Relations and Friends. In this Journey I travelled 1699. about 2000 Miles by Land, and 6000 by Water. I got to the Yearly Meeting of Friends in London, in London. the Year 1699 (which was large) and was at divers publick Meetings for the Worship of Almighty God. I may truly fay, the holy Ghoft was amongst us, blessed be God our Saviour for evermore. In this Year I thought it my Place to enter into a married State, and I acquainted my Father of my Defign, and that I inclin'd to make Choice of Martha Betterton, a religious young Woman, whom I entirely loved for that Piety, Virtue, and Modefty, which I beheld in her; (I was in the twenty-fourth Year of my Age, and he in her twenty-first.) Í likewise acquainted her Father and Mother with my Intentions, to which both our Parents confented; her Father faying (when I spoke to him) Go together, and the Lord bless you together. And my Father faid, If I was worth my Weight in Gold, fhe deferved me. The Heartiness of both our Fathers in this Matter, was more to me than a Portion of Silver or Gold, of which we had but very little; but our Love to each other was very great, and being well and honourably grounded, it was not eafily fhaken. So after Confent of Parents, we proposed our Intentions of Marriage to the Monthly Meetings unto which we belonged; and because I had been travelling in America, I had Certificates from my Brethren there (not only) of my Induftry and Labour in the Miniftry, with the good Effects thereof, but also of my Clearnefs in Relation to Marriage; and after having twice published our Intentions, we had Liberty of the faid Meeting to proceed to the Solemnization of our Marriage, which was accomplifhed at Devonshire-boufe, in London (at a Meeting appointed for that End) on the 28th Day of the feventh Month, in the aforefaid Year, in the Prefence of many hundreds of People, and many worthy Brethren and Elders. A Day of Days it was to my Soul! C 4 wherein 1699. wherein I was made fenfible of the Love and Goodneis of God in a particular Manner, which to me was an Earneft of our future well-doing. My dear Wife was one who truly loved and feared God, and had an excellent Gift of the Miniftry given unto her, and was serviceable therein. [A Paper coming to my Hands of her own Hand-writing and compofing, I tranfcribe it here. She calls it An Account of the Exercife of Martha Betterton, viz. "As I was walking in the City of "London, with a Concern on my Mind, in beholding "the abominable Pride of the People; it opened upon "my Mind in this wife: Wo, Wo! to the Crown of "Pride! And then I was deeply bowed in my Spirit "before the Lord, and it was faid to me, I will yet Spare a little longer; I have Sheep which I will ga"ther Home to me, and there fhall be one Shepherd "and one Sheepfold. Then I faid in my Heart, Ob "Lord! Shall I be one of thy Sheep belonging to thy "Sheepfold of eternal Reft. And again it was anfwer"ed me, My Sheep bear my Voice, and they follow Then a Cry was railed in me, Caufe me to "bear thy Voice; and not only fo, but enable me to obey the fame. And then this Charge was returned to me, Be thou faithful."] « me. Soon after I was married, I had a Concern to visit Friends in the Counties of Surry, Suffex, and Kent, which I performed in about two Weeks Time, and came Home and followed my Calling, and was induftrious therein; and when I had gotten fomething to bear my Expences, and fettle my Wife in fome little Bufinefs, I found an Exercife on my Spirit to go over to Ireland, to vifit our Friends and Brethren on that Ifland, in which William Townshend accompanied me, and Friends in that Nation were generally satisfied with our Service among them. When we had been from Home about ten Weeks, and had visited most Parts of that Nation, having had many Meetings among Friends, and others, we found Freedom in our our Minds to return Home, which we did, being 1699. comforted in our Service, and bleffed the Name of the Lord. After fome few Months I acquainted my Wife and my Father, with her Father and Mother, that I thought it my Duty to go over and live in America. To which Propofal, my Father confented, tho' with Tenderness of Heart, confidering that I must be fo far feparated from him. I allo laid it before the Monthly-meeting of Friends at Horfly-down, in Southwark (of which Meeting I was a Member) who confented to it (tho' fomewhat unwilling to part with us) and gave us their Certificate, to let our Brethren know that we were in Love and Unity with them, and walked according to our Profeffion. And when we were ready, and in order for going, we agreed for the Freight of our Goods and Servants, with John Snowden, and fhipped them on board the fofiak, bound for Maryland. When the Ship was at Graves- Gravesend, end, and ready to fail, feveral of our dear Relations and Friends