I Was born in the Year 1635, in the Town of Welch-pool, in Montgome­ryshire, in North-Wales, of honest Parents, that had a small Estate there: I was brought up in a little Learning and in the Religion and Discipline of the Church of England. When I came to be about Twelve or Thirteen Years of Age, the Lord put his Fear in my Heart, that I came to a Consideration, if I should die, what would become of my Soul, if I lived after the Way that some of my Companions did, and it came in­to my Heart to leave them; and I was inclined to go and hear Sermons, and followed the best of those Sort of Peo­ple [Page 2]that I did believe did fear the Lord, which I then thought were the Indepen­dent People, especially one Vavasor Pow­el, who was a zealous Man in his Day and Time; he tock much Pains and La­bour to gather a People into that Per­swasion; and many where gathered in these Parts to that Way; and I follow-them from one Parish to another, and from one Meeting to another, writing their Sermons, and in Time I came to repeat them to the People; and there, being exercised in the Historical Part of the scriptures, I could speak and talk of them, so that those People came to speak well of me, and this did not a lit [...] puff me up; so that I was not so serious as I should have been to get Eternal Life by Christ Jesus, who is tho Life him­self, who said to the Jews, John v. 39, 40. Search (or ye search) the Scriptures, for in them ye think to have Eternal Life, and they are they which testify of me: And ye will not come to me that ye might have life.

We were diligent in Searching the Scriptures, which was good in its Place; but the main Matter and Substance of pure Religion, is the Enjoyment of Eternal Life to the Soul from Christ.

[Page 3] About the Fourteenth Year of my Age, my Father intended to put me an Apprentice to a Shopkeeper, where I was for a Trial: But I saw that the Conversation of my intended Master was not right, and that the Fear of the Lord was not there; I was afraid that if I should continue there, that the little Love and Zeal I had to God, and Good­ness, would be choak'd and quench'd in me, and the Love and Pleasure of the World would get up again, so I should be in Danger of growing worse than ever; and being under these serious Considera­tions, I heartily pray'd to God with Ten­derness and Tears, what he put in my Heart to pray for, viz. That I might be delivered from that Place where I was intended to be bound an Apprentice, and that I might spend my Time with and a­mong them that feared the Lord, and tho't upon his Name; and the Lord heard my Players, and in a little Time I was sent for away from that Place.

After this I staid at Home some Time, and continued in that little Well-doing I had known, keeping Company with sober and honest People; I delighted to read the Scriptures and to go to the Inde­pendent Meetings. And after some Time. [Page 4]I heard of a Man that professed the same Religion, who was very zealous for a Time in going to Meetings, and per­forming that which we call Family Du­ties, and there (with the Consent of my Parents) I bound myself an Appren­tice to him, whose Name was Evan Jones, a Feltmaker, in the Parish of Lanfair, in Montgomeryshire; and we went together to Meetings, I writing and repeating Sormons, and performing that Custom that was among us, in Praying in our own Will and Time, till we were become so dead and formal, carnal airy, and many loose Words and Action growing up amongst us, that I was gone out of Conceit with myself, and our for­mal Religion; there being something in me that reproved me for my Vanity; and when I arose from my Prayers, being sometime in a weighty ponderous Con­dition, I saw that there was something that gave me no true Peace nor Comfort in wardly to my Soul, because there re­mained a secret Pride and Self-exaltati­on in most if not all our formal Perfor­mances.

In this State and Condition, I knew not what to do; when neither Writing, Repeating Sermons, Reading of the Scrip­tures, [Page 5]and other good Books, and some­times Expounding of them, to the best of my Understanding afforded me any Com­fort, I was at a Loss, and knew not what Way to take, that I might have Peace and Comfort in my Performances. Hi­therto I knew not the Holy Spirit of the Lord (as I ought to have done) to be my Leader and Guider into all Things that were necessary to my Eternal Salva­tion.

Upon a certain Time we had a Meet­ing at one Hugh Davids, a Tenant of Charles Lloyd's of Dolobran, where one of our Independent Teachers (who was a great Scripturian) was Preaching, and I writ after him, and in his Sermon he said, The Time would come, that there would be no need of the Scripture any more than another Book: At which I very much slumbled; and after the Meeting I asked him, when would that Time be? He said, when the Lord would make a New Covenant with his People, as is said in Jeremiah xxxi. 33, 34. I will make a new Covenant with the House of Israel, after those Days, faith the Lord, I will put my Law in their inward Parts, and write is in their Hearts, and will be their God, and they [Page 6]shall be my People. And they shall teach no more every Man his Neighbour, and every Man his Brother, saying, Know the Lord, for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest of them faith the Lord; for I will forgive their Iniquity, and I will remember their Sin no more. It seems that he knew not that Day come then, though he was a great Preacher. I thought it would then be a happy Day, when God would be the Teacher of his People himself; that we need not teach every Man his Neighbour, or his Brother, saying, Know ye the Lord; but that we should all know Him, from the least to the greatest: This Day we knew not then, for all our Preach­ing and long Prayers; though the Lord did then beget true Hung'rings and Thirst­ings in our Souls after him: We had great Love and Zeal, and desired the Knowledge of the Truth, as it was in Jesus. Sometime I have said, This was but like Jacob's Dream, when he awoke, he said, Surely the Lord is in this Place, and I knew it not. And indeed we knew not the Lord as we ought to have done; namely, by his Light, Grace and Spirit shining in our Hearts, to give us the Light of the Knowledge of the Son [Page 7]of God, which Knowledge keeps a Man meek and humble, and such are not puffed up in a vain Mind, to seek after those Things that are too high for them, as too many are climbing up that Way, which is not the Way to God the Fa­ther; the Way to the Father, is the Way of Holiness and Purity, and Hu­mility, without which no Man shall see the Lord, nor enjoy his Presence to their Comfort.

About this Time, being in the Year 1656. our Ministers told us, That there was a Sort of People come up in the North, called Quakers, that were a Peo­ple of a strange Posture and Principles, saying that it was the last Days and Times, that Christ spoke of in the 24th of Matthew, ‘Many shall come in my Name, and deceive many ( v. 5.) For there shall arise false Christs, and false Prophers, and shall shew great Signs and Wonders, insomuch that (if it were possible) they shall deceive the very Elect.’ This Sort of People called Quakers were much preached against. They told us, they were the false Pro­phets, &c. that they denied the Scrip­tures, and all Ordinances, and also de­nied the very Christ that bought them; [Page 8]they were represented to us to be such a dangerous Sort of People, that we were afraid of any who had the Name of a Quaker, lest we should be deceived by them: Hitherto they had not been in these Parts of the Country, neither did we know what were their Principles held out by themselves; but only such as were reported (tho' falsly) unto us by our Preachers and others, which kept us in Blindness, and from making further Inquiry, and "trying all Things, and holding fast that which is good," accor­ding to the Apostles Advice, 1 Tb. v. 21.

Now about the Year 1657, there came a poor Man in a mean Habit to my Ma­ster's House, named Morgan Evan, of South-Wales, he had met with the Peo­ple called Quakers in his Travels, and was convinced of the Truth. This poor Man discoursed with my Master about the Principles of Truth, and I being in the Shop about my Calling, my Mistress came and said, Why do you not go out to help your Master; for there is a Quaker at the Door that hath put him to Silence? I hearing this, made haste, and took my Bible under m [...] [...] and put on what Courage I could to dispute with that poor Man; but he [Page 9]proved too hard for us [...] went to them they were [...] Thee and Thou; [...] rily asked him [...] Day, we must have a [...] To which he answered, Hold fast the [...]orm of sound Words, which thou hast heard of me. I asked him, Whether that was Scripture? He asked me, Whether I would deny it? I told him, he was to prove it. Then he took the Bible out of my Hand, and he turned to 2 Tim. i. 13. which he read, and told me, that Hold fast there, was a Command; which I knew very well, both the Scripture and the Command: But to prove him Fur­ther, I desired him to read a little more of that Chapter, both backward and forward, which he freely did, and ask­ed me, Why I did require that of him? I told him, that we heard the Quakers denied the Scriptures, and that they would not read them. He said, There were many false Reports of them. And truly when he read the Scripture to rea| [Page] [Page 10] [...] in myself, that what [...] them, was not true; [...] reached to the [...] every Man that cometh into the World; and in that Light, I should see more Light, and that would open the Scriptures to me, and that I should re­ceive a Measure of the same Spirit that gave them forth: And further, he told me, It was ‘the more sure Word of Pro­phecy, unto which I did well, if I took head as unto a Light that shineth in a dark Place, until the Day dawn, and the Day-star arise in your Hearts,’ 2 Peter i. 19. And he spoke much of the inward Work, and the Operation of God's Holy Spirit upon the Soul; re­commending me to the ‘Grace of God that bringeth Salvation, teaching us, that denying Ungodliness and worldly Lusts, we should live soberly, righte­ously and godly in this present World.’ Titus ii. 11, 12. And so he departed [Page 11]from our House, and I set him a little along on his Way.

Now when I came back from him, the Consideration of his Words took fast hold on me, that I could not go from under them; and the more I waited in that Light, that he recommended me to, the more my former Peace, and that in which I formerly took Comfort in, was broken: And herein I came to see, that our former Building could not stand; for we built upon that which the Apo­stle called, Wood, Hay and Stubble. Here I came to a Loss of all my formal Know­ledge and my formal Performances prov'd but a sandy Foundation. Then I did, with much Humility, and Poverty of Spirit, beg of Almighty God, that I might build upon that Rock, that the true Church of Christ was built upon, that the Gates of Hell might not prevail against me.

But for all this, I was yet afraid of being deceived by the Quakers; yet where to go outwardly for Advice and Counsel I knew not. For I saw that my former Teachers were upon a sandy Foundation: So I desired that the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, would be my Teacher and be fulfilled, and I believed that the Prophecy of the Pro­phets [Page 12]would be sulfilled, and that the Lord would make a New Covenant with his People now, as he did Promise by the Mouth of we Prophet Jerem. xxxi. 31.32, 33, 34. ‘Behold, the Days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a New Covenant with the House of Is­rael, and with the House of Judah; not according to the Covenant that I made with their Fathers in the Day that I took them by the Hand to bring them out of the Land of Egypt (which my Covenant they brake, although I was an Husband unto them, saith the Lord) But this shall be the Covenant that I will make with the House of Is­rael, after those Days, saith the Lord, I will put my Law in their inward Parts, and write it in their Hearts, and will be their God, and they shall be my People. And they snall teach no more every Man his Neighbour, and every Man his Bro­ther, saying, Know ye the Lord: For they shall all know me from the least of them, unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord: For I will forgive their Iniquity, and I will remember their Sin no more.’

These and the like precious Promises I was made willing to take hold upon, and waited for the fulfilling of them in [Page 13]myself, and of that which Christ said to the Jews, John vi. 45. ‘As it is writ­ten in the Prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every Man there­fore that hath heard, and hath learn'd of the Father, cometh unto me.’ He that cometh unto Christ Jesus the Light, that lighteth every Man that cometh in­to the World; tho' their Sins and their Iniquities be great, they shall in no wise be cast out. And it is said, ‘And all thy Children shall be taught of the Lord, and great shall be the Peace of thy Children,’ Isaiah liv. 13.

When I came to know a little of the Teachings of the Lord, I took my Leave of all my formal Teachers, and many Times went to the Woods, and other By-places, where none might see me, to wait upon the Lord, where I should be much broken, and tendered by the Power of God: And though I did begin to see a little of myself, and something of the Goodness of God, yet still I was afraid of being deceived; for I had read and heard that Satan himself is "transformed into an Angel of Light, 2 Cor. xi. 14. And lest this Man should be as the same Apostle said, in Verse 13. ‘For such are false Apo­stles, [Page 14]deceitful Workers, transform­ing themselves into Apostles of Christ.’ I desired of the Lord that I might see this poor Man once again, for I knew not where to see the Face of any call'd a Friend; and it pleased God that he came again that Way, and I desired of my Master and Mistress to give him Lodging, and that he might be with me, to which they consented. Then I que­ried of him their Way of Worship, and concerning those two great Ordinances (so called) that we so much relied up­on, viz. the Bread and Wine, and Bap­tism and the Scripture, to know what was their Judgment of them, to which he gave me some Satisfaction: And in the Morning I parted with him, and to the best of my Knowledge, I saw him no more for several Years.

In all this Time I still kept my Retire­ment in the Wood, or some other pri­vate Place; and there in my waiting, I desired of the Lord, that I might be further satisfied by myself, as to those Things, First, whether the Scriptures were the Word of God, as was said and preached unto us they were, and the Way to Life and Salvation: Then the First Chapter of John came under my [Page 15]serious Consideration in my Meditation, which said, In the Beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God, the same was in the Beginning with God, all Things were made by him, and without him was not any Thing made, that was made. In him was Life, and the Life was the Light of Men; and the Light shineth in Darkness, and the Darkness comprehended it not. I considered that the Word was in the Be­ginning with God the Father, and that no Part of the Scriptures were written until Moses, who we understand was the first Writer of those Scriptures we have, the Apostle tells us here, ‘that the Law was given by Moses, but Grace and Truth came by Jesus Christ.’ In this Word there was Life, Paul tells us that "the Letter killeth, but the Spi­rit giveth Life, now this Life is the Light of Men, and the Word was be­fore the Scriptures were written." By this we may see the Word of God is Christ Jesus, that was with the Father before the World began, "without Him there was not any Thing made, that was made." The History that Moses gives us, is said to be written above 3000 Years after the Creation of the World. [Page 16]Therefore the Scriptures cannot proper­ly be the Word of God.

[...] with many more, was under that Mistake, that the Jews were in, who thought they might have Eternal Life In the Scriptures, Christ saith, John v. 39. ‘Search (or ye search) the Scrip­tures, for in them you think ye have Eternal Life, and they are they which testify of me; and ye will not come to me that ye might have Life.’ As he is the Life, so he is the Way to the Father, ‘I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life: No Man cometh unto the Father but by me,’ John xiv. 6. As for the Scriptures I was a great Lover, and a great Reader of them, and took great Pleasure in Searching of them, thinking that they would make me wise unto Salvation, as Paul said to Timothy, ‘And that from a Child thou hast known the Scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto Salvation, thro' Faith which is in Christ Jesus,’ 2 Tim. iii. [...]5. This main Thing was wanting; the true and saving Faith, that is the Gift of God. ‘It is by Grace we are saved, thro' Faith, not of ourselves, it is the Gift of God, Eph. ii. 8.’ So it is the Grace of God that brings Salvation, [Page 17]and not the bare historical Knowledge of the Scriptures. Too many take a great deal of Pride in a literal Know­ledge of them; some for their Gain and Profit, others take Pleasure in them, by wresting them to vindicate their false and erroneous Opinions, that gender to Strife and Contention, and take little or no Notice of that meek, holy, lovely Spi­rit of Life, that gave them forth; for they be of no private Interpretation: ‘But holy Men of God, spake them as they were moved by the Holy Ghost,’ 2 Peter i. 20, 21.

Men may have a great literal Know­ledge of the Scriptures, and yet remain in Error, because they know them not, as they ought to do, nor the Power that was in the holy Men that gave them forth, so I may say as Christ said to the Jews, ‘You err, not knowing the Scriptures, nor the Power of God,’ Mat xxii. 29. So that which gives the true Knowledge of God, and a right Understanding of the Scriptures, is the Spirit of God; and I may say with the Apostle, ‘For God who commanded the Light to shine out of Darkness, hath shined in our Hearts, to give the Light of the Knowledge of the Glory of God, [Page 18]in the Face of Christ Jesus,’ 2 Cor. iv. 6. And as Men and Women come to mind this Light, that is, the Spirit of God, and to obey it, they shall come to the Comfort of the Scriptures, as the same Apostle says, For whatsoever things were written aforetime, were written for our Learning; that we through Patience and Comfort of the Scriptures, might have Hope, Rom. xv. 4.

And being under a serious Considera­tion of what I read in the Scripture, be­lieving the Spirit of the Lord to be the Interpreter thereof. Those great Myste­ries that were hid from Ages and Gene­rations, and are hid now in this our Age from many, are come to be revealed by the Spirit of God, and if any would have Comfort in Reading the Scriptures, they must wait in that Measure of the Spirit, which God hath given them, which is the only Key that opens them to the Understanding of those that are truly conscientious in the Reading of them; and though I read them formal­ly, as many do now, without a true Sense and a due Consideration; yet now I can bless God for them, and have great Com­fort in the Reading of them; they be­ing no more as a sealed Book unto me, [Page 19]and many more, who wait for the As­sistance of God's Holy Spirit, in all their Duties and Performances that the Lord requires of them; for without him we know we can do nothing that is pleasing unto him; tho' formerly we ran in our own Time and Wills, to Preach and Pray, not having a due Re­gard to the Leading and Moving of the Spirit of the Lord; yet, I beless God, it is not so now. Many Times, when I did rise from my Knees, in a formal Way of Prayer, a Reproof was very near me, "Who required this at thy Hands? It is a Spark of thy own kin­dling." I was afraid that I should lie down in Sorrow, as was said to some by the Lord, in Isaiah l. 11.

But as to this Head, I shall briefly conclude, tho' much more might be said to the Honour of the Holy Scriptures; but this is my Desire, that they that read them, may come to that which will give them a right Understanding, thereof: For there is a Spirit in Man, and the Inspiration of the Almighty giveth them Understanding, Job xxxii. 8.

Then, as concerning Water-baptism, which I had under Consideration, I was no Admirer of it, being not of the Per­swasion [Page 20]of Re-baptizing: Those that were Independents, were not so much at first for Re-baptizing; but afterward it prevailed more among them, in these Parts, when one Henry Jessy came here-aways. And about that Time it was that I came from among them.

I had much Reasoning and various Consultations in my Mind concerning this and the Bread and Wine: And when I was satisfied, as to them weighty Concerns, I thought I might rest there, and keep my old Customs and Fashions, and Language: But that would not do, I had no Peace therein; God shewed me the Customs of the Nation were vain, and our Language not according to the Language of God's People, recorded in the Scriptures of Truth. So I made a consciencious Search into this Matter also.—Where I found the Great Creator of Heaven and Earth, who by the Word of his Power made all Things therein; Created Man in his own Image, in the I­mage of God created he him: Male and Female created he them. And God bles­sed them, and gave them Dominion over all Things that he had created on the Earth: and Adam gave Names to them. And God took him, and put him in the [Page 21]Garden of Eden, to dress it, and to keep it. And the Lord commanded the Man, saying, Of every Tree of the Garden thou may'st freely eat, Gen. ii. 15, 16. This is the first Thou to Man, that I read of in the Scripture; and the Great Creator said, "Every Thing that he had made was very good," Gen. i. 31. And his, Language to Man was very good and pure. Then again, when Adam trans­gressed the Law and Commandment of God, ‘The Lord God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? And he said, I heard thy Voice in the Garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked,’ Gen. iii. 9, 10. Here was the Language of God to Man, and the Language of Man to God. And in the Searching of the Scriptures, I found that all the holy Men of God used that Lan­guage, and Christ taught his Disciples to pray in that Language; ‘Our Father which art in Heaven, hallowed be thy Name, thy Kingdom come, thy Will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven,’ Matt. vi. And withal, I knew a little of Grammar, and that it was impro­per to say Vos [You] to one single Person, instead of Tu [Thou.] And though the Learned in our Nation spoke it, yet I [Page 22]thought Christians should not use it, but should take the Spirit of God, according to the Scripture, to be their Rule, and not to follow the confused Language of the Heathen; for the Lord, by the Mouth of his Prophet, commanded his People, ‘Learn not the Way of the Hea­then; for the Customs of the People are vain,’ Jer. x. 2, 3. I also believ­ed, that the Lord would return to his People a pure Language, in these Days, as was promised in the Days of old con­cerning Israel: That when they return­ed to the Lord, he would bring them out of their Captivity; ‘For then, [saith the Lord.] will I turn to the People a pure Language, that they may all call upon the Name of the Lord, to serve Him with one Consent, Zeph. iii. 9.’

Thus I was conscienciously concern'd to speak the pure Language of Thee and Thou to every one, without Respect of Persons; which was a great Cross to me, though it seems to some but as a weak and foolish Thing; yet when the Lord lays a Necessity of speaking the Truth to all, in that Language that God and all his Servants used, it comes to be of a great­er Weight, than many light airy People think it is: The Sayings of Christ came [Page 23]to my Mind, when he said, ‘Whoso­ever will be my Disciple, let him deny himself, and take up his Cross daily, and follow me,’ Lu. ix. 23. He doth not say he should do it, but let him do it, imperatively, which was a Command; viz. That we should Deny our selves, and follow Him: See also Matt. xvi. 24. And moreover it is said, "He that taketh not his Cross, and followeth af­ter me, is not worthy of me," Matt. x. 38.

This Necessity being laid upon me, I spoke to my Master in that Dialect; he was not offended at it, because he was convinced of the Truth of it, and that it ought to be spoken to every one; but when I gave it to my Mistress, she took a Stick and gave me such a Blow upon my bare Head, that made it swell, and it was sore for a considerable Time, she was so disturbed at it, that she swore she would kill me, though she should be hang'd for me; the Enemy had so possess'd her, that she was quite out of Order; though before time she very seldom, if ever, gave me an angry Word: But I considered, that the En­mity was between the two Seeds, and that ‘that which is born after the Flesh, [Page 24]did persecute him that was born after the Spirit.’ I being well satisfied of the Truth in myself, remembred Christ's Words, ‘He that loveth Father or Mo­ther more than me, is not worthy of me; and he that loveth Son or Daugh­ter more than me, is not worthy of me and he that findeth his Life, shall lose it; and he that loseth his Life for my Sake, shall find it,’ Matt. x. 37, 39.

The Almighty God put it in my Heart to consider the Cost, and that through Tribulation I was to enter the Kingdom of Heaven; and I was faithful in this Testimony that I had to bear; I was much encouraged to go on in that strait and narrow Way, that God shew­ed me I was to walk in. I also consider­ed the Saying of Christ, ‘Whosoever doth not bear his Cross, and come after him, cannot be his Disciple,’ Luke xiv. 27. Again, ‘Which of you in­tending to build a Tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the Cost whether he hath sufficient to finish it? Lest haply after he hath laid the Foun­dation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it, begin to mock him, Ibid. V. 28, 29. saying, This Man began to build, but was not able to finish,’ v. 3 [...]

[Page 25] This Consideration was weighty with me, lest I should begin to take up the Cross, and to Walk in this Way, and should not be able to hold out to the lead; first, because of the Temptation of Satan, the Lust of the Flesh, and the sinful Cus­toms and Fashions of this World, which were very prevalent; and the Weight and Burthen that was upon me was great, having none in the Country to be a Help to me in the time of my Exercise, but the Lord alone, that hath promised to be with his People in all their Troubles and Exercises, and that he would not leave them nor forsake them. I was very rea­dy and willing to take hold of his Pro­mises; and my Prayers unto him were, That he would enable me to go through all Things that he required. I was sensi­ble; that without the Assistance of his Holy Spirit, I could not perform that Service which he required of me.

I was now first called a Quaker, be­cause I said to a single Person Thee and Thou, and kept on my Hat, and did not go after the Customs and Fashions of the World, that other Professors lived and walked in. Though some of them would complain of their Formalities, and were weary of the Fashions of the [Page 26]World; but yet they did not take up their Cross, and leave them.

The Rage of my Mistress was not yet abated, tho' she had nothing against me, but not conforming to the corrupt Lan­guage, and vain Customs of the World: For I laboured to keep a Conscience void of Offence, both towards God and Men; I did my Work and Service honestly and justly, not with Eye-service, as Men-plea­sers, but in Singleness of Heart, as the Servant of Christ, doing the Will of God from the Heart, Ephes. vi. 5, 6, and ver. 8. Knowing that whatsoever good thing any Man doth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be Bond or Free.

