196 Jesus, Prophet ofIslam
After holding a survey in which he discovered that a large
number of Englishmen were Unitarians, Owen published a reply
to Biddle in 1655.In a way Cromwell's actions helped Biddle: Sup
ported by his allowance, Biddle was out of reach of his enemies
and couId spend his time in contemplation and prayer. He remained
a prisoner in the Castle of St. Mary's untill658, when, due to the
increased pressure for his release, he regained his freedom.
As soon as he had come out of prison, Biddle began to hold
public meetings during which he exarnined the Scriptures in order
to demonstrate the Unity of God and to show the falsehood of the
doctrine of Trinity. These meetings developed into regular Unitar
ian worship according to their faith. This had never happened in
England before,
On the lst of June 1662Biddle was again arrested together with
sorne of his friends in the middle of one of their meetings. They
were all put in prison and bail was refused. There was no statute
under which they could be punished so they were prosecuted un
der Common Law.Biddle was fined one hundred pounds and con
demned to lie in prison until the sum was paid. His fellow wor
shippers were fined twenty pounds each. Biddle was ill-treated in
prison and kept in solitary confinement. This, together with the
foui air of the prison brought on a disease which resulted in his
death in less than five weeks. He died on the 22nd September 1662.
Biddle's death, together with the effects of the Act of Uniform
ity, passed in the same year, meant that public worship which fol
lowed the pattern established by Biddle could not take place. Un
der the Act 2,257priests were ejected from their 'living.' Their fate
is unknown. But it is known that about 8,000people died in prison
for refusing to accept the doctrine ofTrinity during this particular
era in England. The author of a biography about Biddle, written
about twenty years after his death, preferred to remain anonymous
for safety's sake. However, Unitarianism continued as a school of
thought and its adherents grew. Using force to bring back people
into the established Church only helped to win many people over
to the beliefs of Socianus and Biddle, and it is significant that many
of the leading intellects of the age, including John Milton, Sir Isaac
Newton and John Locke, secretly affirmed the Divine Unity.
The degree to which the authorities attempted to stamp out
Unitarianism. during this period cao be measured by the laws which
they passed: An act of 1664 condemned all persons convicted of
refusing to go to an established church with banishment. Should
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