Gossip in Yorkshire About William Penn

WILLIAM PENN95 GOSSIP IN YORKSHIRE ABOUT WILLIAM PENN By Henry J. Cadbury In celebrating the memory of William Penn it is too easy to overlook the great difficulties that beset his path. His best traits, like his belief in religious toleration, led to constant misunderstandings . One of these was the suspicion held even by some of the members of his own Society that he was a Papist, which at that period of English history was the kind of suspicion that excited the worst of suppressed fears. A striking illustration of this well-known charge against Penn and of its hearsay character is to be found in a letter which I found in the Minute Book of York Monthly Meeting 1682-1707 (Shelf D, No. 2, in the safe at Friends Meeting House, Clifford St., York, insert at page 82) and copied in part. The letter is written by Thomas Goodaire ( ? -1693), who was converted by Fox to Quakerism with James Nayler in 1651 at Wakefield, and is signed by him and George Canby. It is addressed "to the Monthly Meeting in Yorke, the 5th day of the 7th month [i. e., September], 1690." The charge that Penn was at St. Omers, the Jesuit Seminary, is one frequently found. Penn himself traced its origin to confusion with Saumur the Huguenot college which he had attended in France. Like the other stories it was current in the coffee houses at London. The name Akister is probably Acaster, about four miles from York. Otherwise the letter is self-explanatory. Evidently the committee did not accept the charges as valid. They go on to find other counts against Thomas Cooper. In Yorkshire as elsewhere Friends officially accepted Penn's good faith as a Quaker. The letter follows: Letter ,of Thos. Goodaire and George Canby to the Monthly Meeting in York 5th of 7th mo. 1690. Friends we heard by Mathew Webster who was at the last month meetinge at Yorke, that he did acquaint friends, that was there, that he was tould, that Thomas Cooper did say to Thomas Bell of Selby, (who is noe friend) that he did beleeve that William Penn was a Jesuit, and thereupon friends at that meetinge desired that Thomas Goodaire and George Canby would goe, and speake to Thomas Cooper to know whether he said soe to Thomas Bell or not as Mathew Webster tould us. And according to freinds desire, we went and spoke to him; to know 96 BULLETIN OF FRIENDS' HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION whether he spoke such words to Tho: Bell or not; he answered usi.that he did not know whether he did or not, but however, he said to us,* tfiat he had sufficient grounds and reasons to beleeve that William Penn was a Jesuit; and we desired him to let us know his grounds and reasons of¡his beleefe, that W: Penn was such a man; and the grounds and reasons which he expressed to us was as followeth; ffirst he said that there is a sufficient Credable man that lives at Okister, which tould him that he was in company with W: Penn; and that man heard W. Penn confesse and acknowledge himself for to be a Jesuit : and another thinge Tho : Cooper said that there is one Baines an atturney that lives in Yorke, tould him: that he and another man was at dinner with W. Penn in london the last tearme; and that man which was with Baines, asked W. Penn how long it was since they was Collegians together at Saint Omers; and W: Penn did not answer him one word, but threw downe his napkin upon the table and roose upp and went into another rowme, and another thinge Tho : Cooper said, that he was at Yorke when W : Penn was there and he met with two Genteele men as he called them, at the place where he was, and they had some conference together, and in their discourse one of them mentioned W: Penn and said he would prove him to be a Jesuit to his face if he would come to him, for he said that he was both his Chambermate and bed fellow at Saint...