Quakers discovered to be Inchanters, IN A short but true Narrative (part attested upon Oath) of severall passages, hapnings in the Towns of Wickhamskeyth and Mandlesham in the County of Suffolk June 1655. Collected by a friend to the peace of the Church and Commonwealth, and set out partly to make a more clear discovery (then as yet hath been made) that those who are called Quakers are in truth Inchanters; partly to undeceive the people by them grosly sedused; and partly to prevent further misreports (some being already in print) which may prejudice the truth.
RIchard Hobberthorne called a Quaker, or more justly an Inchanter, late a Prisoner in Norwich Castle, came to Wickhamskeyth the 1. of June, where at a meeting upon a disputation had with a Minister (on purpose to undeceive the people whom he had there wickedly misled, the sayd Hobberthorne in the presence of many of his followers and others) did affirm that he had received Revelations, and Visions imediatly from God, in such manner as Samuel and Paul had, and that he was sent to call such into the Light who were in Darknesse; he did then deny the Resurrection of the Body, and the Trinity or three Persons in the Godhead; since that meeting he hath dispersed many Books in maintenance of some of those Opinions, and other horrid Errors, set out by himselfe and under his name, and notwithstanding the sayd Hobberthorn at the said meeting, was admonished to depart the said town, and not to returne againe, yet neverthelesse the eight day of June he came again to the house of Richard White, accompanied with Francis Howgill and Edward Burroughs called Quakers, newly (as was reported) come from London, at which meeting here was a great number of people, from severall parts of Norfolk and Suffolk; amongst others from Norfolk there was one Mary White, the Wife of William White of Starson in the County of Norfolk, who soon after became distracted, or rather inchanted, and so died, as may appear by the severall informations following.
The Information of Bartholomew Lenald of Starson in the County of Norfolk Brick-layer, taken upon Oath the 5. day of July 1655. before Edmund Harvey Esq;
THis informant saith, that he came on Saturday before Whitesunday (upon the invitation of Richard White of Wickhamskeyth) with William While and Mary his Wife to the house of the said Richard, where the said Mary continued about the space of ten dayes. In the former part of which time, Alice the Wife of the said Richard did read to her the said Mary divers seducing Books (as he conceiveth) and full of Errors set out by Richard Hobberthorne and others, who are commonly called Quakers, she the said Mary at first would not give ear or listen to them, but on the Friday after Whitsunday there came the said Hobberthorne with two other called Quakers to the house of the said Richard White aforesaid, who did then and there speak to a great number of people, and on Sunday next following the said Quakers met at the house of Robert Duncon of Mendlesham with a number of people, whither they the said William and Mary his Wife did go, where they heard the Quakers speak in such a manner as the said Mary wept (as this informant was told) and was much troubled, And he further saith, that on Munday night following, she the said Mary White fell ill, and distracted or possessed with an evill spirit (as he conceived) which did appear to her, as she the said Mary confessed unto the said Alice, and the said Alice, told this informant, that the said Mary told her the said Alice that when the spirit departed from her, she desired the spirit not to sting her by the ey although it did her flesh, and it went out at the window (as she said.) And this informant also saith, that on Twesday morning she the said Mary continued ill, the said Alice came to her and read in a Book set out by those whom they call'd Quakers; and this informant further saith, that on Thursday morning the said Mary told this informant, that if she had got the foure spels, she had had it; but what she meant thereby, he doth not know, and he also saith, that he verily believeth, that upon the hearing of the said Quakers speak, and hearing their Books read by the said Alice, the said Mary became altogether distracted or inchanted, and so continued about the space of ten dayes, in [Page 5]which time the said Mary had such violent fits and distenspers as that foure or five men could hardly hold her in her bed, and in her said fit she roared and in a raging manner called those about her Devills, saying, stand away you Devills, And she further said in her fits when the said Alice was with her (have I come unto you for this?) telling the said Alice and others that she was inchanted and bewitched by the seducers, And this informant further saith, that after the said Mary came to her own house, she continued distemperd and cried out many times, and said, she was inchanted and seduced, and that they were seducers of Israel, these and such like wordes she used so long as she was able to speak, untill her death.
