Ill News from New England, Floating text 13
A Relation of my being brought before the Magiſtrates the 6th of the 7th MonethMonth, 1651.
I Going from place to place, to buy and take up commodities for my uſe, was attached or arreſted by the Marſhall, by virtue of a Warrant from the Court, to appear in the Court, and there to anſwer for a high miſdemeanor committed by me, and coming into the Court (which was then privatly kept in the Chamber) they asked me divers queſtions, amongſt which this was one; Whether I did think that Obediah Holmes did well or not, in comming among them to baptize, and adminiſter the Sacrament. laying this to my charge, that I was one with him, and of the ſame judgement, and whether I did think he did well, or no, in his ſo carrying himſelf; to which I anſwered, I had here nothing to doe with that which another Man did▪ but I was here to anſwer for what I my ſelf had committed againſt their Law; then ſaid they, you have offended our Law, and have contemned Authority, for you took him by the hand, and did countenance him in his ſin, ſo ſoon as he was gone from the Poſt, to which I ſaid, If I have broken any Law of the place, by what I then did, I am willing to ſubmit unto puniſhment; yea ſaid the Governour, you took him by the hand, did you not? and ſpake to him, what ſaid you? did you not ſay ſo and ſo? Bleſſed be God, &c. To which I ſaid, I ſhall refer my ſelf unto the teſtimonies that may or can be brought againſt me; well, ſaid the Governour, wee ſhall find Teſtimony enough againſt you; take him to you Keeper, and we will call you forth in publick for that we doe with you we will proceed in publick with you, and ſo I went to Priſon. This was the ſum and ſubſtance of the firſt time I was called before them; the next day being the laſt day of the week, and the laſt day of their Court, I was in expectation all the forenoon to be called forth, but was not, ſo after dinner, when (as it appeareth) the Court was riſen, and ſome of the Magiſtrates departed, I was ſent for again into the Chamber, where was the Governor with three others, ſcil. Mr. Bellingham, Mr. Hibbins, and Mr. Encreaſe Nowell, as ſoon as I was come into the room, the Governour read my Sentence, which was, that I muſt pay 40 ſh. or be well whipt, and ſo immediately he departed, and when he was gone (for I could not have time before) I anſwered, that I deſired the privilege of an Engliſh Subject, which was to be tryed by the Country, to wit, a Jury, and to be made to appear (if they can) to be a Tranſgreſſor by a Law: To which they ſaid, I had contemned Authority, and they had a Law to puniſh ſuch, and ſaid they, you did ſhew your contempt of Authority in that you did take ſuch a perſon by the hand, as ſoon as he was from the Poſt. To which I anſwered, I could not doe that which I did in contempt to Authority, ſeeing he had ſatisfied the Law to the full, and was departed from the place of ſuffering; and in the next place what I did, I did unto him as my Friend; And further I ſaid, if I had taken him by the hand ſo ſoon as he was looſed from the Poſt, and had led him out of the Town, I ſhould not have broken any Law either of God or Man. To this they ſaid, That there was a Law in all Courts of Juſtice, both in Old England, and other Countreyes, to puniſh contempt of Authority, and ſo had they ſuch a Law among themſelves; To which I ſaid, That in Old England, and in other places they had ſuch a Law I denyed not, but that Law alſo was both Enacted and publiſhed, but what Law have I broken in taking my Friend by the hand, when he was free, and had ſatisfied the Law? To this they replied, That he had not ſatisfied the Keeper; To this I anſwered, That he had talked with his Keeper, and there was ſome Agreement between them, and ſo in that ſence alſo not under the Law, but free; Then ſaid they▪ if you would have ſhewed kindneſſe unto your Friend, you might have forborn in that place, and done it more privately; To which I anſwered, I knew not but that place was as free as another, he having ſatisfied the Law. The Teſtimony that was given by Mr. Cole was this, ſci. I ſaw Iohn Hazell take Obediah Holmes by the hand, but what he ſaid I cannot tell; this is the Subſtance of all the proceedings untill the laſt day at night, and then they ſaid I ſhould be whipped, but ſaid ſome of their Officers, the Whipper cannot be found, then they commanded that they ſhould be ready by the ſecond day morning, and then I did expect to be called forth, but neither that day, nor the third, nor fourth, was I called, but am as I underſtand reſerved unto the 5th day, to be more publick in the view of the World, and when the 5th day came, as I had many before, ſo alſo then, that would have paid the Fine, if I would give my conſent, which I denyed to doe, and ſo ſet my ſelf by the power of Chriſt to ſuffer what ſhould be inflicted upon me, but when Noon came I was told I ſhould not ſuffer whipping, yet not having a diſcharge, I did not look to be freed untill the Keeper told me, I might goe about my buſineſſe; then I demanded a diſcharge (meaning under the Magiſtrates hands) ſo he bad me goe, he would diſcharge me.
