Like many visionaries, George Fox (1624-1691) lived in a tumultuous age, a time of religious debate and persecution. Fox, largely a self-taught philosopher and preacher, could excite extreme devotion, incite riots and convince others of his mental derangement all in a single day. He travelled widely in Europe, the West Indies and America, and his eccentricity attracted the attention to him instantly. The introduction to his journal will set the basic tenets of his evolving religious belief and show how and why he came to be the guiding spirit of a small group of people who became the Society of Friends.