I would stand out, would be brought forth, and 1660. that under my own Hand. I knew not what they meant by this; but I knew my Innocency, and kept to it.

At length, when they faw I regarded not their Threats in general, they asked me, If I knew one Thomas Loe, and had written of late to him. I then remembred my Letter, which till then I had not thought of, and thereupon frankly told them, That I did both know Thomas Loe, and had lately written to him ; but that as I knew I had written no Hurt, fo I did not fear any Danger from that Letter. They fhook their Heads, and faid, It was dangerous to write Letters to appoint Meetings in fuch troublefome Times:

They added, That by appointing a Meeting, and endeavouring to gather a Concourfe of People together, in fuch a Juncture especially as this was, I had rendered myself a dangerous Perfon. And therefore they could do no lefs, than tender me the Oaths of Allegiance and Supremacy; which therefore they required me to take.

I told them, If I could take any Oath at all, I would take the Oath of Allegiance; for I owed Allegiance to the King. But I durft not take any Oath, because my Lord and Mafter JESUS CHRIST, had commanded me not to fwear at all; and if I brake His Command, I fhould thereby both dishonour and displease Him.

Hereupon they undertook to reason with me, and ufed many Words to perfwade me, That that Command of Chrift related only to common and prophane

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1660. prophane Swearing, not to Swearing before a Magi ftrate. I heard them and faw the Weakness of their Arguings, but did not return the any Answer; for I found my prefent Business was not to difpute, but to fuffer; and that it was not safe for me, in this my weak and Childish State especially, to enter into Reasonings with fharp, quick, witty and learned Men, left I might thereby hurt both the Cause of Truth, which I was to bear Witness to, and myfelf: Therefore I chofe rather to be a Fool, and let them triumph over me, than by my Weakness give them Advantage to triumph over the Truth. And my Spirit being closely exercised in a deep Travail towards the Lord, I earneftly begged of Him, that He would be pleased to keep me faithful to the Testimony He had committed to me, and not fuffer me to be taken in any of the Snares which the Enemy laid for me. And, bleffed be His holy Name, He heard my Cries, and preserved me out of them.

When the Juftices faw they could not bow me to their Wills, they told me they must send me to Prifon. I told them, I was contented to fuffer whatsoever the Lord should fuffer them to inflict upon me. Whereupon they withdrew into the Parlour, to confult together what to do with me; leaving me mean while to be gazed on in the Hall.

After a pretty long Stay, they came forth to me again with great Shew of Kindness, telling me, They were very unwilling to fend me to Goal,

but

but would be as favourable to me as poffibly they 1660. could; and that, if I would take the Oaths, they u would pass by all the other Matter, which they had against me. I told them, I knew they could not justly have any Thing against me, for I had neither done, nor intended any Thing against the Government, or against them. And as to the Oaths, I affured them, that my refufing them was meerly Matter of Confcience to me, and that I durft not take any Oath whatsoever, if it were to fave my Life.

When they heard this, they left me again, and went and figned a Mittimus to fend me to Prifon at Oxford, and charged one of the Troopers that brought me thither, who was one of the newly raifed Militia-troop, to convey me fafe to Oxford. But before we departed, they called the Trooper afide, and gave him private Inftructions, what he fhould do with me; which I knew nothing of till I came thither, but expected I fhould go directly to the Castle.

It was almoft dark when we took Horfe, and we had about nine or ten Miles to ride, the Weather thick and cold (for it was about the Beginning of the twelfth Month) and I had no Boots, being fnatch'd away from home on a sudden, which made me not care to ride very fast. And my Guard, who was a Tradefman in Thame, having Confidence in me, that I would not give him the Slip, jogged on without heeding how I followed him.

1660.

When I was gone about a Mile on the Way, I overtook my Father's Man, who, without my Knowledge, had followed me at a Distance to Weston, and waited there abroad in the Stables, till he understood by fome of the Servants, that I was to go to Oxford; and then ran before, refolving not to leave me till he law what they would do with me.

I would have had him return home, but he defired me not to fend him back, but let him run on till I came to Oxford. I confidered that it was a Token of the Fellow's affectionate Kindness to me, and that poffibly I might fend my Horse home by him; and thereupon ftopping my Horse, I bid him, if he would go on, get up behind me. He modeftly refufed, telling me, He could run as faft I rid. But when I had told him, if he would not ride, he fhould not go forward; he, rather than leave me, leap'd up behind me, and on we

went.

But he was not willing I fhould have gone at all. He had a great Cudgel in his Hand, and a strong Arm to ufe it; and being a stout Fellow, he had a great mind to fight the Trooper and rescue me. Wherefore he defired me to turn my Horfe and ride off. And if the Trooper offered to purfue, leave him to deal with him.

I check'd him fharply for that, and charged him to be quiet, and not think hardly of the poor Trooper, who could do no other nor lefs ihan he did; and who, though he had an ill

Journey

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Journey in going with me, carried himself 1660. civilly to me. I told him alfo, that I had no need to fly, for I had done nothing that would bring Guilt or Fear upon me; neither did I go with an ill Will; and this quieted the Man. So on we went; but were fo far caft behind the Trooper, that we had loft both Sight and Hearing of him, and I was fain to mend my Pace to get up to him again.

We came pretty late into Oxford on the Seventh-day of the Week, which was the Market-day; and contrary to my Expectation (which was to have been carried to the Caftle) my Trooper ftop'd in the High- Street, and calling at a Shop, afked for the Master of the House; who coming to the Door, he delivered to him the Mittimus, and with it a Letter from the Deputy-Lieutenants (or one of them) which when he had read, he afked where the Prifoner was. Whereupon the Soldier pointing to me, he defired me to alight and come in; which when I did, he received me civilly.

The Trooper, being discharged of his Prifoner, marched back, and my Father's Man, feeing me fettled in better Quarters than he expected, mounted my Horfe and went off with him.

I did not presently understand the Quality of my Keeper; but I found him a genteel, courteous Man, by Trade a Linen - draper; and, as I afterwards understood, he was the City-Marshall, had a Command in the County Troop

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