like that we went not all away when he did, gave more disgust to the people. After the meeting was ended, I sent to my friend Isaac Penington (by his son and servant, who returned home, though it was late, that evening) a short account of the business in the following distich. Prævaluit veritas; inimici terga dedere: Nos sumus in tuto; laus tribuenda Deo. Which may be thus Englished: Truth hath prevailed; the enemies did fly : But both they and we had quickly other work found us: it soon became a stormy time. The clouds had been long gathering, and threatened a tempest. The parliament had sat some time before, and hatched that unaccountable law, which was called The Conventicle Act; (if that may be allowed to be called a law, by whomsoever made) which was so directly contrary to the fundamental laws of England, to common justice, equity, and right reason; as this manifestly was. For, 1. It brake down and overrun the bounds and banks, anciently set for the defence and security of Englishmen's lives, liberties and properties, viz. trial by juries. Instead thereof, directing and authorizing justices of the peace, and that too privately out of sessions, to convict, fine, and by their warrants, distrain upon offenders against it; directly contrary to the great Charter. 2. By that act, the informers, who swear for their own advantage, as being thereby entitled to a third part of the fines, were many times concealed, driving on an underhand private trade; so that men might be, and often were convicted and fined, without having any notice or knowledge of it, till the officers came and took away their goods, nor even then could they tell by whose evidence they were convicted. Than which, what could be more opposite to common justice? which requires that every man should be openly charged, and have his accuser face to face, that he might both answer for himself before he be convicted, and object to the validity of the evidence given against him. 3. By that act, the innocent were punished for the offences of the guilty. If the wife or child was convicted of having been at one of those assemblies, which by that act was adjudged unlawful, the fine was levied on the goods of the husband or father of such wife or child, though he was neither present at such assembly, nor was of the same religious persua sion that they were of, but perhaps an enemy to it. 14. It was left in the arbitrary pleasure of the justices, to lay half the fine for the house or ground where such assembly was holden, and half the fine for a pretended unknown preacher; and the whole fines of such, and so many of the meeters as they should account poor, upon any other or others of the people, who were present or reason. at the same meeting (not exceeding a certain limited sum,) without any regard to equity And yet, such blindness doth the spirit of persecution bring on men, otherwise sharp sighted enough, that this unlawful; unjust, unequal, unreasonable and unrighteous law, took place in almost all places, and was vigorously prosecuted against the meetings of dissenters in general; though the brunt of the storm fell most sharply on the people called Quakers, not that it seemed to be more pare ticularly levelled at them, but that they stood more fair, steady and open, as a butt to receive all the shot that came, while some others found means, and freedom to retire to coverts for shelter. No sooner had the bishops obtained this law, for suppressing all other meetings but their own, but some of the clergy of most ranks, and some others too, who were over-much bigoted to that party, bestirred themselves with might and main, to find out and encourage the most profligate wretches to turn informers; and to get such persons into parochial offices, as would be most obsequious to their com mands, and ready at their beck, to put it into the most rigorous execution. Yet it took not alike in all places; but some were forwarder in the work than others, according as the agents intended to be chiefly employed therein, had been predisposed thereunto. For in some parts of the nation care had been timely taken, by some not of the lowest rank, to choose out some particular persons, men of sharp wit, close countenances, pliant tempers and deep dissimulation, and send them forth among the sectaries, so called; with instructions to thrust themselves into all societies, conform to all, or any sort of religious profession, Proteus-like change their shapes, and transform themselves from one religious appearance to another, as occasion should require. In a word, to be all things to all; not that they might win some, but that they might, if possible, ruin all, at least many. The drift of this design was, that they who employed them, might by this means get a full account what number of dissenter's meetings, of every sort, there were in each county, and where kept; what number of persons frequented them, and of what ranks; who amongst them were persons of estate, and where they' lived that when they should afterwards have troubled the waters, they might the better know where, with most advantage, to cast their nets. He, of these emissaries, whose post was assigned him in this county of Bucks, adventured' to thrust himself upon a Friend, under the counterfeit appearance of a Quaker; but being by the Friend suspected, and thereupon dismissed unentertained, he was forced to betake himself to an inn or alehouse for accommodation. Long he had not been there, ere his unruly nature, not to be long kept under by the curb of a feigned sobriety, broke forth into 1 open prophaneness: so true is that of the poet, Naturam expellas furca licet, usq; recurret. To fuddling now falls he with those whom he found tippling there before; and who but he amongst them! In him was then made good the proverb, In vino veritas; for in his cups he out with that, which was, no doubt, to have been kept a secret. It was to his pot-companions, that after his head was somewhat heated with strong liquors, he discovered that hel was sent forth by Dr. Mew, the then vice-chancellor of Oxford, on the design before related, and under the protection of justice Morton, a warrant under whose hand and seal he there produced. Sensible of his error too late, when sleep had restored him to some degree of sense, and dis-, couraged with this ill success of his attempt: upon the Quakers, he quickly left that place; and crossing through the country, cast. himself among the Baptists, at a meeting which they held in a private place; of which the overeasy credulity of some that went among them, whom he had craftily insinuated himself into, had given him notice. The entertainment he found amongst them, deserved a better return than he made them, For, having smoothly. wrought himself into their good opinion, and cunningly drawn some of them into an unwary openness and freedom of conversation with him, upon the unpleasing subject of the seve |