TRUTH Seeks no Corners.  
BEING A VINDICATION Of the People called QUAKERS From any Design of Concealing Papists In their LIST first delivered to the KING and COUNCEL near Two Years since.  
Printed in the Year 1679.   

Truth seeks no Corners.  
BEING A Vindication of the People called Quakers from any Design of Concealing Papists in their List first delivered to the King and council near Two Years since.  
THe Case of the Evil and Good Man is very differing; the first dares not bring his Deeds to the Light, because he is Conscious to himself of Guilt, and therefore flies Enquiry, because he fears Conviction. The Good Man quiter Contrary loves the Light and he recurs to it, as the Witness of his Truth: he fears not to be tried, because he knows, his Innocency will acquit him 〈◇〉, and that all Slander and Injustice help in the End to magnify his Integrity and Reputation. 'tis to this Light of Truth in all Consciences we appeal, against a late Calumny cast upon us by some Crafty , & Malicious, and( believed by some) Ignorant Men, viz. That the Quakers use Arts to Conceal the Papists. We shall first state the Fact, from whence such Ill or Weak Men pretend to borrow their Information; and then offer our Reasons to detect the Report of Mischief, Folly and Untruth.  
We the People called Quakers, having been for several Years severely prosecuted by Laws only made against Popish Recusants, as well as those enacted against Protestant Dissenters( whereby several Industrious Families have been reduced to great Misery, and the Widow and the Orphan stripped of common Conveniences for their subsistence) did make our Application and Complaint to the King& Council; And that we might lay a Foundation for such an Address to stop those Cruel Prosecutions, we examined the Pipe; where we sound great Numbers intermixed throughout most Counties, Convicted upon the aforesaid Statutes. And because we knew not all the Names of our own Friends from Papists, we to dist●nguish our Friends from those Papists( though indeed the Partial Seizures and Extravagant Levies made upon us had been enough to that Discovery) did order several Letters to be writ unto the respective Counties, that they might inform us, which of them were reputed Quakers; being then Cautiou● of the very thing, which has here befallen us. But it seems, by the Inadvertency of a Youth, who was ordered by our Usual clerk( then forced to leave the Town by a long and extreme Sickness, as we can prove) to writ into Glocester-shire for an Exact Account of the State of our Friends in Relation to this Prosecution, it was omitted, and the Account for the County inserted, as it was taken out of the Pipe; which consisted but of Three Persons, whereof Two of them, it seems, are Papists, and the Third an Observer of the Jewish-Sabboth. And though these Men of Malice might as well have concluded us Jews as Papists from this Accident, yet because the Papist is become a more Scandalous Creature then the Jew, 
So the Accusation against us calls the Person that holds the seventh day sabbath.  that reflection would not have served their End; whose Contrivance it is to turn the Cry against the Papists upon the Quakers: And why? but to save them; at least to ruin us, the Design of those that are Papists, or Popishly affencted; who by these Devices seek to amuse the People, and to make honest Men jealous one of another. But the Reasons to be offered, why the Story is Incredible, are these.  
1. It cannot be thought, if we had designed to Conceal the Papists, but that we would have spared our Care in the rest of the Counties, or have taken more care to have brought them in in other places; which it is plain, we have not done.  
But 2dly, It is not probable, that we should by Design bring in known Papists, and none of our own Friends amongst them; for not one of them was presented with those Three persons in the List of Glocester-shire. Whereas had we intended such a thing, it had looked more like a Design, To have inserted them amongst the Names of our Friends,( as we might have done in other Counties) that so we might the better have screen'd them from common Observation, especially knowing the Mischief of such Attempts detected.  
3dly, Men Generally propose some Advantage to themselves in what they do; but there could redound no Benefit to us in the Earth by this Project, and even to the Papists a very small one: but the Danger of being Caught, would have been Fatal. So that we must have been greatly false to our own Interest, to run an Hazard of this Consequence to us for so Trivial a Benefit to them.  
