The line-endings from the MS do not correspond here with those in the original

Thou was the first Beginner of all the persecution in the north. Thou was the Beginner and the Maker of all the people tumultuous, Thou was the first stirrer of them up against the righteous seede, the truth of god, and was the first strenghener of the of hands of evill doers, against the innocent, and harmlesse, and thou shalt not prosper. Thou was the first stirrerr up, of Strikers, stoners, persecutors, stockers, mockers and Imprisoners in the North, and of Revilers, Slanderers, raylers, and false accusers and Scandallers This was thy worke, and this thou stirredst up, soe thy fruites declares thy spirit, what is stirred up, that before mencioned, instead of stirringe up the pure mindes in people, thou hast stirred up the wicked, malicious and envious, and taken hand with the wicked: thou hast made the peoples mindes envious, up and downe the Countrey this was thy worke; but God hath shortned thy dayes, and limitted thee, and set thy bands and broken thy Jaws, and discouered thy Religion to the simple and Babes, and brought thy deeds to the light; How is thy Habitation fallen, and become the Habitation of p divels, & how is thy beauty lost, & thy glorie withered, how hast thou shewed thy End that thou hast but served God with thy lips, and thy heart far from him, and thou in the hypocricy; how hath the forme of thy Teachinge, declared it selfe to bee the markes of the false prophets, whose fruites declares it selfe, by there fruites they are knowne how are the wise men bet turned backward, read thy dayes, and take notice w^th whom thou hast dealt ʌtaken part with all, that in thy conscience will tell thee, (the Ancient of dayes) this consider, how hath thy Zeale appeared to bee the blind Zeale, a persecuter, which christ and his apostles gaue noe such command to his to follow How hast thou strenghtend the hands of the evill doers, & beene a praise to them, & not to them that doe well, how like a mad man and a blind man didst thou turne thy Sword backwards, against the saints against whom there is noe law, how willt thou bee eaten gnawd and burned one day when thou feeles the flame, & hast the plagues of god powred vpon thee, when thou beginnest to gnawe thy tongue, for the paine, because of the plague, Thou shalt haue thy Reward accordinge to thy worke, thou canst not escape, the lords righteous Judgm^ts shall finde thee out, the witness in thy conscience shall answer it, How hast thou caused the heathen to blaspheme and gone on with the Multitude to doe evill, & ioyned hand in hand with the wicked; how is thy latter end worse then thy beginninge, that art come with the dogge to bite and devoure, thou art turned a wolfe to devoure the Lambs; how hast thou discovered thy selfe to bee a man more fitt, to bee in a place to bee in a place to bee nurtured, then to bee put in a place to nurtur how was thou exalted & puffed vp with pride, & now how art thou fallen down with shame, that thou comes to bee covered with that ʌwhich thou stirred vp, & brought fforth, Let not John Sawrey take the words of god in his mouth, till hee bee Reformed, Let him not take his name in his mouth; till hee depart from iniquity; Let him not make a proffession, (hee and his Teacher) of the Saints words, except they doe intend at the Markett Crosse, to proclaimes themselves hypocrites, whose liues shewe another then the Saintes, whoe is proclaimed theire and every where; whose Church did make it selfe manifest to bee a cage of unclean birds, that they haue the forme of Godlinesse; and not the power whoe haue made them that bee in the power theire derision, yo^r by word and yo^r talke at yo^r ffeasts & soe the vnsavor the countrey about haue smeld, & the vncʌhristian Carriage; of whom all that feare god haue beene ashamed, & to them thou hast been a greife in the day of account thou shalt know it in the day of condemnacion, thou was mounted vp, and set thy nett on high amonge the Starrs but never got higher than the starrs - - - ffowles, & now art runninge with the ffoxes+ffallen into the earth, that [?y]earth lynesse and Couetousnesse hath swallowed thee vp, and thy Conceitednesse would not carry ʌthee through, in whom was ʌfound the selvish principle hee hath blinded they eye and thy backe must bee bowed downe alwaies, thy table is become a snare:/_______

                                                                      G: ff:

[page 94]
Having visited Justice West, I went to Swarthmore, visiting Friends
there-aways ; and the Lord’s Power was over all the Persecutors
there. And I was moved to write several Letters to the Magistrates,
Priests and Professors there-abouts, who had raised Persecution be-
fore. That which I sent to Justice Sawrey, was after this
manner :