In thus doing, I had great Comfort from the Lord, and did receive from him liv­ing Satisfaction and Encouragement, to go on in my Way; remembring that Scrip­ture, that saith, The Righteous shall hold on his Way, and he that hath clean Hands, shall be stronger and stronger, Job xvii. 9. I might say also with Job, But he knoweth the Way that I take, when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as Gold; my Foot hath held his Steps; his Way have I kept, and not declined; neither have I gone back from the Com­mandment of his Lips: I have esteemed [Page 27]the Words of his Mouth more than my ne­cessary Food, Job xxiii. 10, 11, 12. The Lord kept me and his People very meek and low in our Minds, in a self denying Spirit, we waited for the Living Word, that came with a living Voice from Him that speaks from Heaven to us by His Spirit, that He gave us to discern be­tween the Voice of Wisdom, and the Voice of the strange Woman, which is the Voice of the Flesh, and the Lust thereof; and the Living Voice, is the Voice of Christ in us, the Hope of Glory; which Voice we esteemed more than our necessary Food. For, obeying this Voice, we came to be mocked and derided; and they spoke all Manner of Evil against us, and hated us for his Name's Sake, Mat. x. 22. I remembred what Christ hath told us in Luke xxi. 12. They shall lay their Hands on you, and persecute you, delivering you up to the Synagogues, and into Prisons, being brought before Kings and Rulers for my Name's Sake: And it shall return to you for a Testimony. Set­tle it therefore in your Hearts, not to meditate before what ye shall answer; for I will give you a Mouth and Wisdom, which all your Adversaries shall not be able to gainsay, nor resist, Luke xxi. 13. 14. 15.

[Page 28] These and the like Afflictions I was to meet with, if I truly and faithfully fol­lowed the Lord Jesus Christ; therefore I laboured to put on the whole Armour of Light, that I might be able to with­stand the fiery Darts of the Wicked One whether in myself or by seeking to wea­ken my Faith, and to perswade me of the Hardness, Streightness and Narrow­ness of the Way, that I should not be a­ble to hold out to the End, being there was not any in this Country to help and assist me; and the fiery Darts of the E­nemy that I felt, came more by his Ser­vants than otherwise; very prevalent he was in this poor misled Woman, my Mistress, who was perswaded by him to kill me, and shed innocent Blood; and one Time when she thought it a fit Op­portunity, to execute her Will and Cru­elty, she fell into a great Rage, and I was freely given up to die that Hour by her; but the Lord was pleased to ac­cept of my Free-will Offering, and I might say with the Apostle, [...]hat I ac­counted not my Life dear to myself, that I might finish my Course with Joy. And the Lord alone appeared for my Delive­rance, and made her more moderate, the rest of my Servitude, it being something [Page 29]less than two Years; and [...] I went away, the Lord visited her with a sharp Fit of Sickness; in which Time she spoke to her Husband and them that were with her, that she thought she should not die till she had asked me For­giveness, and desired them to send to me, if it were at London; and so they did: I could freely forgive her, for that I had done long since; and I prayed to my heavenly Father that he might for­give her also: I sent to her, and it plea­sed God to touch her with a Sense of his Love, and lengthened her Days; she confessing oftentimes the Wrong she had done to an honest, careful Young Man; as she said I had been, who minded her and her Husband's inward and outward Good, more than they did themselves: It pleased God to order it so, that she had a Visit from me, before she went out of this World, and very comfortable and acceptable it was to her; and in a lit­tle Time she ended her Days in Peace, and was buried in Friends Burying-place near Dolgelle, in Merionethshire.

About this Time [1637.] it was the great Talk of the Country that I was become a Quaker; my Parents were much concerned about me; I was in­formed [Page 30]that the Priest of Welch-Pool, one W. Langford, went to them, and told them that I was gone distracted, and that they should see for some learned Men; or Man, to come to me, and restore me to my Senses. I had not been yet with my Father nor Mother; but waited for Freedom and Clearness in myself, and then I went to see them, and in my Way I visited an old Friend of mine, that was a Professor, and had a little Opportunity to speak to him of the Things of God, and his Goodness to me, and a young Man called David Da­vies was then convinced of the Truth; this was on a Seventh-day in the After­noon, and when I was clear there, I went to Welch-Pool to my Parents. It was a Trouble to them, to see that I did not, as formerly, go upon my Knees to ask their Blessing, and bow to them, and take off my Hat, my Father soon turn'd his Back upon me; I had heard of his Displeasure, and that he had said he would leave me Nothing, saying to my Relations, that they thought to have had Comfort of me, but now they ex­pected none but that I would go up and down the Country, crying, Repent, Repent. Now if my Father should have [Page 31]cast me off upon such an Account, I was well perswaded it was for Christ's and the Gospel's Sake; so then I remembred David's Condition, when he said, ‘Hide not thy Face far from me, put not thy Servant away in Anger: Thou hast been my Help, leave me not, neither forsake me, O God of my Salvation; when my Father and my Mother forsake me, then the Lord will take me up: Teach me thy Way, O Lord, and lead me in a plain Path, because of mine Enemies,’ Psalm xxvii. 9, 10, 11:

At length my Mother came tenderly to me, and took a View of me, looking on my Face, and she saw that I was her Child, and that I was not as they said, Bewitched, or Transformed into some o­ther Likeness, which was reported of Quakers then, and that they bewitched People to their Religion, &c. Thus they deceived them and many others, with such strange Stories, and we were ac­counted with the Apostles, Deceivers, yet true. And when I discoursed with her out of the Scriptures, her Heart was much tendered and affected with the Goodness of God towards me, she went to see for my Father, and when she [Page 32]found him, said unto him, Be of good Comfort our Son is not as was reported of him, we hope to have Comfort of him yet.

But when my Father came to his House he spoke not much to me that Night. The next Day being the First Day of the week, when I heard the Bells sing, it came upon me to go to the Stee­ple-House, to visit that Priest that had told my Father I was gone distracted &c. and when he was at his Worship I wont to our own Seat to my Father [there was no Common-Prayer read then to the People, as part of their Worship in those Days] there I sat still till he had [...]one, and when he had done what he had then to say, I stood up and told him, I ha [...] he might do well to stay, and make good the false Doctrine that he had preached that Day, if he could, and if I was distracted, as he reported, that he might Labour to re­store me to my right Senses again, but spoke but a little while, e'er I was taken away to Prison, with the Young M [...] before mentioned, that came to see for me, and found me in the In which Tim [...] God of us were taken; there we were Prisoners that Night, in which time many far and near came to see us, expect­ing [Page 33]that we were some deformed Crea­tures: In which Tim God gave me a seasonable Exhortation to them, to fear the Lord, and indeed to cry ‘Repent, Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven, was at Hand;’ letting them know that we were God's Workmanship, created a new in Christ Jesus, with much more to that Effect, I spoke to them from the Scripture, which was much to their Sa­tisfaction, and we praised God that kept us in his Fear and Counsel.

We were committed to Prison on that Law, that was made in Oliver's Days, that none were to speak to the Priest or Preachers in hose Days, neither at their Worship, not coming and going. The next Morning we were had before the Chief Magistrate of the Town of Welch-Pool, after some Discourse with him, it seemed good to him to discharge us, for he could find nothing justly to accuse us of, except concerning the Law of [...] God.

[...] we went to our Homes, the Young Man to his Fathers, and I to my Master's, he [...]red much Violence by his Father, in r [...]ard that he could not conform him­self, to that dry, dead and formal Pray­ing, that his Father used; his Father [Page 34]rose from off his Knees, when he was at Prayer, and took a Staff, and di [...] vio­lently beat his Son, and without Natu­ral Affection, he took a Lock and [...] Chain, and chained him out of Doors, in a cold, frosty Night. Thus our Suffer­ings began to increase, for the Testimony of our Consciences towards God, but blessed be the Name of the Lord, that preserved his People, that trusted in Him, saith my Soul.

A little after this I came to hear, that some of the People that were called Quakers, were at Shrewsbury in the County of Salop, being distant from the Place of my abode about 18 Miles, I waited for an Opportunity to go to see them, and the Way of their Worship, for as yet I had not seen any of them, but that one poor Man before ment [...]oned, and when the Time called Christmas came, my Master's Work being some­what over for that while, I got Leave to go so far, and when I came there among them, I went first to the House of John Millington, where many Friends resorted, and they of the Town [...] see me in great Love and Tenderness and much Brokenness of Heart was a­mong us, though but few Words; we [Page 35]waited to f [...]el the Lord among us, in all our Comings together. When the First-Day of the Week came, we went to a Meeting at W. Pane's, at the Wild-Cap, where we had a silent Meeting, and and tho' it was silent from Words, yet the Word of the Lord God was among us, it was as a Hammer and a Fire, it was sharper than any two edged Sword, if pierced through our inward Parts, it melted and brought us into Tears, that there was scarcely a dry Eye among us, the Lord's blessed Power overshadowed our Meeting, and I could have said, that God alone was Master of that Assembly. The next Day as I was preparing Home­ward, having had a considerable Time with Friends there, and being much comforted with the Goodness of God, and unfeigned Love of the Brethren, we heard that one John a [...] John was come to Town, and was to have a Meet­ing there; I stay'd that Meeting, [...] I heard the first Friend that was [...] a Quaker Preach in a Meeting, and when I heard him, I thought he [...] one having Authority, and not as the Scribes; his Words were sound and piercing.

[Page 36] After this Meeting at Shrewsbury, I came Home to my Master's House, where I was under many Considerations, and especially that of Christ's Word?; Ye are the Light of the World, a City that is set on a Hill, cannot be bid Neither do Men light a Candle, and put it under a Bushel: But on a Candle stick, and it giveth Light unto all that are in the House. Let your Light so shine be­fore Men, that they may see your good Works, and glorify your Father which it in; Heaven, Matt. v. 14, 15, 16.

I was sensible that God had opened thy Understanding, and lighted my Can­dle, and given me a Sense and a Feel­ing of my own State and Condition, that I had been in Darkness, and under the Region and Shadow of Death, and God having shewed Mercy and Kindness unto me, in calling me from this great Darkness to his marvelous Light of his dear Son Christ Jesus, who is, ‘the Light of the World, that enlight' [...] every Man which cometh into [...] World.’ I was made willing [...] to Hide my Candle as it were under [...], on to hide my Talent in the Earth; but, in the Love of God, I was made willing to let that Light (which he [Page 37]pleased by his Grace to enlighten m [...] withal) shine before Men, that they might come to 'Glorify their heavenly Father, which is in Heaven,' Mat. v. 16.

The next publick Service that the Lord required of me, was to go and give my Testimony for Him, and to warn a Company of People to think of their lat­ter End, who were met to dance and to play, at what they call a Merry-night, not far from my Master's House; and when I came within the Room where they were Dancing, the Fidler ceased Playing and they Dancing; I declared the Word of the Lord among them; and that which was chiefly before me, [...] that of Job, They send forth their lit­tle Ones like a Flock, and their Children dance. They take the Timbrel and Harp, and rejoice at the Sound of the Organ. They spend their Days in Mirth, and in a Moment go down to the Grave, Job xxi. 11, 12, 13. And when I had dis­charged myself of what lay upon me, I [...]ed in Love and Peace from them, and they thanked me for my good Ex­hortation; and some of them came to set one Home.

About this Time [1658.] I heard of One that was called a Quaker, that was [Page 38]come from Ireland to Llanvilling, [...] Town in this County of Momtgomery, and in the Love of God, I went upon the First Day of the Week to visit him, where we had a comfortable, refreshing Meeting together, and the Lord's Pre­sence was with us, tho' we were Stran­gers one to another, as to the outward, yet we had Fellowship and Union one with another in the inward Life of Righteousness; his Name was Roger Prichard. He tarried not long there but went back again to Ireland; tho' it it was said, that he came to these Parts with an Intention to stay here, and to bear his Testimony for God, in this dark Corner of North-Wales; but he not being faithful to God, who sent him here, as he was going back he sus­fered great Losses by Sea, and lost his good Condition also, and turned back to the Vanities of the World, which was a great Sorrow and Exercise to me: But the Lord visited him again, as may be seen hereafter. Thus I was left a­lone again.

I continued, as the Lord made Way for me, to visit those in whom I found any Inclination to the Things that were good: And there was one William Da­vies [Page 39]convinced of the Truth with me? And I was also made willing to visit the Independent Meeting, and those People that I formerly belonged unto, that were a separate People, gathered toge­ther chiefly by Vavasor Powell before­mentioned, a zealous Man in his Day and Time. But when Truth broke for the in this Country, I being the first that came to receive it in these Parts, did se­parate myself from them, in Love to that blessed Truth that I received, and it became my true Teacher. So the said Vavasor Powell proved angry, and preached much against the Quakers, their Way and Principles. I hearing this, came at a certain Time to a Place called Cloddiecochion, near Welch-Pool, to their Meeting, expecting to find him there, but he was not there; but one John Griffithes (called a Justice of the Peace) was Preach­ing there. When I came in among them, they seemed uneasy; and when I had an Opportunity, I bore a Testimony for God, and his Son Christ Jesus, his Way, Truth and People, which they preached against. When I had done what I had to say, he went on again; and when I found something more on my Spirit to declare among them, this John [Page 40]Griffithes commanded to take me away; and a near Relation of mine that owned the House, took me in his Arms and led me out of the House, through the Fold, and through a Gate that opened to the Common, and shut the Gate after me; and there I sat under an Ash Tree, weep­ing and mourning sorrowfully, to see their Blindness, Darkness, and Hardness of Heart, with Pride and Haughtiness, that was come over a People that once were loving, kind, and humble in Spi­rit. And as I sat weightily under a se­rious Consideration what and when would be the End of all these Formali­ties and Hardness of Heart, I prayed to the Lord for them: And the Word of the Lord came to me, "That tho' they put me out of their House, yet in Time they would come to own Truth, and that House should be a Meeting-place for Friends: Of this a further Account may be seen hereafter. So I went away well satisfied with the Love and Goodness of God to me that Day, in giving me Com­fort and Consolation for my Tears of Sorrow and Affliction that I met with a little before; and I rememb'red the Say­ing of the Apostle, Heb. xii. 11. Now no Chast'ning for the present seemeth joy­ous, [Page 41]but grievous: Nevertheless, after­ward it yieldech the peaceable Fruit of Righteousness, unto them which are ex­ercised thereby.

After this I still waited to know the Will and Counsel of God, and that he might direct me in my Way, and order my Steps in this my spiritual Travel; for I had none to look unto, but to Him a­lone, who was All-sufficient to carry on the Work which he had begun, tho often by weak, poor, mean and con­temptible Instruments in the Eyes of the World. Well might I say with the Apostle, But God hath chosen the fool­ish Things of the World, to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak Things of the World, to confound the Things which are mighty; and base Things of the World, and Things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and Things which are not, to bring to nought Things that are, 1 Cor. i. 27, 28.

About this Time I went to visit some young Men that had been my former Companions in Profession of Religion; Two or Three of them were convinced, and received the Truth. So then, when we were come to the Number of Four, it was with me that we ought to meet [Page 42]together, in the Name of the Lord; for I remembered the Promise of Christ; who said, Where Two or Three are ga­thered together in my Name, there am I in the Midst of them, Mat. xviii. 20.

So we all agreed to meet together, but none of us had a House of his own to meet in; we determined therefore to meet upon a Hill in a Common, as near as we could for the Conveniency of each other, we living some Miles distant one from another. And there we met in Si­lence, to the Wonder of the Country; when the Rain and Weather did beat up­on us on one Side of the Hill, we went to the other Side; we were not free to go into any Neighbour's Inclosures, for they were so blind, so dark and ignorant, that they look'd upon us as Witches, and would go away from us, some crossing themselves with their Hands, about their Foreheads and Faces.

And thus we continued for some Time, when Two of them left me; one of them was put an Apprentice by Friends to W. Shewen, of London; the other young Man was a Soldier in Oliver Cromwel's Days, and he got as soon as he could to be disbanded, so he went to Glouce­stershire, and lived among Friends; the [Page 43]other was one William D [...]ies, that liv­ed hard by me, and we both met toge­ther for some Time; but at one Time he stay'd longer than usual, and a foul, dark Spirit possessed him, insomuch that the little. Time we were together, was not comfortable to me; and when we had broke up the Meeting, by Way of Dis­course he asked me, How I did think we should stand in the Face of the whole Country? I answered him with great Zeal, The Serpent, the Serpent, the same that beguiled the Woman in Para­dice, hath beguiled thee, thou wilt not be able to stand: And while we were yet discoursing, I saw my Master com­ing, who was also convinced, but was not faithful to that good Spirit that con­vinced him of the Truth, and shewed him what he ought to do, but did it not (yet he continued loving to Friends, and frequented their Meetings to his latter End) as I looked back I saw him come towards us, with two Women follow­ing him, the one was his Wife, my cru­el Mistress, the other was his Sister, they both had Staves in their Hands, and when they came unto us, the Sister began to beat her Brother, my Master, and my Mistress set a beating of W. Da­vies; [Page 44]so his Trial came very quickly, and W. Davies came no more to meet with me, nor any other Friends for ma­ny Years; yet he afterwards came a­mong Friends, and continued with them to the End of his Days, and was buried among them. Now it so happened that I had never a Blow among them, and if I had received any, I had learnt of Christ Jesus my Lord and Master to suffer pa­tiently for his Name's Sake, and not to depart from him though my Trials, Temptations and Afflictions were not a few; so that I might say with the Apo­stle, But none of those Things move me, neither count I my Life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my Course with Joy; Acts xx. 24.2 Cor. iv. 17. Mat. x. 37.38, 39.

These young Men going away thus, I was left alone again, but still I kept waiting upon the Lord, to know his Will and good Pleasure concerning me, and when the Time of my Apprentiship was over, I found Freedom to go to London, to visit Friends there, which was in the Year 1658-9. And finding many good and living Friends there, I settled to my Trade, being a Felt-maker, and very well satisfied I was, that I [Page 45]could go to Meetings, and follow my Busi­ness, and when any Thing would come to my Mind, of this my native Country, barren and uninhabited with Friends and Truth, I endeavoured to shut it out, and to keep where I was, and I did what I could; but all my fair Pretences, and Reasonings would not do, disobedient to the Lord I was, and Trouble, and Sor­row, and Judgment from the Lord came upon me, for not obeying his Command, to go to my own Country, to stand a Witness for him there; in this my Dis­obedience I continued, till I had lost his Presence, and he smote me with Trouble within, and Pain in my Bones, that I could not Work nor Labour; in this Time Friends of London were very kind, and careful of me, and would freely have administered unto me, but I was not willing to accept of any Thing from them, so long as I had of my own, my Pain of Body and Spirit increased upon me, till at last I was forced to bow to the Will of the great God, that was too strong for me, and reasoning with him one Night, upon the Bed of my Sorrows, he shewed me clearly, that I was to go to my own Country, and I was made willing to give up to go if he would be pleased [Page 46]to let me know his Will by the Token that he would remove my Pain; and al­so I reasoned with him thus, That I was alone, like a Pellican in the Wilderness or a Sparrow on a House Top. And the Lord still commanded me to go, and that he would provide a Help-meet for me. And when I had made a Covenant with the Lord to go, immediately my Pain was removed, and I had Peace and Quietness of Mind and Spirit. And I arose next Morning, and went to my Work; and when those tender Friends that had a Regard for me in my Sick­ness, came to see me that Morning, I was gone to Work, which was to their Admiration.

So the Lord gave me a little Time and he alone provided a Help-meet for me, for I prayed unto him, that she might be of his own providing, for it was not yet manifest to me, where she was, nor who she was: But one Time as I was at Horsly-down Meeting, in Southwark, I heard a Woman Friend open her Mouth by Way of Testimony, against an Evil ranting Spirit, that did oppose Feiends much in those Days; it came to me from the Lord, that that Woman was to be my Wife, and to go with me to the [Page 47]Country, and to be a Help-meet for me; after Meeting, I drew somewhat near to her, but I spoke nothing, nor made any Acquaintance with her, nor did I know when or where I should see her again. I was very willing to let the Lord order it as seemed best to himself, and therein I was easy; and in Time the Lord bro't us acquainted one with another, and she confessed that she had some Sight, of the same Thing, that I had seen concerning her; so after some Time we parted, and I was freely resigned to the Will of God; and when we came together again I told her if the Lord did order her to be my Wife, she must come with me to a strange Country, where there were no Friends, but what God in Time might call and gather to Himself. Upon a little Consi­deration she said, If the Lord should or­der it so she must go with her Husband, tho' it were to a Wilderness; and she being somewhat sensible of the Workings of God upon her Spirit, in this Matter, she was willing to condescend in her Mind, to what God had wrought in her; but by hearkening to some Friend of hers, that had not well weighed the Matter, she became disobedient to what God had revealed to her; which bro't [Page 48]great Sorrow and Trouble upon her; and I went to see her in this poor Con­dition, and I rested satisfied with the Will of God in this Concern, being free­ly resigned, if the Lord had wrought the same Thing in her as was in me to receive her as the Gift of Almighty God to me; and after some Time, we waited upon the Lord together, the arose, and declared before me, and the other Friend that had begot Doubts and Reasonings in her Mind, that in the Name and Power of God, she consented to be my Wife, and to go along with me, whether the Lord should order us; and I said, In the Fear of the Lord I receive thee as the Gift of God to me. And so I rested satisfied in the Will of God, for a further Accomplishment of it.

And being under a weighty Conside­ration, which Way to take each other in Marriage, we concluded to lay our Proceedings before our Elders, and espe­cially our ancient Friend George Fox (now People in those Days were marri­ed by a Priest or before a Justice) and I told G. F. we thought to take each other in a Publick Meeting; so he desired the Lord to be with us. And when we saw our Clearness in the Lord, we went to [Page 49]the Snail-Meeting, in Tower-street, Lon­don, in the Morning; and in the After­noon to Ho [...]sly-down, Southwark, and in that Meeting, being the 26th of the 4th Month, 1659. in the Presence of God, and that Assembly, we took each other to be Man and Wife.

God alone did know our Inno­cency and our Integrity in going toge­ther; it was not for Gold nor Silver, nor any outward Thing; but to be ser­viceable to him in our Age and Genera­tion, and to stand Witnesses for him, and his blessed Truth, where the Lord should send us. I might say with Tobi­as, Thou madest Adam, and gavest him Eve, his Wife, for a Helper and a Stay; of them came Mankind. Thou hast said it is not good that Man should be a­lone, let us make him an Aid like himself, Tobit viii. 6, 7.

Soon after, in the Lord's Time, we made what haste we could, to come to the Country, where we believed the Lord would have us to be, and we said, O Lord, if thou wilt go with us in our Way, and give us Bread to eat, and Rai­ment to put on, then, O Lord, thou shalt be our God; and the Lord was with us, in all our Journey, and gave unto [Page 50]us, his sweet and comfortable Pre­sence.

