filed, and the defendant is committed unto the marshal of this court, to be safely kept until, &c.

Accordingly I went in the morning, and walked in the hall till the sheriff came to me, (for he trusted me to go whither I would,) and it being early, we went into the court of king's bench, and sat among the lawyers almost an hour, till the judges came in, when the sheriff took off my hat; and after awhile I was called. The Lord's presence was with me, and his power I felt was over all. I stood and heard the king's attorney, whose name was Jones, who indeed spoke notably on my behalf, as did also another counsellor after him; and the judges, who were three, were all very moderate, not casting any reflecting words at me. I stood still in the power and spirit of the Lord, seeing how the Lord was at work, and the earth was helping the woman. But when they had done, I applied myself to the chief justice, desiring, That I might speak ;' and he said I might. Then I related the cause of our journey, the manner of our being taken and committed, and the time of our imprisonment until the sessions; with a brief account of our trial at the sessions, and what I had offered to the justices then, as a declaration that I could make or sign, instead of the oaths of allegiance and supremacy.' When I had done, the chief justice said, 'I was to be turned over to the king's bench, and the sheriff of Worcester to be discharged of me.' He said also, That they would consider further of it; and if they found any error in the record, or in the justices' proceedings, I should be set at liberty.' So a tipstaff was called to take me into custody, and he delivered me to the keeper of the king's bench, who let me go to a Friends house, where I lodged, and appointed to meet me at Edward Man's in Bishopsgate-street the next day. But after this, justice Parker, or some other of my adversaries, moved the court, that I might be sent back to Worcester. Whereupon another day was appointed for another hearing, and they had four counsel that pleaded against me. George Stroude, a counsellor, pleaded for me, and was pleading before I was brought into the court; but they bore him down, and prevailed with the judges to give judgment, 'That I should be sent down to Worcester sessions. Only they told me I might put in bail to appear at the sessions, and to be of good behaviour in the mean time. I told them, 'I never was of ill behaviour in my life; and that they, the four judges, might as well put the oath to me there, as send me to Worcester to be insnared by the justices, in their putting the oath to me, and then premuniring me, who never took an oath in my life. I told them, if I broke my yea or nay, I was content to suffer the same penalty which they should that break their oaths.' This alVOL II.

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teration of the judges' minds in my case proceeded, as was thought, from some false informations that my adversary justice Parker had given against me for between the times of my former appearance and this, he had spread abroad a very false and malicious story, viz. That there were many substantial men with me out of several parts of the nation when he took me, and that we had a design or plot in hand; and that Thomas Lower staid with me in prison long after he was set at liberty, to carry on our design.' This was spoken in the parliament-house; insomuch that if I had not been brought up to London when I was, I had been stopped at Worcester, and Thomas had been committed with me. But although these lies were easily disproved and laid open to Parker's shame, yet would not the judges alter their last sentence, but remanded me to Worcester gaol; only this favour was granted, that I might go down my own way, and at my own leisure; provided I would be without fail there by the assize, which was to begin the second of the second month following.

I staid in and about London till towards the latter end of the first month, 1674, and then went down leisurely (for I was not able to abide hasty and hard travelling,) and came into Worcester the last of the first month, 1674, being the day before the judges came to town. The second day of the second month I was brought from the gaol to an inn near the hall, that I might be in readiness if I should be called. But not being called that day, the gaoler came at night and told me, I might go home,' meaning to the gaol. Gerard Roberts of London being with me, he and I walked down together to the gaol without any keeper. Next day, being brought up again, they set a little boy about eleven years old to be my keeper. I came to understand justice Parker and the clerk of the peace had given order that I should not be put into the calendar, that I might not be brought before the judge; wherefore I got the judge's son to move in court That I might be called:' whereupon I was called and brought to the bar before judge Turner, my old adversary, who had tendered me the oaths, and premunired me once before at Lancaster. After silence made, he asked me, ' What I did desire?' I answered, My liberty according to justice.' He said, I lay upon the oath; and asked, If I would take it?' I desired he would hear the manner of my being taken and committed;' and being silent, I gave him an account thereof at large, as is before set down, letting him also know, That since my imprisonment I had understood my mother, who was an ancient, tender woman, and had desired to see me before she died, hearing that I was stopped and imprisoned on my journey, so that I was not likely to come to see her, it struck her so, that she died soon after, which was a very hard thing to me.' When I had done speaking, he again asked me, To take the oaths.' I told him, 'I could not take

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any oath, for conscience sake; and I did believe he and they all knew in their consciences that it was for conscience sake I could not swear at all. I declared amongst them what I could say and what I could sign, in owning of the king's right to the government, and in denying the pope and his pretended power, and all plotters, plots, and conspiracies against the government.' Some thought the judge had a mind to set me at liberty, for he saw they had nothing justly against me; but Parker, who committed me, endeavoured to incense him, telling him, ‘That I was a ringleader; that many of the nation followed me, and he knew not what it might come to;' with many more envious words, which some took notice of; who also observed, that the judge gave him never a word in answer. However, the judge, willing to ease himself, referred me and my case to the sessions again, bidding the justices make an end of it there, and not trouble the assizes any more with me. So I was continued prisoner, chiefly (as it seemed,) through the means of justice Parker, who in this case was as false as envious; for he had promised Richard Cannon of London, who had acquaintance with him, That he would endeavour to have me set at liberty;' yet he was the worst enemy I had in court, as some of the court observed and reported. Other justices were very loving, and promised, That I should have the liberty of the town, and to lodge at a Friends house till the sessions;" which accordingly I had, and the people were very civil and respectful to me.

