Editing George Fox (section)

===James Nayler===
One early Quaker convert, the Yorkshireman [[James Nayler]], arose as a prominent preacher in London around 1655. A breach began to form between Fox's and Nayler's followers. As Fox was held prisoner at Launceston, Nayler moved south-westwards towards Launceston intending to meet Fox and heal any rift. On the way he was arrested himself and held at [[Exeter]]. After Fox was released from Launceston gaol in 1656, he preached throughout the [[West Country]]. Arriving at Exeter late in September, Fox was reunited with Nayler. Nayler and his followers refused to remove their hats while Fox prayed, which Fox took as both a personal slight and a bad example. When Nayler refused to kiss Fox's hand, Fox told Nayler to kiss his foot instead. Nayler was offended and the two parted acrimoniously. Fox wrote that "there was now a wicked spirit risen amongst Friends".<ref>Ingle (2004) and Fox in Nickalls, p. 268.</ref>

After Nayler's own release later the same year he rode into [[Bristol]] triumphantly playing the part of Jesus Christ in a re-enactment of [[Palm Sunday]]. He was arrested and taken to London, where Parliament defeated a motion to execute him by a vote of 96–82. Instead, they ordered that he be pilloried and whipped through both London and Bristol, branded on his forehead with the letter B (for blasphemer), bored through the tongue with a red-hot iron and imprisoned in solitary confinement with hard labour.<ref>Jones, footnote 125, chapter 10</ref> Nayler was released in 1659, but he was a broken man. On meeting Fox in London, he fell to his knees and begged Fox's forgiveness. Shortly afterward, Nayler was attacked by thieves while travelling home to his family, and died.<ref name=ingle/>