4thly, This was near Two Years ago, that the Omission happened in the first Copy of the List; at what time it is easy to believe, that the Circumstances of the Papists were not so low or desperate, as that they should need the Quakers skill to put a Trick upon the Government for their Security: It is not hard to remember, that they then stood upon better Terms. But any thing it seems will serve( be it never so False or Foolish) that will but Bedirt us.  
5thly, To be Modest, and yet to Defend ourselves against such Injurious Apprehensions, as are entertained of us; We must say, that we lay under the Furious Execution of those Laws against Popish-Recusants( Sixty Pounds having been taken for Thirteen Pound, and not a Penny returned, as we made appear before the late Parliament) to the Impoverishing of many Industrious and Peaceable People; when scarce one Papist was touched in whole Counties: Can any think, that the Papists needed us to hid them at that time of Day? Or doth this Usage of us prove us Papists, when Papists were not touched?  
6thly, It cannot be Reasonably conceived, that we being to make good these Allegations in the last Parliament( who appointed a Committee for that purpose) should knowingly run ourselves into such a Snare, as this was: And such was our Carriage and Evidence before them, both with respect to Persons and Things, that they declared their Satisfaction about us and our Suffering Friends, as those that Well deserved to be reputed Protestant-Dissenters.  
7thly, It is good old Doctrine, That the three is known by its Fruit; and it is plain, that among other things, in the Election of this present Parliament, we have not shown ourselves to be Popishly affencted in the Disposal of our Voices; perhaps we stand upon even Terms at least, with any of our Enemies, as to our good Affection to the public.  
Lastly, We offer the Affixed Declaration, as our Testimony against Popery, and of our good Affection to the Protestant Religion, and Resolution to led a Sober and Peaceable Life under the present Government.  

A Protestation or Declaration to Distinguish Protestant Dissenters from Popish-Recusants.  
I A. B. do in the Presence of Almighty God solemnly profess, and in good Conscience declare, It is my real judgement, That the Church of Rome is not the Church of Christ, nor the Pope or Bishop of Rome Christ's Vicar; and that his or her Doctrines Of deposing Heretical Princes, and Absolving their Subjects of their Obedience; Of Purgatory and Prayers for the Dead; Of Indulgences and Worshipping of Images; Of Adoring and Praying to the Virgin Mary& other Saints deceased; And of Transubstantiation, or changing the Elements of Bread and Wine into the Body and Blood of Christ at or after the Consecration thereof by any Person whatsoever, are False, Erroneous and Contrary to the Truth of God declared in the Holy Scriptures: And therefore the Communion of the said Church is Superstitious and Idolatrous.  
And I do likewise sincerely testify and declare, that I do from the bottom of my Heart detest and abhor all Plots and Conspiracies, that are or may be contrived against the King, Parliament or People of this Realm: And I do hereby Faithfully Promise, with God's Help to live a Sober and Peaceable Life, as becometh a good Christian and Protestant to do. And all this I do aclowledge, Intend, Declare and Subscribe without any Equivocation or Mental Reservation according to the true Plainness, Simplicity, and usual Signification of the Words.  
Witness my Hand.   
TO Conclude; We hope, that when it shall be Seriously considered, that our Principles and Practices carry a plain Contrariety to Rome, that we have always lived peaceably under the present Government, and that with patience we have under-gone all Plunderings, Beatings and Imprisonments( of some even to Death) and at whose Hands and by what Councils we have so suffered? It will not be thought hard, that we Impeach the Inventors of this Story of Malice and Ungodliness, and the Believers of it of great Incharity and Injustice. And we doubt not, but in time God will Vindicate our Innocency before the whole World, and preserve us from the Envy and Rage of Evil Men, till we are better Understood.  
London, the 7th of the 3d month 1679. Signed by me Ellis hooks, in the Name and on the Behalf of the People called QUAKERS.   
THE END.