jesus; and no man forbad him. So I askt him, Whether he knew the holy War of God, yea or nay? if he did, I told him he then did know we could not be without exercise day nor night. Then his mouth was stopped, and he spake no more to me of work. But though our affliction of body [Page 84] was very great, and our travel of soul was greater, yet we did knit Stockens, and gave to them that were made serviceable to us, and did make Garments for the poor Pri­soners, and mended their Clothes which had need, and were made helpful to them all, to their condemnation that did perse­cute us. But we could not work at the Friar's will, nor any mans else, but as we had freedom in the Lord.

As I was weak in my bed, the Friar came to me, and said, We did deny the Scriptures. I told him, they did deny them; we did own them, and hold them forth, thou dost know it. He was in a rage, be­cause I said they denied the Scriptures, and bid me eat my words again, and threatned death upon me. I said, Christ Jesus was the Light of the World, and had lighted every one that cometh into the World; which Light is our Salvation that do re­ceive it, and the same Light is the Worlds Condemnation that do not believe in it. Then he said, He would lay me in Chains, where I should neither see Sun nor Moon. They say, The Father hath almost killed you, said he, but I will kill you quite before I have done. He had a Book in his hand, and he did study in it: I told him, he did [Page 85] comprehend the words in his carnal mind; and he was wroth, and said, he would give me to the Devils to be tormented. I said, I deny the Devil and all his works and workers.

Some would come unto the Prison upon their Saints dayes, and ask us, what day it was? We did answer, We did not know, neither did we observe dayes nor times, months nor years. Then answer would be made, It was St. Joseph's day, or some other Saint; and St. Joseph should punish us that night, because we did not observe his day. We answered, We did know the Saints to be at peace with us, and we did not fear them. We further said, Paul did call it beggarly Elements and Rudiments of the World, to observe days, times, months and years; and their mouthes would be stopt for a time. Then came the Friar ano­ther time, and told me, it was seventeen dayes to their Christmas; and said, the Vir­gin Mary conceived with child that day, be­ing the same day he spake to me on; as if she did go with child but seventeen dayes. And he said, the next day was Lady Ann's day, the Virgin Mary 's Mother, a Saint.

Then, as I was crying to the Lord in Prayer because of our long-suffering, and [Page 86] our strong travel and labour, and no fruit, as did appear; the Lord said unto me, Be not grieved, though Israel be not gather­ed; the seed of Malta shall be as the stars of the sky for multitude: That which ye have sown, shall not dye, but live: Glo­ry be to the Name of the Lord for ever.

ANd when this, with other Papers, I had (through not a little difficulty) communicated to their hands over the heads of our Enemies, I was moved to speak my Message, as from the Lord of Life, to them, after I had offered up my body, and to lay down my Life for these poor Innocents, my dear Friends; and so with my voice I saluted them in the Lord's Truth, as they stood at the Prison-Grates, with these words, in the behalf of the ge­neral Assembly of the Saints in light, to [Page 130] wit, The whole Body of God's Elect, right dearly, owneth your Testimony, and you are a sweet savour unto the Lord and his people: And forasmuch as one of these poor affli­cted Lambs replied, and said on this wise, as if it was a trouble to them that they could not be more serviceable. Then my heart being melted, and my bowels of pi­ty, mercy and compassion, being moved, I said, That it was a wonderful mercy of the Lord, in as much as they were preser­ved in their own measure of Truth, and pure Innocency, for which my heart prai­sed the Lord for what mine eye saw, which right dearly affected my heart; and we were well refreshed at that season, in the sweet presence of our living God, albeit, our bodies were at a distance, but so as we could behold each others face through the Prison bars of Iron, in the Inquisition.

Now for so much as in the Wisdom of God it is seen meet, that the fore-mentio­ned and following Writings which came from their hands, might appear to publick view, that thereby every Member of the one Body may have a right understanding; and not only so, but also a sensible feeling, [Page 131] not only of the tryals & sufferings in part of these innocent Lambs, but also, of the Consolations of each other, as fellow-Members of the infinite Body of which Christ Jesus the Lord is both King and Head; in whom be endless dominion and pure glory, and eternal salvation, Amen.

And so I being as it were constrained to publish the acceptable Words, that sound and savor of pure innocency and clear truth, for the Elect's sake; in the same Love and Life I am the more free hereun­to, even as a Child, that differs but little from a servant, as I am in the Fathers Love, Power and Grace of Life, fitted to serve the undefiled Life of the least in the Kingdom of Blessedness, and to admini­ster comfort, or what else I have received from the Eternal Fountain or Fulness, for the use or service of either body, mind, soul or spirit, of my own flesh or family, seeing no man ever hated his own Flesh; and he is worse than an Infidel that pro­videth not for his own Family, especially them of his own House.

This is a sweet Salutation to Gods Elect Church in England and Ireland.

RIght dear, precious and Heavenly Ones, whose Beauty shineth bright, and at whose Name the hearts of the Hea­then do tremble: We, who through the everlasting Mercies of our God, are Mem­bers of the same Body, and are held in strait Captivity, and hard Bondage, for witnessing forth the same Testimony and Covenant of pure Light, Life and Truth of our God, with you dear and faithful Ones indeed; We here in the same Cove­nant of pure Love, and bowels of tender­ness, do dearly salute and imbrace you all, glorifying and praising our eternal Father for you all, who hath counted us worthy to partake of the fellowship and sufferings for the Bodies sake, with you in tribulati­ons, fiery tryals, manifold temptations, fastings, watchings, heats and colds, and cruel threatning and persecutions, perils by Sea, and perils by Land, standing in jeopardy of our lives year after year, and looking every hour, day and night, for ma­ny [Page 133] Weeks together, when we should be brought out to Execution; but though Pro­clamation was made, and they came up to the very Gate with a Drum and Mus­quets, to fetch us out to destroy us, yet the Lord God of everlasting strength, who in the deepest of all dangers, and greatest extremity, when all hopes were past, did but blow upon them with the breath of his nostrils, and they did fly as dust before the Wind; for which we do intreat all Friends to glorifie our God on our behalf; for never did the Lord our God work grea­ter Deliverance for any, than he hath done for us from time to time, who are the least and weakest, for what we know, that ever the Lord our God sent forth in so great and weighty a work: but all things are possible with him, who made and created all things; It is he alone which carrieth on his own Work by his own mighty Pow­er, and the glory shall be his own for ever­more, Amen.

Oh our dearly beloved Friends, did you know but the third part of the Afflictions the Lord our God hath carried us through, you would say, The Lord hath wrought as great a Miracle in our preservation, as ever he did in raising Lazarus out of the [Page 134] Grave: And in the greatest of our afflicti­ons, we could not say in our hearts, Fa­ther, would thou hadst not brought us hither, but cryed mightily to our God for Power to carry us through whatsoever should be inflicted upon us, that the Truth of our God might not suffer through our weakness: And the Lord did hear us, and answered us in righteousness, and carried us on with all boldness, and made our fore-heads as Flint, & our brows as Brass, in the faces of our Enemies, that whensoe­ver we were brought forth upon tryal, all fear was taken away, that we stood as Iron-Gates, and Castle-Walls in the faces of our Enemies, so that they said, we would fain be burned; but we answered, No, we would not willingly be burned; but if our heavenly Father doth call us to suffer in that kind for his Name sake, he will give us power to go through it: and we have great cause to believe it; for our Lord God never called us to do any service for him, but he gave us power, and made way for his own Work; glory and praise be to his holy Name for ever.

Dearly beloved Friends, marvel not why Israel is not gathered in all this time; it is not for want of labour, nor travel, nor [Page 135] grief, nor pain, fasting nor mourning, nor weeping, nor love to their souls; but it is because of the great Oppression: For here are a willing people, but they dare not until the Lord make way for them. Truly Friends, we have not been idle since we saw your faces, nor have we had much ease to the flesh, but do travel night and day for Sion's prosperity and perfect joy, and for the reparation of Jerusalem, and her pure praise; though our sorrows are deep, and our afflictions grievous, yet we do wait with patience to reap the peace­able fruits of righteousness, and enjoy the benefit of our uprightness; Praises be to our God for ever, he hath kept us by his power and holiness, that our Ene­mies have not one jot or tittle against us, but for the Truth of our God, and that we could not joyn with them; so they would not suffer us to have one line of refresh­ment, but stript us out of all, so that we could not expect one drop of mercy, favour nor affection, but what our heavenly Fa­ther did distil upon us from his living pre­sence, and work for us by the operation of his own Arm of strength and power.

But dear Friends, though a long Winter, and many sharp and terrible Storms have [Page 136] past over our heads, so that we cannot ex­press our Sorrows; so likewise we cannot declare our Joys. Oh! in the midst of all our afflictions, our God did draw nigh un­to us, and did speak comfortably unto us with many sweet and precious Promises, and did never suffer his faithfulness to fail us, nor was he wanting unto us in Visions and Revelations. Oh! how doth he ap­pear in his Glory, Beauty and Brightness, so that our souls are ravished and wrapped up with his living presence and glory ma­ny times, so that we do not dare to look out at our long-sufferings nor tryals, but do press forwards towards the fulness of Joy and Blessedness, which our eternal Father hath prepared for all them that love him, and walk in obedience to him; and we know, the deeper our sorrow is, the greater our Joy shall be; and the heavier our Cross, the weightier our Crown, as we abide faithful: And we do believe, that neither principalities, nor powers, nor suf­ferings, nor imprisonment, nor persecuti­on, nor life nor death, shall be able to se­parate us from the Love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord and Saviour, Amen:

