was a very great meeting, which I attended. I was moved to open the state of our marriages, declaring, How the people of God took one another in the assemblies of the elders; and that it was God who joined man and woman together before the fall. And though men had taken upon them to join in the fall, yet in the restoration it is God's joining that is the right and honourable marriage; but never any priest did marry any, that we read of in the scriptures, from Genesis to the Revelations.' Then I showed them the duty of man and wife, how they should serve God, being heirs of life and grace together.

After the meeting I passed from thence to Grace Barwick's where I had a general meeting, which was very large. I came next to Richard Shipton's, where I had another meeting; and so to a priest's house, whose wife was convinced, and himself grown very loving, and glad to see me. This was that priest, who, in the year 1651, threatened, 'If ever he met with me again, he would have my life, or I should have his ;' and said, 'He would lose his head if I were not knocked down in a month;' but now he was partly convinced, and become very kind. I went from his house towards the sea, where several Friends came to visit me: amongst others, Philip Scarff, who had formerly been a priest, but having received the truth, was now become a preacher of Christ freely, and continued so. Passing on, I called to see an ancient man, who was convinced of truth, and was above an hundred years old. Then I came to a Friend's house, where I had a great meeting and quiet. I had a great meeting near Malton; and another large one near Hull: from whence I went to Holdendike. As we went into the town, the watchmen questioned me and those that were with me; but they not having any warrant to stay us, we passed by them, and they in a rage threatened they would search us out. I went to the house of one called the lady Montague, where I lodged that night; and several Friends came to visit me. Next morning, being up betimes, I walked into the orchard, and saw a man about sunrising go into the house in a great cloak. He staid not long; but soon came out again, and went away, not seeing me. I felt something strike at my life; and went into the house, where I found the maid-servant affrighted and trembling. She told me, 'That man had a naked rapier under his cloak.' By which I perceived he came with the intent to have done mischief; but the Lord prevented him.

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I then visited Friends till I came to York, where we had a large meeting. After which I went to visit justice Robinson, an ancient justice of peace; who had been very loving to me and Friends from the beginning. There was a priest with him; who told me, It was said of us, that we loved none but ourselves.' I told him, 'We loved all mankind as they were God's creation, and as they were children of Adam and Eve by generation; and we loved the brotherhood in the holy ghost."

This stopped him. After some other discourse, we parted friendly, and passed away.

About this time I wrote a book, entitled, Fear God, and honour the king;' in which I showed, "That none could rightly fear God, and honour the king, but they that departed from sin and evil:' this book did much affect the soldiers and most people.

Having visited Friends at York, we passed to a market-town, where we had a meeting at George Watkinson's, who formerly had been a justice. A glorious, blessed meeting it was, and very large, and the seed of life was set over all. But we had been troubled to get into this town, had not providence made way for us; for the watchmen stood ready to stop us, but there being a man riding just before us, the watchmen questioned him first; and perceiving he was a justice, let him pass; and we riding close after him, by that means escaped.

From this place we passed to Thomas Taylor's, who had formerly been a captain, where we had a precious meeting. Hard by Thomas Taylor's lived one called a knight, who was much displeased when he heard I was like to be released out of prison; and threatened, if the king set me at liberty, he would send me to prison again the next day.' But though I had this meeting so near him, the Lord's power stopped him from meddling, and our meeting was quiet. Colonel Kirby also, who had been the chief means of my imprisonment at Lancaster and Scarborough castles, when he heard I was set at liberty, got another order for the taking me up; and said, 'He would ride his horse forty miles to take me, and would give forty pounds to have me taken.' Yet awhile after I came so near him as to have a meeting within two miles of him: and then he was struck with the gout, and kept his bed, so that it was thought he would have died.

From Thomas Taylor's I visited Friends till I came to Synderhillgreen, where I had a large and general meeting. The priest of the place hearing of it, sent the constable to the justices for a warrant; and they rode their horses so hard, they almost spoiled them: but the notice they had being short, and the way long, the meeting was ended before they came. I heard not of them till I was going out of the house, after meeting was over; and then a Friend came and told me, They were searching another house for me, which was the house I was then going to.' As I went along the closes towards it, I met the constables, wardens, and the justice's clerk. I passed through them, they looking at me, and went to the house they had been searching. Thus they lost their design; for the Lord's power bound them, and preserved me over them; and Friends parted, and all escaped them. The officers went away as they came; for the Lord God had frustrated their design; praised be his name forever!

After this I went into Derbyshire, where I had a large meeting. Some Friends were apprehensive of the constable's coming; for they had had great persecution in those parts: but our meeting was quiet. A justice of peace in that county had taken away much of Friends' goods: whereupon Ellen Fretwell had made her appeal to the sessions, and the rest of the justices granted her her goods again, and spoke to that persecuting justice, that he should not do so any more. She was moved to speak to that justice, and to warn him; whereupon he bid her, 'Come and sit down on the bench. Ay, (said she,) if I may persuade you to do justice to the country, I will sit down with you.' 'No, (said he,) then you shall not. Get out of the court.' As she was going, she was moved of the Lord to turn again, and say, 'She should be there when he should not.' After the sessions were ended, he got amongst some of his persecuting companions, and said, 'They would get some more of the Quakers' goods, if the devil did not raise up that woman to hinder them.' So he went home and drove away her brother's oxen, for going to meetings. Then Susan Frith, a Friend of Chesterfield, was moved of the Lord to tell him, 'If he continued in his persecuting of the innocent, the Lord would execute his plagues upon him.' Soon after which this justice, whose name was Clark, fell distracted, and was bound with ropes; but he gnawed the ropes in pieces, and had like to have spoiled his maid: for he fell upon her and bit her; so that they were fain to put an iron instrument into his mouth, to wrest his teeth out of her flesh: and afterwards he died distracted. This relation I had from Ellen Fretwell herself.

