ORIGIN, TO ABOUT THE PERIOD OF GEORGE FOX'S DECEASE; WITH DOCUMENTS RESPECTING ITS EARLY DISCIPLINE, ALSO EPISTLES OF COUNSEL AND EXHORTATION, &c. THE GREATER PORTION TAKEN FROM ORIGINAL OR ANCIENT "If it had not been the Lord, who was on our side, when men rose up LONDON: HARVEY AND DARTON, GRACECHURCH STREET. 38 943 Fri B244e INTRODUCTION. IN presenting to the reader this volume of Letters and other Documents of our Early Friends, the greater part of which, it is believed, have never been in print, it may be proper for the Editor to state, that they are mostly taken from originals or ancient copies, contained in various collections, as well private, as those in the possession of the Society in London and in the country. The principal collection of manuscripts from which they have been selected, is that which is denominated by the Editor, the Swarthmore Collection: it formerly contained a very large number of original letters of the Early Friends, mostly addressed to Margaret Fell, before her marriage with George Fox in 1669, but some few subsequently, and others to George Fox himself. These manuscripts were probably kept together at Swarthmore Hall in Lancashire for many years, or at least till the decease of Margaret Fox in 1702; but in the course of the last century, the collection became divided, and eventually a large portion of it was presented to the Society in London. The letters of this collection are mostly endorsed by George Fox (as any other mass of papers might be for convenience of reference,) with the name of the writer and the date; and occasionally a brief memorandum has been added by him, respecting the writer or the chief subject of the letter. They record the earliest Gospel services of Friends in various parts of this country and in foreign lands; and it is probable that they were referred to by George Fox, in the following passage of his will :—" "All the passages, and travels, and sufferings of Friends, in the beginning of the spreading of the Truth, which I have kept together, will make a fine history; and they may be had at Swarthmore, with my other books: for it is a fine thing to know the beginning of the spreading of the Gospel, after so long a night of apostacy since the Apostles' days;-that now Christ reigns, as he did, in the hearts of his people ;glory to the Lord for ever! Amen."-(Will, dated 8th month, 1688.) In the arrangement of this volume, the Editor has adopted the following divisions, under which it was found that the Letters and Documents might be suitably classed; viz. : PART I.-HISTORICAL, or LETTERS which illustrate the History of the Society of Friends, as regards events, services, or sufferings, in London, and in the Country,-with some few relating to Ireland. Part II.-DOCUMENTS illustrative of the EARLY DISCIPLINE and Testimonies of the Society. Part III.-EPISTLES OF COUNSEL and Exhortation to the Churches, &c. The Letters under the FIRST division of the work, and more especially those relating to London, the seat of government, will be often found to possess much interest, both as regards the history of our own Society, (in its earliest periods especially,) also the state of the religiously professing part of the community, and as regards the passing events of the day, so far as they concerned Friends. As these letters are of the character of private or intimate correspondence, due allowance should be made for the introduction of other matters, which may be deemed of trivial importance; yet with some readers, this description of familiar correspondence possesses attraction, from the vivid glimpses sometimes presented by a writer on the spot or at the time, of circumstances, and of character, not always noticed by the general historian. At the same time the remarks and peculiarities of style of writers in a distant period, will sometimes call for careful attention fully to appreciate them; as they may refer to events or circumstances deemed to be well known in their dav, though at the first |