We shall now conclude with a particular Matter relating to G.F. and J. Story.
George Fox writes unto John Story on this wise;
John Story, I have seen a paper that is scattered up and down in Yorkshire, and Westmoreland, as I have heard, and also that thou shouldst shew it to a Friend at Kendal; now if thou hadst had so much Humanity, before thou spreadst this Paper abroad, thou mightst have sent to me, to have known the Truth of it, or them that spread it also; this practice is not Common Morality, nor Civil Honesty amongst Men, which I do declare that thou either hast forged, or hast some to forge for thee, those horrrid Lyes: for I never thought nor heard of those horrid Lyes before, except that of Drunkards and Swearers, and it is a Work of Darkness from a Malicious Spirit.
The matter thus denied by George Fox is, what is contained in a Certificate given under the hand of Henry Sweeting of Hartford, which hereafter follows; And forasmuch as George Fox hath charged John Story, That he either {Fifth Part 84} hath forged, and hath some to forge them for him, meaning many things contained in Henry Sweeting’s Certificate, and thereupon expressly writes unto John Story in these words; Thou must bring forth the Authors and the Informer with his Town and County, else they will lie on thine own Head: We thought it just and reasonable, that what is done in persuance thereof, might be here cited, that so every Reader’s Judgement may be free, and the Reader left to savour in this matter for himself, and so we shall leave all (after purusal of the following Testimonies) to consider, whether ‘tis so rational to conclude John Story a Forger in this Case, as George Fox; for he that will adventure to add to another man’s words, and render them as another man’s words, materially altering the sense (which is accounted plain Forgery) and not only so, but write many Lyes when he may be detected both of the one and the other from the right of his own Lines, and compared with what he pretends to answer, (even as before is manifested to have been dome by G.F.) 'tis much to be doubted, that he might sooner adventure to do as he is charged by Henry Sweeting, &c. when the Matters charged are not to be proved under his hand; for then he hath not only the Advantage to deny the same, if he please, but also to have recourse to John Blaykling and others for a False Certificate, as in another case already treated on in this Section is manifested.
Here now follows not only the Testimony of Henry Sweeting, but of several others to the same purpose.
{Fifth Part 85} George Fox did say, that to the Separate Meeting of John Story there was Whores and Rogues, Drunkards and Swearers; there came a couple to be married, and one stood up, and said; Mr. Story, I take such a one to be my Wife; and the other stood up and said, Mr Story, I take such a one to be my Husband, and they went afterwards to drink and eat some Cake and Cheese, and said, Sir, I will drink to thee, and doft his Hat; the other said, Thank you, Sir; and doft his Hat, and where this was done G. Fox he sent for the woman of the House to know the Truth of it, he asked whether it was true; and the woman said, it was true, it grieved her heart to see it. Also he said, that there was fallen from John Story thirty at one time, of the honestest of them.
There words were spoken by George Fox in my house in Hartford and if G.F. will come to Tryal, I shall then prove the substance of what is above written, by other Testimonies, that he spake it in this Town, in other places;
Witness,
Henry Sweeting.
Ann Sweeting.
Hartford, 29th of the 12th month 1678.
The cause of this my writing is chiefly, because I have met with a Paper, wherein my name with others is, that came from G.F. which is a very abusive Paper; although he speaks so much of John Story’s sending and spreading a Paper, and not sending to him first, G.F. has done it, and must not be corrected for this his great failing: I shall leave it to the Lord, who correcteth and judgeth in righteousness, who is God, that sees and knows all. Thus much following in Vindication of Truth.
{Fifth Part 86} I coming to Henry Sweeting’s house in Hartford, there was George Fox; and the time I was there, I heard him speak, the greatest part of what is in a little Paper, written by Henry Sweeting, with his name to the same: where I spoke to G.F. then, I asked him, Wherefore he related all those miscarriages? to which he would not answer me. And also I asked him about the Woman High Sheriff, that he spoke so much of in our publick Meeting, and this he referred me to Thomas Robertson; this I here set down, that these things may bring him to remember the Truth of what he spoke then; so if he did speak a rable of Lyes, of people, behind their Backs, be it upon his own Head; and he must be careful in his Travel the time to come, to speak nothing but the Truth: for indeed I must say, I never heard so much spoken by no man, that did profess himself to be a minister of the Gospel, as if he had surrounded the Countries, to get up all the miscarriages, and failings, done and committed in time past, which indeed, I told him then, at Henry Sweetings, That it grieved my heart to hear him relate such things; and so I left him at Henry Sweetings (where I found him in his Carriage) going on hushing any one that had any thing to speak besides himself.
This in Love from him that is his Friend
Edward Perkin.
Friend, G. Fox;
Thou hast sent a Paper to judge me, concerning what I heard thee speak about John Story, thou deniest it; but I testifie in the light of the Lord, that thou saidst, Master Story, I take such a one to be my Wife: and I take such a one to be my Husband, and eat Bread, and drink Wine, go together like Whores and Rogues: Thou saist, I have laid my foundation {Fifth Part 87} with Lyes, but I have laid it with the Light within; thou spaketh at Richard Martin's house, there was Richard Martin, Christopher Taylor and others.
Mary Beal.
At Baldock in the Country of Hartford, George Fox said, There came a couple to a Meeting to be married, where John Story was present; and the man said, Mr. Story, Mr. Story, putting off his Hat; and when they had done, they had Wine and Cakes, and the Man put off his hat again, and said, here’s to you, Mr. Story. Witness,
Thomas Moss
Of Baldock, aforesaid.
