Volume 1 — CHAPTER XIV. (continued 2)

While we were standing where the thieves used to stand, a cut-purse had his hand in several Friends’ pockets. Friends declared it to the justices, and showed them the man. They called him up before them, and upon examination he could not deny it; yet they set him at liberty.^[75]

535It was not long before the jury returned, and brought us in guilty; and then, after some words the justices whispered together, and bid the jailer take us down to prison again; but the Lord’s power was over them and his everlasting truth, which we declared boldly amongst them. There being a great concourse of people, most of them followed us; so that the cryer and bailiffs were fain to call the people back again to the court. We declared the truth as we went down the streets all along till we came to the jail, the streets being full of people. When we were in our chamber again, after some time the jailer came to us, and desired all to go forth that were not prisoners. When they were gone, he said, “Gentlemen, it is the court’s pleasure that ye all should be set at liberty, except those that are in for tithes; and you know, there are fees due to me; but I shall leave it to you to give to me what you will.”

Thus we were all set at liberty suddenly, and passed everyone into his service. Leonard Fell stayed with me, and we two went again to Swannington. I had a letter from Lord Hastings, who hearing of my imprisonment, had written from London to the justices of the sessions to set me at liberty. I had not delivered this letter to the justices, but whether they had any knowledge of his mind from any other hand, which made them discharge us so suddenly, I know not. But this letter I carried to Lord Beaumont who had sent us to prison; and when he had broken it open and read it, he seemed much troubled; but at last came a little lower; yet threatenedthreatened us, if we had any more meetings at Swannington, he would break them up and send us to prison again. But notwithstanding his threats we went to Swannington, and had a meeting with Friends there, and he neither came, 536nor sent to break it up.

From Swannington we went to Twy-cross, where that great man formerly mentioned, whom the Lord God raised up from his sickness, in the year 1649 (and whose serving-man came at me with a drawn sword to do me a mischief,) and his wife came to see me. Thence we travelled through Warwickshire, where we had brave meetings; and into Northamptonshire and Bedfordshire, visiting Friends till we came to London.

I stayed not long in London, but went into Essex, and so into Norfolk, having great meetings. At Norwich, when I came to Captain Lawrence’s,^[76] there was a great threatening of disturbance; but the meeting was quiet. Passing thence to Sutton, and so into Cambridgeshire, I heard of Edward Burrough’s decease. And being sensible how great a grief and exercise it would be to Friends to part with him, I wrote the following lines for the staying and settling of their minds;—

“Friends,

“Be still and quiet in your own conditions, and settle in the Seed of God that doth not change, that in that ye may feel dear E.B. among you in the Seed, in which and by which he begat you to God, with whom he is; and that in the Seed ye may all see and feel him, in which is the unity with him in the life: and so enjoy him in the life that doth not change, which is invisible.”

G.F.

Thence I passed to Little Port and the Isle of Ely; where the ex-mayor with his wife, and the wife of the then mayor of Cambridge, came to the meeting. Travelling into Lincolnshire and Huntingdonshire, I came to Thomas 537Parnell’s, where the mayor of Huntingdon came to see me, and was very loving. Thence I came into the Fen-County, where we had large and quiet meetings. While I was in that country, there came so great a flood that it was dangerous to go out, yet we did get out, and went to Lynn, where we had a blessed meeting.

Next morning I went to visit some prisoners there; and then back to the inn, and took horse. As I was riding out of the yard, the officers came to search the inn for me. I knew nothing of it then, only I felt a great burden come upon me as I rode out of the town, till without the gates. When some Friends that came after, overtook me, they told me, that the officers had been searching for me in the inn, as soon as I was gone out of the yard. So by the good hand of the Lord, I escaped their cruel hands. After this we passed through the countries, visiting Friends in their meetings.

The Lord’s power carried us over persecuting spirits, and through many dangers; his truth spread and grew, and Friends were established therein; praises and glory to his name for ever.

END OF VOL. I.

HEADLEY BROTHERS, PRINTERS, LONDON AND ASHFORD, KENT.

Transcriber’s Note

Where particularly ambiguous errors occur, a link has been added to direct the reader to the relevant transcriber note.

The handling of hyphenation of compound words across line breaks is governed by the frequency with which they are hyphenated midline.

‘Steeple-house’ is nearly always hyphenated in midline, and the few outliers that were not have been corrected. The exceptions are where ‘steeplehouse’ occurs in the editorial apparatus. See footnote 6, and (arguably) in the parenthetical phrase at 25.28.