Soon after we came to Welch-Pool those Professors which had been and were in great Power, began to be faint­hearted, because of the Report there was of bringing in King Charles the Second; which in a little Time was accomplished, and those that were in great Pomp, were bro't to Prison themselves. And I was had before the first Justices that were made in these Parts, by the Authority of King Charles the 2d (in the Year 1660) Notwithstanding I was a Prisoner to the Magistrate of the Town. And when I went up before them, many of the Peo­ple of the Town followed me, to see what would become of me, and to what Prison they would send me, or what Punishment they would inflict upon me. But the Lord was with me, and I feared not Man, whose Breath is in his No­strils, but the living God, whom I de­sired to obey in all Things. And when I was come into the Ro [...]m (it being in the Night) the High-Sheriff one Col. Moystyn, with the Justices of the Peace, stood as People in a Maze, to see me come with my Hat on my Head amongst them, and they spoke not one Word to [Page 51]me for some Time. In a little while, I ask'd them, Whether they sent for me there? And they said, They did. And one of the Justices asked me, Where I had that new Way, and strange Religion [...] I answer'd him, it was the good Old Way that the Prophets and Servants of God lived and walked in; and that Way I had found, and desired to walk in it all my Days. That Justice was peevish, and said, I think the Man is mad; I think we must have him whipt; though I answered them according to Scripture, yet they were ignorant of it. They de­manded of me to take the Oath of Alle­giance and Supremacy: I told them, That my Lord and Master Christ Jesus, and his Apostle James, commanded me, not to swear at all. They had a Priest with them there, and he took upon him to question me; the first Thing he asked me was, which was first, Reason or Scripture? I told him, That Reason was before Scrip­ture; God made Man a reasonable Crea­ture, in his Own Image; and that the first Part of the Scripiures, which we have now extant, was writ by Moses: The Apostle tells us, That the Law came by Moses, but Grace and Truth came by Jesus Christ. And I further told them, [Page 52]That holy Men of God gave them forth as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. A [...] to this, they seemed to be satisfied▪ But the Priest laid some ensnaring Que­stions to me; and when I perceived it, I asked the Justices, what that Man was [...] whether he was a Justice of the Peace, or not? And I asked whether he was not a Priest? They said, they looked upon him to be a fitter Man than themselves to discourse with me about Religion. I told them, I thought he was as the High-Priest among the Jews, who did [...]ay ensnaring Questions to Christ, when he was brought before them, to seek to make him an Offender; and turning my­self to the Justices, I desired them to take Notice of that Man, who laid those ensnaring Questions to seek to make me an Offender. Then the Priest left me, and the Justices of the Peace called to me, and asked me (see­ing I would not take the Oaths) whe­ther I would give Bail? and said, they would take my Father's Bail for my good Behaviour I told them, my Cause was just, and that I was innocent, and I would give them no Bail, for the Truth binds me to my good Behaviour. Then the High-Sheriff (a very fair [Page 53]Man) told me, I was a strange Man, and of a strange Perswasion, to come with my Hat upon my Head among them, and would not take the Oaths, nor give Bail: you know, said he, that Paul said to Festus; Noble Festus. I told him, That Paul had tried Festus; but I had not yet tried him; and it might be, that I might speak of him; Noble Sheriff. Upon this they were most of them very pleasant. He called to me, and asked me, who I did know there? there were se­veral of my Relations Justices there, who very well knew me, but I made mention of none of them; but) I told him, I knew the Chief Magistrate of the Town (one Charles Jones) whose Prisoner I was. Then they called for him, and asked him, whether he knew me? He said he did very well, for I was born and bred in the Town among them, and was a very honest young Man all a­long; but (said he) what Devilihe hath now, I know not. Then they asked him, whether I was his Prisoner? And he said I was. Then said the Justices, take him again to your Custody. And as I was going out of the Room, I told the Justices, that I brought a good Hat on my Head there, but was going away [Page 54]without it (for some of the baser So [...] had conveyed it away), but the Justice made diligent Search about it; so it was brought me again, and put upon my Head, and they p [...]ted: with me ve­ry friendly; and the Town Magistrate took me a little from them, and bid [...] go home to my Wife and Family. And many of the Inhabitants of the Town accompanied me Home, praising God i [...] their Way for my Deliverance; for se­veral Things were threat'ned against me: But, blessed be God, Truth was o­ver all, and had Dominion; and the Witness of God was reached in many of them, and the High-Sheriff continued loving and kind to Friends, and ready to serve them in what he could all his Life-time, as also was his Deputy She­riff, and several other of the Justices.

About the Third Month 1660, many of those Professors, both Captains, Lieu­tenants and Soldiers, that were in Arms in Oliver and Richard Cromwel's Days were put in Prison in the Town of Montgomery: My Wife and I did fore­see, that I should be sent there to them; though I never was a Soldier, nor bore any Arms for either Side. And in a lit­tle Time, there came a Troop of Horse [Page 55]for me, to take me to Prison: My Rela­tions offered to give Bail for me, but it would not be accepted of. So I went to acquaint my Wife of it, and to make my self ready to go with them: One of the Soldiers came up Stairs after me, with a Pistol and naked Sword; and my Wife rising her self up, and sitting in Bed, (being delivered but three Days before of her first Child) she said, Dear hushand, be faithful to God, whatever becomes of me. The Soldier seeing her, retreated back. So I went down to the Troop of Horse standing in the Street before my House: There was among them one bad Man (that run away in my Father's Debt) threat'ned to compel me to follow his Horse's Heels on Foot many Miles. But by this Time several of the Aldermen, and others of the Town were gathered together in the Street, who desired this Man, and others of the Troop, to let me alone for that Time, and they would engage Body for Body, that I should be in my Prison next Morning; but they could not prevail. At length some of the Aldermen fell into a Rage, and they bid them meddle with me if they durst; and bid me go to my House, which I was not willing to do; for [Page 56]great Fear came upon me, lest there should be a Quarrel among them con­cerning my going or staying. But one or two of the Aldermen being more con­siderate than the rest, desired their Pati­ence till the Captain might be spoken with who was then in Town. He soon granted that I should stay at Home that Night, and be in Montgomery Pri­son next Morning; and was angry at that bad Man, for his Incivility toward [...] the Aldermen that interceded for me; for the Captain knew I was a peaceable Man, and never concerned myself in Fighting for one Side or other. And when the Troop had their Orders, they went on their Way; and I praised God for the Multitude of his Mercies, in that there was no Bloodshed that Day: For many of the Young Men of the Town, with the Aldermen, were gathered to­gether with Clubs and Staves, saying, What should a Town's born Child be so abused by such a bad Fellow as that was before-mentioned? My Heart often trembled within me, lest any Thing should fall amiss in this Tumult; and I desired them often, before they went to the Captain, that I might go along with them towards my Prison.

[Page 57] So, that Night I staid at Home, and next Morning I took my Journey to­wards my Prison to Montgomery; and I avoided the House of my Uncle (that was a Justice of the Peace in this Coun­try, near my Way, and a Brother-in-Law to this Captain) lest he should stop me from going to Prison. So I went there my self alone, and told the Mar­shal, one John Mason, that I was come a Prisoner; and he took me up to an up­per Garret for my Lodging, but I had the Liberty of the House, as well as other Prisoners; there being many of those called Presbyterians, Independents, and Baptists, who were formerly my great Acquaintance; but now they appear­ed very strange, and would not discourse with me; But I considered the Reason, and was informed, that these old formal Church-Members or Professors had agreed among themselves, that they would not discourse with me, nor receive any Books from me, lest the most serious inwad. Christians among them (as they said) should turn Quakers. But in a little Time, their Orders and Covenants were broken, and I was moved to go to their Meeting, sometimes, having little to say among them but a Sigh or a Groan, and [Page 58]a Travel in my Spirit for them, which did often put them out of Order in their Preaching and Praying; and as the Lord would order it, I spoke a few Words a­mong them. And a Baptist was convin­ced there, and he came to meet with me in my Room. And there was one of the Professors, Cadwalader Edwards, also convinced, and he too came up with us to meet in the Prison: and then there came to be Discoursings and Disputes be­tween them and me. In this Time, I wrote a few Lines to send Home to my Wife; but I knew not by whom to send it, for it was very hard to send any Papers out of Prison; the Marshal, or Goaler would examine and search such as came in, or went out, for Letters. There wassan old Friend, an Acquaintance of [...] that came to visit her Friends and Brethren, the Professors in Prison, whom I desired to carry that Letter to my Wife, as she went through our Town of Welch-Pool to her Home; she was fearful and afraid to meddle with it; partly for fear of the Goaler, and also lest she should offend her Brethren there. I desired her not to be afraid, for I would read it to her first, and the Goaler might see it, if he pleased; and after I had read it to [Page 59]her, she was tenderly affected, and turn­ed to her Brethren again, and said, Sure­ly these People will never come to us, but we must go to them. In some Time after, thro' much Trouble and Afflicti­on, she came to receive the Truth, to live in it, and obey it: Her Name is Margaret Bowen, Wife of John Bowen of Collsryn; and Mother to Peter Bowen, in Martin's [...] Grand, London; and she is yet alive.

In a little Time my Service was over among those Professors in that Prison, and the Lord made Way for my Enlarge­ment, in about two Weeks Time, or a little more, I came away, and left the rest of the Prisoners there, where they continued afterwards for a considerable Time; I was well satisfied with the Goodness of God, that I found his Pre­sence, Life and Power with me, and a present Help in the Time of Need, that kept me low and humble, that I durst not rejoice that Spirits were made sub­ject; but rather that I found my Name written in Heaven: So I came Home in great Love and Peace to my Wife and Family, and many of my loving Neighbours rejoiced to see me.

I continued about my Calling and Bu­neis, and waited upon God to know his [Page 60]Mind and Will concerning me. In this Time I heard of an honest old Woman, who had received the Truth some Time before, about Montgomery, her Name was Anne Hamon, Wife of Thomas Ha­mon; my Wife and I went to visit her. Soon after, about the Year 1651. I went to a Meeting, at a Place called Edge­ment, near Wem in Shropshire.

Here our Friend William Gibson and I were taken Prisoners, with about 25 or 26 more, and sent to Shrewsbury. When we were brought there, we saw the Temper of the Jaylor to be very cruel, and he threat'ned us, with a great deal of Hardship, if we did not eat of his Meat, and drink of his Drink, and lie on his Beds, and give him what he de­manded; we told him, we were the King's Prisoners, and we demanded a free Prison, and Straw to lie upon, but he in a Rage denied us that, and put us in a little Room, where there was scarce Place for us to lie down; when Night [...]ame, Sleep came upon us, we being weary by travelling so many Miles on Foot; but we were made willing and able to suffer all Things; so that Night we lay upon the Boards, and it was pleasant unto us, being warm Weather, and about [Page 61]the Time of Hay-Harvest; the next Morning we were very fresh and well, praising God for his Mercies and Good­ness to us; the Jaylor came to us, and ask'd us how we did like our Lodging, and how we slept? We told him, we slept in Peace of Conscience, and Qui­etness of Mind, for we suffered for Con­science sake towards God, and durst not break the Command of Christ and His Apostle, who commanded us not to swear at all. For our supposed Trans­gression, was not only for meeting toge­ther, but for refusing the Oaths of Al­legiance and Supremacy. The Jaylor being a very passionate inconsiderate Man, he would go out in the Morning from his own House, and not come back till Night, and then returned so drunk, that be could hardly speak or stand. The next Night when we went to lie down, the Room was so little, we could not all lie at once; the next Morning we complained to the Jaylor, that there was not enough of Room for us all to lie down, and desired him to let us have a little Straw, but it would not be grant­ed us. By this Time the Friends of the Town had Liberty to come to visit us, and to bring us in some Provision; and [Page 62]when the Door was opened for us to go into another Room, there being a corded Bedstead it that Room, William Gibson and I lay upon the Cords, and next Morning we found that the Print of the Cords was not only in our Clothes, but in our Skin also, so that it would have been easier for us to have lain upon the Boards as we did before. By this Time having well observed the Jaylor's Hu­mour and Temper, I began to be uneasy in myself to let him alone; so I watched him in the Morning upon his first ri­sing, when he would come to the Court that was before our Prison Door, and I began to discourse with him about the Prisoners that lay in such Hardship, I told him they were honest Men, and most of them Masters of Families, and they had good Beds to lie upon at Home, but now they were content for Christ's and the Gospel's Sake, to suffer that Hardship, and desired him to let them have their Liberty to go to their Friends in Town at Night, and to come there in the Morning, and if he would not be pleased to grant them a little Straw, then to let them go lie in their own Beds; which he surlily deny'd, calling them a Company of Rogues and Knaves, [Page 63]and such like Terms. He asked me, What made me to plead for them? I told him, they were my Friends; he answered, Why your Friends? You are no Quaker, are you? I said, I am call'd a Quaker. He answered, You do not look like a Quaker: And he looked me in my Face, and on my Hands and Body. I desired him not to disgrace me so, as to tell me I was no Quaker; then he asked me where I lived? I told him, when I was at Home, I lived at Welch-Pool, and my Family was there: But, said he, where are you now? I asked him, whether he did not know I was a Prisoner there with my Friends? And he asked me, whether I did lie upon the Boards with them? I told him, I did: He said he was sorry for it; but went away in Anger, being much discontent­ed in himself. So I did not see him till next Morning, at which Time I went to him again, and I friendly discoursed with him; he said, he did enquire a­bout me in the Town, and he said: might take the Liberty of the Town; I did acknowledge his Kindness; but I told him, it would be no Comfort to me to have the Liberty of the Town, and leave my Friends and Brethren there, [Page 64]he said, then I might stay there with them: So I did not see him till the next Morning, and then I went to him again; he was so cross and ill-conditi­oned, he would not suffer any other Friend to speak to him. William Gibson did so judge him for his Wickedness, that he kept him close in a Room by him­self. After five or six Nights lying on the Boards, I prevailed with him, that Friends might have the Liberty of the Town in the Night, and be there in the Morning: So the next Day he began to be more friendly to us. After some Days, I desired our Friend John Milling­ton to come with me to the Jaylor's House, to see whether we could have Leave to go Home till the Assizes; but then it was not granted: But he told me, if I pleased I might go Home till then; I told him, he might as freely let them go as me, for most of them liv­ed in the County, and I lived out of the County; but no more could we have that Time of him: But I was uneasy in myself (seeing I had got a Place in him) to let him alone, but still I pressed for my Friends further Liberty: In a little Time afterwards, I prevailed with him by serious Arguments, as it was Har­vest-time, [Page 65]and it was hard for their Wives, or some of their Families, to come with weekly Necessaries for them [...] so [...]d, with my Friend John Millington, prevailed with him to let them go, and he took our Words for our Appearance at the next Assizes.

Through the Goodness of God, we all came together to Shrewsbury to our Prison before the Assizes; and when we came there, we found a great Alteration in the Jaylor, he was very low and mournful, he had lost a Prisoner, a Ma­lefactor, and was to be tried for his Life for his Escape; he was very loving and kind to us, and let Friends go themselves to Bridgenorth, about 14 Miles, where the Assizes were then held, and he desired me to stay with him in his Affliction; and not be much from him; he said his Life was at Stake, and if God and the Judge would shew him any Mercy, it was upon our Friends Account, and not for any Deserts that were in himself, for he confessed he had been too severe to us; but, notwithstanding, said he, you are merciful Men, and can forgive Wrongs and Injuries.

Then, when we came to Bridgenorth, we were put in a large spacious room in [Page 66]the House of Correction, to be there in the Day-time, that we might be all together, and ready when called for; but we had liberty of going in and out for Lodging, and what Necessaries we wanted: No Keeper being over us, but what we set our selves to look to the Door, and that too many Friends might not be out at once, and those were not to stay out too long; and we saw it con­venient, that Friends should go out by two and two, to walk the Streets; for it was a strange Thing to People to hear of Quakers. Once it fell to my Lot to be at the Door, (tho' the Door was al­ways open, that such as would might come and see us; with several of them we had Reasonings and Disputes about the Way of Truth and Righteousness.) There came one, who appeared some­thing like a Gentleman, and asked me, Whether he might see the Quakers? I desired him to walk up along with me, and he should see them. And when I had brought him up to the Room where Friends were walking, I told him, Those were they. He answered, These be Christians, like ourselves; but when are the Quakers? I told him, These were they that were called Quakers. [Page 67]He asked me, Whether I was one of them? I answered him, I was one so called. I had an Opportunity to declare to him the Way of Truth, and that the Name of Quaker was given to us in Scorn and Derision; and he departed ve­ry friendly. Some People were so blind and dark in those Days, as to look upon us to be some strange Creatures, and not like other Men and Women. They would gather much about us in the Town, and we had good Opportunities to speak of the Things of God to 'em. But I was pretty much with the Goaler, waiting when his Trial could be: And when it came, I went with him, and stood some­what near him, which he was very glad of. The Jury cleared him, being not found guilty of a wilful Escape; which was Gladness to him, and Satisfaction to us. And when the Assizes was near at an End, the Judge returned us to one Ju­stice Holland, (except William Gihson, to whom the Judge put it, Whether he would go Home, if he was discharged? but he could not make the Judge such a Promise as he required, so he was com­mitted again to the same Prison) but we were freely and friendly discharged, ha­ving had good Service in that Town, [Page 68]and the Lord was with us, and brought us safe Home, to the Comfort of our Fa­milies and ourselves; and we have cause to bless and Praise the Name of the Lord for ever, for all his Mercies and Good­ness to us all along, in the Time of our Afflictions and Persecutions; and we could say, Surely God is good to Israel, and unto all them that draw nigh unto him with an upright Heart.

In the Year 1662, a further Concern came upon me about Meetings in th [...] Country. There was one that was Con­ [...]nced in the Prison of Montgomery, when I was there, viz. Cadwalader Ed­wards before mentioned, who lived near to Dolobran; he promised me, that we should have his House to keep a Meeting in. And in this Time I went to know, whether he would perform his Promise [...], which he readily granted; and I appoint­ed the Day and Time with him, which he gave Notice of to his Neighbours thereabouts. I being destitute of a Friend to go with me to the said Meeting, de­pended upon the Lord, that he would provide a suitable Companion to go with me. And my Wife going to Shrewsbury▪ I told her of the Meeting, and desired her to speak to Friends there of it; and [Page 69]if there was any Publick Friend there, that he might come along with her. There happened to be one Richard Moor of Salop, a worthy and faithful Labour­er in the Gospel, who came along with her to our House in Welch-Poul. This was in the 9th Month 1662. A Day or two after we went to the Meeting, where there came in Charles Lloyd of Dolobran, who was formerly in Commission of the Peace, and had been in Election to be High-Sheriff of that County, and several of his well-meaning Neighbours, some of them were Professors, belonging to the same People that I formerly belonged unto. The Lord was not wanting, but afforded unto us his good Presence; Life and Power came from Him, that reached to the Hearts and Understanding of most of the People then present, who gave Testimony to the Truth, Life and Power of God, that appeared with us that Time; and in the Love, Fear, and Life of Truth we parted.

The next Morning we went to visit Charles Lloy [...] of Dalobran aforesaid, who [...]tly received us, and several of those People that were at the Meeting came there that Day; where we had a sweet, comfortable, refreshing Time, in [Page 70]the Presence of the Lord; as it is said, In his Presence is Fulness of Joy, and at his Right Hand there are Pleosures for evermore, Psalm xvi. 11.

The Sound and Report of this Meet­ing went through the Country, some saying, that most of that Side the Coun­try were turned Quakers. Whereupon divers were sent for before Edward Lord Herbert, Baron of Cherbury, to a Place where he then lived, called Llyssin, about three Miles from Dolobran; after some Discourse with them, he sent them to Welch-Pool to Prison, for refusing to take the Oath of Allegiance and Supre­macy, which they refused, because they could not swear at all; they being about Six sent together, viz. Charles Lloyd Hugh David, Richard David, Cadwa­lader Edwards, Ann Lawrence, Sarah Wilson, &c. where they were coutinued very close Prisoners.

In a little Time there were added Pri­soners to them, William Lewis and Mat­garet his Wife, who were Owners of the said House of Cloddiecochion before men­tioned, where I was moved to go about the Year 1657, to a Meeting there of the Professors (which is now the Place of my abode.) And this William Lewis [Page 71]my near Relation, was he that led me out of the House to the Common, and shut the Gate against me, as is before re­lated ( Page 40.) And thus the Word of the Lord was fulfilled, that came to me then, ‘That those People should own and receive Truth, and that House should be a Meeting-house for us:’ Which it now is, and hath been for these 40 Years.

The Oath of Allegiance and Supre­macy being tender'd to them, they could not take it for Conscience Sake; Swear­ing at all being forbidden by Christ and his Apostle James; so they were sent to Prison, and continued Prisoners there. There was also at that Time one Edward Evans, an honest, substantial Man, that was committed to Prison for the same supposed Offence, who was convinced sometime before: I having had some weighty Discourse with him about the Things of God. He told me, That when he was in Prison with Vavasor Powell, with many more of his Brethren in Pool-Goal before this Time, that Vavasor leaning upon a Window of their Prison that opened to the Street, saw me and my dear Wife pass by that Way, and he said on this wise, ‘Behold Zicharias [Page 72]and Elizabeth! It was said of them That they walked in the Command­ments of God blameless.’ This Edward Evans, and some others of the said Pri­soners, looking out thro' the Window; saw us two called Quakers, that he and o­thers a little before had preached severely against, they look'd upon it, that the Lord had forced him to give that Testimony of us, and several of 'em (as he said) were con­vinced thereby, and sometime after, came to live in Obedience to the Truth, and suffer'd for it.

These Prisoners were kept very close, some of them were Substantial Freehold­ers, who were put in a dirty nasty Place, near the Stable and House of Office, be­ing a low Room; the Felons and other Malefactors in a Chamber over Head, their Chamber-Pots and Excrements, &c. of­ten falling upon them. And Charles Lloyd (who was a little before in Com­mission of the Peace, as aforesaid) was put in a little smoaky Room, and did lie upon a little Straw himself for a considerable Time; and at length his tender Wise Elizabeth, that was of a considerable Family (Daughters of Samp­son Lort, near Pembroke, in South-Wales), was made willing to he upon Straw, with her dear and tender Husband. And [Page 73]shus they both, with the rest of Friends did rather choose to suffer Afflictions with the People of God, than to enjoy the Pleasures of Sin for a Season.

So I staid at Home with them for some Time, keeping our Meetings in the Pri­son; but at length the Jaylor had strict Charge to keep me from among 'em, [...]lle [...] ­gl [...]g, that I strengthned 'em in their Way and Principles: And when the Jaylor kept me out, I went to a Neighbour's Back-yard, having leave of him to see them and to speak with them.

The Sufferings of Friends being now very great, and still increasing, they sent the following Paper to the Quarter Sessions held at Montgomery, directed thus:

[Page 77] The foregoing Paper was sent to the Magistrates at their Quarter-Sessions, held at Montgomery, the 8th Day of the 11th Month, 1662.

A Copy of is was also sent to the Chief Justices at Ludlow by the Jaylor, toge­ther with another Paper directed to them.

A little Time after this I went to Pen­lyn, near Bala; in Merionethshire, to visit some Friends and tender Professors there, who received me kindly; and there I settled a Meeting among them, in the Power of God; and from thence I came Home, where I staid but a little while to visit these Prisoners. And soon after I went to the House of Owen Lewis, at Tyddyn y Gareg, near Dole­gelle, in Merionethshire, a Man that had been in Commission of the Peace in Oli­ver's Days, and was newly come from Prison from Bala, who received me kindly (he was first convinced by Tho. Briggs.) From thence I went down to Robert Owen's, of Dolycere, near Dole­gelle, who had also been a Justice of the Peace, and a Commander in Oliver's Time, he received me and my Testimo­ny; as did also Owen Humphrey, of Llwyngwril, near the Sea-side, in the [Page 78]said County (who was a Justice of the Peace in Oliver's Days) and his Father, his Brothers, Samuel and John Hum­phrey; these, with many more there had received the Truth, in the Love of it, and continued faithful, serviceable Men in their Country, and kept Meet­ings in their Houses, and many were ga­thered to the Lord among the Rocks and Mountains in those Parts; this was in the Year 1662. After this Journey, the Lord brought me safe Home to my Wife and Family, to the Comfort of my Friends, and one another in the Lord.

Not long after this Thomas Lloyd, Brother to the said Charles Lloyd of Do­lobran, hearing that his Brother was in Prison, came from Oxford to visit him, having been a Student there for seve­ral Years (as also his Brother Charles had been before him) they told me, that the great Sufferings of Friends in that City of Oxford, by the Magistrates, and by the wild and ungodly Scholars, did work much upon them; and they had some secret Love for Friends then. So when Thomas Lloyd came Home; he being some Time with Friends in Prison, and elsewhere; the Lord opened his Un­derstanding by his Light, Life and [Page 79]Power, and he received the Truth, and was obedient to it, and took up his dai­ly Cross, and followed Jesus, and came to be his Disciple, and was taught by him, and he went no more to Oxford for Learning; for I may say with David, The Lord made him wiser than all his former Teachers. He staid pretty much at Home (and with his eldest Brother Charles Lloyd) and in these Parts.

The Jaylor of Welch-Pool, was very cruel to Friends, and continued them in that nasty Hole before-mentioned, till one of these Friends, called Edward E­vans, beforesaid, fell sick (by Reason of the Dampness and Unhealthiness of the Room) and died; and the Jaylor would not suffer us to have his Body to be buried, except we would pay the Co­roner, and so clear him, as if he had had no Hand in his Death; but at last his Relations prevailed, without a Coroner's laquest; and they took him, and buried him on a Hill, on the Back-side of the Steeple-house, in Welch-Pool, and it happened, as they were digging the Grave, they found some Bones of a Man, and upon Enquiry in some old Records, it was said there was an old Judge buri­ed there; and the Name of that Place is [Page 80]called ever since Judge's-Hill. We had got no Burying-place of our own then, but were about having one.

Thomas Lloyd and I not being Prison­ers now, though (except us two) mest that were convinced were Prisoners. The Report of such who were turned Quakers, being spread abroad, they were soon sent for before a Magistrate, and the Oath of Allegiance and Supre­macy, was tendered to both Men and Women; and they for Conscience Sake refusing it, were sent to Prison in order to be premunired.

