78) And they fell like an old rotten house and ye cry was amongst
all people farr & nigh y^t ye Quakers had gott ye day. & y^t y^e: preists was falen

And many was made ministers of ye euerlastinge worde of life & of

y^e: gospell ʌat y^t time & they preacht it freely:

And Tho: Briggs was convinct y^t day: & declared agst his preist

Jacques: for before y^t time hee had discoursed with a freinde

                                            one J: Lawson

concerneinge truth: w^ch: freinde ʌ helde perfection: & Tho: Briggs
saide vnto him dost thou holde perfection & hee vppe with his

          woulde have

hande & ʌ strucke ye freinde a box in ye eare: but att this
day this T: Briggs came to be convinct: & became after
a faithfull minister of ye gospell & stands to this day

[page 90] to the Priests, and several friendly People and Professors
reproved the Priests in their Inns, and in the Streets; so that they
fell, like an old rotten House: and the Cry was among the People,
That the Quakers had got the day, and the Priests were fallen. Many
People were Convinced that day, amongst whom Thomas Briggs was
one, who before had been averse from Friends and Truth; inso-
much, that discoursing on a time with John Lawson, a Friend, con-
cerning Perfection, Thomas Briggs said to him, Dost thou hold Per-
fection? and therewithal lift up his Hand, to have given the Friend a
Box on the Ear. But this Thomas Brigg, being Convinced of the
Truth that day, declared against his own Priest Jackus; and after-
wards became a faithful Minister of the Gospel, and stood so to the
End of his Days.

Here the 1694 edition interpolates a letter from James Naylor recounting the course of the trial.

And I was in a fast this time & I was not to eate vntill
this worke of God was accomplished; & soe ye Lords power
was wonderfully sett ouer all: and gaue mee dominion ouer all

his gospell was freely preacht y^t: day ouer y^e heades of 40 hirelinge preists

to his glory: ʌ & I stayde two or 3 days in Lancaster afterwards

                                          butt             & baser sorte

& had some meetinges: & ye rude ʌ people pʌlotted togeather to
haue drawne mee out of ye house & to haue throwne mee ou[er]
Lancaster bridge but ye Ld preuented y^m:

And then they Inuented another stratagem after a meetinge
was donn in Lancaster they brought doune a distracted m[an]
in his wastcoate & another man in his wastcoate with a c[om]

                        rodds                             like besomes

pany of birch whipps bounde togeather: ʌ for y^m to haue whipp[t]
mee with y^m: but I was moued to speake to ym in ye Lord[s]
mighty power w^ch: chained him & ym: w^ch. brought him lik[e]
a lambe & I bid him throwe his rodds Into ye fire & burne

              soe & I made him confess to truth & y^e light of Xt Jesus &

ym & hee did : soe ye Lds powr came ouer all: soe as
wee parted in loue & peace

At this Time I was in a Fast ; and was not to Eat, until this Work
of God, which then lay weighty upon me, was accomplished. But the
Lord’s Power was wonderfully set over all, and gave Truth and
Friends Dominion therein over all, to his Glory: And his Gospel
was freely preached that Day, over the Heads of about Forty Hire-
ling-Priests. I stayed Two or Three Days afterwards in Lancaster, and
had some Meetings there: And the rude and baser sort of People
plotted together to have me drawn out of the House, and to have
thrown me over Lancaster-Bridge; but the Lord prevented them.
Then they invented another Mischief, which was this: After a
Meeting at Lancaster they brought down a distracted Man, and another
with him with Bundles of Birchen-Rods, bound together like Besoms,
with which they should have whipped me: But I was moved to speak
to them in the Lord’s mighty Power, which chained down the distra-
cted Man, and the other also; and made them calm and quiet. Then
I bid him, throw his Rods into the Fire, and burn them; and he
did so. Thus the Lord’s Power being over them, they departed
quietly.

And this persecutinge Jo: Sawrey: att last was drouned: & ye
vengans of God ouertooke ye oJther Justice Tompson: y^t hee
was strucke with ye deade palsey vpon ye bench & carryed
away off his seate: and dyed

X And from Lancaster I returned to Rob: Withers: & from thence

I went to Tho: Lepers to a meetinge in ye eueninge: &
after ye meetinge was donne w^ch: was a very blessed meetinge

See 1694 edition page 95 for notice of Sawrey's death (from folio 36v).
The next passage in the 1694 edition corresponds to the material on folio 66r: look for it there.

X And from Lancaster I returned to Rob: Withers: & from thence

I went to Tho: Lepers to a meetinge in ye eueninge: &
after ye meetinge was donne w^ch: was a very blessed meetinge

[page 93]

From Lancaster I returned to Robert Wither’s, and from thence I
went to Thomas Leper’s to a Meeting in the Evening; and a very
blessed Meeting we had there. After the Meeting was done,