children, before the time, all have been; but now the living children shall appear.Here thy heart beginneth to ponder: Will the living children die, like the child? To this I answer: the living chil dren, that are to die before my Kingdom is established on this Earth, shall die as innocent as the child did; for I will not impute any more sin to them than I imputed to the child, that had committed no sin. But as the child's name shall stand for ever in remembrance, and dying in convulsions is left on record, so shall their names, for ever stand, in honour to them; and their virtues be recorded, like the child's convulsions, for the pains they have taken to bring in a guilty land. So here I have compared my living children to the dying child, if they die before my Kingdom is established. But, as the other was living, all will not die before the time; 'but the child, that standeth as a type I compared of my Death, must die before the time, to shew the shadow of thy Writings, which I ordered as a sign to put as in the grave; and so by the child's death, I ordered my Shepherds to be warned, to bring them forth by the death of the child. Now let the learned answer, how Satan should place the writings first as a shadow of death, and how death should come to thy Brother's Son in the tenth year of the Vision, and in the month of May to die in convulsions; a month that I threatened a fatal month for man? Let these things be answered by the learned, before I permit thee to appear for well I know thy weakness; and as Satan cannot overcome thee in any form he can come himself, I know he will try, as an angel of light, to come in man. Therefore I will not leave thee to Man, as Adam left Eve to the Serpent. Thou hast trusted to my protection, and my protection thou shalt have: for I myself have made thee a prisoner;

• A vault under the High House at Paddington.

† See page 17 of the first six Books of Prophecies, 1794

and it would be fatal for any man to seek to find thee out, to break my prison doors, before they have brought thee to a fair Trial, then thou shalt appear; and as my guardian angels have guarded and kept thee from all the arts and power of hell, now let my friends, brothers, mother, and sister, keep thee from all the arts and power of men; for there will Satan try to work, to prevent the truth from being tried and proved; as he knoweth, if the truth is tried and proved, they will prove the calling from the Lord and then My KINGDOM must come in

As men's desire will daily come
To wish my Kingdom to appear;
And then he knows I'll bring it here,
And then his Kingdom it must fall.
And now I tell you one and all,
That men's desire must first appear
Before 1 bunginy Kingdom here;
And their desires I soon shall know
When i have prov'd my writings true i
Because thy writings are from ME,
That every soul shall know and see;
For so I'll prove them in the end.
But first with man I shall contend,
To see what in them all do lye,
And then they'll find I'm come in thee,
So strong in power for to appear,
That all shall know their Lord is here,
That in the end I said should come;
In marvellous things appear to man;
And so mankind may marvel here
The way that I in thee appear,
To keep thee secret at the first,
Before men's judgment it is cast;
And then in wonders to appear,
The sacred Truth then in all to clear.-
And this to Townley thou must send,
And tell her, as a faithful friend,
Where thou residest no man must know,
Before their judgment they do shew,
To tell from whence thy writings came,
And then they'll surely know my Name.

"Now let Townley answer all that enquire for thee, the Lord has commanded her not to tell; for she will not tell them; and it is fruitless for the Serpent to come in man to her, and tell her that it is the

Lord's command to conceal thee. She must tell them, they must convince her, from strong arguments and just reasons, how this is all brought round by the Devil, before she will disobey the command of the Lord."

Here, my dear Miss Townley, you see what a strict charge is given to you, not to discover my abode; neither must you let my friends in London know what place you have taken for me, or where my abode is. I am very comfortable, and hope to have the happiness of seeing you soon. I am sure of the pleasure of seeing Underwood every day, to bring me all the news, and to receive the directions. I have another communication to write you to-morrow; but you know I must have my secretary. The Lord bless you, and strengthen you to stand the fiery trial with men. The people in this house are very quiet and civil. Accept my kind love; and am yours sincerely in heart and mind.

(Signed,) JOANNA SOUTHCOTT.

Another communication added, May 24th, morning, in answer to the wind and rain that came on soon after the letters were gone out of town by the mail; and conveyed in the same letter.

"As the wind and rain arose when the coach was carrying the warning to mankind, and the cup is now held out to man, they may drink it which way they will for Townley hath wisely discerned, to weigh the past with the present. Therefore I told thee at Leeds, that were she called forward to give account of her faith, she could give a clearer judgment than man; because she hath discerned what is fulfilled, and what is not. Therefore I have chosen her to warn the shepherds; and if they take not the warn

ing, they shall find the floods of sorrow to come upon
them. But how could I strike before I warn? I
warned the Parliament; and they refused the warn-
ing, and the sword of war followed; but now is comé
the second warning, from the woman's hand to the
shepherds. Therefore I compared her to my mother,
as she is daily seeking to support my honour and
great Name: for they that honour thy writings,
honour ME that gave them; for all shall know they
are from ME the LIVING LORD. So they that ho-
nour ME, I will honour; and they that despise ME,
shall be lightly esteemed; for they that despise thy
writings must despise the Spirit, and do despite to
the Spirit of God. Then they shall find I will do
despite unto them: but how can I strike before I
warn? I tell thee, no! The warning must first
out in the world before I strike; and the sooner the
warning is given, the sooner will my hand appear;
for my hand shall follow the warning, as the rain and
wind followed the letters in their journey. So there
is no time for trifling now-The King's business re-
quireth haste; and as they wish to have it come in
haste, in haste let them proceed with the warning,
and my hand shall be close after. Therefore I said
the man and woman should join together and now
let my brethren join as in one family in the Lord,
with my mother and sister, to warn my shepherds :
they that are not my shepherds will not regard the
warning,-

For now my shepherds I shall try,
To see what in them all doth lie
And if no milk in them is found,
Then they may tremble at the sound:
For now like Woolland I'll go on;
To try my flock I now am come;
For all are shadows plac'd before,
But now the substance shall appear:
Because the substance is begun,
I tell thee, from thy brother's son ;
And so the substance shall abound,
The truth in all shall now be found,
I know thy writings, how they stand,
And every truth they shall command;

go

Because I said I'd make all clear
Before that I had ended here,

And foil'd the wisdom of mankind.

Now I shall tell you the meaning of Mr. Woolland: in 1796, the year the Bishop died, Mr. Woolland had bought a flock of sheep; but not knowing whether they were with lamb or not, he killed one for a trial; and said if there was no milk gathered in the others, as there was no lamb in the one he killed, all his flock should go to the butchers. It was then said to me, the Lord would do as Woolland had done : he would cut off one to try what was in the rest. Bashop Butler Saturday

But if I find my shepherds dry,
And no true milk in them doth lie:
Then sure like Woolland I'll go on,
'Till all my flock be dead and gone.
For now the branch I will cut off.
To make my vineyard spring;
But if I find 'tis not enough,
I'll surely cut your land.

was buried on

before Xmas dayy

This was in 1796, when the Bishop's death was put as a shadow; but now it is coming to the sub

stance.

PRAYERS ON THE FAST DAY, MAY 25, 1804. DEAR MISS TOWNLEY,

I Shall give you the communication that is given to me this day, the 24th of May, after you sent me the Form of Prayer for the Fast Day. I was ordered to call all things to my remembrance in 1796, in answer to the Prayers for the Fast:-" I then ordered thee to write to Pomeroy, and in that year to put in his hand of the Bishop's death*. But

This took place at the end of the year.