E. B. among you in the seed, in which and by which he begat you to God, with whom he is; and that in the seed ye may all see and feel him, in which is the unity with him in the life; and so enjoy him in the life that doth not change, which is invisible. G. F.

From thence I passed to Little-port and the Isle of Ely; where one that had been the mayor, with his wife, and the wife of the then present mayor of Cambridge, came to the meeting Travelling into Lincolnshire and Huntingdonshire, I came to Thomas Parnel's, where the mayor of Huntingdon came to see me, and was very loving. From thence I came into the Fen-country, where we had large and quiet meetings. While I was in that country, there came so great a flood, that it was dangerous to go out; yet we did get out, and went to Lynn, where we had a blessed meeting. Next morning I went to visit some prisoners there; then back to the inn, and took horse. As I was riding out of the yard, the officers, it seems, came to search the inn for me. I knew nothing of it then, only I felt a great burden come upon me as I rode out of the town, till I was got without the gates. When some Friends that came after overtook me, they told me the officers had been searching for me in the inn, as soon as I was gone out of the yard. So by the good hand of the Lord I escaped their cruel hands. After this we passed through the countries, visiting Friends in their meetings. The Lord's power carried us over the persecuting spirits, and through many dangers; and his truth spread and grew, and Friends were established therein: praises and glory to his name forever!

Having passed through Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex, and Hertfordshire, we came to London again; where I staid awhile, visiting Friends in their meetings, which were very large, and the Lord's power was over all. After some time I left the city again, and travelled into Kent, having Thomas Briggs with me. We went to Ashford, where we had a quiet and a very blessed meeting. On first-day we had a very good and peaceable meeting at Cranbrook. Then we went to Tenterden, and had a meeting there, to which Friends came from several parts; and many other people came in and were reached by the truth. When the meeting was done, I walked with Thomas Briggs into a close, while our horses were getting ready; and turning my head, I espied a captain coming, and a great company of soldiers with lighted matches and muskets. Some of the soldiers came to Thomas and me, and said, 'We must go to their captain.' When they had brought us before him, he asked, 'Where was George Fox? which was he?' I said, 'I am the man.' Then he came to me, and was somewhat struck, and said, 'I will secure you among the soldiers.' So he called for the soldiers to take me. Then he took Thomas Briggs and the man of the house, with many more;

but the power of the Lord was mightily over them all. Then he came to me again, and said, I must go along with him to the town;' and he carried himself pretty civilly, bidding the soldiers bring the rest after. As we walked, I asked him, Why they did thus? for I had not seen so much ado a great while;' and I bid him be civil to his peaceable neighbours. When we were come to the town, they had us to an inn that was the gaoler's house. After awhile the mayor of the town, this captain, and the lieutenant, who were justices, came together and examined me, Why I came thither to make a disturbance? I told them, I did not come to make a disturbance, neither had I made any disturbance since I came. They said, 'There was a law against the Quakers' meetings, made only against them.' I told them, I knew no such law. Then they brought the act made against Quakers and others. I told them, that was against such as were a 'terror to the king's subjects, who were enemies, and held principles dangerous to the government;' and therefore, it was not against us, for we held the truth; our principles were not dangerous to the government, and our meetings were peaceable, as they knew, who knew their neighbours were a peaceable people. They told me I was an enemy to the king.' I answered, we loved all people, were enemies to none, and that I for my own part had been cast into Derby dungeon about the time of Worcester fight, because I would not take up arms against him; and that I was afterwards brought by colonel Hacker to London, as a plotter to bring in king Charles, and was kept prisoner at London, till I was set at liberty by Oliver. They asked me, Whether I was imprisoned in the time of the insurrection?' I said, yes; I had been imprisoned then and since, and had been set at liberty by the king's own command. I opened the act to them, showed them the king's late declaration, gave them the examples of other justices, and told them also what the house of lords had said of it. I spoke also to them concerning their own conditions, exhorting them to live in the fear of God, to be tender towards their neighbours that feared God, and to mind God's wisdom by which all things were made and created, that they might come to receive it, be ordered by it, and by it order all things to God's glory. They demanded bond of us for our appearance at the sessions; but we pleading our innocency, refused to give bond. Then they would have us promise to come no more there; but we kept clear of that also. When they saw they could not bring us to their terms, they told us, 'We should see they were civil to us, for it was the mayor's pleasure we should all be set at liberty.' I told them, their civility was noble! and so we parted.

Leaving Tenterden, we went to Newick, in Sussex, where we visited. some Friends. From thence we passed through the country, visiting Friends, and having great meetings; all quiet and free from disturbance

(except by some jangling Baptists,) till we came into Hampshire; where, after a good meeting at Southampton, we went to Pulner, in the parish of Ringwood, where was to be a monthly meeting next day, to which many Friends resorted from Southampton, Pool, and other places; and the weather being very hot, some came pretty early in the morning. I took a Friend, and walked out with him into the orchard, enquiring of him how the affairs of truth stood amongst them? (for many of them had been convinced by me before I was prisoner in Cornwall.) While we were discoursing, a young man came and told us the trained bands were raising, and he heard they would come and break up the meeting. It was not yet meeting-time by about three hours, and there being other Friends walking in the orchard, the Friend I was discoursing with before desired me to walk into a corn-field adjoining to it, which we did. After awhile the young man that spoke of the trained bands left us, and when he was gone a pretty way, he stood and waved his hat. Whereupon, I spoke to the other young man that was with me, to go see what he meant. He went, but came not to me again, for the soldiers were come into the orchard. As I kept walking, I could see the soldiers, and some of them, as I heard afterwards, did see me, but had no mind to meddle. So the soldiers coming so long before meeting-time, did not tarry; but took what Friends they found at the house, and some they met in the lane, and had them away. After they were gone, it drew towards the eleventh hour, Friends began to come in apace, and a large and glorious meeting we had; for the everlasting seed of God was set over all, and the people were settled in the new covenant of life, upon the foundation Christ Jesus. Towards the latter end of the meeting there came a man in gay apparel, and looked in while I was declaring, and went away again presently. This man came with an evil intent; for he went forthwith to Ringwood, and told the magistrates, that they had taken two or three men at Pulner, and had left George Fox there preaching to two or three hundred.' Upon this the magistrates sent the officers and soldiers again; but the meeting being near ended when the man looked in, and he having about a mile and a half to go with his information to fetch the soldiers, and they as far to come after they had received their orders, before they came our meeting was over; ending about the third hour, peaceably and orderly. After the meeting, I spoke to the Friends of the house where this meeting was held, (the woman of the house then lying dead in the house,) and then some Friends led me to another Friend's at a little distance; where, after we had refreshed ourselves, I took horse, having about twenty miles to ride that afternoon to one Frye's, in Wiltshire, where a meeting was appointed to be held the next day.

