lay now there very ill, not without great danger, in the apprehension of those about her, of her life; and that she had expressed her desire that I would come to her, as soon as I could; the rather, for that her husband was absent in America. That this had brought a great strait upon me, being divided between friendship and duty, willing to visit my friend in her illness, which the nature and law of friendship required; yet unwilling to omit my duty, by failing of my appearance before him and the other Justice, according to their command and my promise, lest I should thereby subject, not my own reputation only, but the reputation of my religious profession, to the suspicion of guilt, and censure of willingly shunning a trial. To prevent which, I had chosen to anticipate the time, and come now, to see if I could give them satisfaction, in what they had to object against me, and thereupon being dismissed, pursue my journey into Sussex; or if by them detained, to submit to Providence, and by an express to acquaint my friend therewith, both to free her from an expectation of my coming, and myself from any imputation of neglect.

While I thus delivered myself, I observed a sensible alteration in the Justice; and when I had done speaking, he first said he was very sorry for Madam Penn's illness, of whose virtue and worth he spake very highly, yet not more than was her due: then he told me, that for her sake, he would do what he could to further my visit to her; "but, (said he) I am but one, and of myself can do nothing in it; therefore you must go to Sir Benjamin Titchborn, and, if he be at home, see if you can prevail with him to meet me, that we may consider of it."

"But I can assure you, (added he) the matter which will be laid to your charge concerning your book, is of greater importance than you seem to think it. For your book has been laid before the King and Council; and the Earl of Bridgewater, who is one of the Council, hath thereupon given us command to examine you about it, and secure you."

"I wish, (said I) I could speak with the Earl myself, for Í make no doubt but to acquit myself unto him: and (added I) if thou pleasest to give me thy letter to him, I will wait upon him with it forthwith. For although I know, (continued I) that he hath no favor for any of my persuasion, yet knowing myself to be wholly innocent in this matter, I can with confidence appear before him, or even before the King in Council."

66

Well, (said he) I see you are confident; but for all that, let me tell you, how good soever your intention was, you timed the publishing of your book very unluckily; for you cannot be ignorant, that there is a very dangerous plot lately discovered, contrived by the Dissenters, against the government and his Majesty's life." This was the Rye-plot, then newly broke forth, and laid upon the Presbyterians. " And for you, (added he) to pub

lish a book, just at that juncture of time, to discourage the magistrates and other officers from putting in execution those laws which were made to suppress their meetings, looks, I must tell you, but with a scurvy countenance upon you."

"If, (replied I, with somewhat a pleasanter air) there was any mis-timing in the case, it must lie on the part of those plotters, for timing the_breaking forth of their plot while my book was a printing; for I can bring very good proof, that my book was in the press, and well-nigh wrought off, before any man talked or knew of a plot, but those who were in it."

Here our discourse ended, and I taking, for the present, my leave of him, went to my horse, and changing my companion, rode to Justice Tichborn's, having with me William Ayrs, who was best acquainted with him, and who had casually brought this trouble on me.

When he had introduced me to Tichborn, I gave him a like account of the occasion of my coming at that time, as I had before given to the other Justice. And both he, and his lady, who was present, expressed much concern for Guli Penn's illness.

I found this man to be of quite another temper than Justice Fotherly; for this man was smooth, soft, and oily, whereas the other was rather rough, severe, and sharp. Yet, at the winding I found Fotherly my truest friend.

up,

When I had told Sir Benjamin Tichborn that I came from Justice Fotherly, and requested him to give him a meeting, to consider of my business, he readily, without any hesitation, told me he would go with me to Rickmansworth, (from which his house was distant about a mile) and calling for his horses, mounted immediately, and to Rickmansworth we rode.

After they had been a little while together, I was called in before them; and in the first place they examined me, "What was my intention and design in writing that book?" I told them the introductory part of it gave a plain account of it, viz. “That it was to get ease from the penalties of a severe law, often executed with too great a severity by unskilful officers, who were driven on beyond the bounds of their duty, by the impetuous threats of a sort of insolent fellows, (as needy as greedy) who, for their own advantage, sought our ruin." To prevent which, was the design and drift of that book, by acquainting such officers how they might safely demean themselves, in the execution of their offices, towards their honest and peaceable neighbors, without ruining either their neighbors or themselves, to enrich some of the worst of men. And that I humbly conceived, it was neither unlawful nor unreasonable for a sufferer to do this, so long as it was done in a fair, sober, and peaceable way.

They then put me in mind of the plot; told me it was a troublesome and dangerous time, and my book might be construed

to import sedition, in discouraging the officers from putting the laws in execution, as by law and by their oath they were bound. And in fine brought it to this issue, that they were directed to secure me, by a commitment to prison until the assize, at which I should receive a further charge than they were provided now to give me; but because they were desirous to forward my visit to Madam Penn, they told me they would admit me to bail, and therefore if I would enter a recognizance, with sufficient sureties, for my appearance at the next assize, they would leave me at liberty to go on my journey.

I told them I could not do it. They said, they would give me as little trouble as they could, and therefore they would not put me to seek bail; but would accept those two friends of mine, who were then present, to be bound with me for my appearance.

I let them know, my strait lay not in the difficulty of procur ing sureties, for I did suppose myself to have sufficient acquaintance, and credit in that place, if on such an occasion I could be free to use it; but, as I knew myself to be an innocent man, I had not satisfaction in myself, to desire others to be bound for me, nor to enter myself into a recognizance; that carrying in it, to my apprehension, a reflection on my innocency, and the reputation of my Christian profession.

