his hand, written with blanks left for the names, and a law book before them.

you

George Whitehead answered: "I desire would not go about to ensnare us, for the law was not made to make men transgressors, but to punish them where it finds such. We were apprehended and accused as breakers of the late act against conventicles; let us first be tried upon that act, and cleared, and not have new snares laid for us."

Justice Foster.

"We will not lay snares for you; if you will pay your twenty pounds you shall be discharged.'

George Whitehead answered something about the said act, as not justly chargeable thereby; but they quickly caused him to withdraw, and called in John Scott, who had a long discourse with them; they accusing him for being an old soldier, and proffered him the oath according to the Oxford act, made against nonconformist ministers, &c. ; which he refusing to take, they threatened to detain him in prison six months. After which they again called in George Whitehead and Samuel Richardson, and asked George Whitehead if he would pay his twenty pounds? and if he would promise to come no more at the meeting at Peel?

George Whitehead answered: "I cannot pay any fine for praying to God, or worshiping

Him; and as for promising to come no more there, I am not my own, I stand in the will of God; neither can I promise any such thing, as to forbear coming to worship or pray to God."

One of them asked Samuel Richardson : "Will you promise to come no more at meeting." Samuel Richardson. "I can promise no such thing."

So they having fined George Whitehead twenty pounds, as they said, but it was not levied, and Samuel Richardson five shillings, they discharged them. But detained John Scott in prison six months, on the Oxford act supposed; though he was no nonconformist minister nor pretending to holy orders; and then what great crime had they against him, in his desiring moderation from the rude and violent soldiers?

We were sensible of the Lord's power and presence, and that He stood by us and strengthened us, in bearing our faithful Christian testimony for his Name and worship, through all these exercises and persecutions; and I was sensible also, that the Lord our God would plead our innocent cause, and that He often did plead it, even in the consciences of many of our adversaries, prosecutors, and judges, and that sometimes they were hard put to it, to carry on their work against us; and many times the

Lord our God was pleased so to restrain the remainder of their wrath, as not to suffer them to proceed to the execution thereof, nor of the evils thereby designed glory, honour, and dominion, be to our God and to the Lamb, for ever and ever!

In the 8th month, 1670, having been in the country and returning to London, I grew sick; and my sickness turning to an ague and fever, I became very weak in body, so that for some weeks there appeared little hopes of recovery; and I remained in much weakness until about the beginning of the second month, 1671, and part of that summer; and then it pleased the Lord gradually to restore me to health and strength.

In that sickness, when most weak in body, being well prepared and freely resigned in the will of the Lord to die, that I might ever be with Him; I had an opening or apprehension, that when I died my soul should be received into the bosom of my Heavenly Father.

While I was in great weakness of body, I was divers times told of the great and cruel suffering of our Friends in Southwark, for meeting together at their usual meeting-place at Horslydown; how barbarously and cruelly they were used, and grossly abused by soldiers and armed men, both horse and foot; being not only

kept out of their meeting-house in the street, but both men and women were violently pushed with muskets and other weapons, beaten, bruised, hurt, and wounded, and much blood shed by the blows and wounds from those inhuman, cruel, and barbarous persecutors and brutish persons. The distressing accounts of these and such barbarities against the innocent, did very sorrowfully affect me; and I deeply sympathized in spirit with the innocent sufferers, earnestly praying to Almighty God for them, that He would preserve and deliver them, and rebuke that persecuting spirit by which they suffered earnest prayers, with tears, being then the Church's very great concern, which the Lord our God in his own time graciously heard and answered: blessed be his Name!

The barbarous persecution against our said meeting in Southwark, was caused by the following order.

"AT THE COURT AT WHITEHALL, THE 29TH OF JULY, 1670.

"His majesty being informed, that there have been of late, frequent conventicles and seditious meetings, under pretence of religious worship, contrary to and in contempt of the laws established, at a house or building at Horslydown, adjoining to the artillery garden; and that the persons who there assemble behave themselves in such a riotous and tumultuous manner, that if their meetings be any longer endured, his majesty's peace and the quiet of the government will thereby be manifestly endangered. For the prevention whereof it was this day ordered, his majesty present in council and by his express command, that Christopher Wren, esq. surveyor general of his majesty's works, do cause the said house or building to be pulled down and demolished, in case from henceforth any persons whatsoever, shall presume to meet or hold any conventicle or unlawful assembly therein, under colour of religious worship: and it was further ordered by his majesty, that this signification of this his royal pleasure, be affixed on the said building ; to the end that the owners and occupiers of the same may take notice thereof, to prevent and hinder such meetings at their peril.

This order was both affixed on the door of the meeting-house and soon after put in execution; for they sent and very much spoiled and pulled down the meeting-house, and took away the boards, windows, benches, and forms, and sold them.

It is observable, that here was no judicial trial or legal proceeding in this hard case, but an order grounded upon information of our meetings being conventicles, seditious, riotous,