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Digital Paxton: Digital Collection, Critical Edition, and Teaching Platform

The Conduct of the Paxton Men Impartially Represented - 10

“Many valiant Captains, Soldiers and Officers, says he, have been put out of the Army by Sea and Land, of whom it hath been said among you, that they had rather have had One of Them, than Seven Men, and could have turn’d out one of them to Seven Men, who, because of their Faithfulness to the lord God, and it may be for saying Thou to a particular Person, and for wearing their Hats, have been turn’d out from among you.”

This same Mr. Fox, in a Book publish’d by him and some others of his Brethren, intitled, WEST answering to the NORTH, Page 96, 97, exults in these Words,---Multitudes of People flock’d up to Westminster to complain of their Sufferings---which CHARLES STUART call’d Tumults; and by the Guard one of them was slain, at the Place of the shedding of whose blood, CHARLES STUART’s Head was struck off.”-------Thus their Enemies are punished. In Page 102 are these Patriotick Expressions,----”The righteous Ends of War’s for Liberty and Laws.-----And in page 16 they boast---”The Defence of them (the Laws) have we in the late Wars, vindicated in the Field, with our Blood.”

One Bishop, a Quaker Writer, in a Letter of his to the Council of State, in the Time of the Usurpation, written in the year 1659, advises them in these Words, “It concerns you, while ye have Time, to bear down this Enemy, (meaning the King) and to secure Places necessary for Defence.”----And again he urges them to kill all that should appear in Favour of the Royal Cause; “Do Justice, says he, on those whom God hath given into your Hands, left out of this SERPENT’S EGG do come a COCKATRICE, and his Fruit be a fiery flying Serpent.”----And in Page 26 he tells them, “There is a Necessity for the continual marching of your Horse up and down in all Parts, especially where these INSURRECTIONS have been.”

George Fox, in his COUNCIL and ADVICE, a Letter wrote to him by O. Cromwell, dated the 11th Month, 1659, Page 26, 27, &c. tells him, That if he had been directed by his Advice, “The HOLLANDERS (says he to him) had been thy subjects---GERMANY had given up to thy Will----The SPANIARD had quivered like a dry Leaf----The King

Contents of this annotation:

A defense of the Paxton boys, in reply to Benjamin Franklin's "A narrative of the late massacres, in Lancaster County, of a number of Indians." Attributed to Thomas Barton by Hildeburn and Evans. Also attributed to the Rev. John Ewing. Cf. Egle, W.H. History of the counties of Dauphin and Lebanon, 1883, p. 68. An added title page identifies John Creaig of Lancaster as bookseller. Signatures: pi [A]? B-D? E1.