Good Counsel AND ADVICE UNTO THE Magistrates and People OF NORWICH: With a brief Relation of some of the Sufferings of the People of God, called, QUAKERS In the said CITY.  
Printed in the Year, 1676.   

TO THE Magistrates and People of NORWICH,  
A Relation of your Proceed against your peaceable Neighbours called Quakers, coming to our View, we, in the pure Fear of Almighty God seriously read and considered the same; and we find them so contrary to the Command of God and our Lord Jesus Christ, and the Doctrine and Practice of the holy Apostles and primitive Christians, That we are really Sorry that you should be found in such a Work, who do profess Christ Jesus to be your Lord, & the holy Command, given by him, mentioned in the holy Scriptures to be your Rule and God to be your Father, etc.  
We desire you in the Tender Love of God, seriously to consider how contrary these your proceed are to the Command of Almighty God, whose express Command is, Thou shalt love thy Neighbour as thyself, thou shalt not bear false Witness against him, thou shalt not covet his Ox nor his Ass, nor any thing that is his, etc.  
And also consider how contrary these your proceed are to the Command of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, whose Unalterable Command is to all Christians to love one another, and not only so, but also to love their Enemies, and to do good unto them, etc.  
And we do desire you to take notice that Christ Jesus hath left no Command not Example for you nor any who do profess to be his Servants to persecute, spoil Goods and imprison about Faith, Worship and Obedience to him; for Christ and his Apostles did never persecute about Religion; for True Faith is the Gift of God (as the Holy Scripture saith) and the Holy Apostle saith, That which is not of Faith is Sin, and also saith, let every man be fully persuaded in his own Heart, etc.  
And we do desire you seriously to consider and obey the Command of Christ, who saith, Whatsoever ye would that men should do unto you, do ye even so unto them.  
This Rule of doing as you would be done by, useth to be highly commended in Words in England, and by many called the Golden Rule: We do from the Bottom of our Hearts desire that the Magistrates, Teachers and People of England and all Nations, may come to the Practice of this Golden Rule.  
We do also desire you to consider that God almighty is a pure Fountain of Love (as the Holy Apostle saith) and he also saith, They who dwell in God, they dwell in Love: Love in Mankind one unto another is the fulfilling of the Law of God in them; Love (saith the Holy Apostle) thinketh no Evil; it doth not behave itself unseemly or uncomely; but your spoiling the Goods of your peaceable Neighbours, and imprisoning some of them (only for waiting upon God, and for worshipping him as he doth teach and command them by his good Spirit which he hath promised, & given to lead his People into all Truth) is certainly highly displeasing unto Almighty God, and of an ill Savour and uncomely in the Sight of all  People, who come to hear of your Harsh and  Proceed against your peaceable and industrious Neighbours, and therefore in Tender Love to your Immortal Souls we do desire you to desist from such Proceed; for verily, if these proceed be not unfeignedly repent of, and forsaken, they will certainly bring the Wrath of God upon you. Oh consider seriously the time hastens, wherein you must give an Account to Almighty God for your Deeds done in the Body, and must receive a Reward accordingly; to him we do leave you, and truly desire that you may be found in those things which may please him, that his Blessing may be upon you in this World and that which is to come,  


John Osgood,  
William Mead,  
William Shown,  
Henry Snooke,  
Gilbert Latie,  
Arthur Cook.  
William Gibson,  
James Claypool,  
Philip Ford.   London, the 11th of the 8th Month, 1676.   

