this ancient Man, Come, Father, you are the 1662. oldeft among us, you shall be our Foreman. And when the Coroner had fworn them on the Jury, the Coffin was uncovered, that they might look upon the Body. But the old Man, difturbed in his Mind at the Interruption they had given him, was grown fomewhat fretful upon it; faid to them, To what purpose do you fhew us a dead Body here? You would not have us think fure, that this Man died in this Room! How then fhall we be able to judge how this Man came by his Death, unless we fee the Place wherein he died, and wherein he hath been kept Prisoner before he died? How know we, but that the Incommodioufness of the Place wherein he was kept, may have occafioned his Death? Therefore fhew us, faid he, the Place wherein this Man died.

This much difpleafed the Keepers, and they began to banter the old Man, thinking to have beaten him off it. But he ftood up titely to them; Come, come, faid he, though you have made a Fool of me in bringing me in hither, ye fhall not find a Child of me now I am here. Miftake not yourfelves; I understand my Place, and your Duty; and I require you to conduct me and my Brethren, to the Place where this Man died: Refufe it at your Peril.

They now wished they had let the old Man go about his Bufinefs, rather than by troubling him, have brought this Trouble on themselves. But when they faw he perfifted in his Refolution, and was peremptory, the Coroner told them, They must go fhew him the Place?

It

1662. It was in the Evening when they began this Work; and by this time it was grown Bed-time with us, fo that we had taken down our Hammocks (which in the Day were hung up by the Walls) and had made them ready to go into, and were undreffing ourselves in Readiness to go into them. When on a fudden we heard a great Noife of Tongues, and of Tramplings of Feet, coming up towards us. And by and by one of the Turnkeys opening our Door, faid, Hold, kold, don't undress yourselves, here's the Coroner's Inqueft coming to fee you.

As foon as they were come to the Door (for within the Door there was fcarce Room for them to come) the Foreman who led them, lifting up his Hand, faid, Lord bless me, what a Sight is here! I did not think there had been fo much Cruelty in the Hearts of Englishmen, to ufe Englishmen in this manner! We need not now question, faid he to the rest of the Jury, bow this Man came by his Death; we may rather wonder that they are not all dead, for this Place is enough to breed an Infection among them. Well, added he, if it pleafe God to lengthen my Life till To-morrow, I will find means to let the King know how his Subjects are dealt with.

Whether he did fo or no, I cannot tell; but I am apt to think that he applied himself to the Mayor, or the Sheriffs of London. For the next Day one of the Sheriffs, called Sir William Turner, a Woollen-draper in Paul's-yard, came to the Prefs-yard, and having ordered the Porter of Bridewell to attend him there, fent up a Turnkey

Turnkey amongst us, to bid all the Bridewell 1662. Prisoners come down to him, for they knew us not, but we knew our own Company.

Being come before him in the Prefs-yard, he looked kindly on us, and fpake courteously to us. Gentlemen, faid he, I understand the Prifon is very full, and I am forry for it. I wish it were in my Power to releafe you, and the rest of your Friends that are in it. But fince I cannot do that, I am willing to do what I can for you. And therefore I am come hither to enquire how it is; and I would have all you, who came from Bridewell, return thither again, which will be a better Accommodation to you; and your Removal will give the more Room to thofe that are left bebind; and here is the Porter of Bridewell, your old Keeper, to attend you thither.

We duly acknowledged the Favour of the Sheriff to us and our Friends above, in this Removal of us, which would give them more Room, and us a better Air. But before we parted from him, I fpake particularly to him on another Occafion; which was this:

When we came into Newgate, we found a shabby Fellow there among the Friends, who upon Inquiry, we understood had thrust himself among our Friends, when they were taken at a Meeting, on purpose to be fent to Prison with them, in hopes to be maintained by them. They knew nothing of him, till they found him fhut in with them in the Prison, and then took no Notice of him, as not knowing how or why he came thither. But he foon gave

them

1662.them Caufe to take Notice of him; for where

ever he faw any Victuals brought forth for them to eat, he would be fure to thrust in, with Knife in Hand, and make him felf his own Carver; and fo impudent was he, that if he faw the Provifion was fhort, whoever wanted, he would be fure to take enough.

Thus lived this lazy Drone upon the Labours of the industrious Bees, to his high Content and their no fmall Trouble, to whom his Company was as offenfive, as his Ravening was oppreffive; nor could they get any Relief, by their complaining of him to the Keepers.

This Fellow hearing the Notice which was given, for the Bridewell Men to go down, in order to be removed to Bridewell again, and hoping, no Doubt, that fresh Quarters would produce fresh Commons, and that he fhould fare better with us than where he was, thrust himself amongst us, and went down into the Prefs-yard with us. Which I knew not of, till I faw him standing there with his Hat on, and looking as demurely as he could, that the Sheriff might take him for a Quaker: At Sight of which, my Spirit was much stirred.

Wherefore, as foon as the Sheriff had done fpeaking to us, and we had made our Acknowledgment of his Kindness, I ftept a little nearer to him, and pointing to that Fellow, faid, That Man is not only none of our Company, for he is no Quaker; but is an idle diffolute Fellow, who hath thrust himself in among our Friends, to be fent to Prifon with them, that he might

live

live upon them; therefore I defire we may not 1662. be troubled with him at Bridewell.

At this the Sheriff smiled; and calling the Fellow forth, faid to him, How came you to be in Prison? I was taken at a Meeeing, faid he, But what Bufinefs had you there? said the Sheriff. I went to hear, faid he. Aye, you went upon a worfe Defign, it feems, replied the Sheriff, but I'll disappoint you, faid he; for I'll change your Company, and Jend you to them that are like your felf. Then calling for the Turnkey, he said, Take this Fellow, and put him among the Felons; and be fure let him not trouble the Quakers any

more.

Hitherto this Fellow had ftood with his Hat on, as willing to have paffed, if he could, for a Quaker; but as foon as he heard this Doom paffed on him, off went his Hat, and to bowing and fcraping he fell, with Good your Worship, have Pity upon me, and fet me at Liberty. No, no, faid the Sheriff, I will not fo far disappoint you; fince you had a Mind to be in Prijon, in Prifon you shall be for me. Then bidding the Turnkey take him away, he had him up, and put him among the Felons; and fo Friends had a good Deliverance from him,

The Sheriff then bidding us Farewell, the Porter of Bridewell came to us, and told us, We knew our Way to Bridewell without him, and he could truft us; therefore he would not stay nor go with us, but left us to take our own Time, fo we were in before Bed-time.

Then