ANOTHER OUTCRY OF THE Innocent & Oppressed.  
BEING A true Account of the unjust and illegal proceed of Richard Rainsford and Roger Norwich, and others; against Thomas Allen, Francis Child, Richard Coe, and William Line, being such as are called QUAKERS, at the GENERAL Quarter Sessions Holden at the CASTLE In NORTHAMPTON ON The 12. and 13 days of the 10th. month 1665. where Rich. Rainsford sat in Judgement, AND When Richard Rainsford saw that the Plague was somewhat ceased, (as Pharaoh did Exodus 9.34.) he hardened his heart, and those called Justices that joined with him, so their hearts were hardened that they attempted the second time unjustly to pass Sentence to Transport the Servants of the Lord to the Island of Barbados.  
Printed in the Year 1665.   

Another Outcry of the Innocent and Oppressed, etc.  
UPon the 13. day of the 10th. Month in the Afternoon, when the other business of the Country was ended, the Prisoners were brought from the Goal where they had been kept near five Months, and being come were set to the Bar, Richard Raynsford who was Judge, commanded the Gaoler to take off their Hates, which was done, than one of the Prisoners named Thomas Allen, said unto them, if ye were men of Wisdom and understanding, ye would not seem to take notice of such a beggarly Rudiment as the Hat; whereat some of them laughed like Children in a Play; but the Court being silent again, the Judge commanded the Clerk to read the Indictment, which was done, the substance of it was, that the Prisoners being formerly taken, at an unlawful assembly, Meeting, or Conventicle at the House of Thomas Allen in Dingly, together with divers Malefactors, to the number of 30. persons, or above, and being thereof twice lawfully convicted before Obrian Cockain, Lord Viscount Cullaine, Roger Norwich Baronet, and Lewis Palmer Esquire, and being since that taken again at the same place, and committed to Prison by the said Roger Norwich, and Lewis Palmer, as disturbers of the public peace, stood lawfully indicted for the same, etc. much more of falsehood and lies was added unto it, as it is ordinarily known to them that are acquainted with their Practice; nevertheless, the Judge spoke to Thom. Allen, Are you guilty of this Indictment or not? to which he answered, The Indictment I find is false, and may have as many lies in it as lines; at which the Judge seemed angry, saying, Lies, lies! the Prisoner answered, A lie is a lie, and how should I otherwise express it: then the Judge said again, Well, are you guilty or not? then the Prisoner answered, I am not guilty of what is contained in the Indictment. Then the Judge called Francis Child, Art thou guilty or not guilty? To which he answered, I have something to say before I plead to that; I am very glad the Lord hath found me worthy at this day to bear witness to his truth against a hard hearted and cruel Generation; I desire we may be removed from our strict Imprisonment to work for our bread, for I believe we might find more mercy amongst the Turks.  
The Judge said again, are you guilty or not of this Indictment?  Pris. 
I am not guilty, for there are many lies in it, therefore I fear you not, do your work that you may have your wages, for the Lord hath yet more Arrows to shoot at you.  Judge 
called to William Line, saying, are you guilty or not guilty?  Prisoner. 
I am not guilty, I have been but twice convicted by your Law.  Judge. 
What have you to say for yourself?  Pri. 
I am a Labouring man and have a Wife and five Children, and if you take me from my labour it may go hard with them.  
Richard Coe being demanded the same as the other by the judge, he answered, that he was not guilty.  
