'doers, and the praife of them that do well; and though we cannot comply with those laws, that prohibit us to worship God according to our confcien'ces, as believing it to be his alone prerogative to prefide in matters of faith and worship, yet we both own, and are ready to yield obedience to, every ' ordinance of man relating to human affairs, and that for confcience fake.

Secondly, That we deny and renounce, as an horrible impiety, all plots and confpiracies, or to pro'mote our intereft, or religion, by the blood and def'truction of fuch as diffent from us, or yet those that perfecute us.

Thirdly, That in all revolutions we have demeaned ourselves with much peace and patience, (difowning all contrary actings) notwithstanding the numerous provocations of cruel and ungodly men; which is a demonftration of our harmless behaviour, that ought not to be of little moment with you.

Fourthly, That as we have ever lived moft peaceably under all the various governments that have been fince our first appearance (notwithstanding we have been as their anvil to fmite upon) fo we do hereby fignify, that it is our fixed refolution to continue the fame, that where we cannot ACTUALLY OBEY, WE PATIENTLY SHALL SUFFER, (leaving our 'innocent cause with God, not daring to love our lives ' unto the death, for our bleffed teftimony's fake,) 'thereby manifefting to the whole world, that we love God above all, and our neighbours as ourfelves.

If this prevails not with you to fufpend your thoughts of reinforcing your former act, we do defire that we, or some of our friends, may receive a free hearing from you, (as feveral of us had upon the first act for uniformity) having many great and 'weighty reasons to offer against all fuch fevere pro'ceedings, to the end all wrong measures of us and of our principles may be rectified, and that you, being better informed of both, may remove our heavy

heavy burdens, and let the oppreffed go free, for • fuch moderation will be well-pleafing both to GOD and good men.

From us who are now prifoners at Newgate (for • confcience-fake) on the behalf of ourselves, and all our fuffering friends in England, &c.'

Newgate, Second

• Month, 1671.'

W. PENN, and several others.'

The keepers of Newgate being at this time very abufive to the Quakers there imprisoned (for honest men bringing lefs grift to the jailor's mill than riotous debauchees, are hardly welcome guests) he wrote a letter, by way of complaint to the Sheriffs, who, that year, were men of good temper and moderation, being as follows.

To the SHERIFFS of LONDON."

FRIENDS,

T

HOUGH we are a people, the plainness of whofe principles will not admit of vain compliments, yet are we by them required to exprefs our gratitude; and we must confefs, that fince your · being in office, we have received many inftances of your kindness, for which you never will be condemned of God or virtuous men, as well as that we fend you by the bearer our acknowledgments.

This done, we think fit to let you know, that though we are in a distinct house, yet not in a distinct capacity, with mere felons; unless it be, that they have a free prison, and we have none: for the keeper is fo far from fhewing us that common refpect, or we enjoy that which differenced us from malefactors, that we are not lefs restrained, if not so much • abused; for one of us defiring liberty to fetch fome beer, the turnkey thrust him back, calling him loggerhead, puppy, rogue, &c. and that to feveral others.

In fhort, we are not willing to be bondsmen at our own coft; not for the value of our house-rent, with other additional expences, but for our teftimony against the infulting menaces and extortions of fome of the jailors, who would caft us into the common ftinking jail! and therefore are refolved to undergo that severity: which is all at prefent from those who have wronged no man, but fear God, and have peace ' with him.'

Newgate, Third
Month, 1671.'

Your true Friends, W. P. &c."

His fix months imprisonment in Newgate being expired, he was fet at liberty, and fhortly after went over into Holland and Germany: of his miniftry and fervices at this time in those countries, fome account is given by himself in the beginning of his fubfequent travels into thofe parts, herein-after inferted.

In the beginning of the year 1672, and the 28th of his age, our author took to wife Gulielma Maria Springett, daughter of Sir William Springett, formerly of Darling in Suffex, who was killed in the time of the civil wars, at the fiege of Bamber: his widow was afterward married to Ifaac Pennington, of Peters-Chalfont in Buckinghamshire, in whofe family her faid daughter was brought up; a young woman whom a virtuous difpofition, joined to a comely perfon, rendered well accomplished.

