The Arkansaw traveler., 1888-01-07
WRITINGS OF ROGER WILLIAMS
BY J. c. sTocKBRIDGE.

In the first volume of the publlca- tiOns of what is known in England as "The Hansard Knollys' Society" there is piece with this title: "An Humble Supplication to the Kings Majesty, as It Was Presented, 1920" Ht was," as we are told, "a well-ar- ranged, clear and concise argument against persecution and for liberty of conscience. It was written by one imprisoned in Newgate for conscience sake. So rigid was his confinement that paper, pens and ink were denied him. He had recourse, therefore, to sheets of paper sent by friend in London as shoppers to the bottle con- taining his daily allowance of milk. He wrote his thoughts in milk on the paper thus provided, and returned them to his friend in the same way. It is we'll known that writing of this kind becomes legible by holding to the fire"
 This little treatise on the rights of conscience, and containing vigorous protest against all persecution for opinions sake, fell into the hands of Roger Williams when he was in Eng land, whither he went in 1643 to pro- cure the famous Rhode Island charter from Charles H., which bears the date Of March 14, 1644. The views pre- sented by the Newgate prisoner, and the arguments by which they were sustained were 80 convincing to Will Hams that he embodied them in one of his best known writings, which bears the following title: 'sThe Bloudy Tenant" G. e. Bloody TeneD "of per secution for cause of conscience, dis cussed in conference between Truth and Peace, who, ill all tender affection, present to the high court of parlia- ment Gas the result of their discourse) these (amongst other passages) of the highest consideration" The work was not written under the most favor able circumstances and surroundings. It was prepared, the author says, "for public view in change of rooms and corners; yea, sometimes in the fields, in the midst of travels where the writer hath been forced to gather and scatter his loose thoughts and pa- pers."
 In some respects the "Bloudy Ten ant" is the ablest of all the writings of Roger Williams. He had thought profoundly and earnestly on the sub- ject of "soul liberty" Himself vic- tim of persecution for conscience sake, he had keenly felt how wrong was all such persecution and knew we'll how to sympathize with all who had been made to suffer for their opinions. With simple eloquence and earnest ness he stood up as the vindicator of all such. In 1647 John Cotton, the champion of the New England theoc- racy, published a reply to the "Bloudy Tenant" The title of the book gives the curious reader presage of what he may reasonably anticipate he will find in the work. It is as follows "The Bloundy Tenant washed and made white in the Blood of the Lamb, being discharged of Blood Guiltiness by Just Defence, wherein the great questions of the present time are ham, died, viz: How farre Liberty of Con- science ought to be given to those who truly feare God? And how far re- strained to turbulent and pestilent persons that not only rage the Foun- dations of Godliness, but distrust the Civil Peace where they live. Also, how far the Civil Magistrate may proceed in the duties of the First Ta- ble. Whereunto is added reply to MT. Williams Answer to Mir. Cotton's Letter." The quaint title of Will liams' reply to this formidable and red-hot shot hurled against him was fully the peer of that of his antago- mist: "The Bloudy Tenant yet more Bloudy by MT. Cotton's Endeavor to wash it white in the Blood of the Lambe; of whose precious Bloud split in the Bloud of his servants and of the Bloud of Millions split in former and later wars for Conscience's Sake, that most Bloudy Tenant of Persecution for Conscience's Sake upon second Tryal is found now more apparently and more notoriously guilty" This work was published in 1652.
 We come now to one of the rare gems in the John Carter Brown h- brary, in the shape of another of the productions of Roger Williams pen. So far as we know, there is no other copy in any library in this country or England. On the fly-leaf of the little tract Dr. J. Hammond Trumbull wrote the following: "This lost tract of Roger Williams-unknown to any ot his biographers. I have been in search of it for 10 years. A lucky chance brought it to my hands to-day, May P, 1874. J. H. T." Directly under this note appears the following in the handwriting of Hon. John R. Barkett: "This tract was found in a volume of old pamphlets of the 17th century purchased in London by the Hon. J. Hammond Trumbull of Hart