The Relations of the Sufferings of the People of God called Quakers in Norwich are as follow.  
ON the 1st of the Month called March last, John Shapen jun. for being at a peaceable Meeting to wait upon God, in Norwich, the 27th of the 12th Month last, had taken from him, by one Beak and John Stone Constables, by Warrant from John Manser then Mayor, John Tennyson & Charles Tennyson Informers, 5 pair of Shoes called Flyers and a Cake of Tallow.  
Ditto John Fedman, for being at the same Meeting, had taken from him, by William Poole Constable, Goods worth 8s. 6d.  
John Dilerance, for the same Cause, had Goods taken worth 10 s. for a Fine of 5s. by Edward Trull Constable, William Chessen Overseer, and Tho. Leman Churchwarden.  
Ditto, Anthony Alexander, for being at the same Meeting, was fined for himself, and the third part of 20 l. for the House, and had as many Splighting or Hides taken out of his Fats as were worth 8 l. 17s.  
Note, Erasmus Cooper entering Anthony's House, in a sudden surprising manner, said to the Man's Wife, who was big with Child, He came to seize all she had for the King: She said, That was hard, to seize all for 7 l. Fine: He replied, He would not leave her a Bed to lie on: And he went to the Shop Door, and finding it locked, he fetched a Pickax, and broke it open, and he and the rest of his Companions were so Cruel and Unneighbourly, that it caused Tears to trickle down the Checks of some of the Neighbours, who beheld them; the Names of his Assistants are Nic. Becket Constable, Robert Clarke Warden, Edward Cullier Overseer, Edw. Makins and Richard Pye.  
In the third Month last the same Officers accompanied with two other (viz.) Isaac Wolfill and Nath. Ponder Overseers, went into the Yard of the said Anthony Alexander privately by the Crick Side in a Boat, with a Warrant from John Manser Mayor and Francis Bacon Steward, for the third Part of 20 l. being a Fine imposed on him for the Cause aforesaid, for which they took seven Dozen of Calf-Skins worth 8 l. 8 s. and commanded his Man to assist them to pull the Ware out of the Fats, which he refusing to do, they gave him abusive Words; Anthony said, It was unreasonable to require the Man to assist in taking his Master's Goods from him; Robert Clarke answered, They were their Goods.  
Robert Hutchison on the 4th of the 5th Month last, for being at a Meeting, had household-goods taken away to the Value of above 7 s. by Warrant from Tho. Checkering Mayor, by Richard Lusbrooke and John Allen Constables, and John Freeman Warden, and Christopher Hastead Overseer.  
Samuel Duncon in the 5th Month last had taken from him for meeting to worship God, household-goods and Wares to the Value of 42 l. 19 s. 5 d. by Warrants signed by Francis Bacon and John Manser Mayor; and John Crow and Gamaliel Sugden Wardens, Tho. Southgate Jun. Edward Mayhew Overseers, William Pool pretended Constable, Charles Tennyson Informer, Tho. Giddens Carter, Tho. Woods, John Brown and Robert Phebee, Helpers together with the Hangman.  
Note, The aforesaid Officers took Possession of Samuel Duncon's House, and there kept Night and Day, from seventh Day in the Afternoon till the second Day in the Afternoon, loading away his Goods, as if they had been their own, and breaking up Locks at their Pleasure, keeping Samuel's Wife, who was big with Child, as a Prisoner in her own House the first Night, not suffering her to speak with any so much as at the Door, nor any to come to her, till some of the Magistrates being spoken to abate it (for Shame and Cry of the People) ordered it.  
And the Reader may take Notice of the Insolency and Vileness of one of the aforesaid Informers, who boastingly said, He would make the Mayor wait upon him as often as he would at his Pleasure: Oh a sad Age, that such ungodly, vile, idle, profane Men should be encouraged thus to vaunt themselves against, or rather over the Magistrates of this Nation, whose Sword in Justice ought to be a Terror unto them, they being Evil-doers in the Sight of the just God, who hates Oppression, and in the Sight of just Men; and it's to be lamented, that under. Officers are forced to proceed in making Havoc of their peaceable Neighbours Goods against their Consciences, to satisfy those greedy Informers; as witness the aforesaid Pool Constable, when he went with the Informer to the Meeting in Norwich the 16th of the 5th Month, & hearing the Truth declared, he cried with Tears in his Eyes, What shall I do? I know the Power of God is among you, and told the Informer, That if there were a Curse hung over any People upon the Earth, it was over the Informers, and said to S. D. afterwards, That he confessed he had sinned against his Conscience in doing what he did.  
And Note further, that since the taking of the said Samuel Duncon's Goods, John Tennyson one of the said Informers is laid up in Prison upon an Execution for Debt; and he hath confessed he never prospered since he took in Hand that Work, and said, he knew not what to do, and said, if he were at Liberty, he would never meddle more: So People may see how badly his ill gotten Goods prosper with him.  
Note, John Crow would not suffer an Account to be taken of the Goods he and the rest of them took away of Samuel Duncon's, but when a Man was taking an Account, he snatched it from him, and put it in his Pocket; and the said Crow finding Samuel Duncon's Shop set open the second Day in the Morning, shut it up again himself; thus acting like Plunderers in Time of War, which is a Shame to Magistrates, that they should suffer such Things in Times of Peace.  
Since the other Account, Nich. Becket Constable, Robert Clarke and Robert Sellers Wardens, Nathanael Ponder Overseer, by Warrant from Tho. Chickering Mayor (for a Fine of 10 Pound imposed upon Anthony Alexander for the Meetinghouse) did with the Help of Andrew Cooper and William Drayton, carry away from the said Anthony fifteen Splitings, worth 9 l. 15 s. four Horse-Hides, worth 1 l. 10. and eleven Couple of Wombs, worth 14 s. 8 d. in all to the Value of 11 l. 19 s. 8 d.  
Some Part of the Goods that were taken away were bought by these Persons following.  
Marry Cumber of Gregory's Parish bought six Cushions, which cost 3 s. 6 d. a piece, for 3 s. 6 d. the Widow Crane of Giles', and Edward Cook's Wife of the same, and one Eton a Cobler's Wife in Gregory's Parish, and one Bernard a Schoolmaster bought several of the said Goods.  
For the Oppression of the Poor, for the Sighing of the Needy, now will I arise (saith the Lord) I will set him in Safety from him that puffeth at him, Psal. 12. 5.  
For the Needy shall not always be forgotten, the Expectation of the Poor shall not perish forever.  
THE END.