"Thus it fared there with me ; but at home it fared otherwise with my father. He, supposing I had betaken myself to my chamber, when he took my hat from me, made no inquiry after me, till evening came; and then, sitting by the fire, and considering that the weather was very cold, he said to my sister, who sate by him, 'Go up to your brother's chamber, and call him down; it may be he will sit there, else, in a sullen fit till he has caught cold.' 'Alas, sir,' said she, 'he is not in his chamber, nor in the house neither.' At that, my father startling, said, 'Why, where is he then? I know not sir,' said she, where he is; but I know that when he saw you had sent away his horse, he put on shoes, and went out on foot, and I have not seen him since. And, indeed, sir,' added she, 'I don't wonder at his going away, considering how you used him.' This put my father into a great fright, doubting I was gone quite away; and so great a passion of grief seized on him, that he forbore not to weep, and to cry out aloud (so that the family heard him,) Oh! my son! I shall never see him more for he is of so bold and resolute a spirit, that he will run himself into danger, and so may be thrown into some gaol or other, where he may lie and die, before I can hear of him.' Then bidding her light him up to his chamber, he went immediately to bed, where he lay restless and groaning, and often bemoaning himself and me, for the greatest part of the night.

"Next morning my sister sent a man (whom, for his love to me she knew she could trust,) to give me this account. And though, by him, she sent me also fresh linen for my use, in case I should go farther, or stay out longer, yet she desired me to come home as soon as I could.

"This account was very uneasy to me. I was much grieved that I had occasioned so much grief to my father. And I would have returned that evening after the meeting, but the friends would not permit it for the meeting would in likelihood end late, the days being short, and the way was long and dirty. And, besides, John Rance told me, that he had something on his mind to speak to my father; and that if I could stay till the next day, he would go down with me; hoping, perhaps, that while my father was under this sorrow for me, he might work some good upon him. Hereupon, concluding to stay till the morrow, I dismissed the man with the things he brought; bidding him tell my sister, I intended (God willing,) to return home to morrow; and charging him not to let any body else know that he had seen me, or where he had been.

"Next morning, John Rance and I set out, and when we were come to the end of the town, we agreed that he should go before, and knock at the great gate, and I would come a little after, and go in by the back way. He did so : and when a servant came to open the gate he asked if the justice were at home, she told him yes: and, desiring him to come in and sit down in the hall, went and acquainted her master that there was one who desired to speak with him. He, supposing it was one that came for justice, went readily into the hall to him. But he was not a little surprised, when he found it was a quaker. Yet not knowing on what he came, he staid to hear his busi

ness: but when he found it was about me, he fell somewhat sharply on him.

"In this time, I was come by the back way into the kitchen, and hearing my father's voice so loud, I began to doubt things wrought not well but I was soon assured of that. For my father having quickly enough of a Quaker's company, left John Rance in the hall, and came into the kitchen; where he was more surprised to find me.

"The sight of my hat upon my head made him presently forget that I was that son of his whom he had so lately lamented as lost; and his passion of grief turning into anger, he could not contain himself, but running upon me, with both his hands, first violently snatched off my hat, and threw it away; then, giving me some buffets on my head, he said, 'Sirrah, get you up to your chamber.'

"I forthwith went; he following me at the heels, and now and then giving me a whirret on the ear; which (the way to my chamber lying through the hall, where John Rance was) he, poor man, might see, and be sorry for (as I doubt not but he was,) but could not help me."

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This hat-honour, as it was called, was held to be a great point. The reason of which was, that it had, says Ellwood, grown, in those times especially, to be a great idol. So the Lord was pleased to engage his servants in a steady testimony against it, what suffering soever was brought upon them for it." He goes on to say, that " though some, who have been called into the Lord's vineyard at latter hours, and since the heat of that day hath been much over, may be apt to account it a small thing to suffer so much upon, as some have done, not only to beating, but to fines and hard imprisonment; yet they who, in those times, were faithfully exercised in and under it, durst not despise the day of small things, as knowing that he who should do so, would not be thought worthy to be concerned in higher testimonies." It is very true, that it is often more difcult to shew a constant and vigilant resistance in these apparently small and inconsiderable matters, than to present a hardy fortitude in some one case of great suffering, in a great cause. The persecution which this poor young man endured, from a rash and violent parent, would have completely broken any other than a' chosen vessel.'

