<!DOCTYPE ETS PUBLIC "-//UMDLPS//DTD EEBOPROOF 2.0//EN">
<ETS>
<TEMPHEAD>
<REVDESCR>
<CHANGE>
<DATE>2014-06-25</DATE>
<RESPSTMT>
<NAME>Mona Logarbo</NAME>
<RESP>MURP</RESP>
</RESPSTMT>
<ITEM>Proofed and reviewed as part of batch B140313.pdcc.</ITEM>
</CHANGE>
</REVDESCR>
</TEMPHEAD>
<EEBO>
<IDG S="marc" R="UM" ID="B24285">
<STC T="W">H2664a</STC>
<BIBNO T="umi">99828193</BIBNO>
<VID>207779</VID>
</IDG>
<TEXT LANG="eng">
<FRONT>
<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
<PB REF="1" MS="y">
<P>TRUTH Seeks no Corners.</P>
<P>BEING A VINDICATION Of the People called QUAKERS From any De&s;ign of Concealing Papi&s;ts In their <HI>LIST</HI> fir&s;t delivered to the <HI>KING</HI> and <HI>CO&V;NCEL</HI> near <HI>Two</HI> Years &s;ince.</P>
<P>Printed in the Year 1679.</P>
</DIV1>
</FRONT>
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="text">
<PB REF="2">
<PB N="3" REF="2" MS="y">
<HEAD>Truth &s;eeks no Corners.</HEAD>
<HEAD TYPE="sub">BEING A Vindication <HI>of the People called</HI> Qua|kers <HI>from any</HI> De&s;ign <HI>of</HI> Conceal|ing Papi&s;ts <HI>in their</HI> Li&s;t <HI>fir&s;t delive|red to the</HI> King <HI>and</HI> Councel <HI>near</HI> Two <HI>Years &s;ince.</HI></HEAD>
<P>THe Ca&s;e of the <HI>Evil</HI> and <HI>Good Man</HI> is very differing; the <HI>fir&s;t</HI> dares not bring his Deeds to the <HI>Light,</HI> be|cau&s;e he is Con&s;cious to him&s;elf of <HI>Guilt,</HI> and there|fore flies Enquiry, becau&s;e he fears <HI>Conviction.</HI> The <HI>Good Man</HI> quite Contrary loves the <HI>Light</HI> and he recurs to it, as the Wit|ne&s;s of his Truth: he fears not to be <HI>tried,</HI> becau&s;e he knows, his Innocency will acquit <SUBST>
<ADD>him</ADD>
<DEL><GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="overwritten" EXTENT="1 word"></DEL>
</SUBST>, and that all <HI>Slander</HI> and <HI>Inju&s;tice</HI> help in the End to magnifie his Integrity and Reputation. 'Tis to this <HI>Light</HI> of <HI>Truth</HI> in all Con&s;ciences we appeal, again&s;t a late <HI>Calumny</HI> ca&s;t upon us by &s;ome Crafty <SUBST>
<DEL>,</DEL>
<ADD>&amp;</ADD>
</SUBST> Malicious, and (be|liev'd by &s;ome) Ignorant Men, viz. <HI>That the</HI> Quakers <HI>u&s;e Arts to Conceal the</HI> Papi&s;ts. We &s;hall fir&s;t &s;tate the <HI>Fact,</HI> from whence &s;uch Ill or Weak Men pretend to borrow their Informa|tion; and then offer our <HI>Rea&s;ons</HI> to detect the Report of <HI>Mi&s;|chief, Folly</HI> and <HI>&V;ntruth.</HI></P>
<P>We the People called <HI>Quakers,</HI> having been for &s;everal <HI>Years</HI> &s;everely pro&s;ecuted by Laws <DEL>only</DEL> made again&s;t <HI>Popi&s;h Recu|&s;ants,</HI> as well as tho&s;e enacted again&s;t <HI>Prote&s;tant Di&s;&s;enters</HI> (whereby &s;everal Indu&s;trious Families have been reduc'd to great