The Information of Susan Green of Wickham-skeyth Spinster, taken upon Oath the 27. of June 1655. before Edmund Harvey Esq;
THis Informant saith, That William White of Starson in the County of Norfolk and Mary his Wife, came unto the House of Richard White, her Master, in Wickham-skeyth, in the County of Suffolk on the Saturday before Whitesunday, who at their comming (as this Informant believeth) were very well, and soon after their comming, the said Richard White and Alice his wife, did discourse with them the said William and Mary, concerning the Quakers, and read diverse seducing and erronious Books to her the said Mary, which were set out by them, whom they call Quakers, the said Mary at the first refused to hear them; but on the Friday after Whitesunday there came to the said Richard Whites house Richard Hobberthorn and two other men (unknown to this Informant) who were called Quakers, who did then and there speak to the said Mary, and a great number of people there present. And that the Sunday following they the said Quakers met at the house of Robert Duncon in Mendlesham with a great number of people, and that the said William and Mary his wife went to the said meeting, where they the said William and Mary (as they told this Informant) heard the said Quakers speak, and when the said Mary came back to the said Richard Whites house, she seemed (to this Informant) to be much troubled, and so continued all Munday following; On which day, she spent much time in [Page 6]Reading a Book set out by the Quakers, which (as this Informant believeth) added much to her trouble and distractions. And this Informant, further saith, that Alice the wife of Richard White did declare to this Informant, that Mary the wife of William White confessed to her the said Alice, that on Tuesday morning the Devill went out of her, and that the Spirit of God had possessed her, which said spirit of the Devill seemed to her the said Mary (as she confessed) to be like to a Knat or a Flie, which stung her by the ey, and afterwards did flie out at the Window. And she also confessed that she did see Christ crucified, and that she was among the Virgins. And this Informant saith, that on Wednesday, she the said Mary (seemed to this Informant) to grow worse and worse in her distractions by her staring in such affrightfull manner, that (as this Informant believeth) she was possessed with a Devill, and that she the said Mary on Thursday morning seemed (to this Informant) to be worse then formerly, being possessed with strange fits and distempers; In one of the said fits, she this Informant did perceive something to rise up in her body, with such violence, as that the said Mary sometimes roared, and at other times hallowed, and sometime barked like a Dog, and often times in the same day did attempt to have drowned her self, but being prevented and hindred, she did get a Knife (as this Informant believeth) to have killed her self; and that in her fits she was of such force, that three or four could scarce keep her in her B [...]d; and that after her said fi [...]s & distractions were over, the said Mary would lie very still and quiet by the space of four or five houres or thereabouts. And by the space of half an houre or thereabouts she would speak in a raging and strange manner, Crying out to the said Alice, Stand away you Devill, you Devill, you seducer of Israel; And the said Mary continued in these distractions and distempers, about the space of ten dayes, and then dyed in that distracted condition.
The Information of William White of Starson in the County of Norfolk Bricklayer, taken before Edmund Harvey Esq; the 14. of June 1655. &c.
THis Informant saith, that on Saturday seven night, last past, Richard White his Brother, living in Wickhamskeyth, in the County of Suffolk, sent for this Informant, and Mary his wife, [Page 7]to come to Wickhamskeyth, & that on the same day this Informant and his wife came to his said Brothers house, where they heard many Books read, set out (as he was told) by those whom they call Quakers, & he believeth in his absence (for he returned home on the Munday and lest his wife behind him) his wife was there so seduced, as on Tuesday the 12. of this instant June, she fell into a distraction, and thereupon this Informant was sent for to come to his said wife, and according as he had heard, he found her distracted, and she so continueth. And this Informant further saith, that this present day being the 14. of June, she did severall times attempt to have drowned her self, and had got a Knife (as this Informant believeth to have killed her self. And this Informant further saith, that the distraction came to her (as his said wise told this Informant) by foure Spels, but what she meant by those Spels, he cannot tell. But this Informant saith, that in her Fits, he hath observed that something within her body did ru [...] [...]p and down, and in her Fits somtime she roared like a Bull; so [...] barked like a Dog, and somtime blared like a Calf, and that she did claspe her Legs about her Neck, so round as she might have been put into a Bushel. And this Informant saith, that she was never formerly distracted or distempered.
It is credibly reported, that there are others in the Counties of Norfolk and Suffolk, in the like distractions.
It is observed, that such as be the followers of the said Quakers, are in their Opinions and Judgments; either Jesuiticall, forbearing and forbidding to read the Scripture, and hold it of no more esteem than Popish Tradition, or Athiesticall; denying the Trinity, the Humanity of Christ, his Ascension, the Resurrection of the Body, and the like.
Their Lives, Conversations, and Practises are sutable to their Opinions, for most of them are (like Jesuites) industrious and solicitous to seduce others, and draw them to their opinions, and do disperse and communicate their Erronious Books to such as they find inclining to them, or weak or wavering in their judgements.
They rail on and revile the Ministers of Gods Word and all Magistrates, and will not yield or acknowledge any honour [Page 8]or obedience to be due to them, or to any other power, save to such (as in their sence and as they conceive) are Saints and called of God.
They hold and practice that they are not to seek God for his blessing upon the Creatures which they are to receive, nor to returne thanks to God for the same being received.
Some of them hold and maintain, That all Prayer is to be laid aside, and not used (for God knows our wants) and to make good this errour, they abuse that scripture (The Prayers of the wicked are Abomination to the Lord) with these and the like horrid opinions, they have poisoned much people in the said Town, and some other Towns adjacent.
That the said Quakers do concurre in Opinion and Practice with Thomas Mantzerus, 1535. Johannes Leydensis, David Georgius, Michael Servetus and Gasper Suenkfildius (the two first proved troublesome to the Princes of Germany, the other to other places) may plainly appeare in severall Histories of the Church.
And that they are Inchanters as well as Seducers, is manifested as well by some late Bookes, set out by John Gilpin and others, as by a Book set out in the year 1591. called Arthingtons Seduction and Repentance; who together with Edmund Coppinger, were so Seduced and Inchanted by William Hacket, that they proclaimed in Cheapside London; Christ Jesus (meaning the said William Hacket) was come to judge the world; Hacket was executed for Treason, whose last words were as high blasphemy, as ever was spoken by man; Coppinger died in Bridwell London; Arthington (being [...]prisoner) upon notice given to him of the death of Hacket and of his desperate end, felt himself (as he confesseth in his Book) quite dispossessed of the hot spirit, (for so he called it) and of all those his grosse errours, which he held and maintained with mad zeal: All which, with many other strange passiges are set forth at large in the said Book.
Let this be accepted, not as an intire Argument against them, but as a single matter of Fact, which together with other significations of their wickednesse, and Gods heavy vengeance, may undeceive the Seduced, and preserve the weak from falling from the Faith.