F O X. 
G ,5 
of this conference is entertaining, and exhibits evidence 
of his familiar acquaintance with the language of Scrip¬ 
ture, as well as not a little natural ftirewdnefs and faga- 
city. He now employed himfelf in writing to Cromwell, 
foliciting his attention anew to the fufferings of his 
friends ; and on hearing the rumour that the protestor 
was about to afliime the title of king, Fox paid him a 
third vifit, and remonftrated freely witli him againft inch 
a meafure, as what would bring fhame and ruin on him¬ 
felf and his pofterity. He alfo addreffed a paper to the 
heads and governors of the nation on occafion of an ap¬ 
pointed fail, on account of the perfections of the pro- 
teflants abroad ; in which he embraced the fair oppor¬ 
tunity which fuch appointment offered, of holding up, 
in proper colours, the impropriety and iniquity of perfe¬ 
ction at home. Hishiftory, from this time until the 
year 1666, confiftsof details of the various miflions which 
he undertook to propagate his opinions, and of the re¬ 
peated imprifonments to which lie was fubjefted, fome- 
times under the pretence of his being a difturber of the 
peace of the nation, and at other times for refuting to 
take the oath of allegiance. He was releafed by Charles 
II. in the year laft mentioned, from a confinement in dif¬ 
ferent prifons, during which he had met with much fevere 
ufage from his different gaolers. After his liberation, he 
began to form the people who had embraced his opinions 
into a more compact and united body. Their meetings 
hitherto had been principally either for worfhip among 
themfelves, or for making known their doctrines more 
publicly to others. A few general meetings had alfo 
been held, in different places, for confulting about their 
common concerns ; and in fome diftrifts fuch meetings 
had been held once in three months. But now, an in- 
create of numbers, with the increafing neceflity of pro¬ 
viding for the occafions which arofe among a people 
feparated by their principles from other profeffions of re¬ 
ligion, and the fubjefts of frequent perfecutions, rendered 
expedient the eftablilhment of a clofer bond of union, and 
a more regular fyflem of difcipline ; that the poor might 
be relieved, the refraftory admonifhed, See. Fox, there¬ 
fore, after recommending the felting up of monthly meet¬ 
ings, in London, travelled through moft counties in the 
kingdom in 1667, to promote the objeft above-mentioned, 
and met with very general fuceefs. He alfo fent letters 
recommending the fame objeft: to the American planta¬ 
tions, and to Ireland. The latter country he vilited in 
1669, in the exercife of his miniftry ; and after his re¬ 
turn, married Margaret, the widow of judge Fell, at 
whofe houfe he had been entertained during his progrefs 
through Lancalhire. The ceremony on this occafion was 
according to that fimple form which is praftifed to this 
day among the people of his perfuafion. He only ac¬ 
quainted his friends with his intention ; and having, after 
a due time, received their approbation, he and Margaret 
took each other in marriage, by mutual declarations to 
that intent, at a meeting appointed on purpofe at Briftol. 
Previoufly to this marriage, however, he had taken care 
to prevent Margaret’s children from being injured by the 
fecond marriage of their mother. Not long after his 
marriage, Fox refumed his travels, and his wife returned 
to the cures of her family at Swarthmore ; whence (he 
was taken, in the fame year, and committed prifoner to 
Lancafter, on account of a premunire which the had incur¬ 
red fome time before, for not taking the oaths to govern¬ 
ment. With fome difficulty Fox obtained her releafe, 
by repeated applications to the king; and in 1671 he em¬ 
barked for the American plantations, to confirm his 
friends there in their principles, and for the more exten- 
five propagation of them. He fpetit the greatefl part of 
two years in this excurfion, during which he vifited Bar- 
badoes, Jamaica, Maryland, and New England ; whence 
he returned fouthwards to Carolina, and afterwards em¬ 
barked in Maryland for England. While he was in Ame¬ 
rica he held feveral meetings at which the Indians were 
prefent, to whom he preached by means of an interpreter. 
