1662. of the Town, till I was got without their Gates and when fome Friends, that came after, overtook me, Ly they told me, that the Officers had been fearching for me in the Inn, as foon as I was gone out of the Yard. So, by the good Hand of the Lord, I efcaped their Cruel Hands. After this, we paffed through the Countries, vifiting Friends in their Meetings. And the Lord's Power carried us over the Perfecuting Spirits, and through many Dangers; and his Truth Spread and grew, and Friends were established therein: Praises and Glory to his Name for ever! Norfolk. And fo having paffed through Norfolk, Suffolk, ex Elex and Hertfordshire, we came to London again, Herf. where I ftay'd a while, vifiting Friends in their MeetLondon. ings, which were very large, and the Lord's Power Kent. was over all. After fome time I left the City again, Afhford. and Travelled into Kent, having Thomas Briggs with brook. me; and we went to Ashford, where we had a quiet Tenter and a very bleffed Meeting: and on the Firft-Day we

Sufolk.

Efez.

fire.

Cran

dep.

had a very good and peaceable Meeting at Cranbrook. Then we went to Tenterden, and had a Meeting there, to which many Friends came from feveral Parts and many of the World's People came in, and were reached by Truth. When the Meeting was done, I walked with Thomas Briggs into a Clofe, while our Horfes were got ready; and turning my Head, I fpied a Captain coming, and a great Company of Soldiers with lighted Matches and Muskets. Some of the Soldiers came to Thomas and me, and faid, We muft go to their Captain: and when they had brought us before him, he asked, Where was George Fox > Which was he? I faid, I am the Man. Then he came to me, and was fomewhat ftruck, and faid, I will fe cure you among the Soldiers. So he called for the Soldiers to take me; and then he took Thomas Briggs, and the Man of the Houfe, and many more: but the Power of the Lord was mightily over him and them all. Then he came to me again, and faid; I must go along with him to the Town; and he carried himself pretty civilly, bidding the Soldiers bring the reft af

ter.

Tenter

dea,

ter. As we walked, I asked him, Why they did thus ? 1663. for I had not feen fo much ado a great while and I bid him be Civil to his Neighbours, who were peaceable. When we were come to the Town, they had us to an Inn, that was the Jailer's Houfe, and after a while, the Mayor of the Town, and this Captain and the Lieutenant, who were Juftices, came together and Examined me, Why I came thither to make a Difturbance? I told them, I did not come to make a Di fturbance; neither had I made any Difturbance fince I came. They faid, There was a Law, which was against the Quakers. Meetings, made only against them. I told them I knew no fuch Law. Then they brought forth the Act, that was made against Quakers and others: I told them; That was against fuch as were a Terror to the King's Subjects, and were Enemies and held dangerous Principles to the Government; and therefore that was not againft us: for we held Truth, and our Principles were not dangerous to the Government, and our Meetings were peaceable, as they knew, who knew their Neighbours were a peaceable People. They told me, I was an Enemy to the King: I told them, We loved all People, and were Enemies to none: and that I, for my own part, had been caft into DerbyDungeon many Years ago, about the time of Worcefier Fight, because I would not take up Arms against him; and that I was afterward brought up by Col. Hacker to London, as a Plotter, to bring in King Charles; and was kept Prifoner at London, till I was fet at Liberty by Oliver. They asked me, Whether I was Imprisoned in the time of the Infurrection? I faid, Yes, I had been Imprifoned then, and fince that alfo, and had been fet at Liberty by the King's own Command. So I opened the Act to them, and fhewed them the King's late Declaration, and gave them the Examples of other Juftices; and told them alfo, what the House of Lords had faid of it. I fpake alfo to them concerning their own Conditions, Exhorting them to live in the Fear of God, and to be tender towards their Neighbours, that feared God; and to

1663. mind God's Wifdom, by which all things were made and created, that they might come to receive it, and Yener be ordered by it; and by it order all things to God's den... Glory. They demanded Bond of us for our Appea

Subex.

South

rance at the Seffions; but we pleading our Innocency, refused to give Bond. Then they would have had us Promise to come no more there: But we kept clear of that alfo. When they faw, they could not bring us to their Terms; they told us, We Should fee, they were Civil to us; for it was the Mayor's Pleafure, we Should all be fet at Liberty. I told them, Their Civility was Noble: and fo we parted.

