out offence) but I hold none with ANY Jefuit, priest, or regular in the world of that communion. And ⚫ that the doctor may fee what a novice I am in that business, I know not one ANY-WHERE. And yet, when all this is faid, I am a CATHOLICK, though not a ROMAN. I have bowels for mankind, and • dare not deny others what I crave for myself, I mean liberty for the exercife of my religion; thinking faith, piety, and providence a better fecurity than force; and that if truth cannot prevail with her own ⚫ weapons, all others will fail her.

Now, though I am not obliged to this defence, and that it can be no temporizing now to make it; yet that Dr. Tillotfon may fee how much I value his good opinion, and dare own the truth and myself at all turns, let him be confident I am no Roman Catholick, but a Chriftian, whofe creed is the fcripture; of the truth of which I hold a NOBLER evidence, then the beft CHURCH AUTHORITY in the • world; and yet I refufe not to believe the porter, though I cannot leave the fenfe to his difcretion; ⚫ and when I should, if he offends against those plain ⚫ methods of understanding God hath made us to know things by, and which are infeparable from us, I must beg his pardon; as I do the doctor's for this length, upon the affurance he has given me of his doing the like upon better information; which that he may fully have, I recommend him to my "Address to "Proteftants," from pag. 133. to the end, and to ⚫ the first four chapters of my "No Crofs, No Crown;" to fay nothing of our moft inceremonious and unworldly way of worship, and THEIR pompous cult; where at this time I fhall leave the bufinefs, with all due and fenfible acknowledgments to thy friendly temper, and affurance of the fincere wishes and re• fpects of

Thy affectionate real friend,

Charing-Crofs, the 29th of the 11th month, 1686.'

W. PENN."

W. PENN

W. PENN to Dr. TILLOTSON.

WORTHY FRIEND,

Charing-crofs, 27th of 2d month, 1686.

HIS fhould have been a vifit; but being of

Topinion that Dr. Tillotion is yet a debtor

to me this way, I chose to provoke him to another letter by this, before I made him one: for though he was very juft and obliging when I laft faw him, yet certainly no expreffion, however kindly spoken, will fo eafily and effectually purge me from the unjuft imputation fome people caft upon me in his name, as his LETTER will do. The need of this he • will better fee when he has read the enclosed; which coming to hand fince my laft, is, I prefume, enough to justify this address, if I had no former pretenfions: and therefore I cannot be fo wanting to myfelf, as not to prefs him to a LETTER in my just • defence; nor fo uncharitable to him, as to think he • should not frankly write what he has faid, when it is to right a man's reputation, and difabuse the too credulous world. For to me it seems from a private friendship, to become a moral duty to the publick, which, with a perfon of fo great morality, must give fuccefs to the reasonable defire of

'I

AM very forry that the fufpicion which I had entertained concerning you, of which I gave you the true account in my former letter, hath occa<fioned fo much trouble and inconvenience to you: and I now declare, with great joy, that I am fully

'fatisfied

fatisfied that there was no juft ground for that fufpicion, and therefore I do heartily beg your pardon for it. And ever fince you were pleafed to give me that fatisfaction, I have taken all occafions to vindicate you in this matter; and fhall be ready to do it to the perfon that fent you the inclofed, whenever he will please to come to me. I am very much in the country, but will feek the first opportunity to vifit you at Charing-crofs, and renew our acquaintance, in which I took great pleasure. I reft,

Your faithful friend,

< Jo. TILLOTSON.'

