not; (c) for [because] I am of thy fellow-servants, and of thy brethren the prophets and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship God." And from this [precedent] I told him I refused to do it unto men." His master endeavoured to convince him, by instances out of the Old Testament, of the reasonableness of his doing what was required of him, 'it being no more than a civil respect between man and man-but he objected that all these were out of the Law, and not from the Gospel : ' and since the New Testament' (he continues) is silent, and gives no account of either Christ or his Apostles being in the practice of bowing, I did not see why either knee or hat should be expected of me; for as for the latter, I have no account at all -Therefore I stood to my principle, and kept to the light and understanding the LORD had given me through Jesus Christ my Saviour, who then was come to my house in spirit, and had brought salvation with him.'

The master persisted and whether from grief (says Thomas) which he was then in, being in all probability likely to part with one of his flock, over which he might look upon himself to be pastor, or from the persuasion of my parents, he began to be more severe, and told me that unless I would make congees to him (as he called them) he would teach me no longer. And although I must confess I would gladly have learned a little more, being then [but] a Bible-scholar, yet [unwilling] to have it in a way I saw I must deny and bear testimony against, I forsook the school at that time, and went home to my father's house, and told my mother the occasion of my coming. And although she took me to the first meeting but a few weeks before, yet she repented it, and would not hear of my suffering by my master, so as to give me any relief: upon which I left the house for a while. But I think I may say the arm of the Lord wrought for me; for my master presently sent word to my mother, that he had done what was in his power to persuade me to be conformable, but he saw it would not do therefore desired her to send me to school again, and said he would leave me to my liberty about religion."

This news being brought to the poor boy, while he was sitting alone under a hedge, not knowing what would become of him, he gladly returned to the school, and found it pretty much as had been told' him. Thus [he says] the Lord pleaded my innocent cause; unto whom be glory ascribed for ever!' This account is taken from the Sixth part of the PIETY PROMOTED; to which division of the work Thomas Raylton wrote a preface, and died soon after in peace and full assurance of future happiness,' about his Fifty-third year: so that his own Memorial is inserted in it, making the last of that Series.

(c) The double example of the angel in Rev. xix, 10 and xxii, 9, is adduced by Friends for not bowing at all to men. But it is of force as an example, surely, rather to make us shun the outward demonstration towards ourselves of a feeling of inferiority in a brother. See thou do it not to me who am thy brother-thy fellow-servant. Give God the glory.' This is the meaning of the sentence: and they who are intimately united, in the fellowship of the Truth, can at no time permit themselves to exact from each other a servile homage. They will be jealous of the measure in which even real respect and esteem shall be shown to the worthy; and will never lose from their remembrance the great precept, 'Worship God!'

Let us now remark on the two cases. The most intolerant stickler for Etiquette would not now venture to justify the choleric fellow who drew his sword on Penn: yet was not such an occurrence, in that age, either a very uncommon or a very surprising one. It was probably matter of little serious public reprobation: they would only say, he had mistaken his man! The young gentleman on whom it fell had enough to do afterwards, about hat and knee, with his father the admiral, the duke and the King: and he carried his point at last, by a better weapon than the sword, with all three. But taking both parties to this rencounter along with the Clerical schoolmaster and his pupil, to how great advantage do the two latter appear! The one had shewn the other many things (as the angel had to John) and he expected along with his pay a little worship also. It was not to be mutual respect for we read nothing of his congees to the boy (whom he also thou'd freely enough). But the boy had been where, along with sound doctrine, he had taken in principle also-and he was not to worship his teacher, having too so apt a precedent in Holy scripture before him. Thus it was not pride but religion-and the considerate master at once laid down the rod—an excellent example to all future teachers of youth: who though they be Doctors of Divinity, or of both Laws, are not, surely, greater personages than the angel who instructed John.

The principle which this youth had imbibed was, undoubtedly, the liberty of the children of the Most High, in the gospel of Christ. He had bowed before the LORD and given up his name to serve Him: he was thenceforth to be no man's humble servant in the worlds' servile flattering spirit. His firmness obtained for him that which he desired; as in the case of Penn and many others, whose history we have: while the tolerant spirit of the Clergyman saved the pupil to his master, and his learning to the pupil.

