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very great persecutor of our Friends, many of whom he cast into prison, as may be seen in the trials of W. Penn, W. Mead, and others at the Old Baily this year.

After some time the heat of persecution in the city began to abate, and meetings were quieter there. I being then clear of the city, went to visit Friends in the country; and attended several meetings in Middlesex, Buckinghamshire, and Oxfordshire, which were quiet, though in some places there was much threatening. At Reading most of the Friends were in prison; and I went to visit them. When I had been awhile with them, the Friends that were prisoners gathered together, and several other persons came in; so I had a fine opportunity amongst them, and declared the word of life, encouraging them in the truth; and they were refreshed in feeling the presence and power of the Lord amongst them.' When the meeting was ended, the gaoler understanding I was there, Friends were concerned how to get me safe out again; for they feared he should stop me. After I had staid awhile, and eat with them, I went down stairs, and the gaoler being at the door, I put my hand in my pocket, which he had such an eye to, hoping to get something of me, that he asked no question. So I gave him something, and bade him be kind and civil to my friends in prison whom I came to visit;' and he let me pass out without interruption. But soon after Isaac Penington coming to visit them, he stopped him, and caused him to be made a prisoner.

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Next morning I rode to a meeting at Baghurst in Hampshire, Thomas Briggs being with me. When we came into the parish, some sober people told us, the priest of the town was an envious man, and did threaten us.' We went to the meeting, which was large, and after some time Thomas Briggs stood up and spoke. It seems the priest had got a warrant, and sent the constables and other officers with it. They came to the house, staid awhile, and then went away, but did not come into the meeting; so we in the meeting did not know of their being there. After Thomas Briggs had done speaking, I was moved of the Lord to stand up, and declare the word of life to the people; and a precious meeting we had. When the meeting was ended and risen, I heard a great clutter in the yard; and when we came out, the man of the house told us, The officers had been in the house before, and did not come into the meeting, but went away without doing any thing. And that now the priest in a great rage had sent them again, and his own servant with them.' But the meeting being ended before they came, they could do nothing. Thus the good providence of the Lord preserved us from the wicked design of the envious priest.

From thence we went to a Friends on the edge of Berkshire, where several Friends came to visit us. Afterwards we passed into Surry, and

had many precious meetings, till we came to Stephen Smith's near Guildford, where great persecution had been; and much goods had been taken away from Friends thereabouts for their meetings, and under great threatenings they were at that time; yet we had several blessed meetings thereabouts; and the Lord's power was over all, in and by which we were preserved.

We went into Sussex, by Richards Baxe's where we had a large, precious, quiet meeting, though the constables had given out threatenings before. I had many more meetings in that county; and though there were some threatenings, meetings were peaceable; and Friends were refreshed, and established upon the foundation of God that stands sure. When

I had thoroughly visited Sussex, I went into Kent, and had many glorious and precious meetings in several parts of that county. I went to a meeting near Deal, which was very large; and returning from thence to Canterbury, visited Friends there; then passed into the Isle of Sheppy, where I staid two or three days: and thither came Alexander Parker, George Whitehead, and John Rouse to me.

The next day, finding my service for the Lord finished there, we passed towards Rochester. And on the way, as I was walking down a hill, a great weight and oppression fell upon my spirit. I got my horse again; but the weight remained so heavy on me, that I was hardly able to ride. At length we came to Rochester, but I was much spent, being so extremely loaden and burdened with the world's spirits, that my life was oppressed under them. I got with difficulty to Gravesend, and lay at an inn there; but could hardly either eat or sleep. The next day John Rouse and Alexander Parker went for London, and John Stubbs being come to me, he and I went over the ferry into Essex. We came to Horn Church, where was a meeting on the first-day. After the meeting I rode with great uneasiness to Stratford, to a Friend's whose name was Williams; he had formerly been a captain. Here I lay exceeding weak, and at last lost both my hearing and my sight. Several Friends came to me from London. I told them, 'I should be as a sign to such as would not see, and such as would not hear the truth.' In this condition I continued a pretty while. Several came about me; and though I could not see their persons, I felt and discerned their spirits, who of them was honest hearted, and who was not. Divers Friends, who practised physic, would have given me medicines, but I was not to meddle with any; for I was sensible I had a travail to go through; and therefore spoke to Friends to let none but solid, weighty Friends be about me. Under great sufferings, groanings, travails, sorrows, and oppressions I lay for several weeks; whereby I was brought so low and weak in body, that few thought I could live. Some of those with me went away, saying, they would not see me die;' and it was reported both in London and in

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the country that I was deceased, but I felt the Lord's power inwardly supporting me. When those about me had given me up to die, I spoke to them to get a coach to carry me to Gerard Roberts', about twelve miles off; for I found it was my place to go thither. I had now recovered a little glimmering sight, so that I could discern the people and fields as I went, and that was all. When I came to Gerard's, he was very weak. I was moved to speak to him, and encourage him. After I had staid about three weeks there, it was with me to go to Enfield. Friends were afraid of my removing; but I told them I might safely go. When I had taken my leave of Gerard, and was come to Enfield, I went first to visit Amor Stoddart, who lay very weak, and almost speechless. I was moved to tell him, he had been faithful as a man, and faithful to God; and that the immortal seed of life was his crown.' Many more words I was moved to speak to him; though I was then so weak, I was hardly able to stand; and within a few days after Amor died. I went to the widow Dry's at Enfield, where I lay all that winter; warring in spirit with the evil spirits of the world, that warred against truth and Friends. For there were great persecutions at this time. Some meeting houses were pulled down, and many were broken up by soldiers. Sometimes a troop of horse or a company of foot came; and some broke their swords, carbines, muskets, and pikes with beating Friends. Many they wounded, so that their blood lay in the streets. Amongst others that were active in this cruel persecution at London, my old adversary colonel Kirby was one; who, with a company of foot, went to break up several meetings; and would often inquire for me at the meetings he broke up. One time, as he went over the water to Horslydown, there happening some scuffle between some of his soldiers and some of the waterman, he bid his men 'fire at them;' which they did, and killed

some.

