THE GROUNDS, AND CAUSES OF OUR SUFFERINGS Related in short: Who suffer by the Cruelty of OPPRESSORS, IN Edmondsbury Goal IN SUFFOLK.  
May 16 LONDON, Printed for Thomas Simonds, at the sign of the Bull and Mouth without Aldersgate. 1656.   

The grounds and cause of our sufferings related in short, who suffer by the cruelty of Oppressors in edmond's Bury Goal in Suffolk.  
UPon the 30 day of the 5th month 1655. being the second day of the week, Gorge Whitehead and john Harwood, passing through a town called Bury in Suffolk, who were moved for to speak a few words to some people of that town, in which words we exhorted the people in the name and fear of the Lord to fear God, and to return from the evil of their ways to the Lord, and some other words to the same effect; presently near that time while we spoke, there came a Constable of the said Bury, and carried us two, George Whitehead and John Harwood before one Herbert Pellam called a Justice of Peace in that Town; but his office is not for the County of Suffolk, where we were taken, but for Essex, nevertheless he examined us two aforesaid, but could not give no plain account why he examined us, neither when he had examined us could he lay the least breach of any Law to our charge; but forthwith sent us by the Constable and some others, to one Them as Waldgrave, called a Justice of Peace, at Smallbridge in Suffolk, who also when we came before him, examined us some few particulars; but when he had examined us, he could lay nothing to our charge worthy of suffering, nor show us any law that we had transgressed; but nevertheless he sent John Harwood the next day to Bury edmond's prison, and the next day after he was sent to prison, George Whitehead he was also sent to the same prison: Also upon the second day of the seventh month George Rofe was taken, and sent to the same prison by one John Garden, called a Justice of Peace for the county of Suffolk, and this George Rofe was sent to prison for ask a question of one called a Minister of Stoak near Naylan, after he had ended his Sermon, so called; so we three before mentioned, continued until the General quarter Sessions, holden at the said Bury edmond's, the nineth day of the eighth month, and then we were called before one William Blumfield, called a Justice of Peace for the said county, who then and there sat for Judge, but no more justice than before could we there have, but greater bonds was laid upon us, and more cruelty was acted against us three, so they sent us to prison again, where we ever since have remained, in innocency, though in the bonds of such cruel oppressors.  
And upon the same day , when john Garden was come from oft the Bench, and had gotten his cruel intent fulfilled against us three, as he came out of the Session's house door, George Fox was moved to speak a few words to him to warn him to repentance; for which the said john Garden forthwith sent George to this prison to us, where with us he remains, and upon the 22 day of the nineth month, Henry Martial was taken, and sent to this prison by the said john Garden, for speaking to one called a Minister at Boxford, after he had ended his sermon so called; and before he was sent to prison, john Garden caused him to sit in a pair of Stocks about an hour; so at the next General quarter Sessions, being held for the said County in the said Bury the 14th day of the eleventh month, George Fox, and Henry Marshash was then called to be tried there, where one Justice Colthrop for the said County sat for judge, but he followed the same example of cruelty against them two, that before was acted against us three, who at that time and place aforesaid, imposed a fine of twenty Marks upon Henry Martial, but did not fine George Fox, but sent them both to prison again to us, where we all remain, and none of us convinced of the breach of any just Law, though we thus suffer, and are more straitened of our liberty outwardly then Thiefs and Murderers. But that freedom which stands in innocency and righteousness, wherein we suffer, our Oppressors cannot limit, not take away: So all people that have eyes to see, and any true fear of God in them, may see what cruelty and oppression is acted against the innocent, by them who are in Authority, who are set to do justice, and to remove unrighteousness, or unjust causes; but we see in this age, that the righteous seed suffers, as ever it did in all ages, by th● cruelty of them who pretend to do justice, but do not.  

A few of the cruel abuses described, which were acted in the Goal of Bury, by Robert Newton the Gaoler, and by some of his prisoners, and his servants, which he and they have acted against us, who are sufferers for the truth, (by the cruelty of oppressors in the said Goal,) whom the world calls Quakers: The abuses as followeth.  
