SECTION XII.

Persecution continued with little abatement till the king's declaration in 1672.-George Whitehead successfully applies to the king for the liberation of about four hundred of his Friends-He travels with the king's Letters Patent under the Great Seal, to obtain the discharge of his Friends in Essex, Suffolk, Huntingdonshire, Cambridgeshire, Norfolk, and Hertfordshire. He consults Judge Hale on the release of Friends in the distant counties Procures their release by means of the sheriffs coming to London.

There was but little respite from persecution in twelve years time, from the year 1660 to 1672, in which was the last war at sea between the English and Dutch; so that one judgment and calamity followed another, plague, fire, and war, unto great depopulation and devastation, showing God's heavy displeasure against persecution and cruelty, and that spirit which had been so highly at work against innocent, conscientious, and honest people; yet many persecutors were so hardened, that they repented not of their cruelties, and we have observed in our times, how suddenly the Lord swept away many of that sort.

Howbeit by this time, 1671-2, the king did seem to bethink himself, to take other measures than to continue persecution to destroy his own subjects, not knowing what issue the Dutch war against him might come to; insomuch that he published a declaration of indulgence to dissenters, to suspend the execution of penal laws in matters ecclesiastical, entitled,

"His majesty's Declaration to all his loving subjects, dated March 15, 1671-2. Published by the advice of his Privy Council." The principal heads whereof are as follows, viz.

"Our care and endeavours for the preservation of the rights and interests of the church, have been sufficiently manifested to the world, by the whole course of our government since our happy restorations, and by the many and frequent ways of coercion that we have used for reducing all erring and dissenting persons, and for composing the unhappy differences in matters of religion, which we found among our subjects upon our return.

"But it being evident, by the sad experience of twelve years, that there is very little fruit of all those forcible courses, we think ourselves obliged to make use of that supreme power in ecclesiastical matters, which is not only inherent in us, but hath been declared and recognized to be so by several statutes and acts of parliament.

"And therefore we do now accordingly issue out this our declaration, as well for the quieting the minds of our good subjects in these points, for inviting strangers in this juncture to come and live under us, and for the better encouragement of all to a cheerful following of their trades and callings; from whence we hope, by the

blessing of God, to have many good and happy advantages to our government.

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And in the first place, we declare our express resolution, meaning, and intention to be, that the Church of England be preserved, and remain entire in its doctrine, discipline, and government, as now it stands established by law, &c.

"We do in the next place declare our will and pleasure to be, that the execution of all, and all manner of penal laws in matters ecclesiastical, against whatsoever sort of Nonconformists or Recusants, be immediately suspended, and they are hereby suspended. And all judges, sheriffs, justices of the peace, &c. are to take notice of it, and pay due obedience thereunto.

"And we do declare, that we shall from time to time allow a sufficient number of places, as they shall be desired, in all parts of this our kingdom, for the use of such as do not conform to the Church of England, to meet and assemble in, in order to their public worship and devotion: which places shall be open and free to all persons.

"To prevent such disorders and inconveniences as may happen by this our indulgence, if not duly regulated, and that they may be the better protected by the civil magistrate, our express will and pleasure is, that none of our subjects do presume to meet in any place, until the same be allowed, and the teacher of that congregation be approved by us.

"And-we do further declare, that this our indulgence, as to the allowance of public places of worship, and approbation of teachers, shall extend to all sorts of nonconformists and recusants, except the recusants of the Roman Catholic religion, to whom we shall in no wise allow public places of worship, but only indulge them their share in the common exemption from the execution of the penal laws, and the exercise of their worship in their private houses only.

"And if after this our clemency and indulgence, any of our subjects shall presume to abuse this liberty, and preach seditiously, &c.-We will let them see we can be as severe to punish such offenders as we are indulgent to truly tender consciences." *

* There is every reason to believe, that this declaration of the king was mainly, if not wholly designed to favour the advancement of Popery and arbitrary government; and that if he had been able to effect his purposes, both in regard to civil and ecclesiastical matters, the dissenters would have been placed in even a worse situation than before.

It is not at all surprising, that a people so deeply oppressed as the Quakers were at this time, and taking so little part in political affairs, should see, in the declaration, the favour rather than the danger. Neal says: "The protestant nonconformists had no opinion of the dispensing power, and were not forward to accept of liberty in that way; they were sensible the indulgence was not granted out of love to them, nor would continue any longer than it would serve the interest of popery." Other motives, however, than the fear of popery, appear to have influenced many of the nonconformists. They did not approve of a general toleration; but "maintained that it was setting up altar against altar, and that they should accept of nothing but a comprehension," in other words, that they should be admitted to full liberty, and a share in church preferments, and that others should not be tolerated. The Quakers always desired the free exercise of conscience for all, they had therefore no objection to the king's declaration on the ground of its universality. The Presbyterians also generally concluded that it was best to accept of the liberty granted them by the king; and some, says Neal, "endeavoured to prove that it was their duty to do so because it was their natural right; which no legislative power on earth had a right to deprive them of, as long as they remained dutiful subjects."-See Neal, vol. 2, page 559. See also Rapin.

This declaration may, however, justly be said to record the result of king Charles's terrible experiment, during twelve years, to compose matters of difference in religion, and to reduce what he called erring and dissenting persons, by "forcible courses ;" an experiment made in direct opposition to the Declaration from Breda. The confession of the result which the declaration contains, was, there is reason to believe, far from being generally palatable; independently of the political objection to the mode in which it was made. It gave, nevertheless, a great check to persecution, and enabled both the Quakers and other dissenters, to meet for religious worship without disturbance, and without being a prey to the rapine of wicked informers.

There were, however, at this time, above four hundred Friends in prison, for conscience' sake: some were under sentence of banishment, some of premunire, and some had endured ten or eleven years' imprisonment.

The state of these his suffering brethren deeply affected the mind of George Whitehead; and chiefly through his instrumentality the king was induced to discharge most of them, to remit their fines, and release, by his letters patent under the great seal, the estates of those who had forfeited them under judgment of premunire.