6

It is not, now, wrath and contumely openly shewn towards him, which the poor Quaker has to encounter, in the world,' both ' 'professing and profane.' It is a more concealed and persistent, a more uncharitable and unchristian enmity-which is ever seeking (and very commonly with success) to put him quietly down. Under such circumstances, he may well desire that on his part, nothing may be lacking which tends to the exercise of a mutual respect and good-will; so he feed not Haman's pride, nor bring himself again into bondage. I have adverted to this subject already in different parts of this work, and shall have occasion hereafter, in treating the character of George Fox, go into it more particularly. In the mean time let me recommend, to all whom it may concern, the example of the tenderness shewn by his Clerical tutor to the honest preaching blacksmith (for such he afterwards became) Thomas Raylton. Ed.

to

Ackworth, 20th, Sixth Month, 1834. Report of the Presentations of the PETITION of FRIENDS respecting Tithes, &c. Not having any account of these from an Eye-witness, I must take what is inserted in the public prints: to which, as found there, I must likewise add a few remarks of my own.

On the 16th in the Commons, (we are informed) "Sir George

Strickland presented a Petition from eight hundred of the Society of Friends, assembled at their Yearly Meeting from all parts of the country. The petitioners considered all exaction in support of any form of religious worship to be contrary to the spirit of the word of God; and therefore prayed that all tithes, church-rates and all other Ecclesiastical demands may be abolished." Times, June 17th. This short paragraph is all I find relating to it: not even the notice appearing, of the petition being laid on the Table, although by the PATRIOT it should seem that nine or ten speeches were made just before, upon a complaint of the burning of a Bible! From the end of last month, when the petition was ready, to the date of this presentation is, what a Yorkshireman would call two days over a fortnight,-a space of time probably sufficient for any minister of tact and credit (having good correspondence also with the agents of the parties) to secure its being still-born and nullified. No reason of force can be assigned, why this petition was not in the hands of a member in two days after its completion, and presented the third. Our York-county member was disposed, I am sure, to do us all the service he could with propriety; and the same, I believe, may be said of Lord Suffield, who presented it to the House of Peers the day before yesterday.

According to the Times Reporter, the Noble Lord must have stated concerning the petitioners, merely that "they prayed to be relieved from the rates and tithes due for religious services [services never partaken of, be it remembered, by them] to the payment of which they objected, not from political motives but purely on religious grounds." I had experience enough last year, in a single visit to the House and subsequent perusal of the papers, to convince me that little reliance is to be had on the Reporters, for giving us fairly and correctly of their own accord, the substance of what each member says. Where sufficient interests are in operation, they seem to take further helpswhich might have been given them in this case. But if our leading Friends in London, grown indifferent to the publication of our Testimonies, or even to the success of our prayers concerning them, thus defer or neglect our own case, how can we expect it to be forwarded in the House? To proceed, however, after the Reporter, the presentation being made, "the Bishop of London said that the Petitioners would soon have the means of avoiding the payment of Tithe, if the Legislature passed the Tithe-commutation bill." And Lord Wynford-" that the petitioners expressed a wish, that Parliament would do nothing to strengthen the title of the Church to tithes. He believed that it could not be strengthened: it was as strong as the best title that ever existed." Times, 19th June.

Will Lord Wynford now permit me, not as asserting but as presuming that he advanced the position in such terms, to go once more into court with him? He will recollect, I dare say, an occasion on which he was opposed as Counsel to a plea of myself with others, relating to the Whit-monday sports of his own communion, many years ago, in Essex. I have now, in my own cause and my friends' in profession, to request that he will shew us, First, The church' (putting the parson, who he will admit is a corporation, sole, and not a church, out

of the question) in which is vested any right or title to Tithe at all: Secondly the tithe -the produce of land in any parish, the parson of which may legally lay hands on it, or take any step to possess himself of it, before it has been 1. severed from the soil, and 2. either set out for his use as tithe, or being carried off or stacked indiscriminately with the remainder, 3. adjudged to him, as tithe, upon complaint to a Magistrate, that it has been so detained.

