Thomas Ellwood, with the rest, were subpœnaed to appear at Westminster in Trinity-term, 1707, which they did by an attorney to prevent being in contempt of the court, and took a copy of the complainant's bill. But for not answering, attachments were issued out in Michaelmas-term, to take them up; on which they were taken into custody in the eleventh month, and afterwards an habeas corpus sent down to the sheriff of Bucks, to bring them up to the exchequer-bar in Trinity-term, 1708, on which they came up. And so to prevent the plaintiffs going on to a sequestration by default, they put in their answers; setting forth the value of the tithes, according to the best of their knowledge. Yet so vexatious was the adversary, that he would not be satisfied with their answer, but got a commission of enquiry to examine witnesses in the country, as to the value of the tithes; which they did at Amersham, in the tenth month. The first witness they examined, was one E-G-, of the parish of Chesham, aged, as they say, forty-four years or thereabouts, who deposed, that he knew the complainant and defendants; and had known the complainant about sixty years, (which was about sixteen years before he was born.) Whereby we may judge of the rest of his evidence; the charge of which commission, and executing it, came to between thirty and forty pounds, though some of it was abated on taxing the cost; and yet they proved little, if any thing more than

the defendants had set down in their answers; yet went on to a hearing on it, and obtained a decree for the tithes and cost. For not performing which, attachments were issued out afresh against them, in Trinity-term, 1709, to the sheriff of Hartfordshire; Thomas Ellwood, Abraham Butterfield, and William Catch living in that county, but John Penington living in Bucks, was dropped, because the attachments to the sheriff of Hartfordshire would not reach him, and then a proclamation; but the sheriff living remote, did not endeavour to take them; and the prosecutor seemed rather to aim at a sequestration on their goods and estates, than their bodies; so that seeing them resolved to go on, the defendants, to prevent it, offered to surrender themselves to the sheriff; but he returned them each, non est inventus, and they got a commission of rebellion antedated, and moved for a serjeant at arms, the same day, to run them to a sequestration in all haste, Leaper being sick and bad, like to die, least he should not live till it was accomplished; but being so illegal, at least in point of time, for that there ought to be eight days, between the test and return of the writ, in 30 miles off London, and 14 beyond, on our appearing against it, they could not obtain it till Hillaryterm. In which time Leaper recovered, and one might have hoped that he might have repented; but instead thereof then got a sequestration against them and their estates, both

For which they seized and took from Thomas Ellwood in household goods, bedding, pewter, &c. (throwing out the meat to take the dishes) to the value of 19. and a horse he used to ride on, which he would not have took five guineas for. In all about £24 10 Q Which they sold, working and hob

bling about the horse, till they
had almost spoiled him, all for
about

From Abraham Butterfield, cattle,

14 15 0

corn, hay, &c. to the value of 86 17 0 which they sold by their own ac

count for so much.

From William Catch they took,
by their acount, grass, &c.
And a year's rent of his house,

deducting for taxes 11 shillings, Being about 31. per annum, which they seized and kept till paid; which for four years, since the time called Michaelmas 1709, when they gave in their account,

came to

In all from William Catch about £20 19 8

Seized and taken in the whole about 132 06 8 For tithes and cost

More than demanded

104 12 6

£27 14 2

And yet, what by charge of sequestration making out, and selling the corn; selling underhand, &c. they brought in the defendants in debt, and wanted more.

I have been the larger in this account; to shew the proceeding of the exchequer, and the fruit of tithes, to ruin the queen's subjects for small matters, when they might recover by justice's warrants to the value of 101. with the hundredth part of the charge.

Now we come to the second volume of his great work, the History of the New Testament, which he had had in hand at times, for the most part since he finished his former; and when he had finished this, he brought it up to London for Friends' perusal and approbation, where it was read, and afterwards published this year 1709, in folio, under the same title with the former, only as that was of the Old Testament, this was of the New, viz. Sacred History or the Historical Part of the Holy Scriptures of the New Testament, &c. as in the title of the former, which as I gave some account of, so it behoves I should of this. The former treatise, says he, in his preface, having found a favourable reception, he was thence

encouraged to resume his pen, which at the close of that volume he had let fall, and proceed to the methodizing of the historical part of the New Testament, in two parts. In the first part whereof the reader will find an account of the conception, birth, life, travels, doctrines, discourses, miracles, sufferings, death, burial, resurrection and ascension of our blessed Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, (the author of the true christian religion) plainly, fairly and succinctly given; ushered in with a brief account of the conception, birth, manner of life, ministry and death of his forerunner, John, sirnamed the Baptist; and attended in the second part with a like historical account of the acts and travels of the apostles of our Lord, in the propagation of his blessed gospel, after the ascension of our blessed Saviour; so far at least, as the evangelist Luke in the acts of the apostles hath recorded, or the clue or thread of the holy text leads him, beyond which, he says, he was not willing to adventure, &c.

In this undertaking, he says, he aimed at the same end as in the former. viz. that all the youth especially, of either sex, under whatsoever religious denomination they go, might be further furnished, with such an entertainment, to spend at least, their leisure hours upon, as might yield them at once both profit and delight; and might be thereby drawn off from mispending their precious time upon other, either hurtful, or at best unprofitable subjects.