The discussion, however, ended in Fox and
his supporters-five in all-receiving the sentence of damnation from
the two prophets, and from this moment there was internecine war
between the Quakers and the Muggletonians; each denouncing the other
fiercely, and issuing books against the other by the score-works
which have happily been long ago forgotten, to the great advantage of
mankind. If, however, any one, curious in such lore, is desirous of
finding out what cursing and swearing, regarded as one of the Fine
Arts, may achieve when skilfully managed by adepts, let him by all
means turn to the pamphlets of Pennington, Richard Farnsworth, and
others of the Quaker body, while delivering their souls against
Muggleton, and the counterblasts of Muggleton, Claxton, and their
friends in reply. One of the choicest diatribes of these _esprits
forts_, as we may well call them, was hurled at the prophet by
William Penn.
Muggleton had some very zealous converts at Cork--for there were
believers everywhere by this time--and as they were people of
substance and much in favour, they were making some way. Of course
they came into collision with the Quakers, and not without success.
Penn had early fallen under the influence of Richard Farnsworth, whom
Muggleton had damned in 1654, and Penn's father had sent him over to
manage his Irish estates, in the hope of getting the new notions out
of the young man's head.
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