July 31. 1852.] 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



103 



X.AMBBRT THE " ARCH-REBEtL. 



(Vol. iv., p. 339.) 



Myles Ilalhead, .as member of the Society of 

 Friends, being at Plymouth in the year 1673, 

 conceived that it was his duty to pay a visit to 

 Lambert, who was then a prisoner on the island of 

 St. Nicholas in Plymouth Sound. Myles' own 

 account of this visit and of his conversation with 

 Lambert may interest the readers of " N. & Q.," 

 not only inasmuch as it illustrates the valuable 

 Note made by Mr. Richard John King, but also 

 because it places the character of the unfortunate 

 old general in a favorable liglit. The account 

 runs thus : 



" So I went to a Friend to desire him to procure a 

 vessel ihat I might pass over to a little island near the 

 King's great fort in Plymouth, that I might speak to 

 Joim Lambert, who was a prisoner in that island, and 

 a vessel we procured and passed to the island the same 

 day, and there we found a strong guard of soldiers. 

 A lieutenant asked me, What was my business to the 

 island? I said I desire to speak to John Lambert: 

 and then he asked me, If I was ever a captain under 

 his command? And I said, No. The soldiers were 

 very quiet and moderate : I desired the lieutenant to 

 bring me to John Lambert ; and so he did ; and when 

 I came before him I said, Friend, is thy name John 

 Lambert? And he said, Yea : then said I unto him, 

 Friend, I pray thee hear what the servant of the Lord 

 hath to say to thee. 



" Friend, the Lord God made use of thee and others 

 for the deliverance of His people; and when you cryed 

 to Him He delivered you in your distresses, as at Dun- 

 bar and other places, and gave you an opportunity into 

 your hands to do good, and you promised what great 

 things you would do for the Lord's people ; but truly 

 John Lambert you soon forget your promises you 

 made to the Lord in that day and time of your great 

 distress, and turned the edge of your sword against the 

 Lord's servants and hand-maids whom He sent forth to 

 declare His eternal truth ; and made laws, and con- 

 sented to laws, and suffered and permitted laws to be 

 made against the Lord's people. 



" Then John I^ambert answered and said. Friend, I 

 would have j'ou to know, that some of us never made nor 

 consented to laws to persecute you nor none of your friewls, 

 for persecution we ever were against. 



" I answered and said, John Lambert, it may be so ; 

 but the Scripture of truth is fulfilled by the best of 

 you ; for although that thee and some others have not 

 given your consent to make laws against the Lord's 

 people, yet ye suffered and permitted it to be'made 

 and done by others ; and when power and authority 

 was in your hands, you might but have spoken the 

 word and the servants and hand-maids of the Lord 

 might have been delivered out of the devourer's hands; 

 but none was found amongst you that would he seen to 

 plend the cause of the innocent ; so the Lord God of life 

 was grieved with you, because you sleighted the Lord 

 and His servants, and began to set up your self-interest, 

 and lay field to field, and house to house, and make 

 your names great in the earth ; then the Lord took 



away your power and authority, your manhood and 

 your boldness, and caused you to flee before your 

 enemies, and your hearts fainted for fear, and some 

 ended their days in grief and sorrow, and some lie in 

 holes and caves to tiiis day ; so the Lord God of 

 Heaven and Earth will give a just reward to every one 

 according to his works : so my dear Friend, prize the 

 great love of God to thee, who hath not given thy life 

 into the hands of the dcvourers, but hath given thee 

 thy life for a prey, and time to prepare thyself, that 

 thou raayst end thy days in peace .... 



Glory and honour, and living eternal praises be given 

 and returned to the Lord God and the Lamb for ever. 



" So when I had cleared myself, he desired me to 

 sit down, and so I did ; and he called for beer, and 

 gave me to drink ; and when he had done, he said to 

 me. Friend, I do believe thou speakest to me in love, 

 and so I take it. Then he asked me. If I was at 

 Dunbar fight ? I answered, No. Then lie said to me, 

 How do you know what great danger we were in at 

 that time ? I answered, A little time after the fight 

 I came that way and laid me down on the side of the 

 mountain for the space of two hours, and viewed the 

 town of Dunbar and the ground about it, where the 

 English army lay ; how the great ocean sea was on the 

 one hand of ihem, and the hills and mountains on the 

 other hand, and the great Scotch army before and 

 behind them : then I took it into a serious considera- 

 tion the great danger the English were in, and thought 

 within myself, how greatly Englishmen were engaged 

 to the great Lord of life for their deliverance, to serve 

 Him in truth and uprightness of heart all the days of 

 their appointed time. Truly, John, I never saw thy 

 face before that I knew thee, although I have been 

 brought before many of our English commanders in 

 the time of Oliver Cromwell. 



" Then John said, 1 pray you what commanders did 

 you know ? I knew Fleetwood, and have been before 

 him when he was deputy in Ireland, and I knew 

 General Disborrow, and have often been before him ; 

 and I knew Collonel Plienick, and hath been before 

 him when he was governour of Edenbrough and the 

 town of Leeth, in Scotland, and many more. 



*' John Lambert said, I knew the most of these men 

 to be very moderate, and ever were against persecution. 



" And I said. Indeed they were very moderate, and 

 would not be much seen to persecute or be severe with 

 the Lord's people : but truly John, they could suffer 

 and permit others to do it, and took little notice of the 

 suffering of the people of God ; so none were found to 

 plead our cause, l)ut the Lord God of life and love. 

 Glory be given and returned to His name for evermore. 



" Then Lambert answered and said, Altho' you and 

 your friends suffered persecution, and some hardship 

 in that time, your cause therein is never the worse for 

 that. I answered and said. That was very true, but 

 let me tell thee John, in the plainness of my heart, 

 that's no thank to you, but glory to the Lord for ever. 



" So he, and his wife, and two of his daughters, and 

 myself, and a Friend of Plimouth, discoursed two 

 hours or more in love and plainness of heart ; for my 

 heart was full of love to him, his wife, and children ; and 

 when I was free, I took my leave of them, and parted 



