The Cry of the innocent and oppressed for justice, or, A brief relation of the late proceedings against the prisoners called Quakers in London and the manner of their tryal at the sessions holden at Hick's Hall and Old-Bailey on the 14th, 15th and 17th day of October 1664, at which places thirty-one of the said prisoners were sentenced for banishment ... together with some animadversions or observations upon the said proceedings ... published for the information of all that desire to know the truth of these things.

Observation.

Thus their unchristian inhumane and cruel proceeding against an innocent people, and how unreasonable it was, many took notice of; for many of these Prisoners who were thus dealt by, did not refuse to plead, as before is manifest, some of them having called out and told the Court, they refused not to plead; Others of them standing first upon having Coppies of their Indictments, that they might know what to plead to before they pleaded; Others of them, when they should have come to matter of Plea in their answer to their Indict∣ments, were interrupted and violently pulled away from the Bar, by the Under-Goalers; Others of them upon their not presently answering, when called to plead Not Guilty, being also asked to an∣swer whether they were at the Meeting on such a day and time? which they not well remembring the time, could not with clearness readily answer them their Questions: And others pleading Innocen∣cy, and denying the Charge in the Indictment against them, which was all one, as to say Not guilty, according to Judge Hide's own con∣fession; yet notwithstanding their Persecutors have thus taken this flight occasion, and made this poor shift to deal thus cruelly by them, even as if they had purposely stolen upon these Innocent Sufferers, to bring them under a snare and a trap for Banishment; which had there been any remorse or tenderness, pitty or compassion in their Judges, or eye of discerning open in them, the Innocency of these Suf∣ferers, (if they had said nothing, but been as Lambs altogether si∣lent or dumb before them) would have had some reflection upon them, so as to have stopt them from such unchristian-like, yea, and unnatural proceedings against them.

So the Recorder biding them hearken to the Judgment of the Court and of the whole Kingdome against them, but speaking so softly that he could not well be heard, one of the Prisoners spake to him to speak louder, for they could nor hear him: So he stopt, and said he would, but beginning again to speak softly as before, then two or three other of the Prisoners told him, they could not tell what he said: he answered, he cared not whether they did or no, and so pro∣ceeded to pass Sentence in this wise:

Record.

Hearken to your Sentence, You and every of you shall be Transported beyond the Seas, the Men to Barbados, and the Women to Jamaica, being two of his Majesties Plantations, there to remain seven years.