accompanied us to the Ship, on board of which we had a good Meeting, and took our folemn Leave of one another, as never expecting to fee each other any more in this World. It was a folemn Time indeed! We prayed for one another, and fo parted, our Ship failing that Evening, and we got to Margate-Road, where we anchor'd, and the Wind A great Sprung up very fresh, and blew tempeftuously, fo Margate that we broke our Cable, and loft our best Bower- Road. Anchor, and drove violently towards the Goodwin Sands. We let go our Sheet-Anchor, and three more, which were all we had, but they did not ftop her; upon which the Mafter ordered the Carpenters to ftand by the Main-maft, with their Axes upon their Shoulders, and when he gave the Word, then they were to cut the Maft. The People in the Ship (there being divers Paffengers) were in a great Confternation, expecting nothing but Death: But for my Part, being exceedingly Storm in 1699. exceedingly Sea-fick, and having been in many Storms, I was not fo much furprized with this, the Sailors fometimes making a great Noife when there is but little Danger; but there was more Danger than I was aware of, as appeared afterwards. One of the Paffengers came weeping, and faid, Our Cafe was very bad. The Doctor alfo came in the fame Manner; and cry'd, Ob! Mr. Chalkley, we are all dead Men! Then I thought with myself, I would go out on Deck, and fee what the Matter was; and when on Deck, I went to the Pilot, who had the Lead in his Hand, and he founded, and cry'd out, Lord have Mercy upon us! he is gone, she is gone, fhe is gone! by which I perceiv'd that we were very near the Goodwin Sands, on which many Ships have been loft with all › their Crews. In this Senfe of Danger I fent for the Paffengers into the Cabbin, and told them that I thought it would be well for us to fit ftill together, and look unto, and wait upon God, to fee what he would please to do for us; that, if Death came, we might meet him in as good a Frame of Mind as we could, and that we might not be furprized beyond Measure And as we were thus compofed in our Minds, a Concern came upon my dear Wife, and she prayed to God, the Father, in the living Power and Senfe of his Son; and he heard from his holy Habitation, and answered the Prayer; for immediately after the Wind abated, and our Anchors held us. This was a great Deliverance, which is not to be forgotten. When we faw the long'd-for Morning, we were very near the Sands, and the Sea ran prodigiously high, and broke upon them mightily, fo that we were forced to leave our Cables and Anchors, and make the best of our Way to Deal, as well as we could. One of the Owners being on Shore, and feeing us in Diftrefs, fent off a Cable and Anchor to us; and we anchored before Deal with our new Cable and Anchor, and fent a Boat for our other Anchors and Deal. Cables, Capes of Cables, when it was Calm, which brought them to 1700. us. And after we had fupply'd ourselves with what we wanted, we put to Sea again, and had fair Winds till we got as far as the Western-Islands, where Captain Weftern Cant being in Company with us, he spoke with our Mands. Captain in the Evening, and the two Captains concluded it would be ftormy that Night, which happened accordingly. They took in their Sails, and we all but our Mainfail; notwithstanding which, the Storm was fuch, that we loft our Main-maft, fprung the Head of our Fore-maft, and broke our Cross-jackyard, and thus lay rowling upon the Sea for about two Weeks: The Ship Bristol Merchant coming by in that Time, lent us a fpare Top-maft, of which we made a Main-maft, and a Top-maft of our Top-gallantmast, and so refitted out as well as we could, and had a pretty good Paffage afterwards. We were about eight Weeks from the Lands-End to the Capes of Virginia. Virginia; had Meetings twice a Week on board, and they helped to ftay our Minds on our Maker, tho' our Bodies were toffed to and again on the mighty Waters. We went on Shore at Patuxent River, and went by Maryland. Land to Herring-Bay, where I, my Wife and Family, tarried that Winter; and I, with my three Servants, followed my Calling. In the Spring we tranfported ourselves, our Goods, and Servants, from 1701. Maryland to Pensylvania, where we intended to fettle when we came from our native Country. At Phila Philadel delphia I bought a Lot of Ground upon the River Delaware, and there I followed my Calling that Summer, and in the Fall I had an inward Call to vifit Friends in Barbadoes, which I proposed to our Monthly-meeting, and they certified on my Behalf, that they had Unity with me in my Propofal, Converfation and Miniftry: So I took Ship at Philadelphia (about the 20th of the 7th Month,, 1701) on board the Abrabam, Street, Commander, and was about a Month on our Voyage; Jofiah Langdale was with me. phia. |