Dearly beloved Friends, though our bodies are bolted up in the Rocks & Caves [Page 137] of the Earth, yet our spirits (you know) none can limit nor confine to any place. And we do behold your order and stedfast­ness of your Faith, and Labour of love, and are daily refreshed in all the faithful-hear­ted. Oh dear hearts! the remembrance of the least of you is precious. Oh! the Rivers of tears that have distilled from our eyes, whilst we do think upon you, for joy, because of your growth and flourishing in the Truth. Oh! you are Virgins indeed, who have Oyl in your Vessels, and your Lamps burning, and are clothed with the long white Robes of Righteousness, and are adorned with the Ornaments of pure beauty and glorious brightness (abundance of you) to our joy and comfort; and we do pray night and day, That every Babe of our Heavenly Father's begetting may prosper, even as we desire our own souls should prosper; and that every one may be kept out of incumbrances, and use the World as if they used it not; but every one's mind, spirit, heart and soul, may be exercised in the Eternal, by the Power of God, out of the earthly, and out of the visible, out of the carnal and perishing things of this life (so as to trust in it) in­to the heavenly, into the spiritual, into the [Page 138] invisible, into that which never changeth, fadeth, nor waxeth old, where every one may dwell in the enjoyment of the pre­sence of the Lord; for in the presence of the Lord is fulness of joy, and at his right hand is pleasure for evermore. Oh, that every one may be emptied of your selves, and unbottomed of your selves, that you may build wholly upon the sure foundati­on, and anchored so fast upon the Rock of Ages, that neither the swelling Seas, nor the foaming Waves, nor stormy Winds, though they beat vehemently, may ever be able to remove you. Oh dear Brethren, in the life and power you may feel the issues of Love and Life, which stream as a Ri­ver to every soul of you, from the hearts of us that are wholly joyned to the Foun­tain; Glory and everlasting Praises be given to his holy Name. Our whole souls, spirits, hearts and minds, are given up to serve the Lord in whatsoever he requireth of us, as he shall make it manifest unto us: And we do blesse his Name for ever, that he hath found us worthy of so high a calling, as to bind Kings in chains, and Nobles in fetters of Iron. Our prayers are continually for the advancement of the Gospel of the Lord Jesus throughout [Page 139] the whole Earth, for the gathering of the Seed of the Elect of God, and for the rai­sing of it up over the Seed of the Serpent, in power and great glory, to bear rule, and to have dominion over the whole World, that the Kingdoms of this World, may become the Kingdoms of our Lord Jesus, that he may rule in his Princely Power, and reign in his Kingly Majesty, whose Right it is; that the knowledge of the Lord may cover the Earth, as the Wa­ter covereth the Sea; that all the Children of the Lord may be taught of the Lord, and be established in Righteousness; that so the Mourners in Sion may rejoyce, and the heavy-hearted in Jerusalem may be right glad: The Lord God of Power hasten it for his own Name's sake, and for his Elects sake, that lye in captivity under the hands of the dark powers of the Earth, either spiritual or temporal; Amen, Amen, saith our spirits.

Dear and precious Friends and Brethren, pray for us, that we may finish our Testi­mony to the glory of God, and to the praise of his holy Name, and to the comfort of all that love his appearing, and to our own eternal salvation, and to the shame and confusion of all that hate the Lord Jesus, [Page 140] and persecute his Truth. So in the pure Unity of the Covenant of Light, Life, Peace, Love, and everlasting Righteous­ness, do we take our leaves of you all at this time, hoping and believing we shall see your faces once again, before we go hence, and be no more seen. Dear Friends, pray for us.

Though we were in many straits and hardships by reason of the oppression; yet whilst our minds were staid upon the Foun­tain, we saw no want; but our tender Fa­ther, whose heavenly eye was ever over us, saw our necessities, sent his right dear and precious Servant, and just and faith­ful Steward, Daniel Baker, to administer to our Necessities both spiritual and tem­poral; he came not in his own time, will nor strength, but in the Will and Time, Strength and Power of the Almighty God; at whose presence the Mountains were re­moved, the tall Cedars were made to bow, the strong Oaks to stoop. Oh wonderful! He went to the Lord Inquisitor (the Popes Deputy) to demand our lawful Liberty, which would not be granted, unless he and we would write to Messaena, or Legorn, to some English Merchant, to be engaged for four thousand Dollers: Which Propositi­on [Page 141] being out of the Covenant of Light, we durst not stoop to it; but our dear Brother in Christ Jesus offered his body for our Li­berty, but it would not be granted; no­thing would serve but one to engage for four thousand Dollers to be paid, if ever we come into these parts again. Then in obedience to the Lord he offered up his Life for our Freedom, but all would not serve; the Will of our God be done.

Oh dear Friends! greater Love was ne­ver heard of, than for a man to lay down his Life for his Friend: Oh! it is worthy to be recorded in remembrance of him for ever; here he came up and down to admi­nister to us with his Life in his hand, time after time. So the Lord God of Power reward him double into his bosome for ever. Oh! how did he refresh our souls, spirits, minds and bodies through great tri­als, which is never to be forgotten.

Who have suffered for the living Testimo­ny of Jesus, and his pure Innocency, in Bonds, Tryals and Tribulations, more than three years, to this day.

A short Relation of some more of their exceeding great Tryals and Tempta­tions.

NOw in short time after we were taken Prisoners, we were stung with Flyes called Muskatoes, in our faces & our heads, as we lay in our Beds, that were swollen as if we had the small-Pox, so that all people were afraid of us, save the English Consul; they thought we had been unclean persons, so that a Friar told Sarah he saw an evil Spirit in her face, which was a great tryal; they could not sleep in their beds in the house, they were so tormented; and we were told, that they had seen them that did pray and preach every day, were burnt for Witches in a short time; and they would keep us to see our lives & conver­sations; and so they have: And glory be to our God, they cannot lay guilt to our charge, but are made to confess the Truth.

In a few dayes after we were there, in a Vision in the night, the Lord appeared to me, and shewed me, that round about us, [Page 143] and above and beneath us, there were ma­ny Magicians of Aegypt; and the Lord smote me, and said unto me, The Devil hath desired to winnow you as Wheat; but pray that your Faith fail not. And the sight was very dreadful and terrible; and the Voice of the Lord did awake me with much trembling and amazement, and a great War, for the space of twelve hours, before I could get the victory; and we did witness but little ease to the flesh night nor day. We went in obedience to the Lord to one of their Tower-Houses, in time of their Worship, and stood trem­bling in the midst of them; and I was made to turn my back to the high Altar, and kneel down, and lift up my voice in prayer unto the Lord; and he that was say­ing Service, drew off his Surplice, and kneeled a little beside us till I had done, and he reacht forth his hand to us, to come to him, and offered me a token; and the Lord shewed me it was the Mark of the Beast; and I refused it; and he put it in­to Sarah's hand, and she gave it him again, and shewed him her Purse, that she had to give, if any had need. And he asked if we were Calvinists or Lutherans? And we said, Nay: And he asked if we would go [Page 144] to Rome to the Pope? But we denied. And he asked if we were Catholicks? And we told him, We were true Chirstians, the Servants of the living God. And many of them were amazed, and came round about us; we having but little of their Tongue, gave our Testimony (for the Lord) in words and signs, as well as we could; and they were made subject to the Power at that present, praises be given to our God, and we departed in peace.

And since that, the Lord laid such a hea­vy burthen upon us, that we did question what he would do with us, before we knew the mind of God in it. And upon a set-day they had a great Meeting to take their holy Sacrament (as they call it) in a high place; but we knew nothing of it, nor where it was, but what the Lord revealed to us: And we were made to go in, and stand in the midst; and there were many lights in divers places, & many Christs, as they call them, and much costliness and a­bominations of the Earth; they had so many sorts of holy Garments (as they call them) of so many colours, that it would make one wonder how the Devil did invent it. And there we were made to stand in the midst for the space of three parts of an [Page 145] hour, as near as I can judge, in great pow­er, trembling and quaking, and bitter mourning, so that they were all amazed, and some removed further for fear, but knew not what to do; for I never did wit­ness such an Earthquake. In the end one came soberly, and spake to us to go forth; and we went in the Lord's time, and sate at the door trembling and mourning, to the astonishment of them; and being so overcome with their Abominations, we went along the street reeling to and fro, and staggering like drunken men, so that we were a wound to all that saw us: It was the wonderful Power of God that made way for us to go forth to them, and kept us. They have used all the Craft they have day and night, to inchant us, as the Lord hath made it known unto us; Glory and praises be to his everlasting Name for evermore. We know that there is no In­chantment against Jacob, nor divination against Israel.

Dearly beloved Friends, We dearly sa­lute you all in the invisible Life of our God, who is our life, our peace, our stay and strength; under whose Shadow we are refreshed; praises, glory and honor be gi­ven [Page 146] unto his powerful Name, of all his, for ever.

Truly Friends, we are not able to de­clare the large Mercies of our God, vouch­safed unto us from time to time; his Horn is our Strength, and his Name our strong Tower in all our troubles, temptations, tryals and sufferings; he is a God at hand, and not afar off, and doth make us sensi­ble before-hand, by Visions and Revelati­ons, what is coming upon us; and doth arm us with his own Armour, and makes us as bold as Lyons; for we fear not the face of man, because we know we shall not suffer any thing but what shall make for the glory of our God: But truly we had fainted long ago, had not the Lord upheld us by his free Spirit; but we know the Lord taketh care of the least of them that trust him; Praises be unto him for ever. Dear Friends, though we be absent in bo­dy, yet we are present in spirit, and do feel you in that which cannot be separa­ted, as we abide faithful, and are much refreshed in you; and the remembrance of you is precious unto us: Oh, that all our Friends could prize the company and the sight of each others faces. We do not want the company of Friars, Jesuites and Ma­gistrates, [Page 147] nor great women. Here are some that have breathings after Life, but they dare not shew it; for the same thing that was, is; they will not enter in them­selves, nor suffer them that would.

The Lord Inquisitor sent to us, That if we would (being we are good women) we should go into the Nunnery amongst the holy women, and be maintained as long as we live, in regard we have denied the world, and all that we have. And the Friar told us, if we would come to their Masse-house, and receive their holy Sacrament, we should be the most eminent Catholicks in all Malta. But we denied them in the Name of the Lord, and all their dead fop­pery which they have invented. Here we are kept under the Inquisition, as they say, till they have Orders from the Pope of Rome what they should do with us.

We beseech you all, faithful Friends, pray for us, for great are our tryals: Did you but know the Abominations that the Devil hath invented here, you would think it were tryal enough. But here we have cruel mockings; and the same contra­dictions, tryals and temptations that ever the Servants of the Lord had, and Christ himself. It is the wonderful Power of [Page 148] God that we are preserved till this time; for all the whole Island are Papists, and given up to Idolatry. We are despised of all People, and abhorred of all Nations; and because they cannot have any just thing against us, they do invent lies against us: but the Lord is on our side, for else the Enemy would soon destroy us; for great is their rage; and we have continual war with them, night and day we feel: be­hold their threatnings and cruelty is more than our tongues can express. Great is the love of our God, for he doth refresh us with the sweet drops of his mercy, and doth water us every moment with the everlasting springs of his Love, or else we had fainted long ago.

