New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-11-28
RECOLLECTIONS OF A READER.
BY CHARLES I. CONGDON.
iii.
QUAKER LITERATURE.

or THOMAS KLLwooD-THE BIOGRAPHY on
THOMAS CHALKLEY-oUAKER MARRlAGEs-rHF
rxPKE!ENCE OF SARAH GRUBB-IUE TEsTI-
MoNIFs.
The Society of Friends, commonly called
.Ouokers was like the Society of Jesus, always
q printing society. Soon alter Its establish
ment, ii began to use the press, and during tue
polemical days i'll which II was, through con
tnual pa secutiOns, wrestling ioT existence, 1t
sent out work after wolk, and rcSOrted q pub
hcaton quite as often aS those, their name
being Legion. WHO disagreed with H. Tie
passion foI bearing testimony resulted IN pas
sion, so far as Quaker could entertain one: Tor
book making. The great historians of the S0cItty,
Sewel ana DcSSe, stand upon the lower Shelves
of libraries in he digniGed ioIm OF tohos. ] he
first edition Of Sewel was published III London
IN 1122. ana was translation 10y hihSeh rom
the original Low Dutch IN winch ne wI4ie IT.
and published it in Amsterdam IN 11l7. Lamb
speaks kindly Of il in tina, pleasant Ella essay
entitled &c A Quakers Meeting. BesseS Col
lection OF tie >uterrngs OF the People ca ed
Quaker. for The TESTIMONY OF Good Con-
science in TWO volumes folio. was Euoll> ed
i'm London in 1913. This work has been found
valuable by genealogical iuquIers. Il ere bc'ug
an index Of over one hundred pages OF raIncS.
Many an +merican WHO his dutted as idi aS
possible from the Quaker society has been
surprised . read in BeSse how lis ercat-Heat-
gIanGu o lCT went 20 ial. for the uutn. Iie
ackn0U l-d-, and unaclnON .Vd-cd children OF
the Duane meeting are mach mole NUM-, ous
III Tins count y than Is USUo IS supposed. Even
in the Su'sc.y lSeli there h1}" been ICuIa'k,: le
changes, 50 that Onc hardly knows What
Quakel,sW i exactly. jhtc i no 1oln- %
ia l. at any rae. now. Nc"14y "a pres -. -
persecutci Tor righteousness sake. Nobody
j. locked I'D for his religious S,ntlMeut>-
much less j, be scOurged or hung; nOI have
/ ever met with any person. OF whatever
religious yO'esSion, who. III my opinion, woud
have &C cntcd the stake o. the rack iOr 1t.
Either tie breed of prosecutors is pretty
mn 1N.f ct or
Let us no. that il is only the former which Is
The iolius Of Sewd and of Besse a.o q
little aICe. ana indeed have never seen
them except in the cherished collections of
Mcnti ~ Meetings.. The History OF the People
called QuaEeTs, from theH inst Rise 10 sc
present Time, 10y JOhH GOngh,' III iou
volumes octave, Dublin, 11o9 Is an CXcelcnt
compendium making less demand upon the
reading faculty, and yei reclining much TAT
is quaint ana engaging. Cough was al iIlsii
schoolmastcT. aud lie whites Httle Hhc
schoOlmasvr. but he is earnest and honest and
painstaking. aud outs.dc If George FoA's
Diary there Is no better account than that
which the reader will find III Slough OF the *
peIiences and religious n0ious OF the pfo'0-
Quaker-ms examination before blgoied
justices OF the peace and magistrates prucj-
Piled against the belief o. any supernatural IL
fluence. 1t was the doctrine OF the immediate
aud pefs nAi influence OF the Holy Spirit, and
the positive way in which Il belief in II was
~ I
the cary QGaRers Of practising wltchcra!t
There WIS u priest III Wakefield who prOmul-
gated ridiculous report mat George Fox
carried bottles about him. and by making
people d}lhk thereof made chem follow him.
