hypocrisy and wickedness as with a sharp sword, yet 

 tender-spirited, yearning over his hearers, and labouring 

 to bring them to " an experience of an holy living principle 

 operating in their hearts," which would lead them into 

 all truth and virtue. 



An able farmer in his own line, John Fothergill was 

 kind to those around him, and of good repute in the 

 North Riding. His spiritual labours did not hinder him 

 from taking some part in public affairs. In 1734 we 

 find him at York in the midst of a hotly contested parlia- 

 mentary election for the county. It was in the days of 

 Walpole's struggle with the " Patriots " over his Excise 

 Bill. Fothergill signed with three others a circular letter 

 to Friends, urging them to come up and use all their 

 interest on Cholmley Turner and Wynne's behalf ; and 

 this, so the letter ran, as " a necessary service to our 

 king and country, which it is our interest and duty to be 

 concerned in." Turner was elected, with Sir Miles 

 Stapylton for a colleague. 



John Fothergill was twice married : his first wife, 

 Margaret Hough, came of a substantial Friends' family 

 at Sutton in Cheshire, and bore him eight children : of 

 his sons several died early : John, the future doctor, 

 was the second who survived ; and Samuel, the fourth, 

 became, as we shall see, a yet more noted preacher 

 than his sire. The father was careful to give his sons 

 a more liberal education than he had himself received. 

 His wife is described as a woman of a meek and grave 

 spirit, who prayed much for her children : she died in 

 1719, when they were all quite young. In 1727 her 

 husband married a second wife, Elizabeth Buck, and 

 continued to travel laboriously in truth's service when 

 weakness of body might easily have excused him. He 

 lived to see his son and namesake well established in 

 London, and the latter faithfully fulfilled a son's duty 

 in caring for his father's declining years. " I have no 

 dependence on human assistance but from thee," wrote 

 the old man in his last letter, " nor any correspondence 

 which affords me like comfort and satisfaction." He 