Then a sort of poor Country men, whom they had prepared on purpose for their service, were called and sworn to this effect, that they should well and truly try betwixt the King and the Prisoners at the Bar, according to the Evidence; exceptions were made against some of them by the Prisoners, knowing them to be men as were not capable of doing such a service, telling the Court that by a Law lately made they might not serve, having not Land of such a value; but one Randolph a known enemy to the truth of God, executing the Clerk's Office, said, they may serve your turn; and would not allow of our exceptions, but proceeded to the examination of Witnesses that were brought in against us, which being done, Thomas Allen having the Act there, read and showed to the Court and Jury a Proviso in it, in these words following, Provided always that no person shall be punished for any offence against this Act, unless such Offenders be prosecuted for the same within three Months after the Offence committed. Nevertheless, the Judge refused to allow us the benefit of the Law in that particular, although we had been in Prison near five Months, and had so much exceeded the limit of the Act, and pleaded against us, saying, the Sessions was adjourned because of the Sickness, and upon that account the day upon which they should have been kept, and this, are both one day; which were more than two Months after: then Thomas Allen answered, Nay, they are two days besides many days betwixt: nevertheless the Judge knowing they had a Jury upon whom they could set their own stamp as easily as upon a lump of Clay, stood opposite to the thing, although allowed and approved by several others upon the like occasion; then the judge said, you are such as will not be subject to the King's Laws: to which Thomas Allen answered, art thou a man sitting in Judgement and hast no more to say against us, the very Rabble in the Streets can say as much as that; but tell us if thou canst what Laws of the Nation there are which we are not more subject to then you yourselves, save only those which concern the Worship of God, which King and Parliament have nothing at all to do with, for what power and authority is that which will dare to take upon them to prescribe a way for God's Worship? I say, this is Antichrist, the highest presumption in all the earth: then the Judge said, do not you prescribe a way: the Prisoner answered, nay, we prescribe none. Then the Judge spoke to the Jury to go forth.  
Thomas Allen said, what need they to go forth, are we not clearly acquitted by the Act? to which the Judge would give no Answer; the Jury standing still in the Court, Randolph the Clerk told them they must go forth; then they begun to go away, but Thomas Allen called them to stay a while, which they did, than he spoke to them in these words, Friends, I would have you to take notice of the great Judgements of God which have come upon this Nation since these cruel Laws were made and put in execution against us, you know we had some years ago a great and tempestuous wind by which many Trees were torn up by the Roots, and Houses laid on heaps; after that a strange infectious disease fell among Horses, such a one as hath not usually been heard of, whereby many hundreds died in several places, to the great damage of Husbandmen and others; after that a great rot of Sheep for two years together, by which many men were ruined, whose substance consisted principally in those Cattle; and now of late a sore Judgement of the Plague, such as never was in the memory of man, in so much that the Plagues of England hath been well nigh equal to the Plagues of Egypt; and besides all these, the trade and prosperity of the Nation is so much decayed, that things never looked with such a face in England as they do at this day. But whiles he was thus speaking to them, they were commanded to go forth, so they went and stayed a pretty while, and at their coming in, it was asked whether or no they were agreed upon their verdict? they answered, yes; then the Clerk asked them▪ who should speak for them? but they being men altogether unacquainted with such a service, made no Answer; than it was asked again if the Foreman should speak for them? they said, Yes; then said the Clerk, how do you find them? the Foreman said Guilty twice; well than said the Clerk, you find them guilty? the Foreman said, Yes; upon this the Clerk recorded them all guilty, and the Judge passed sentence upon them, to be Transported unto Barbados, and no more. The business being done, some of the Jurymen told the Prisoners that things were not rightly done according to their agreement, for the agreement was to acquit them; whereupon the Prisoners asked them why they did not speak when they see such a gross miscarriage in the Court? their answer was, they feared if they should have spoken, the Judge would have laid them by the heels.  
Here all may see the gross malicious wickedness and corruption both of Richard Raynsford Judge, and Randolph that was Clerk.  
First, in denying the Prisoners the benefit of the Law, which others have had at several times in the like case, and have been acquitted thereupon without any other proceed.  
Secondly, in trying them by a Jury not allowed nor approved by the Law.  
Thirdly, in not allowing the Prisoners their exception made against them, nor their lawful reasons why.  
Lastly, in perverting the Judgement and verdict of the Jury, and passing sentence thereupon.  
