1708. Friends: We were heartily glad to fee one another. From Enfield we went forward for London, and by the Way we met with feveral Friends (of the Meeting of Horflydown, to which I did belong from my Childhood) who came to meet me, and accompanied us to London. London. I ftay'd in and about the City most of the Winter, vifiting Meetings when I was well and in Health; for thro' often changing the Climates, I got a fevere Cold, and was ill for feveral Weeks, fo that I was not at any Meeting, which Time was very tedious to me; not fo much becaufe of my Illness, as that I was deprived of divers Opportunities and Meetings (which are in that City every Day of the Week except the laft.) When I was a little got over this Illness, I Hertford went into Hertfordshire, and fome Parts adjacent, Uxbridge, and had Meetings at Staines, Longford, Uxbridge, Walford, Hempstead, Bendish, Albans, Market Street, Hitching, Hertford, Hoddefdon, and then return'd again to London. Shire. About Londen. After I had been at London a while, I vifited feveral other Country Meetings, as Winchmore-Hill, Tottenbam, Wandsworth, Plaistow, Deptford, and Epping, and then staid about London fome Weeks waiting for a Paffage for Holland, which I intended to vifit before I left my own Habitation. And on the 14th of the First Month, 1708-9, I, with my Companion John Bell, after having acquainted our Friends and Relations (having their Confent) and taking our folemn Leave of them, we went down to Gravesend, and ftaid there two or three Days for a fair Wind. We went on board the Ship Anne, John Duck, Mafter, bound for Rotterdam, in Company with a Fleet of Veffels waiting for Wind, &c. When the Wind was fair we failed for the Coaft of Holland, and when we arrived on that Coast the Wind was contrary, and blew very hard, fo that fome of the Ships in Company loft their Anchors; but on the Arrives the 27th of the fame Month we arrived fafe at Rotter. 1709. dam in Holland. On the First Day Morning we went to Meeting at Rotterdam, where Friends have a Meeting-house; and we ftaid at this City feven or eight fafe at RotDays, and had fix or feven Meetings, and were com.terdan forted with our Brethren and Sifters, and greatly retreshed in the Lord Almighty. At this City we fpoke without an Interpreter, because moft in the Meeting understood English. From Rotterdam we travelled by the Trackscoot, (or Boat, being drawn by Horfes, which is a pleasant eafy Way of travelling) to large Town called Harlem, where we had a Meeting, Harlem. and spoke by an Interpreter; to which Meeting came divers of thofe People called Menonifts: They were very fober and attentive, and ftay'd all the Time of the Meeting, and spoke well of it. From Harlem we went to Amfterdam, the Metropolis of Holland, where Friends have a Meeting-houfe. Here we had feveral Meetings and ftay'd about a Week. On the first Day we had a large Meeting, to which came many People of divers Perfuafions and Religions, as Jews, Papifts, and others; and we had a good Opportunity among them, and several were tender. A few came next Day to speak with us, and did acknowledge, That Chrift was the Minister of that Sanctuary and Tabernacle that God had pitched, and not Man'; "and that he was fenfible of the Ministry of Christ in "his Soul; and, faid be, my Heart was broken while "that Subject was fpoken of in the Meeting." I was glad to fee the Man tender and reached, but too generally speaking, the poor Jews (the Seed of good Jacob) are very dark and unbelieving. I have met with but very few of them in my Travels that have been tender; but I do love them for Abraham, Ifaa and Jacob's Sake. At this Meeting William Sewel (the Author of the Hiftory of the Rife and Progrefs of the People called Quakers) a tender-fpirited upright Man, interpreted for me, From Amfterdam we went to North Amfterdam North- Fwijk. Embden. 1709. North-Holland, and John Claus and Peter Reyard went with us to interpret for us fo by Boat, or Scoot, we travelled to a Town called Twisk, where we had two Meetings, Friends having a Meeting-house there; from Twifk we went back again to Amfterdam, and had two large Meetings there on the First Day, and Second Day in the Evening we went on Ship-board, Herlingen. in order to cross the South Sea to Herlingen, at which Place we had two Meetings, and we and Friends were glad to fee one another: And indeed, we being as one Family all the World over, are generally glad to fee each other. From this Place we travelled Eaft ward through Eaft-Friefland, and went through feveral great Towns and Cities until we came to Embden, the the chief City in Eaft-Friesland, where we had a comfortable Meeting by the Bed-fide of one of our Friends that lay fick; and feveral of her Neighbours came in and stay'd till the Meeting ended; fome of them were very tender and loving, and wifhed us well, and were well fatisfied. After, Meeting