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Between this time and the sessions I had some service for the Lord with several that came to visit me. At one time came three nonconformist priests and two lawyers to discourse with me; and one of the priests undertook to prove, That the scriptures are the only rule of life.' After I had defeated his proof, I had a fit opportunity to open to them, The right and proper use, service, and excellency of the scriptures; and also to show, that the spirit of God which was given to every one to profit withal, the grace of God which bringeth salvation, and which hath appeared to all men, and teacheth them that obey it to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts, and to live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world; that this, I say, is the most fit, proper, and universal rule which God hath given to all mankind to rule, direct, govern, and order their lives by.'

Another time came a common prayer priest, and some people with him. He asked me, if I was grown up to perfection?' I told him, 'what I was, I was by the grace of God.' He replied, it was a modest and civil answer.' Then he urged the words of John, if we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.' He asked, 'what did I say to that?' I said with the same apostle, "if we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in

us;" who came to destroy sin, and to take away sin. So there is a time for people to see that they have sinned, and there is a time for them to see that they have sin; and there is a time for them to confess their sin, and to forsake it, and to know the blood of Christ to cleanse from all sin.' Then the priest was asked, whether Adam was not perfect before he fell? and whether all God's works were not perfect? The priest said, there might be a perfection as Adam had, and a falling from it.' But I told him, there is a perfection in Christ above Adam, and beyond falling; and that it was the work of the ministers of Christ to present every man perfect in Christ; for the perfecting of whom they had their gifts from Christ; therefore they that denied perfection, denied the work of the ministry, and the gifts which Christ gave for the perfecting of the saints. The priest said, we must always be striving.' I answered, 'it was a sad and comfortless sort of striving, to strive with a belief that we should never overcome.' I told him also, that 'Paul, who cried out of the body of death, did also" thank God, who gave him the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." So there was a time of crying out for want of victory, and a time of praising God for the victory. And Paul said, "there is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus." The priest said, ' Job was not perfect.' I told him, 'God said Job was a perfect man, and that he did shun evil; and the devil was forced to confess, that "God had set an hedge about him;" which was not an outward hedge, but the invisible, heavenly power.' The priest said, 'Job said, "he chargeth his angels with folly, and the heavens are not clean in his sight." I told him, 'that was his mistake, it was not Job said so, but Eliphaz, who contended against Job." Well, but,' said the priest,' what say you to that scripture,'" the justest man that is sinneth seven times a day?" Why truly, said I, I say there is no such scripture;' and with that the priest's mouth was stopped. Many other services I had with several sorts of people between the assizes and the sessions.

The next quarter sessions began the twenty-ninth of the second month, and I was called before the justices. The chairman's name was Street, he was a judge in the Welsh circuit, and he misrepresented me and my case to the country, telling them that we had a meeting at Tredington from all parts of the nation, to the terrifying of the king's subjects, for which we had been committed to prison: that for the trial of my fidelity the oaths were put to me; and, having had time to consider of it, he asked me if I would now take the oaths?' 'I desired liberty to speak for myself; and, having obtained that, began first to clear myself from those falsehoods he had charged on me and Friends; declaring, that we had not any such meeting from all parts of the nation, as he had represented it; but that (except the Friend from whose house we came, and who came with us to guide us thither, and one Friend of

Bristol, who came accidentally, or rather providentially, to assist my wife homewards, after we were taken) they that were with me were in a sense part of my own family, being my wife, her daughter, and her son-in-law. And we did not meet in any way or manner that would occasion terror to any of the king's subjects; for we met peaceably and quietly, without arms; and I did not believe there could be any one produced that could truly say he was terrified with our meeting. Besides, I told them we were but in our journey, the occasion whereof I now related as before. As to the oaths, I showed why I could not take them, (seeing Christ hath forbidden all swearing,) and what I could say or sign in lieu of them, as I had done before. Yet they caused the oaths to be read to me, and afterwards read an indictment, which they had drawn up in readiness, having a jury ready also.' When the indictment was read, the judge asked me, ' if I was guilty?' I said, 'nay, for it was a great bundle of lies; which I showed and proved to the judge in several particulars, which I instanced; asking him, if he did not know in his conscience they were lies?' He said, 'it was their form.' I said, 'it was not a true form.' He asked me again, whether I was guilty?' I told him, nay, I was not guilty of the matter, nor of the form; for I was against the pope and popery, and did acknowledge and should set my hand to that.' Then the judge told the jury what they should say and do, and what they should write on the backside of the indictment; and as he said, they did. But before the jury gave in their verdict, I told them, it was for Christ's sake, and in obedience to his and his apostle's command, that I could not swear; therefore,' said I, 'take heed what ye do, for before his judgment seat ye shall all be brought.' The judge said, this is canting.' I said, 'if to confess Christ our Lord and Saviour, and to obey his command, be called canting by a judge of a court, it is to little purpose for me to say more among you; yet ye shall see that I am a christian, and shall show forth christianity, and my innocency shall be manifest.' So the gaoler led me out of the court; and the people were generally tender, as if they had been in a meeting. Soon after I was brought in again, and the jury found the bill against me, which I traversed. Then I was asked to put in bail till the next sessions, and the gaoler's son offered to be bound for me. But I stopped him, and warned Friends not to meddle, for I told them, there was a snare in that; yet I told the justices, I could promise to appear if the Lord gave health and strength, and I was at liberty. Some of the justices were loving, and would have stopped the rest from indicting me or putting the oath to me; but judge Street the chairman said, 'he must go according to law.' So I was sent to prison again: yet within two hours after, through the moderation of some of the justices, I had liberty given me till next quarter sessions. These moderate justices, as