Oh thou County of Northampton who art placed upon the middle and top of the Nation, whose Waters falls from the East, West, North and South, into the Ocean, thou hast in this work of persecution exceeded all the Counties of this Nation, thou wert the first that in all the South of England (eleven years ago) imprisoned the true Prophets of the Lord, whom the Lord had raised in the North Country, William Dewsberry, John Whitehead. Thomas Stubs, and Thomas Coodaire, with many more; the Devil hath had his chief Inland Garrison in the midst of thee, and his Instruments hath continually to this day cast into thy Prison the servants of the Lord, and they have there borne their faithful Testimonies for the Lords truth, and no wickeder cruel Gaolers hath been found in England then hath been there to this day; and the Priests there hath put to their strength at all times to drive on the Magistrates to persecute, and never had they one more at their command then Judge Raynsford is for them at this day; who hath been the alone Magistrate that hath caused Persecution of the Lords People, and to execute the cruel and unmerciful Act in banishing of them. John Whitfield Priest of Bugbrook, and one Richard Harris and Thomas Hog, the Priests of Keslinberry and Farthingston, are they which ride upon the back of the Beast to make him be the executioners of their bloody intents; these Priests have cast into the Prison this last year divers of the Lords people, because they could not for Conscience sake pay them Tithes at the beginning of Harvest, and when they were in Prison, they carried away the poor people's Grain, in some places above half that grew upon their Land; and some asked them why they did so? they answered that they might take what they would, there was no Law for the Quakers now; and still keeps their bodies in Prison to this day. Thus O County of Northampton thou wilt one day be even a shame to the Nation; but this we say in honour of those Magistrates that have been true suffering Royalists, not one of them that formerly suffered for the late King, but hath and doth show themselves like men in their places, and will have no hand in Persecution, but those that have been Turncoats of the Amalekitest breed, they are the men that drive on the Devils work of Persecution in this Country; for they having never done no good for their King before: Now they think there is no other way to merit and get into the favour of the King, but by persecuting of the people of the Lord, and at last they will prove the greatest enemies to the King in the Nation, and a hissing unto all people. In this County was the first bloodshed in the beginning of the late War that was shed in England, and at Nasby the late King upon the very top of England, had his last and total overthrow; upon the top of this Nation John Lambert was taken, and had his great and last overthrow; four years ago the Lord sent a Rain in May that drowned a Town called Weedon, and other Towns on the top of England to the damage of many thousands of pounds, and never did no hurt in places where it went lower; and now this last Visitation this year no less than 16. Towns were visited with the Plague, and yet they repent not of their wickedness, but still go on to provoke the Lord.  

The Cause of the Innocent spread before the Lord, and the unjust Proceed of the Rulers against them, before all People.  
Luke 18.7. Now shall not God avenge his Elect which cry day and night unto him, yea though he suffers long for them, I tell you he will avenge them quickly. Therefore all ye Rulers of this Nation of England that have set yourselves in battle ray with all your might and power against the Lord and against his seed, that according to what his true Prophet Jeremiah declared, the Lord hath raised in this Northern Island, which he hath said must dwell in their own Land, you through the envy and wickedness that rules in your hearts seeks to murder, banish, imprison, persecute, and to root out, and to destroy this seed whom the Lord hath raised, and that he hath blessed and will bless now, henceforth and for evermore.  
Now that your wickedness may appear even to your own view, and that you may be ashamed for that which you have done, and are a doing against the Lord and against his people here amongst you; I would have you to consider what the Lord hath done for you ye Rulers of England, remember, were you not in a low condition not many years since, and was it then in your hearts to do to us as now you have done, if the Lord would but restore you into your power and places again? if you were at that time so resolved to do, your tongues and declaration did not at that time declare the same thing, but it was promised that none should suffer for his Religion, in case he lived peaceably in the Nation, and these promises were not by force forced from you, but it was done freely by you, and it was the Lord that made the terms with you, and not man, and after that time the Lord gave your enemies into your hands, and without your Sword or Bow, or the valour of your men of War, the Lord brought you again into your possession, and the Lord performed what he had decreed, as concerning your Restauration; and it had been well for you and this Nation if you had performed what you had promised to the Lord in the behalf of his people; but to this day the Lords people hath and doth grievously suffer under your power, who hath lived peaceably under you, and hath never at any time molested your Authority, neither have they ever made any plot or Conspiracies against you or your Authority, nor never joined with any that did, to this day, and yet ye have made us the only mark that ye shoot at, contrary to what ye have promised unto us; and before the Righteous God we have spread our innocent cause and sufferings, and he hath heard our cry, and now he is arisen to plead our Cause, and woe and misery and destruction will assuredly be the portion of all those that are found fight against him, as you are at this day.  
