A true RELATION OF A Company of Brownists, Separatists, and Nonconformists, In Monmouthshire in Wales. With the manner of their Doctrine, christenings, weddings, and burials. TOGETHER with a Relation of the knavery that some of their Teachers practised to enrich themselves withal. The truth whereof will be justified by sundry people of good quality inhabiting in the said County.  
By Edward Harris.  
Printed in the year 1641.   

A true RELATION OF A company of Brownists, Separatists, and Non-conformists in Monmouth shire in WALES.  
IN the County of Monmouth in Wales, in divers parts a number of Non-conformists being assembled together, not regarding in what place they meet, whether in field, garden, orchard, barn, kitchen, or high ways, being (as they teach) as available to their devotion as the Church: where by their doctrine they persuade their auditory to contemn the prayers of the Church, and the Preachers of the gospel; also avowing their own zealous prayers to have such power with God, as that they dare challenge him extempore. By which lewd persuasion of theirs they have drawn divers honest men's wives in the night times to frequent their Assemblies, and to become of most loose and wicked conversation, and likewise many chaste Virgins to become harlots, and the mothers of bastards; holding it no sin for a brother to lie with a brother's wife; as also a virgin gotten with child by a brother not to be the worse, but by another, then by the wicked, and so consequently a sin.  


And first of Christenings;  
Which is that the Father shall bring his child to such of that sect as shall profess himself to be a minister, who shall take the child into his hands and wish the Father to name him, and being named, the Minister useth to cut the child in the ear until it shall bleed, and then after (delivering the child to the Father) saith, by such a name thou child shall be called; in which action they use neither the sprinkling of water, sign of the cross, God fathers nor God mothers, nor any of the prayers in the Common prayer book appointed to be used for that purpose; and they will allow of no churching of women by any means.   

The manner of their marriages  
Is, that he that taketh upon him the place of a Minister, shall ask the man that is to be married, if he will have such a maid or woman to be his wedded wife, who saying that he will, he also usually asketh the woman that is to be married if that she will have that man to be her husband, who saying that she will; then their Minister will usual say, go together and multiply; in which action they never use the plighting of troth, ring, prayers, or ceremonies whatsoever.   

Of burials.  
They will allow of no prayers or ceremonies at all at the burying of the dead, but give directions that the body be thrown into a pit, much like a thing nothing worth: And being that these sects in all things are inclined to maintain contradictions as is before said, touching the points of salvation, so they will in all other things; And (inter alia) command the dead to be laid in the ground across the Church or Churchyard, or with their heads toward the East, but never with their feet Eastward, as the ancient custom was.    

Of a Pavier (being one of the zealous Brothers, seeing one of the Pastors of that sect get 20. l’. under colour of cancelling of sins) that by his own practice in the like nature got 3. Cheeses and 9 l’ and by an accident escaped hanging in the earning thereof, as followeth.  
The Pavier or zealous brother, being very intimate with the grand Doctors of that unsanctified discipline, and being privy to most of their ways and secrets, and hearing it taught at one of their conventicles or meetings, that it was a great sin for a woman to conceal any money from her husband (which exercise being finished) one of the women of that auditory acquainted the Teacher, that she was guilty of that sin, in regard that she concealed 20. l’. from her husband, & demanded what she should do to be forgiven of that sin, who commanded her to bring the money to him, promising so to dispose thereof amongst the people, that her offence in that behalf should be pardoned, which the simple woman did, whereby she and the poor were cozened by a knave.  

