27. Then the Mayor faid, Here is feveral Notes from the godly Minifters which you have forbid to preach the Gospel, upon pain of Damnation.

28. Said John, We do own these Notes fent unto them, and if any of them Minifters we fent thefe Letters unto have preached publickly fince the Receipt of them, they are damn'd to Eternity, because they preach and are not fent of God; neither do they know the true God, nor can they preach the Truth unto the People, 29. These Words were fet down by the Clerk.

30. Then faid the Lord Mayor unto John Reeve, What was it that God fpake unto you?

31. John related the Words God fpake unto him three Mornings together; the fame Words that are written in that Book in your Hand.

XXX

CHA P. II.

Shewing John Reeve's Answer to the Lord Mayor's Questions, and John Reeve's Question to the Mayor, what his God was, with the Mayor's Anfwer; And John's Replycation to it. Of the two Witnesses Commitment to Newgate.

I.

TH

HE Lord Mayor answered John Reeve, and faid, He did believe it was the Devil that spake to him,

2. Then to this I anfwered and faid, Sir, you have finned against the Holy Ghost, and will be Damn'd.

3. The Mayor clapt his Hand upon his Breaft, and said, God forbid.

4. Yea, faid I, but you have; then faid John Reeve to the Mayor, Sir, You fay you do believe it was the Devil that fpake unto me; I pray Sir tell me what your God is.

5. The Lord Mayor lift up himself, and laid his Hand on bis Breaft: Oh! faith he, my God is an infinite, incomprehenfible Spirit.

6. What

6. What, faid I, without a Body or Perfon?

7, Said the Mayor, God hath no Body or Perfon at all. 8. Why, faid I, hath God that made Man in his own Image, who hath a Body and Perfon, and hath made all other Creatures with Perfons; and fhall he that made them have no Body or Person of his own?

9. Doth not the Scriptures fay, That Chrift was the exprefs Image and Brightnefs of his Father's Perfon; and had not Chrift, a Body or Perfon in form like Man; Sin excepted.

10.

II.

11.

Then faid the Mayor unto me, muft 1 believe you?

Yea, faid I, That you muft, or you will be Damn'd. 12. Then there was a Gentlewoman in the Court called out, and said, Mr. Reeve, pray tell me what the Devil is?

13. John answered with a loud Voice, and faid, Thy own Soul is the Devil.

14. Then one of the Officers faid unto the Woman, I think he hath met with you now.

15. Then the Lord Mayor afked the Accufers if they would be bound in 401. Bond a piece to profecute against these two Men, they faid, they would; fo the Clerk bound them to profecute.

16. Then the Lord Mayor called for the Act of Parliament, which was newly made against Blafphemy; fo the Mayor read this Paffage in it, That if any Man fhould fay that he is God, and that God is no where elfe, fhall be guilty of Blafphemy, and fhall fuffer fix Months Imprisonment, without Bail or Main-Prize.

17. Then faid I unto him; Sir, What have you to do with this Act, you are a temporal Magiftrate, and ought to judge of temporal Things between Man and Man.

18. And you are to do Juftice between Man and Man, in all moral and temporal Affairs, which concerns you to be the judge of, and you will do well to keep there, for you are not to judge of Blafpemy against God; nor thofe that made this A&t neither.

19. Why, faid the Mayor, muft I believe you?

20. Yea,

20. Yea, faid I, That you muft, elfe you will be Damned. 21. For God hath chofen us two to be the judge of Blasphemy against God; and hath given us Power to pronounce Sentance of Damnation upon all thofe that do Blafpheme against that God which is a Perfon, which you do deny.

22. Why, faid he again, muft I believe you? 23. Yea, faid I, elfe you will be Damn'd.

24. Many things more than what is here written was spoke at that time, but these were of moft concernment to take notice of. 25. And when this Difpute and Examination was ended, the Lord Mayor asked if we would put in Bail? and we said No.

26, So he gave order to his Clerk to make our Mittimus, and fend us to Newgate; and he went away out of the Court into another Chamber, and the Clerk carried the Mittimus in to him to fet his Hand to it; fo that he came no more into the Court.

