Penn’s Third Imprisonment—His Happy Marriage—Fresh Persecutions—Visits
to Germany—Quaker Emigration
After his father’s death Penn became more absorbed than ever in his
chosen mission of spreading the gospel as interpreted by Fox, which
seemed to him the only true form of religion. The restraint he had
hitherto felt obliged to impose on himself in this respect, out of
deference to his father’s prejudices, was now no longer necessary and he
was free to follow the dictates of his soul. But he was soon to suffer
the consequences of having drawn upon himself the displeasure of the
court by his bold defence during the recent trial, and still more by a
pamphlet issued soon after his father’s death in which he fearlessly
denounced the unjust and arbitrary action of the judges not only toward
the accused, but also toward the jury. Just before the new year of 1671
Penn was again arrested on the charge of having held unlawful meetings
and was sentenced to six months’ imprisonment at Newgate, during which
time he wrote several important works, chiefly urging the necessity of
liberty of conscience in England.
After his release Penn made a journey to Holland and Germany, whither
many of the Quakers had fled to escape the continual persecutions to
which they were subjected in their own country. Others had crossed the
ocean to seek in America an abode where they could live without
hinderance according to their convictions, and the letters written by
these drew large numbers to this land of promise; for in spite of the
hardships of the voyage thither, the emigrants drew such glowing
pictures of the beauty and fertility of the country and the happiness of
enjoying religious worship undisturbed as could not fail to appeal to
their unfortunate brethren so sorely in need of this blessing.
During his travels Penn had seen many of these letters and heard the
subject of emigration freely discussed, and gradually he formed a plan
which indeed had been the dream of his youth, although there had then
seemed no prospect of its ever being realized. This plan, however, was
forced into the background for a time by an event of more personal
importance; namely, his betrothal to Guglielma Maria Springett, daughter
of Sir William Springett of Sussex, who had greatly distinguished
himself as a colonel in the parliamentary army and died during the civil
wars at an early age. His widow and her three children, of whom Guli,
the youngest, was born shortly after her father’s death, had retired to
the village of Chalfont in Buckinghamshire, where she afterward married
Isaac Pennington, one of the most prominent of the early Quakers. It was
while visiting Friend Pennington at his home in Chalfont that Penn met
and fell in love with the charming Guli, who willingly consented to
bestow her hand on this stalwart young friend of her stepfather, whose
belief she shared. The marriage took place in 1672 and proved one of
lasting happiness on both sides. Conjugal bliss did not divert Penn from
his sacred calling, however, for we find him soon on his travels again,
with his faithful Guli, who accompanied him everywhere until the birth
of their first child made it no longer possible. This was a son, to whom
they gave the name of Springett, for his grandfather. But even the joys
of fatherhood could not confine Penn to his home, now doubly happy. He
travelled about the country constantly, either alone or with other
distinguished Friends, and was so active both as a preacher and as a
writer that he soon became known as the “sword” of the society.
The year 1673 brought fresh persecutions to the Quakers through the
passage by Parliament of the so-called Test Act, excluding all
dissenters from holding office of any kind under the crown, which King
Charles had been forced to sign, much against his will, since it also
applied to Catholics. As the Quakers were looked upon as among the worst
enemies of the established church, not only on account of their extreme
candor and boldness, but also for their contempt of all outward forms of
worship, their day of trial was not long delayed. George Fox was one of
the first victims, and in order to secure his release Penn once more
made his appearance at court after an interval of five years. His
guardian and protector, the Duke of York, received him most graciously,
reproached him for his long absence, and promised to use his influence
with the King in Fox’s behalf. He also agreed to do all in his power to
put an end to the oppressive persecution of the Friends, and dismissed
Penn with the assurance that he would be glad to see him at any time or
be of any service to him. The promised intercession, however, was either
forgotten or without avail, for the merciless enactments against
dissenters of all kinds continued as before and filled all the prisons
in the country. Little wonder that their thoughts turned to emigration,
in which some of their brethren had already taken refuge. For
deep-rooted as is the Englishman’s attachment to his native land, even
patriotism must yield to that inborn love of freedom and the higher
demand of the spirit for liberty of conscience.
To Penn especially this idea appealed with irresistible force now that
he had at last given up hope of ever securing these rights in England.