I travelled out of Derbyshire into Nottinghamshire, and had a large meeting at Skegby; from thence went to Mansfield, where also I had a meeting; and thence to another town, where was a fair, at which I met with many Friends. Then passing through the forest in a mighty thundering and rainy day, I came to Nottingham. So great was the tempest, that many trees were torn up by the roots, and some people killed; but the Lord preserved us. On first-day following, I had a large meeting in Nottingham, very quiet; Friends were come to sit under their teacher the grace of God, which brought them salvation, and were established upon the rock and foundation Christ Jesus. After meeting I went to visit the Friend who had been sheriff about the year 1649, whose prisoner I then was.

From Nottingham I passed into Leicestershire, and came to Syleby, where we had a large blessed meeting. After which I went to Leicester to visit the prisoners there, and then to John Penford's, where we had a general meeting, large and precious. From thence I passed through the country visiting Friends and my relations, till I came to Warwick; where having visited the prisoners, I passed to Badgley, and had a preVOL. II.

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cious meeting there, I travelled through Northamptonshire, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, and Oxfordshire, visiting Friends in each county. In Oxfordshire the devil had laid a snare for me, but the Lord broke it; his power came over all, his blessed truth spread, and Friends were increased therein. Thus after I had passed through many counties, visiting Friends, and had many large and precious meetings amongst them, I came to London. But I was so weak with lying almost three years in cruel and hard imprisonments, my joints and my body were so stiff and benumbed, that I could hardly get upon my horse, or bend my joints, or well bear to be near the fire, or to eat warm meat, I had been kept so long from it. Being come to London, I walked a little among the ruins, and took good notice of them. And I saw the city lying, according as the word of the Lord came to me concerning it several years before.

After I had been a time in London and visited meetings through the city, I went into the country again, and had large meetings as I went, at Kingston, Reading, and in Wiltshire, till I came to Bristol; where also I had many large meetings. Thomas Lower came out of Cornwall to meet me, and Friends from several parts of the nation, it being then the fair-time. After I was clear of Bristol, I went to Nath. Crips' and through the country to London again, having large meetings in the way, and all quiet, blessed be the Lord. Thus, though I was very weak, I travelled up and down in the service of the Lord, who enabled me to go through in it.

About this time, some who had run out from truth and clashed against Friends, were reached unto by the power of the Lord, which came wonderfully over, and made them condemn and tear their papers of controversy to pieces.' Several meetings we had with them, and the Lord's everlasting power was over all, and set judgment on the head of that which had run out. In these meetings, which lasted whole days, several who had run out with John Perrot and others came in again, and condemned that spirit which led them to keep on their hats when Friends prayed, and when themselves prayed.' Some of them said, Friends were more righteous than they; and that, If Friends had not stood they had been gone and had fallen into perdition.' Thus the Lord's power was wonderfully manifested, and came over all.

Then I was moved of the Lord to recommend the setting up of five Monthly Meetings of men and women in the city of London, besides the women's meetings and the Quarterly Meetings, to take care of God's glory, and to admonish and exhort such as walked disorderly or carelessly, and not according to truth. For whereas Friends had had only Quarterly Meetings, now truth was spread and Friends grown more numerous, I was moved to recommend the setting up of Monthly Meetings throughout the nation. And the Lord opened to me what I must do, and how the

men's and women's Monthly and Quarterly meetings should be ordered and established in this and other nations; and that I should write to those where I came not, to do the same. So after things were well settled at London, and the Lord's truth, power, seed, and life reigned and shined over all in the city, I went into Essex. After the monthly meetings were settled in that county, I went into Suffolk and Norfolk, Thomas Dry being with me. When we had visited Friends in those parts, and the Monthly Meetings were settled there, we went into Huntingdonshire, where we had very large and blessed meetings; and though we met with some opposition there, the Lord's power came over all, and the Monthly Meetings were established there also. When we came into Bedfordshire, we had great opposition; but the Lord's power came over it all. Afterwards we went into Nottinghamshire, where we had many precious meetings, and the Monthly Meetings were settled there. Then passing into Lincolnshire, we had a meeting of some men Friends of all the meetings in the county, at his house who had been formerly sheriff of Lincoln; and all was quiet. After this meeting we passed over Trent into Nottinghamshire again, he that had been the sheriff of Lincoln being with me, where we had some of all the meetings in that county together. Our meeting was glorious and peaceable, and many precious meetings we had in that county.

At that time William Smith was very weak and sick, and the constables and others had seized all his goods, to the very bed he lay upon, for truth's sake. These officers threatened to come and break up our meeting; but the Lord's power chained them, so that they had not power to meddle with us, blessed be his name. After the meeting I went to visit William Smith, and there were the constables and others watching his corn and his beasts, that none of them might be removed.

From thence we passed into Leicestershire, and Warwickshire, where we had many blessed meetings. The order of the gospel was set up, and the men's Monthly Meetings established in all those counties. Then we went into Derbyshire, where we had several large and blessed meetings. In many places we were threatened by the officers, but through the power of the Lord we escaped their hands. Leaving things well settled in Derbyshire, we, travelled over the Peak-hills, (which were very cold, for it was then frost and snow,) and came into Staffordshire. At Thomas Hammersley's we had a general men's meeting; where things were well settled in the gospel order, and the Monthly Meetings established. But I was so exceeding weak, I was hardly able to get on or off my horse's back; but my spirit being earnestly engaged in the work the Lord had concerned me in and sent me forth about, I travelled on therein, notwithstanding the weakness of my body, having confidence in the Lord, that he would carry me through, as he did by his power.