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"Shall the multiplied oppressions, which thou continuest to heap upon innocent English people for their peaceable religious meetings, pass unregarded by the eternal God? Dost thou think to escape his fierce wrath and dreadful vengeance for thy ungodly and illegal persecution of his poor children? I tell thee, No. Better were it for thee thou hadst never been born. Poor mushroom, wilt thou war against the Lord, and lift up thyself in battle against the Almighty? Canst thou frustrate his holy purposes, and bring his determinations to nought? He has decreed to exalt himself by us, and to propagate his Gospel to the ends of the earth.'

Never perhaps before were the learning and dignity of a Vice-Chancellor of Oxford, as appears by this extract, so little thought of, or a Vice-Chancellor of that university looked down upon with such sovereign contempt, as on this occasion by William Penn. To most people, the language of this letter will be unaccountable. It must be remarked, however, that the early Quakers paid but little deference to human learning,

learning, and that at this very time they were at variance with the Universities concerning it, denying it to be an essential qualification for the priesthood. It must be remarked also, that honouring those ordinations of men, and those only, to the sacerdotal office, which were considered to be sealed in their hearts by the Divine Spirit, they allowed no dignity to belong to ordinations which were the mere work of the hands of men. We must remember also, what has been before noticed, their belief that they had a divine commission, in consequence of which, by preaching and bearing their testimony against religious ceremonies and worldly fashions, they were to become instruments in purifying the rest of mankind. Hence they spoke with an authórity not usual with others. To these considerations we must add, that the treatment which the poor Quakers had then received at Oxford, was enough to excite anger in any feeling mind, and that William Penn himself was still sore, if I may so speak, of his old wounds; for it was but a few weeks since he had left the bale-dock of Newgate prison, the loathsomeness of which he had experienced

experienced in consequence of the unjust interference of some formerly belonging to this very university, and who were then at the head of the Established Church.

Having finished his journey, he retired to the ancient family seat of Penn in Buckinghamshire. Here a pamphlet falling in his way, which contained the tenets of the Roman Catholic faith, he wrote in answer to it, "A seasonable Caveat against Popery; or, An Explanation of the Roman Catholic Belief briefly examined." He attempted in this

work to refute certain doctrines of the church of Rome, namely, such as related to the Scriptures the Trinity-prayers to saints and angels-justification of meritsthe holy Eucharist--communion in one kind-the sacrifice of the altar- prayer in Latin-prayer for the dead--the moral law of obedience to civil magistrates-and ecclesiastical hierarchy. It must be observed, however, that though he was severe against the Catholics as to their doctrine on these points, he was a decided enemy to all persecution of them on that account. He allowed in his preface to this work, that a great number of them might be abused zealots through

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the idle voluminous traditions of their church, whom he rather pitied than dared to wrong; and that, in giving this his seasonable caveat to the public, nothing was further from his intention than to incense the civil magistrate against them; for he professed himself a friend to universal toleration of faith and worship, so that he would have had such toleration extended even to them, provided they would give security that they would not persecute others on the same score.

About the latter end of the year he returned to London, when an occurrence, which shortly after happened, subjected him to new suffering; for preaching at a meeting-house belonging to the Quakers in Wheeler-street, a serjeant with a military guard, which had been posted near the door on purpose, pulled him down from his place, and forced him into the street. Here a constable and his assistant, who were ready also, joined the soldiers, and these conducted him to the Tower. He had not been there long, when he was brought before Sir John Robinson, then lieutenant of the same, (by whose order he had been apprehended,) to be examined. This was the same John Robinson,

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binson, who has been before mentioned as sitting upon the bench as a magistrate during the late memorable trial at the Old Bailey There were present on this occassion Sir Samuel Starling, another of his old persecutors, Sir John Shelden, Colonel Ricraft, and others. The constable and his assistant were then sworn. They deposed that William Penn, the prisoner, was at a meeting in Wheeler-street, speaking to the people, but they would not swear, to an unlawful assembly. Their refusal to do this very much mortified Sir John Robinson, fr he had relied upon the Conventicle Act for his conviction. Being obliged to give this up, he fled to the Oxford Act; but William Penn showed clearly, that neither did he come under this act, nor had he transgressed any written law. This defence of himself in the presence of so many persons, by which it appeared that he could not be legally detained in custody, so chagrined Robinson, that, when he found he could not punish him on one account, he resolved to do it on another. Determining not to be overcome in the end, he offered him, as the old custom was in those days when a magistrate was unable to

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