<PB N="4" REF="3">Mi&s;ery, and the <HI>Widow</HI> and the <HI>Orphan</HI> &s;tript of common Con|veniences for their Sub&s;i&s;tance) did make our Application and Complaint to the <HI>King</HI> &amp; <HI>Council;</HI> And that we might lay a Foun|dation for &s;uch an Addre&s;s to &s;top tho&s;e <HI>Cruel Pro&s;ecutions,</HI> we Ex|amin'd the <HI>Pipe;</HI> where we &s;ound great Numbers intermixt throughout mo&s;t Counties, Convicted upon the afore&s;aid Sta|tutes. And becau&s;e we knew not all the Names of our own <HI>Friends</HI> from <HI>Papi&s;ts,</HI> we to di&s;t<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">ngui&s;h our <HI>Friends</HI> from tho&s;e <HI>Papi&s;ts</HI> (though indeed the Partial <HI>Seizures</HI> and Extravagant <HI>Levies</HI> made upon us had been enough to that Di&s;covery) did or|der &s;everal Letters to be writ unto the re&s;pective <HI>Counties,</HI> that they might inform us, which of them were reputed <HI>Quakers;</HI> being then Cautiou<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter"> of the very thing, which has here befallen us. But it &s;eems, by the Inadvertency of a <HI>Youth,</HI> who was or|dered by our U&s;ual <HI>Clark</HI> (then forc'd to leave the Town by a long and extream Sickne&s;s, as we can prove) to write into <HI>Glo|ce&s;ter-&s;hire</HI> for an Exact Account of the State of our <HI>Friends</HI> in Relation to this Pro&s;ecution, it was omitted, and the Account for the <HI>County</HI> in&s;erted, as it was taken out of the <HI>Pipe;</HI> which con&s;i&s;ted but of <HI>Three</HI> Per&s;ons, whereof <HI>Two</HI> of them, it &s;eems, are <HI>Papi&s;ts,</HI> and the <HI>Third</HI> an Ob&s;erver of the <HI>Jewi&s;h-Sabboth.</HI> And though the&s;e Men of Malice might as well have concluded us <HI>Jews</HI> as <HI>Papi&s;ts</HI> from this Acci|dent, yet becau&s;e the <HI>Papi&s;t</HI> is be|come a more Scandalous Creature then the <HI>Jew,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">So the Accu&s;ation a|gain&s;t us calls the Per&s;on that holds the <HI>&s;eventh day Sabboth.</HI></NOTE> that reflection would not have &s;erv'd their End; who&s;e Contrivance it is to turn the Cry a|gain&s;t the <HI>Papi&s;ts</HI> upon the <HI>Quakers:</HI> And why? but to &s;ave them; at lea&s;t to ruin us, the De&s;ign of tho&s;e that are <HI>Papi&s;ts,</HI> or <HI>Popi&s;hly Affected;</HI> who by the&s;e Devices &s;eek to amu&s;e the People, and to make hone&s;t Men jealous one of another. But the <HI>Rea&s;ons</HI> to be offered, why the <HI>Story</HI> is <HI>Incredible,</HI> are the&s;e.</P>
<P N="1">1. It cannot be thought, if we had de&s;ign'd to <HI>Conceal</HI> the <HI>Papi&s;ts,</HI> but that we would have &s;pared our Care in the re&s;t of
<PB N="5" REF="3">the <HI>Counties,</HI> or have taken more care to have brought them in in other places; which it is plain, we have not done.</P>
<P>But 2dly, It is not probable, that we &s;hould by <HI>De&s;ign</HI> bring in known <HI>Papi&s;ts,</HI> and none of our own <HI>Friends</HI> among&s;t them; for not one of them was pre&s;ented with tho&s;e <HI>Three</HI> per&s;ons in the Li&s;t of <HI>Gloce&s;ter-&s;hire.</HI> Whereas had we intended &s;uch a thing, it had looked more like a <HI>De&s;ign, To have in&s;erted them among&s;t the Names of our Friends,</HI> (as we might have done in other Counties) that &s;o we might the better have &s;creen'd them from common Ob&s;ervation, e&s;pecially knowing the Mi&s;chief of &s;uch Attempts detected.</P>