After we were gone, the officers and soldiers came in a great heat,

who finding they had missed their prey, were much enraged; and the officers were offended with the soldiers, because they had not seized my horse in the stable the first time they came. But the Lord, by his good providence, delivered me, and prevented their mischievous design. For the officers were envious men, and had an evil mind against Friends; but the Lord brought his judgments upon them, so that it was taken notice of by their neighbours. For, whereas before they were wealthy men, after this their estates wasted away; and John Line, the constable, who was not only very forward in putting on the soldiers to take Friends, but also carried those that were taken to prison, and took a false oath against them at the assize, upon which they were fined and continued prisoners, was a sad spectacle to behold. For his flesh rotting away while he lived, he died in a very miserable condition, wishing he had never meddled with the Quakers, and confessing he never prospered since he had a hand in persecuting them; and that he thought the hand of the Lord was against him for it.'

At Frye's, in Wiltshire, we had a very blessed meeting, and quiet, though the officers purposed to have broken it up, and were on their way in order thereunto. But before they were got to the meeting, word was brought them, there was a house newly broken up by thieves, and they were required to go back again with speed to search after and pursue them;' by which means our meeting escaped disturbance, and we were preserved out of their hands.

We passed through Wiltshire into Dorsetshire, having large and good meetings. The Lord's everlasting power was with us, and carried us over all; in which we sounded forth his saving truth and word of life, which many gladly received. Thus we visited Friends till we came to Topsham, in Devonshire, travelling some weeks eight or nine score miles a week, and had meetings every day. At Topsham we met with Margaret Fell and two of her daughters, Sarah and Mary, and with Leonard Fell and Thomas Salthouse. From thence we passed to Totness, where we visited some Friends, and then to Kingsbridge, and to Henry Pollexfen's, who had been an ancient justice of peace. There we had a large meeting. This old justice accompanied us to Plymouth, and into Cornwall, to justice Porter's, and from thence to Thomas Mount's, where we had a large meeting. After which we went to Humphrey Lower's where also we had a large meeting; and from thence to Loveday Hambley's, where we had a general meeting for the whole country and all was quiet.

A little before this, Joseph Hellen, and G. Bewley had been at Loo, to visit one Blanch Pope, a ranting woman, under pretence to convince and convert her; but before they left her, she had so darkened them with her principles, that they seemed to be like her disciples, especially

Joseph Hellen. For she had asked them, who made the devil? did not God?' This idle question so puzzled them, they could not answer her. They afterwards asked me the question. I told them, no; for all that God made was good and was blest, so was not the devil. He was called a serpent before he was called a devil and an adversary, and then he had the title of devil given to him. And afterwards he was called a dragon, because he was a destroyer. The devil abode not in the truth: by departing from the truth he became a devil. So the Jews, when they went out of the truth, were said to be of the devil, and were called serpents. There is no promise of God to the devil, that ever he shall return into truth again; but to man and woman, who have been deceived by him, the promise of God is, that the seed of the woman shall bruise the serpent's head;' shall break his power and strength to pieces. When these things were opened more at large to the satisfaction of Friends, those two, who had let up the spirit of that ranting woman, were judged by the truth; and oue of them, viz. Joseph Hellen, ran quite out from the truth, and was denied by Friends; but George Bewley was recovered, and afterwards became serviceable to truth.

We passed from Loveday Hambley's to Francis Hodges', near Falmouth and Penryn, where we had a large meeting. From thence we went to Helstone that night, where some Friends came to visit us, and next day passed to Thomas Teage's, where we had a large meeting, at which many were convinced. I was led to 'open the state of the church in the primitive times, the state of the church in the wilderness, the state of the false church that was got up since; and to show, that now the everlasting gospel was preached again over the head of the whore, beast, false prophets, and antichrists, which had rose up since the apostles' days; and now the everlasting gospel was received and receiving, which brought life and immortality to light, that they might see over the devil who had darkened them.' The people received the gospel and the word of life gladly, and a glorious blessed meeting we had for the exalting the Lord's everlasting truth and his name. After it was done I walked out, and coming in again, I heard a noise in the court. Approaching nearer, I found the man of the house speaking to the tinners and others, and telling them, it was the everlasting truth that had been declared there that day;' and the people generally confessed to it.

From thence we passed to the Land's-end to John Ellis', where we had a precious meeting. Here was a fisherman, one Nicholas Jose, that was convinced. He spoke in meetings, and declared the truth amongst the people; and the Lord's power was over all. I was glad the Lord raised up his standard in those dark parts of the nation, where since there is a fine meeting of honest-hearted Friends; and many there are VOL. II.

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