27. For John Reeve intended to give the Sentance of eternal Damnation upon him, both Body and Soul, in the open Court, it being full of People.

28. But he came no more out, until we were led away by the Marshal and his Men to Newgate, there to remain Prisoners till the next Seffions.

29. This Commitment was the fifteenth Day of September, 1653.

**

CHA P. III.

***

Shewing bow the Prisoners brought Irons; required Money of the two WitneЛles; they having none, took one of their Cloaks for a Pledge. How long they were Prifoners; the Boards were their Bed. And of the Wickedness of some of the Prisoners, which bada Defign to bave banged them; and bow Providence preferved ikem.

OW we being Prifoners in Newgate Goal, I fhall speak of fome Paffages that happened there.

2. As foon as ever the Keeper had put us in, and shut the Gate upon us, the Prisoners brought to each of us a pair of Irons to put on our Legs, except we would lay them down Three Shillings and Six Pence a-piece.

3. Alfo they faid, they must have Money for Garnish, which did amount to Five Shillings a-piece in all.

4. I said, we have no Money about us, but however, if they pleas'd, they might put the Irons upon our Legs, and I held out my Leg for them to be put on: I was very free to wear them for Truths fake, though it was a thing unufual, for it was the first time that ever I was in Prifon before in all my Life.

5. The Prifoners feeing us fo willing, they faid they would trust us for Ten Shillings, upon this condition, that we would give them one of our Cloaks for a Pledge; we faid, do take which you will.

6. So they looked on John Reeve's Cloak, and faid, it was not worth Ten Shillings; then they looked upon my Cloak, and took it off my Back, and faid, This will do, this is a good Cloak, it is good fine Cloth; faid they, We will keep this Cloak till you pay Ten Shillings.

7. And in five Days after my Daughter Sarab brought Ten Shillings, and I gave it them, and fent my Cloak home by my Daughter, for I durft not keep it there, for fear I fhould loofe it, though I had need enough of it, for the Weather was Cold at that time, for it was the 15th of September, 1653, we were committed, and we were there Prisoners until the 17th of October.

8. And the Boards was our Bed, we had no Sheets, only a poor Flock Bed upon the Ground, and one thin Blanket at top; and we paid feven Groats a Week for this Lodging, and thought ourfelves very well ufed in a Prifon, which thing we was never acquainted with before.

9. But we were more perplex'd with the Prifoners within, than with the Imprisonment itfelf.

For there were three Highway-Men, and they were

L

very

་

very malicious against us, efpecially one of them, that if F went to the Grate when any came to fpeak with us, he would lay his Leg in the Dark for me to ftumble at, and ftrike me in the Neck with his Fifts, thinking to throw me down.

11. And if I were but walking in the Hall, he would come and drive me out, and ftrike at me, and fay, You Rogue, you damn'd Folks: And fo it was with the Boys that were Prifoners, that when I went to the Grates to fpeak with any, they would fnatch off my Hat, and pawn it for half a Dezen of Drink; fo the Boys did.

12. And I gave them Six Pence every time they did it, to please them.

So that other Prifoners faid it was not fit I fhould be fo abufed, and wifhed me to complain to the Keeper, and he would punish them.

14. No, faid I, it is not for Prifoners to complain of Prisoners.

15. And when these three notable Thieves faw they could not provoke me, no ways, fo much as to fay why do you fo?

16. Then they thought upon another way, and wrote a Letter to John Reeve, with the Sentance of Damnation to us both, thinking to have provoked John Reeve to have given. Sentance of Damnation to Eternity upon them, that they might. have had wherewith to have done him a Mischief..

17. But he gave them no Anfwer at all.

18. When they faw this would not do, they came into our Room where we lay, with a Rope in their Hands, to measurehow high the Beam was, that they might Hang John Reeve in the Room.

19. And as it happened there was four condemn'd Men in Newgate at that time, and thefe Men were our greatest Friends to protect us from the Violence of other Prifoners.

20.

And thefe two that lay in our Room, they pulled out thofe Men by Head and Shoulders, that came to measure the

Beam;