<P N="3">3dly, Men Generally propo&s;e &s;ome <HI>Advantage</HI> to them&s;elves in what they do; but there could redound no Benefit to us in the Earth by this Project, and even to the <HI>Papi&s;ts</HI> a very &s;mall one: but the Danger of being <HI>Caught,</HI> would have been <HI>Fatal.</HI> So that we mu&s;t have been greatly fal&s;e to our own <HI>Intere&s;t,</HI> to run an <HI>Hazard</HI> of this Con&s;equence to us for &s;o <HI>Trivial</HI> a <HI>Be|nefit</HI> to them.</P>
<P N="4">4thly, This was near <HI>Two Years</HI> ago, that the <HI>Omi&s;&s;ion</HI> hap|pened in the fir&s;t Copy of the Li&s;t; at what time it is ea&s;ie to believe, that the Circum&s;tances of the <HI>Papi&s;ts</HI> were not &s;o <HI>low</HI> or <HI>de&s;perate,</HI> as that they &s;hould need the <HI>Quakers</HI> skill to put a Trick upon the <HI>Government</HI> for their Security: It is not hard to remember, that they then &s;tood upon better Terms. But any thing it &s;eems will &s;erve (be it never &s;o <HI>Fal&s;e</HI> or <HI>Fooli&s;h</HI>) that will but Bedirt us.</P>
<P N="5">5thly, To be Mode&s;t, and yet to Defend our &s;elves again&s;t &s;uch <HI>Injurious Apprehen&s;ions,</HI> as are entertained of us; We mu&s;t &s;ay, that we <HI>lay</HI> under the <HI>Furious Execution</HI> of tho&s;e Laws again&s;t <HI>Popi&s;h-Recu&s;ants</HI> (<HI>Sixty</HI> Pounds having been taken for <HI>Thirteen</HI> Pound, and not a <HI>Penny</HI> returned, as we made appear before the late <HI>Parliament</HI>) to the Impoveri&s;hing of
<PB N="6" REF="4">many <HI>Indu&s;trious</HI> and <HI>Peaceable</HI> People; when &s;carce one <HI>Papi&s;t</HI> was toucht in whole <HI>Counties:</HI> Can any think, that the <HI>Papi&s;ts</HI> needed us to hide them at that time of Day? Or doth this U&s;age of us prove us <HI>Papi&s;ts,</HI> when <HI>Papi&s;ts</HI> were not toucht?</P>
<P N="6">6thly, It cannot be <HI>Rea&s;onably</HI> conceiv'd, that we being to make good the&s;e <HI>Allegations</HI> in the la&s;t <HI>Parliament</HI> (who ap|pointed a <HI>Committee</HI> for that purpo&s;e) &s;hould knowingly run our &s;elves into &s;uch a <HI>Snare,</HI> as this was: And &s;uch was our <HI>Carriage</HI> and <HI>Evidence</HI> before them, both with re&s;pect to Per|&s;ons and Things, that they declared their <HI>Satisfaction</HI> about us and our <HI>Suffering Friends,</HI> as tho&s;e that <HI>Well de&s;erv'd</HI> to be re|puted <HI>Prote&s;tant-Di&s;&s;enters.</HI></P>
<P N="7">7thly, It is good old Doctrine, <HI>That the Tree is known by its Fruit;</HI> and it is plain, that among other things, in the <HI>Election</HI> of this pre&s;ent <HI>Parliament,</HI> we have not &s;hown our &s;elves to be <HI>Popi&s;hly</HI> Affected in the Di&s;po&s;al of our <HI>Voices;</HI> perhaps we &s;tand upon even Terms at lea&s;t, with any of our Enemies, as to our good <HI>Affection</HI> to the <HI>Publick.</HI></P>
<P><HI>La&s;tly,</HI> We offer the Affixed <HI>Declaration,</HI> as our Te&s;ti|mony again&s;t <HI>Popery,</HI> and of our good Affection to the <HI>Prote&s;tant Religion,</HI> and Re&s;olution to lead a Sober and Peaceable Life under the pre&s;ent <HI>Government.</HI></P>
<Q><TEXT LANG="eng">
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="declaration">