Oh! let all who know the Lord, praise and glorifie his holy Name for ever and ever, Amen. Dear Friends, farewel in the Lord.

The Enemies being busie with their Tempta­tions, to have us enter into their Covenant, thereupon I was moved to write these follow­ing words, which I communicated to their hands with the former Paper, viz.

BEhold the Word of Life arose in me, saying, (this morning) Keep to Yea and Nay, & I will confirm my Covenant unto thée. These Words were spoken to the true Seed that shall inherit the King­dom; the same (you know) is but one in Male and Female. And so the blessing of my Life rest upon you, and be with you in the same, even in that which hath no end; neither fadeth away; yea, and my Spirit saith, Amen.

Dear Lambs, read within, & be refreshed, and the God of Life & Peace encrease the same, & multiply your strength abundant­ly, Amen.

NOw after I had received these Papers, though not through little straits and difficulty, with jeopardy of my precious Life, which my God sweetly through all preserved, Glory to his Name: my heart was, as it were, overcome with the loving-kindness and salvation of the living Lord, and in his savory Life my mouth was filled with thanksgiving and praises to my God; and I said in my heart on this wise, Who am I, O Lord, or what was my Father's House, or what is the Land of my Nativi­ty, that I (a poor: afflicted and despised Worm) should be raised up to see and perceive what mine eye, mine eye in thy Eternal Power and pure Life beholds! Oh my God! thou hast known the inno­cent travel of my Soul, which I right-well know the same is not hid from thee, even from the day of my birth, unto this mo­ment, through no small trials and tribu­lations, and through the exercise of mani­fold temptations; yet behold, my Life is preserved at this time: And Oh, my heart, my mind, my soul, my spirit, in thy pure undefiled Life and Vertue, blesseth thy [Page 172] Name, thy pure Name, which thy Virgins love and live in, and in the same they glorifie thy Beloved, and the Wings of thy Majesty overshadoweth them; and their delight is under the secret shadow of thy Almightiness, blessed be thy Glory, bles­sed be thy undefiled Power, blessed and magnified be thy pure Wisdom, and let the same be so even in the Tabernacles of the Just for ever. Thou Lamb of Immor­tality, the Thrones, the Kingdoms, and Eternal Dominions are thine, and over all thy Throne is, and shall be exalted, and thy Lambs behold thy Glory and thy Ma­jesty, in this the day of thy terrible and glorious [...]ppearance: Wisdom, Riches, Glory, Power, Might and Dominion ever­lasting (with Eternal Salvation) over all, to thy Name, Amen, saith my spirit, in the Life which is, was, and for ever shall be, the same which liveth and abideth for e­ver, and fadeth not away: In the same I commend thy dear tender Lambs, to be preserved according to the unsearchable Wisdom and Counsel of thine own heart, to thy everlasting Renown and Glory, and their Eternal comfort and joy, and felicity, with thy Saints and Angels in the Light of thy Countenance, and in everlasting re­membrance [Page 173] in the powerful and Eternal Kingdom of Immortality, if I be no more in this World, when this body is gone to its place, according to thy Eternal Purpose and Decree, in thy Eternal Counsel; so be it, saith my spirit, yea and Amen saith my soul, which blesseth and magnifieth thy Eternal Name, inasmuch as thou hast so far fulfilled thy (living) Word of Pro­phesie, and not only so, but much more al­so in the desire of my heart, in the behalf of thy dear, tender, suffering, and long-suffering Seed of thine own Bowels; for which be innumerable Praises, Wisdom, Salvation, Glory and Dominion to thy ho­ly Name, Amen, Amen.

Here followeth somewhat relating to the Travel and Service of D. B. which he hath freedom to give forth for the Truth's sake, and Friends satisfa­ction.

THE intent of the Spirit of the Lord within my heart and mind, stirring me up to write somewhat concerning my travel from my Native Country, Kindred [Page 177] and Father's House, being freely given up to serve the Lord, his Truth and People, in the Power and Gospel of God; I ha­ving no imposition or necessity at all laid upon my Conscience, as from any mortal man, but certainly it was a pure necessity from the living God of Heaven & Earth; many of his faithful Servants, Messengers, Sons and Daughters that were, and are as dear and precious to me as my own life, may bear me record on the Lord's behalf unto the truth of what I write on this wise; and surely in the Counsel everla­sting, the thing was hid from me then, whether ever I should return to my Native Country or not. However, in the love and favour of God, and in his fear set up within my heart, was I given up, with my body also offered as a living Sacrifice, which was but my reasonable sacrifice, to give a sound to the Nations afar off, of the mighty Day of our God, and his blessed Truth, the Light of Jesus manifest in eve­ry Conscience, in which Light we have most assuredly believed unto salvation: And verily the Power and pure Presence of his Eternal Strength was with me, through many hardships, trials and tribula­tions; the right-hand of the hiding of his [Page 178] Power did sweetly guide, strengthen & sup­port me, even as it did, and doth his Lambs whom he so sends forth as among Wolves, in his Dove-like Innocency, harmles­ness and wisdom, which are as wise, or ra­ther wiser than the Serpents. And this Scripture have I well witnessed fulfilled, whilst travelling from one Nation to ano­ther People, as my Father did in the anci­ent dayes. And on this wise, with three more Brethren, so freely given up with one consent in the behalf of the Gospel ever­lasting, that is now preaching again to the Nations, Tongues and Kindreds.

We set forward the 16th. of the third Month, and we sweetly parted with our right dearly beloved Friends, Brethren, Fathers and near Relations, that were flesh of our flesh, and bone of our bone, and from all our outward Acquaintance and Native Country, in the Will, Love and Spirit of our God, in the same day from Gravesend we set forth; and at the end of forty four dayes, we arrived at Legorn in Italy, where we gave a certain sound of our innocent Service and Message of Salvati­on, and of its Life and Blessedness, co­ming upon the Nations as a weight either to condemnation or justification, as the [Page 179] same is received or rejected among them.

And thus as we had opportunity, among the men of our own Nation, the Jews and others, we gave a sound, and the blessing of the God of Heaven, and his Presence was with us, whether the Nations of men did hear or forbear; but the Witness of God in sundry was reached, and the same an­swered in us: And herein we are so far well satisfied, whilst others were hardened, who defied us and our Testimony, as their uncircumcised Fathers always did resist and gain-say the Truth that saves from sin, and so finally from its condemnation.

And it came to pass, after that we had waited upon the Lord to understand his good will and pleasure, he answered us in the joy of our hearts, and we received his Counsel, and communicated of the same to each others satisfaction in the love of God, [...]n which we were wel confirmed to obey the same until the death, as the Lord our God might have permitted for his Names sake, who then further ordained us to be separated, viz. John Stubs and Henry Fell to pass on towards Alexandria, and, my dear brother and companion, Richard Scos­trop, with me, to pass Eastward, to Constan­tinople, and Smyrna in Asia; and after a [Page 180] little season we parted in the goodness of God. And when twenty four dayes were finished, having (in the mean time) touched a little season at the Island Zant, we arri­ved at Smyrna. But behold it came to pass, immediately at our coming, there was not a little stir, together with the evil sur­mizings, and what else arising up as a flood, with threatnings breathed forth from the Apostate Christians, especially men of no small degree (of our own Na­tion) against us, when Turks, Jews, Greeks, Heathens, and others, were not altogether so evil affect [...]d, as to let us from the exer­cise of our Conscience void of offence towards God and man, and so to hold forth the example of the harmless Life, and un­blameable Conversation, in all equitable­ness in Doctrine, Life and Practice of what we professed in the midst of them. But oh! how the Christians (by name) in Asia (who should first have received the Word of saving-health) how did they de­fie and reproach not only us, but our living Testimony and Message of Blessedness, which day by day was sounded in their ears notwithstanding: The Lord God lay not what they did against us to their charge, when they have most need of mercy and [Page 181] peace with God, if, happily, repentance unto life be witnessed by them, who know not what they did; yea, and my Spirit is ready to say, Amen, for their sakes that ha­ted us without a cause, as the same unbe­lieving nature did our Lord and Master, whom we love, serve and honour in the same, and therefore keep his Sayings, which are not grievous to us in that one and the selfe-same Spirit, which reproves the World for sin, in which we worship him as the Father; the which guideth into all Truth, from all Evil; concerning which we well admonished their minds to subject to the One, and to avoid and turn from the other, each having their proper effects at­tending them, as anguish, woes, judge­ments & disquietments upon the soul and conscience that doth evil; and contrari­wise, blessings, peace, glory, honor, and the goodness of God attending the soul of man which worketh good, in the Light of the same excellent Spirit of God which ex­erciseth the Conscience in temperance and sobriety, meeekness and gentleness of Christ.

And on this wise we besought the men of our own Nation, together with many more in those parts, that they might become [Page 182] a sweet savour of the pure Life of Christ and Christianity indeed and in truth, which tends to answer the Witness of the Eternal God, manifest in Turks, Greeks, Jews, Heathens, and Apostate Christians, among the dark Nations, where they have their conversation: Yet I am constrained to express somewhat of their manner of dealing with us to our good; Wherefore Men of reasonable and honourable under­standing, may bear with me, to the end that the honest-hearted may be informed to be­ware of a persecuting Spirit, which is not of God, neither ever was it born of him.

Their Threatnings encreased daily, and they burdened themselves exceedingly with us, whose Deportment and Behavi­our they were made to confess to; as did the Consul and divers others; which in truth they could not say otherwise, but that it was temperate, innocent, harmless and unblameable in our Conversation; Mag­nified be the Lord, and blessed be his Grace of Life, by which we in submission to the same, were guided herein: But because our Testimony was not for, but against whatsoever might be said in truth to be evil, unjust, or unequitable (which is dis­honourable) therefore were we hated of the [Page 183] High and Lofty, to the disquieting of their own rest day and night; because they bur­thened themselves so with the truth and innocency of the Lord's Testimony, which our Life held forth among them who re­ceived not the same in his love, that they might be saved not only from sin, but also from the wrath to come. So they forth­with sent a Message from Smyrna, to the great City Constantinople, to the King's Em­bassador of England, and besought him to expel us out from among them of Asia, that we might not have a Being in the ex­tent of their Authority, in visiting them on this wise, as by the annexed Warrant thou that reads the same, may understand.