I was under great sufferings at this time, beyond what I have words to declare. For I was brought into the deep, and saw all the religions of the world, and people that lived in them, and the priests that held them up; who were as a company of men-eaters, eating up the people like bread, and gnawing the flesh from off their bones. But as for true religion and worship, and ministers of God, alack! I saw there was none amongst those of the world that pretended to it. For they that pretended to be the church, were but a company of men-eaters, men of cruel visages, and of long teeth; who, though they had cried against the meneaters in America, I saw they were in the same nature. And as the great professing Jews did eat up God's people like bread,' and the false prophets and priests then preached peace to people, so long as they put into their mouths and fed them;' but if they fed them not, they prepared war against them; they ate their flesh off their bones, and chopped

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them for the caldron;' so these that profess themselves christians now (both priests and professors) and are not in the same power and spirit that Christ and the holy prophets and apostles were in, are in the same nature that the old professing Jews were in, and are men-eaters as well as they. These stirred up persecution, and set the wicked informers on work; so that a Friend could hardly speak a few words in a private family, before they sat down to eat, but some were ready to inform against them. A particular instance of which I have heard, as followeth : At Droitwich, J. Cartwright came to a Friend's house; and being moved of the Lord to speak a few words before he sat down to supper, there came an informer, and stood hearkening under the window. When he had heard the Friend speak, hoping to get some gain to himself, he went and informed; and got a warrant to distrain the Friend's goods under pretence that there was a meeting at his house: whereas there was none in the house at that time but the Friend, the man of the house, his wife, and their maid-servant. But this evil-minded man, as he came back with his warrant in the night, fell off his horse, and broke his neck. So there was a wretched end of a wicked informer, who hoped to have enriched himself by spoiling Friends: but the Lord prevented him, and cut him off in his wickedness.

Now though it was a cruel, bloody, persecuting time, yet the Lord's power went over all, his everlasting seed prevailed; and Friends were made to stand firm and faithful in the Lord's power. And some of the sober people of the world would say, 'if Friends did not stand, the nation would run into debauchery.'

Though by reason of my weakness I could not travel amongst Friends as I used to do; yet in the motion of life I sent the following lines, as an encouraging testimony to them:

'MY DEAR FRIENDS-The seed is above all. In it walk; in which ye all have life. Be not amazed at the weather; for always the just suffered by the unjust, but the just had the dominion. And all along ye may see, by faith the mountains were subdued; and the rage of the wicked with his fiery darts, were quenched. Though the waves and storms be high, yet your faith will keep you, so as to swim above them; for they are but for a time, and the truth is without time. Therefore, keep on the mountain of holiness, ye who are led to it by the light, where nothing shall hurt. Do not think that any thing will outlast the truth, which standeth sure, and is over that which is out of the truth. For the good will overcome the evil, the light darkness, the life death, virtue vice, and righteousness unrighteousness. The false prophet cannot overcome the true; but the true prophet, Christ, will overcome all

the false. So be faithful, and live in that which doth not think the time long.

G. F.'

After some time it pleased the Lord to allay the heat of this violent persecution; and I felt in spirit an overcoming of the spirits of those men-eaters that had stirred it up, and carried it on to that height of cruelty though I was outwardly very weak. And I plainly felt, and those Friends that were with me, and that came to visit me, took notice, that, as the persecution ceased, I came from under the travails and sufferings which had laid with such weight upon me: so that towards the spring I began to recover, and to walk up and down, beyond the expectation of many; who did not think I could ever have gone abroad again, I had been so exceeding weak, through the travail and exercise that were upon my spirit.

Whilst I was under this spiritual travail and suffering, the state of the city New Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven, was opened to me; which some carnal-minded people had looked upon to be like an outward city, that had dropped out of the elements. But I saw the beauty and glory of it, the length, the breadth, and the height thereof, all in complete proportion. I saw that all, who are within the light of Christ, in his faith, which he is the author of, in the spirit, the holy ghost, which Christ, the holy prophets, and apostles were in, and within the grace, truth, and power of God, which are the walls of the city, such are within the city, are members of this city, and have right to eat of the tree of life, which yields her fruit every month, and whose leaves are for the healing of the nations. But they that are out of the grace, truth, light, spirit, and power of God, such as resist the holy ghost, quench, vex, and grieve the spirit of God, who hate the light, turn from the grace of God into wantonness, and do despite to the spirit of grace, such as have erred from the faith, made shipwreck of it and of a good conscience, who abuse the power of God, and despise prophesying, revelation, and inspiration, these are the dogs and unbelievers that are without the city. These make up the great city Babylon, confusion, and her cage, the power of darkness; and the evil spirit of error surrounds and covers them over. In this great city Babylon are the false prophets, in the false power and false spirit; the beast in the dragon's power, and the whore that is gone a whoring from the spirit of God, and from Christ her husband. But the Lord's power is over all this power of darkness, cage, whore, beast, dragon, false prophets and their worshippers, who are for the lake which burns with fire. Many things more did I see concerning the heavenly city, the New Jerusalem, which are hard to be uttered, and would be hard to be received. But, in short, this holy city

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