The incorporeal right, as it is termed, (the 'title' if he will) of the parson, or body claiming as a corporation, not being a church, is in fact the right which any man may be said to have to that which is customarily giren him—but which we prefer suffering to be first adjudged, as his customary due, by the Magistrate; and, so, legally taken. This title (we know to our cost) rests now on Acts of Parliament—and, far from contravening, we submit quietly to a forcible extension of it, in the taking of our produce in kind, when severed; without Justice's warrant or any special legal sanction for the act. In claiming and taking ‘dues' of him in any way, Lord Wynford's CHURCH presumes that the Quaker is her member: I may inform him, here, that neither myself nor any ancestor of mine up the fourth or fifth generation, (probably none of them at all) have ever belonged to it; and, with how many more, that are in like manner opppressed by her, this is notoriously the case, I need not remind him. In a country professing a toleration, a full conviction of the judgment, and consistent proceedings in other Church fellowship, should be tantamount, as an exemption, to the never having belonged: and in neither case ought any man to be deprived of his first right, THE PEACEABLE ENJOYMENT OF HIS OWN, on mere Church pretences. The exemption from these claims (called rights) which we the people called Quakers* ask, is that which we have ourselves granted to others, where we had the power to take: we ask it on Christian ground, and by that law of equity which teaches men to do in all things as they would be done by: Will Lord Wynford persist in refusing it? I would hope, rot.

There was certainly no occasion given (however calumny might cause it to be taken) for a deprecation on our part of 'political motives' to such a request-we rest, as a body, on our ancient wellknown principle and practice. But supposing such motives to actuate us, or any of us, as individuals, have not we too a Civil interest to preserve and defend? We are not so dull (deluded as we too often are, through our much faith) not to perceive that what we may be eased of, as quakers, by the proposed measures of Government, is afterwards not very kindly or very honourably (we think) to be taken from us as Englishmen. This, for reply to the consolatory matter offered us by Bishop Philpotts-but I do entreat Lord Wynford, as I revere the laws of my Country and love sound lawyers, to read a little of what I have elsewhere written on the subject. Were we going to be sent to Australia under his sentence, he must, yet, hear us first— and the like, were we to be put under a commission of Lunacy. I shall trouble his Lordship no further the Indexes will shew where he may find the passages on Tithe. Ed.

* Nomina honesta vitiis [turpia virtutibus] prætenduntur.

THE

YORKSHIREMAN,

A

RELIGIOUS AND LITERARY JOURNAL

BY A FRIEND.

PRO PATRIA.

No. XLVIII. SECOND DAY, 30th SIXTH Mo. 1834.

PRICE 4d.

ART. I.-Miseries occasioned by the Continental War, in the Circle of Upper Meissen and other parts of Germany, in 1813: Latin Verses by an Old Schoolmaster, testifying gratitude for the relief sent to the sufferers from Britain: a young Schoolmaster in Britain: of that period at home.

Translation of the Verses by Remarks on some transactions

It is not for the poetry but for the piety, and the prophecy (as through the unmerited goodness of Almighty God it has proved to us) which the following verses exhibit, that I incline, after the lapse of twenty years, to give them a place in a work which may secure to them a more than ephemeral date. Severe as is the lesson inculcated on erring mankind by the miseries of war, it has been heretofore found possible to persuade the next generation to make light of them; and seduced by the empty splendour of Military exploits, performed by an enthusiastic but unreflecting people, to drink in, once more and yet once more, the poison of the druin and fife, the gazette and the warsermon. It is therefore still the duty (however some may shake their heads at it) of every advocate of peace on earth and good will to man' to bear his testimony at seasonable times, and without letting pass too long an interval, against this desolating abomination, so clearly condemned by the Gospel of Christ, and growing more and more (let us thank God!) into discredit; by the better education of the youth, and the diffusion of sound knowledge among the adults of this age. May none of these who, looking back upon the pages

of