And for as much as Joan Hily was desirous to know what I could say for my self, I thought it necessary to acquaint thee, that I thus said to her, I have not concerned my self to spread abroad any bad or lying Paper against thee, nor yet have been any way concerned in spreading a kind of Narrative, contrary to any Agreement wherein I was concerned; and that thy Writing to Joan Hily touching me, is a Slander and a Lye (the common Method thou of late, to thy shame, hast taken to scandalise men of Honesty and truly Conscientious) and so will become thy burthen; was thou an innocent man, thou wouldst have endeavoured in a Christian Method, to clear the things touching which I have often written thee.
William Rogers
‘Tis to be observed that though G.F. made mention of a bad and lying Paper spread by William Rogers and his company (the term of an haughty and scoffing Spirit) yet mentioned not what that Paper was, not yet what the {Fifth Part 20} Lyes were: that Reason whereof we take to be this, that the Faith of many are in him [as one that cannot err, nor shall ever fall] so that if he affirm any thing (though never so false) we take it to be unto many as a infallible Proof, and doubtless on this foot did Joan Hily (as her words clearly imported) believe those Lyes written unto her by G.F. against William Rogers, and vilified him to one not related to the people called Quakers, taking no care first to speak with him to know what he could say for himself; neither hath G.F. cleared himself from being the Author of that Scandalous Paper before cited, subscribed S.H. though by a Letter written to him the 11_th. of the 11_th Mo. 1678, by Thomas Gouldney, William Ford and William Rogers, they manifested their jealousie, that he was not unacquainted with the Person that writ it, and so desired him to advise who it was, if he knew, saying Truth sought no Corners. Thus far the citation out of the aforesaid Manuscript.
‘Tis now worthy the Reader’s notice, that G.F. hath written nothing thereto in Answer, to this day, but hath given a further Occasion of jealousie, that he was the very Dictator thereof, because it appears that he writ unto John Story with relation to me, very much after the same manner, and in the same Language mentioned in part of the before cited Letter subscribed. S.H. That the Reader’s judgement may be free, I think it necessary to insert the very words written to John Story touching me, which are as followeth.
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