Dear Miss Townley,

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Thursday, June 14, 1804.

And now I shall direct thee how to dispute with the Learned-when a Judge of Assize comes to pass sentence on a Thief and a Murderer, for whom doth he pass that sentence? Thou answerest for the person whom the thief, or the murderer hath murdered. But suppose the Judge answer I will not cast the thief and the murderer for the sake of the person he had robbed and murdered because he despiseth them much more than he did the murderer, or the thief-would you not call him an unjust Judge? Thou, answerest, yes, he could not be fit for a Judge, having no Honor nor Justice in him; for how could he then try any Cause, if he was partial in the Law?-Then let this be laid before the Judges And I'll proceed further-Would he not for his Honor say, though I fear not GOD, nor regard the man that was murdered; yet, I will relieve this Woman of her Adversary, lest she weary me with often coming. For, now I will bring the Cause to a man murdering a woman's husband-and the Judge refused to pass sentence on the murderer, because he had more regard for the murderer than he had for the man that was murdered: -but if the Wife is crying daily for vengeance, wearying the Judge to be avenged of her injured Hufband, saying, the murderer is taken; he is bound in Prison: it is the Law of our Land; and you will not try him for murdering my Hufband-you cannot try ANY murderer, for then you break that Law-And what is a Law for One, is a Law for all! And if you let that murderer go untried, by what authority could I be tried, if I murdered you in re

venge?-Or, by what authority should another Judge condemn me? Would he not say you had broke the Law, freed the murderer, and not suffered murderers to be tried and condemned? And my love is so great for my Hufband, that if I cannot be avenged of it by your trying the man that murdered him, I will find a way of revenge to murder you! What answer would this unjust Judge make, any other than this? Though I fear not GOD, nor regard the man; yet, I will avenge. this Woman of her Adversary, lest she wearies me with often coming; or, seek my life in her revenge. In this manner let them dispute with men of Honor, what is a Law for one, is for all. And now I will come to the Laws of GOD. The law of GOD was to avenge the woman's adversary by My Death-but how can it be avenged by My Death, before a woman bringeth forth her cause against him. It is like a man being murdered, and the murderer let go without any Action being brought against him: as this has been done by great men, because of money the murder hath been passed over-and for want of Love in the Wife, the revenge hath not been sought after. Now, Joanna wilt thou do by Me, as the Groom's wife did give up My death without revenge, because the Bishops are great men, when I tell thee it is impossible for the cause to be brought forward against the devil by man without the woman? for it was the woman that was betrayed by the devil, and to the woman the promise was made-and though I was murdered, My murderer was never brought to Justice, by ANY WOMAN till now; nor the author of My death. Now, if thou givest up the Cause to man, to let them to act one step contrary to what I have ordered thee, then thou - Fro~d. of. I. ' L.+'& Groom

25

takest away My Life, as thou hast taken away Townley's bounty, and thou causest Me to be murdered twice-But I hear thy enquiry. Is the fatal stroke committed by thy unfortunate hand, then thou canst not live? But tremble no more:-thou hast done right by my command. I know thou could'st not write, if thou fearest thou hast done wrong but I tell thee it was my command, to take away the one thousand; because I will have the one thousand to reign in power the second time, by the woman's ordering the cause to be removed that caused her fall; and, to shew her perfect obedience the second time, the cause is brought forward by the woman. She is, the second time, put to the trial of her obedience. Now, if thou standest in thy obedience the second time, as thou hast in printing thy book, then, the six thousand that are not taken away, bringeth ME the second time to come in power and great glory; for there is no one can hurt ME but thee: and, hitherto, thou hast done all things well, for ME to come the second time and reign in power. And, now, in power I will reign and rule, if all thy friends say, as thine said the day that is past, they will not do any thing without MY direction is given to thee: therefore, I hid my face from thee, before they had given their answers they would do nothing without ME; and then I shewed THE SHADOW Of My power; and, if they continue to copy after these women, they shall see THE SUBSTANCE Of My power." Lord, save me by thy power! let me not say with Peter, though all men deny thee, yet will not I; and yet, afterwards, did deny: but that fall would make my end more fatal, and Thy honor lost. "Joanna, I answer thee, I know thy fears will kill thee, if I do not

D

1000

year?

assure thee, the gates of hell shall not prevail

against thee."

June 14, 1804.

(Signed)

JOANNA SOUTHCOTT.

read from blank leaves beginning before the title of this June 17.1804 Continuation of Joanna's History, pom

the blank leat at the end of this Boot

"A large Crock, or Pot of Gold. And now, faid he, fhould I be fuch a fool to go and tell the man, that I fhould dig up his French nuttree because of my dream, and then share with me the money. The man's dream was anfwered, for he knew the French nut-tree was in his own garden; fo he went home pleafed with the journey, and in the night he began to dig, and found a large crock of gold: but being a poor man, he told the mafter that he worked for, that he had a friend in London who was dying, and he must go and fee him, which he did, and afterwards came down all in clofe Mourning, faying, that his friend had given him three Hundred Pounds, and as he liked the little fpot he lived in, he would buy it. So he bought his House and Garden-land for ever. Then he faid he would alter his Garden, and dig up the French Nut Tree, where he found a large Cheft of Gold under the Crock of Gold. He could then boldly claim, it his own, and rewarded the man that told him his dream. He left a great deal to the poor when he died, and houfes for them to live in. But to return to my Father's dream you must understand, that when my FaMy Manu: ther had this dream, he was in Getsham, fourteen cript No25 miles from Heavy-tree, and my Father knew nothing of my fealing up my writings, till a month after I came to Heavy-tree, and furprized

He

27

us by faying he came in the Bishop's Carriage, at which we all laughed. He faid, if he did not come in it, he rode behind it, which was true; for the Bishop had been out an airing, and his carriage overtook my father, when he ordered his coachman to ftop, as he faw my father going towards Exeter, and enquired how far he was going: he said, to Heavy-tree, to Mr. Wolland's, to fee his daughter; that he came from Getsham. The Bishop then ordered his fervant to alight from his horfe, and affift my father to get up behind his carriage. My father then enquired of the fervant, who the gentleman was, that he might know how to return him thanks when he alighted. The fervant answered, it was the Bishop of Exeter. My father faid, he was glad he afked; or else he fhould have thanked his Honor, inftead of his Lordship. Mr. Wolland told my father, the fervant only mocked him; for he thought the Bishop would not have condescended, in that manner, to have ftopped his coach to take up a poor man: though that Bishop bore a moft noble character, for it was Bishop Buller. When he had baffled my father about it, he faid he would go to the turnpike, and know what gentleman went through at that time with his coach; the turnpike-man faid, like the fervant, it was the Bishop: at which we were furprised, and he furprifed us with the dream that is mentioned, as we knew it was the fame night I fealed up my writings. I mentioned this fimple thing, as both are deeply explained to me. And now I am ordered to go on with the hiftory of my Lovers, as they are explained alío. When I was young in years, I had many Lovers: but the first I indulged the company of was NOAH BISHOP, a farmer's ton in Sidmouth; as I kept houfe for my