And forthwith this Warrant was dis­patcht with a Messenger from the Embas­sador's Court at Constantinople, to Smyrna; and behold, the Merchants of the Earth, and others that could not endure to hear of the sound of Truth, received the same not with little gladness; (poor men! wo and alas for them!) the end of which will not be peace, but contrariwise, wo and misery: And they put the same Warrant in execution, and sent a Turkish Janisary, and a Drugerman, that were Officers un­der the Consul of the English Nation; and they came with Harmols, (viz. called Por­ters) with Cain's Weapons, and fetcht us from our Lodging before the Consul; and the man was courteous and moderate, and had his ear open then to what we in the re­verence and fear of the Lord then said un­to him, which was his honor, who then saw over and beyond that foolish Ceremo­ny of the Hat, neither did he burthen him­self with the same, as many unwisely do, to the clouding or veiling of the nobility of a good Understanding, which hath a more noble respect to Equity, Justice and Judgement, without respect of Persons in them, where it is set up in its proper and peculiar Authority, than to such foolish [Page 186] Ceremonies, which are below men of Wis­dom; yet he desired that we might not take it ill as from him (in his place of Au­thority) in doing as he was obliged in the prosecution of the Warrant, which sum­moned all Officers and Members of the Factory, with Masters & Officers of Ships, to be aiding and assisting to surprize and banish two innocent, naked, harmless Men, that had neither Bow nor Sword, nor any such like material or visible Wea­pon of War to resist evil, as Paul and Bar­nabus had not, against whom the hard-hear­ted Jews cryed out with the same voice, Help men of Israel, &c. and such like stir there was. And we let the Consul know at our first coming, that we owned his place of Authority, and were ready to sub­mit to any thing that was just or equitable; and at last, in this thing, we could not sub­mit without suffering, forasmuch as in the uprightness of our heart, and in the inno­cency of the same, were we come so far to do the Will of God, and to suffer for it, as his hand permitted.

So with many other expressions I clear­ed my Conscience, as also by Words, Suf­ferings and Writings, to the whole Nati­on there; and the Consul seemed to be [Page 187] unwilling to use violence against us, that at our departure we prayed for them that hated us without a cause, knowing not what they did; we seeing it could not at that season be otherwise, but what the Lord had permitted them to bring to pass, not to their justification, but as a Judgement among them from the living God, who did not onely dispence the visitation of his Love and Salvation day by day among them, but he visited them also with the strokes of his Displeasure, even unto death and destruction; and surely he smote and took away of the Chiefest, & others of them daily: And verily my heart often cryed, and besought the Lord for them in secret more especially, (though I was constrai­ned not to cease uttering my voice openly among them, and for them) while they sought my hurt; as many of them, I know, by the Witness of God in them may re­member. And so we were sent away as Prisoners, or rather as Lambs driven from the Dens of Lyons, or from the barren Caves of ravening Wolves, whose nature worried them.

Now we had spoken for a passage by a Dutch ship, to have gone from thence to Constantinople, but before the Ship depar­ted [Page 188] Smyrna, the Warrant came to the Con­sul's hands, which thou mayest see came not from either them called Turks, Jews, Heathens, Greeks, or Barbarians, but even from the men of our own Nation. Alas! alas! yea, wo and alas for them.

So the Reader may see what a stir there hath been in the Region of Asia, against the appearance of Truth, and its Innocen­cy, in plainness, to expel and banish it, together with its Message and Messengers, out of their Coasts or Borders, and not to have any entertainment, or at least to come within the extent of their Authority, what­ever becomes of them, let them go where they will, &c. So as in effect they say, We will not have this man, the Light, Truth, Temperance, Innocency, its Life and Wisdom from above, to rule, or have its preheminence over us in our Consci­ences; we will rather chuse to live in the practice of our own evil hearts and ways: And therefore thus to their own hurt, they say unto God, Depart from us, for we desire not the knowledge of thy Wayes; Job 21. and as for the Word of the Lord, we have no delight in it. Lo they have rejected the Word of the Lord, and what Wisdom is in them? And such [Page 189] the holy perfect and upright Man saw rebel against the Light, and said, They are of those that rebel against the Light, they know not the Wayes thereof, Job 24.13. nei­ther abide in the Paths thereof.

And so with consent they joyned toge­ther to banish Truth, its Message and Mes­sengers of Peace, which provoked them to jealousie that believed not, who scorned us as fools, and what not else, not honestly considering, how that God is provoking the Nations to jealousie and wrath with a foo­lish People, as in the ancient dayes, Deut. 22. was prophesied. And such besought our Lord and Master, even Jesus, to de­part out of their Coasts or Borders, who loved and fed their Swine upon the Moun­tains; even the Gadarens besought him to depart; who saith, He that loveth Fa­ther or Mother, or what else, more than Me, is not worthy of Me; and Father and Mo­ther, and such Relations, are of more honourable esteem than many Swine. And to his Disciples he also saith (that was dead, and is alive, and liveth for ever) As they have done unto me, so will they do unto you; if they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you. These are his faith­ful and true Sayings; He that receiveth [Page 190] you, receiveth me; and he that receiveth me, John 13.20. receiveth him that sent me; [Mark that:] Verily, verily I say unto you, Whom­soever receiveth whom I shall send, receiveth me; and him that receiveth me, receiveth him that sent me, &c. He that despiseth you, despiseth me; and he that despiseth me, de­spiseth him that sent me. And it's to be un­derstood, that such like dealing J. S. and H. F. our Brethren, found at Alexandria, from whom they also were banished.

And on this wise being rejected, despi­sed, banished out of Asia, from Smyrna, in about eight dayes we arrived at the Island Zant, where my dear Brother and Companion in sufferings, and not only so, but in the Kingdom & patience of Christ, he was visited with sickness nigh unto death; but the Word and Commandment of the Lord ordered me to pass through part of Italy, and my face was set towards Venice; and we weighed the thing in the fear and counsel of the Lord, and were both given up in one to travel; yet it was so, that the poor Lamb was not capable in body to travel with me, by reason of weak­ness; and he being fully perswaded and satisfied in his own mind, that I was to [Page 191] pass onward, in the tender Love of our God he did the more constrain me; I fin­ding some unwillingness to leave him in that condition, which was not a little cross unto me: But in the heavenly Will and Peace of our God, and joy of the Lord, out of all visibles we parted asunder; and it came to pass, that he laid down his Bo­dy there in about two dayes after.

There being a Ship of Venice ready, I embarqued on the same, and had a good Passage through the Gulf of Venice. Af­ter three Weeks were finished, was I ad­mitted (together with the Ships company) to receive Product or Admission to come into the City, as their manner is; and there I continued about eight dayes as a sign and wonder among many, and gave somewhat of a sound of the Lord's Day (in truth) among them; and from thence I travelled to Legorn, and my face was as if it were set towards England, I being alone, as a Mourning-Dove in a desolate Wilderness: Yet it came so to pass when I arrived at the same Port or City, that the everlasting Love of my God did fill and overcome my heart, and mine eye right dearly affected the same; and verily the living Word and Commandment of my [Page 192] God sounded in mine ear, and mine un­derstanding was quickened in the Spirit of Life from God, so that I was made wil­ling, and not to rebel against the Heaven­ly Voice; [And what if I testifie, that mine eye saw the Angel of his presence?] which was expresly for me to give up, and pass away from thence, to visit his long-suffering Seed of Innocency, shut up in the Inquisition, in the Isle of Malta, under the Popes Authority, and to communicate to their necessities; and verily the sweet Promise of the Lord entered and possessed my heart, and my God made my way pro­sperous; for in the Light of his Counte­nance he had often set these poor afflicted long-suffering Innocents before my face: Wherefore my body and mind was freely offered up as my reasonable service, to serve his Truth, & the least Member of it; and so to the death of the Cross, whereto I became obedient in uprightness of heart, as if I should never see the face of my Kindred or Native Country more. (a Vessel of France being ready to de­part from thence East-ward) I embarqued thereon for the Isle of Cicilia to Masena, and from thence to the Isle of Malta in a Vessel of the said Island; and in my pas­sage [Page 193] the Vessel did bear in to Syracuse, where Paul abode three dayes in his pas­sage to Rome (after he had suffered ship­wrack on Malta) and at Syracuse I abode five dayes, where I gave a sound of the Lord's Truth and Life: And so we imme­diately sailed from thence, and within twenty four hours we arrived at the Island of Malta; and within some hours after I came upon the said Island, I had admit­tance to the Pope's Lord Inquisitor, to whom I delivered my Message in the Ita­lian Tongue, on this wise, I am come to demand the just Liberty of my innocent Friends; the two English Women in Prison in the Inquisition: And he asked, If I were re­lated to them as a Husband or Kinsman, and whether I came out of England on pur­pose with that Message. And I answered, I came from Legorn for that same end; and he replied at last, They should abide in Prison till they dye, except some English Merchants or others that were able, would engage or give obligation for the value of three or four thousand Dollers, conditio­nally, that they should never return again into those Parts.

On this wise was his reply divers times with the Consul and many others, together [Page 194] and asunder; but in the Name and Fear of the Lord God I withstood the same un­christian-like Demand and Cruelty, in the Word, Power and Travel of the Lord in his innocent suffering Lambs behalf; al­beit, they daily threatned me with their Cruelty and Inquisition of darkness, and followed me to and fro with their Officer and Black-rod, and the Pope's Deputy would have bound me, that I should nei­ther speak good nor evil to any one while I was on the Island, as the Consul said, save to him; neither to come to the Pri­son alone, except the Consul came also with me, or some of his Family at least: But their Snares, Bonds and Covenants, in the Name of my God I defied, because the Spirit of Life from the Lord gave me dominion through sufferings in spirit, first, over their unjust dark Impositions; yea, and in the same good Authority, in the innocency and uprightness of my heart, I travelled through, and over the darkness, over its works, and ceased not to publish the end of my coming, which they would not have known abroad, and the sound of Truth; and its dread and fame struck ter­ror in their hearts, that both high and wise, great Men, together with the popish Priests [Page 195] and Jesuites, Knights, them called of the Nobility, of the Pope's Dominion of Spain, and France, and of many Nations; they did not burthen themselves a little with my bodily presence, my clear Testimony and Friends in general, all which they de­fied and withstood, as it doth appear by the words of Truth in this Treatse.