Hear O ye Rulers of England the Lord's controversy against you, you have contrary to your promises abused, persecuted, imprisoned his servants, and you have made an unrighteous Law to banish them forth of the Land, and you have put in execution this your unnatural Law, & are still putting it into execution, you have hardened your hearts far beyond Pharaoh, and your cruelty towards the Lord's people hath far exceeded his towards Israel, he never imprisoned the Israelites, neither did he ever shut them up that they might not labour for their livelihood, but you have shut up thousands of the Lords people in Prisons and Dungeons, and there they are at this day, and by that means they cannot labour with their hands to get bread for themselves and their families, and yet you are so cruel that you force your taxes from them: O cruelty far exceeding Egypt's bondage; and Pharaoh's sin was, he would not have had Israel gone from him out of his Country, when the Lord sent for them by Moses; but your sin is this, you have made a Law to force the Lords people out of their Native Country, where the Lord hath raised them, and placed them; therefore as you have exceeded them in cruelty, towards the Lord's people, so will the Lord multiply his Plagues upon you as upon Egypt, until you be made to let Israel alone to Worship the Lord, as his good Spirit shall lead and direct them; and notwithstanding you have thus rebelled against the Lord, and abused his servants ever since the Lord hath restored you into power, yet hath the Lord's mercy been showed towards you, and his good spirit hath a long time striven with you, and the Lords servants whom you call Quakers have at all times been faithful unto you, and they have told you the mind of the Lord, and what would come upon you in case you went on with your wicked work of persecution of the Innocent, but to this day you have regarded them not, but have persecuted and abused them, both Rulers, Priests, and People, and you have dealt far worse and cruel with them then Pharaoh did by Moses and Aaron, and now the Lords wrath is kindled against you, and there is like to be no remedy, for you have hardened your hearts against the Lord, and you have not believed his Prophets, therefore you cannot prosper; thy Judges O England have perverted the Law, and by that means hath made many widows and fatherless Children, and their cry hath entered into the ears of the Lord of Hosts, who now will surely plead their Cause, and will reward into thy bosom for the wrong thou hast done unto his Chosen, and as thou hast (notwithstanding thy warnings) hardened thy heart against the Lord and his people, so now hath he given thee up to hardness of heart, the greatest of all Judgements, and the nearest to destruction, and thou hast shut thy eyes against the light, and would neither see nor hear, nor take notice of the mighty works of the Lord that he hath made manifest in thee, and now great is the darkness that hath covered thee; John saw in the Revelation three unclean Spirits like Frogs come out of the mouth of the Dragon, Beast and false Prophets, and they have come unto thee to stir thee up to battle against the great day of God Almighty, and to two of these thou hast lent thy ear, and took their Council, O how hath thy false Prophets deceived thee, and persuaded thee to carry on thy work of persecution, and banishing the righteous out of thy Land, and though the Lord appeared in his Judgements against thee ever since the very week that thou gins to banish his servants, yet have they not given over, but both in Cities and Countries they have made it their work to preach to the People that the Plague would not cease, but did increase because the Rulers had not banished the Quakers forth of the Land, and so Judge Rainsford said this Sessions in open Court that the Reason was that God's Judgements were so in the Nation because they had not removed the Quakers out of the Land; but he and other Judges and Rulers being blind, cannot or will not see what is the cause, no more than Pharaoh could when the Lord struck off his Chariot Wheels when he was pursuing Israel into the Sea. For ye Judges and Rulers, if that is the cause that God's Judgements are so upon the Nation, then why did you not make more haste to remove God's Judgement; have not you seen how the Lord hath fought against you ever since you have gone about