where I found three constables in the meeting-house, who kept Friends out; so we met in the court. After I had been some time in the meeting, I stood up, and spoke to the people, and continued speaking a pretty while. Then one of the constables came, took hold of my hand, and said, 'I must come down.' I desired him to be patient, and went on speaking to the people; but after a little time he plucked me down, and had me into the meeting-house. I asked them, if they were not weary of this work? One of them said, indeed they were.' They let me go into the widow Foster's house, which joined to the meeting-house, where I staid, being hot. When the meeting was ended, for one prayed after I was taken away, the constables asked some Friends, which of them would pass their words that I should appear, if they should be questioned about me? But the Friends telling them they need not require that, for I was a man well known in the city to be one that would neither fly nor shrink ;' they came not to me, but went their way, and I heard no further of it. The same week I was at the meeting at the Savoy, which used to be kept out and disturbed; but that day it was within doors and peaceable, and a precious meeting it was. The first-day after, it was upon me to go to the meeting at Westminster, where used to be great disturbances: but there also the meeting was within doors that day, and was very large. The Lord's power was over all, and kept all quiet and still; for though many loose spirits were there, yet they were bound down by the power and spirit of the Lord, that they could not get up to make disturbance. About this time I was moved to write the following epistle :

FRIENDS AND BRETHREN,-Who have received the peaceable truth, let the fruits of its peaceableness, and of your quiet spirit appear in all your meetings and in all your words and actions; for he that inhabits eternity dwells with an humble heart, and he gives grace to the humble, and resisteth the proud. Heaven is his throne, and the earth ye walk upon is his footstool: happy are ye that see and know him that is invi. sible. And now, Friends, let all things be done in your meetings and otherwise, in love, without strife, or vainglory. For love fulfils the law, love overcomes and edifies the body of Christ. There is neither self, nor envy in love, neither is it puffed up; but abides and bears all things. See that this love of God have the sway in you all, and over you all. Christ saith," Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven; blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Blessed are the peace-makers, for they shall be called the children of God. Blessed are they that are

persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye when men shall revile you and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely for my sake; rejoice and be exceeding glad; for great is your reward in heaven; for so persecuted they the prophets that were before you." Now Friends, here is a great deal in these words. All must be in these states and conditions, if they have these blessings. The children of God are peace-makers, and strive to make peace in the truth; and to live in peace with all men, if it be possible. So live in the peace and the good-will to all men ; which goodwill is both for their sanctification and salvation. And Friends, consider, the wisdom of God, which is from above, is pure, peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. Dear Friends, let this pure, peaceable, gentle wisdom that is from above, that is easy to be intreated, and is full of mercy and good fruits, be exercised and practised in all the true churches of Christ; that wisdom may be justified of her children. For the works of the flesh, or fleshly spirit, are hatred, variance, wrath, strife, envyings, drunkenness, revellings, adultery, fornication, lasciviousness, uncleanness, &c. and they which do such things, shall not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruits of the spirit of God are love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance, &c. So, dear Friends and brethren, strive to exceed one another and all people upon the earth in humility, in meekness, in gentleness, in temperance, in love, in patience, in pureness, and in mercy; then ye will shew forth the fruits of the spirit of God, and of his heavenly wisdom that is from above. In this, wisdom will be justified of her children; and ye will be the salt of the earth, and a light to the world set on a hill, that cannot be hid : and your moderation will appear to all men. Be ye just and righteous, faithful and true in all your words, dealings, and conversations; that ye may answer the truth in all people: for Christ saith, his father is glorified by such as bring forth fruits, when men see their good works; for he that doth righteousness, is accepted with God. And he that dwells in love, dwells in God; for love is his habitation. Let that be the habitation of every one that hath received the truth: for if it be not, such do not dwell in God, let them profess what they will. Therefore my desire is, that all you, who have received Christ the seed, which bruises the serpent's head, may walk in him your sanctuary, life, and salvation, your rest and peace, Amen. G. F.

'London, the 14th of the 6th month, 1683.'

I continued yet at London, labouring in the work and service of the Lord both in and out of meetings; sometimes visiting Friends in prison for the testimony of Jesus, encouraging them in their sufferings, and exhort

ing them to stand faithful and steadfast in the testimony which the Lord had committed to them to bear: sometimes also visiting those that were sick and weak in body, or troubled in mind, helping to bear their spirits up from sinking under their infirmities. Sometimes our meetings were quiet and peaceable, sometimes they were disturbed and broken up by the officers. One first-day it was upon me to go to the meeting at the Savoy, which was large for many professors and sober people were there. The Lord opened many precious weighty things in me to the people, which I declared amongst them, and directed them to the spirit of God in themselves, which the Lord had given them a measure of; that all by the spirit might understand the scriptures, which were given forth from the spirit of God; and that by the spirit of God they might know God, and Christ whom God hath sent, whom to know is eternal life; and that by the spirit they might all come into Christ, and know him to be their sanctuary, who destroys the devil, the destroyer, and his works, and bruises the serpent's head. For Christ was a sanctuary to them to whom he was a Saviour, whom he saved from the destroyer. And Christ did baptize them with the holy ghost and with fire, and did thoroughly purge his floor, and burn up their chaff with unquenchable fire; that is, sin and corruption, which is got into man and woman by their transgression: but Christ gathereth his wheat into his garner. So all that are baptized with Christ's baptism, their wheat is in God's garner; and no spoiler can get into God's garner to meddle with the wheat there, though they may be permitted to meddle with the outward goods, &c.' As I was speaking in the power of the Lord, and the people were greatly affected therewith, on a sudden the constables, with the rude people, came in like a sea. One of the constables said, 'Come down,' and laid hands on me. I asked him, 'Art thou a christian? We are christians.' He had hold on my hand, and was very fierce to pluck me down; but I stood still, and spoke a few words to the people; desiring of the Lord, that the blessings of God might rest upon them all.