And thus it comes to pass among the Nations, because we are not of this world, as our Life and Testimony also is not for, but against the same; therefore we marvel not if the World hate us, knowing its birth which is from beneath, earthly and sensual, persecuteth that which is from a­bove, heavenly and spiritual; and so the Lord hath made me as a burthensome stone among them. My heart blesseth his Name that wonderfully preserved me: Yet some of them came to see somewhat of my In­nocency.

About twenty four dayes I abode upon the said Island, they daily continuing their Threatnings against me as aforesaid, and many times attempted me to take my Pas­sage to Cicillia, or to some parts of Italy, to produce the unreasonable and unchristian-like Obligation demanded by them; but in the fear of God I, with my dear Friends, [Page 196] withstood them, and they were freely gi­ven up, rather to suffer, than to hurt Gods Truth and People thus to gratifie them; who (as it doth appear) the Spirit of the Lord God of Truth, rules neither in Pope, nor in any of his Lords, Priests or Jesuites, that exercise such Lordship over the Inno­cent, long-suffering Heritage of the ever­lasting God. The time hasteneth, and be­hold it cometh to pass, that the weight of eternal Vengeance is coming over them, which the Man of Sin, and his Sons of Perdition will not be able to bear: For the doleful Cry of the Innocent, that sighs and groans with tears, hath long uttered its voice, which hath ascended into the ears of the Most High, who is higher than the Highest, yet hath he respect unto the needy, to uphold them, yea, and to such as are of an upright, contrite, lowly, and trembling heart: What if I should say, the God of Love and Long-suffering dwels in such? and verily their sacrifice is ac­ceptable in his bosom that liveth for ever; and I am a living Witne [...]s, that the sweet Testimony & innocent Sufferings of these his long-suffering Lambs, is right dear and precious in his eye, which is the Light of his Countenance; and so it is not other­wise, [Page 197] but the same in oneness with his peo­ple concerning them.

And so in the endless mercy, blessing and peace of our God, we parted, and I came away with the love and peace of my God within my heart, having the answer and living testimony of a good Consci­ence; and in the wisdom of God brought away these their Words and Writings, which testifieth somewhat of their Suffer­ings and Faithfulness unto the Lord, his Truth & People, which I right-well know, cannot be shut out of the Record of Life eternal, unto which I bear Record again, that they have been, and are a sweet sa­vour unto the Lord God of Faithfulness, and so their Reward, which attends the same, is not only with them, but with all the Sons and Daughters of truth and inno­cency, that are so travelling in their Long-sufferings, which are but light and momen­tary in competition to the eternal weight of Glory, which afterward is to be revea­led in the same that suffered in all gene­rations, even from righteous Abel, unto this day of our God; to whom be Wisdom, Glory, Salvation, and everlasting Thans­givings a [...]d Dominion, for ever, Amen, saith my soul and spirit; even so, Amen.

And it came to pass in the third Month of the year, 1662. also after my God had well preserved me in my passage, and in his work and service from Malta to divers places in Italy, till I came to the Straits mouth (of the Mediterranean Sea) at the place called Gibralter, it was the pleasure of the Lord God to suffer the Wind and Weather to continue contrary well nigh about thirty dayes, in which season I suf­fered many Trials and Tribulations in spi­rit, having little or no Rest in the same, be­cause of the Vision and Words of the E­verlasting, which sounded often up to my understanding, even as the roaring of a Lyon, which mine eye saw, and mine ear heard also [in the year —61. when I was a Prisoner for the pure Word and Testi­mony of God and his Truth, in Worcester City Jayl, before I departed England] and the place was the high Mountain of Gibral­ter, that stands within the King of Spains Dominion, which was the subject of the Vision; and often as I cast mine eye up­on the scituation of the place, the pure Life and Power of God's eternal Presence did arise up in me, in the word of life, so that I saw clearly that some great exceeding weighty service for his Name and eternal [Page 199] Truths sake was to be done by me, which was so terrible and dreadful to me, when as I entred into reasoning, so that I was brought down even to the jaws of death in dust and ashes; and as Jonah turned his back upon Nineveh, the same temptation attended me also, to my wounding, before I could give up; for I fled often from the place to escape with my life from among such an unreasonable and bloody generati­on, and the Lord would not be intreated to let such a bitter Cup pass unfulfilled, but behold with the sound and stroak of his e­ternal Word, his Spirit of Life became awakened, quickned, and mightily revived in me, in his Wisdom, over all fear of the Nations of men; and the same brake through the snares and bonds of death, and over destruction, and the true Seed that mourned, cried, Not my Will, but thy Will be done, on earth as it is in heaven: and so it was a hard thing to part with little Isaac, which is received again in the Covenant of promise of Life, and that was offered up which fled so often (but at last was caught in a thicket:) When the Ships of divers Nations attempted to pass through, but the God of heaven, whom the wind and sea obeyeth, suffered them not; but [Page 200] they knew not what the matter was which was revealed within my heart, as the dis­pleasure of God was against them, to humble them also, as I told them often by words and writings to clear my Conscience; al­beit, they strove, being perplexed in their minds, and attempted often, to wit, seven or eight times in about twenty one dayes, and could not pass but about two or three Leagues; and on this wise it happened, it would either prove calm, and then the currant would drive them back into the Straits again sometimes, and otherwhile Storms and Tempests would scatter them, as a figure of Pharoah and his Hoste of Egyptian darkness, so that the Chariot-wheels mine eye saw struck off, so that they drove but heavily, within and with­out; and at last I gave out among them, that God had service for me to do at that place, and my Life was given up to do his Will, if I never saw my Native Coun­try, Kindred, or Fathers house at all any more; and therefore the pleasure of the Lord in his mighty Power had made me willing, & also gave me dominion through and over the Bonds and Snares of Death and Destruction, as it were to lay down my precious Life, that I may take it again, [Page 201] together with the body, which through his righteous judgements he had prepared to perform the good pleasure of his Almigh­tiness, for his Truth and Names sake. Now the heavenly Voice was often sounded within my heart on this wise, saying, O Jerusalem, cut off thine hair, and further­more to gird sackcloth on my loins, as to the Prophet, Jer. 7.29. and so I became o­bedient in the singleness and innocency of my heart, unto the God of Heaven, and of my Life, as a dreadful Sign against the whorish Church of Rome, and against all her Heads & Horns throughout the world: And I then signified to the Master of the Ship, in which I was a passenger, how that I did believe that God would soon give opportunity for the Fleet of Ships to pass away after this service of God was per­formed; and after I had used many per­swasions, to the end that he might suffer my body on that wise to be cast among the wicked idolaters, lyars and murtherers, Isa. 57.20. which are like the troubled Sea: So the Ship-master let my Body be on this wise cast over board from the Ship, [God having provided a Whale to swallow up that which fled from his presence so often] and [Page 202] so it happened, that it was upon one of their called Holy-dayes, or Saints dayes, namely, the day called Holy-Thursday.

So I being cast on dry land, passed through their streets directly, until I came into the Mass-House, or Idolaters Tem­ple, among the Idolaters, where I found the Frier or Priest at the High Altar, down upon his knees, in his white Surplice, ado­ring of the Host; (which is a Chalice, or a piece of Bread, which they called the real Substance of the body of Christ, after their unclean spirit of darkness hath mut­tered some words over it, which they call Consecration) and after I had stood a season viewing this Idolatry, with the indignation of the eternal God set up with­in my heart against the same, I turned my back-part upon the Priest, and his dead god, and dumb Idols, at the high Altar; and in the holy Commandment of Life e­ternal, my face was set towards the people and I beheld them a certain season in the power of God in which I stood; I saw the multitude of ignorant People upon their knees also, worshipping the dark inventi­ons and Imaginations of their sottish Lea­ders, and blind Guides, and they know not what; and in the Lord's time (which mine [Page 203] eye had a circumspect heed unto) I then spread forth mine arms, and stript off my Vesture, and rent the same from top to bot­tom, in divers pieces, and cast them from me with indignation; and then I took my Hat off my head, (which was the upper­most covering of the outside of a man) and cast the same under my feet, and stam­ped upon these things, and the nakedness appeared with the sack-cloath covering, to their astonishment; and then with a clear voice I sounded Repentance three times, & gave testimony as the sound of a Trum­pet among them, that the Life of Christ and his Saints was arisen from the dead; and so passed away, sounding the same words of the Lord's Message, with Repen­tance, through the streets, as it were flying from the Idols temple, and from Idolatry, and Idolaters, until I came to the Sea side, and there was I moved to kneel down and pray, and give thanks to the living Lord, who had so wonderfully preserved me in doing his pleasure and good will on earth; and he suffered no man to touch or do me harm.

And the next day following the Lord God gave opportunity accordingly as I had let the Ship-master know I believed [Page 240] would come to pass, and it was so, and all the Fleet did partake of the blessing: but how many of them rewarded me (men of my own Nation, to whom I also conti­nued a sign, which they spake bitter things against) the Lord my God saw the same, and smote them with rebuke and astonish­ment in his displeasure; who in his wise determinate Counsel, ordained me for ma­ny dayes & nights to be tryed on this wise, and to fall among divers temptations af­terwards, the which as a mighty Host sur­rounded and beset me on every hand, im­mediately after I had done his good will in his all-sufficient power and strength: Thus the Enemy with his subtilty, in a mystery, was suffered to compass me about, to steal away my peace and reward with my God, in whom the same is hid, and then I was in a blessed condition, though sometime vailed for a little season, and then the Fa­thers Countenance was hid from mine eye, and therefore was I troubled: Yet, blessed are ye when you fall among divers Temptati­ons, saith one; and verily they were even as thorns in my flesh, yea, as Messengers of Satan suffered to buffet me for a season; even as the Servant of God witnessed, who was wrapt up into the third Heaven: What [Page 205] if I should somewhat testifie so was it with me, lest I should be exalted above mea­sure, so that I was made to bow and fall upon my face, and cry day and night to the Lord of Eternal Life, that had respect to the tears of the Innocent, and bowed the strength of his Arm to support the Lowly: And so his Almightiness gave ear to the sighs and groans of my distressed state, and had respect unto the voice of my mour­ning, as a Dove or Pelican in the Wilder­ness; and verily his Grace I found suffi­cient to save and preserve my Innocency, in its sweet life of holiness to the Lord, through all this, and that which letted; Salvation to his Name, Amen. So his strength is made perfect in weakness, even so it is in truth, in which I set to my seal of my right-hand, that God is true, in which Life I give thanks to his Name of Power and Defence, the which over all Nations is to be exalted in the hearts of his Saints, as in the ancient dayes; yea, and much more abundantly in the Light of his bright-shining Countenance, in which his eter­nal and excellent Glory, and pure dreadful Majesty, for ever hath his holy habitation; to whom be endless Dominion, with Prai­ses [Page 206] living and everlasting, over all, Amen.