My Friend Thomas Lloyd and I were moved to go and visit most of the Justices, that had a Hand in Committing Friends to Prison, we began at the farthest Ju­stice towards Machynlleth, and so came down to Edward Lord Herbert Baron of Cherbury at Llyssin aforesaid, who had committed Charles Lloyd, and several o­ther Friends; we understood on the Way that he was at a Bowling-Green, and se­veral were with him, near a Place called the Can Office, near the High-Way Side, (and not far from Llyssin;) where we beheld them Bowling, we considered with each other, which Way to take, there being a peevish Priest, the said [Page 81]Lords's Chaplain, with them, so I asked Thomas Lloyd whether he would engage the Priest in Discourse, or go to the said Lord; he chose the last; and got into the Green leisurely towards him where most of them knew Thomas; but he went not in their complimenting Po­sture, he staid there but a little while be­fore they broke up their Game, and while he discoursed with the Lord Herbert, I discoursed a little with the Priest. And the Lord Herbert coming toward the Priest and me, he said to the Priest (whose Name was Jones) Mr. Jones, whom have you got there? He answered, A Quaker, and Haberdasher of Hats, that lives in Welch-Pool. Oh! said the Lord Herbert, I thought he was such an One, he keeps his Hat so fast upon his Block. Then he intending and preparing to come down a great steep Ditch, I stepped down to lend him my Hand to help him, ano­ther Priest would have stepped between him and me; but the Lord Herbert re­fused the Priest's Help, and stopping a little, said to the Priest, Here is a Bro­ther that stands by will say, "The Blind leads the Blind, and both will fall into the Ditch." The Priest was so drunk, that the, could not stand by himself; this [Page 82]Lord being a very big, fat Man, took my Help to come down, and we went [...] long with him towards his House at Llyssin; laying the Sufferings of Friends before him, and that their Sufferings were for Conscience Sake towards God; he gave us no Grant them for their En­largement, but we heard that he sent private Instructions, and they had more Liberty. The Goaler had an empty House at the End of the Town, and there he let Friends go, which was a sweet; convenient Place near the Fields, without any Keeper over them; and they had the Liberty of the Town, and to go where they pleased, except to their own Houses.

So Charles, Lloyd took a House in Town for him and his Family to live in; and we kept our Meetings in that House of the Jaylor's aforesaid, for several Years; most of Friends by this Time be­ing under a Premunire; and many Friends came from several Places to visit them, and those that were convinced towards Machinlleth, as William Evans, and se­veral others of that End of the County (who were formerly Independents) were sent here to Prison upon the same Ac­count, refusing to take the Oaths of Al­legiance [Page 83]and Supremacy; and also one Peter Price, a worthy Man of Radnor­shire was sent to this Prison, he had [...] Commisson of the Peace in Oli­ver's Days; he, with several others with him, were committed by the Justices of this County to the House of Correction in Welch-Pool for Three Months, as Vagrants; because they came out of their own County of Radnorshire, ad­joining to this County of Montgomery­shire, where they remained the Three Months; but they had the Liberty of the Town, and to go to Meetings with the rest of the Prisoners; and other Friends that lived in and about the Town met with them in Prison, and considerable Meetings we had in that House aforesaid, with them together.

A little after this, one Thomas Ellis (that was called a Deacon in the Inde­pendent Congregation) was convinced, a Man of great Esteem among them, and so he was also afterwards amongst us. He came to my House to visit the Prison­ers, his former fellow Church members; and he shewed me a Letter that came to him from their Minister Vavasor Powel, [...]menting the deplorable Condition and Danger they were in at that Time, say­ing, [Page 84]That the Christians were in great Danger to be split between two Rocks, that was the World and Q. (meaning the Quakers) but the worst, said he, is Q. But the Lord had opened Thomas Ellis's Understanding, and given him a Sight of their Decay and Formalities some Years before, the Lord did break in among them, to the convincing of many of them; for Thomas told me, That there came two Women Friends a­mong them in the Time of their break­ing of their Bread (I suppose it was be­fore I came from London) and when they had the Motion of Truth upon them; they opened their Mouths in the Name off the Lord; in much Fear and Humility; so that the Independent El­ders stood still, and gave the Women Leave to speak what they had to say to the People at that Time; then the Pro­fessors went on again with their Business; and after some Time these Friends spoke again; and then they commanded them to be taken away; but none was very ready to do it: Then their Minister Vavasor Powel said, Brother Ellis, take them away: Thomas Ellis told me, that he rememb'red that Christ was not hasty in passing Sentence upon the Woman [Page 85]that the Jews brought before him in the Case of Adultery; But he stooped down and wrote with his Finger upon the Ground, as though he heard them not: So T. Ellis told me, he was not willing to take them away till they had fully clear'd themselves of what was upon them to deliver among them; but at last they called to him again, and bid him take them away; then he arose from among the Company, and went to them, and desired them to go with him to the next Room, for he had something to say to them; and the Friends went readily with him; then he told them on this wise, Friends, You see how we are met together here, we are like the Pro­digal, who was spending his Portion, and we have a little left unspent; and when we have spent all, we must return to our Heavenly Father, and come to you, and to your Way. And the Friends went away well satisfied.—I have made much Enquiry who these Friends were, and from whence they came, but could not certainly learn who they were. As for our Friend Thomas Ellis, the Lord bles­sed him, and poured his Spirit upon him, and gave him Part of the Ministry, and he became a faithful Labourer and ser­viceable [Page 86]Man among us; and at length he was made a Prisoner here at Welch-Pool.

About the Year 1663. our Friend James Parkes came from the North, hearing that some of his Acquaintance and Fellow Church-Members, came to own Truth, and he came to give them a Visit in the Love of God, and also to visit those Independents that he formerly walked among, that were not convinced; and he left a Paper with me, to deliver to them, which was thus:

A Lamentation and Warning from the Lord God, in the Love of Christ Jesus, unto all the Professors in North-Wales, especially those about Wrexham, in Denbighshire, and Welch-Pool, in Montgomeryshire, whom formerly I have known, and walked with, in a Fellowship and Worship, till the Lord awokened me out of Sleep, and opened in me an Ear to his Voice, which cry'd, Come out from amongst them, and be thou separate; touch no un­clean Thing, and I will receive thee.

Several Friends, both from the North and South of England, were drawn to [...]t these Friends in Prison; many s [...] and comfortable Epistles, were written [...] them.

There was a great Convincement, in the Year 1662. in these two Counties, [...] Montgomeryshire, and Merionethshire; and as Meetings did increase, several Friends came into this Town, of Welch-Pool, where our Meeting was kept, in that House that was their Prison. The Magistrates and Priest were discontent, some saying; That there came as many to the Meeting, as went to their Worship at the Church (as they call'd it.)

So the Magistrates were resolved to come and break up our Meeting, and one First-day they came, viz. Thomas Cor­bet, a Councellor, and a Justice of Peace in this County; together with the two Bailiffs of the Town, the Serjeants at [Page 104]Mace and Under-Officers; when they came into the Meeting, I was at Prayer and they were indifferent civil till I had concluded, and then they began to take our Names, and when they had done my Wife called to Justice Corbet, and told him, they had not taken the Name of all that were at the Meeting; he asked her, who was untaken? And she put her Child towards him, being about a Quar­ [...] Old; he said, that was under Age, [...] answered h [...]m and said, We are all as innocent from Plotting and Contriving, or thinking any Harm to any Man, as this little Child; which smote much this Thomas Corbet, and several others that were present. They committed me to one Serjeant's House; and Thomas Lloyd, Brother to Charles Lloyd, and one Samuel Lloyd (Son to Samuel Lloyd of Dudson, in the County of Salop, and eldest Brother, to John and David Lloyd of London, and Edward Lloyd of Bristol) to the other Serjeant's House; but when the Serjeant that I was com­mitted to was come from the Steeple-House, he turned me out, and bid me go Home, I should not stay there; so I went first to see my Friends, the old Prisoners, which were kept (for a little [Page 105]Time) more close; and we were not suffered to go to them; they were very glad to see me, and I was refreshed also to see them, though we could not go to one another. In a little Time I went to see the other two Prisoners that were at the other Serjeant's House, and the Serjeant let them come Home with me.

On Second-day following, it came in my Mind that the Magistrates would try us with an Offer to pass by that Trans­gression, upon the Condition that we would go to the Steeple-house to their Worship the next First-day following; which I told to Friends.

On Third-day following, Justice Cor­bet, and the two Bailiffs that had com­mitted us to Prison, sent for us before them. So we Three went, viz. Thomas Lloyd, Samuel Lloyd, and myself. Af­ter some Discourse with them, they pro­posed to us, That if we would go to Church, and hear divine Service, as they call'd it, we should be discharged. I told them, that when I was last there, they turned me out of their Church; and if I should make any Promise to go there, it might be that they would do the like to me again. Justice Corbet said, he would engage I should not be [Page 106]turn'd out. Then I told them, I knew nothing to the contrary but that I would go there. Justice Corbet seem'd to be satisfied; but one of the Bailiffs said, Mr. Corbet, do you think that the old Quaker will go to Church, except it be to disturb our Minister? Corbet ask­ed me, whether I would disturb the Mi­nister? I told him, if God should put something in my Heart to speak to the People, I hope they would not impose upon me to hold my Peace. He said, God forbid they should do so! Then I told him, I hop'd I should perform what It promised to do: And so they dischar­ged us. Now none was under an En­gagement to go to the Steeple-house but myself, and the Report went about, that the old Quaker would go to Church.

So when First-day came, and the Bells began to ring, the other two Friend's (viz. Thomas Lloyd and Samuel Lloyd) came to me, and said, we think we must go with thee to the Steeple-house, I took my Bible under my Arm, and went to Justice Corbet's House (that was but a few Doors from my House) to let him see that I was going; and I asked him, if he was going? He said, he was not disposed to go that Day, but he would [Page 107]send his Man to see we were not affront­ed. So the two Friends and myself went to my own Pew, which was opposite to the Pulpit; there was in the Pulpit only the Curate to read the Common-Prayer, and their Service to them that Morning: There was a great Multitude of People; it was said, there were some, that had not been at their Church for se­veral Years before. So nothing was laid upon us to speak to the People till he had done: Then I stood up, and said to the People, I suppose you are not igno­rant of the Cause of our coming here this Day, which was thus; The Magistrates of the Town came to our Meeting, and they found us upon our Knees, praying to Almighty God; they were civil while we were at Prayer, and when we had done, they took our Names, and committed us Three to Prison, most of the rest that were at the Meeting were Prisoners be­fore: The Magistrates afterwards sent for us, and told us, if we would come to Church, we should be discharged; and now you see we are come, according to their Desire: But I find that your Priest is not here, and now I would have you to inform him, that I say,

[Page 108] 1. If he proves this to be the true Church of Christ;

2. And that he is a true Minister of Christ;

3. And that his Maintenance is a Gospel Maintenance;

4. And this Worship of yours is the true Worship of God:

Then we will be of your Religion, and come again to you.

But if he proves not this, then we must conclude,

1. Your Church to be a false Church;

2. And he to be no true Minister of Christ;

3. That his Maintenance is no Gospel-Maintenance;

4. And that your Worship is not the true Worship of God.

All the People were very civil and orderly, and heard me a considerable Time in the Steeple house; and when I had done, our Friend Thomas Lloyd spoke a few very seasonable Words to the People. And the People said, if Mr. Langford (which was the Priest's Name) will not prove us to be the true Church of Christ, and our Worship to be the true Worship, then we will pay him no more Tythes; for what Richard [Page 109] Davies said, he proved it out of the Bi­ble; for, you see, he had the Bible in his Hand all the while. So for that Time we parted.

When the Bells rang again for them to go to their Evening Service, it lay up­on me to go there again, and the afore­said Friends went along with me; where the old High-priest was, who made a long Sermon, till we were all uneasy; but I desired the Friends to bear all Things patiently. When the Priest had done, he was going away; and I step'd up in my Seat, and desired him to stay, for I had something to say to him; which was the same as aforesaid. When he heard my Queries, and what I had to say, he turned his Back, and went away, and gave us no Answer. Then I said, Behold the Hireling fleeth, because be is an Hireling; and some of the Peo­plestaid, and some of 'em went with him, but all seem'd dissatisfied that he would not prove them to be the true Church of Christ, &c. And I had a good Op­portunity to speak to the People more at large in the Grave yard; the Lord's Presence, Life and Power was with us, blessed be the Name of the Lord for e­ver, [Page 110]who doth not leave nor forsake his People that trust in him.

When we came Home, Justice Corbet sent for us again to him; he met us in his Court, and said, he was sorry that Mr. Langford, was so uncivil, that he did not answer our Queries, which he thought was very reasonable that he should. And in a little Time many of the Neighbours were gathered together in the Street and in his Court; we had a good Opportunity to reason with him, and to open to the People, and to de­clare to them the Way and Means to ob­tain the Kingdom of Heaven; and he was so moderate, that one of the Neigh­bours said to him, Mr. Corbet, we think you will be a Quaker too. His Answer was, I wish I were a Quaker in my Life and Conversation. And towards the End of our Discourse, he desired me to give him my Queries in Writing, that Mr. Langford might answer 'em; for said he, it may be he was not prepared to answer you then, but he may answer them in Writing. I told him, that was but a private Way of answering; but if he was rot prepared then, I told him, we would give him a Meeting next First­day at the Steeple h use, or in the [Page 111]Town-Hall upon a Market, Day, He said that was very fair.

This Counsellor Corbet was very friendly and loving to us, and did no more persecute us to his dying Day; but did us all the Good he could in all the Courts of Judicature, where he was con­cerned.

As for this Priest, William Langford, many Friends were moved to go to him to the Steeple-house in the Time of his Service, to declare to him and the Peo­ple, what they had to say from the Lord; and when the Magistrates have committed some of them to the Prison on that Account, this Priest, when his Ser­vice was over, hath got them to be re­leased.

Some Time after this, he sent the Clerk of the Parish to me for Easter-reckonings; I asked the Clerk, whether his Master did expect any Thing of me that had nothing from him? and bid him tell his Master, I would come to reckon with him by and by; so the Clerk went away, and in a little Time I made myself ready, and went to him; there were a pretty many People with him: I told him, that his Clerk had been with me from him, for that which [Page 112]he call'd Easter-reckonings, and I was come to reckon with him; and if he could make it appear that I owed him a­ny Thing, I would pay him, and I ex­pected the same from him. He said I owed him for several Years for the Sa­crament. I asked what he meaned by the Word Sacrament, for I found no such Word in the Scripture? He said it mean­ed the Bread and Wine which were used in the Church. I told him I received none of him, and therefore not liable to pay. He answered again, Why, then you might come to Church, and receive it. I told him, I did not believe that his Church was the true Church of Christ; and I did not believe that he was a true Minister of Christ, commissionat­ed by Him to break the Bread, and give it to the People, and much less to sell it, or take Money for it of the People; for I did not read in all the Scripture, that the true Ministers of Christ did take any Money of the Peo­ple for that Bread they delivered unto them. He said then, That the Labour­er was worthy of his Hire; and under the Law it was said, Thou shalt not muz­zle the Mouth of the Ox that treadeth out the Corn. I told him, he trod out no [Page 113]Corn for me; and tho' he was an Hire­ling, yet I never hired him.

The People coming thick to pay him for the Bread and Wine, I ask'd him how in Conscience he could take so much Mo­ney for so little Bread and Wine? it being I suppose about 10 d. for Man and Wife. I ask'd him, what Scripture he had for it? and desired him to prove his Practice by Scripture. He asked me, what Scripture I had to eat Flum­mery? I told him, I had Scripture to eat it; Paul said to Timothy, For every Creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with Thanks­giving: For it is sanctified by the Word of God and Prayer, 1 Tim. iv. 4, 5. His Communicants, who were present, were much dissatisfied that he had no better Answer and Proof for his Practice. I desired the People to take Notice, that he could not make it appear by Scripture, that I owed him any Thing: But I told them, that he owed me some Money, and I desired him to pay it me; which he did; and then we parted fairly. We have a Saying, That even or often Reckonings make long Friends. He was very friendly afterwards, and never sent to me more for Easter-reckonings. [Page 114]And as for the Tythe in Time of Har­vest, he charged his Servants to take from me no more than what was called their due, nor so much: I was inform'd he should say, he knew not why he should take any Thing from me, seeing I had nothing from him. He lived here among us many Years a good Neighbour; and though in the Time of great Persecution, yet he had no Hand in persecuting any of us.

We have Cause to bless the Lord, who carried us through all our Services and Exercises, in the Time of our Weakness; and though we were little and low in our own Eyes, the Lord did not leave us, nor forsake us, blessed be his holy Name for ever.

About the Year 1663, or 1604. I went to London, and I found some there sepa­rated from that Love and Unity, which I formerly saw them in, joining in that Spirit with John Perrot, who was new­ly come from Prison at Rome to London, as it was said, with much seeming Hu­mility and Lowliness of Mind; a con­siderable Company joined together with him, where they had me among them for a little Time. The Tendency of that Spirit was to speak Evil of Friends, [Page 115]that bore the Burthen and Heat of the Day, and to cry out against Friends, as dead and formal; and they expected a more glorious Dispensation than had been yet among Friends; and they kept on their Hats in Time of Ptayer. I was but a little while among them, till a Vail of Darkness came over me; and under that Vail I came to have a light Esteem for my dear and ancient Friend G. F. and some others, who had been near and dear to me. But it pleased the Lord to rend the Vail of Darkness, and cause the Light of his Countenance to shine again upon me; whereby I came to see the doleful Place I was led into, by a Spirit that tended to nothing but Self­exaltation, and (under a Pretence of Humility and Self-denial) the Breach of that Unity, Love and Fellowship, that formerly we had together; and the good Esteem we had one of another in the Lord; Children we were of one Fa­ther, esteeming one another above our­selves in the Lord; there was no Jar or Contention among us then, but all dwelt together in Love and Unity, and in the Fellowship of that blessed Gospel of Peace, Life and Salvation.

[Page 116] At my Return Home from London, I was soon taken to the same Prison with my Friends in Welch-Pool; and little before I came among them to Per­son, the under Jaylor dreamed a Dream, how that he had in his Foldra Flock of Sheep, and that he was wrestling to get [...]in one Ram among the Sheep, but could not get him in; but when I came to Prison, he said to my Friend Charles Lloyd, Now I have got the old Ram in among the Sheep. But the Jaylor turned me out the first Night to my Wife and Family; and though I had the Name of a Prisoner, and was premunired as the rest of my Friends and Brethren were for several Years, yet I was not kept close Prisoner.

This was a Time when most travel­ing Friends were taken up Prisoners; and though I was a Prisoner, yet it lay upon me to get Liberty to go and visit Friends in several Counties of England and Wales; so I followed my good Guide, that shewed me what to do; I went to the Jaylor, and told him, I had an Occasion to go out a little while, and I could not go without acquainting him of it, because I was his Prisoner; and he said, I warrant you will go to Preach [Page 117]some where or other, and then you will be taken to Prison; and what shall I do then, said he? I told him, that if I was taken Prisoner, I would send to him where I was, and he might send for me if he pleased, to he bid me have a care of myself.

In a little Time in the Love of God, I took my leave here of my Friends and Family, and committed myself, to the Protection of the Almighty; I began my Journey, and went to Shrewsbury, and so to Worcestershire, where I had good Ser­vice for the Lord; so I went to Tewkes­bury, where I never was before; an an­cient Woman Friend followed my Horse, and before I had put up at the Inn, she was with me, and cordially said, she had a Sense upon her, that I was one of her (Heavenly) Father's Children; so when I went in, and had refreshed me a little, I asked her, whether she thought I might have a Meeting with Friends that Eve­ning; and she readily said, She would ac­quaint Friends of it, and after she had gone a little Way out of the Inn, she re­returned again, and desired to know my Name, that she might acquaint Friends of it; I was streightened in my self, to give her my Name, tho' I knew not [Page 118]the Cause then; but I desired her to go in the Name of the Lord, and if I came in the Name of the Lord, they would re­ceive me; so she went, and came again, and told me, I might have a Meeting; which was appointed to be at Susan Smi­thins; and a Blessed heavenly Meeting we had, and the Lord gave to us our ex­pected End; there were several Professors at the Meeting, some came to me next Morning, and discoursed friendly with me about the Things of God.

From thence I went thro' Gloucester­shire, where I had good Meetings, and so to Bristol, and when I was clear at Bristol, the Lord having blessed me, and preserved me so far in my Journey; I set forward towards Pembrokeshire, I travel­led without any Companion, but the Lord alone, who was with me all along in my Journey, he was my Helper and Preserver; so I came to the House of our Friend Lewis Davies, who gladly recei­ved me in the Lord; I staying there some Time, they lent me a Horse to go to a Meeting at Redstone, and I left my own behind me, thinking he might rest for some Days after my hard Riding. When I came to the Place, the Meeting was out of Doors, there being no House, [Page 119]that I did know of, that could contain the Multitude of People that was there, and when we came to the Meeting, there was one Meredith Edwards, (whom Friends judged unfit to Preach the Gos­pel) that had the Confidence to speak to the People, till they were weary of him, and those that were sensible were burthen­ed by him; after some Time there stood up a Friend and silenced him. I sat as a Stranger among them, and the Lord was with us, and his good Presence was our Comfort and Satisfaction; and after some Time I had an Opportunity to open to the People, those Things that belong to their Eternal Salvation; so I concluded the Meeting in Prayer, and this Man, M. E. aforesaid, stood up again and Preached to the People, and I turned my Back and came away, and the Friends with most Part of the People followed me, and as I was coming out, a Friend came and told me, there was two Soldiers, (tho' I under­stood afterwards, they were the two Sons of a Priest) that had brought my Horse there some Miles, and when I saw my Horse, I drew nigh to them, and asked them, who brought my Horse there? And they asked me, whether I was the Man that came from Bristol? I said, I [Page 120]was. Then, said they, you are the Man we were looking for. I asked them by what Authority they came, or what Warrant they had; and they shewed me their Swords and Pistols. I told them, such Warrants High-way-men had. Then I asked them, how they could dare to venture in such Manner among such a Company as there was of us? They said in Answer, They knew we were peace­able Men, and would not resist, other­wise they would have brought greater Force. I told Friends we were not bound to obey them, and desired Friends to part, and leave only Two or Three with me; but Friends Love was so great to me, that they kept mostly in a Body about me; I desired the Friend, to take my Saddle and Bridle that was on the Friend's Horse that I rid to the Meeting on, and put them upon my own Horse; then I got upon my Horse, and bid them lay their Hands off my Horse, for I feared not their Swords nor Pistols; but if they had a Warrant from any Justice of the Peace, or lawful Magistrate, with­in the County, I would obey it; upon which they let go their Hold, and I turning a little aside, saw them take hold of M. E. whom I could not call a Friend, [Page 121]because he was not guided by a right Spirit: I turned myself to them again, and told them, that if any Justice of the Peace, or any lawful Magistrate within the County, had any Thing to say to me, who came from Bristol, they might hear of me at the House of William Bateman, in Haverford-west, for my Bu­siness required some Stay in the Country. So they let us go pretty friendly, and I had several brave Meetings in Haver­ford-west, and other Places in the Coun­ty. The last Meeting I had in the County was at Ponchison among the Welch, they having Notice of a Welch­man coming to keep a Meeting in those Parts; many came to that Meeting, and good Service I had for the Lord, his Truth being declared in their own Lan­guage to them: We had the Meeting out of Doors, and I stood with my Back to­wards the Wall of Thomas Simmons's House; I was young and strong, my Voice was heard to the Steeple-house, and most of them came out to hear me, and very few came out with the Priest when he had done; when the Priest saw there was such a Multitude with me, he was moved into Passion, and would have had a Constable to take me [Page 122]down: It was reported that some there said to the Priest, they would not take me down, for I preached Christ and the Gospel to them, and they would have him come and learn of me himself: I was informed that the Priest's Wife, and two of his Daughters, were there at the Meeting, and were very loving and tender, and came to be convinced of the Truth. The Lord was not wanting in us, his Life and Power, and good Pre­sence was with us; and that Meeting was the last I had in Pembrokeshire at that Time: The Friends of that County were very loving and careful of Friends that came from far to visit them; they dwelt in Love and Unity among them­selves: My Service was weighty upon me, being without a Companion: The Lord alone, that knew the Integrity of my Heart, was my Comfort, Support, and exceeding great Reward. As for the other Man, M. E. aforesaid, the two Men before mentioned took him be­fore a Justice; the Justice would have been moderate to him, and would have shewed him Kindness, but he by his [...] governable Temper, provoked the Ju­stice to Passion, so that he committed him to the House of Correction as a Va­grant, [Page 113]for three Months, to the great Trouble of Friends.