"I had now lost one of my hats, and I had but one more. That, therefore, I put on; but did not keep it long; for the next time my father saw it on my head, he tore it violently from me, and laid it up with the other, I know not where. Wherefore, I put on my mountier cap, which was all I had left to wear on my head; and it was but a very little while that I had that to wear; for, as soon as my father came where I was, I lost that also. And now I was forced to go bareheaded, whenever I had occasion to go within door and without.

"This was in the eleventh month (called January,) and the weather

sharp; so that I, who had been bred up more tenderly, took so great a cold in my head, and my face and head were much swelled, and my gums had on them boils so sore, that I could neither chew meat, nor, without difficulty, swallow liquids. It held long, and I underwent much pain, without much pity, except from my sister, who did what she could to give me ease; and at length, by frequent applications of figs and stoned raisins, toasted, and laid to the boils as hot as I could bear them, they ripened fit for lancing, and soon after sunk : then I had ease.

"Now was I laid up, as a kind of prisoner, for the rest of this winter; having no means to go forth among friends, nor they liberty to come to me. Wherefore I spent the time much in my chamber, in waiting on the Lord, and in reading,-mostly in the bible.

"But whenever I had occasion to speak to my father, though I had no hat now to offend him; yet my language did as much; for I durst not say 'you,' to him; but ' thou,' or 6 thee,' as the occasion required, and then would he be sure to fall on me with his fists.

"At one of these times, I remember, when he had beaten me in that manner, he commanded me (as he commonly did at such times,) to go to my chamber; which I did, and he followed me to the bottom of the stairs. Being come thither, he gave me a parting-blow; and, in a very angry tone, said, 'Sirrah, if ever I hear you say Thou or thee, to ne again, I'll strike your teeth down your throat.' I was greatly grieved to hear him say so, and feeling a word rise in my heart unto him, I turned again, and calmly said unto him, Should it not be just if God should serve thee so, when thou sayest thou' or 'thee,' to him.' Though his hand was up, I saw it sink, and his countenance fall, and he turned away, and left me standing there. But I, notwithstanding, went up into my chamber and cried unto the Lord, earnestly beseeching him, that he would be pleased to open my father's eyes, that he might see whom he fought against, and for what; and that he would turn his heart.”

The whole of the young man's conduct on these occasions, is as noble as that of the father is disgraceful. The son's meekness, submission, and humility, are finely combined with a firm and unshrinking adherence to that which he conceived were the dictates of his conscience. The next extract presents a most melancholy scene.

"But, after some time, a fresh storm, more fierce and sharp than any before, arose and fell upon me; the occasion whereof was this. My father having been (in his younger years, more especially while he lived in London,) a constant hearer of those who were called Puritan preachers, had stored up a pretty stock of scripture knowledge, did sometimes (not constantly nor very often,) cause his family to come together, on a first day in the evening, and expound a chapter to them, and pray. His family now, as well as his estate, was lessened; for iny mother was dead, and my brother my gone, elder sister in London; and having put off his husbandry, he put off most of his servants; so

that, now, he had but one man, and one maid servant. It so fell out, that on a first day night, he bid my sister (who sate with him in the parlour,) call in the servants to prayer.

"Whether this was done as a trial upon me, or no, I know not; but a trial it proved to me: for they (loving me very well, and disliking my father's carriage to me,) made no haste to go in, but staid. a second summons. This so offended him, that when, at length, they did go in, he, instead of going to prayer, examined them, why they came not in when they were first called; and the answer they gave him being such as rather heightened than abated his displeasure, he, with an angry tone, said,' call in that fellow,' (meaning me who was left alone in the kitchen,) for he is the cause of all this.' They, as they were backward to go in themselves, so were not forward to call me in, fearing the effect of my father's displeasure would fall upon me; as it soon did, for I, hearing what was said, and not staying for the call, went in of myself. And as soon as I was come in, my father discharged his displeasure on me, in very sharp and bitter expressions, which drew from me (in the grief of my heart, to see him so transported with passion) these few words, They that can pray with a spirit, let them; for my part, I cannot.' With that, my father flew upon me with both his fists; and, not thinking that sufficient, stepped hastily to the place where his cane stood; and, catching that up, laid me on (I thought) with all his strength. And I, being bareheaded, I thought his blows must needs have broken my skull, had I not laid my arm over my head to defend it.