A brief Account of their further Tryals, and how God at last by his Al­mighty Power effected their Deliverance, and brought them again into the Land of their Na­tivity.

THe second month the year 1662. at the time of their Feast called the Re­surrection of Christ, on the first day, we spake to the Keeper to buy us some meat, [Page 229] not knowing but we might have eaten it in the time of their Feast; yet it had been laid upon us to fast most times when they did feast, which did torment them: for when we did fast in obedience to the Lord, they were greatly troubled: so the Keeper asked me, whether we would not eat meat to morrow, yea or nay? I was smote that I durst not say, but what the Lord will we shall do. When the morning came there was a great Triumph amongst them, and there sounded a Trumpet near us, in refe­rence to the Lord Inquisitor. Immediatly the Word of the Lord came unto us, say­ing, We must not eat Bread nor drink VVater in thrée dayes, nor I (K.) must not speak word in that time, but be silent and sit upon the ground in the Inquisi­tion with very little clothes on; nothing upon our heads but ashes, no stoken nor shoe on; and the last day Sarah had no­thing at all but one petticoat on; and they kept much ado and said, we would mort and go to the Devil, because the wind blew very cold. So in the end the Lord opened Sarah's mouth in Prophesie against their Superstition, Idolatry, and unclean con­versation: they came wondring and look'd upon us, but could not tell what to say, [Page 230] for we were very dreadful to them. So the time being expired of our Fast, the Lord opened my mouth in praises, and with singing these Verse [...] following.

And after I had sung, the Lord com­manded me to go to the Well in the Court, and drink Water the first thing I took: So in obedience to our tender Father and God of health and power, we went and drank much Water in the sight of the Pri­soners; we were very dry, and they cried out in their language, saying, We would kill our selves, and go to the Devil. S. washed her head in cold water, and we never had so much as the snuff in our noses. After that they did admire and said, It was the Lord that did command us and preserve us; if they should have done so, they should have died. So the Lord was glorified, and we were comforted. And many a time were we made a dreadful sign and wonder to them, that it can never be forgotten; Praises, praises to our God who wrought it in our hearts.

O All ye Heads and Rulers, Princes and Governours of Malta, hearken to the Voice of the Lord. The 25 ^th day of the sixth month, called August, the year 1662. near the tenth hour of the day, the Word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Thou must pro­phesie yet once more in my Name to the Heads and Rulers, Princes and Governours of Mal­ta, the aforesaid City, and prophesie saying, Thus saith the Lord God of power, who made Heaven and Earth, the Seas and all things that are therein, and is the Preserver of all mankind, especially of them that do believe in his Name, My wrath is kindled against you, and my Judgment is set up amongst you, be­cause of your hard-heartedness and unbelief. I the Lord God, who desire the death of no man, but that all should return unto me and live, in tenderness and love to your souls, I cast in my Servants yet amongst you, contrary to their wills, and out of their own knowledge, to go and forewarn you of the evil that I was bringing upon you, with line upon line, and precept upon precept, of my undenyable Testi­monies, and unfailable Truths of the glorious and powerful Appearing of my blessed Son the [Page 238] Lord Jesus Christ the Light of the World, in thousands of my Saints and People, in this the great and mighty Day of my Power, for the destruction of Sin and Satan, and all the works of darkness, all manner of iniquity and un­cleanness in this Nation, and in all Nations and Coun [...]ries throughout the whole Earth; for all the Wicked shall be brought to Judge­ment, that that which is pure may arise to rule in the hearts of people; and I will over­turn, overturn in all places, till I have re­stored Judges as at the first, and Counsellours as at the beginning, men of perfect hearts and upright spirits, fearing my Name, doing the works of Equity and Justice to every one with­out respect of persons, like unto faithful Mo­ses and righteous Samuel; and will establish my beloved Son upon his Throne, and he shall rule in his Princely Power, and reign in his Kingly Majesty, whose right it is over all, and his own Spiritual Government shall be set up in all places, Righteous Rulership and pure Worship in Spirit and in Truth; and there is nothing that can prevent the Lord, who saith, If ye will not hear my Servant which speake [...]h my Word, whom you have proved almost these four years, whose life hath been harmless and spotless in pure Innocency amongst you; then will I bring Wo upon Wo, and Judgment upon [Page 239] Judgment upon you, till the living shall not be able to bury the dead; my mouth hath spoken it, and my zeal will perform it: and every man's hands shall be upon his loins for pain; for the day of Recompence is come. But if you will hear my Servant which speaketh unto you in my Name, and return in your minds to the Light in your Consciences, which con­vinceth of all sin, and wait upon me in pure silence, holy fear, dread and awe; and deny all evil thoughts, words and actions: then will I pour out of my Spirit upon you, and will make my wayes known unto you, and will soon cure you of your diseases, and heal you of your pain.

This have I written in obedience to the God of all Power, whom I truly serve in spirit and in truth, according to my mea­sure. O dear and noble Prince and Peo­ple, receive it from the Lord, and not from me, and prove the Prophecy in the Spirit of meekness, as you are wise and sober-minded men, without rashness or hastiness, in the fear of the Lord God that gave you life; and see whether I have prophesied in mine own name, or in the Name of the Lord; if in mine own name, the things I have prophesied of will not come to pass; but if in the Name of the [Page 240] Lord, then they will come to pass daily one after another.

This have we prophesied ever since the time you call Christ's Resurrection, as we have been moved of the Spirit of the Lord, and delivered it to the Consul to take it to the Grand Master, with the rest of the Heads and Governors. The Consul threa­tened me with the Prison again. The Lord said, Fear not, I am thy God. And in a few dayes after the Lord uttered his Voice, and manifested his mighty Po­wer in great Thunder and Lightning, so that it set on fire one of their Powder-houses, being near a mile out of the City. It was in the eighth month, the eighth day of the month, in the night, according to their account; and the wind of the Pow­der blew down another Powder-house, a quarter of a mile from it, but the Powder was preserved; and it did great execution in the City, as they say, it blowed down five Houses, and broke most of the Glass Windows of both Palaces, and all the Merchants Windows in the City; and the Magazine where the Merchants Goods were, the Doors were blown out of the hooks, and the Walls shaken and torn, and the whole City was terribly shaken, [Page 241] and the doors of the houses drew up, so that great fear fell upon them all; and we heard a great shreem in the City, it was at mid­night, and they rung out their Bells; and there was a great Glass Window in the Chamber where we lay, over right our Beds-feet, it was very thick Glass, and much of it was broken to pieces, and beat in on each side of our bed, but the Lord did not suffer any harm to us, the glory is his own. The House was so shaken, that we did exceedingly fear and quake, but it was taken from us in a moment of time, and we gave up unto the Lord to live or to die, and we had great joy and peace in the Lord. And when it was day the Con­sul came to us, and asked of us whether we were not dead, because we were still and quiet; and while he was speaking, there came in one after another declaring what was done in the City; and he told us how all his Chamber doors were drew o­pen, and what great fear he was in, and all the States in the City; he said the Ships in the Harbour had some harm too. There was never the like known in that place they said. We answered them, saying, One Wo is past, and behold another Wo cometh quickly, if you do not repent: yet they re­pented [Page 242] not of their blasphemy, rebellion, hard-heartedness, nor unbelief, but they ran up and down to their fathers the Sor­cerers, Inchanters and Wisards, and they soon piec'd them up again. There were many of the Friars did dwell near the Con­sul's, and we did see their running to and fro; and in few dayes after Sarah was cal­led to fasting, and to baldness, and to strew ashes upon her head, and to sit upon the ground with her upper parts naked for some time, and the Power of the Lord did work mightily in it, and they were amazed at it from the greatest to the least; and the Lord opened her mouth, and she spake to the Consul to tell the Grand Master to pro­claim a Fast, and to meet together to wait upon the Lord, with their minds turned to the Light; for the Lord called for Repen­tance, and for fasting and baldness, and girding on of sackcloth, that so he might turn away his righteous Judgments from them; for the hour of his Judgments was come, wherein the Painted Harlot should be stripped naked, and a Cup of trembling should be given her from the hand of the Lord; and many did die of a violent Fea­ver; and we were much exercised in fast­ing: and the Consul went forth with the [Page 243] news amongst the Magistrates, and they talked with the Friars, and they told them we had a good intent; and in a short time after the Inquisitor sent a Dutch Friar and one of the other; the Lord had prepared us for their coming; and when they came the Consul called us before them, and so he talked a little while with us, and he said, we had a good intent, but the Devil had de­ceived us. We asked him, whether the Devil could give power over sin, yea or nay? He said, the Devil could transform himself into an Angel of Light. We an­swered him, we did know he could, but he could not hide himself from the Chil­dren of Light: but they that were in the dark could not discern him. He was not able to hear us, nor to stay in the room, but the Consul did stand up against us, and accused us to him falsly before our faces, as we made it to appear to him, and so they departed; and the Consul wrought desperately against us to get us into bon­dage again, but our God was with us: and seeing he could not prevail against us, to get us into Prison again, then he and his Confederates combined together how to cheat us of our Money. I do believe they received the Books before we came [Page 244] out of the Inquisition, for we received dear Daniel's Letter from Legorn that did men­tion them: We felt his workings day and night, he came subtilly to us, and told us he had wrought to set us at liberty, and the Quisitor and Grand Master bid him send us away by the next convenient passage; But now the Devil had sent Books out of Eng­land, and he said he knew not what to do with them, the Magistrates would not let us go; if they should know of them, they would say we would send more when we came to England; and he asked us whe­the we would receive them? We asked him, whether they were directed to us? he said, No. We bid him deliver them where they were directed, whatsoever we did suffer for it. He kept much ado and said, If we would give a grandy Priest ten or twelve Scoothes, (which is near fifty shil­lings) they would conceal them. We an­swered, Nay, it was of the Lord, in love to their souls, he should deliver them up, and make good use of them that their souls might live. He raged at us, but said no more of that to us.

