as several others with him: one is our old acquaintance, James
Lancaster: Alexander Parker is the name of another of his companions:
the third, Robert Widders, Fox himself described as 'a thundering
man.' With them rides a certain Colonel William Osborne, 'one of the
earliest Quaker preachers north of the Tweed, who came into Cumberland
at this time on purpose to guide the party.'[14] Colonel Osborne, who
had been present with the other travellers at a meeting at Pardshaw
Crag shortly before, 'said that he never saw such a glorious meeting
in his life.'

'Fox says that as soon as his horse set foot across the Border, the
infinite sparks of life sparkled about him, and as he rode along he
saw that the seed of the seedsman Christ was sown, but abundance of
clods of foul and filthy earth was above it.'[15]

A high-born Scottish lady, named Lady Margaret Hamilton, was convinced
on this journey. She afterwards went in her turn to warn Oliver
Cromwell of the Day of the Lord that was coming upon him. Various
other distinguished people seem also to have been convinced at this
time. The names of Fox's new disciples sound unusually imposing:
'Judge Swinton of Swinton; Sir Gideon Scott of Highchester; Walter
Scott of Raeburn, Sir Gideon's brother; Charles Ormiston, merchant,
Kelso; Anthony Haig of Bemersyde and William his brother'; but
Quakerism never took firm root in the Northern Kingdom, as it did
among the dalesmen and townsfolk farther South.

Fox journeyed on, right into the Highlands, but he got no welcome
there. 'We went among the clans,' he says, 'and they were devilish,
and like to have spoiled us and our horses, and run with pitchforks at
us, but through the Lord's power we escaped them.' At Perth, the
Baptists were very bitter, and persuaded the Governor to drive the
party from the town, whereupon 'James Lancaster was moved to sound and
sing in the power of God, and I was moved to sound the Day of the
Lord, the glorious everlasting Gospel; and all the streets were up and
filled with people: and the soldiers were so ashamed that they cried,
and said they had rather have gone to Jamaica[16] than to guard us so,
and then they set us in a boat and set us over the water.'

At Leith many officers of the army and their wives came to see Fox.
Among these latter was a certain Mrs. Billing, who lived alone, having
quarrelled with her husband. She brought a handful of coral ornaments
with her, and threw them on the table ost