1662. Truth, as we went down the Streets all along, till we came to the Jail, the Streets being full of People. Leicester When we were in our Chamber again, after fome time

the Jailer came to us, and defired all to go forth that were not Prisoners. And when they were gone, he faid, Gentlemen, It is the Court's Pleasure, that ye should all be fet at liberty, except thofe that are in for Tithes: and you know, there are Fees due to me, but I shall leave it to you, to give me what you will.

Thus were we all fet at Liberty on a fudden. And being thus fet at Liberty, the reft paffed every one into their Services; only Leonard Fell (being come thither) ftay'd with me, and we two went again to Saning Swanington. I had a Letter from him they called the Lord Haftings; who hearing of my Imprifonment, had written from London to the Juftices at the Seffions, to fet me at Liberty. Now I had not delivered this Letter to the Juftices; but whether they had any knowledge of his Mind from any other hand, which made them discharge us fo fuddenly, I know not. But this Letter I carried to him called the Lord Beaumont, who had fent us to Prifon; and when he had broken it open, and read it, he feemed much troubled: but at laft came a little lower; yet threatned us, if we had any more Meetings at Swanington, he would break them up and fend us to Prifon again, But notwithstanding his Threats, we went to Swanington, and had a Meeting with Friends there; and he came not, nor fent not to break it up.

Twy

From Swanington we paffed through the Country, and came to a Place called Twy-Crofs; where that Crofs. Great Man formerly mentioned, whom the Lord God had raised up from his Sickness in the Year 1649,(and whofe Serving-man came at me with a Drawn Sword to have done me a Mischief) He and his Wife came to fee me. From thence we travelled through WarNor wickshire, where we had brave Meetings; and fo in. thamp. to Northamptonshire and Bedfordshire,vifiting Friends, Bedford- till we came to London.

wickfh.

Shire.

Efex.

Sutton.

I ftay'd not long at this time in London, but went 1662. into Effex, and fo into the Eaft, and to Norfolk; having great Meetings. At Norwich, when I came to London. Captain Lawrence's, there was great Threatning of Norfolk: Disturbance; but the Meeting was quiet. Paling Norwich from thence to Sutton, and fo into Cambridgeshire, camthere I heard of Edward Burrough's Deceafe. And bridgh. being fenfible, how great a Grief and Exercife it would be to Friends to part with him, I writ the following Lines to Friends, for the staying and settling of their Minds.

Friends,

BE E ftill and quiet in your own Conditions, and fettled 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 may all fee and feel him, in which is the Unity 'with him in the Life. And fo Enjoy him in the Life, that doth not Change, which is Invisible.

ye

G. F.

Little

ton faire.

From thence I paffed to Little-Port, and the Ile of me of Ely where he, that had been the Mayor, with his Ely. Wife, and the Wife of the then prefent Mayor of Port. Cambridge came to the Meeting. So Travelling on Lincolninto Lincolnshire and Huntingtonshire, I came to Tho- Shire. mas Parnel's, where the Mayor of Huntington came Hunting to fee me, and was very loving. From thence paf. fing on, I came into the Fen-Country, where we had Country large and quiet Meetings. While I was in that Country, there came fo great a Flood, that it was dangerous to get out; yet we did get out, and went to Lyn, where we had a bleffed Meeting. Next Morn- Lya, ing I went to vifit fome Prifoners there; and then went back to the Inn, and took Horfe: And as I was riding out of the Yard, the Officers (it feems) came to fearch the Inn for me. I knew nothing of it then; only I felt a great Burden come upon me, as I rid out

of

1662. of the Town, till I was got without their Gates: and when fome Friends, that came after, overtook me, Lyn. 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 fpread and grew, and Friends were established there in Praises and Glory to his Name for ever! Norfolk. And fo having paffed through Norfolk, Suffolk, Eder Elex and Hertfordshire, we came to London again; Hertf. 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, Ashford. 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

Suffolk.

Efex.

Shire.

Cran

den.

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 be? I faid, I am the Man. Then he came to me, and was somewhat ftruck, and faid, I will fecure you among the Soldiers. So he called for the Soldiers to take me; and then he took Thomas Briggs, and the Man of the House, 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,

den.

ter. As we walked, I asked him, Why they did thus? 1663. . for I had not feen so much ado a great while and I bid him be Civil to his Neighbours, who were peace- Tent able. 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 Diftur bance? I told them, I did not come to make a Di fturbance; neither had I made any Disturbance 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 ethers I told them; That was againft fuch as were a Terror to the King's Subjects, and were Enemies, and beld dangerous Principles to the Government; and therefore that was not against us: for we held Truth, and our Principles were not dangerous to the Govern ment, 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 Worcester 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 Prisoner at London, till I was fet at Liberty by Oliver. They asked me, Whether I was Imprifoned in the time of the Infurrection? I faid, Yes, I had been Imprisoned 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

den.

1663. mind God's Wifdom, by which all things were made and created, that they might come to receive it, and Tenter be ordered by it; and by it order all things to God's Glory. They demanded Bond of us for our Appearance at the Seffions; but we pleading our Innocency, refused to give Bond. Then they would have had us Promife 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 Pleasure, 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 So vifited: And from thence paffed on through the Counampton, try, vifiting Friends, and having great Meetings

Hampfo

South

Ring

Pulner

d P. and all quiet and free from Disturbance (except by silh. fome Fangling Baptifts) till we came into Hampshire : Monthly Where after we had had a good Meeting at Southamp Meeting. ton, we went to a place called Pulmer in the Parish of

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 be ing 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 amongst 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, fpake 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