In a little while after there came a Hol­land Ship, which was bound for Smyrna, and the Consul sent to us to come & speak [Page 245] with him, it was in the evening, I was going to bed; I felt a filthy thing, and had no freedom to go to him, but Sarah went; yet he came to me and told me, There was a Holland Ship bound for Smyrna, if we would promise him to stay there till he came back, he would call for us. We told the Consul, we stood in the Will of God, and we could not promise any thing, unless we knew the mind of God in it. He was very angry, and said we would dwell at Malta. Now we told him, we did believe the Lord had appointed a Vessel to carry us, whether it was that yea or nay, we knew not; we did not know whether that might come back in half a year; and however we did not mean to hire a Ship on purpose to fetch us. We said he might send us in a Barque to Mescena, and there we might imbarque for Legorn. He said, No; the In­quisitor said if we should go thither, we would preach God to the Roman Catholicks, and he did not love that; and there was an Inquisi­tion that did belong to the King of Spain, and though the Pope had set us free, yet he would take us Prisoners again. We told him we would adventure that; but he had an end of his own in it: he had much Annise to send to Legorn, and he would have had us [Page 246] to engage the Flemen to call for us to carry that too, that we might have paid part for the carriage of it; but our God had ap­pointed a greater work for us to do which we knew not of.

In a little time after we were freed from the Inquisition, he told us Daniel took up an hundred Dollers, and he would have us send to Mescena for an hundred more. We told him, we had received no such order, and withal asked him what we should do with so much money, seeing we had mo­ney in his hands? and said, we would not send for money to keep us in bonds; and minded him of his Promise to dear Da­niel Baker. He said Daniel could not re­deem us out of Prison, but he had stood Cap in hand to the Inquisitor for us. That was true, if he had continued faithful, great would have been his reward, but he sought himself in it; and when his ex­pected end was not answered, then he and his wife and servants were very bitter against us for Righteousness sake, in-so-much that we stood in great hazard of our lives; many a time we did feel their slay­ing Instruments drawn, so that we had even the sentence of death in our selves, but the Lord prevented them, and pre­served [Page 247] us, and great was our travel of soul night and day; the glory is the Lord's, whose mighty Power did the work: ever­lasting praises, honour and dominion over all to our pure, holy and perfect Lord God, world without end, Amen.

Now for the satisfaction of all Friends concerning our deliverance out of [...]he In­quisition, this is a true and brief Relation. Three quarters of a year before Daniel Ba­ker came to Malta, the Consul for the Eng­lish came to us, and said, the Inquisitor sent him to know if we would be Catholicks yea or nay? We answered, we were true Chri­stians. He said, if we would be Catholicks, we might dwell at Melita, or go to England. We said we were the Servants of the true and living God. One of the Magistrates said, we were not Christians, neither had we the Cross of Christ. We answered, we were Christians, and had received the Spirit of Christ which made a Christian, and he that had not the Spirit of Christ was no Chri­stian, and we had the Cross of Christ; without the Cross there was no Salvation: the Cross of Christ is the Power of God unto Salvation, to every one that belie­veth.

He said, If we would not be Catholicks, we must suffer long Imprisonment by the Popes Order. That was not true, I had an An­swer in my Conscience against it. And in a little time after they told us, if we would kiss the Cross we should be freed out of Pri­son, and go to the Consul's till a convenient passage did present to carry us for England; for the Pope had sent word they should take it into their consideration, and set us free for England, without doing any violencce, as we heard, and we did believe it, be­cause we had a more sure word of Prophe­cy than did use to proceed out of their mouthes: we told them we could not kiss the Cross to get our liberty, neither did we desire our freedom on any such terms; but we looked every day when they would call us forth to kiss the Cross, and we did pray and cry mightily to our Eternal Fa­ther to prevent them in it, and to preserve us out of it; for the Tempter was very strong within and without, so that I took little rest for many dayes and nights, see­ing the great danger it would plunge us into; for I saw the painted walls, and the Crosses set before me, but the gracious God of power, who did appear in our Af­flictions, and revealed his Will to me in a [Page 249] Night-Vision, saying, Touch not, taste not, handle not, but wait diligently up­on me: you have two things yet to work over before you can be set at liberty. We knew the Cross was one, but we knew not what the other was.

The next time the Consul came, he told us that the Inquisitor said, If any one would engage for three or four thousand Dollers to be paid if ever we came thither again, we should be set at liberty, but he said no more of the Cross; but the Obligation was the second thing that we were to work over, but I could never see, nor dare desire any man to be engaged for us, because I do know all Decrees, Laws, Tyes, Bonds and Chains, and Precepts of men must be bro­ken through the righteous Decree of our mighty Lord God, and upon the same con­sideration we were made willing to wait, till the Lord should break this Chain also, that no other dear Friend or Lamb of God might suffer for the same thing; no, God forbid.

Then it pleased the Lord to send Daniel Baker, who in obedience to the God of Heaven did offer up body for body, yea life & all for our liberty, but could not be heard; but the Inquisitor said, If any would [Page 250] engage for the payment of three or four thou­sand Dollers, to be paid if ever we came there again, we should have our liberty; but other­wise we must die in the Prison, for that was the Pope's Law: but we knew it was left to his consideration, so we told them we could not engage, nor desire any to en­gage for us, because it was out of the Co­venant of God; and our yea was yea, and our nay was nay, and we did not believe that ever it was the mind of God that we should return thither again. So Daniel departed in the Love of God, and they sent to England to Friends, and to other Islands to the English Merchants, for some to engage for us, that we might have our liberty, but the Merchants sent word they were not willing to answer their unrea­sonable demands, for the payment of so many thousand Dollers, if in case we re­turned thither again. There were many that did seek for our liberty, that were not of us, because they knew our cruel and strait bondage and terrible afflictions, and were willing to engage what was reason; but because our just and wise God would make his Power known for his own ho­nour, he would not suffer any thing to prevail for our Deliverance, insomuch as [Page 251] we could understand, but what he wrought by his invisible Power in the hearts of our Enemies. It was given into my heart half a year after Daniel came thence, that if I could speak with the Inquisitor, he would grant us our liberty; and in a little time he came to the Inquisition-Court-Cham­ber, and we heard of it, and desired to speak with him, which he granted us, and we told him we had wronged none, we had defrauded none, neither was guile found in our mouthes; but we had suffered inno­cently almost four years, for Conscience-sake, and we knew they had no peace in our sufferings. So the Inquisitor was very courteous to us, and promised our liberty in a few dayes, and he said he would send for the Consul, and get him to engage for five hundred Dollers to be paid for us, if ever we came again; in case the Consul did deny it, he would send to Rome to the Pope for an Order to set us at liberty with­out an Obligation. So we were contented to wait the Lord's time; who had often promised us, That we should have our liberty in a day when we thought not of, and at an hour when we were not aware; and good was the Word of the Lord, and faithful in all his Promises.

About two weeks after the Inquisitor came to the Inquisition with his Lieute­nant and other of the Magistrates, and a Consul for the English, and he sent the Proctor of the Court to call us forth before them; and when we came he told us, the Consul would engage for the payment of five hundred Dollers, if ever we returned thither again. We not knowing at present whe­ther it was the mind of our heavenly Fa­ther that the Earth should help the Wo­man yea or nay, yet waiting in the Fe [...]r of God, it was brought to my remembrance that the Lord had said we had two things to work over, before we could be set at liberty. So they used many words, but we eying the Lord, yet answered them in the Spirit of meekness. They called for half a sheet of paper, and the Chancellour asked what he should write? but the Lord stood up for his own glory, so that they had not power to write one Letter. The Lieutenant said, they would talk of it another time; and they did ask us, whether we would not return back again to our Husbands and Children, if it were the will of God? We answered, It was our intent in the will of God so to do. The Lord Inquisitor took his leave very courteously of us, and desired our prospe­rous [Page 253] return into our Country; and like­wise the Magistrates, with the inferiour Officers, not requiring penny or penny-worths for any Fees or Attendance that we had among them in that time; but as we saw our freedom in the Lord, we gave the Keeper and some poor men something for Conscience sake.

So we departed in peace, according to the compleat example of the holy men of God, kneeling down and desiring our hea­venly Father never to lay to their charge what they did unto us, because they knew us not; so this Scripture was fulfilled, that he made our enemies our footstool, and they that hate us without a cause to be at peace with us. So we were delivered in Power and great glory out of the Inquisition into the Consul's hand to be sent for England, as opportunity did present. The Consul said that he did engage for us after we were out of the Inquisition, but we could never find that it was true.

So we were kept eleven weeks at the Consul's house, before they could have a passage to carry us out of their Coast; and the Cross was so heavy, and the travel of souls so great, that, as to the visible, all hopes were past that I could live in the bo­dy; [Page 254] but all things are possible with God, who by his mighty Power hath removed Mountains, and subdued the Earth, and broke through the double-doors, locks and bolts, and Iron bars, and all the chains of wickedness, & every unrighteous Decree; and by his high & mighty Hand and strong outstretched Arm hath returned our Cap­tivity, that Jacob may rejoyce and Israel may be glad, magnified be the Name of our Eternal Father for ever; yea, Honour and Glory, Power and Dominion over all to him who ruleth on high, world without end, Amen.

And when we had been at the Consul's house eleven weeks, there came one of the King's Frigats, called the Saphire, the Captain's name was Samuel Titswel. The Grand-Master sent to the Captain of the Saphire to entreat him to stay the Ship all night, to take up almost forty Passengers. The Captain made himself unwilling, be­cause he had no product, but lay out in the Road a league from the City. The Grand-Master writ to him, he knew his brother at England would not deny him such a cour­tesie to take in twenty four Knights, Ca­valliers, and their servants, and two Qua­kers, and so he staid till the next day, it [Page 255] was for his great advantage. Upon pain of death the Cavaliers must not see us heretofore, but our heavenly Father doth know how to bring his own purposes to pass, and none can hinder him.

