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$plication to him for a Certificate, readily complied therewith, and while we were present with him wrote and figned the fame, he declaring alfo at the fame Time, that it was his Opinion, our Friend William Penn's laft Illness was occafioned by an Apoplectick Fit or Fits, preceding his Palfical Disorder, and that there was not any thing of Lunacy in his Cafe. And upon our farther Enquiry of our Friends here, who vifited him repeatedly, we do not find that our Friend W. Penn was at any time afflicted with any Diforder of Lunacy.

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Reading,

The 4th of the 5th
Month. 1732.

Abraham Bonifield.

WE could easily procure many more Attestations in this Cafe, but the above written are a great Over-Ballance to Pickworth's fingle Teftimony, they coming from Perfons of undoubted Veracity, who were often with W. P. in his Illness, which Pickworth does not pretend once to have been. Besides, it were needless farther to confute a Tale, that will never want for Contradiction fo long as any of W. P's Acquaintance fhall be living.

As to what Pickworth has related concerning Richard Claridge, that 'tis a moft grofs Falfhood, we shall prove by the best Evidence the Nature of the Thing is capable of;

I. An Extract outof a Regular Diurnal of R. Claridge's own Hand-Writing, wherein he gives an Account of H. Pickworth's Vifit to, and Conference with him, in the following Words,

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• H. Pickworth, Invidiæ rabie impulfus, in amicorum principia invectus eft, Scil; Lucem, Joh. i. 9. & multa alia.

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Impium fuum Librum, cui Titulus, Charge of Error, Herefy, &c. qui eft mendaciffimus & invidiofiffimus, vindicavit.

Again,

• H. Pickworth me domi invifit, ejusdem furoris et invidiæ veneno tinctus.

Hortatus fum illum, ut pænitentiam ageret • erga Deum & Homines, & Librum fuprà Me• moratum in flammas conjiceret.'

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*

THESE are Claridge's own Words; which in English, are as follows;

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• H. Pickworth, moved with Rage and Malice, inveighed against Friends Principles, to wit, The Light, John i. 9. and many others.

• He

The Printer of this Book will direct any Perfon, that fhall defire it, to the Sight of the Original, in which are exprefly entred the Year, Month, and Day, here omitad, as Matters Pickworth does not deal in.

• He vindicated his impious Book, intituled, A Charge of Error, Herefy, &c. which is a moft falfe and moft malicious Piece.

AGAIN,

• H. Pickworth vifited me at my Houfe, infect ed with the Poyfon of the fame Madness and C Envy.

I exhorted him to exercife Repentance towards God and Men, and to throw his aforefaid Book into the Fire.'

CAN there be the least Degree of probability, that R. C. fhould confefs his Errors to a Man of whom he gives fuch a Character? Or that the Book, which he fo describes, fhould be inftrumental to convince him of them?

Pickworth had certainly very good Reason to forbear telling fuch a Story of Claridge, while living; who, though long fince dead, doth fo effectually confute him.

II. The Teftimony of Perfons, immediately concerned in Richard Claridge's Affairs after his Deceafe.

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"WHEREAS Henry Pickworth, in a certain Narrative by him attefted, and published in a late • Vindication of the Bishop of Lichfield and Coventry, doth talk of Richard Claridge's being far from giving the leaft Order to reprint his Works in one Volume, and of his Repentance of the Con• tents thereof. In Justice to the Memory of the

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• faid

• faid Richard Claridge, we do teftify; That foon after the Death of the faid Richard, his • Widow did acquaint us, that he had directed,

that the Perfons intrusted by his Will (who • were all of them Quakers) might publish all or ¢ any of the Manuscripts he left behind him, as they with the Advice of their Friends, the Quakers, fhould fee fit; And that pursuant to fuch Direction, A Collection of his Manufcripts was made, and published in the Year 1726. In • which Collection, to be fold at the Printer's of this Book, and intituled, The Life and Pofthi• mous Works of RICHARD CLARIDGE, The Reader will find the very Points of the Quakers Doctrine, which Pickworth pretends he repented of,as ftrenuöufly afferted and maintained, as in any other of his Writings.

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Witness our Hands, who were Trustees to the faid R. Claridge's laft Will, and Executors to his Widow fince deceased.

Clerkenwell, ·

The 6th of the Month call'd July, 1732.

Thomas Rhodes.
Jofeph Beffe:

BESIDES, that R. Claridge was far from giving the leaft Order to Reprint his Works in one Volume, is what Pickworth can never prove, fince he might have given fuch Order without his Knowledge; and that the giving fuch an Order has been the Manner of their Preachers heretofore, as he afferts, may be juftly doubted, till he fhall produce better Evidence.

But

BUT what fhall we think of this Pickworth, who in his aforefaid Letter to the Quakers, p. 11. fays, That they have most audaciously and wickedly reprinted Penn's, Ellwood's, and Whitehead's Works, fince their deceafe? Whereas, tho' Penn's Works have been collected and reprinted fince his Decease, yet neither Ellwood's nor Whitehead's have been fo. Such downright 'Blunders in plain Matters of Fact does the Man's Fury and Malice run him into.

THIS is the Man from whom the Vindicator publishes Accounts of the deceased, who has mentioned but one Living Quaker in his whole Narrative, and he now publishes the following Certificate, viz.

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WHEREAS in a certain Paper, attested by Henry Pickworth, and published in a late Vindication of the Bishop of Lichfield and Coventry, are thefe Words, One Clutton, an Apothecary in High Holborn, affumed the Confidence to stop him [Richard Claridge] in his Preachment, by pulling him by the Sleeve for that end, before a Numerous Auditory, at the Funeral of one of their Brotherhood. Now I do hereby declare, that I know of no Apothecary named Clutton in High Holborn but my felf; and that the above recited Story, if told of me, is falfe, for that I did never interrupt, or stop, Richard Claridge, in his Preaching, at any Time, in any Place, or in in any Manner whatfoever. And I do hereby call upon the faid Henry Pickworth to prove his faid Affertion to my Face, by any of the ⚫ numerous Auditory he talks of.

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High Holborn,

the 30th of the 4th Month call'd Fune, 1732.

Jos. Clutton:

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