I was informed that the Justices of the Peace, and Magistrates of that County, were generally very moderate in the hard­est Times of Persecution. At Ponchison I took my Leave of Friends in Pembroke­shire, and came pretty directly Home, to the Comfort of my Wife and Family, and those Friends that were Prisoners; blessed be the Name of the Lord. The Jaylor was well satisfied that I came to my Prison, without further Trouble to him; there were several taken Prisoners at those Meetings that I was at, but the Lord preserved and delivered me, blessed be his holy Name for ever.

I was but a little Time at Home, be­fore there came one John Whitehouse, a Follower of John Perrot, and he had a Meeting at my House in Welch-Pool, I happened not to be at the Beginning of the Meeting, but came before the Meet­ing was concluded, and I found that he had sown an evil Seed, and that some of and Friends had received it, who soon af­ter joined with that corrupt Spirit, which led them to have a light Esteem of their Brethren, which was a great Exer­cise to many honest Friends, and especi­ally [Page 124]to my Wife and me; and we were ready to say, Hath the Lord sem us here to be instrumental for the gather­ing of a People in this Country; and hath be suffered the Enemy to scatter them in their Imaginations. Some Time after the Lord satisfied me, That those who were simple-hearted among them, should be restored again into a more settled Con­dition than they had formerly known, and I believed in the Word of the Lord. And in Time the Lord broke in among them, and opened the Understanding of some of them, and they began to reason among themselves, and saw that they were in Darkness; and most of them were restored to their first Love, and lived and died faithful to Truth; except one Cadwalader Edwards, who continu­ed in Stubbornness, and Hardness of Heart, and endeavoured to hurt such as were simple-hearted. I was moved of the Lord to give forth a Paper against him, and all his vain Imaginations: The following Paper was likewise sent to him from Friends.

In 1668, this being read in one of our Monthly Meetings for Worship, the Lord was pleased to afford us his sweet Presence, and his Power melted, ten­dered and mollified our Hearts; which caused us to praise the Lord, for his [Page 126]great Goodness and Mercy to us, in bringing us out of that Darkness which came over us by giving heed unto the seducing Spirit of John Perrot, John Whitehouse, and this Cadw. Edwards. Friends were very careful afterwards of receiving any Spirit that might tend to the Breach of Love and Unity among us. Many other Friends brought in their. Testimonies against that Spirit, among the rest, there was one that came from our Friend Thomas Ellis, who had been particularly warned by me, in the Fear of the Lord, not to touch nor meddle with that Spirit (tho' it came with much seeming Humility) lest he should suffer thereby, which he did, to his great Sor­row; and he set out in his Paper, and said, This have I suffered for my mungrel, Moderation: But blessed be the Lord, he was sweetly restored again to his for­mer Love and Integrity, to the great Comfort of himself, and his Brethren.

As to these Men, viz. John Perrot, John Whitehouse, and the said ^* Cadw. [Page 127]Edwards, they turned their Backs upon God and his Truth, and followed the Devices of their own Hearts and Imagi­nations.

About this Time there being a Meet­ing of Friends gathered at Aberystwith in Cardiganshire, most of them were sent to Prison to Cardigan Town, and our Friend Thomas Ellis was taken Prisoner with them; and I having the Sufferings of these young-convinced Friends under Consideration, I found much Love in my Heart towards them, even so as to go to the Magistrates of the County to offer myself a Prisoner instead of my Friend and Brother Thomas Ellis, and some others, that they might go Home to visit their Families. I acquainted my Wife of my Exercise, which came pret­ty close to her; but, after some Consi­deration, with much Tenderness, she gave me up for that Service. In a few Days I took my Journey, and went first to Thomas Ellis's House to visit his Wife and Family, before I went further; his House being about 24 Miles from Welch-Phol, and not far off my Way to Cardi­ganshire, and there I very unexpectedly met T. Ellis himself at Home; he told me they were all discharged out of Pri­son. [Page 128]And thus I saw it was the good Will and Pleasure of my heavenly Father to accept of my Free-will Offering in­stead of the Deed; and my Friend T. Ellis and his Wife were sensible of my Love and Kindness to them therein.

And now my Service being further for Pembrokeshire, T. Ellis was willing to accompany me in my Journey; and we went to Aberystwith to visit those Friends there, where we had a pretty large Meeting on First-day in the Morning; there came in one Thomas Price, Brother to Sir Richard Price of Gogord­dan, and took us all Prisoners, and committed us to the Town-prison. That Evening we had a Meeting in the House where we were Prisoners; many of the Town's People, and some of them Per­sons of Account, were at the Meeting that Evening: I declared the Word of the Lord to them in Welch, and shewed them the Way to the Kingdom of Hea­ven. And a sweet, comfortable Meet­ing we had, and great Satisfaction it was to them that were there.

That Night a weighty Consideration came upon me about these young con­vinced Friends, that were so lately dis­charged of their Imprisonment, because [Page 129]they were like to go so quickly to Prison again. I asked Counsel of the Lord what we might do for and in Be­half of those young and tender Friends; and being under a great Exercise in my Spirit, and earnestly praying to God, that he might make some Way for their Enlargement; it came in my Mind to write to the chief Magistrate, Sir Ri­chard Price, and to give him an Account of my Journey so far, and how that my Friend T. Ellis and myself intended for Pembrokeshire, and we rested with our Friends, and having a Meeting with them that Day, were taken Prisoners by his Brother Thomas Price, and if it was his Pleasure to send us to Prison to Cardi­gan, he would be so kind to leave his Neighbours at Home, and accept of my Friend T. Ellis and myself as Prisoners instead of them all: To this Effect I wrote to him, and sent it next Morning; but he sent me no Answer. But the [...] constable came to us, and told us, we most all prepare to go to Cardigan-Town, where the County Goal was kept. So Friends freely and heartily prepared themselves to go. And when the Time of our going was come, they tenderly taking their Leave of their Wives, Chil­dren [Page 130]and Neighbours, (for some of the [...] Neighbours came a little Way to send them out of Town) the Constable stopp'd; and bid all go Home except The. Ellis and Me: For it seems the High Constable had private Orders not go with them, but to do as I desired in my Letter. And thus the Lord did try those tender Friends, and also delivered them.

The Constable had Instructions to bring us to the Quarter-Sessions, then held at [...]lanbedar, and not to Cardigan; when we came there, the Justices being upon the Bonch, we were had before them, some of them were formerly acquainted with Tho. Ellis, he having been in Au­thority, (and according to his Place; somewhat sharp against Offenders) the Justices were very moderate to him; but the Clerk of the Peace was very peevish and froward. So I asked the Justices. Whether that Man, that did question my Friend, was a Justice of the Peace? And they told me, he was not; then I told them, we were not bound to answer him. But, if they would give me Leave, I would give them a just Account of my Business in that County, and upon what Account we were sent there before them; and they desired me to speak on.—I told them, [Page 131]I was at my own House, with my Wife and Family, in Welch-Pool in Montgome­ryshire, and hearing that my Friend Tho­mas Ellis, and other of my Friends, were in Prison in this County of Cardigan, for a considerable Time; it was with me to come to the Magistrates of this County, to offer myself a Prisoner, that my Friend T. Ellis, and the rest of them, might go for a little Time to visit their Families; in order thereunto, I came as far as my Friend T. Ellis's House, where I found him at Home with his Wife and Family: And they being discharged of their Imprisonment, I had a further Concern upon me to go to Pembrokeshire, my Friend T. Ellis being not willing I should go alone, accompanied me along: So we came to Aberystwith, to rest there the First Day of the Week, and had a Meeting with our Friends, and were ta­len Prisoners, and sent here to you, and now desire to know your Pleasure. The Justices answered, it was great Love in­deed, that caused me to come and offer myself a Prisoner upon such an Account, and they were sorry that Sir Richard Frice gave us that Trouble, as to send us there: And so they discharged us. And the Court being silent, I had an Oppor­tunity [Page 132]to declare the Word of the Lord among them. Very still and attentive they were, as if I had been in a Meeting; I commended their great Moderation, and in the Love of God we parted with them. The Deputy-sheriff and the High-consta­ble that brought us there, came out of the Court, and treated us very civilly, and would have bestowed on us the best that the Town could afford, but we were sparing of taking any Thing of them. I was informed, that the Depu­ty Sheriff and High Constable were con­vinced, and were very loving to Friends all along; and I know not of any that were imprisoned in that County after­wards. The Lord was with us, and he had a Regard to the Integrity of our Hearts, and he alone pleaded our Cause, and was with us in our Services.

Then we took Horse, and left the Town, and went on towards Pembroke­shire, till we came to Cardigan, being about 24 Miles. We met with some Hardship on the Way, having little or no Refreshment till we came here, where we had very good Entertainment for ourselves and Horses; and from thence we had a Friend for our Guide towards Ponchison in Pembrokeshire, but we were [Page 133]benighted, and it rai [...]d, and our Guide lost his Way, and we wandered up and down among the Peat, or Turf-pins, and other dangerous Places; but the Lord preserved us out of them all. And at length we came to Ponchison; but it being dark, we did not know the House where our Friend that we intended to go to lived, but I spoke to our Guide to see where their Steeple-house Door was, and he brought us to it; then I told them, the Friend's House was opposite to it: For I rememb'red when I had a Meeting there, my Back was against the Wall of the House, and my Face to­wards the Steeple-house Door. So we went forward, and found the House; I desired T. E. to call and tell them, That there were some Friends that had lost their Way, and desired to have Lodg­ing there that Night; they, being in Bed, answered, they thought that no good Friend was out that Time of Night; T. E. reasoned a little with them, but still they were not willing to rise and let us in; at last I call'd to the Friend, whose Name was Tho. Simmons, and to his Wife, and desired them to rise and let us come in; and he asked me, who was there? and I told him, in Welch, Richard Da­vies [Page 134]was there; what, said he, Richard Davies of Welch-pool▪ I told them, I was the Man: Thereupon the tender, loving Friends hastily came down, and let us in to their House, and we were satisfied in the Love of God. This be­ing the first Journey that T. Ellis made to Pembrokeshire since he was convinced.

Hence we went to Haverford-west, and so through all the Meetings in the County, till we returned to Ponchison; again, and had a Meeting there, where; there came many Friends, both Welch and English; so that the House could not contain us, and we had the Meeting out of Doors in the Street, and I declared the Word of the Lord to them, both in Welch and English.

As we came up to Pembrokeshire, we went to a Baptist's House, and the Wo­man of the House being loving and ten­der, promised we should have a Meeting among the Baptists there. We also ap­pointed a Meeting at Newcastle, in Car­marthenshire, Peregrine Musgrave, James Lewis, and several other Friends accom­panied us to the Meeting at Newcastle; the Magistrates of the Town were very civil, and several of them came to the Meeting, the Weight and Service of [Page 135]which lay chiefly upon me; for though my Friend and Companion T. E. was reckoned a Deacon, and an eminent Preacher among the Independents, yet, his Mouth was but very little opened as yet by Way of Testimony among Friends, in was an understanding Man in the Things of God, and was not hasty to offer his Offering, till he found a very weighty Concern on him. And as I was declaring to the People in the Welch language, I stood opposite to a great Window that opened to the Street, and there was an evil-minded Man in the Street that had a long Fowling Piece, and he put the Mouth of it through the Window, and swore, that if I would speak another Word, I was a dead Man: But blessed be God, I was kept in that which was above the Fear of Man, and the Lord kept me in Dominion over all. There were two Women sitting in the Window, and the Mouth of the Gun came between them both; one of them seeing the Gun there, turned her Back upon it, and said in Welch, when the Man threat'ned as before, I will die my­self first. And there was one in the Meeting went to this Man, and took the Gun away from him; and that bad, [Page 136]wicked Man came into the Meeting, and was pretty quiet there; the Lord's good Presence was with us, a good Meeting we had, and I may say, That they that trust in the Lord are as Mount Sion, that cannot be removed. And it was said of old, As the Hills ware round about Jerus;alem, so is the Lord round about this People, to be a present Help to them in every needful Time.

Here Pembrokeshire Friends and we parted, and it being somewhat late, the Meeting having held long, we travelled, all Night over some doleful Hills, in­tending to be at the Baptist Meeting next Day, which we had appointed, as be­fore mentioned, it was by Computation about 24 Miles. In this Time we had little Refreshment for ourselves or Hor­ses: But when we came there, we had no Meeting; the Woman of the House said, That the Magistrates had heard of it, and charged them, that we should not have a Meeting there: So the slavish Fear of Man came over them: The Wo­man seem'd to be sorrowful, and would have given us some Victuals; but I told her, we did not travel so hard to come there for her Meat and Drink, but in the [...] of God for the Good of their Souls.

[Page 137] Here my Friend and Companion Tho­mas Ellis and I parted; he went Home­wards, and I went that Night to one Wil­liam ap Hugh's House (a Poor Friend, who had a considerable Company of small Children) I lay on a little Straw upon a Hurdle of Rods. And when the Morn­ing appeared, I took a Bit of a Cake, and a Cup of clean Water, and William ap Hugh and I took our Journey towards Radnorshire, which was about so Miles, mostly over great Hills; and when I came there, I stayed a little while among Friends. And afterwards, I hast'ned Home to my Family; and when I was come there, Margaret Bowen, brought my lit­tle Girl to me, and said, here is a Child the Lord hath given thee; she had been Sick near unto Death: Now when I was under my Exercise in ' Pembrokeshire, one told me, my Child was dead, and my Wife not like to recover; which was Mat­ter of Sorrow to me; and I turned a lit­tle aside from Friends, and the Lord sa­tisfied me, that neither my Wife nor Child were dead. And when I came Home, they told me my Child had been as it were raised from Death to Life: But blessed be the Lord, that restored [Page 138]her, and preserved my Family, and we were comforted in the Lord.

After this Journey, I stay'd a consi­derable Time at Home, with my Family and Friends, our Meetings were pretty much supplied with Travelling Friends, especially from the North of England; and though we were Prisoners, yet we had our Liberty to go to Meetings A­brond; we had a considerable large Meet­ing at Cloddiecochion, (the Place now of my abode) near Welch-Pool, there was at our Meeting, John ap John, and James Adamson, a North Country Friend; but the Magistrates of Pool (it being in the Eimits of their Corporation) came and broke up our Meeting, and took us Pri­soners; we old Prisoners went to our own Prison, i. e. the County Prison, and the rest went to the Corporation Prison. I took my Friend John ap John by the Hand, and told him, he must go to Pri­son with me: So several of us went to­gether, and when the Hurry was over with them, they let us who were old Prisoners; go to Prison alone; then I dis­charged our Friend John ap John, and I told him, he should be my Prisoner no longer; he stay'd a little while with us, and then went homewards. the Jaylor [Page 139]was friendly to us, and after a while; I went to the Magistrates, and got them all released that Night, except James Adamson. The Magistrates of the Coun­ty gave strict Charge, that if any North Country. Quakers came that Way they should be secured; and I had a great Care upon me, to get them discharged, as soon as might be; for I knew there was a great Concern upon them, to visit the Church­es of Christ, wheresoever God sent them: So when I faw a convenient Time, I went to the Serjeant of the Town, and asked him, by what Auhority he kept my Friend there a Prisoner; and I asked him, whether he had a Commitment up­on him; and he told me, No: Then I desired him to let him come with me, and I would Answer for him. So the Friend came to my House; and Friends and I concluded together to let him go to Shrewsbury. which was about 12 Miles from Welch-Pools, and I desired him to stay there till he should hear from me.

The Assizes being there a few Days af­ter; the chief Magistrate of Pool went there, and I went there also. And as my Friend James Adamson and I were walking under the Hall at Srewsbury we met the Magistrate of Welch-Pool, to [Page 140]whom James was a Prisoner; he seem'd a little angry, because I sent the Prisoner away, and ask'd me, how I could an­swer it? For, said he, we sent to the Lord Herbert of Cherbury, for a Com­mitment upon him; I told him, they had kept him too long without a Commit­ment, which they could not legally answer: Now he knew not that the Pri­soner was with me; so I asked him, af­ter some Discourse, what he would give me for a Sight of the Prisoner; then he considered; and asked me, whether the Man that was with me was not his Prisoner; I told him he was (for I knew that he was then out of his Liberty) so he said to the Friend, Your Friend hath done you and me a Kindness; and I do see, that if there had been Occasion, you would have come again; so he part­ed very friendly with us.

In these Times the Oath of Allegiance and Supremacy was tendered to most Friends that came into the County, if they were taken; and such were com­mitted to Prison, for not taking it, till the next Assizes, and then premunired; and then little Hopes of their being re­leased from their Imprisonment; and it came to be a Saying, that when any [Page 141] Quakers were taken Prisoners in Mont­gomeryshire, There would be no End of their Imprisonment.

About the Year 1669, my ancient, well beloved and dear Companion John ap John and I, took our Journey for South-Wales, to visit our Friends and Brethren in those Parts: We went first into Radnorshire, where we had several good Meetings; and we gave timely No­tice before hand, where we appointed the Meetings, and several Friends and other People came from Hereforashire to meet us at the lower End of the County of Radnor, where we had a sweet, living Meeting, and the Power of the Lord undered the Hearts of many: We decla­red the Word of the Lord both in Welch and in English; and my Friend John ap John was very sound and intelligible in the Welch Language; he deserved the Right hand of Fellowship, for he was my Elder, and the first Friend that I heard declare in a Meeting, in the En­glish Tongue; and though he was not perfect in that Language, yet he had the Tongue of the Learned, to such who were spiritual. And when that Meeting was ended in Radnorshire, we both withdrew a little aside from Friends, being bowed [Page 142]before the Lord, in a Sense of his Good­ness amongst us. So after a little while, I turned my Face towards the Friends, and I saw a Man coming towards me with much Brokenness and Tears, when he came, he took me in his Arms, and field me there, and I was very tender of him; though I knew him not; he asked me whether I did not know him? and I told him I did not; though I said, I could remember something of him: He said he had Cause to remember me. And when I looked upon him again, I asked him whether [...] was not Roger Prichard? And he said, he was the Man that had gone astray. And I was glad, yea very glad, that the lost Sheep was found, and that he came to know the true Shepherd and his Voice in himself, and he follow­ed him, and went not astray again, as­he did before; and he accompanied us to several Meetings in that County, and in Monmouthshire. And as we were parting with him, John ap John told him, he had come far out of his Way with us: He answered, we put him in his right Way again, and he hoped he should keep in it.

So we went through Monmouthshire, and Glamorganshire, visiting Friends; we [Page 143]had a good Meeting at a Place called Scilly, and at Swanzy in Glamorganshire; where we met some French Britains; we could understand something of their Lan­guage; we found they were passionate among themselves.

From thence we passed to Carmarthen­shire; we had a Meeting at Cardiff, and lodged at one John Mayo's, and his Wife Elizabeth, who was as a Nursing-Mo­ther to Friends in the Beginning. At Cardiff, John ap John, suffered great Per­secution and in other Parts of that Coun­try, before I was convinced, I suppose he might be Prisoner in 1653, or 1654.

We went thence towards Pembroke­shire, where we had several good Meet­ings, and the Lord was with us. Then we came homewards; but before we part­ed with Roger Prichard, we appointed a Meeting at his House, which was in Almeley Wooton; the Lord helped us on in our Journey and we came there accor­ding to the Time appointed, and a large, sweet, comfortable Meeting we had there; I know not that any Meeting had been there before; I appointed another Meeting to be there; and in a few Weeks after my Return Home, I went there my­self accordingly. The Concern of that [Page 144]Part of the Country in Herefordshire was much upon me, and I was often there; and when the People of that Village would see me come, they would say one to another, Come, let us go to Mr. Pri­chard's, for we shall have Prayers there to Night; and the House hath been soon near full of People, and a comfortable Time we used to have together, and ma­ny were gathered to the Lord in those Parts. And as for Roger Prichard, the Lord blessed him in his Ba [...]ket, and in his Store, and his Heart and House were o­pen to Friends, and he built a fine Meet­ing House at his own Charge, and also gave a Burying-place, and settled both upon Friends for that Service, and lived and died in Love and Favour with God, and in Unity with his Brethren: Say to the Righteous, it shall go well with them.

About this Time I was pretty much at Home; and the Enemy and Adversa­ry of the Growth and Prosperity of Truth in these Parts, stirr'd up an Infor­mer against us, one John David, alias Pugh, a Weaver, one who was a Tenant to the Goaler, and we had our Meeting in an upper Room in our Prison, and the said Informer dwelt below; and [Page 145]once, as he was coming by my Barns, where my Cattle were, he said to some of my Neighbours. These Cattle are all mine: They asked him, how they were his? He said, Richard Davies hath preached three Times this Day, and that by the Laws there is 60 l. on the Preach­er for the same. By this it was noised about in the Town, that I was like to be undone; my Neighbours seem'd to be concern'd thereat; and on [...] of the Aldermen, that was a Relation of mine, came chidingly to me, and asked me whether I had a Mind to ruin my Wife and Family? Could I not leave my Preaching, when I knew the Laws were to severe against us? I told him, I could not, when the Lord required it of me. I desired him to let the Informer alone, and let him take his Course. He said he would not; but said he, I will tell thee what I will do, I will take him along with me to Severn Side, and whe [...] my Knife very sharp, and I will cut off one of the Rogue's Ears; and if ever he informs against thee again, I will cut off the other. I earnestly desired him to let him alone; but he and his Neigh­bours were so enraged against him, that I was afraid they would have done him [Page 146]some Mischief in one Place or another.

This Informer was a Weaver by Trade, and the Neighbours took their Work away from him, so that his Chil­dren went soon after a begging, many of the Town telling them, Their Father had got a new, rich Trade in Hand, and that they need not give them any Thing. So the poor Children suffer'd very much; but my Wife did not with-hold her Hand of Charity towards them.

One Time I had my Boots on ready to go out, the Jaylor, that was this In­former's Landlord, seeing him come up the Street towards my House, I being in the Street, he said to the Informer, Mr. Informer, you see Richard Davies is go­ing out to Preach somewhere to Day, and I advise you to look diligently after your Business, and find him out; and if you will not inform against him, I will inform against you: You have got a good Trade in Hand; and if you do this great Service for the King, you must needs have either Dolobran or Caedcow­rid for your Pains. The one was the Mansion-house, and the other the Join­ture-house that belonged to my Friend Charles Lloyd, and his Ancestors. And thus the Jaylor jeer'd him; and the [Page 147]poor Informer travell'd great Part of that Day from one Friend's House to another, to see for me, till he came to Dolobran, where we were met upon the Church Af­fairs, and as we were coming from the Meeting, I met him at the Door, and discoursed a little with him; he told us, that he was going for a Warrant against us to Edward Lord Herbert: I felt the Power of God was over him, and Truth reigned among us. He went to the said Lord, and desired a Warrant against the Quakers; the Lord asked him, what did [...]he Quakers do? He said, they Preached. He queried of him, where did they Preach? He told the Lord, they preached in his House, which was their Prison. The Lord answered, let 'em Preach there as long as they will, what have I to say to them? But the Informer told the Lord, that they did meet at Cloddiecochion; he asked him, whether those there were not Prisoners? He answered, they were, Then said the Lord, what do they do at Cloddiecochion? do they Preach there? He said, No, their Way was to sit down, and to look one upon another. The Lord answered, thou art but a Fool; the Quakers be a loving People, they went [Page 148]to visit their Children, and to eat Bread and Cheese with them.