Friend,
‘ THOU wast the first Beginner of all the Persection in the
‘ North : Thou wast the Beginner and the Maker of the Peo-
‘ple Tumultuous : Thou wast the first Stirrer of them up against the
‘Righteous Seed, and against the Truth of God ; and wast the first
‘strengthner of the Hands of Evil-doers against the Innocent and
‘Harmless : And thou shalt not prosper. Thou wast the first Stirrer
‘up of Strikers, Stoners, Persecutors, Stockers, Mockers and Impri-
‘soners in the North, and of Revilers, Slanderers, Railers and false
‘Accusers, and Scandal-Raisers : This was thy Work, and this thou
‘stirredst up ! So thy Fruits declare thy Spirit. Instead of stirring
‘up the pure Mind in People, thou hast stirred up the VVicked, Malici-
‘ous and Envious ; and taken Hand with the Wicked. Thou hast
‘made the People’s Minds envious up and down the Country : This
‘was thy Work. But God hath shortned thy Days, and limited thee,
‘and set thy Bounds, and broken thy Jaws, and discovered thy Reli-
‘gion to the Simple and Babes, and brought thy Deeds to Light.
‘How is thy Habitation fallen, and become the Habitation of Devils !
‘How is thy Beauty lost, and thy Glory withered ! How hast thou
‘shewed thy End, that thou hast served God but with thy Lips, and
‘thy Heart far from him, and thou in the Hypocrisy ! How hath the
‘Form of thy Teaching declared it self to be the Mark of the false
‘Prophets, whose Fruit declares it self ! for by their Fruits they are
‘known. How are the Wise Men turned backward ! View thy Ways,
‘and take notice, with whom thou hast taken part. That of God in
[page 95]
‘thy Conscience will tell thee : The Ancient of Days will reprove
‘thee. How hath thy Zeal appeared to be the Blind Zeal; a Perse-
‘cutor, which Christ and his Apostles forbad Christians to follow !
‘How hast thou strengthened the Hands of Evil-doers, and been a
‘Praise to them, and not to them that do well ! How like a Mad-
‘man, and a Blind-man didst thou turn thy Sword backward against
‘the Saints, against whom there is no Law ! How wilt thou be
‘gnawed and burned one Day, when thou shalt feel the Flame and
‘have the Plagues of God poured upon thee, and thou begin to gnaw
‘thy Tongue for Pain, because of the Plagues ! Thou shalt have thy
‘Reward according to thy Works : Thou canst not escape ; the Lord’s
‘righteous Judgment will find thee out, and the Witness of God in
‘thy Conscience shall answer it. How hast thou caused the Heathen
‘to Blaspheme, and gone on with the Multitude to do Evil, and
‘joined hand in hand with the wicked ! How is thy latter End worse
‘than thy Beginning, who art come with the Dog to bite, and art
‘turned as a Wolf, to devour the Lambs ! How hast thou discovered
‘thy self to be a Man more fit to be kept in a place to be nurtured,
‘than to be set in a Place to nurture! How wast thou exalted and
‘puffed up with Pride ! And now art thou fallen down with Shame,
‘that thou comest to be covered with that, which thou stirredst up,
‘and broughtest forth. Let not John Sawrey take the VVords of God
‘into his Mouth, till he be Reformed : Let him not take his Name
‘into his Mouth, till he depart from Iniquity. Let not him and his
‘Teacher make a Profession of the Saints VVords, except they intend
‘to proclaim themselves Hypocrites, whose Lives are so contrary to the
‘Lives of the Saints ; whose Church hath made it self manifest to be
‘a Cage of Unclean Birds. You having a Form of Godliness, but not
‘the Power, have made them that be in the Power, your Derision,
‘your By-word, and your Talk at your Feasts. Thy ill Savour, John
‘Sawrey, the Country about have smelled, and of thy unchristian Car-
‘riage all that fear God have been ashamed ; and to them thou hast
‘been a Grief : In the Day of Account thou shalt know it, even in
‘the Day of thy Condemnation. Thou wast mounted up, and hadst
‘set thy Nest on high ; but never gottest higher, than the Fowls of the
‘Air : But now thou art run amongst the Beasts of Prey, and art fal-
‘len into the Earth ; so that Earthliness and Covetousness hath swal-
‘lowed thee up : and thy Conceitedness would not carry thee through,
‘in whom was found the selfish Principle, which hath blinded thy
‘Eye. Thy Back must be bowed down always ; for thy Table is already
‘become thy Snare.

G. F.