UPon the 21 day of the 10 month 1655. the aforesaid Gaoler did smite George Rose upon the face before several witnesses, till he drew blood; also upon the 28 day of the 10 month, the Gaoler smote George Fox and john Harwood upon their faces before several witnesses, etc. also upon the 21 day of the 11 month, the Gaoler came to us in the Goal yard, and George Whitehead reproved him for his lies, which several who stood thereby heard him utter forth, for which he smote George Whitehead on the face and mouth till the blood came out of his mouth, so one woman of his own generation that stood by, seeing his cruelty and fierceness, told him he dishonoured the gospel; and several other times the said gaoler hath abused us, both in words and actions, as can be made evidently appear, and also his Servant the Tapster hath often abused us, and the Gaoler hath sometime in our own hearing given him leave to abuse us, and the said Tapster hath often threatened us, and one time cast a stone violently; and hit one of us on the back with it; and another time in great rage he took up a stool, with it to have smitten some of us, or to have cast it at some of us, but one present seeing him so violent, took hold of it, so he was hindered from casting the stool, but often he hath slandered and beaten some of us on the faces, and buffeted some of us several times together with his fists violently on our faces for speaking the truth; and also we have been often abused by some of the Prisoners, for some of them have often taken away our food from us, and sometimes have confessed the Gaoler bade them, or gave them leave to take our Food, and the Gaoler would have had us to have taken a chamber, and beds of him to have laid in, to have upholden his Oppression, which we denied, as to pay 4.d. a night each of us for our lodging, and because we rather choosed to suffer in the Common-Prison, then to uphold such Oppression, the Gaoler was much enraged against us, and thereby some wicked Prisoners that were with us in the Common-goal, took greater occasion to do us mischif, thinking thereby to make us go out of the Common-goal, to uphold the Gaolers' Oppression, which we could not; and also some of the Prisoners have several times bear some of us, and stoned us, & despitefully used us, and threatened often to kill some of us, and to knock some of us in the heads, and one said, if he did kill some of us he might not be h●nged for it, and said, that there is no Law for us if he killed us, and when the Gaoler suffered him to have too much strong Drink till he was drunken, he kicked some of us with his feet, and one time wounded some of us on the Legs, and did exceedingly abuse us so far as his power reached, but when he was something more moderate, that he was not so much drunk with strong drink, he told us that the Gaoler made him worse than he would have been against us; and also much drunkenness and swearing is acted in this Prison by prisoners, and the Gaolers servants; and drunkenness is suffered and allowed of by the Gaoler, in that he suffers and allows his servant the Tapster to let them have so much strong Drink till they be drunk, but so that the unrighteous gain returns to him, it appears he makes no conscience of his obtaining it, though in words he professes godliness, and hath often on the first days of the weeks, taught the prisoners concerning the things of God, as he pretends, but his profession, and teaching, and praying, as he pretends, will not cover his deceit and cruelty, which he hath acted against us who are innocent, and do not suffer as Malefactors, though we undergo greater cruelty, and more straitened of our outward liberty than Malefactors are, as it is made plainly appear.  
And upon the 16. day of the 2. month, 1656. Robert Newton the gaoler came into the common Goal to us, and asked us if we would pay him for keeping of us here; some of us asked him what we owed him, he said, fourteen pence a weak each of you, though some of us had then been 31. weeks in this Common Goal, and none of us there did lie in any bedding of the Gaolers, but when they brought us straw to lie upon, which was allowed by the Country for the Prisoners use, we paid them for bringing of it, else we might not have had it; and when the Gaoler demanded 14.d. a week of us, we told him, that we demanded a free prison after we were committed, and when some of us had demanded a free prison, he caused us to be put into this place; so presently he commanded the Key-turner to take away our clothes which we laid in in the nights, saying to the Key-turner, Take away their clothes, and leave them nothing but the straw to lie upon, and take away their boxes; so the Key-turner and the Tapster took away all these our things, which the Gaoler commanded to take away, and they left us not so much of these things as our Nightcaps, which hung in a basket by the wall, but took the basket and them; and moreover the Gaoler threatened to take the coats from off our backs, we told him he might do so if be would, for as well he might take them as other things of ●urs, as 〈◊〉 bed, clothes, and a coat, and a cloak which they took, and our Boxes, wherein was our food and linen, and other things, but he said he would not take our coats till warmer whether; and some of us told him h● would shame his profession, he said, that is no matter, for you are all Heretics. And soon after these our things were taken away, Deborah the Gaolers' Daughter said to one of us, They have rob you of all, but in patience we suffer, and therein rejoice, in as much as we suffer with them who ever suffered for righteousness sake, who suffered the spoiling of their goods joyfully, and we are willing, as they were, to lay down our lives for Christ's sake.  