So the Lord took his Cane, and went from him with his Gentleman to walk in his Park; this Informer followed them, and spoke again to the Lord, and said, Will you be pleased to grant me a Warrant against the Quakers? The Lord asked him, who sent him there for a Warrant? And he said, Dr. Davies. [This was the present Priest of Welch­pool, and a peaceable Man, and no Per­secutor.] The Lord asked him again, whether he had a Letter from him? The Informer said, No, he thought his Word might be sufficient to get a Warrant a­gainst the Quakers. Upon this the Lord with Indignation (it is thought) would have spoil'd him had not his Gentleman interpos'd. The Lord said to him, Is it not sufficient to put my peaceable Neighbours in Prison? Must I give a Warrant to make such a Rogue as this is rich, by uining them and their Families? So the Informer return­ed Home, and as I was going by his House, he desired me to walk in, for he had something to say to me: So I went in with him, and he said to me, I am sorry I did you so much Wrong, for I [Page 149]Intended much Evil against you; I was put on to be an Informer, which proved to be mine and my Childrens R [...]in; for my Neighbours took their Work from me, and when my Children went to their Doors, they would scarce give them my Thing to relieve them: And now I desire you to pray to God to forgive me; and I pray you to forgive me al­so; for I think most of our Bishops are Papists, and there is no Trust to be put in them. I desired him to have a Care what he said, and not lay the Fault there; for it was the Enemy, the Ad­versary, the Devil, that begot that co­vetous Mind in him against his peaceable Neighbours. So I desired the Lord to forgive him; and as for me, and my Friends, we would forgive him; and I desired him to go his Way, and to do so no more. So he never inform'd against us afterwards.

And thus the Lord helped us, and pre­served us through great Hardships and Difficulties. There was nothing taken from us at this Time, upon this Inform­er's Account.

About the Year 1675. we heard that there was a severe Persecution by Inform­ers in Merionethshire, especially in Pen­llyn, [Page 150]near Bala; in which Time our Me [...] ­ings did increase there, and many People came to them; and there lay a Concern upon my Friend Charles Lloyd and me [...] visit those Meetings, and there we had a Meeting on the First Day of the Week at Cadwalader Thomas's, call'd Wern-fa [...]; there was abundance of People, more than the House could hold. Two Inform­ers came in, and staid there all the Meeting while; and after we had clear­ed ourselves, by Way of Testimony, the Understandings of the People were very much opened in the Things of God, and the Way to his Kingdom, in the Welch Language in which I conclu­ed the Meeting, the Lord owning of us with his great Power and Presence, to our great Comfort, and the Satisfaction of the Auditory. The two Informers kneel­ed upon their Knees with us, while I was at Prayer, and one of them (call'd Ro­bert Evans) did exceedingly tremble; and when I had concluded the Meeting the said R. Evans took a Paper our of his Pocket, and stood before us with much Trembling and Shaking, and could say no­thing to us, but a Warrant, a Warrant, a Warrant; and Friends stood quiet in the Possession of that Life and Power, that [Page 151]God had blessed them withal that Day; and we said nothing to him, for some Time, nor he to us, which was almost in Amazement to the Spectators, for he was a spiteful, envious Man, that had [...]oe much Spoid upon Friends in those Parts, and at last I spoke to him, and ask­ed him, what he had got there? And he told me, He had a Warrant I desired him to let us see it; but he was not wil­ing we should; but said, if we did [...] a little farther [...] [...]ur Way, we should see it: So we told Friends, we are not bound to follow him; and we desired Friends to depart to their own [...]bitations. But our loving, tender­hearted Friends would not part with us; Charles Lloyd and I had a great Mind to [...] what the Tenure of his Warrant was, and who the Justices of the Peace were what did sign it. So we went along with him to the House, where he said we [...]oul I see it; but the Man of the House not being within, he was still loth we should see it: We told him, He should [...]we it fase again, and at last, he let us see it: And we saw that one Colonel Price of Rhiwlas, and one Colonel Salis­bury of Rûg had granted it. We went that Night to John Thomas's of Llaethgwn, [Page 152]and we were concerned to go and visit these Justices. In the first place we went to see whether we could speak with Price of Rhiwlas, to lay the Sufferings of Friends, that were his Neighbours and Tenants before him, for many of them were his Tenants; but we could not see him, though we heard he was at Home. Thence we went to Rûg, where this Colons Salisbury lived; and we enquired, before, we came to the House, whether he w [...] [...] Home? Some told us he was: But when we came there, they perceived we were these People called Quakers, by our Habit and Language; and he being conscious to himself what he had done, and what Spoil was made upon Friends Goods, would not admit us to speak with him. We desired one of his Servants to acquaint him, that we had come a great Way to visit our suf­fering Friends in that County; and my Friend Charles Lloyd bid him tell him who he was; for it seems he was his Relation, and an old School fellow. From thence we went to John ap John's, near Wrexham, in Denbighshire, and vi­sited Friends there; and from thence we came Home to our Families, where we [Page 153]found all Things well; and the Lord was with us in our Journey.

Some Time after this, it lay upon me to go and visit Friends in London; and I went to see the Lord Powis and his Lady (who dwelt then at London) they were my particular Friends; and I acquainted them with the Sufferings of our Friends in Merionethshire by Informers upon the sate Act? And they asked me, Which Way they might be helpful to Friends? I told them, that if they would be pleased to get a few Lines from their Brother the Duke of Beanford, who was then Lord-President of Wales, to Colonel Price of Rhiwlas, I did not question but that would moderate them very much: For the said Colonel was not in the main a Persecutor, but was put on by some peevish Clergy-men (so called) in a lit­tle Time they got his Letter for me, with his own Seal thereon, but not seal'd up; the Tenure of it was thus: Sir, I have stopp'd the Complaint of his Majesty's Sub­jects, call a Quakers, from coming before the Council-Board, concerning the severe Prosecution of the Penal Laws against them. So when I had this Letter, I made what haste I could down into the Country, and gave it to a Friend and [Page 154]Relation of Colonel Price's, who deli­vered it into his own Hand: And it had good Effect; and the Lord was pleased thereby to stop the Rage and the Ruin that was intended against Friends in that County: And the Justices of the Peace called the Informer to an Account for what he had done to, and taken from Friends, but he could not make up his Account; the moderate Justices followed him so close, in Behalf of the King, that he was near ruin'd and undone thereby. So it happened that himself fell into the Snare and Evil that he intended a­gainst his Neighbours.

Some Time afterwards, one Price, Priest of Llanvawr in Merionethshire, was severe against Friends for Tythes, and some Friends came down to me to Welch-Pool, with an Account thereof: I considered his Proceeding upon a Quo mi­nus from the Exchequer, and I caused an Attorney to appear for the Friends, and he, in a few Terms, brought me a Writ of Charges against the Priest; and when I had it, I was in a great Streight what to do with it, for I knew that if the Priest was taken upon it, it would exasperate him against Friends; I sent for some of these Friends to be at our Quarterly [Page 155]Meeting at Dolobran, which they be­longed to: I told them what my Judg­ment was in the Matter, and how, that though there was a Writ obtained a­gainst the Priest, yet it was not expedi­ent to have it executed; but I told them. I thought that it would be more conveni­ent for them, to take the Writ, and shew it to the Deputy-Sheriff, and tell him the whole Case; but to take Care that the Writ should not be left with him; which was well approved of, and Friends did accordingly, and kept the Writ. The Deputy-Sheriff knew what would be for the Advantage of Friends, and he was ready to do what he could for them: So he blazed it abroad, that the Quakers had got a Writ against the Priest; and the poor Priest was afraid of coming to the Steeple-House for several Days, to perform his Service; so he imployed somebody to come to Friends to make an End of the Matter, and I never heard that he troubled Friends again for Tythe, while he was there.

About this Time, whilst I was at London visiting Friends, there sprung up a new In­former, whose Name was David Maurice, he lived at a Place called Pon-y-bont in Denbighshire, and was newly made a Ju­stice [Page 156]of the Peace of the County of Mont­gomery; he that recommended him, informed that he was a sober Man, and not given to Persecution; but soon after he had his Commission, he appeared to be a great Persecutor, not only of our Friends; but of other Dissenters also.

He the said David Maurice (upon the 7th Day of the first Month called March, 1674-5.) came into a Meeting at Cloddiecochion, with about 14 or 15 Persons, most of them armed, where a small Number of our Friends were wait­ing in Silence upon the Lord, he reque­sted us to de art; our Friend Thomas Lloyd requested of him a Quarter of an Hour's Time before he dispersed them, which he readily granted, and he and his Followers sat amongst 'em; the be­fore-mentioned Thomas Lloyd uttered a few Words by Way of defining the true Religion, and what the true Worship was; all which the said David Maurice approv'd of as sound, and according to the Doctrine of the Church of England: Yet notwithstanding he fined him the said Thomas Lloyd 20 l. for Preaching, though he was no Magistrate of the Cor­poration, and he fined the House 20 l. and 5 s. a Piece for the Hearers. And [Page 157]on the 16th of the 4th Month, 1675, he caused to be driven from the said Tho. Lloyd, 4 Cows and a Mare, all worth about 16 l. by two of his Servants, one of them being his Clerk, and the other his Tenant, and no Officer of the Cor­poration, nor of the Parish, nor of that Allotment of the Hundred, in Place with them; these Drivers were lurking near the Ground about 2 Hours before Day, and drove away the Cattle before Sun­rise, and they were brought out of the County into his own Demesns.

The same Day, about the Dawning thereof, the said Drivers, by a War­rant from the said David Maurice, rude­ly broke through a Neighbour's Fields, to the Ground of Thomas Lewis, of Cloddiecochion, aforesaid, and drove from him 6 Cows, 2 Oxen, and 2 Hei­sers: Alledging for his Offence, that the said T. Lewis suffered a Meeting to be at his House, though the said David Maurice was at that Meeting himself, and not only allowed of the Time, but approved of what was spoken there.

About the same Time Charles Lloyd, of Dolobran, had Ten young Beasts ta­ken from him by John Jones, of Goly­nog, an Attorney at Law, who was that [Page 158]Year an Overseer of the Poor in the Pa­rish of Myvod, together with the Petty Constable, &c. upon a Warrant from the said David Maurice, the only Infor­mer, and busy Justice, upon this merce­nary Act, in our Borders, for Preaching at Cloddiecochion, within the Liberties of Welch-Pool, the 14th of 1st Month, 1674-5. Though the said Charles Lloyd was not at that Place that Day, nor for many Days before nor after at any Meeting. David Jones, of Branyarth, for being a Hearer at the said Meeting at Cloddiecochion, had a Brass Pan for his own proper Fines taken from him, and one Cow for the pretended Inability of others convicted, upon a Warrant from the said David Maurice, of Pen-y-bont.

But nothing was taken from me, though my Family was at the Meeting, and I lived within the Limits of the Corporation.

Now I being at this Time in London, and my Service there pretty much in the Time of the said hard Persecution; my dear Friend Charles Lloyd, sent me up a full and large Account of the Sufferings of Friends there; by the said wicked in­former, David Maurice, and when I had read and considered them, I was under [Page 159]a great Exercise, what Way to take to prevent the further intended Mis­chief of this Man, and I laid their in­nocent and faithful Sufferings in secret before the great God of Heaven, who hath the Hearts of all Men in his Hand, and may order them as seemeth Good to him.

Now after this, when the Time of the Quarter-Sessions was come, the Clerk of the Peace told the Court, he had receiv­ed new Commissions; which being read, and this D. M. being then present, and finding himself left out, fell into a great Rage and Passion.

In a little Time the said D. Maurice went to London, and was put into Com­mission again: But being made High-Sheriff of the County this Year, he could not act as a Justice of the Peace; so he fell into a great Rage, for that the said Office was like to be chargeable to him. So that Year we had Peace and Quietness; and when his Sheriff ship was over, he was coming through a Brook called Lynlleth, near his own House at Pen-y-bont, and it was supposed that his Florse threw him down, and he was carried down into the River Tannat, a [Page 160]considerable Way, and there miserably perished.

In the latter End of the Year, 1674, I went to visit my ancient, dear Friend George Fox, who was a Prisoner in Wor­cester, I passed through Herefordshire, and had some Meetings there; I staid with my Friend G. F. for some Time; he told me how he was taken Prisoner, and that he was indicted for refusing the Oath of Allegiance, and how he had been twice removed by an Habeas Corpus to London, and that he had had his Trial there, and no Error being found in his Indictment, he was returned back again to his Pri­son at Worcester. And as he was open­ing his Case to me, I thought there might be sufficient Errors found in his Indictment to get him discharged; I told him of a Counsellor, one Thomas Corbet, who was a Friend of mine that was then at London, who was very excellent at finding out Errors; so after some Con­sideration, he sent next Post for a Ha­beas Corpus, which ca [...] down in a lit­tle Time, and the Sheriff was served with it; so we set forward, G. Fox went in the Coach with the Sheriff and Clerk of the Peace of Worcester, and drid [Page 161]on my Horse along with the Coach, and no other Friend with us.

We came to London, the 8th Day of the 12th Month, and when we came there, several Firends much admired, that he should be removed up again; for he was something private in the Matter. So I desired the Friends, who had the Management of the Business before, to let me have a Copy of the Record, which was pretty difficult to be had; for seve al thought it was to little or no Purpose: But G. F. being uneasy, was not satisfied till I had it. I had acquainted Counsel­lor Corbet of the whole Case, as far as I could understand it, before I could see a Copy of the Record; and about the 10th Hour in the Night, William Mead came with me to Counsellor Corbet with it; and when he had read it, he said, There were several material Errors in it; which put W. Mead to a Consideration, how that could be; and he desired the counsellor to shew him one Error. The Counsellor s [...]'d him several Errors; and W. Mead seem'd to wonder that such great Errors could not have been found out by other Counsel.

The next Morning, being the 11th Day of the 12th Month, we went to [Page 162]Court, where some other Counsellors moved first on G. F's Behalf, and they were pretty close upon some Things, but they knew not of any Errors in the In­dictment: All this while Counsellor Corbet was silent. There was one Coun­sellor Walcott, who was against G. Fox (and fearing lest they should find some Errors in the Indictment) he moved that the Oath should be tender'd again to G. F. Upon which Counsellor Corbet stood up and moved, That there was no Impri­sonment in Case of Premunire. Where upon the Chief Justice Hales said, Mr. Corbet, you should have come sooner, at the Beginning of the Term, with that Plea. He answered, We could not get a Copy of the Return, and of the Indict­ment. The Judge replied, You should have told us, and we would have forced them to have made Return sooner. Then said Judge Wild, Mr. Corbet, you go up­on general Terms, and if it be so as you say, we have committed many Errors at the Old-Baily, and in other Courts. Cor­bet was positive, that by Law they could not imprison upon a Premunire. The Judge said, There is Summons in the Statute. Yes, said Corbet, but Sum­mons is not Imprisonment; for Sum­mons [Page 163]is in order to a Trial. Well, said the Judge, we must have Time to look in our Books, and consult the Statutes: So the Hearing was put off till the next Day. As we were going out of West­minster-Hall, some Friends were much troubled, that the Welch Counsellor should start such a Plea, contrary to the Opinion of the Judges, and all the Counsellors; and some of them said, they thought G. F. would have been discharged if the Counsellor had not put in that Plea: But honest, plain G. F. said he had a fine Trial, and he was chearful in his Spirit. I desired Friends to have a little Patience, for I thought the Welch Counsellor would stand upon his own Legs. So I went to the Hall again, and staid for Counsellor Corbet till the Court was up; and when I found him, I told him he started that up that many thought he could not make good; and if so, it would be a Reflection upon me, and the Welch Counsellor, as they called [...]. He desired me to bring him that Evening another Copy of the Record besides what he had. So I got one, and went with it to him; and he writ in the Margent something in Brench, and give it me again, and desi­red [Page 164]me to go with it to Thomas Rudyard, who was an Attorney in London for G. F. and desire him to deliver it that Night to Judge Hales, and he would take the other himself to Judge Wild; and then he thought there would be lit­tle Discourse of that Matter more: And so it happened. For,

The next Day, they chose rather to let that Plea fall, and begin with the Er­rors of the Indictment; and when they came to be opened, they were so many and so gross, that the Judges were all of Opinion, that the Indictment was quash'd and void, and that G.F. ought to have his Liberty: Upon which Proclamation was made, That if any had any Thing to say against G. Fox, let them come forth and they shall be heard, otherwise he is discharged. And so he was set at Liberty.

Counsellor Corbet, who pleaded this Cause, got great Fame by it; for many of the Lawyers came to him, and told him, He had brought that to Light, which had not been kno [...] before, as to the not Imprisoning upon a Preminire. And after the Trial, a Judge said to him, You have attained a great deal of Ho­nour, by Pleading George Fox's Cause so in Court.

[Page 165] As we were coming out of the Court, I had an Opportunity to speak to some of London, and to blame them for their Un­belief; because they could not believe, that any Good could come from that Plea: I was then of the Mind, and still am, that the Hand of the Lord was in it, more than the Wit and Cunning of Man; for that Trial put an End to all the Pre­munires in the Nation. Our Friends, in this County of Montgomery, were most of them under a Sentence of Premunire for many Years. Our Friend Charles Lloyd was not suffer'd to see his own Honse for several Years, altho' it was but about five Miles from Welch-Pool, where he was kept a Prisoner. And as for my self, I had the N [...] of being a Prisoner on the same Account for about Seven Years, but was not kept close Prisoner in all that Time, but I had my Freedom and Lib [...] to be at London (as at this Time) and in other Places of the Nation, as my Service was, and as the Lord made Way for me. In this Time I visited Friends pretty much in their Sufferings.

So, Good is the Lord, and good is his Word, and worthy is he to be praised by all that know him, from henceforth and for ever.

[Page 166] 1677. Some Years after this Trial of G. F's at London, Counsellor Walcott, who was a Counsellor against him, was made Judge of three Counties in North-Wales, viz. Merionethshire, Carnarvan­shire, and Anglesey; he began his Cir­cuit in a Town call'd Bala, in Merion­ethshire, he caused several Friends to be brought before him, and he tendered them the Oath of Allegiance and Supre­macy, and he did not intend to proceed against them by Premunire, but said, The Refusal of those Oaths was High-Treason, and he would proceed against them upon that Statute for their Lives the next Affizes; threat'ning, that the Men should be hanged, and the Women burned. He was a wicked, hard-heart­ed Man, and intended much Mischief to Friends, if the Lord had not prevented him. So Friends of that County ac­quainted us here of the whole Proceed­ings in that Affair; it being the Time that the Parliament was sitting; Friends concluded, that our Friend Tho. Lloyd should go up to London immediately, and we desired him to advise with Coun­sellor Corbet (who was then in Lon­don) what to do in the Matter; and when Counsellor Corbet heard of the Bu­siness, [Page 167]he was much concerned about it, for he was very well acquainted with this Walcott; and he said, By that Way they might try us all, if Popery came up again; for they have (said he) the Law (or Writ) De Haeretico Comburendo in Force, which was executed in Queen Mary's Days for the Burning of Here­ticks, which was not repealed to this Day. So Counsellor Corbet and Thomas Lloyd went to the Parliament House, and acquainted several Parliament-men of it, and that Sessions it was repealed; and Judge Walcott was spoken to in London, and our Friends were no fur­ther prosecuted, but had their Liberty: And blessed be the Lord, Friends had great Peace and Quietness in that Coun­ty for a considerable Time afterwards. And in a few Years this Judge Walcott died; and so there was an End of that Persecutor.

In the Year 1677. our Friend John Burnyeat came to give us a Visit in Wales. and had a Meeting at a Town called Ma­chynlleth in Montgomeryshire, where there appeared an Informer, one Oliver Mau­rice of Drain Llwidion in Merionethshire, and caused Disturbance there; and went afterwards to one William Pugh of Math­afern, [Page 168]near Machynlleth aforesaid, a Ju­stice of the Peace for this County (he was one of them that had his Commssion when D. Maurice was turned out, as be­fore related, p. 159.) who granted him a Warrant; and himself, together with his Bailiff and a Constable, meeting John Burnyeat and Thomas Ellis upon the Road, stopp'd them, and seized on their Horses, with their Saddles and Bridles; so that they were constrained to travel on their Way on Foot. J. Burnyeat's Mare died within an Hour and a Half af­ter Seizure; and T. Ellis's Horse died in the Informer's Hands in Half a Year's Time; in which Time also a Distemper infected most of his Cattle, whereby he suffered very great Los [...]: the said Ju­stice likewise fined several other Friends at the same Time, though they lived in another County. Thomas Ellis dispatch­ed a Messenger down to me at Welch Pod, being about 22 Miles. The next Day, the Lord of Powis being at Home, at his Castle of Powis, I went to him, and ac­quainted him thereof; and when he heard it, he was very sorry. I desired of him, that he would grant me that Fa­vour to make Use of his Name, that he heard such and such Things concerning [Page 169]the beforesaid Justice: Not only so, said he, but let Mr. Edmond Lloyd (this was a neighbouring Justice, and no Per­secutor) write to him, and tell him, that I am angry with him for such Proceed­ings. So I went to my Friend, that o­ther Justice, and I got him to write a few Lines to the said W. Pugh; so he wrote effectually to him, and I sent it a­way by Night; by which Means the rest of the Fines were stopp'd. But John Burnyaet's Mare was dead, as be­fore related.

Some Time after there was in this C. of Montgomery, one Hughes, Priest in the Parish of Hirnant, where lived a Friend, one John Rhydderch, an honest Man, who conscienciously refused to pay Tythe: This Priest having got Judgment against him out of the County Court, seve­ral of his Cattle were drave away on that Account by the Sheriff's Bailiffs; but our Friend being well acquainted with the Deputy-sheriff, inform'd him of the Errors in these Proceedings; and the Sheriff ordered the Bailiffs to return the Friend his Cattle: The Priest was in a great Fret, that he lost all that Charge. And after that, the Priest ordered the Friend to besu­ed at Ludlow Court, which was for the [Page 170]Marches of Wales. This Court was a great Yoke and Bondage to Friends in this Dominion; for all Answers were to be given upon Oath in that Court, which Friends could not do for Conscience Sake. This Priest followed the Friend with one Contempt after another, till it came to a Writ of Rebellion: We let him go on as far as he could, till the Friend was ready to be taken; our At­torney that we did employ gave us, an Account of it, and I desired the Friend to go to a Friend's House in Shropshire, which was out of the Jurisdiction of that Court and stay there till he should hear from me. And I sent to London to John Lloyd, Brother to Charles Lloyd of Dolobran, who belonged to the Chance­ry Office, and he sent me down a Prohi­bition, and I sent to serve the Priest and Attorney with it: The Priest fell into a very great Rage, and his Attorney came to him for Seven Pounds Charge that he laid out for him, but the Priest would not pay him; so the Attorney sued him, and got Judgment against him, that the poor Priest could not go to perform his wonted Service for some Time. Soon af­ter which the Priest died, and I know not [...] had one Penny of [Page 171]his Money; and that Friend was never troubled after on Account of that Suit.

Our Friend Charles Lloyd of Dolobran, was sued for Tythe at the great Assizes held for this County of Montgomery, by the Earl of Castlemain, Impropriator, and Randal Davies, Vicar of Myvod, the Parish that our Friend Charles Lloyd lived in; we were satisfied it was a Court of Record, and they might sue for treble Damage for not paying Tythe: So we concluded to go with a Copy of their Declaration to Counsellor Corbet, who lived then at Welch-pool, and when he read it, he said, he would demur to it; I asked him whether he could damur in the Case of Tythe; he said, he would maintain a Demurrer to that Declaration; so when the Court sat, he acquainted the Judge that he would demur to that De­claration; the Judge said, Demur in the Case of Tythe? Yes, in this Case, said he: Then the Judge asked him, whether he would demur special or general? [...] [...]aid, when we join in Demurrer you may know. So they join'd in De­murrer; and when it came to be argued, he shewed his Cause of Demurrer. So the Judge and the Court were convinced of the Error, and they paid Cost, and [Page 172]mended the Declaration, and next Assi­zes they obtained Judgment upon Nihil dicit. And so Charles Lloyd's Cattle were driven for treble Damage, but the Priest was so perplexed, and put to Charge and Trouble, that I do not know he ever sued any Friend for Tythe again.

