Year
1681
Alternative Title
John Rous's letter to George Fox, George Whitehead, Alexander Parker, 25 December 1681 (MS Vol. 323, 48)
Sender Place
Barbados
Receiver
George Fox; George Whitehead; Alexander Parker
Receiver Place
London, England
Repository holding original letter
Library of the Society of Friends
Full Date
1681-12-25
Document Type
Correspondence
Country, State, Location 1
13.16453, -59.55165
Country, State, Location 2
51.507407, -0.12772404
Subjects
Fell family; Society of Friends; Quakers; Religious communities; Religious minorities
Genre
Correspondence
Abstract
Correspondence, dated December 25, 1681 (25 10mo. 1681 Quaker Style), from John Rous, to George Fox; George Whitehead; Alexander Parker
PRINT ID
LSF_ARBarclay_MS_Vol323_048
Language
english
Format
application/pdf
Collection
PRINT Migration Network: AR Barclay Collection
Type
Correspondence; Text
Transcription
[page 1] where many of the world were after many good testimonies & [and] [...s] freinds [friends] very open, she stood up & [and] said he yt [that] dips his hand in the [d...] with me is the same yt [that] shall betray me, ffreinds [friends] looke [look] to it you are all concerned, it being upon Richard fford [Richard Ford] to pray before he stood up he kneeled downe [down] & [and] prayed, & soe [so] stopped ^I [hope?]^ from further proceeding wch [which] John Weale tooke [took] such offence at: yt [that] privately asking me what I thought of Richard ffords [Richard Fords] soe [so] doing, I said I feared if he had not done soe [so] it might have been worse wch [which] John called the very quintes sence [quintessence] of enmitie. [enmity] ffreinds [friends] have used many endeavours [endezvors] to gain[...] John Weale, & [and] are willing to passe [pass] by & [and] forget all that is past & [and] if anything still rests yt [that] cannot be buried & [and] forgiven to discourse it in coolnes [coolness], I have much laboured with him diverse times to gaine [gain] a reconciliation & [and] after he had abundantly eased his minde [mind], I told him yt [that] when he had said all yt [that] he could, the ballance [balance] of the acct [account] must be this, yt [that] we must forgive one another, as God for christ sake has forgiven us, but as yet I doe [do] not see yt [that] anything doth [does] prevaile [prevail]. ffreinds [friends] having a desire to speake [speak] with his wife & [and] Thomas Clarke to see in love to rectifie [rectify] wt [what] was amisse [amiss], & [and] invited them to a meeting of freinds [friends] in the ministry, where John Weale came with them & [and] [...] had a great deale [deal] of moderate discource [discourse] first with Thomas Clarke perswading [persuading] him to refraine [refrain] his frequent ^going^ to Allice Lear formerly Allice Butcher who is in great opposition to freinds [friends], & [and] freinds [friends] fear his going thither, [there] & [and] not being soe [so] wise as he should be, is both a hurt to her & [and] himselfe [himself], & [and] John Weale did then tell freinds [friends] yt [that] a freind [friend] toe [to] him, yt [that] he heard george fox [George Fox] say yt [that] he did well in visiting her wch [which] if ffreinds [friends] were sencible [sensible] was for either of their good, they would not be agst [against], but they have cause to dear the Contrary, seeming they are very ffreindly [friendly] & [and] familier [familiar], & [and] yet she hath [has] an utter enmitie [enmity] agst [against] all other freinds [friends]] & [and] would not soe [so] much as speake [speak] with or see diverse freinds, [friends] though they have gone many miles in the love of God to visit her. dear freinds [friends] those things were in my minde [mind] to acquaint you with knowing your naturall [natural] care for the truth, & [and] that knowing wt [what] the greife [grief] is, you may according to the wisdome [wisdom] of God in you apply a suitable Remedie [remedy], for we have found by experience (of wch [which] I will give divers [diverse] evidences) yt [that] Epistles from you who are Elders have [been] of Great service here. I have had something upon my Spirit for [a] considerable time, having often weighed & [and] waited to know wt [what] was the occasion of the great deadnes [deadness] & [and] dulnes [dullness] yt [that] hath [has] been in our meet ings [meetings] in Generall [general], even when the best of freinds [friends] amongst us have been gathered together, & [and] it opened in me yt [that] it was want of love & yt [that] that only remedie [remedy] wilbe [will be] a promoting ^of^ love in generall [general], for the effecting of wch [which], it was upon ^me^ to propound it to the meeting of freinds [friends] in the ministry, that difference & [and] justifies may be wholy [wholly] laid as [...] & [and] all yt [that] had ought agst [against] another might for give one another as they expect God for christs sake should forgive them, wch [which] at present is [...] the consideration of that meeting, & [and] when it is fully closed with thee [you] may goe [go] to the quarterly & [and] six weekes [weeks] meetings, & [and] from thence to the particular monthly meetings, & [and] from thence to each particular, e ven [even] the apostates themselves, yt [that] as many as truly embrace the offer of Gods love to them may be gathered, but those who reiect [reject] it may remaine [remain] excluded, wch [which] I beleive [believe] will reach where anything of sinceritie [sincerity] & [and] honestie [honesty] is. And as to our meetings I thinke [think] it necessarie [necessary] to give you an acct [account], yt [that] when thee [you] write any epistles you may direct them to those meetings you would have them read at, & [and] then there wilbe [will be] noe [no] controversie [controversy] but your directions followed, we have four quarterly meetings wch [which] ^are^ at four freinds [friends] houses in the Country wch [which] hold 3 daies [days] a pce [piece] two daies [days] for meetings of worship & [and] [a] third day for busines [business], only we cannot yet bring them to the full service, because