declared on oath, in whose house the meeting had been, and who had preached; and this was so gross that once he gave a false information, with respect to the house; but the gain proceeding from this work, how abominable soever, did shine so alluringly, that his kinsman, James Clark, entered upon this informers' office; which any one could easily do, without suing for it.

In Norfolk the rage of the persecutors was such, that some, having been bereft of all, were obliged even in winter time (as amongst the rest Joseph Harrison, with his wife and children) to lie on straw; and yet they, unwearied, did not leave frequenting their religious meeting nay, even the dead were not suffered to rest, for outrageous barbarity came to that pitch, that Mary, the wife of Francis Larder, being dead and buried, was, by order of one Thomas Bretland, dug up again, whereby the coffin was broken, which they tied together and carrying it away, exposed the corpse in the market-place. Thus this deceased woman was no more suffered to lie quiet in her grave, than in her sick bed, where the day before her death she has been threatened, by order of one Christopher Bedingfield, to have her bed taken from under her while living. Now the reason of this taking up the corpse, was, that though her husband was one of those called Quakers, yet she not being properly a member of that society, it was taken

ill that she had been buried in a plain way, without paying to the priest his pretended due, for the ordinary service over the dead.

In Somersetshire thirty two persons were fined for having been at a burial. The like happened in the county of Derby, where Samuel Roe (his wife being deceased) was fined twenty pounds, because his friends met in his house to conduct the corpse to the grave, of this the priest John Wilson, was informer to the justice of peace, John Loe; and out of the house of the said Samuel Roe, was taken the value of thirty pounds; so that the share of the informer was no less than ten pounds; since according to law his due was a third of the spoil. I could here relate several instances of great adversities, and sad mischiefs that befel cruel persecutors: but not to expatiate too far, I have silently passed by many remarkable cases.

Yet in general terms I may say, that many of the persecutors, both justices, informers, and others, came to a miserable end: some being by sudden, or unnatural death, and others by lingering sicknesses or distempers, or by foul and stinking diseases, taken out of this life; whilst some, who by spoil had scraped much together, fell into great poverty and beggary? whose names I could set down, and mention also time and place; and among these some rapacious ecclesiastics, who came to a sad end; but I stu

diously avoid particularizing such instances, to avoid the appearance of grudging and envy. Some of those that had been so active in spoil, signified themselves the terrible remorse of conscience they felt because of their having perse cuted the Quakers; insomuch that they roared out their gnawing grief, mixed with despair, un⚫ der the grievous pains they suffered in their body. And it was judged by many a very remarkable case, that one Christopher Glin, priest at Burford, who had acted with very indiscreet zeal against the Quakers, having about the year 1663, read his text in the pulpit, and then intending to read his sermon, was on a sudden struck with blindness, and continued blind till he died. But none of the persecutors seemed to take notice, or to regard such instances; for they let their rage loose against the Quakers; who, for all that, continued in patience, though they did not think it unlawful to give notice of the grievous oppression their friends suffered, to those that were in authority: lest they might have excused themselves as ignorant of these proceedings. Therefore it was not omitted to publish in public print many of those crying instances that have been related here, and to present them to the king and parliament, with humble addresses to that purpose. But all this found but little entrance. King Charles, it seems was not to be the man that was to take

off the yoke of oppression; this work was reserved for others. His brother James that succeeded him, made a beginning thereof, with what intention heaven knows; and William III. that excellent prince, brought it to perfection. as far as it was in his power.

This year deceased at sea William Bayly coming from the West Indies, in the ship called the Samuel, of London, In the latitude of 46 degrees and 36 minutes: he had been a teacher among the Baptists, and had read much in the books of Jacob Behmen, but could not find thereby true satisfaction to his soul. And being afterwards entered into society with the Quakers, so called, he became a zealous preachWhen in this his last voyage er among them. he was grown sick, and felt death approaching, he bid John Clark, master of the said vessel, remember him to his dear wife and little ones, and also to G. Fox, G. Whitehead, and others; and being filled with joy, began to sing, saying, "The creating word of the Lord endures for ever." He took several that were about him by the hand, and exhorted them, to fear the Lord, and not to fear death; "Death," said he, "is nothing in itself; for the sting of death is sin. Tell the friends at London, that would have been glad to have seen my face, I go to my Father, and their Father, to my God, and their God. Remember my love to my dear

living eternal praises be given and returned to the Lord God, and the Lamb for ever!"

Thus Halhead ended his speech, and Lambert, who had heard him with good satisfaction, desired him to sit down, which Halhead did; and then Lambert called for beer, and gave him to drink; after which, he said to him, "Friend, I do believe thou speakest to me in love, and so I take it." And then he asked him, if he was at Dunbar fight? To which Halhead having answered No; he further asked, "How do you know what great danger we were in at that time?" Upon which Halhead gave him to understand, that he coming that way a little time after the fight, and having viewed the town of Dunbar, and the ground about it where the English army lay, how the sea was on the one hand of them, and hills and mountains_on_the other, and the great Scotch army before and behind them, he then took into serious consideration, the great danger the English had been in, and thought how greatly the Englishmen were engaged to the Lord for their deliverance, to serve him in truth and uprightness of heart all the days of their life. "Truly John," said Halhead, then to Lambert, "I never saw thy face before to know thee, although I have been brought before many of our English commanders in the time of Oliver Cromwell." Lambert then asking, who they were, Halhead named