There was another bit o. gossip, the purpOrt Of
which WAS that George rode upon "a great
black horse. and was seen IN one county upon
his hoISe III one h0ul and IN the same hour IN
another county three score miles on FOR
alleged offences like this, George Fox was
taken prisoner 10y Colonel Hacker i'll Leicester
and SEM M to London 10 be ca1led before
Oliver Cromwell. There j. a curious account
Of the interview between L. Sc two remarkable
men, DUNG which lie Lord Protector used
words which have often been quoted: Come
again to my house. for II tEOd ami were but
an hOUI CT a day together, we should be nearer
one to anOlheI, adding, wish you no move
i'll than | d. my own soul. These are utter
ances OF Oliver with which Thomas Carlyle,
who has no. great liking FOR Fox, hardly st ems
to know what to 30 withal.
A curOIs ana not very common Quaker book
Is " The History of the Life of hOmas Ell
wood Written by his own Hand, with ii Sup
rement bv J. w" John WbJrhead) All the |
bbllOsraplie, give the GATE OF publication OF |
this iHtele- ing work as 1Tll but there was |
a second d!tiOL in that &c r. EilW0od died IN |
1913, AM the book, | suppose, was postum !
nous; IL !, not at any rate IN the catalogue /
given OF hooks printed 10y Inn during his HE |
ID .vidci>" Q712), and hi- Sacred History
Of tie Oid Testament l11UJ. EllwOod las |
found place in literature. not through his
original works, which are nearly If not entirely
fOigOttal, hut a. that iTie.d OF Milton VINO Sug-
gesred to lie great poet the topic OF Paradise
Regaiuci.' The story h3s TOO often been
quoted 10 need repetition here, but what does
the reader think OF the costly opportunities
suggested by this passage: Thus by the
MEDITATION o. nv friend Isaac Pennington with
DR.. Pacc'. ard of Dr. Pagct with John Milton.
was | admitted to come 10 him; not as a ser
want TO him. which at that time he needed not
nol 10 bee Ia tie house With hm but only to
have tie betty of coming TO bis house, AT ccf-
tain hours WREN | would and TO lead 70 Eim
what books he should appoint me; which was
all the favor desired" The story of Thomas
Eilwo0ds first love, Gui'e'Iaa Maria Sprnectt.
Is not, peril APPS, quite so wei known. Inc pretty
QuakCIcSs married aitcrWard William Penn,
from which II may be naturally inferred tla she
did not feel tree 10 encourage the ardent
Thomas. He Went to see EeI at her fathel in
laws country house at ChaltOnt, in Bucking-
hamshire, and to his great astonishmeDt found
that the whole family, Isaac Pennington. the
and all, had turned Quakers:
EllwOOi himself not having become con-
vlnccd. lie tells the story OF his cOurtShiD and
rejection III q sweet and idylhc way, as follows:
= For my part, | sought and ut length found
means 10 east myself into the company Of ;he
laughter whom found gathering some flowers
n the garden, attended by Ler maid, who was
llsO Quaker. Bat when | addressed myself !
o her after my accusIOm d manner with ill., ;
eRtlOn To engage her III some DISCOURSE which :
night Introduce conversation. on the foot OF
'uT former acquaintance, though she treated
ne with q courteous micn; yet AS young a. I
he was-ihe gravity of her look and behavior !,
truck such an awe upon me that found myself u
lot 80 much master of myself as to pursue any ,
urtheT converse with her. Wherefore, asking 1
,ardon for my boldness in having intruded INTO .
Ter private walks, withdrew, not without some u
sOrder tas i thought at leasD of mind" | Il
IN happy Ia say that aftGrWard Thomas Ell g
7Ood won an excellent wife III Mary Ellis. ia Il
~ rs hg "a Sl,lt
ogree Of virtue" / do not know anything in q
quaker books mOye curious tina Quaker court =
hips, and the extremely sOem. way in which y
be important question IL asked. am tempted \.
fl,o IL, L. L. | III