Appendix to Council Proceedings, 1696—1729.  593

    Bill tht was found against him by the Grand Jury and demand B M.

    of him whether he will Traverse or committ himselfe to the Vol. 25.

    discretion of the Bench. Robert in pursuance (as may rea

    sonably be presumed) of those measures resolved upon at

    his house leaves himself to the Bench & then presently with-.

    drew out of Court soe tht the Bench Considering tht Robert

    was a Friend one of the Lords People & in the truth & alsoe

    remembering tht he was a minister of their Gospell & his

    faithfull service and labours performed therein for the benefitt

    of Friends & waving that formerly by the Pregnancy of the

    Proof & the Conviction of his Conscience hee had Confessed

    tht hee had been Guilty of folly with Mary Webb but not of

    wickedness upon these and such like considerations suggested

    not by the reasonings of carnall wisdom but by the powerful

    moovings & breathings of the Spirritt and Life in the Inward

    parts, they gave it for godly & Righteous Judgmt tht further

    penalty or blemish should not be put upon this good man

    than a small fine of fourty shillings.

     But tho' this Rehearsall of the Inducements wch prevailed

    with those Quaker Justices to give their Friend such a fair

    Quarter may seem to be fictitious and put in that canting

    dress with designe to render those men ridiculous to yor Lord-

    ships yet tis certainly a faithful instance & description of tht

    frenzy wch actuates this sort of Men and hath given Life to a

    long series of such despoticall & unaccountable Actions in

    these parts of the world as would surpass the Credditt of any

    Relation and is the only defence they could honestly make,

    were it required of them, for their Barbarous Partiality in the

    Two above recited Cases & infinite others but it is now time

    tht wee proceed to the third Instance wch in short was thus:

     One John Moon a preacher alsoe of Eminent Rank amongst

    the Quakers got his Servt maid with child Moon own'd both

    the fact & the Bastard & put soe good a Countenance upon

    tht action tht he would often Jeast & be very pleasant upon

    tht subject. Near that time a young man not married his

    name was committed a like Crime upon the body

    of a young woman who was likewise Single but tho' their

    Crimes were the Same, abstracting from Moon's circumstances

    wch did greatly aggravate & make the Offence more heinious

    in him he being an Antie[nt] man & a Preacher yet their

    Punishmts were not soe for Moon was Complemen [ted] rather

    than Punished with the Imposition of a smal fine for form

    sake only wch ‘tis said was never exacted But the poor young

    man being one of the world could find noe such treatment nor

    escape their hands without a Bloody back whose Condemna

    tion was to be tyed to a Carts-tayle & whipt upon his naked

    Flesh as he was dragged in that Posture through severall

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