divers [diverse] intrude who are not fit to be at such meetings, I have often desired yt [that] it might be ordered yt [that] none should come to quarterly meetings but such as are either chosen or well approved of by the particular meetings, but some are fearing it may give severall [several] offence, have ^not^ yeilded [yielded] to it, soe [so] yt [that] we are forced many times to [weare?] busines [business] necessarie [necessaries], & [and] sometimes weake [weak] freinds [friends] hear disputes wch [which] are not for their benefit [in] wch [which] case our Advice might be servicable [serviceable]. [page 2] we have also between every quarterly meeting two generall [general] Monthly meetings at the bridge towne [town], wch [which] continues two daies [days], the first days [...] of wch [which] meeting used to be for bussines [business], & [...]l till they were altered [...] great meetings of contention, but now we meet the men apart from the women a bout two or three hours, where if any generall [general] espistles come (having only relation to doctrine) are read, & [and] ordered how to [be] dispersed among freinds [friends], & [and] a collection made, & [and] then both men & [and] women goe [go] downe [down] into the publick [public] meeting & [and] there have a meeting of worship to the men & [and] womens meeting marriages are sometimes brought after they have passed the particular meetings, & [and] because there is little comes to this meeting wch [which] may admit disputes, there are invited to [...] young convinced freinds [friends], & [and] freinds [friends] children who are growing towards [...] of discretion, & [and] since meetings have been thus altered, they have been [...] peacable [peaceable], though some who consented to the altering of them, are not now well pleased with ym [them], the second day of this generall [general] meeting in the morning, freinds [friends] in the ministry meet for the supplying of the first daies [days] meetings for a fortnight ^& [and] afterwards there is publick [public] meetings for worship^ & [and] between the generall [general] meeting & [and] the quarterly we have a meeting on the 3d [Third] day of the weeke, where in the morning freinds [friends] in the ministry meet, & [and] where things are treated of in relation to the publick [public] service of truth, but soe [so] many pressent [present] yt [that] often times we cannot speake [speak] to things necessarie [necessary], after this morn ing [morning] there is a publick [public] meeting for worship, where are most of freinds [friends] in the ministry in the Iland [island], but many coming a great way & [and] our time being short, we are streightened [straitened] yt [that] we cannot goe [go] through things neces sarie, [necessary] & [and] soe [so] were glad dear father, of thy [your] advice to have yt [that] meeting on the second day wch [which] we have not had time yet to settle. we have also six weekes [weeks] meeting not soe [so] much from the time a [s...] busines [business] there treated on, answering the busines [business] of the six weekes [weeks] meeting at London, & [and] to these meetings we would willingly have [no...] [...e] but established freinds [friends], such as are sound in their minds & [and] Judgmts [Judgements] & [free?] from contention, though we cannot alwaies [always] have it soe [so], but some [we...] freinds [friends] & [and] those yt [that] are in contention will come to the hurt of our meet ings [meetings] And having 6 Divisions we have in every division a particular monthly meeting to wch [which] all yt [that] are convinced & [and] walke [walk] honestly doe [do] come, [...] first daies [days] wch [which] have 5 or 6 publick [public] meetings; wch [which] at meeting [...] in the ministry we take care to supply, wch [which] doe [do] soe [so] fall in turnes [turns], yt [that] [on...] in 5 weekes [weeks], there is a publick [public] meeting on first daies [days] to wch [which] any yt [that] [...] [torn paper] may come in any part of the Iland [island], & [and] for [deletion]your[/deletion] the further inform[...] [torn paper] of freinds [friends] I doe [do] intend to send my brother meade [Meade?] a plat [plate] of ye [the] [...] [torn paper]] with the severall [several] division lines drawne [drawn] in it, & [and] an acct [account] of all s[...] [torn paper] meetings in the Iland [island], wch [which] may be ready for freinds [friends] informa[...] [torn paper] when ever there is occasion. I have been the more large being desirous fully to enform [inform] [...] in all things, yt [that] knowing how it is with us you may yeild [yield] us [...] [torn paper] assistance & [and] prayer, yt [that] the unseemly practice ^of convertion [conversion?]^ wch [which] through l[...] [torn paper] of time Continuance may well be tearmed [termed] a custome, [custom] may be [...] ded [...ded.] from amongst us, & [and] yt [that] we may live in love as it becometh [...] disciples of our Lord & master, wch [which] is longed for & [and] earnestly [...] ed [...ed]] by Dear ffather [Father] thy [your] dear son & [and] Dear ffreinds [friends] your dear [f...] in the Everlasting truth. Barbados ye [the] 25th of the 10th moth [December 25] 1681 John Rous ffor [For] my dear ffather [Father] George ffox [George Fox] And my Dear ffreind [Friend] whitehead & Alexander Parker a 7th in [London]
Creator (Linked Data)
Rous, John, -1695 [LC]
Rous, John, -1695 [VIAF]
John Rous (Q18810890) [Wikidata]
Receiver (Linked data)
Fox, George, 1621-1691 [VIAF]
George Fox (Q310439) [Wikidata]
Whitehead, George, 1636?-1723 [LC]
Whitehead, George, 1636?-1723 [VIAF]
George Whitehead (Q5546221) [Wikidata]
Parker, Alexander, 1628-1689 [LC]
Parker, Alexander, 1628-1689 [VIAF]
Alexander Parker (Q4719803) [Wikidata]
Citation
John Rous to George Fox, George Whitehead, Alexander Parker, 25 December 1681, AR Barclay Collection, MS Vol. 323, 48, Library of the Society of Friends, London, PRINT, LSF_ARBarclay_MS_Vol323_048 https://stars.library.ucf.edu/printmigrationnetwork-arbarclayvol-323/46
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