But whither? Not in Holland or Germany was to be found the longed-for
freedom. Refugees in those countries were scarcely less oppressed and
persecuted than at home. It was across the sea that Penn’s thoughts
flew, to the silent primeval forests of the New World, where no
tyrannical power yet held sway; where every man was the builder of his
own fortune and the master of his destiny, unfettered by iron-bound laws
and customs; where a still virgin Nature, adorned with all the charms of
a favored clime, invited to direct communion with the Creator of all
things and inspired a peace of mind impossible to secure elsewhere.
There was the place to found the commonwealth of which he had dreamed.
All that as a boy he had heard from his father’s lips of that wondrous
new Paradise beyond the seas; all that as a youth with his intense
longing for freedom his fancy had painted of such an ideal community;
all that as a man he had learned from the letters of emigrants who had
already reached this land of promise, all this combined to create an
inspiring vision that ever unfolded fresh beauties to his mind. And
when, in 1676, Penn was unexpectedly brought into actual contact with
this country, no doubt it seemed to him like the finger of God pointing
out to him the land of his dreams.
In that year Charles the Second, who had already disposed of various
English conquests and possessions in North America, made over to his
brother James, Duke of York, the province of New Netherlands, ceded to
him by the Dutch after their defeat in 1665. This was that fertile tract
of country lying between the Delaware and Connecticut Rivers, where the
Dutch West Indian Trading Company had already made some settlements. The
Duke of York kept only a part of this territory, however; that which was
named for him, New York. The territory between the Hudson and Delaware
Rivers he gave in fee to two noblemen, Lord Berkeley and Sir George
Carteret, the latter of whom, having been formerly governor of the
channel island of Jersey lying off the French coast, called his part New
Jersey. Both these provinces granted full freedom of government and of
belief to all sects—a matter not so much of principle perhaps as of
policy, to attract thither victims of the penal laws in England, for the
greater the number of colonists who settled in these still sparsely
populated territories, the more their value and their revenues would
increase. Nor were these calculations unfounded. Hundreds of Puritans,
among whom were many Quakers, took advantage of this opportunity to seek
new homes, and their industry and perseverance soon brought the land to
a state of most promising productiveness. Finding the care of these
distant possessions burdensome, however, Lord Berkeley sold his share
for a thousand pounds to one Edward Billing through his agent John
Fenwick. Some dispute concerning the matter having arisen between these
two men, both of whom were Quakers, Penn was chosen to settle the
controversy and decided in favor of Fenwick, who had emigrated with a
large party of Friends to the coast of Delaware and founded the town of
Salem.
Penn’s connection with the American province did not end here. Billing,
having become embarrassed in his affairs, was forced to resign his
interest in the territory to his creditors, who at his request appointed
Penn as one of the administrators. This office, though not altogether
agreeable to him, he felt obliged to accept in the interest of the many
Quakers already settled there; but if his model community were to be
founded there, he must have a free hand and not be hampered by any
regulations or restrictions which might be made by Sir George Carteret
as joint owner of the province of New Jersey. He therefore directed his
efforts to securing a division of the territory, in which he finally
succeeded, Carteret taking the eastern part, while the western, being
sold to the highest bidder for the benefit of Billing’s creditors, came
into the sole possession of the Quakers.
For this new State of West New Jersey, Penn drew up a constitution, the
chief provision of which was the right of free worship and liberty of
conscience. The legislative power was placed almost entirely in the
hands of the people, to be exercised by chosen representatives, while
all matters of law and justice were intrusted to a judiciary the members
of which were to serve for a period of not more than two years. Copies
of this constitution were printed and widely circulated among the
Quakers, together with a full description of the soil, climate, and
natural products of the new colony. The result was amazing. Penn’s home,
then at Worminghurst in Sussex, was literally besieged by would-be
emigrants seeking for information, in spite of the fact that in these
published pamphlets he had strongly urged that no one should leave his
native land without sufficient cause and not merely from idle curiosity
or love of gain. Two companies were now organized to assist in the work
of emigration. The first ship carried over two hundred and thirty
colonists, and two others soon following, it became necessary to
establish at once a provisional government, consisting of Penn himself
with three other members chosen from the two companies.
One of the first acts of the settlers, after safe arrival in the New
World, was to arrive at an amicable understanding with the native tribes
by paying them a good price for the land they had occupied or claimed
for their hunting grounds. This was quite a new experience to the
Indians, who had hitherto met with only violence and robbery from the
white men—treatment for which they had usually taken bloody revenge.