we fet forward for Hamburgh, it being four Days Journey by Waggon, and paffed along through divers Towns and Cities: We alfo travelled through the City of Oldenburgh, and a Place of great Commerce called Bremen. A and Bre. Magiftrate of this City took Notice of us, joined himself to us, and went with us to the Inn, and then very lovingly took leave of us, and defired God to blefs us. The People at our Inns were generally very loving and kind to us, and fome would admire at my coming fo far only to vifit my Friends, without any Views of Advantage or Profit outwardly. When we Hamburgb, got to Hamburgh we had a Meeting at Jacob Hagen's, and thofe that were there, were well fatisfied with the Doctrine of Truth, bleffed be God, who, I may fay, was with us at that Time and Place! At Hamburgh there was at Meeting one who had preached before the King of Denmark; who, as I understood by our Interpreter, was turned out of his Place, for Oldenburgh men. preaching Frederick preaching the fame Truths that we had preached 1709. there that Day; at which Meeting were Papifts, Luiber ans, Calvinists, Menonifts, Jews, &c. All of them were fober, and generally expreffed their Satisfaction. I had fo much Comfort in that Meeting, that I thought it was worth my Labour in coming from my Habitation, the Anfwer of Peace was fuch to my Soul, that I greatly rejoiced in my Labour in the Work of Chrift. From hence I travelled to Frederickstadt, it being two Days Journey (where Friends ftadt. have a Meeting-house.) We stay'd about ten Days, and had nine Meetings in this City. Some of the Meetings were very large, and the longer we ftay'd, the larger they were. This Frederickstadt is a City in the Dominions of the Duke of Holstein, and was the fartheft Place we travelled to Eastward; and from hence I wrote a fmall Piece, called, A loving Invitation unto Young and Old in Holland and elsewhere; which was tranflated into the German and Low-Dutch Languages; and divers Impreffions of them were also printed in England. We travelled in this Journey thro' fome Parts of the Emperor of Germany's Dominions, as alfo of the Kings of Denmark and Swedefland, and of the Duke of Oldenburgb's and Prince of Eaft-Friefland's Territories, befides fome Parts of the Seven Provinces of the united States. We parted with our Friends of this City of Frederickstadt, in much Love and Tenderness, and with our Hearts full of good Will one towards another, and fo went back to the City of Embden a nearer Ambden. Way, by two Days Journey, than to go by Hamburgb. We crois'd the Rivers Eyder, Elfe, and Weifer; over which laft we were rowed by three Women. The Women in thofe Parts of the World are frong and robust, and used to bard Labour. I have feen them do not only the Work of Men, but of Horfes it being common with them to do the most laborious, and the Men the lightest and eafieft Work. I remember that I 1709. I once faw near Hamburgh a fair well dreffed Woman, who, by her Dress, or Apearance, was a Woman of fome Note, and a Man (which I took to be her Husband) walking by her, and she was very great with Child, and the Way difficult, being up a very steep Hill, and be did not fo much as offer bis Hand, or Affiftance to ber; which, however it might look to a Man of that Country, it feem'd very strange to me being a Briton. For my Part, I thought it unmanly, as well as unmannerly: On which I obferve, that I never in any Part of the World, faw Women fo tenderly dealt by as our English, or British Women, which they ought to value and prize bigbly, and therefore, to be the more loving and obedient to their Hufbands, the indulgent Englishmen; which Indulgence I blame not, but commend, so far as it is a Motive to ftir them up to Love and Faithfulness. In this Journey between Frederickstadt and Embden, we had four Days hard travelling, and were twice overturned out of our Waggons, but we got no Harm, which was admirable to us; for once we fell, Waggon and all, over a great Bank, just by the fide of a large Ditch, and did but juft fave ourselves out of the Ditch. The next Time we overfet upon Stones: We wondered that none of us were hurt, particularly myfelt, I being much heavier than any of the reft; but thro' the Mercy of God, we got well to Embden, the fecond Time, and had a Meeting upon a First Day, and immediately after Meeting we took Ship Delfzeel. for Delfzeel (which was from Embden about nine or ten English Miles by Water) and with a fair Gale of Wind, got there in lefs than two Hours Time. We Spoke by Interpreters all along, and were divinely helped to preach the Gofpel to the Satisfaction of others, and our own Comfort; and the Friend who interpreted for us, was fenfible of the fame divine Affiftance, to his Admiration, for which we were all truly thankful. But notwithstanding we were fo opened, to the Satisfaction of ourselves, our Friends, and the |