I answered them according to scripture, yet they were ignorant of it. They demanded of me to take the oaths 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, who took upon him to question me. The first thing he asked me was, which was first, reason or scripture; I told him, reason was before scripture. God made man a reasonable creature in his own image, and the first part of the scriptures now extant, was written by Moses: the apostle tells us, "that the law came by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ." I farther told them, that holy men of God gave them forth as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. As to this, they seemed to be satisfied. But the priest put 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, 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 put ensnaring questions to Christ, when he was brought before them, to seek to make him an offender, and turned myself to the justices, and 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 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 I was innocent, and would give them no bail, for Truth binds me to my good behaviour. Then the high

sheriff, a very fair man, told me, I was a strange man, and of a strange persuasion, 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 as yet tried him; and it might be, that I might speak of

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him, "Noble Sheriff." Upon this they were most of them very pleasant. He asked me whom I did know there. There were several justices my relations present, who very well knew me, but I made mention of none of them; but told them, I knew the chief magistrate of the town, 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 devil he hath now, I know not." They asked him, "whether I was his prisoner;" he said, “I was.” "Then," said the justices, "take him again to your custody." As I was going out of the room, "I told them, that I brought a good hat on my head there, but was going away without it," for some of the baser sort had conveyed it away, but the justices made diligent search about it, so it was brought me again, and put upon my head, and they parted with me. very friendly, and the town magistrate took me a little from them, and bade me go home to my wife and family. Many of the inhabitants of the town accompanied me home, praising God in their way for my deliverance, for several things were threatened 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, captains, lieutenants, and soldiers, that were in arms in Oliver's and Richard Cromwell'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 for me, to bring me to prison. My relations offered to give bail for me, but it was not accepted. So I went to acquaint my wife of it, and to make myself

ready to go with them. One of the soldiers came upstairs after me, with a pistol and naked sword, and my wife raising herself up, and sitting in bed, being delivered but three days before of her first child, she said, "Dear husband 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 ran away in my father's debt, threatened 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 prison next morning; but they could not prevail. At length some of the aldermen fell into a rage, and bid them meddle with me if they durst; and bid me go to my house, which I was not willing to do, for 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 towards 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 the other. When the troop had their orders, they went on their way; and I praised God, in the multitude of his mercies, that there was no blood shed 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 anything 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.

So that night I stayed at home, and next morning took my journey towards my prison at Montgomery. I avoided the house of my uncle, a justice of the peace in this county, near my way, and brother-in-law to this captain, lest he should stop me from going to prison. So I went there myself alone, and told the marshal, 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 Presbyterians, Independents, and Baptists, who were formerly my great acquaintance; but now they appeared very strange, and Iwould not discourse with me. I considered the reason, and was informed, that these old formal church-members of professors had agreed among themselves that they would not discourse with me, nor receive any books from me, lest the most serious inward christians amongst them 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 a travail 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. A Baptist was convinced there, and came to meet with me in my room. Cadwalader Edwards was also convinced, and came up with us to meet in the prison; and then discoursings and disputes began between them and me. I wrote a few lines to send home to my wife, but knew not by whom to send it, for it was very hard to send any papers out of prison; the marshal, or jailor, would examine and search such as came in, or went out for letters. An old friend, an acquaintance of mine, 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 afraid to meddle with it, partly for fear of the jailor, 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 jailor might see it if he pleased; and after I had read it to her, she was tenderly affected, turned to her brethren again, and said, “Surely these people will never come to us, but we must go to them." Some time after, through much trouble and affliction, she came to receive the truth, to live in it, and obey it; her name was Margaret Bowen, wife of John Bowen, of Collfryn, and mother to Peter Bowen, in St. Martin's-le-Grand, London.

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 I came away, and left the rest of the prisoners there, where they continued a considerable time. I was well satisfied with the goodness of God, that I found his presence, life, and power with me, a present help in the time of need, which kept me low and humble, that I durst not rejoice that spirits were made subject; but rather rejoice, that I found my name written in heaven. I came home in great love and peace to my wife and family, and many of my loving neighbours rejoiced

to see me.

In

I continued about my calling and business, and waited upon God to know his mind and will concerning me. this time I heard of an honest old woman, who had received the truth some time before at Montgomery, her name was Anne Hamon, wife of Thomas Hamon; my wife and I went to visit her.

About the year 1661, I went to a meeting at Edgemont, near Wem, in Shropshire. Here our friend William Gibson and I were taken prisoners, with about twenty-five or twenty-six more, and sent to Shrewsbury. We found the temper of the jailor to be very cruel. He threatened us with a great deal of hardship, if we did not eat of his meat, 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 demanded a free prison, and straw to lie