It now remains, that we inform the Reader, what John Story said to the matter of Charge contained in Henry Sweeting’s Certificate, which is as followeth, and as it was taken out of a Letter, written by John Story unto a Friends of Truth; as to the Report the Inclosed carries, I know nothing of it, no more than a Child Unborn; and in the presence of Almighty God, I do deny any such thing was down where I was present, or that I ever heard of any such thing done any where, under the Profession of Truth. And as to that which they call a separate Meeting in Westmoreland, to manage Church affairs, I never was at any of them to this day, neither was I of Counsel with them about any Business that transacted in those Meetings to this day: I have acquainted them with it, they also deny they know any such thing, and do deny the abominable practices of all Rogues and Whores in the World. These are not the first Lyes George Fox hath reported, both against my self and the Meeting they call Separate. He hath not given us Ground {Fifth Part 88} of late years to expect any Right of Justice from him. Thus far John Story, on this Occasion.
We now think it needful to take notice, that G.F. in his lines to John Story, before-cited, seems to import, that John Story did not act as a Moral, Civil, Honest Man, short of Humanity, to spread the Paper of Henry Sweeting before he sent to him to have known the Truth of it; whether John Story did so or no, he best knows, yet, hence we may reasonably take Occasion to query; What became of George Fox’s Humanity, Civility, Morality, and Honesty, when he spread William Rogers his name up and down the Nation for a Breaker of his Covenant under hand, upon the bare Reports of others, that he had sent abroad a Narrative, and therein broke Covenant) before he sent to him to have known the Truth thereof? If G.F. hath a Conscience to evade an Answer hereunto, because he will not fairly (as in truth he ought to do) acknowledge, that if the import of his own words may be taken to be sound, he is thereby detectable of a practice neither Humane, Civil, Moral, or Honest: ,Then we further query, Whether ‘twas not abominable Wickedness for him to render William Rogers a Breaker of his Agreement, that was written down at Bristol, by which he is rendred a Breaker of his Covenant under hand, upon Report that a Narrative of Passages, at the Meetings at Bristol, were spread, whenas he neither pretended to be informed, what particular Matters were contained in those Papers, nor yet to which of the Meetings they did relate; for touching some Meetings, there was no Agreement made under-hand as to their Order, though there was to some other; but yet not one word of Covenant or Agreement, that any person should be obliged, not to send abroad a Narrative, whether it might relate to all, any, or either of the Meetings; and so consequently his rendring William Rogers to be a Breaker of his Covenant, &c. is certainly far short of Civility, Humnaity, Morality, and Common Honesty, if G.F’s Rule be good.
{Fifth Part 89} And now that the Reader may have a view of the very words written by G.F. unto John Story, in relation to G.F’s aforesaid Charge against William Rogers, for Breach of Agreement, we think meet to add the copy thereof, which now followeth.
And also I do hear, that a Book or a Narrative is made of our Meeting, which we had at Bristol, when I was there last, and spread up and down Westmoreland Cumberland, Yorkshire and the South, amongst prejudiced people; which was utterly contrary to the Agreement then. That no Paper should go forth, without the knowledge and Consent of both Parties; which Agreement was taken down in writing, as there at Bristol may be seen; and therefore this Practice to the contrary is below Common Moral Men, and not for the Society of Civil People, short of Christianity, &c. This their Work bespeaks their Spirit, a truce-breaking Spirit, a Covenant-breaking Spirit, and not to be credited, &c. short of Christianity, and below some Priests, to spread such things behind our backs in a secret, underly way, which doth clearly manifest, is not the Spirit of Christ, nor Honesty amongst men.
We desire the Reader to compare the above-cited lines, written by G.F. to John Story, with a Letter subscribed by a nameless Author, S.H. already cited in this Treatise, and so leave such, who have Salt in themselves to savour withal, to consider whether or no it be not rational to suppose, that G.F. was the dictator of the Wicked, False, Charging, Scandalous Letter, signed S.H. especially since Thomas Gouldney, William Rogers and William Ford, on a Jealousie, that G. Fox, was the Author thereof writ unto him as is subscribed, but received no Answer from him to this day.
Bristol the 11th of the 11th Month. 1679
G.F.
{Fifth Part 90} G.F.
A Letter, whereof the above written is a copy, came several Weeks past to our hands; but being dated from no place, nor yet signed any otherwise than S.H. we could not tell unto whom to send Answer: We have sufficient Cause of Jealousie, that thou are neither unacquainted with the Matter therein contained, nor yet the Party that writ it, and therefore we desire thee to acquaint us, if thou canst, who it was, that wrote such a Letter, or a Letter to the like import: but if thou shalt pretend thou canst not, then we desire thee to acquaint us Whether thou dost know of any thing acted by us, or either of us according as in the above copy is mentioned, to render us, or either of us Covenant-Breakers, &c. as in the above Copy exprest. The Reason why we thus desire of thee, is this; ‘tis commonly reported, that thou hast thus rendered us, and in particular to Joan Hily, thou hast written of William Rogers, &c. as a person concerned in sending abroad a kind of a Narrative in the Nation, &c. contrary to their order & Friends Agreement, &c. George, Truth seeks no corners; we desire thee, to be Plain=hearted, and send us an Answer by the bearer thereof, who come on purpose to bring this, and to receive an Answer from thee: We are
Thy Friends,
Thomas Gouldney.
William Ford.
William Rogers.
As before is hinted, no Answer is yet come, which is ground of Jealousie that G.F. is Author of the said abusive Letter.
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