amily, and James
Nayler, and Richard Farnsworth came all in; and he spoke very
excellently as ever I heard him, and opened Christ's and the apostles'
practices, which they were in, in their day. And he opened the night
of apostacy since the apostles' days, and laid open the priests and
their practices in the apostacy that if all England had been there, I
thought they could not have denied the truth of these things. And so
my husband came to see clearly the truth of what he spoke, and was
very quiet that night, said no more and went to bed. The next morning
came Lampitt, priest of Ulverston, and got my husband in the garden,
and spoke much to him there, but my husband had seen so much the night
before, that the priest got little entrance upon him.... After awhile
the priest went away; this was on the sixth day of the week, about the
fifth month (July) 1652. And at our house divers Friends were speaking
to one another, how there were several convinced hereaways and we
could not tell where to get a meeting: my husband being also present,
he overheard and said of his own accord, "You may meet here, if you
will:" and that was the first meeting that we had that he offered of
his own accord. And then notice was given that day and the next to
Friends, and there was a good large meeting the first day, which was
the first meeting that was at Swarthmoor, and so continued there a
meeting from 1652 till 1690 [when the present Meeting-house, given by
George Fox, was built]. And my husband went that day to the
steeple-house, and none with him but his clerk and his groom that rid
with him; and the priest and the people were all fearfully troubled;
but praised be the Lord, they never got their wills upon us to this
day.'

George Fox in his Journal also records his first eventful interview
with Judge Fell as follows:

'I found that the priests and professors and Justice Sawrey had
much incensed Judge Fell against the truth with their lies; but
when I came to speak with him I answered all his objections, and
so thoroughly satisfied him by the scriptures that he was
convinced in his judgment. He asked me "if I was that George Fox
whom Justice Robinson spoke so much in commendation of among
many of the parliament men?" I told him I had been with Justice
Robinson and Justice Hotham, in Yorkshire, who were very civil
and loving to me. After we had discoursed a pretty while
together, Judge Fell himsel