As one can see from the list below, the printer was not consistent in the use of the opening quote mark in long, multi-paragraph passages. There were also a number of occasions where a closing quote mark either was missing or illogically added. On rarer occasions, a single quote was employed matching a double quote (and vice versa). These have been added where missing, emoved where they were deemed spurious, and corrected where appropriate:

61.15 [“]The (added); 63.3 saved,[’] (added); 75.1 wise.[’] (added); 142.5 [“]There (added); 150.20 [‘/“]Consider (added); 198.33 him,[’](added); 208.9 order.[”](added); 210.14 [“]But (added); 217.8 me.[’] (added); 217.47 [“]The (added); 218.41 [“]Sing (added); 219.48 [“]Where (added); 220.36 [“]Now (added); 221.11 [“]But (added); 224.13 [“]Christ (added); 224.35 [“]There (added); 232.29 inn;[”] (added); 281.8 [“]doth (added); 288.21 land.[”/’] (replaced); 297.2 therein;[’] (added) 298.2 [“]O! abominable (added); 305.13 [“]Noah, (added); 305.44 [“]You say (added); 307.21 [“]Beware,(added); 307.38 [“]Therefore (added); 309.19 [“]Now (added); 379.24 God.[”] (added); 336.30 church;[’] (removed); 353.6 world,[’] (added); 367.28 peace.[”/’](replaced); 368.43 many.[”] (added); 374.10 town.[’] (added); 405.5 [“]I will (added); 411.6 would.[”] (added); 416.14 could.[”] (added); 430.8 [“/‘]remembrance (replaced); 486.21 myself?[”] (removed); 507.1 them.[”] (added); 522.11 [“/‘]three (replaced); 522.17 persons.[”/’] (replaced); 526.10 it.[”] (added).

The word ‘chace’ at 4.8, is likely an obsolete spelling of ‘chase’, which refers to a large wooded estate.

A quotation beginning at line 114.1 (“amongst whom I declared...) has no closing mark. The voice seems to shift on line 114.15 (..to dwell in.”). and the closing mark was added there.

A quoted passage ending on p. 122 most likely should have been opened at 121.32 (“was their first step to peace...), and an opening quote was added.

A sentence beginning at 208.22 (“Whereupon I kneeled...)and ending at 208.26, (...what I had said to him.”) seems an error. It does not seem to be part of the dialogue and the surrounding quote marks have been removed.

A lonely closing quote appears at 421.12 (...fellowships in the world.”) A logical point for this quote to open is on the previous page at 420.19 ([“]The promise of God...). Judging by the context, the paragraph is a continuation of the previous quoted passage.

The word ‘throughly’ (xxv.2) is likely an obsolete spelling of ‘thoroughly’.

Other errors, deemed most likely to be the printer’s, have been corrected, and are noted here. The references are to the page and line in the original.

xviii.13 to Charles II.[./,] exhorting him Replaced.

xx.22 and instructed Noah to salvation[.] Added.

xxvii.3 their exceeding great co[m/n]firmation Replaced.

25.17 steeple[-]house Inserted.

56.37 Doth it [d/p]urify you Inverted.

93.5 to preach in the steeple-house[.] Added.

142.21 in all things may [h/b]e his praise. Replaced.

142.44 plotted tog[e]ther to draw Inserted.

147.30 who had raised pers[e]cution before Inserted.

151.28 Matt, xxiii.[,]; Removed.

164.28 with the Lord’s truth[,/.] Replaced.

176.13 ye would[ would] fear and tremble Removed.

178.25 who are contemned and dispised Sic.

179.40 in great pea[e/c]e in 1686 Replaced.

210.25 could not but declare[t] agains[t] Deleted/Added.

222.43 and unrighteou[s]ness of men Inserted.

258.1 Swanington an[d] Higham Added.

261.28 On[e] one occasion Removed.

283.39 and the corr[r]uption Removed.

287.8 against me[,]; Removed.

352.16 given to every man to profit withal[,/.]’ Replaced.

407.34 pp. 62[–]68. Added.

490.8 steeple[-]house Inserted.

412.17 brings fo[r]th heavenly and spiritual fruit Inserted.

480.30 continued in prison[.] Added.

508.25 childhood’s guileless tears[.] Added.

535.28 yet threaten[en]ed us Removed.