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1653 And about this time
xxʌ The preists & ye professors they prophesyed mightily agst vs ʌ for
before they prophesyed wee should bee all knockt doune within
as aforesd prophesyed within
a month: ʌ & then after they sett? halfe a yeere: & then there
prophesyes not comeinge to passe: they prophesyed yt wee
woulde eate out one another out: for many times after
ye meetinges many tender people yt had a great way
to goe: & ye houses not haueinge beds they stayde att
⚹ye houses & lay in ye hay mowes⚹ & Cains feare poss
est ym: yt when wee had eaten one another out: yt
all come to bee maintained of ere longe
wee shoulde fall onne ʌ ye parishes
ʌ & yt they woulde be
troubled with vs:
But after this when they saw yt ye Ld blest & Increased
ffreinds: as hee did Abraham both in ye feilde & in
ye baskett: & att there goeinges foorth & comeinges
in riseinges vppe & lyeinges doune: & yt all thinges
begann to be blest vnto ym: then they saw ye
faileinges of all these there prhophesyes: & yt it was in
vaine to curse where Gd had blest
Butt att ye first convincement when freinds coulde not put
off there hatts to people nor say you to ym. a particular
but thee & thou: & coulde not bowe nor vse ye worldes
salutations nor fashions nor customes: & many freindes
beinge tradesmen of seuerall sortes: they peo lost there
custome at ye first: for ye people woulde not trade
with ym: nor trust ym: & for a time people yt were trades
men coulde hardely gett money enough to by breade
butt afterwards when people came to see freinds honesty
& truthfulness & yea & nea att a worde in there
dealinge
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About this time the Priests and Professors fell to prophesying against
us afresh. They had said long before, That we should be destroyed
within a Month ; and after that, they prolonged that time to Half a
Year : But that time being long expired, and we mightily increased in
number ; they now gave forth, That we would eat out one another.
[page 121]
For many times after Meetings, many tender People, having a great
way to go, tarried at Friend’s Houses by the way, and sometimes
more, than there were Beds to lodge in ; so that some have lain on the
Hay-mows : Hereupon Cain’s Fear possessed the Professors and World’s
People. For they were afraid, that when we had eaten one another out, we
would all come to be maintained by the Parishes, and so we should be Char-
geable to them. But after a while, when they saw, that the Lord
blessed and increased Friends, as he did Abraham, both in the Field
and in the Basket, at their Goings forth and Comings in, at their Ri-
sings up and Lyings down, and that all things prospered with them ;
then they saw the falseness of all their Prophecies against us ; and
that it was In vain to Curse, where God had blessed. At the first Con-
vincement, when Friends could not put off their Hats to People, nor
say You to a single Person, but Thou and Thee, nor could not Bow,
nor use flattering Words in Salutations, nor go into the Fashions and
Customs of the World ; many Friends, that were Tradesmen of seve-
ral sorts, lost their Customers at the first : for the People were shy
of them, and wouod not Trade with them ; so that for a time some
Friends, that were Tradesmen, could hardly get Money enough to
buy Bread. But afterwards, when People came to have Experience
of Friends Honesty and Faithfulness, and found, that their Yea was
Yea, and their Nay was Nay ; that they kept to a Word in their
Dealings,
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