Then leaving Tenterden, we went into Suffex, and Newick came to Newick, where were fome Friends, whom we Hamp vifited: And from thence paffed on through the Counampton, try, vifiting Friends, and having great Meetings; wood Pa and all quiet and free from Difturbance (except by rifh. fome Fangling Baptifts) till we came into Hampshire Palner Where after we had had a good Meeting at Southamp dington, we went to a place called Pulmer in the Parish of

Ring

Monthly

Ringwood, where there was to be a Monthly Meeting next Day, to which many Friends came from Southbampton, Pool, and other places; and the Weather being very bot, fome of them came pretty early in the Morning. I took a Friend, and walked out with him into the Orchard, inquiring of him, how the Affairs of Truth flood amongft them? (For many of them had been Convinced by me, before I was Prifoner in Cornwal.) While we were difcourfing, another YoungMan came to us, and told us the Trained-Bands were raifing, and he heard, they would come and break up the Meeting. It was not yet Meeting time by about Three Hours; and there being other Friends walking in the Orchard alfo, the Friend that I was difcourfing with before, defired me to walk into a Corn-Field adjoyning to the Orchard; and fo we did. After a while, the Young-Man that spake of the Trained-Bands, left us and went away and when he was gone a pretty way, he ftood, and waved his Hat. Whereupon I fpake to the other Young-Man,

that

that was with me, to go fee what he ailed? and he 1662. went, but came not to me again; for the Soldiers, it ∞! feems, were come, and were in the Orchard. And as Pul. Me. I kept walking, I could fee the Soldiers; and fome of Meeting. them (as I heard afterwards) did fee me, but had no mind to meddle. So the Soldiers coming fo long before the Meeting-time, they did not Tarry, but took what Friends they found at the House, and fome that they met in the Lane coming, and had them away. After they were gone,and it grew towards the Eleventh Hour, Friends began to come in apace; and a large and glorious Meeting we had: for the Everlafting Seed of God was fet over all, and the People were fettled in the New-Covenant of Life,upon the Foundation Chrift Jefus. Toward the latter part of the Meeting there came a Man in gay Apparel and looked into the Meeting while I was declaring, and went away again prefently. This Man came with an evil Intent: for he went forthwith to Ringwood, and told the Magiftrates; They had taken two or three Men at Pulner, and had left George Fox there Preaching to two or three hundred People. Upon this, the Magiftrates fent the Officers and Soldiers again: but the Meeting being near ended, when that Man look'd in; and he having about a Mile and half to go with his Information to Ringwood to fetch the Soldiers, and they as much to come back,after they had received their Orders; before they could come, our Meeting was over: ending about the third Hour peaceably and orderly. After the Meeting, I fpake to the Friends of the Houfe, where this Meeting was; (the Woman of the Houfe lying then Dead in the House) and then fome Friends had me to another Friend's Houfe at a little distance from the Meeting-place: where, after we had refresh'd our felves, I took Horse, having about Twenty Miles to ride that Afternoon, to one Frye's Houfe in Wiltshire, where with. a Meeting was appointed to be next Day.

After we were gone, the Officers and Soldiers came in a great Heat, and when they found they were come too late, and had miffed their Prey, they were much B

Enraged:

at Fry

at Frye's.

ple,

1663. Enraged and the Officers were offended with the Soldiers, that they had not feized my Horse in the StaWith ble, the first time they came. But the Lord by his good Providence did deliver me, and prevented them of their Mifchievous Defign. For the Officers were envious Men, and had an evil Mind against Friends: but the Lord brought his Judgments upon them; fo Exam that it was taken notice of by their Neighbours. For whereas before they were Wealthy Men; after this their Eftates wafted away: and John Line, who was the Conftable, (and who was not only very forward in putting on the Soldiers to take Friends; but alfo carried thofe that were taken to Prison, and took a Falfe Oath against them at the Affize, upon which they were Fined, and continued Prifoners) he was a fad Spectacle to behold. For his Flesh rotting a way while he lived, he died in a very miferable Condition, wifhing he had never medfed with the Quakers; and confeffing that he never profpered, fince he had an hand in perfecuting them; and that he thought, the hand of the Lord was against him for it.

At- Frye's in Wiltshire we had a very bleffed Meeting, and quiet; though the Officers had a purpose to have broken it up, and were coming on their way in order thereunto. But before they were got to the Meeting, Word was brought after them, That there was an Houfe newly broken up by Thieves; and they were required to go back again with Speed, to fearch after and pursue the Thieves by which means our Meeting fcaped Disturbance, and we were delivered out of their Hands.

We paffed through Wiltshire into Dorfetshire, ha hire. ving large and good Meetings, and the Lord's Ever lafting Power was with us, and carried us over all in which we founded forth his faving Truth, and Word of Life, which many gladly received. Thus Devon travelling through the Countries, we vifited Friends, hire till we came to Topfham in Devonshire, travelling fome Weeks Eight or Nine-fcore Miles a Week, and had

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