This is the first of the interpolated papers in this section of the Spence MS, a letter endorsed to Justice Sawrey
(see folio 35r, and 1694 page for placement in narrative).
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, mock=
ers 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 x x
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 x x
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:

                                                                      ffreind       F^reind
                                                              F^reind       thou
                                                                          F^r    wast

This page is too closely written to be displayed in full here. For transcription with images, go to Image page.

London: Library of
the Society of Friends,
MS Vol 376 (Spence MS) fol. 36r
© Image copyright of the Religious
Society of Friends in Britain