They willingly consented, therefore, to bargain with these peaceful
strangers, so different from any they had yet seen. “You are our
brothers,” they declared in their broken English,” and we will live with
you as brothers. There shall be a broad path on which you and we will
travel together. If an Englishman falls asleep on this pathway the
Indian shall go softly by and say, ‘He sleeps, disturb him not!’ The
path shall be made smooth that no foot may stumble upon it.”
It was no small advantage to these early settlers, struggling against
hardships and privations to make a home in the wilderness, to be at
peace with the natives and have nothing to fear from their enmity. Often
indeed, when threatened with want or danger, they were supplied with the
necessities of life by the grateful Indians, who knew how to value the
friendship and honesty of their new neighbors.
Thus West New Jersey bade fair to develop into a favorable place for
Penn to found that ideal Commonwealth of which he had so long dreamed.
But in the preoccupations of this new enterprise Penn did not lose sight
of the duties that lay nearest to him. Hearing that the Friends he had
formerly visited in Holland and Germany were anxious to learn from his
own lips of the settlement in New Jersey, he decided to make another
journey to those countries, the more so as it was important to secure
for the new colony as many as possible of the German artisans, who at
that time held a high reputation for skill and industry.
Penn was also especially desirous of making the acquaintance of a noble
lady whom Robert Barclay had first interested in the Quakers and whose
influence would be of the utmost importance to the members of that
persecuted sect in Germany. This was the Princess Elizabeth of the
Rhine, daughter of the Elector Palatine Frederick the Fifth, afterward
King of Bohemia. She was closely connected with England, her mother
having been a daughter of King James the First, and was deeply
interested, therefore, in all that concerned that country. At this time
she was living at Herford in Westphalia and was distinguished not only
for her learning, but still more for the benevolence and sincere piety
that made her the friend and protectress of all persecuted Christians of
whatever sect. She had learned from Robert Barclay to feel the greatest
respect and admiration for the Quaker form of belief, and much was hoped
from her protection.
In 1677, therefore, Penn again sailed for Holland with George Fox,
Robert Barclay, and George Keith, all prominent members of the Society
of Friends, in a vessel the captain of which had served under Admiral
Penn. Rotterdam, Leyden, Haarlem, and Amsterdam were visited in
succession and large meetings held, there being many Quakers in each of
these cities. At Amsterdam George Fox was left behind to attend a
general assembly or conclave, where questions of importance to the
Society were to be settled, while Penn and his other two companions went
on to Herford. They were most kindly received by the Princess Elizabeth,
who not only permitted them to hold several public meetings, but also
invited them frequently to her own apartments for religious converse,
owing to which she finally became a member of the sect herself.
Robert Barclay now returned to Amsterdam to join Fox, but Penn,
accompanied by Keith, who was almost as proficient as himself in the
German language, journeyed on by way of Paderborn and Cassel to
Frankfort-on-the-Main, where Penn preached with great effect, winning
over many influential persons to his own belief. From Frankfort the two
Quaker apostles went up along the Rhine to Griesheim near Worms, where a
small Quaker community had been formed. Here Penn’s plan for founding a
trans-atlantic State for the free worship of their religion was received
with the greatest enthusiasm, and large numbers did indeed afterward
emigrate to New Jersey, where they took an important place in the
colony, being among the first to condemn and abolish the slavery then
existing in America, and established a reputation for German worth and
integrity beyond the seas.
On his return to Cologne, Penn found a letter from the Princess
Elizabeth urging him to go to Mühlheim to visit the Countess of
Falkenstein, of whose piety she had already told him. In endeavoring to
carry out this request of his royal patroness, however, Penn and his
friend met with a misadventure. At the gates of the castle they
encountered the Countess’ father, a rough, harsh man with small respect
for religion of any sort. He roundly abused them for not taking off
their hats to him, and on learning that they were Quakers, he had them
taken into custody and escorted beyond the boundaries of his estates by
a guard. Here they were left alone in the darkness, at the edge of a
great forest, not knowing where they were or which way to turn. After
much wandering about they finally reached the town of Duisburg, but the
gates were closed and in spite of the lateness of the season they were
forced to remain outside till morning.
From Amsterdam Penn went to join Fox again at Friesland, improving this
opportunity to make another satisfactory visit to Herford, and parting
from the noble Princess as a warm friend with whom he afterward enjoyed
a frequent correspondence. Not till early in the winter did the four
friends return to England, and the stormy passage, together with his
nocturnal adventure at Duisburg, so affected Penn’s health that for some
time he was obliged to submit himself to the care of his devoted wife,
especially as the importunities of prospective emigrants gave him little
chance to recuperate.