Oh! that we should be put on board with so many of them, and one was the Inquisi­tors own brother, as he said, and was as like him as if the same man, as I told the Captain, before I knew who he was: he spake to the Captain often that we might not want any thing that was in the Ship, and he told us if we were at Malta again we should not be persecuted so; for as soon as he saw our faces he said, he would not differ with us; he and some other of them laid to the Captain, If we went to Heaven one way, and they another, yet we should all meet together at the last. But we held out Christ Jesus the Light of the World, to be the alone way to the Father: And great was our labour from day to day. But our own Country-men were much worse than most of them, so that they bid us go back to Malta again; and said the Eng­lish would use us worse than the Maltezes.

So when we came to Legorn, the Ship could get no product, and if we would go a-shoar there, we might go into the Laza­retta [Page 256] for forty dayes. And so the King's Agent desired the Captain to carry us as far as he could, till he met the General, and then he would provide a passage for us, if that Ship was commanded back a­gain; for if he should have left us there in Lazaretta, the Agent must take order for us, he said, according to the King's Order. The Merchants shewed us no small kindness, and treated us with much love, and sent us Wine and Bread, and a great many good things for our refresh­ment: the Sea was high so that they could not conveniently come to us, but they told the Captain they would come; and if we would have money or any thing else whatsoever we would write for, they would send it to us. We had but little money, but being we were coming for our Coun­try, we saw but little freedom to take up money: And the Captain promised, as we should not want any money, nor any thing else till we came to England; so he should not have taken any money for our passage, because it was the King's Ship, but he received several Dollers which victu­alled the Ship; So he hasted thence and came to Tarloone, and there he could get no product, but all the Malta Knights were [Page 257] set a-shoar into Lazaretta: so we came to Malago, and there the Captain had pro­duct, but he did not dare to make any long stay there, for fear the Fleet should be be­fore him at Tangeer. He was sent before the Fleet out of Turkie, with Letters to Malta, and to Legorn, and other places, and we had some service for the Lord in every Harbour.

So we came to Tangeer above two weeks before the Fleet came. The Captain said it was above an hundred pound out of his way, because he made so much haste. The Lord did hasten him for his Work's sake, as it was clearly manifested to us all along. The Captain said we must not go a-shoar till he had spoke with the Governour's Excellency.

So we went a-shoar as we were moved of the Lord, and great was our Work for the Seeds sake. Oh! oh! great are the Abominations of the wicked in that place; none worse than English-men for swear­ing, lying, pride, drunkenness, whoredoms, and such like, so that our righteous souls were vexed day and night with their un­clean conversation, and the pure Spirit of the Lor [...] was grieved, and the Seed of God was pressed, even as a Cart is pressed with [Page 258] sheaves; So we declared boldly against them all in the Name of the Lord, and they came flocking about us, high and low, great and small, into the house where we were lodged, or where-ever we went, of all sorts. In a few days we were moved to go to the Governour, and to lay their Abominations before him, the just Judg­ments due unto them from the Lord for their great and grievous Wickedness; and laid it upon him from the Lord to suppress it, in so much as lay in him to do, lest the just and holy Lord God Almighty did sud­denly deliver them into the hands of their Enemies to be destroyed, after the rest of them were slain in the Wrath and Anger of the Almighty: and we told him they had not greater enemies without than they had within, and if they did repent and truly fear the Lord, their Enemies would be subdued within, and they would know when to go out against their Enemies and prosper, and the Lord would make their Enemies to be at peace with them. So the Governour said, he did lovingly re­ceive our good Instructions and Admoni­tions, and promised to follow our Coun­sel; and would have given us money, and desired us to eat and drink in his house. [Page 259] We did freely imbrace his love, without meat, drink or money.

And he was very courteous to us, and tender over us, so that he gave Command­ment to all the Garison, That none should abuse us in word nor action, upon pain of se­vere punishment. There are many Portu­gals, Jews and Irish which could as freely have burnt us, as they could have burnt wood; but our pure, holy, wise, strong and powerful Lord God, protected us in the midst of them, and took away all slavish fear from us, so that we were as bold as Lions for God's Truth, against all their Idolatry and Wickedness. The Lord is worthy to have the glory for evermore, Amen.

And in a few dayes after it was laid upon us of the Lord, to go forth to meet the Moors their Enemies, which laid siege a­gainst them, and they were such a bloody savage people, that it seemed a very hard thing to us, but the Lord said unto me, Go forth, fear not, they shall not harm thée, or you, Behold the Sword of the Lord and of Gideon is with you. And so we believed, and were made willing to adventure life and all in obedience. And so we went to the Governour to desire we [Page 260] might be let out of the Gate, declaring the mind of God in it: but the Governor told us, we must expect nothing but cruel death, or bonds for ever, telling us what terrible weapons they had, and entreated us to go again to our lodging, and wait up­on the Lord, and pray as our manner was, he said, and then if we could not have peace, we might come to him again. And in two or three dayes after he came to us, and asked us concerning the thing. We told him we were made willing to bear and to wait upon the Lord to perswade his heart to let us go, and said we did believe the Lord would preserve us in the midst of them, and deliver us from them, and we should be returned as safe as we went forth; yet however our bodies were but a reasonable sacrifice to offer for him that gave them us. So he left us at that time. After that we went to his house again, and he did seem to be somewhat willing then to let us go. Then his Se­cretary stept to him, and desired him that he would not let us go, declaring to him that if he did let us go, that it could not possibly be expected that ever we should return into the City again, or see any of our Relations or Country, except the Lord [Page 261] did work a wonderful Miracle by deliver­ing us out of their hands: And then the Governour told us in pitty and tenderness towards us, he believing we were innocent harmless women, and did truly fear God, he could not let us go forth, the English would speak very hardly of him, and say he forced us forth to be destroyed by them. So in a day or two after the Moors did shew forth their Flag to parley for Peace, and came near to treat with them, and till then our souls, hearts and spirits were ex­ercised in such strong travel and labour night and day, we could not hide it from the people of the house where we lay; but we do believe if we had gone forth among them before they came to treat with them, the Lord our God who liveth for ever, would have preserved us, and we should have been returned, to the conviction of many, and to the astonishment of all the whole Garison, for his own glory: but if we should have gone forth to them when they came to parley for Peace, then our Country-men would have said, that that was the reason we were preserved, and God would not have had the glory. The Lord said, our Sacrifice was accepted, because he knew the uprightness of our hearts.

We went to take our leaves of the Go­vernour, having finished our Testimonies in that place, acknowledging the love we received from him; and he proffered us whatever we wanted for the Ship, and his kindness extended so far that he would send it to the Vessel. We received his love, but took nothing of him, and so we departed the City, and went aboard the Ship that brought us thither; and that Ship was commanded back into the Straits, so that we were destitute of a passage. So Sarah being moved of the Lord, went un­to the General and made him acquainted therewith, and he very lovingly sent us a­board in another Ship, and bade us take care for nothing, he would give Order we should not want any thing till we came to England.

When we were ready to set sail, there came a mighty Scool of Fish dancing round the Ship, and leaping above water with great joy, as I am a witness of; and as I waited on the Lord, considering what it might signifie, the Lord answered me, It signified the multitudes of his Saints and Servants in England or elsewhere, that will rejoyce at the return of our Captivity, and glorifie his Name: which [Page 263] caused great joy and refreshment to our souls. The Lord made it manifest we should have a safe passage to England, and caused us to declare it, so that many de­sired to return with us in that Ship on that account; yet I told them we might meet with storms and hardships by the way, and so it came to pass; and great tryals we had by reason of storms and tempestuous weather, that we were in great danger and peril, so that many were wounded and bruised with the tossing of the Vessel, and the Master of the Ship cast over-board, when the Sea was so high as Mountains; yet the Lord wrought wonderfully for his deliverance, and he was brought into the Ship safe again, and we all came safe to Land. The Captain was a very civil man, and we were very civilly used in that Ship. We were scattered from all the rest of the Ships, and could never see them again. And so the Name of the Lord be magni­fied for ever over all, whose Name is a strong Tower to all that can trust in him.

It is laid upon me to manifest the large love of God to us in our greatest extre­mity, when we knew nothing but that we should be burnt for many dayes together. [Page 264] Then in a Vision of the night I saw a large Room, and a great Wood-fire in the Chimney; and I saw the eternal Son of God sitting in a Chair by the fire, in the form of a servant: And likewise I saw a very amiable well-favoured Man-Child sitting in a hollow Chair over the fire, it had no clothes on but a little fine linen about the upper parts, it did not appear to be above three quarters old; the fire did flame on every side of it, yet the Child did play and was merry: I would have took it up, for fear it should have been burnt, but he that sate in the Chair bade me let it alone. I turned me about and I saw another heavenly Angel of God's presence standing a little wayes off; it was not Gabriel: and then he that sate in the Chair, bade me take up the Child, and it had no harm. Let him that readeth, understand.And then I did awake, and I called to my Friend Sarah, and bid her she should not fear, for the heavenly Host of God's Presence did follow us; and as we do believe, who can harm us; though they did bind us to a stake, yet shall they never have power to kindle fire upon us. And Sarah answer­ed, she did know without our heavenly [Page 265] Father they cannot touch a hair of our heads; And the Lord said, However it be, it shall go well with you. And so we magnifie the Name of the Lord night and day, and he is worthy to be praised for evermore, Amen.

There came to Malta whilst we were in the Inquisition, twenty sail of Ships out of France and Spain, to joyn with the Cave­liers in Malta, to fight against the Turks, as the Keeper told us; and the fear and dread of the Lord fell upon me, and the Lord commanded me to prophesie against them, and I cryed out daily, saying, God is angry, God is angry, and they cannot pro­sper; go not forth to murther, nor to kill one another: Christ came not to destroy life, but to save it. This I told many as they were in hearing, yet there was great triumphing and glorying in blood, and in the strength of Pharoah all the time they were there. And the night before they went forth, I saw in a Vision a broad Tub of blood, and it did run over on each side into the water and defiled it, that I could have none to drink, and I was exceedingly troubled in spirit. And this did signifie their great [Page 266] slaughter and fight upon the Sea with the Turks; and they returned with great loss, and their joy was turned into sorrow, and their mirth into mourning, because they would not be forewarned.