THE JEWS ATTACKED IN OTHER PLACES. 133

money towards the holy expedition-profanely so called-which the king undertook that year, and were therefore declared by proclamation to be under the king's especial protection.

But the spirit which had broken out in London against them, was speedily communicated to other parts of the country. To put an end to these disorders, the king caused writs to be issued through all the counties, forbidding any molestation to be offered to the Jews. But notwithstanding these writs, the Jews were, in many places, subjected to severe persecutions; they were attacked in so many places at once, that their utter ruin seemed determined and inevitable. Brompton tells us that the citizens of Norwich were the first who followed the bad example of the Londoners, and were soon followed by those of other places. In Dunstable and some other towns they saved themselves by professing to renounce the Jewish faith, and by being baptized into the so-called Church of Christ. In the town of Lynn they were

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THEIR MISPLACED ZEAL BRINGS

7

treated with great severity and cruelty. And here must be remarked-for it is the part of an impartial historian to state the whole truth, pro and con-that the Jews were themselves the authors of their sufferings at Lynn.

The circumstances under which the tumult there took place, were the following:-a Jew had been converted to Christianity; his brethren were enraged at his conduct, and sought to be revenged. They waylaid him, and one day as he passed through the streets, endeavoured to get him into their power; he, however, fled, and took refuge in a neighbouring church; some of the Jews pursued him thither; whereupon the sailors belonging to a ship then lying in the harbour, raised a cry that it was intended to put the convert to death, and being joined by the townspeople, under the plea of saving the man's life, fell upon the Jews, drove them to their dwellings, and entering with them, slew many, carried off whatever valuables they could find, and then set fire to their houses. The mariners,

THEM INTO MANY TROUBLES.

135

enriched by the spoil, embarked immediately on board their vessel, and putting to sea, got clear off. The townspeople were called to account for the outrage which had been committed, in disobedience to the proclamation issued by the king, but escaped punishment by laying the whole blame to the charge of the sailors. Dr. Jost betrays here as well as in many other places-no small measure of partiality, when he takes upon himself, without any reason whatever, to assert that "it was doubtless his [i. e. the convert's] fault that he was persecuted in the open street, by his former co-religionists.*"

The same spirit of animosity still pervades the feelings of the Jews towards their converted brethren. A circumstance to the same effect happened in this town (Liverpool) about three years ago. A Jew who had been groundlessly suspected of inquiring into the doctrines of Christianity, entered a Jewish shop on

*Den Anlass dazu gab ein getaufter Jude, der, ohne Zweifel durch seine Schuld, von seinen ehemaligen Genossen auf offener Strasse verfolgt wurde. Geschichte der Israeliten, vol. vii. p. 119.

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the eve of the Passover, and was accosted by another Jew who was in the shop, by the salutation, you are an accursed M'shoomad,* which the accused repudiated with disdain. The accuser, thinking, I suppose, that he had an opportunity to do God service, gave his brother a tremendous blow on his face; by which he almost broke his nose. As I said before, the charge was made without any ground; the insulted Jew therefore, who was ignorant of the precept, "pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you," took out the offender, on the first day of Passover, from the synagogue, and brought him before the mayor of this town, and had him duly punished.

The Rev. Mr. Pauli, missionary to the Jews at Amsterdam, writes thus on the eighth of June last:†-" This moment I hear of the following extraordinary occurrence.

* A nickname given by unconverted Jews to their brethren who believe in Christ. See Appendix B. See Jewish Intelligence for July, 1845, p. 259.

ILL TREATED BY THE UNCONVERTED. 137

Last night a Jewish gentleman, no doubt from the country, was passing the Jewish quarter. Some Jews took him for me, and in a second a tremendous crowd, chiefly Portuguese Jews, was assembled, and in spite of all remonstrances of the poor man that he was not 'Domine' Pauli, they rushed upon him and beat him unmercifully, and left him half dead. When the mistake was found out, they did all they could to prevent the ill-used gentleman from giving notice of the affair to the police. He complied with their request, only wishing heartily that his bruises and broken head could be transferred to me."

The Rev. H. S. Joseph, formerly a Jewish Rabbi of Bedford, now a clergyman of the Church of England, was called upon after his conversion to Christianity, by a Mr. Moses T. Ansell, a connexion of his, who professed to be friendly disposed towards him, and wishing to discuss in a quiet manner the doctrines of Christianity, with which Mr. Joseph readily complied. The discussion lasted for