Year
1681
Alternative Title
John Rous's letter to George Fox, George Whitehead, Alexander Parker, 25 December 1681 (MS Vol. 323, 49)
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_049
Language
english
Format
application/pdf
Collection
PRINT Migration Network: AR Barclay Collection
Type
Correspondence; Text
Transcription
[page 1] 49 & [and] caution to make it as publick [public] as might be, wch [which] I know was not intended by the writers & [and] because I said upon reading 4 or 5 lines of the beginning, finding differences & [and] controversies mentioned, yt [that] I did not looke [look] upon yt [that] a fit meeting to read it in, & [and] my words were presently perverted thus, yt [that] I did not looke [look] upon the letter fit to be Read in that meeting, wch [which] God knows was not in my heart, but in regard there were diverse boyes [boys], & [and] young raw & [and] unsetled [unsettled] people: I did not looke [look] up on it soe [so] fit an opportunitie [opportunity] of reading it as was afterwards at a six weekes [weeks] meeting in the same place, where the women came to the men on purpose, & [and] it was twice read & [and] very well received & [and] to remove dissatisfactions, & [and] yt [that] things might be well understood we got a meeting with severall [several] masters of the ships, where things were mildly & cooly [coolly] discoursed, & [and] they seemed to be well satisfied & [and] we hoped should have heard noe [no] more of it, but finding that though all was done yt [that] might be to coole [cool] & [and] made moderate things, there hath [has] been a complaining in England, as if the love of freinds [friends] who writ [wrote] yt [that] letter had been very much slighted, because it was not Just read at that unseasonable time, as I understand by two letters, else I should not have mentioned one word of it, for I know these things cannot be plea sant [pleasant] to you to hear, noe [no] more are they to me to write,. At our last Six weekes [weeks] meeting, John weale with severall [several] others were there, & [and] a [w...] or two happening in a little heat between two freinds [friends], John Weale brings out your epistle, & [and] desired it might be read, wch [which] though not alto gether [altogether] in season, freinds [friends] being then on other busines, [business] wch [which] tooke [took] ym [them] up a Considerable time in debating, yet yt [that] noe [no] offence might be taken, & [and] freinds ^were^ desired to take good notice of the advice in it, it being very wholesome & [and] good; but in reading over the coppie [copy] yt [that] John Weale brought, we found in one place apostles of the Lord instead of a people of the Lord, wch [which] was a mistake Richard fford [Richard Ford] saw in a coppie [copy] of it wch [which] some Apostates had gotten, in wch [which] also was a worse mistake, for [in...] of keep out all discord, it was in theirs keep out all concord, but how they came by yt [that] coppy [copy] were worth enquiring, for I doe [do] Something [fe...] there are severall [several] of the Apostates wch [which] doe [do] endeavour to get coppies [copies] [of?] all particular epistles, wch [which] are of particular service, & [and] reioyce [rejoice] over [h...][torn paper] freinds [friends] when they find any thing of reproofe [reproof] to them, though in [m...] [torn paper] love & [and] tendernes [tenderness]; And I desire yt [that] when there is occasion to send over [an...] [torn paper] epistles, if you know not of any fit here to send them to, there they may be [torn paper] by such as are of a right gospell [gospel] Spirit & [and] not make a bad use of that [w...] [torn paper] is intended for the generall [general] good of freinds [friends]. And there are some wch [which] both come over here, & [and] also give intelligence [f...] [torn paper] London, of whatsoever is spoken though privately yt [that] may reflect up^on^ [upon] [fr...] [torn paper] in generall [general] or any in particular, wch [which] very much gratifies those yt [that] are to [...] filled with preiudice [prejudice] already, & [and] John Weale in the quarterly meeting [...] freinds [friends] yt [that] a good freind [friend] in England said, the paper was witchcrafte [witchcraft] [...] walter Benthall who went a bout a little to mend it said, he said, yt [that] it must needs to have a spirit of witchcraft with it, or else soe [so] many simple people would not have been bewitched to set their hands to it, & [and] divers [diverse] when they come here, yt [that] if they know any thing spoken privately by way of [dis...] of wt [what] is done here, they tell of it [deletion][... ... here][/deletion], & [and] then it is cast forth in open meetings to the great greife [grief] of the honest hearted & [and] stumbling & [and] offence of the weake [weak]. Thomas Parker sent over Thomas Criepes [Thomas Cripps] booke [book] to his son in law who was a little before his going hence married to his daughter by a preist (& [and] he was as I am told to give it to Edward Hunt, who holds a correspondence with the apostates & [and] by whose meaned [means] it hath [has] [come] to be dispersed as it hath [has] been) who should be spoken to, for it was not well with him here, & [and] by this he should be very ill inclined in his minde [mind]. I could be very glad yt [that] this bitter root of preiudice [prejudice] were quite rooted out from among us, for it doth [does] a great deale [deal] of hurt in all our [...] meetings, for when we are on busines, [business] most of the times is [s...] spent in needless disputes, & [and] in publick [public] meetings for want of love the passage of life is stopt [stopped], & [and] mary weale who sometimes speakes [speaks] [a?] few words in meetings, will run out in preiudice [prejudice] so yt [that] she is [...] [torn paper] times almost choaked [choked], one time at a generall [general] meeting at the [b...][torn paper] [page 2] Dear ffather [Father] Dear ffreinds [Friends] GW [George Whitehead] & [and] AP [Alexander Park] [...i...] are truly honourable in the Lord, not only among the [ca...] chosen & [and] ffaithfull [Faithful], who have your outward & [and] bodily [present?] but even in the Ilands [Islands] [af...?] of to whom your love & tender [...] in the Lord ^is^ extended, in your Comfortable advice, & [and] tender [rep...] where things are amisse, the effects whereof hath been mani fested [manifested] in your severall [several] epistles to freinds [friends] in this place; one wch [which] I lately read, being an answer to a paper given forth by our quarterly meeting, to wch [which] mine & [and[ my wives names were ^some^ were [somewhere] [but?] not with a full consent, for though we were very much burdened in ourselves, while many with a greater appearance of ye [the] Lords power being with them, did very much stand up for it, & [and] [Judgment?] yt [that] diverse were there, & [and] who subscribed to the paper, who were [farre?] from submitting to the iudgment [judgement] of the Spirit of truth either in themselves or others, for fear of hindering them from that submission yt [that] might be of Generall [General] benefit, I put my [ha...] & [and] my wife suffered her name to be put to the paper; I cannot [...] Judge the intent of freinds [friends] was good, but the paper was very [...] worded considering wt [what] hands it hath come unto; for the day bef [before] the quarterly meeting was, we got one of Thomas Crispes books where in the paper was permited [permitted] with your answer to it wch [which] though it might doe [do] hurt in others places, yet I know not but it might something moderate the spirits of some who otherwise might have been more rigid. It was read in the open quarterly meeting & your Judgmt [Judgement] freely submitted to, & [and] ordered yt [and] the quarterly meeting paper, should be taken out of the booke [book], & [and] your answer put in the place of it, there were diverse at the meeting who doe [do] not usually come ^thither^ & [and] it is probable the main end of their coming was to hear your answer read, & [and] to vent themselves upon it, wch [which] they did after a large manner, & [and] very ill becoming such a meeting: John weald [John Weald] moved yt [that] freinds [friends] should give forth a paper of condemnation of it, wch [which] should be spread among the world, for he said it had done more hurt then either James Haylour or John Perrot, they [me...] nothing in Comparision of this: And Oliver Hooton had drawne [drawn] [...] some reasons, why he could not signe [sign] the paper, wch [which] ^he^ had written soon after the going forth of the paper, ^wch [which]^ some freinds [friends] were [appo...] ed [appointed] to overlooke [overlook] before it was publickly [publicly] read, & [and] they finding that the reading of it would rather doe [do] hurt then good, & [and] yt [that] the occasion for wch [which] it was written was over, desiring him to let it alone, wch [which] he consenting to, did very much abate the heat in severall [several]; though I was not well satisfied with the writing of the paper, nor in setting my hand to it, yet finding yt [that] severall [several] in a wrong spirit were seen to Joyne [Join] with you in iudging [judging] the paper, & [and] yet would trample upon freinds [friends], wch [which] forced me to keep the closer to freinds [friends], yt [that] they might not be quite overborne: & [and] a paper of Condemnation being [...] it was asked whether you were not full in your Answer, & [and] if such thing had been needfull [needful], whether yee [you] would not have advised freinds [friends] to it: And you not advising to such a thing freinds [friends] did not yeild [yield] look ing [looking] upon it, yt [that] a greater occasion might be taken therby [thereby] then was before given. There are severall [several] yt [that] come ^yet^ to our quarterly & [and] other meetings [b...] upon such occasions as this; & [and] when your epistle with wm [Gibson?] & [and] James Parkes was brought to a meeting of mixt [mixed] people, there were some who had not been (I beleive [believe]) [at?] such a meeting for neer [near] two yeares [years], & [and] though I doe [do] understand the blame of not reading the epistles at yt [that] time was laid upon Ralph ffretwell [Ralph Fretwell] & [and] my selfe [self], [...] was such a dispute before we came into the meeting yt [that] I wondered what was the matter not having heard freinds [friends] soe [so] high since I [...] last unto the Country, & [and] wt [what] I did was by way of endeavouring to [mode?] rate [moderate]; for after much time was spent; & [and] freinds [friends] understood [...] christo =pher [Christopher] [...ham] would have brought it to the [...] a fortnight before, but was perswaded [persuaded] to [...] wherin [wherein] [...red though the [...] was not directed to my [...ting] [m...] other, yet yt [that] wch [which was intended was as there was something of [...]
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, 49, Library of the Society of Friends, London, PRINT, LSF_ARBarclay_MS_Vol323_049 https://stars.library.ucf.edu/printmigrationnetwork-arbarclayvol-323/47
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