Soon after his marriage, pitching upon a convenient habitation at Rickmerfworth in Hertfordshire, he refided there with his family, often vifiting the meetings of friends, and returning home again.

In the seventh month this year, he took a journey to vifit his friends in Kent, Suffex, and Surrey; of which his own memorandums furnish us with an obfervation of that fingular industry which the free minifters of the gospel exercife in the difcharge of their office; for in the space of twenty-one days, he, with his companion under the like concern, were present at, VOL. 1.

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and

and preached to as many affemblies of people at diftant places, viz. Rochefter, Canterbury, Dover, Deal, Folkftone, Afhford, and other places in Kent; at Lewes, Horsham, Stenning, &c. in Suffex; and at Charlewood and Rygate in Surrey. Great was their fervice in these counties: their teftimonies, effectual to the ftrengthening of their friends, filencing of gainfayers, and to a general edification, were received by the people with joy and opennefs of heart; and themselves, in the performance of their duty, filled with fpiritual confolation. Our author gives this account of their last meeting in that journey, being at Rygate: The • Lord fealed up our labours and travels, according to the defire of my foul and spirit, with his heavenly <refreshments and fweet living power and word of life, unto the reaching of all, and confolating our ⚫ own hearts abundantly.' And concludes his narrative with these words: And thus hath the Lord been with us in all our travels for his truth, and with his ⚫ bleffings of peace are we returned, which is a reward • beyond all worldly treasure.'

In the ninth month this year, being at home again, he wrote the following letter to one Dr. Hafbert, a physician at Embden in Germany.

'To Dr. HASBERT, Physician at the City of EMBDEN.'

I

DEAR FRIEND,

Have very often remembered thee in the deep sense of that weighty love of God, which his heavenly truth raised in my heart to vifit thee in; earneftly praying in fpirit, that thou mightest receive a clear understanding of that bleffed way of life and • falvation, which he hath counted a remnant worthy both to know and to fuffer for in this day glory and everlasting honour to his moft holy name! Ó my friend, it is my heart's defire to the Lord, that he would preferve thee fimple, upright, and constant in the obedience to that meafure of the heavenly

light, wherewith the God and father of light hath illuminated thee, and unto which thou art now turned; in which as thou abideft, with thy mind rightly exercifed in the fear and dread of the Lord God, thou wilt be preferved out of the vain janglings of 'the angry, peevish, and perverse profeffor, and kept clean from the fins and pollutions that are in the prophane world. O how many profefs God and Christ, according to the hiftorical knowledge of both, but never come to the mystical and experimental knowledge of them! No, it is utterly impoffible, that any thing fhould bring to the internal knowledge and ' experience of the work and will of God, but the light and fpirit only, by an inward revelation and operation: and fuch as entitle themselves to Chriftianity, whilft ftrangers to the terrors of the Lord 'for fin, and to a purgation from it, by the fiery trials of his inward judgments, as well as outward ' tribulations (who is as refiner's fire, and as everlasting burnings to all the workers of iniquity) they are of the fynagogue of Satan, and fubjects of the god of this world, whose throne is in the hearts of the children of difobedience unto the heavenly light within and therefore in the name and authority of the Lord God of heaven and earth, I teftify, that • the way for every man and woman to come to God (whom darkness can have no accefs to, for to it is he inacceffible) is to bring his or her deeds to the light in him or herself, and fee if they be wrought in God, or by him: if they be, the fire cannot confume the pure gold; if they be not, judgment with the light will pafs, on God's behalf, upon the creature, from whence there is no appeal, without due repentance, and turning to the light, in it to walk in thought, word, and deed, in which the nations of them that ⚫ be saved muft walk and live for ever.

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And because of the righteous judgment this hea venly light brings (for, for judgment is it come into the world) upon the profeffor, that is at eafe in the ⚫ outward courts of profeffion (that were given to the

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• Gentiles