After this I went to London to the Yearly Meeting, and continued there sometime, in and about the City, and so came leisurely down through several Meetings, visiting Friends; and while af­ter I came Home, Thomas Ellis and James Halladay came to our Town, I told James it was well done in him to give us a Visit in these Parts of Wales; they said, they came to visit us against their Wills; I asked them, whether they were Prisoners? they said, they were: And soon after came other Friends along with them, I took them all with me to my House to refresh them­selves; they told me, that James Halli­day came from London to South-Wales, intending to take Shipping t [...] for Ireland, to be at the Half-year's Meet­ing, but the Wind proving contrary, he was necessitated to come for North Wales to Holy-head, and having a Meeting in this County, near Llamdlos, they were [Page 173]taken Prisoners and fined by one Ev [...]n Glyn, a Justice of the Peace, and sent here; I was very much concerned for James Halliday that he should be stopp'd in these Parts, and hindred of his Ser­vice. So next Morning about 2 a Clock, I took Horse and went to this Justice's Father-in-law, one Justice Devereux, and I found him at a Village three Miles from Welch-pool; he asked me what was the Matter? I told him that his Son-in-law Glyn had committed some of our Friends to Prison to Welch-pool, and fined them also; and I told him I tho't by the Law that no Man was to suffer twice for the same supposed Transgressi­on; he gave his Son-in-law hard Lan­guage, and desired me to see some Way to get them off; so I went to a neigh­bouring Justice, and got James Halliday a Discharge, and brought it with me that Morning; so we hast'ned him away with a Guide towards Holy-head, and I was informed he had a good Pas­sage, and got in Time to the Half year's Meeting in Ireland, as he intended

And as for Tho. Ellis, and the rost of the Friends, the Jaylor [...] that they should be forth coming at the next Quarter Sessions, at which Time [Page 174] Charles Lloyd, and myself attended the Court, and went to the Clerk of the Peace, and desired him to call our Friends first, which he did; and the Friends being all at the Bir, no Prosecu­tor appearing against them, (Justice Glyn being not then come to Town) they were soon discharged without demanding any Fees; and after Friends had refreshed themselves in Town, they went home­wards, some of them towards, Radnor­shire, and those that went towards Llan­idlos, met Justice Glyn, that had com­mitted them, going towards the Quarter Sessions; he spoke to them, and they told him, they were discharged, he seemed not to be sorry for it, for he was not a Persecutor in the Bottom; but was put on by a peevish, proud, informing Priest, and I know not that ever he did the like again.

I went to London, to the Yearly Meet­ing, in the Year, 1681. where Persecution was very severe in the City, and else­where, in those Parts; at which Meeting it lay upon my Mind, to move for a Yearly Meeting in Wales, and after some Consideration about it, it was left to Friends in Wales, to appoint their first Yearly Meeting, as in the Wisdom of God [Page 175]they should see meet, at their Half-year's Meeting held at Swanzey, the 28th of 7th Month; an Account of which my Friend T. Ellis sent me to London, as followeth:

About the Year 1680, or 1681, there came one Dr. William Lloyd, late of Martins in London, to be Bishop of this Diocess, called St. Asaph; Persecution was very sharp and severe in several Pla­ces about this Time, upon Account of Excommunication, and the Statute of 20 l. a Month. But this new Bishop thought to take a more mild Way to work, by summoning all Sorts of Dissen­ters to discourse with him, and to seek to perswade them to turn to the Church of England; and among the rest, when he came to Welch-pool in his Visitation, he sent for us; so Charles Lloyd, Thomas Lloyd, and myself, waited, seeking to speak with him: But I was that Day bound for London, so I could not speak with him; but my Friends staid till they had an Opportunity with him; and my Friend Charles Lloyd gave me an [Page 177]Account afterwards, of what passed, be­tween them, which was to this Effect, in short:

How that the Bishop was much dis­pleased that I was absent, and when he was told of my urgent Occasions to go, and [...]y Stay on Purpose some while to see him; he said, His Business was greater, whatever my Business was. That Day they discoursed with him, his Chaplains, and other Clergy, so called, from about 2 in the Afternoon, till 2 in the Morning; afterwards they discoursed with him, two other Days at Llanvilling. The first Day, from about 2 in the Afternoon, till Night; and the next Day, from 10 in the Morning, till an Hour in the Night, publickly in the Town-Hall. The first Day at Pool, our said Friends C. L. and Y. L. gave their Reasons of Separation; but in none of the three Days, would the Bishop and his Clergy defend their own Principles, or refute ours: But on­ly held the three Days, on the general Principles of Christendom, and the A­postiles Examples of Water Baptism, and once a small Touch at the Bread and Wine. Thomas Lloyd, held the last Day, our Reasons why we separated from the Church of England: which were

[Page 178] 1. Because their Worship, was not a Gospel Worship.

2. Because their Ministry, was no Gos­pel Ministry.

3. Because their Ordinances were no Gospel Ordinances.

But they would not join with him to prove any of them, though often sollicit­ed thereunto; but Friends being Suffer­ers, submit to all Disadvantages: For they had not any Notice before-hand of what Matters they should argue, till they came to the Place of Dispute; and the last Day, they forced Thomas Lloyd, to about 28 Syllogisms, all written down as they disputed, to be answered extem­pore; and the Bishop said he did not ex­pect so much could be said by any on that Subject, on so little Warning. And he said, That he expected not to find so much Civility from the Quakers; he highly commended Thomas Lloyd; and our said Friends came off with them ve­ry well. They had also much Discourse with the Chancellor, and with one Hen­ry Dodwell, and the Dean of Bangor, now Bishop of Hereford, very learned Men, who were also at the Dispute, with many of the Clergy of the Di­ocess, with some Justices of the Peace, [Page 179]and Deputy Lieutenants of the County, and a great Concourse of People, in the Town-Hall, aforesaid, in Llanvilling. Several of the Clergy, with whom I af­terwards discoursed, seemed not well sa­tisfied with that Dispute: For they said, they thought that the Validity of Water Baptism was much weakened thereby; and several noted Men, that were present at the said Dispute: said, that they thought there could not be so much said against Water Baptism, as had been said there: But it was agreed by Consent of all Parties concerned, that the Dispute should not be printed.

About this Time I stay'd a pretty while in London; and when the Lord made Way for me, I took my Leave of the City Friends, letting them under­stand, that I was preparing Homewards, intending for my Prison upon the Writ De Excommunicato Capiendo, that was out against me, and our Friends, and other Dissenters, in this Diocess of St. Asaph. A little Time before I came out of the City, there came two or three grave Citizens (I suppose of the Indepen­dent Congregation) and told me, They were come to let me know, that there was a Writ De Excommunicato Capiendo [Page 180]out against me, and there was one of their Friends in Prison already on the same Writ in our County, and if I would contribute with them, they said, they knew how to make it void. I told them, I knew there was a Writ out against me; and I did also know there was a Friend of theirs, one Richard Trollus in Prison in Welch-Pool on that Writ. I told them, I thought they might make the Writ void, but I would contribute nothing towards St; for I told them I would hasten Home as soon as I could, and go to Prison, if required: But they said, They were sa­tisfied I had other Reasons why I would not make the Writ void, and desired me to be free with them, and tell them my Reasons. I told them, I thought they might make that Writ void with a great deal of Charges; but, said I, how will you prevent the Bishop from coming on again with another Writ, which you cannot make void? and if there be any Error in their Proceedings in this, no Doubt but the Bishop and Chancellor will mend it in the next: And whether do you think it is better for me to go to Pri­son on this false Writ, or on a Writ that you can find no Error in? I said, if I go to Prison on this erroneous Writ, and [Page 181]the Sheriff or Jaylor gives me my Liberty the Bishop or the Chancellor cannot just­ly sue them. And so those Men went a­way well satisfied with the Reasons I gave them; and I know of no Money they spent to make the Writ void.

I acquainted my Friend William Penn, and some other Friends, that I intended to give the said Bishop Lloyd a Visit be­fore I went to Prison, if the Lord was pleased to make Way for me. So my Friend W. P. the Morning before I came out of the City, sent me a Letter from the Lord Hide to the Bishop, with his Coat of Arms on it, unseal'd. So I took my Journey, and the Lord brought me safe Home, to the Comfort of my Family and Friends, who were afraid I had been detained from coming Home.

Soon after my Return (even the next Morning) I set out to see the Bishop, without Interruption; tho' the Sheriff, one Geoge M [...]rcer, was very envious to Friends, yet I escaped his Hands at this Time. I went to my Friend Tho. Wynne's, who lived in a Town called Caerwys in Flintshire, not far from said Bishop's Pa­lace, and he went with me; and when we came there, the Bp's. Secretary came to the Gate, I asked him, Whether the [Page 182]Bishop was within? He said he was; and asked me, who would speak with him? I told him, That there was one Richard Davies would speak with him: What, said he, of Welch-pool? Yes, said I: What said the Secretary, my Lord Bishop: Bishop, as it signifies an Overseer, said I, I am; but Lord Bishop, I deny. So the Bishop sent for us in; there were several Clergymen with him, and among the rest the Dean of Bangor before men­tioned. The Bishop seemed to be dissatisfi­ed, that I was not with them at the Dis­pute at Llanvilling: We went soon to dispute about Water Baptism; I told them, There was one Lord, one Faith, and one Baptism; and that Baptism was necessary to Salvation; and that Water Baptism, which was John's Baptism, was to continue and remain but for a Season. So this, and such like Discourse, held us till it was late that Night; and then I went to my Friend's House, with an Order to be there again in the Morning. So I came in the Morning, and we dis­puted upon the same Subject: I said, If one should grant what they desired, viz. that Water Baptism was necessary to Sal­vation, which I would not, where should they have an Administrator, seeing that [Page 183] Paul says expresly, He was not sent to Baptize, but to Preach the Gospel; and thanked God, that he Baptized none, except such and such, 1 Cor. i. 14, 17. And Peter, who Baptized many, came so to see the Invallidity of Water Bap­tism, that he said, By Baptism we are saved, (not the putting away the Filth of the Flesh, (which outward Water could do no farther) but the Answer of a good Conscience towards God, by the Resurrec­tion of Jesus Christ, 1 Pet. iii. [...]1? So they went from this to their Ordination: I put them upon to prove, who sent them to baptize; and so the Dean told me Such an One ordained him; and so he named from one to another. I told him, I thought I should send him to Rome for their Succession and Ordination. And they said, Yes, the Ordination might be good, tho' it came from Rome. He bro't a Comparison; as, Suppose a Malefactor was condemned to die, and a Reprieve was obtained, and it came down by the Hang-man's Hand; and tho' it came so, yet (said he) the Pardon was good. Then said I, Your Ordination comes not by the Spirit and Power of God. This Re­turn made them somewhat uneasy; and the Time being pretty far spent, I was [Page 184]willing to be discharged, having been there in all Part of three Days.

I told the Bishop of good old David, who said, Psal. xxvi. 6. I will wash my Hands in Innocency, then will I compass thy Alter, O God; that with the Voice of Thanksgiving I may publish and tell of all thy wond'rous Works. Then I said to the Bishop, Thou canst not say, thou wilt wash thy Hands in Innocency, nor compass the Alter of God, while thy Writs remain against so many innocent People, that are willing to suffer till Death for the Testimony of their Con­sciences towards God: And I said, Bishop Lloyd, if I go to Prison upon this Account, I shall have more Peace there, than thou shalt have in thy Palace. And I said to him again, Suppose another Prince should arise, that would impose something upon thee, that thou could'st not do for Conscience sake, what would'st thou do? He said Then I will go to Pennsylvania, also (for at that Time many Friends were about going there.) Then it came clearly to me, and I said to the Bishop, Though thy Head be gray, yet thou may'st live to see Liberty of Conscience in England; though, as to outward [Page 185]Appearance it seemed to be very far from it at that Time.

Then the Bishop called for Pen and and Ink, and said, he would write to the Chancellor for my Liberty; but I told him, I was not satisfied for myself to be at Liberty, and my Friends to be in Prison: So he wrote to the Chancel­lor to suspend the Execution of the Writ; and when he had done, he read the Let­ter to me, and I owned his Kindness to us all therein. And then I took the Lord Hide's Letter out of my Pocket, and gave it him; and when he saw the Superscription, and knew from whom it was, he asked me, how I came by it? I told him, as I was coming out of Lon­don, intending for Prison, a Friend of mine brought me that Letter the same Morning that I left the City. When he had read it, he said, he hoped I was sa­tisfied that he had granted me the Con­tents of that Letter. I told him, I was so, and I hoped he should have a Reward for his Well-doing.

Then I was dismissed, and had Leave to come Home, and brought a Letter to John Edwards, Chancellor, a peevish Man against Friends, who lived at a Place called Llanymynech, about eight [Page 186]Miles from Welch-Pool. When he re­ceived the Letter, he did according to the Bishop's Order; and those Friends in the Diocess, that were concerned therein, were not molested nor troubled on that Account any more; and the Friends that were in Prison before were dischar­ged. And we have great Cause to bless and praise the Lord, for all his Mercies Kindnesses, and Deliverances to us; for hitherto he hath been our Eben-ezer, that is, the Lord hath helped us, 1 Sam. vii. 12.

In the Beginning of the Year 1682, my dear Friend Charles Lloyd and I went to visit Friends in Herefordshire, Worcestershire, &c. and so came through their Meetings to London, before the Yearly Meeting. I acquainted my Friends G. Whitehead and W. Penn, that I inten­ded to go to the Lord Hide to acknow­ledge his Kindness for his kind Letter on my Behalf to Bishop Lloyd. G. White­head said, There was some Service to be done for suffering Friends in Bristol, and it was thought convenient, that Three of the City, and Three of the Country, should go with the said Sufferings, and, desire the Kindness of the Lord Hide to present them to the King; the three Friends for the Country were, Charles [Page 187] Lloyd, Thomas Wynne, and myself for the City, G. Whitehead, Alexander Parker, and one more. Our Friend G. W. told me, that my Countryman Sir Lionel Jenkin, Secretary of State, was so cross and ill-humouv'd, that when the King was inclin'd to Moderation and Tenderness to suffering Friends, he of­tentimes stopp'd and hinder'd the Relief that was intended for them: And when we came to White-Hall, we waited a long-Time before we could speak with them, they being upon a Committee a considerable Time; but we had sent in by the Door-keeper, to acquaint the Lord Hide that we were there, and in Time they sent for us in: The Secretary look'd grim upon us. But I went to the Lord HIDE, and did acknowledge his Kindness for his kind Letter on my Be­half to the Bishop. He told me, as if I should tell the Bishop, there would be Liberty of Conscience in England. I told him, I did say so; and I did believe it would be so in the God of Heaven's Time. Then the Secretary Jenkins spoke in a scornful Manner, and asked me, What was Welch for a Quaker? I answered him, Crynwr, Crynwyr; it being the singular and plural Num­ber. [Page 188]But, said the Secretary, we had no Welch for it, for there were no Quakers in the Romans Days. Then my Friend Charles Lloyd answered him, and said, if thou did'st ask my Friend the Question right, he hath answer'd thee right; for there is English, Welch, Latin, Greek and Hebrew, for a Quaker. The Secretary said, Sir. I understand Welch pretty well, and English, and La­tin, and Greek, but if you go to your Hebrew, I know not what to say to you. So in this Time I left my Friend C. L. to engage with this peevish Countryman, and in that Time Represented the Lord HIDE with a long List of the Names of both Men, Women, and Children, in their several Prisons at Bristol; I desi­red him to be so kind as to present their Sufferings to the King, which he said he would; and our Friend G. Whitehead spoke further to him. Then I turned to the Secretary, and he directed his Words to me, and I spoke to him thus in Welch:

Mae yn ddrwg gennif, fod un o Hilio­gaeth yr hen Frittaniaid; yr rhai ydder­bynioddy Grefydd Gristianogol yn gyntaf yn Loeger; yn erbyn yr rhai sydd gwedi [Page 189] derbyn y wir Gristianogol Grefydd yr awr bon. The English is Thus:

‘I am sorry that one of the Stock of the antient Britains, who first received the Christian Faith in England, should be against those who have received the true Christian Faith in this Day.’

He replied, He was not against our Friends; but he said, our Friends gave their Votes for the Election of Parliament-Men that were against the King's Interest. I told him, it was our Birth-right, as we were Freeholders and Burgesses, to elect Men qualified to serve both King and Country; but how they were corrupted, when they came within these Walls, I knew not. Then the Secretary would have engaged farther with me in a Dis­pute about Religion: I told him, He was an antient Man, and that they had been a long Time there upon their Business, and if he would be pleased to dismiss us then, and appoint what Time we should some Morning wait upon him, we would, if he pleased, spend an Hour or two with him in Discourse about Religion: Upon which he took off his Hat, and thanked me kindly for my Civility; but we heard no more of the Dispute. But upon the whole Matter, our Friend G. Whitehead [Page 190]told me, he was more moderate to Friends afterwards, than he had been before. The Number of Prisoners that were in the said List delivered to the Lord HYDE to be presented to the King, in both Prisons, amounted to 139, of which there were 18 aged Women, from sixty and upwards, and 8 Children. In the latter End of the List it was said, Blessed are the Merciful, for they shall obtain Mercy.

I had my several Exercises this Year 1682. in London, both from false Bre­thren, and otherwise: Once I was at the Bull and Mouth Meeting, and there were in the Gallery several troublesome People, and none of our minist'ring Bre­thren, that were in true Unity with us, but G. Whitehead and W. Gibson, the Gallery being pretty full; one of them seem'd to strive to keep me out, and our Friends G. W. and W. G. perceiving it, made Way for me to come up to them; another of them had been speaking long in the Meeting, and had made many weary of him: I was under a great Con­cern in my Spirit for the Honour and Exaltation of the Name of the Lord and his Truth, and the Ease of many that were under Weights and Burthens; yet, [Page 191]for Quietness sake, I silently b [...]re the Weight and Exercise that was upon me, till he had done; and then my Mouth was opened in the Name and Power of God, and the Lord had Compassion on his afflicted Seed, and caused the Light and Life of his Countenance to oversha­dow the Meeting, to the Comfort and great Satisfaction of the Faithful. At which Time I was made to detect the false Doctrine which one of them had declared to the People, viz. "That the Children of God are destroyed for want of Knowledge." I told the People, That the Children of God in these Days were the Children of the New Covenant; and the Covenant that he makes with them is. That they shall know him, from the Least to the Greatest, and the true Knowledge of God to his People in these Days is Life Eternal, John xvii 3. Though Is­rael of old were destroyed for want of Knowledge, because they did forget the God of their Fathers, that brought them out of the Land of Aegypt, and out of the House of Bondage, insomuch that the Lord complained of them, and said, The Ox knoweth his Owner, and the Ass his Master's Crib, but my People know not me, Isaiah i. 3. and elsewhere [Page 192]it is said, They have forgotten me Days without Number. These were those A­postates that the Lord complained of, Jer. ii. 13. who had committed two E­vils, they had Forsaken him the Foun­tain of Living Waters, and hewed them out Cisterns, broken Cisterns, that could hold no Water. These were such as the Apostle said, When they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their Ima­ginations, and their foolish Heart was darkened: For this Cause God gave them up unto vile Affections, and a reprobate Mind, Rom. i. 21. And the Apostates in our Days (said I) have forgot the God that first made them acquainted in Measure with him: So they having lost the Sense of his Goodness, have separa­ted themselves from the Love and Uni­ty of the Brethren: B [...] the Children of God, who are faithful to the Measure of the Grace of God in themselves, know it to be their Teacher and Leader into all Truth. And these are not destroyed for want of Knowledge, though the World know him not: there are Apostates in our Age who have lost the true Know­ledge of him; but the Saints in Light, have and remain in the true Knowledge [Page 193]of him, being guided by the Spirit of Truth, whom the World cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither know­eth him: But ye know him, for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you, John xvi. 17.

When I had thus eased my Spirit, a Concern came upon our Friend and Bro­ther G. Whitehead, and he sweetly con­cluded the Meeting in Prayer.

After this I was pretty well cleared of the City, and was willing to draw home­wards, and next First-Day I came to Jordan's Meeting in Buckinghamshire, where we had a Blessed Meeting; then I went and had one Meeting at Chesham, from thence I went to Robert Jones's near Tring. And from thence I went to the Quarterly Meeting at Weston-Turfield, not far from Aylesbury, where it opened in me, to advise and counsel Friends, to keep to those Rules and Methods that were agreed on among us, in our Mens and Womens Meetings. As I was declar­ing, came in an opposite Party; howe­ver I went on, and shewed them how it was agreed among the Apostles, to send chosen Men, endu [...]d with the Holy Ghost, to set up good Orders and Methods among them: So I delivered unto them, that it [Page 194]seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us also, to set up our Mens and Wo­mens Meetings, that the Care and Con­cern of the Church of Christ, might be upon holy, self-denying Men and Wo­men, who might take Care of the Father­less and Widows in their Afflictions, and keep themselves unspotted from the World; which the Apostle James says, is pure Religion, and undefiled before God, James i. 27. And that the Care of all, both poor Strangers, and Prisoners in Affliction, might be carefully and tenderly look'd after, and supplied ac­cording to their Necessities: And that the Ministers of Christ in this Day, might take the Counsel of the Apostle, Acts xx. 28. Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the Flock over which the Holy Ghost hath made you O­verseers, to feed the Church of God, which he hath purchased with his Blood.

When I had ended what I had to say from the Lord among Friends, one of the said Party stood up and spoke some­thing by Way of Reflection upon what I then delivered; and when he had done, our Friend Thomas Ellwood proposed to the Meeting, that all should sit down, and wait to feel the Power of God a­mong [Page]us, and let that decide, whether I did speak in the Name and Power of God, among them this Day. To which the Meeting agreed, and all were silent, after which several Friends, as they were mov'd of the Lord, gave tenderly their Testimony, that what was delivered that Day, was in the Name and Power of God; and that his Presence was with us; as honest Robert Jones, and Richard Ba­ker, who loved the Lord, and his Bles­sed Truth, with all their Hearts, and seve­ral others present in that Meeting. And there stood up a Young Man, that I knew not, whose Heart was affected and much broken in Spirit, and he said on this wise, There is a Man come this Day amongst us, I know not from whence he came, not where he goes; but this I am satisfied, the Lord sent him here, and his Power and Presence is with him, and his Testimony is for the God of Truth. I enquired after­wards, who that Young Man was? And they said, he was one John Thornton. Upon this one of the Party broke in vio­lently and disorderly against that, that had been agreed upon among us, before the Meeting had fully clear'd 'emselves and smished their Testimonies: But it proved greatly to his Dishonor and Disgrace, so [Page 196]that he was made manifest to those that did adhere to him. The Meeting held a long Time, from about Ten in the Morn­ing, till (as they thought) Ten or Ele­ven at Night. But blessed be the Lord, that doth not leave his People without a Witness to himself; and he is the Preser­ver and Defender of all his People that do wait upon him; and they that trust in him, are as Mount Sion, that cannot be removed.

After this, I made what Haste I could Home, taking Meetings in my Way; as at Banbury, and the Country about, and Part of Worcestershire: So, blessed be the Lord, I came safe Home, to my Wife and Friends, where I found all Things well; blessed be his Name for ever.

In the Year 1683 I went again to Lon­don to the Yearly Meeting, and staid there some while after most of the Coun­try Friends were gone out of the City. I was engaged one First-Day for Westmin­ster-Meeting, and there was no Mini­st'ring Friend there but myself, and se­veral weighty Matters opened in me at that Meeting; as concerning the Church of Christ, what it was, and on what it was built: I said, some be of the Judg­ment, [Page 197]that the Church of Christ is built upon Peter; and I opened to the Under­standing of the People something of what is written in the 16th Chapter of Matthew: And I shewed them, that that which revealed unto Peter, that Christ was the Son of God, was a Mani­festation of the Spirit of God which was in Peter; for it is said, Mat. xi. 27. No Man knoweth the Son but the Father; neither knoweth any Man the Father save the Son, and he to whomso­ever the Son will reveal him. God re­vealed to Peter that Christ was the Son of God; and he is the only Rock that his Church is built upon, the Rock of Ages, the Foundation of many Genera­tions, that the Gates of Hell never pre­vail'd against: But the Gates of Hell prevail'd against Peter, when he deny'd his Lord and Master in the Time of his Sufferings; and therefore was not like to be the Rock which Christ built his Church on. It is said, 1 Cor. x. 4. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that fol­lowed them, and that Rock was Christ. And so Christ is the Rock, the sure Foundation, that his Church is built up­on. And Peter saith, 1 Pet. ii. 5, 6. &c. Ye also as lively Stones, are built up [Page 198]a Spiritual House, an holy Priesthood, to offer Spiritual Sacrifices acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. And in v. 8. he acknow­ledged Christ to be the Rock. Paul saith, 1 Tim. iii. 15. "That the House of God, the Church of the Living God, is the Pillar and Ground of Truth." This, said I, may inform the blind and igno­rant People of this Age, that Lime and Stone, and Temples that are made with Hands, are not, as they say, the Church of Christ, and the House of God; 'For God dwelleth not in Temples made with Hands,' as saith the Prophet, Isaiah lxvi. 1. and the Martyr Stephen, Acts vii. 48, 49. Thus I was concerned to declare the Truth in that Meeting, with much more to the same Effect. And after Meeting I went with some Friends towards the City; and as we were going along the Strand, the Queen was coming from her Chapel; and some of her: Life-Guard were very rude, and with the Staves that they had in their Hands they did knock and beat Friends that had their Hats on, all along as they came; and I received a Blow upon my Head that it swell'd, and was sore a considerable Time. But blessed be the Lord, in all our Exercises, and Afflictions, his Life, and Power and [Page 199]Presence bore us up in the Midst of there all; Praises be to his pure and holy Name for ever.

