Editing George Fox (section)

===Imprisonment===
Fox complained to judges about decisions he considered morally wrong, as he did in a letter on the case of a woman due to be executed for theft.<ref>Fox in Nickalls, p. 66.</ref> He campaigned against paying the [[tithes]] intended to fund the established church, which often went into the pockets of absentee landlords or religious colleges distant from the paying parishioners. In his view, as God was everywhere and anyone could preach, the established church was unnecessary and a university qualification irrelevant for a preacher.<ref name=ingle/> Conflict with civil authority was inevitable. Fox was imprisoned several times, the first at [[Nottingham]] in 1649.<ref>Fox in Nickalls, pp. 40–43.</ref> At [[Derby]] in 1650 he was imprisoned for [[blasphemy]]; a judge mocked Fox's exhortation to "tremble at the word of the Lord", calling him and his followers "Quakers".<ref>Fox in Nickalls, pp. 52–58, and Jones, chapter 4.</ref> After he refused to fight against the return of the monarchy (or to take up arms for any reason), his sentence was doubled.<ref>Fox in Nickalls, pp. 64–65.</ref> The refusal to swear oaths or take up arms came to be much more important in his public statements. Refusal to take oaths meant that Quakers could be prosecuted under laws compelling subjects to [[Oath of allegiance|pledge allegiance]] and made testifying in court problematic.<ref name=ingle/> In a letter of 1652 (''That which is set up by the sword''), he urged Friends not to use "carnal weapons" but "spiritual weapons", saying, "let the waves [the power of nations] break over your heads".

In 1652, Fox preached for several hours under a walnut tree at [[Balby]], where his disciple [[Thomas Aldham]] was instrumental in setting up the first meeting in the [[Doncaster]] area.<ref>Doncaster Friends site: [http://homepages.tesco.net/~d.swift/Doncaster.htm Retrieved 30 September 2011.] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111210205852/http://homepages.tesco.net/~d.swift/Doncaster.htm |date=10 December 2011}}</ref> In the same year Fox felt that God led him to ascend [[Pendle Hill]], where he had a vision of many souls coming to Christ. From there he travelled to [[Sedbergh]], where he had heard a group of [[Seekers]] was meeting, and preached to over a thousand people on [[Firbank Fell]], convincing many, including [[Francis Howgill]], to accept that Christ might speak to people directly.<ref>Nickalls, pp. 103–108.</ref> At the end of the month he stayed at [[Swarthmoor Hall]], near [[Ulverston]], the home of [[Thomas Fell]], vice-chancellor of the [[Duchy of Lancaster]], and his wife, [[Margaret Fell|Margaret]]. Around that time, the ''ad hoc'' meetings of Friends began to be formalised and a monthly meeting was set up in [[County Durham]].<ref name=ingle/> Margaret became a Quaker, and although Thomas did not convert, his familiarity with the Friends proved influential when Fox was arrested for blasphemy in October. Fell was one of three presiding judges, and the charges were dismissed on a technicality.

Fox remained at [[Swarthmoor]] until the summer of 1653, then left for [[Carlisle, Cumbria|Carlisle]], where he was arrested again for blasphemy.<ref name=ingle/> It was even proposed to put him to death, but [[Barebone's Parliament|Parliament]] requested his release rather than have "a young man&nbsp;... die for religion".<ref>Fox in Nickalls, pp. 159–164; Jones, chapter 7.</ref> Further imprisonments came in London in 1654, [[Launceston, England|Launceston]] in 1656, [[Lancaster, England|Lancaster]] in 1660, [[Leicester]] in 1662, Lancaster again and [[Scarborough, North Yorkshire|Scarborough]] in 1664–1666 and [[Worcester, England|Worcester]] in 1673–1675. Charges usually included causing a disturbance and travelling without a pass. Quakers fell foul of irregularly enforced laws forbidding unauthorised worship, while actions motivated by belief in social equality – refusing to use or acknowledge titles, take hats off in court or bow to those who considered themselves socially superior – were seen as disrespectful.<ref>Fox, e. g. in Nickalls, pp. 36–37 and 243–244.</ref> While imprisoned at Launceston, Fox wrote, "Christ our Lord and master saith 'Swear not at all, but let your communications be yea, yea, and nay, nay, for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.'&nbsp;... the Apostle James saith, 'My brethren, above all things swear not, neither by heaven, nor by earth, nor by any other oath. Lest ye fall into condemnation.'"<ref>Fox, e. g. in Nickalls, pp. 244–245.</ref>

In prison George Fox continued writing and preaching, feeling that imprisonment brought him into contact with people who needed his help—the jailers as well as his fellow prisoners. In his journal, he told his magistrate, "God dwells not in temples made with hands."<ref>''Journal of George Fox'' (1694), Chapter 4.</ref> He also sought to set an example by his actions there, turning the other cheek when being beaten and refusing to show his captors any dejected feelings.