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| Title | The Acts of the Witnesses of the Spirit | |
| Author | Lodowick Muggleton | |
| Year of Publication |
1699 and 1764 |
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| Links | This work can be found here | |
This book was written in Muggleton's final years, it was given to Thomas Tomkinson and was published after Muggleton's death.
It is a very interesting book that is a much better read than its strained structure suggests.
The first part deals with Muggleton's early life to just before the granting of the commission.
The second part commences as Reeves informs Muggleton of the commission and outlines a great deal of early cursing activity, including the activities of Mr Cooper, a bit of a loose cannon and the devious Captain Stasy.
The third part starts with the legal trouble following Stasy's mischief, continues through a powerful and interesting account of time spent in prison and finishing with more legal trouble in Derbyshire, interestingly before the same judge that coined the phrase "Quakers" for the society of friends. It is alleged that Muggleton got the better of the exchange with the people saying to Mr Benet (the judge) "we think you have met with one that is two harde for you now". In Chesterfield Muggleton was taken before the authorities and asked if he believed in the trinity, to which he plainly replied that he did not. This was in 1663 and it is important to realise that Wightman went to the stake in England (twice actually, which is in itself quite an achievement) in 1612 for holding Unitarian views and a Scot was executed in 1697 for a similar offence. Muggleton was therefore being quite courageous in holding to his beliefs, especially as his doctrine held that a certain flexibility before the secular powers was not to be frowned upon.
The fourth part continues to chronicle the Medgate rebellion.
The fifth part deals with Muggleton's final and seemingly his most distressing legal problem and ends on his death.