In this Time, before I came out of London, we met still with more Exer­cises and Troubles: One First-day in the Morning I was not well, and could not go to the Meeting, nor scarcely get out of my Bed; but when the Time of our Afternoon Meeting came, it lay upon me to go to the Bull and Mouth Meeting; and I told Job Bolton, with whom I lodged, that I must go to the said Meet­ing: He reason'd with-me; but I told him I would go so far as I could; and he said he would go with me. And as we went through the Passage to go in, I heard a Voice, that I was satisfied was not the Voice of a true Shepherd; the Meeting being already gather'd, and ma­ny People there: When I went up to the Gallery, there was one that was Preach­ing of Perfection, who said, Be ye per­fect, as your heavenly Father is perfect, &c. I staid to hear him but a very lit­tle while, till I stood up and judg'd him, and told the People, That the Kingdom of God stood not in Words, but in Power, Righteousness and Holiness. Then this Man went in a Rage down out of the [Page 200]Meeting, land a considerable Company followed him; and a Friend or two went after them as far as Fleet Street, to see where they were going; and one of the Company saw the Friend, and desi­red him not to follow them too close, lest they should do him a Diskindness: For we heard afterwards that there was a Wager laid that this Man (whom some said was a Jesuit) would Preach in the Quakers Meeting, and that he should not be discover'd; and had he gone without Reproof, they would say, that a Jesuit preached in the Quakers Meeting, and they could not discern him: But it was reported in many Places in the City, how that he was detected in the Quakers Meeting, and he could not abide there. We have Cause to bless the Lord for his Goodness to his People, that gives them a discerning Spirit, to judge between Good and Evil, and between those that serve God in Truth and Righ­teousness, and all deceitful Hypocrites, who are to be judged and condemned by the Word of his Power.

In the Beginning of the Year 1685. King Charles died, and King James came to the Throne, and the Statute of 20 l per Month, for absenting from the Publick [Page 201]Worship, (which I suppose was made a­gainst the Papists in Queen Elizabeth's Days) had been and was very much put in Force against our Friends, whereby many of them were almost ruined; the Sheriffs and their Bailiffs persecuted them so severely, and did make such a Prey of them, that some that were worth many Hundreds, were made so destitute, that they had scarcely a Bed to lie upon, but were as it were robbed of all. And when King James came to be settled upon the Throne, our dear Friend G. Whitebead, who always was much concerned for the Sufferings of Friends up and down in the Nation, and who did not spare himself to visit Kings and Parliaments, and all others, where he thought he could get Relief for his Suffering Brethren. He went to King James, and laid the pre­sent Condition of Suffering Friends be­fore him; after some Consideration, the King told him, That what concerned him, or came to him of those Fines, he very freely and readily would remit: Upon which an Order was granted, to suspend the Rigour of their Prosecutions. But it seems, when it came out, another Party of People, that were at the Stern, called Roman-Catholicks, took the Advan­tage [Page 202]to themselves; which was som [...] Surprize to Friends, who had laboure [...] in that Service. Here I did see, they part­ly took the Benefit of that Order to them­selves, (for the Papists had been under Sufferings also upon the said Statute in those Times.) George Whitehead hearing that I was in the City (at this Time) came to me, and told me the whole Busi­ness; and understanding that I had Inte­rest with the Earl of Powis, who was great with the King, he thought it might be of Service if I did go along with him to the Earl.

So next Morning my Friend G. White­head and I went to the Earl of Powis's House in Lincolns-Inn Fields; when he understood that I was come in, he very soon came to me; and when I had ended my Country-Business with him, I told him, I wanted a little of his Advice, in a Case wherein our Friends were great Sufferers, by a Law that was made a­gainst Papists, and that they were severely whipp'd upon their Backs, by the Statute of 20 l. per Month, for not coming to hear that which is called Divine Service; and I told him, that a Friend of ours had waited upon the King, and had told him the whole State of Things, and that the [Page 203]King was very ready to relieve us in what he could, and that an Order was granted to that Purpose; but I told him, It seemed his Friends had taken the Be­nefit of it, and excluded us, &c. So I desired his Advice, whether we should proceed farther in it, or no: He answer­ed by all Means (for, said he, I will tell you, that there was taken from our Friends in Lancashire 8000 l. upon this Statute, and the King and myself went to see how much of this Money came into the Exchequer; and when we saw it, it appeared that the King was in debt to that Account about 28 l. and all the rest gone.) Then I desired of him, see­ing it was his Advice that we should go on, and not be discouraged, that he would be pleased to grant that a Friend of mine might come in and speak with him, who was more able to give him an Account of this Business than myself, and who had been with the King to get Relief in this Matter (for G. W. staid all this while in an adjacent Room) so he bid me bring him up to him; and when George came, he opened the Matter ful­ly to him; and when he did thorough­ly understand the Matter, he soon got himself ready, and called for his Coach, [Page 204]and bid me come to him at an appointed Time; and he brought an absolute Or­der from the King, to stop all Proceed­ings by Sheriffs and Bailiffs on that Ac­count in the Nation: And in a short Time the Rage, Envy and Cruelty of such devouring Men were stopp'd; and I know not that any have been troubled or suffered since upon that Statute: Blessed be God, that hears the Cries of of the Poor, and Fatherless, and Wi­dows, and sends Relief to the Afflicted in his own due Time. And this I must say, that the Earl of Powis and his Countess were very ready and willing at all Times to do our Friends any Kind­ness that lay in their Way, and to help them out of their Troubles and Afflicti­ons; and I am apt to believe they did it conscientiously, for there were many of our Friends in several of their Lordships hereaways, and the Earl never sustered any of us to be fined for not appearing in any of his Courts upon Juries, or any other Way or Manner.

In the Year 1688. it seemed good to King James to put out a Declaration for Liberty of Conscience, and order'd the Bishops to send it to their several Dio­cess, that it might be read; there were [Page 205]Seven of them who would not read it. Bp. Lloyd aforesaid was one of them, therefore they were committed to the Tower. Then I rememb'red that which I spoke to the Bishop at his Palace in the Year 1681. when I queried of him, what if another Prince should arise, that would impose something upon him, that he could not do for Conscience sake! And that Year, when I went to London, I went to visit him in his Troubles; and he said to me, I often thought of your Words, and I could wish I were in Pen­silvania now myself; he told me the Reason why they could not read the Declaration, saying, It was arbitrary, and not according to Law, and that it was a Matter of Conscience to them; and withal, others were to have their Liberty by it besides Protestant Dissen­ters: He told me also, that they were put on to do as they had done to Dissen­ters; but when I told him of it before, he could not believe it, till it came thus upon them. I had acquainted him for­merly, that I had read a Sermon that was preached to prove the Church of Rome to be a false Church, because she was a persecuting Church: And now, said I, the Members of the Church of [Page 206] Rome, puts you on, not only to perse­cute upon the penal Laws that were made against Dissenters, but by those Laws also that were made against Popish Recusants; and by the same Argument may we and they say, the Church of England is a false Church, because it is a persecuring Church. The Bishop said, They did not consider nor know it then, as they did now. And after I had staid some Time with him, I took my Leave of him, and he did kindly acknowledge my Visit; and after some Time they were released.

And afterwards the Bishop came to Welch-Pool in the Assize Week, and in the Evening he sent for me to him, to the High-Sheriff's House; there being with him most of the Justices of the Peace, and Deputy Lieutenants of the County, with many of the Clergy, who were very civil to me. The Bishop told them, That he sent for me, and that he was more beholding to me, than all the Men in the Diocess, for I came to visit him in his Troubles; and he desired of them to do me all the Kindness they could, and he would take it as done to himself. And when Supper was over, the Bishop and the High-Sheriff ( Edward Vaughan [Page 207]of Llangedwin) took me into a pr [...] Room with them, and there we discour­sed a little about the Times; and there was some Report of the coming in of the Prince Orange, and in a little Time I had an Account that the Prince was landed, which was great Satisfaction to the Bi­shop; for he said, there [...] that Prosecuted him very c [...] Life. And when the Prince [...] was made King of England, [...] Liber­ty of Conscience was Established by Law, he and others were well satisfied with it.

And now I think it is worthy to take Notice of the several Kindnesses, upon Ac­count of our Suffering Friends I received from this Bp. Lloyd, in his several Dio­cesses: Whereas we do Record the Hard­heartedness and Cruelty we found from unmerciful and persecuting Bishops and Clergy, and how many they have made Poor, Widows, and Fatherless, I think it is Justice and Equity in us to Record all Mercy, Tenderness and Compassion, we find from those that are conscientious and charitable among them: As for In­stance.

This Bishop Lloyd being at a Visitation in Llanvilling, in this County of Montgo­mery, there were four peevish Church-war­dens [Page 208]of Welch-pool, did intend to prosecute [...] Son-in-law, Jacob Endon, for not pay­ing towards Repairs of their Worship­house; I and he went and waited on the Bi­shop, and told him the Case, and he called the Church-wardens, and told 'em, there was a Law, ordering a more easy Way, by less [...] recover by Distress, than to drive [...] [...]unications; he enqui­ring [...] I gave it him; and he turned [...] [...]ause, and read it to the Wardens, [...] told them, that he him­self drew that Clause in the Act; and he told them how they ought to go to a Justice for a Warrant: But, said he, why will you go to the Charge of a Warrant? Cannot you go, and take a Pewter Dish, or some other Thing near the Value? for I warrant they will ne­ver sue you for it: For, said he, we must do unto them, as we would be done unto, if we were in their Condition: So he quickly dispatched them. Then I told him, I was come moreover in the Behalf of a Prisoner on the same Ac­count, whose Name was Richard Da­vies, near Ruabon, in Denbighshire; and he advised me to go to the Chancellor (one Dr. Wynne) whom I should find, he said, a very fair Man; so he called [Page 209]him to us, and lest us together: And then I took my Leave of the Bishop, ac­knowledging his Kindness. And when I had fully discoursed the Chancellor a­bout the Prisoner, I found him very fair; and in a little Time after I heard my Friend R. D. was discharged; and several Kindnesses I have had of the Chancellor since. And when the afore­said Wardens came Home, they reported what Favour I had with the Bishop, and were troubled thereat; but neither my­self nor Son-in-law, were ever after trou­bled about those Repairs of their Wor­ship-house.

At another Time, when I was going to London, and visiting Friends in my Way, I call'd at Timothy Burberough's, at Aino on the Hill, in Northamptonshire, where I understood he was gone to Prison; I enquired the Cause of his Imprisonment, and his Wife told me, The Priest of the Parish had left their small Tythes, and other Tythes, till he thought they a­mounted unto a considerable Value, and then he came and drove and took away near all that they had, and sent him to Northampton Goal, where he had been sometime. I took a Memorandum of it, and when I went to London, I thought [Page 210]of the Afflictions and Exercise of my poor Brother: And my old Friend Bp. Lloyd being then at London, I went to his Lodgings at Whitehall; and I must say, he was very ready to come to me; and after some Discourse, I laid the di­stressed Case of my Friend T. B. afore­said before him; he answered, He did not know what to do in it, the Priest of Aino was a Stranger to him, and out of his Diocess. I told him, If he would be pleased to write a few Lines to the Bishop. of Peterborough (for it was in that Di­ocess) he might peradventure write a few Lines to the Priest of Aino, to be more moderate and conscientious, in not taking more than the Value of that which he called his Due, and casting the poor Man from his Family into Prison also. The Case I left with the Bishop, and he took care to send it to the Bishop of Pe­terborough, who sent to the Priest of Ai­no; and Bp. Lloyd sent the Priest's An­swer, with a Letter from the Bishop of Peterborough to himself, in a Letter of his to me near Welch-pool, which I took as a great Kindness and Favour from him.

Not long after this, I went to London again, and I called at my Friend T. Bur­berough's, where I found him at Home, [Page 211]being released; he told me the Priest had sent an Order for him to come Home, and that he came to reason and discourse with him. It seems he was not so unkind as he had been formerly.

In the Year 1700, there was a consi­derable Suffering on Friends in Worce­stershire, an Account of which was giv­en me by my Friend Edward Bourne, of Worcester, who desired me to use my In­terest with Bishop Lloyd for the Relies of one John Fowler and his Mother-in­law, the Widow Banbury) who was a Prisoner for Tythe in the out County­prison in Worcester, and he sent me their whole Case: When I understood it, I found a Concern upon me to make what Haste I could to the Bishop, who was then at his Palace at Hortlebury, a few Miles from Bewdley, I considered also what a Suffering our Friend William San­key had been under, by one Vernon, a cruel, ungodly Priest of the Parish he lived in, who had cast him into Prison, when he had five or six small Children, and his Wife lately dead: He several Times took from him more than treble the Value of his pretended Due for Tythe. From Bewdley I went to William San­key's, and I told him I was to go to the [Page 212]Bishop, and desired him to go with me. So in the Morning we went together; I enquired for the Bishop's Secretary, Francis Evans, who very lovingly came to us, and brought us in, and said, He would go to acquaint his Lord that I was there and in a little Time the Bishop came to us: And after some Discourse, I told the Bishop, I was not only come to give him a Visit, but I was come purpose­ly from Home, in Behalf of some Friends of mine, who suffered for Tythe in that Country; and that I was inform'd, that there had been three committed to Prison in Worcester Goal by one Kerry, Priest of Tredington, and that two of them were released, and the third remained a Pri­soner: Released, said he, how are they released? I told him by the Hand of their great Creator. It seems then, said he, they are dead. And the same Man, said I, doth prosecute the Widow of one of them, (viz. William Banbury's) and hath already put her into your Court, for that which her Husband suffered, and died for; and we reckon, that in Com­mon Law, when the Prisoner dies in Pri­son, the Prosecution ceases. I do not know, said he, but the Debt may be paid, but the Charge is not; and I know not [Page 213]what to do with that Man, for I hear he is a very covetous Man, and I have no Power over him, but once in three Years; I was lately in my Visitation there, and had I known this then, I might have done your Friends some Kindness. Then I said to him, If thou wilt be so kind as to write a few Lines to him, and let him know what Complaint is made to thee of him, and how thou art informed, that two of the three which he sent to Prison are dead; I do not question but it might stop his Rage and severe Prosecution a­gainst the poor Widow, if not be a Means to Release the other Prisoner. So he bid his Secretary take Notice of it, and put him in Mind to write to him. Then I told him of the Sufferings of William Sankev, who was there present, and I de­fired him to give Leave to my Friend to open the Case himself to him, which he did; and then he told how cruel the said Vernon had been to him in casting him into Goal, his Wife being dead, and left five or six small Children: and he told him, that he had taken from him Goods worth about 12 l. for abou [...] or 4 l. De­mand for Tythe; and abou [...] or 14 l. worth of Sheep, for the like Demand at another Time; and several other Cruel­ties [Page 214]he had done him by this unconscion­able Vernon. The Bishop taking it in­to Consideration, caus'd his Secretary to draw an Order for him to come there with his Account that was due to him from William Sankey, and what he had taken from said W. Sankey towards that Account; and he gave the Order to W. Sankey to deliver to the Priest, and de­sired William to be there the Day ap­pointed with the Priest: So when the Time came, as I was informed, the Priest went there the Day before to the Bishop, and W. Sankey went the Day ap­pointed: And I was inform'd that the Bishop should say, There was no Help for what was past, but he would take Care he should do so no more to William Sankey; I heard that since that Time, he hath taken it in Kind from him, with more Moderation than before; and I heard that the Bishop was kind to W. Sankey ever since.

And as for the Prisoner at Worcester, John Fowler, that was one of the Three before mentioned ( Robert Grimes and W. Banbury being dead) he was discharged; and as [...] the Widow Banbury, who was severely prosecuted by the Priest, intending to get it to an Excommunica­tion, [Page 215]that was stopp'd, and she was trou­bled no more.

And at this Time, before I parted with the Bishop, I told him, That there was a Friend of ours, one William Cattrill, that kept School in Worcester, who was prosecuted very close by some, for keep­ing School without a License, and they did intend to bring him under an Ex­communicato Capiendo, and if he was not pleased to be kind to him, they would put him to all the Charge and Trouble they could. So the Bishop bid his Se­cretary take Care about it. So all that I requested of the Bishop at that Time, was friendly and kindly granted me, and Care was taken that they were not trou­bled nor molested on them Accounts. Then the Bishop order'd us to dine there that Day, and we parted friendly and lovingly with him; and he desired me, when I came that Way, not to be strange to him. From thence I went to Worcester, and gave Friends an Account of my Success with the Bishop: I staid with them a little while, and from thence I went to Bromyand and had a Meeting there; so I went [...]ough Part of Herefor [...]shire to Lemster. And I can bless and praise the Name of the Lord, [Page 216]who was with me all along in my Jour­ney, and brought me safe Home to my Wife and Family; and when I gave them an Account of my Journey, they praised the Lord with me, who had been my Preserver and Defender.

In a little Time after, I went for London, and being at the Meeting about Friends Sufferings, there was mentioned the Sufferings of Friends in Lancaster Castle by the Dean and Chapter of Wor­cester, and they had been there for seve­ral Years, though Friends had made In­terest to get them off, and Friends at Worcester used their Interest with the Chancellor, who seemed to be very kind to them; yet, for all that, they could not have them discharged. So when I came down from London, I went to the Bishop at Worcester; he was very free with me, and in a little Time the Chan­cellor came in to us, and the Bishop gave me to understand who he was; I told them, I was glad to see them both toge­ther; for when I was lately in London, we had the Sufferings of our Friends in Lancashire before us, for a small Matter of Tythe [...]ledged to belong to the Dean and Chapter of Worcester; and di­recting my Discourse to the Bishop, I [Page 217]said, that I thought the Chancellor was not a Stranger to it; for I had heard he had been often solicited on their Behalf. The Chancellor told him, he did under­stand it, and that these Men were there for an inconsiderable Matter; and he said, he was sorry that those Men died in Worcester, because in Conscience they could not pay that little Tythe to the Priest of Tredington, and he was afraid these Men would die there also, except some Way was found out for their Re­lease: And the Bishop asked, how long they had been there? and I think the Chancellor said, Four or five Years. So the Bishop said, Discharge them, dis­charge them; and ordered them to be dis­charged without paying any Fees. So after a little Time I parted with the Bishop and Chancellor, and acknowledged their Kindness: And I went to Friends in the City of Worcester, and told William Pardoe what Success I had with the Bi­shop, and desired him to wait on the Chancellor to get the Order, that it might be sent speedlly: And in a little Time I heard they were discharged.

IN the Year 1702. he went up to Lon­don, his Daughtet Tace Endon ac­companying him; and he staid in and about the City for several Weeks, visiting Friends in their Meetings, and had ma­ny good and comfortable Opportunities among them. He, together with Eleven Friends more, were appointed by the Yearly Meeting to go to the Queen at Windsor, with an Acknowledgement from Friends for the Continuation of their Liberty and Protection under her Go­vernment; at which Time he in Particu­lar spoke to the Queen. And when he was clear of those Parts, he returned homewards, and came through Worce­ster, [Page 219]where he went to visit his old Friend Bp. Lloyd, who was glad to see him, and that was the last Time they saw each other.

After his Return Home, he often vi­sited some Neighbouring Meetings; and was at the Yearly Meeting of Wa [...] Spring following.

About the latter End of the Third Month, 1704. he went up to London again to the Yearly Meeting, his Grand­son David Endon attending him; he vi­sited Friends as he passed through Stow­erbridge, Banbury, Aylesbury, &c. and staid in and about the City for near two Months, being something weak and sick­ly; and when he was clear of the City, he returned pretty directly Home, and came well to his Family.

In the Beginning of the Year 1705. he met with some Exercise; for on the 1st of the Third Month, his dear and honest Wife died, who had been very tender and careful over him, and a Woman ve­ry serviceable to Friends and Truth in many Respects: She was a plain, up­right, and honest-hearted Woman, and was one that loved Truth in Simplicity, and she left a good Report behind her, [Page 220]after they had lived together about For the six Years.

In the First Month, 1706. he was at the Yearly Meeting of Wales at Llanid­los, in Montgomeryshire, being the last Yearly Meeting he was at in Wales On the 15th of the Second Month follow­ing, he took his Journey, with his Grand-son D. E. towards Bristol; he had a Meeting at Lemster and at Ross in Herefordshire, and thence went to Bri­stol, and lodged at Charles Harford's, jun. where he visited Friends at their Yearly Meeting, and staid there about a Week; and then, on the 30th of the Second Month, set forward towards London, and came to French-bay, and had a Meeting there; and the First of the Third Month he had a Meeting at Sadbury in Gloucestershire; the Fifth at Carencester; the Eighth at Oxford, being the First Day of the Week, where many of the Scholars came in, and were rude for some Time; but after our Friend Richard [...] had spoke a while in the Meeting, they became more sober, and some of them sat down, and staid till the Conclusion of the Meeting; and Friends took Notice that the Meeting was much more quiet than usual. From thence [Page 221]he went to Henly, and had a Meeting there; and so to Windsor, where he had a Meeting; thence he went to London, and lodged at his Friend and Kinsman's Thomas Lloyd's: He attended the Yearly Meeting, and staid in and about the Ci­ty, visiting Friends at their Meetings, until the 19th of the Fourth Month; at which Time he returned Homewards, and had a Meeting the 21st at Chesham, where William Bingley was; the 22d they had a Meeting at Aylesbury; and went thence to their Yearly Meeting at Banbury, where were many Friends from divers Parts. The 28th he came to Worcester, William Bingley still ac­companying him, where they had a Meeting. The 30th he went to Droit­wich, and had a Meeting there. The 1st of the Fifth Month he had a Meeting at Bromsgrove; the 2d at Birmingham, and lodged at John Pemberton's; the 4th he went to the Quarterly Meeting at Woolverhampton, and passed thence to Stowerbridge, and lodged at Ambrose Crowleys: And so on the 9th of the 5th Month, 1706, he returned safe Home to his Family at Cloddiecochion, near Welch-Pool, having been away near three Months.

[Page 222] After this Journey he continued most­ly at Home and in his usual Health, and visited several Neighbouring Meet­ings. In the latter End of the 8th Month, he was at the Burial of an ancient Wo­man Friend ( Anne Thomas) in Salop, and at several other Burials near Home; at which Times he often had very good Service, and People would hear him gladly, for he had a solid and grave Delivery, and was wise and sound in his Matter, which, was much taking with most People.

His last Sickness was very short: For on Sixth Day of the Week he was at Welch-Pool, and finding himself not well, went Home, and the next Day kept the House, on First-Day follow­ing, several Friends went to see, him from Dolohran-Meeting, and had a little Opportunity to wait together upon the Lord with him. He spoke very little to an [...], and his Pain continuing upon him; the next Day, being the 22d of the First Month 1707-8, about the 9th Hour in the Morning he quietly depart­ed this Life, being in the 73d Year of his Age.

The 25th being the Day appointed for his Burial, many Friends from divers [Page 223]Parts, and other People, met at his House at Cloddiecochion, and his Body was borne by them to the Grave-yard near his own House, and there decently interr'd near his Wife's Grave; and in the Grave-yard there was held a solemn Meeting and several Testimonies were borne, in the Power and Life of Truth, to the general Satisfaction of the Peo­ple.