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<DATE>2007-10-06</DATE>
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<NAME>Mona Logarbo</NAME>
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<ITEM>Proofed and reviewed as part of batch B070919.apex.</ITEM>
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<HEAD>FOR THE KING and both HOUSES OF PARLIAMENT: Being a further Relation (in brief) of the Cruel <HI>Havock</HI> and <HI>Spoil,</HI> made on the <HI>Per&s;ons</HI> and <HI>E&s;tates</HI> of the People of God in &s;corn called <HI>Quakers;</HI> For Meeting together to Wor&s;hip God in Spirit and Truth.</HEAD>
<P>ALL which hath been inflicted on them &s;ince the late Act again&s;t Conventicles, which tends to the pre|judice and ruin of many Families in their outward E&s;tates; and many more may be ruined, if a Stop be not put to the Cruelty of Men: For &s;everal of the&s;e Spoiles have been made upon the Goods of Widdows, Poor, Aged Peo|ple, and Fatherle&s;s Children, in &s;everal Counties; and many are left &s;o de&s;olate, their very Beds being taken from under them, that they are fain to Lodge upon Straw: And &s;ome have had their wearing Apparrel taken from them; and many left de&s;titute of outward things, having all &s;wept away without any Pitty or Mercy: And others have had their Working-Tooles taken from them, wherewith they &s;hould have laboured to have got a Maintenance for them&s;elves and Families: And in &s;everal places no Plea would be accepted on the behalf of the Innocent; &s;ome &s;aying, Right or Wrong they mu&s;t have it; and often times tho&s;e called Ju&s;tices have bid the Officers take Three or Four times as much as the Fines, that they might allow good Penny-worths: And they have taken the very Kettle (in which Meat was providing for the Family's &s;u&s;tenance) off from the Fire, and have thrown the Meat away into the Street; and have taken away the Children's Apparrel, which they &s;hould wear; and have taken the Skillet off the Fire, in which Milk was boiling for the Children, and threw away the Milk.</P>
<P>All the&s;e, and many more Cruelties, Barbarous and Un|chri&s;tian Carriages and Actions, may be particularly prov'd, if requir'd; as taking away their very Fewel in the mid&s;t of Winter; and not leaving Bed-Clothes, or other Clothes to keep them warm; but many have been fain to lodge on Straw this Winter.</P>
<P>Oh the Sad Crys of the poor Children and Families, that have been, by rea&s;on of the Di&s;tre&s;s, that is brought upon them &s;ince this la&s;t Act! Many have laboured hard, it may be, mo&s;t of their dayes, and had got a little outward things, whereby their Children and Families were &s;upported, and li|ved comfortably; and now all is &s;wept away, and they and their Families ruined; and &s;ome have not &s;o much as a Cow left to give their Children Milk: And all this is becau&s;e for Con&s;cience &s;ake they cannot forbear A&s;&s;embling together to Wor&s;hip God, and for no other Cau&s;e: For it is well known we have alwayes lived peaceably &s;ince we were a People; and there is no cau&s;e wherefore we &s;hould be thus cruelty dealt withal, but for our keeping a good Con&s;cience towards God, and towards all men.</P>
<P>And we expect the Performance of all the Kings Promi&s;es to us, for <HI>Liberty</HI> to our tender <HI>Con&s;ciences;</HI> for we have al|wayes walked peaceably, and have not forfeited our <HI>Liber|ty</HI> in any wi&s;e: And our Cry hath alwayes been, and is at this day, for LIBERTY of CONSCIENCE, to Wor&s;hip God: And it is becau&s;e we cannot act again&s;t the pure Principle of God in our Con&s;ciences, that we have &s;uffered &s;o deeply ever &s;ince we were a People.</P>
<P>And many Per&s;ons of con&s;iderable E&s;tates, and of good Repute in &s;everal Counties, have had their E&s;tates given up to the Wills of a company of Mercile&s;s Informers, and other debauch'd loo&s;e Per&s;ons; who rejoyce that they have power put into their hands to de&s;troy &s;ober people; and have boa&s;ted that they will inrich them&s;elves thereby. And thus the Innocent are given up to be a Prey into the hands of unrea&s;o|nable Men; &s;ome having all their Goods, both within doors, and without, &s;eized on, and their Cattle drove away, and their Corn thre&s;ht out, and all clean &s;wept away, and in a few dayes not any thing left to help them&s;elves and Families; who before were a Succour and Help to many, and &s;et many of their poor Neighbours on Work; &amp; thus many poor peo|ple are like to be utterly Undone and Ruined in the <HI>Countries.</HI></P>
<P>Surely the&s;e things cry aloud in the Ears of the Lord, though men &s;top their Ears, and will not hear the Cry of the Oppre&s;&s;ed.</P>
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<Q><BIBL><HI>Mal.</HI> 3. 16.</BIBL> <P>They that feared the Lord Spake often together, and the Lord heakened, and heard it: <HI>And we de&s;ire you may be of the &s;ame Mind.</HI></P></Q>
<Q><BIBL><HI>Heb. 10. 25.</HI></BIBL> <P><HI>The Apo&s;tle &s;aith,</HI> For&s;ake not the A&s;&s;embling of your &s;elves together; but Exhort one another, and &s;o much the more, as you &s;ee the day approaching.</P>
<P>And the Apo&s;tles and Saints met together in &s;everal Hou&s;es, who for&s;ook the <HI>Jews</HI> Temple and Synagogues.</P></Q>
<Q><BIBL>1 Cor. 16. 19.</BIBL> <BIBL>Acts 28. 30, 31.</BIBL> <P>Paul <HI>Taught in his own hired Hou&s;e at</HI> Rome (where the Seat of the Emperor was) <HI>no man forbidding him.</HI></P></Q>
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