And when john Wateridge was Prisoner here, and the Gaoler had order or command to let him go out of prison, the Gaoler demanded 4. s. 4.d. for Fees of him, so john demanded to see his Table for it, and what Law he had to demand such Fees of him, who was not committed for the breach of the Law, and had not been a week in prison when he demanded it, and laid in no bedding of the Gaolers, and the Gaoler demanded 4.d. a night of john Wateridge for lodging, though john had no bedding, but laid on the Chamber Planchers; and the Gaoler kept him above a week in prison after that he order to let him forth of prison: And upon the 26. day of the 2. month, the Key-turner took away john Wateridges cloak, as the Gaoler had commanded, as he pretended, for Fees: so when they had taken away his Cloak, they caused john Wateridge to go forth of prison, but kept his Cloak. And upon the 28. day of the second Month, the Gaoler told us, That it was his courtesy to us that he suffered us to have our  in the winter, for he said he had order from the Justices to take them from us then; and moreover upon the same day, a woman who is a friend to us, living in this Town, came to this prison with something for us, as two Shirts, two Caps, two bands, and four Handkerchiefs, all which the Gaoler caused to be taken from her, and would not suffer her to deliver them to us; and the Key-turner, took away George Rofes coat, which usually he did wear; and other times when the woman comes to bring us food, the Key-turner will not suffer her to deliver us our food, till he have searched her, and seen what food she brings us, and herein he serves the Gaoler, and submits to his cruel will, who would not suffer us to have our linen, and other things convenient for our necessities.  
And upon the thirtieth day of the second Month, the Gaoler came to us, and asked us 14.d. a week for each of us for lodging, and if we would give him so much, he said he would give us our things again he had taken from us; we asked him what Law he could show for it, as to demand that of us who were in the common Goal, and there laid on no beds of his; but he could show us no Law for it, but told us, if we would have beds of his, and pay each of us seven groats a week, and fourteen pence a week for the time we had been in the common Goal, we should have the privileges in the house, and a larger yard to walk in, and we might go into his garden and take our pleasure, and then he said, our friends should come to us though he had order to the contrary, but his deceit and oppression, we denied, and to take pleasure in these things which are changeable, which might be gained through upholding his oppression, which we utterly deny, and in the will of him stands our pleasure, who enters not into the temptations of the wicked.  
And upon they 3. day of the 3 month, the gaoler commanded his servant the Tapster, to take George Fox's hat from him, which the Tapster took from off his head; but the same day the Gaolers' wife brought him his hat again, & said, that she did not know that her husband commanded to take it from him; & on the night following next, the 17. day of the 3. month, one of the Prisoners, whom they often allow strong drink in the Goal, till often he be drunk; he did beat us, and exceedingly abuse us, and often smote some of us on the faces, and kicked some of us, and threw some of us violently down on the store; & when he had ceased to beat us, the Gaolers' servants, the Key-turner, and the Tapster came to us, though in the time when he abused us, some of them heard him abuse us, but did not reprove him for it, and when the Key-turner and the Tapster came, the prisoner thereby was but the more encouraged to do us mischief, for the Tapster did then also beat one of us on the face when we told him the truth concerning their wicked proceed, and thus the go on in these courses of wickedness and cruelty, against the righteous, who in innocence suffer with Christ, who suffered buffet and contradiction, and despiteful usage, as the righteous ever did, who gave his back to the Smiter, and his cheeks to him that plucked of the Hair, and here we have a cloud of Witnesses for our sufferings, and therein have peace, which the envy of the world cannot take away, and we know that if we were of the world, we should not thus suffer by the world, for it loves its own; but we are of God, chosen out of the world, and therefore the world hate us; but now let all that have eyes to see, see the government that is in this Goal, though it be a place pretended to punish Malefactors in, but they have their freedom to wickedness, and being allowed therein wax worse and worse; but the rigteous suffers, and the unrighteous seeks by their cruelty to add affliction to the bonds of the righteous; and though few there be that lay the cause of the righteous to heart, yet it is come before the Lord, and woe to the wicked and them that wink at such cruelty, for the fruits of their doing shall they receive:  
From the servants of the Lord, who are sufferers as is declared in Bury edmond's common Goal, etc. 

George Whitehead,  
john Harwood,  
George Fox,  
George Rofe, and  
Henry Martial.   The tenth day of the third Month, 1656.   
FINIS.