How the Pavier taking this precedent of the holy man of God his practice, cozened three women of their cheeses.  
Who speedily repaired unto three rich women of his neighbours (that he knew to be well stored with good cheese which he wanted) and made them believe that they were such heinous sinners against God, that if speedy means should not be made for the remission thereof, they were in the state of damnation; whereat the poor women being put into a great fright earnestly besought the Pavier (who they conceived to be a learned man full of sanctity and a detester of vice) to find out how God's wrath might be appeased, and their sins remitted; who (after much entreaty and promises of rewards) told the women that first they should confess their sins, and that according to the quantity thereof, means should be made for the remission thereof: and being demanded how and to whom their transgressions should be acknowledged whereby the quality thereof might be evident, wished each of them to fetch him down a cheese of the biggest they had, and scales to weigh them in, which being weighed and notice taken of the weight thereof; the Pavier did cut a round circle in the middle of every one of the cheeses, and took out the cheese within those circles in lumps unbroken; insomuch that there was a round hole in the middle of every of the said cheeses almost through; and thereupon the Pavier delivered every woman her own cheese again charging every of them by the next morning to confess all their sins in those holes and that he would then come to them, and in the mean time would go home and pray for them, and study means for the remitting of their iniquities, and did take home with him the lumps taken out of the cheese, and cut off all the cheese thereof near from the rind, and made round lumps of lead fit for the filling of them holes, which he took in his pocket the next morning, and coming to the women, they brought their cheeses to him, saying that they had confessed all their misdeeds that they could remember that ever they did, whereupon the Pavier wished them to fetch scales thither to weigh the cheeses, and in the mean time cunningly clapped the lead into the holes which he covered with the rind of cheese that he had in his pocket, which (being weighed) fame exceeded the weight they were of the day before, whereby the Pavier expressed unto them, that the quality of their sins appeared to be so great, that if speedy means wore not eftsoons observed for the remitting thereof, doubtless they should press them down to hell, and therefore the Pavier for to banish the multitude of their confessed sins from off the face of the earth, took the cheeses and threw them over a great bridge into a great river called Eboy, wherehence the Paviers wife and children by his directions took them up and feasted upon them a goodwhiles after.   

What means the Pavier prescribed to have the womens' sins forgiven, and how he cozened them of 9 l’. by promising to die for their sins and how be was like to be hanged by a boy in earning the money.  
Upon a serious conference between the Pavier and the women, he made it appear unto them that every sin was mortal and that therefore there ought to be a death before those sins could be blotted out of the sight of God; whereat the women being in a perplexity not knowing what to say, desired him to invent some other way whereby they might save their lives, and promised to give any content; whereupon the Pavier standing steadfast upon his former words, told them that there must be a death had before God would be satisfied for their transgressions, and that he loved them so well that he for a reasonanable reward would die for them rather than they should remain in the state of damnation for their misdeeds, whereat the women became very joyful, giving him many thanks, brought three pound a piece, which he received, and was the only thing he aimed at, and presently thereupon took a little stool and a rope with him into an upper room in one of the womens' houses where spying a cross beam tied the rope about it, making it ready for to be hanged therein, for to purchase a pardon for the womens' transgressions.  
Whereupon he (together with the women, having joined in fervent prayers) stood upon the stool, and telling them that the spirit was then strong with him, did put the rope about his neck, and wished the women to go into the next room, and pray for his happiness in so great a task. And when as they should hear him groan, they should help him down, for that by that time satisfaction would be made, and their sins absolutely forgiven. And so away the women went as he had bid them, leaving him upon the stool with the rope about his neck; instantly thereupon a son of the woman of the house (being a pretty big youth, in regard of much whispering that he spied up and down the house, stealing up stairs to see the mystery thereof) saw the Pavier standing upon the top of a stool, with his back towards him, and his neck in a rope, and in a manner playing therewith: at the sight whereof the youth calling to mind that the Pavier had been a means to procure him to be whipped at school divers times for playing at Tennis and Cat upon the Sunday, intended to be revenged upon him then, and suddenly shifted the stool from under the Paviers feet, and run away, leaving him there swinging, in a way indeed to perform what he had undertaken. But the women being near unto him, and hearing him schreech, speedily run to him, and by much ado made a shift to save his life. Now for the womens' pains in hindering the Pavier to perform what he had undertaken, I could find in my heart in a manner to wish them the success that the Pavier should have, had he been left alone, and not by them hindered in his proceedings.    
FINIS.