this cursed work of Persecution, and especially of banishing the Lords people, have you ever prospered since you have begun in any thing that ever you have put your hands unto, how hath the Lord fought against you; will all his four Elements, as Winds, Fire, and Waters, and those creatures that have fed upon the Earth, how have they been corrupted and brought to nothing, to the impoverishing of thy Inhabitants, how hath thy Trading decayed both in Cities and Countries, so that the people's hearts even now gins to fail them, and these going before to forewarn thee, but thou taking no notice of them, how hath the Lord smote thee lately in thy Cities with the Plague, and laid thousands upon heaps in a short space, but this thy Rulers have taken little notice of neither; and now the Lord hath much taken this Judgement of the Plague off on thee, once more to try thee if thou will let his people go free, but being taken off, thy Rulers gins again to harden their hearts, and already make haste to go on with their cursed work of sentencing the people of the Lord in this County of Northampton to Banishment, as is seen by Richard Rainsford this Sessions, who said the cause was why he did not do it at Michaelmas Sessions was, because of the Plague which that time was hot in the Country, but now he is the first in the Nation that is heard of that gins this wicked work, as Pharaoh did when the Plague was taken off, but it cannot be but taken notice of, that though the Plague had ceased in London many weeks before, yet that week that this wicked Judge began his cursed work to sentence the innocent again, that very week the Lord made an increase of the Plague again in the Chief City, to let him and all other wicked Rulers know that their work of persecution is the cause of the Lords sending and continuing of his Judgements upon this Land, and it had been well if the Rulers in this Nation after they had so grievously sinned against the Lord in persecuting of his people, and by that work had caused God's Judgements to be poured down upon them, and if they had repent of their evil works, and with David had been willing to have fallen into the hands of the Lord, it might have been that the Lord would have been merciful unto them, and the Lords wrath might have been appeased towards them and the Land, but they have and do still rebel against the Lord, and say in their hearts still, We know not the Lord, and who is the Lord that we should obey him? and will do what they can to drive on their Chariots, (though the Lord hath struck off their Wheels) to the pursuing of Israel, and think because they 〈◊〉 taken their flight and have run with the swiftest from this 〈◊〉 that the Lord hath no other that can take hold on them, 〈◊〉 Lord hath other Plagues in store for such Persecuters as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 cease nor repent, as he had for Pharaoh after he had escaped 〈◊〉 plague of smiting the firstborn in Egypt, and if you go on with 〈◊〉 work still, of persecuting, imprisoning, and banishing Gods pe … you shall surely find that made good upon you, which the 〈◊〉 of the Lord George Bishop writ unto the King and both How … 〈◊〉 Parliament the last year the 25th. of the 9th. month 1664. 〈◊〉 words were these, Meddle not with my People, because of them 〈◊〉 science to me, and banish them not of this Nation, because of their 〈◊〉 science, for if you do, I will send my Plagues upon you, and y … 〈◊〉 know that I am the Lord. And surely in a large measure this prophesy is fulfilled upon this Nation ever since the Rulers have ●●nished the Lords people, and if you go on it will be fulfilled 〈◊〉 you to the uttermost, Therefore, O England, believe no● 〈◊〉 thy false Prophets who cries peace unto thee, and saith it sh●●● 〈◊〉 well with thee, though thou still goes on with thy cursed wo●● 〈◊〉 persecution, for those who are thy best friends and cannot 〈◊〉 thee, sees thee to be in a sad condition by reason of thy sin, an● 〈◊〉 thy surfeiting thyself with the abundance of God's mercies w … he bestowed upon thee five years ago, and ever since thou has● 〈◊〉 falling into a Consumption, and now thou art become so feeb●● 〈◊〉 Nation of England, as not able to help thyself, and except 〈◊〉 Lord by his power restore thee (which he will not if tho● persists in the wicked work of persecution) thou wilt assur … come to ruin and destruction.   
THE END.