In this year he published "A farther Account of "the Province of Pennsylvania;" and about this time the duke of Buckingham having writ a book in favour of liberty of confcience, for which he was always a known advocate, a nameless author put forth an answer, reflecting not only on the duke himself, but also on W. P. faying The Pennfylvanian had entered him, (i. e. the duke) with his Quakeristical doctrine.' W. P. gave that answerer a reply, entitled, "A Defence of the Duke of Buckingham's Book of Religion and "Worship," &c. a fmall piece; in the conclufion of which, he refers to another excellent and larger difcourse, foon after published by himself, entitled, "A "Perfuafive to Moderation to Diffenting Chriftians, "in Prudence and Confcience, humbly fubmitted to "the King and his great Council:" in which he confutes the several pleas for perfecution, and confirms his own arguments for a toleration, by the teftimonies of authors, and the examples of flourishing kingdoms and states, and fhews the difmal effects and confequences of the contrary: a treatise well worthy the reader's serious perufal.

How far this book, and other folicitations of its author, did influence the king and council, we deter

VOL. I.

i 1686.
G

mine

mine not, but fhortly after, viz. on the 14th of the month called March, 1685-6, came forth the king's proclamation for a general pardon; and inftructions being given to the judges of affize, in their feveral circuits, to extend the benefit of it to the Quakers, about thirteen hundred of that people, moft of whom had been divers years imprifoned, were fet at liberty. Joyful, no doubt, to their diftreffed families, as well as beneficial to the country, was the restoring fo many industrious people to their own homes, and lawful employments; and, whatever private views fome in authority may be supposed to have had in granting that general amnesty, it was certainly the duty of the afAicted to receive the prefent favour with a becoming gratitude.

On the 4th of the month called April, 1687, came forth the King's Declaration for Liberty of Confcience, fufpending the Execution of all Penal Laws, in Matters Ecclefiaftical;' by which, (though probably done in favour of the Papists) Diffenters received a general ease, and enjoyed their meetings peaceably. The people called Quakers, having fmarted by thofe laws more than others, could not be lefs fenfible of the present relief; wherefore at their next annual affembly held at London, in the third month this year, they drew up an "Addrefs of Thanks to the King," deputing W. P. and others to prefent the fame: his fpeech at the prefenting of it, with the address itself, and the king's anfwer, were as follows:

W. PENN's Speech to the KING, upon his delivering the QUAKERS Addrefs.

'IT

T was the faying of our Bleffed Lord to the captious Jews in the cafe of tribute, "Render to "Cæfar the things that are Cæfar's, and to GOD the things that are GOD's." As this diftinction ought to be observed by all men in the conduct of their • lives,

lives, fo the king has given us an illuftrious example in his own person that excites us to it: for while he 'was a SUBJECT, he gave Cæfar his tribute, and now he is a CÆSAR, he gives GOD his due, viz. "the fovereignty over confciences." It were a great

fhame, then, for any Englishman (that profeffes 'Christianity) not to give God his due. By this grace he has relieved his diftreffed fubjects from ' their cruel sufferings, and raised to himself a new ' and lafting empire, by adding their affections to their duty and we pray God to continue the king in this noble refolution; for he is now upon a principle 'that has good-nature, Chriftianity, and the good of 'civil fociety on its fide; a fecurity to him beyond the little arts of government.

I would not that any fhould think, that we came ' hither with defign to fill the Gazette with our thanks; 'but as our fufferings would have moved ftones to compaffion, fo we should be HARDER, if we were not 'moved to GRATITUDE.

Now fince the king's mercy and goodness have reached to us throughout the kingdom of England, ' and principality of Wales, our general affembly from all thofe parts, met at London about our church af'fairs, has appointed us to wait upon the king with ' our humble thanks, and me to deliver them; which 'I do, by this ADDRESS, with all the affection and refpect of a dutiful subject.'

The

ADDRES S. 'To King JAMES the Second, over ENGLAND, &c.' The Humble and Grateful Acknowledgment of his Peaceable Subjects called QUAKERS, in this ⚫ Kingdom.

'From their ufual YEARLY-MEETING in LONDON, the Nineteenth Day of the Third Month, vulgarly called May, 1687.

WE

E cannot but blefs and praife the name of 'Almighty God, who hath the hearts of • princes

G 2