The constable still called upon me to come down, and at length plucked me down, and bid another man with a staff, 'take and carry me to prison.' That man had me to another officer's house, who was more civil; and after awhile they brought in four Friends more, whom they had taken. I was very weary, and in a great sweat; and several Friends hearing where I was, came to me in the constable's house: but I bid them all go their ways, lest the constables and informers should stop them. After awhile the constables had us almost a mile to a justice, who was a fierce, passionate man: who, after he had asked me my name, and his clerk had taken it in writing, upon the constable's informing him, 'that I preached in the meeting,' said in an angry manner, VOL. II.

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'do not you know that it is contrary to the king's laws to preach in such conventicles, contrary to the liturgy of the church of England? There was present one Shad (a wicked informer, who was said to have broken gaol at Coventry, and to have been burnt in the hand at London) who hearing the justice speak so to me, stepped up to him, and told him, 'that he had convicted them on the act of the 22d of king Charles the second.' What! you convict them? said the justice. Yes,' said Shad, I have convicted them, and you must convict them too upon that act.' With that the justice was angry with him, and said, 'you teach me! what are you? I'll convict them of a riot.' The informer hearing that, and seeing the justice angry, went away in a fret; so he was disappointed of his purpose. I thought he would have sworn somebody against me: whereupon I said, let no man swear against me, for it is my principle, " not to swear;" and therefore I would not have any man swear against me.' The justice thereupon asked me, if I did not preach in the meeting? I told him, 'I did confess what God and Christ had done for my soul; and did praise God. I thought I might have done that in the streets, and in all places, viz. praise God, and confess Christ Jesus; which I was not ashamed to confess. Neither was this contrary to the liturgy of the church of England.' The justice said, the laws were against such meetings as were contrary to the liturgy of the church of England.' I said, 'I knew no such laws against our meetings; but if he did mean that act that was made against such as did meet to plot, contrive, and raise insurrections against the king, we were no such people, but did abhor all such actions; and did bear true love and good will to the king, and to all men upon the earth.' The justice then asked me, if I had been in orders?' I told him, no. Then he took his law books, and searched for laws against us, bidding his clerk take the names of the rest the mean time. But when he could find no other law against us, the clerk swore the constable against us. Some of the Friends bid the constable' take heed what he swore, lest he were perjured; for he took them in the entry, and not in the meeting.' Yet the constable, being an ill man, swore that they were in the meeting.' However, the justice said, 'seeing there was but one witness, he would discharge the rest; but he would send me to Newgate, and I might preach there. I asked him, if it stood with his conscience to send me to Newgate for praising God, and for confessing Christ Jesus?' He cried, conscience! conscience!' but I felt my words touched his conscience. He bid the constable 'take me away, and he would make a mittimus to send me to prison when he had dined.' I told him, I desired his peace, and the good of his family; and that they might be kept in the fear of the Lord.” So I passed away, and as I went the constable took some Friends' word that I should come to his house the next morning by the eighth hour. Accordingly I did go with those Friends, and the constable told us he

went to the justice for the mittimus after he had dined; and the justice bid him, come again after the evening service;' which he did; and then the justice told him, he might let me go.' So, said the constable, you are discharged. I blamed him for turning informer, and swearing against us. He said, 'he would do so no more.' Next day, the justice meeting with Gilbert Laty, asked him, if he would pay twenty pounds for George Fox's fine?' He said, 'no.' Then,' said the justice, 'I am disappointed; for, being but a lodger, I cannot come by his fine; and he having been brought before me, and being of ability himself, I cannot lay his fine on any other.'

After I was discharged, I went into the city. The same week the sessions coming on, where many Friends were concerned, some as prisoners, and some on trials of appeals upon the conventicle act, I went to a Friend's house not far off, that I might be in readiness to assist those Friends with counsel, or otherwise, as occasion should offer; and I found service in it. But as my spirit was concerned on behalf of Friends, with respect to their outward sufferings by the persecutors without; so an exercise also came weightily upon me at this time, in the sense I had of the mischievous working of that adulterated spirit, which being gone out from the heavenly unity, and having drawn out some that professed truth into enmity and opposition against Friends, endeavoured to trouble the church of Christ with their janglings and contention. And as a further discovery of the working of that seducing spirit, and a warning to all Friends to beware of it, I was moved to write the following epistle: To all the elect, faithful, called, and chosen of God, the flock and heritage of God, who have been acquainted with the dealings of the Lord, and have kept your habitations in his life, power, and truth, being built upon the holy heavenly rock and foundation Christ Jesus, who was the foundation of the prophets and apostles; which foundation stands sure:

'MANY foundations have been laid since the apostles' days, by such as have gone from Christ the true and sure foundation: and their foundations have proved rotten, and come to nought, and themselves have come to loss. Many since the day of Christ, and the truth hath appeared in this nation, have had some openings and sights, and come among us for a time, and then gone from us again; who have been the comers and goers, like those in the apostles' days. Such had an outward profession of truth, and have gone from the true foundation Christ Jesus, and so from the heavenly society and unity of the saints in light. Then they set up foundations of their own, and having a form of godliness, but out of the power thereof, out of the order thereof, such have turned to janglings and vain disputings. This spirit you have been acquainted with, who have kept your habitations in Christ Jesus, the first and the