<HEAD>A <HI>Prote&s;tation</HI> or <HI>Declaration</HI> to Di&s;tingui&s;h <HI>Prote&s;tant Di&s;&s;enters</HI> from <HI>Popi&s;h-Recu&s;ants.</HI></HEAD>
<P><HI>I A. B.</HI> do in the Pre&s;ence of Almighty God &s;olemnly profe&s;s, and in good Con&s;cience declare, It is my real Judgment, That the <HI>Church</HI> of <HI>Rome</HI> is not the
<PB N="7" REF="4"><HI>Church</HI> of <HI>Chri&s;t,</HI> nor the <HI>Pope</HI> or Bi&s;hop of <HI>Rome Chri&s;t's Vicar;</HI> and that his or her Doctrines Of de|po&s;ing Heretical <HI>Princes,</HI> and Ab&s;olving their <HI>Sub|jects</HI> of their Obedience; Of <HI>Purgatory</HI> and <HI>Prayers</HI> for the Dead; Of <HI>Indulgences</HI> and Wor&s;hipping of <HI>Images;</HI> Of Adoring and Praying to the <HI>Virgin Mary</HI> &amp; other Saints decea&s;ed; And of <HI>Tran&s;ub&s;tantiation,</HI> or changing the Elements of <HI>Bread</HI> and <HI>Wine</HI> into the <HI>Body</HI> and <HI>Blood</HI> of Chri&s;t at or after the Con&s;ecration thereof by any Per&s;on what&s;oever, are Fal&s;e, Erro+neous and Contrary to the Truth of God declared in the Holy Scriptures: And therefore the Communion of the &s;aid Church is <HI>Super&s;titious</HI> and <HI>Idolatrous.</HI></P>
<P>And I do likewi&s;e &s;incerely te&s;tifie and declare, that I do from the bottom of my Heart dete&s;t and abhor all <HI>Plots</HI> and <HI>Con&s;piracies,</HI> that are or may be contrived again&s;t the <HI>King, Parliament</HI> or People of this <HI>Realm:</HI> And I do hereby Faithfully Promi&s;e, with God's Help to live a Sober and Peaceable Life, as becometh a good Chri&s;tian and <HI>Prote&s;tant</HI> to do. And all this I do <HI>Ac|knowledge, Intend, Declare</HI> and <HI>Sub&s;cribe</HI> with|out any Equivocation or Mental Re&s;ervation according to the true Plainne&s;s, Simplicity, and u&s;ual Significa|tion of the Words.</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>Witne&s;s my Hand.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
</BODY>
</TEXT></Q>
<P>TO Conclude; We hope, that when it &s;hall be Seriou&s;ly con&s;ider'd, that our <HI>Principles</HI> and <HI>Practices</HI> carry a plain Contrariety to <HI>Rome,</HI> that we have always lived peaceably under the pre&s;ent Government, and that with patience we have under-gone all <HI>Plunderings, Beatings</HI> and <HI>Impri&s;onments</HI> (of &s;ome even to <HI>Death</HI>) and at who&s;e <HI>Hands</HI> and by what <HI>Councils</HI>
<PB N="8" REF="5">we have &s;o &s;uffered? It will not be thought hard, that we Im|peach the Inventors of this Story of <HI>Malice</HI> and <HI>&V;ngodline&s;s,</HI> and the Believers of it of great <HI>Incharity</HI> and <HI>Inju&s;tice.</HI> And we doubt not, but in time God will Vindicate our Innocency before the whole World, and pre&s;erve us from the Envy and Rage of <HI>Evil Men,</HI> till we are better Under&s;tood.</P>
<CLOSER><DATELINE>London, <DATE>the 7th of the 3d Moneth 1679.</DATE></DATELINE>
<SIGNED>Signed by me <HI>Ellis Hookes,</HI> in the Name and on the Behalf of the People called <HI>QUAKERS.</HI></SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<TRAILER>THE END.</TRAILER>
</BODY>
</TEXT>
</EEBO>
</ETS>