"His man, seeing this, and not able to contain himself, stepped in between us, and laying hold on the cane, by strength of hand, held it so fast, that though he attempted not to take it away, yet he withheld my father from striking with it, which did but enrage him the more. I disliked this in the man; and bid him let go the cane and begone, which he immediately did, and turning to be gone, had a blow on the shoulders for his pains; which yet did not much hurt him.

"But now my sister, fearing lest my father should fall upon me again, besought him to forbear: adding, indeed, sir, if you strike him any more, I will throw open the casement and cry murder; for I am afraid you will kill my brother.' This stopped his hand: and, after some threatening speeches, he commanded me to get to my chamber; which I did, as I always did, whenever he bid me.

"Thither, soon after, my sister followed me, to see my arm, and dress it for it was, indeed, very much bruised and swelled, between the wrist and the elbow; and, in some places, the skin was broken and beaten off. But though it was very sore, and I felt for some time much pain in it, yet I had peace and quietness in my mind; being more grieved for my father than for myself, who I knew had hurt himself more than me."

This was the last time, Ellwood observes, that his father called his family to prayer, and the last that he ever fell, so severely at least, upon the obstinate neophyte.

Ellwood's friends, the Penningtons, soon after this interfered in his behalf, and he went to pay a long visit at their residence. His host and hostess seem to have provided him with all the necessaries of life, even to his clothes, for his father would contribute nothing to the maintenance of a young Quaker. Ellwood narrates a curious story of a difficulty, into which he was once thrown by the want of money, which we shall quote, as it is highly illustrative of the manners of the times, and of the character of the subject of this article.

"I had been at Reading, and set out from thence on the first day of the week, in the morning; intending to reach (as in point of time I well might) to Isaac Pennington's, where the meeting was to be on that day; but, when I came to Maidenhead, (a thoroughfare town on the way,) I was stopt by the watch for riding on that day.

"The watchman, laying hold on the bridle, told me I must go along with him to the constable: and, accordingly, I, making no resistance, suffered him to lead my horse to the constable's door. When we were come there, the constable told me I must go before the warden, (who was the chief officer of that town,) and bid the watchman bring me on, himself walking before.

Being come to the warden's door, the constable knocked, and desired to speak with Mr. Warden. He, thereupon, quickly coming to the door, the constable said, 'Sir, I have brought a man here to you, whom the watch took riding through the town.' The warden was a budge old man, and I looked somewhat big too, having a good gelding under me, and a good riding coat on my back; both which my friend, Isaac Pennington, had kindly accommodated me with for that journey.

"The warden therefore, taking me to be (as the saying is) somebody, put off his hat, and made a low congee to me; but when he saw that I sate still, and neither bowed to him, nor moved my hat, he gave a start, and said, 'you said you had brought a man, but he don't behave himself like a man.'

"1 sate still upon my horse, and said not a word; but kept my mind retired to the Lord, waiting to see what this would come to.

"The warden then began to examine me, asking me whence I came, and whither I was going? I told him I came from Reading, and was going to Chalfont. He asked me why I did travel on that day? I told him I did not know that it would give any offence, barely to ride or walk on that day, so long as I did not carry, or drive any carriage, or horses laden with burdens. "Why,' said he, if your business was urgent, did you not take a pass from the mayor of Reading? Because,' replied I, I did not know, nor think, I should have needed one.' 'Well,' said he, 'I will not talk with you now, because it is time to go to church, but I will examine you further anon: And, turning to the constable, 'have him,' said he, to an inn, and bring him before me after dinner.'

"The naming of an inn put me in mind that such public houses were places of expense; and I knew I had no money to defray it.