The ſtrokes I was enjoyned by the Court to have, were 10 with a three-corded whip, the very ſame number I underſtand, that the worſt Malefactors that were there puniſhed had, of which ſome were guilty of common Whoredom, other of forcing a little Child, and one Indian for coyning of money; thus far have you a relati▪ on according to my beſt remembrance fromt he firſt to the laſt, of all the paſſages concerning this matter; By me Iohn Hazell, written with mine own hand in Boſton Priſon, the 13 day of the 7th monethmonth, 1651.
A Po…cript▪ Since I wrot, I underſtand there is a report that I was willing to pay my Fine, and that the Magiſtrates would not accept of it without I were willing. Gentle Reader, be pleaſed to underſtand that this is falſe, for it was without my conſent or approbation; And further underſtand, That the Fine was taken by them, upon the profer of Mr. Bendall for Iohn Spur, it was willingly accepted by the Magiſtrates, and approved of, although Iohn Spur did to their faces contradict it, and oppoſe it; therefore good Reader beleeve not ſuch reports.
By me Iohn Hazell
Now of what hath been ſpoken in this Narrative (Reader) this is the ſum.
1 THou maiſt underſtand that the next morning after we three, being ſtrangers, were come to our friends houſe at Lin where we lodged (it being two miles out of the town) we were perſued and alſo apprehended by the Conſtables under the name of erronious perſons being ſtrangers, and by that power were caried (after a full and clear manifeſtation of our unfreeneſs) unto their Aſſembly, then to Priſon, and after a while were alſo brought before their Iudgment ſeat; in which two Aſſemblies, to which we were forced, they drew forth matter enough as they conceived to make us tranſgreſſors, & thereupon proceeded to ſentence us without producing either Accuſer, Witneſs, Iury, Law of God, or man, whereby either we might appear to be guilty, or they to be juſt and juſtified in their proceedings againſt us.
2 After we were thus perſued, and apprehended under the name of erronious perſons and ſtrangers, and by their Court condemned and ſentenced as Herericks or ſciſmaticks, a motion being made by their Governour touching a diſcourſe with their Miniſters, was readily accepted by us, and often repeated, and as often promiſed by them, but yet could not be obtained, as is here at large to be ſeen.
3 Although through the mercifull hand of our God upon us, we had wronged no man, corrupted no man, defrauded no man, as he, together with our Conſciences, then did, and ſtill to this day, do bear us witneſs yet beſides the exceeding great loſs and detriment otherwiſe ſuſtained, we had all no doubt met with as cruell Scourgings as his faithfull ſervants of old, had not the provident hand of our God ſo diſpoſed the hearts of ſome of our friends to lay down our ranſome, by which two did eſcape; and this did evidently appear in the third who came under their zealous, yet mercileſs hands, and received from them 50 ſtripes above the reſtraint of the Iews, as writers report, yea and ſuch entertainment no doubt ſhould ſtrangers or Angels from Heaven, yea Chriſt Ieſus himſelf have received at their hands, if they could effect it, in caſe they ſhould have come among them, and not ſubmitted, (as it is not poſſible they ſhould) unto that golden, and glorious Image or likeneſs of the worſhip and way of God appointed by Chriſt which they have ſet up.
