1660. their Chieftain Venner, made an Infurrection in the City, on Pretence of letting up the Kingdom of Jefus ; who it is faid, they expect

ed would come down from Heaven to be their Leader. So little understood they the Nature of His Kingdom; though He Himself had declared, it was not of this World.

The King, a little before his Arrival in England, had, by his Declaration from Breda, given Affurance of Liberty to tender Confciences; and that no Man fhould be disquieted, or called in Question for Difference of Opinion in Matters of Religion, who do not difturb the Peace of the Kingdom: Upon this Affurance, Diffenters of all Sorts relied, and held themselves fecure. But now, by this frantick Action of a few hotbrain'd Men, the King was, by fome, holden discharged from this his ROYAL WORD and PROMISE, in his foregoing Declaration publickly given. And hereupon Letters were intercepted and broken open, for Discovery of fufpected Plots and Defigns against the Government; and not only Diffenters Meetings, of all Sorts, without Diftinction were disturbed, but very many were imprisoned in most Parts throughout the Nation; and great Search there was, in all Countries, for fufpected Perfons, who, if not found at Meetings, were fetch'd in from their own Houses.

The Lord-Lieutenant (fo called) of OxfordShire had on this Occafion taken Thomas Loe, and many other of our Friends, at a Meeting, and fent them Prifoners to Oxford Castle, juft

before

before my Letter was brought to his Hand, 1660. wherein I had invited Thomas Loe to a Meeting; and he, putting the worst Conftruction upon it, as if I (a poor fimple Lad) had intended a feditious Meeting, in order to raise Rebellion, ordered two of the Deputy-Lieutenants, who lived nearest to me, to fend a Party of Horse to fetch me in.

Accordingly, while I (wholly ignorant of what had paffed at Oxford) was in daily Expectation of an agreeable Answer to my Letter; came a Party of Horfe one Morning to my Father's Gate, and asked for me.

It fo fell out, that my Father was at that Time from home, I think in London; whereupon he that commanded the Party alighted, and came in. My eldest Sifter, hearing the Noife of Soldiers, came haftily up into my Chamber, and told me there were Soldiers below who enquired for me. I forthwith went down to them, and found the Commander was a Barber of Thame, and one who had always been my Barber till I was a Quaker. His Name was Whately, a bold brifk Fellow.

I asked him, what his Business was with me? He told me, I must go with him. I demanded to fee his Warrant: He laid his Hand on his Sword and faid, That was his Warrant. I told him, Though that was not a legal Warrant, yet I would not difpute it; but was ready to bear Injuries. He told me, He could not help it; he was commanded to bring me forthwith before the Deputy-Lieutenants; and

therefore

1660. therefore defired me to order an Horfe to be got ready, because he was in hafte. I let him know, I had no Horfe of my own, and would not meddle with any of my Father's Horfes, in his Abfence especially; and that therefore, if he would have me with him, he must carry me as he could.

He thereupon taking my Sifter afide, told her be found I was refolute, and his Orders were peremptory; wherefore he defired, that she would give Order for an Horfe to be made ready for me; for otherwife he should be forced to mount me behind a Trooper, which would be very unfuitable for me, and which he was very unwilling to do. She thereupon ordered an Horse to be got ready, upon which, when I had taken Leave of my Sifters, I mounted and went off, not knowing whither he intended to carry me.

He had Orders, it seems, to take fome others also in a neighbouring Village, whofe Names he had, but their Houfes he did not know. Wherefore, as we rode, he asked me, If I knew fuch and fuch Men (whom he named) and where they lived; and when he understood that I knew them, he defired me to shew him their Houfes. No, faid I, I scorn to be an Informer against my Neighbours, to bring them into Trouble. He thereupon riding to and fro, found by Enquiry most of their Houses; but, as it happened, found none of them at home, at which I was glad.

At length he brought me to the House of one called Efquire Clark of Wefton by Thame,

who

who being afterwards Knighted, was called 1660. Sir John Clark; a jolly Man, too much addicted to Drinking in foberer Times, but was now grown more licentious that way, as the Times did now more favour Debauchery. He and I had known one another for fome Years, though not very intimately, having met fometimes at the Lord Wenman's Table.

This Clark was one of the Deputy-Lieutenants, whom I was to be brought before. And he had gotten another thither, to join with him. in tendering me the Oaths, whom I knew only by Name and Character; he was called Efquire Knowls of Grays by Henley, and reputed a Man of better Morals than the other.

I was brought into the Hall, and kept there. And as Quakers were not fo common then, as they now are (and indeed even yet, the more is the pity, they are not common in that Part of the Country) I was made a Spectacle and Gazing-stock to the Family, and by divers I was diverfly fet upon. Some spake to me courteously, with Appearance of Compaffion; others ruggedly, with evident Tokens of Wrath and Scorn. But though I gave them the Hearing of what they faid, which I could not well. avoid, yet I faid little to them; but keeping my Mind as well retired as I could, I breathed to the Lord for Help and Strength from Him, to bear me up and carry me through this Trial, that I might not fink under it, or be prevailed on by any Means, fair or foul, to do any Thing that might difhonour or difplease my GOD. H

At

1660.

At length came forth the Juftices themselves, (for fo they were, as well as Lieutenants) and after they had faluted me, they difcourfed with me pretty familiarly: And though Clark would fometimes be a little jocular and waggish (which was fomewhat natural to him) yet Knowls treated me very civilly, not seeming to take any Offence at my not ftanding bare before him. And when a young Prieft, who, as I understood was Chaplain in the Family, took upon him pragmatically to reprove me for flanding with my Hat on before the Magiftrates, and fnatch'd my Cap from off my Head, Knowls in a pleasant manner corrected him, telling him he mistook himself, in taking a Cap for a Hat (for mine was a Mountier-cap) and bid him give it me again; which he (though unwillingly) doing, I forthwith put it on my Head again, and thenceforward none meddled with me about it.

Then they began to examine me, putting divers Questions to me, relating to the prefent Disturbances in the Nation, occafioned by the late foolish Insurrection of those frantick Fifthmonarchy-men. To all which I readily anfwered, according to the Simplicity of my Heart, and Innocency of my Hands; for I had neither done nor thought any Evil against the Government.

But they endeavoured to affright me with Threats of Danger; telling me (with Innuendo's) that for all my Pretence of Innocency, there was high Matter against me, which, if

I would