I

Here we stuck and struggled about this a pretty while, till at length finding me fixed in my judgment, and resolved rather to go to prison than give bail, they asked me if I was against appearing, or only against being bound with sureties to appear. told them I was not against appearing; which as I could not avoid, if I would, so I would not if I might; but was ready and willing to appear, if required, to answer whatsoever should be charged against me. But in any case of a religious nature, or wherein my Christian profession was concerned, which I took. this case to be, I could not yield to give any other or further security than my word, or promise, as a Christian.

They, unwilling to commit me, took hold of that, and asked if I would promise to appear. I answered "Yes; with due limitations." "What do you mean by due limitations?" said they. “I mean, (replied I) if I am not disabled, or prevented by sickness or imprisonment. For, (added I) as you alledge that it is a troublesome time, I perhaps may find it so. I may, for aught I know, be seized and imprisoned elsewhere, on the same account for which I now stand here before you, and if I should, how then could I appear at the assize in this county?" "Oh, (said they) these are due limitations indeed! sickness or imprisonment are lawful excuses, and if either of these befal you, we shall not expect your appearance here; but then you must certify us, that you are so disabled by sickness or restraint."

"But, (said I) how shall I know when and where I shall wait.

"You need not,

upon you again after my return from Sussex ?" (said they) trouble yourself about that; we will take care to give you notice of both time and place, and till you hear from us, you may dispose yourself as you please."

"Well then, (said I) I do promise you, that when I shall have received from you a fresh command to appear before you, I will (if the Lord permit me life, health, and liberty) appear when and where you shall appoint."

"It is enough, (said they) we will take your word ;" and, desiring me to give their hearty respects and service to Madam Penn, they dismissed me with their good wishes for a good journey.

I was sensible, that in this they had dealt very favorably and kindly with me, therefore I could not but acknowledge to them the sense I had thereof. Which done, I took leave of them, and mounting, returned home with what haste I could, to let my wife know how I had sped. And having given her a summary account of the business, I took horse again, and went so far that evening towards Worminghurst, that I got thither pretty early next morning, and, to my great satisfaction, found my friend in an hopeful way towards a recovery.

I staid some days with her; and then finding her illness wear daily off, and some other friends being come from London to visit her, I (mindful of my engagement to the Justices, and unwilling, by too long an absence, to give them occasion to suspect I was willing to avoid their summons) leaving those other friends to bear her company longer, took my leave of her and them, and set my face homewards, carrying with me the welcome account of my friend's recovery.

Being returned home, I waited in daily expectation of a command from the Justices to appear again before them; but none came. I spake with those friends who had been with me when I was before them, and they said they had heard nothing of it from them, although they had since been in company with them. At length the assize came; but no notice was given to me, that I should appear there: in fine, they never troubled themselves nor me any further about it.

Thus was a cloud, that looked black and threatened a great storm, blown gently over by a providential breath, which I could not but, with a thankful mind, acknowledge to the All-great, Allgood, All-wise Disposer, in whose hand, and at whose command, the hearts of all men, even the greatest, are, and who turns their counsels, disappoints their purposes, and defeats their designs and contrivances, as He pleases. For if my dear friend Guli Penn had not fallen sick, if I had not thereupon been sent for to her, I had not prevented the time of my appearance, but had appeared on the day appointed: and, as I afterwards understood,

that was the day appointed for the appearance of a great many persons, of the dissenting party in that side of the county, who were to be taken up and secured, on the account of the aforementioned plot, which had been cast upon the Presbyterians.So that if I had then appeared, with and amongst them, I had, in all likelihood, been sent to jail with them for company, and that under the imputation of a plotter; than which, nothing was more contrary to my profession and inclination.

But though I came off so easy, it fared not so well with others; for the storm increasing, many Friends in divers parts, both of city and country, suffered greatly; the sense whereof did deeply affect me, and the more, for that I observed the magistrates, not thinking the laws which had been made against us severe enough, perverted the law in order to punish us. For calling our peaceable meetings riots, (which in the legal notion of the word [riot] is a contradiction in terms) they indicted our friends as rioters for only sitting in a meeting, though nothing was there either said or done by them, and then set fines on them at pleasure.

This I knew to be not only against right and justice, but even against law; and it troubled me to think that we should be made to suffer not only by laws made directly against us, but even by laws that did not at all concern us. Nor was it long before I had occasion offered more thoroughly to consider this matter.

For a Justice of the Peace in this county, who was called Sir Dennis Hampson, of Taplow, breaking in with a party of horse upon a little meeting near Wooburn, in his neighborhood, the 1st of the fifth month, 1683, sent most of the men, to the number of twenty-three, whom he found there, to Aylesbury prison, though most of them were poor men who lived by their labor; and not going himself to the next Quarter-sessions at Buckingham, on the 12th of the same month, sent his clerk, with direction that they should be indicted for a riot. Whither the prisoners were carried, and indicted accordingly, and being pressed by the court to traverse and give bail, they moved to be tried forthwith, but that was denied them. And they, giving in writing the reason of their refusing bail and fees, were remanded to prison till next Quarter-sessions; but William Woodhouse was again bailed, (as he had been before) and Wm. Mason and John Reeve, who not being Friends, but casually taken at that meeting, entered recognizance as the court desired, and so were released till next sessions. Before which time Mason died, and Reeve being sick, appeared not, but got himself taken off. And in the eighth month following, the twenty-one prisoners that remained, were brought to trial, a jury was found, who brought in a pretended verdict, that they were Guilty of a Riot, for only sitting peaceably together, without word or action; and though there was no proclamation made, nor they required to depart. But one of the jury