4 When this faithfull Martyr and Witneſs, that Chriſt is the Lord, had born this fourſcore and ten ſtripes cruelly laid on, not only with a patient mind, but with an exceeding great joy of the holy ſpirit, as the ſpectators could not but diſcern, and was looſed from the Poſt, and was going to Priſon again, ſome being inwardly moved with joy in beholding the gracious ſupport which the Lord afforded him (as they have affirmed) could not forbear to take him by the hand, for which thing ſake two of them were apprehended & ſentenced to pay each of them 40 s or els be whipt. Let the Actors themſelves, and all that peruſe their practice for cautions ſake conſider, whether the ſpirit by which they are led thus to act, be not very like unto, if not the ſame which is ſeen, Revel. 13. Acting the ſecond Beaſt that aroſe up out of the Earth which had two hornes like a Lamb, yet ſpake like a Dragon, and exerciſed all the power of the firſt Beaſt that was before him, cauſed a lively Image to be made unto him, and forced the Earth and them that dwel▪ herein, both ſmall and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to worſhip his Image, and that no man might buy, or ſell, ſave he, that had the marke, or the name, or the number of his name. Here is Wiſdom! and let ſuch as deſire from their hearts to live Godly in Chriſt Ieſus, and do as really expect to ſuffer with Chriſt in this preſent evill World, as they do to reign with him in that good World which yet is to come, let ſuch I ſay conſider, and bear ſtill in mind theſe expreſſions, Revel. 13. 10. He that leadeth into Captivity ſhall go into Captivity, he that killeth with the Sword muſt be killed with the Sword; here is the patience and faith of the S▪ ints.
Rev. 12. 11. And they overcame him by the bloud of the Lamb, and by the Word of their Teſtimony, and they loved not their lives unto the death.
Rev. 6. 9, 10, 11. I ſaw under the Altar the Souls of them that were ſlain for the Word of God, and for the teſtimony which they beld; And they cryed with a loud voice ſaying, how long holy and true wilt thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwel on the Earth, &c.
Rev. 20. 4. And I ſaw the Souls of them that were beheaded for the Witneſs of Ieſus, and for the Word of God, and which had not worſhiped the Beaſt, neither his Image, neither had received the marke upon their foreheads; or in their hands, and they lived and reigned with Chriſt a thouſand years.
And now foraſmuch as it was boldly affirmed by a Solicitor for New-England, and that in the Councell Chamber before that honourable Committee there aſſembled in Councell, that men in New-England might freely injoy their underſtandings, and Conſciences, provided they walk civilly among them, and that they that ſuffered of late, did not ſuffer for their Conſciences but for ſome miſdemeanor, thereby endeavouring to poſſeſs thoſe noble breſts with that which is falſe; therefore I think it neceſſary (both for the Vindication of truth, and to the end that ſuch worthy perſons may not be taken with, or deceived by ſuch unworthy reports, ſo as to be drawn to countenance perſons that walk in a way that they are aſhamed in plain and open terms to proſeſs, and acknowledge, for theſe ends I ſay I think it neceſſary to produce their Laws, at leaſt ſuch as ſpeak to the matter in queſtion, whereby theſe two things will plainly appear.
1 That they that will not, or elſe in Conſcience towards God cannot conform to their worſhip, or ſuſpend the worſhip of God as their Souls are perſwaded, are by the authority of their Laws to be forced to the one, and reſtrained from the other, and that the Magiſtrate is thereby not only juſtified in, but alſo injoyned unto, ſuch a proceeding againſt them, although the men otherwiſe walk not only as civilly or ſoberly as themſelves, but alſo righteouſly, and Godly in this preſent evill World, and are ſuch indeed as are a Law to themſelves.
2 Although they have Laws thus to proceed to force all to their worſhip, & to reſtrain thoſe that differ from them, from that worſhip to which their Souls are perſwaded, yet in our caſe they were ſo far tranſported with zeal, that, what they did unto us, they did without Law, yea againſt thoſe Cautions which their own, Laws have provided.