1 
Soon after his return to England he was taken into cuf- 
tody, and committed prifoner 10 Worcefier county gaol, 
under the charge of having held a meeting from ail parts 
of the nation, for the terrifying of the king’s fhhjefts. 
This indiftment he traverfed, and was proceeding to fliew 
the errors that were fufficient to quafh it, when the oaths 
of allegiance and fupremacy were tendered to him ; and 
„upon his refufal to take them, he was found guilty by 
the jury. During his imprifonment after his trial, he was 
feized with an illnefs which reduced him to a very weak 
(late, and rendered his recovery for fome time doubtful. 
Some months afterwards his wife went to London to 
folicit his releafe of the king, who was willing to grant 
it by means of a pardon. Fox, however, declined obtain¬ 
ing his liberty in this mode, as he conceived that it would 
imply a tacit acknowledgment of guilt, and preferred 
having ttie validity of his indiftment tried before tlie 
judges at the king’s bench bar. By this means he ho¬ 
nourably obtained his difeharge, afteran unjuft imprifon¬ 
ment of fourteen months, the judges unanimoufly con¬ 
curring in opinion, “ that the indiftment was quafhed and 
void, and that George Fox ought to be fet at liberty.” 
Fox now fpent two years chiefly at Swarthmore, in which 
he was much employed in preparing different treatifesfor 
the prefs ; and in 1677 he paid a religious vifit to fome 
places in Holland, and travelled on the continent as far as 
Frederickftadt, in Slefwick, having many opportunities 
of propagating his principles. After his return to Eng¬ 
land in the fame year, he refumed his minifterial labours, 
and alfo made repeated applications to the legiflature to 
obtain protection for his friends, and redrefs of their 
grievances; but without fuccefs. 
In 1681, a fuit was inftituted againft Fox and his wife 
for the non-payment of tythes. According to his views 
of tilings, fuch payment was nothing lefs than a contri¬ 
bution to the fupport of a miniftry which he looked 
upon as unlawful, and therefore he confidered it to be his 
duty to refufe it. But the laws of the land had made no 
provifion for fuch fcruples, and the ifl'ue of the fuit, as 
may eafily be imagined, proved unfavourable to the de¬ 
fendants. In 1684 Fox again vifited the continent, and 
palfed feveral weeks in fome of the United Provinces, in 
his ufual occupations. After his return from Holland, 
his health being greatly impaired by his inceflant labours 
for more than forty years, and the hard (hips and incon¬ 
veniences to which he had been expofed, he went no 
more out of the vicinity of London. He,departed this 
life in 1690, in the fixty-feventh year of liis age, after a 
very ftiort illnefs, having been engaged in his minifterial 
labours within a few days of his death. George Fox, 
though an illiterate man, was not deficient in found na¬ 
tural abilities ; and was particularly converfant in the 
language of the Scriptures. Of his piety, fincerity, and 
purity of intention, he afforded throughout his laborious 
life abundant evidence. The celebrated William Penn 
fays, that he was a man whom God endued “ with a clear 
and wonderful depth—a difeerner of other men’s fpirits, 
and very much a mailer of his own ; that he had an ex¬ 
traordinary gift in opening the Scriptures, but that above 
all he excelled in prayer. The reverence and folemnity 
of his addrefs and behaviour, and the fewnefs and fullnefs 
of his words, often (truck ftrangers with admiration.” He 
alfo fpeaks in high terms of his meeknefs, humility, and 
moderation, and fays “ that he was civil beyond all forms 
of breeding in his behaviour, very temperate, eating little, 
and fleeping lefs, though a bulky perfon.” His writings, 
exclulive of fome feparate pieces not publifhed a fecond 
time, form three volumes in folio : of which the firft con¬ 
tains his Journal, printed in 1694 ; the fecond, a collec¬ 
tion of his Epiftles, 1698 ; and the third, his Doftrinal 
Pieces, 1706. 
FOX DE MORZILLO (Sebaftian), known by the 
name ot Seiajlzanus Foxus Morzillus, aSpanilh philofopher, 
born at Seville, in 1528. He purfued his Itudies both in 
Spain and the Netherlands, and foou after he was twenty 
/ years 
