CHAPTER X (7)

Having stayed some time in London, and visited the meetings of Friends in and about the city, and cleared myself of what services the Lord had at that time laid upon me there, I travelled into Kent, Sussex, and Surrey, visiting Friends, amongst whom I had great meetings; and many times met with opposition from Baptists and other jangling professors; but the Lord’s power went over them.

We staid one night at Farnham, where we had a little meeting, and the people were exceedingly rude; but at last the Lord’s power came over them. After it we went to our inn, and gave notice that any that feared God might come to us: and there came abundance of rude people, the magistrates of the town also, and some professors. I declared the truth unto them; and those of the people that behaved rudely, the magistrates put out of the room. When they were gone there came another rude company of professors and some of the chief of the town. They called for faggots and drink, though we forbade them; and were as rude a people as ever I met with. The Lord’s power chained them that they had not power to do us any mischief; but when they went away, they left all their faggots and beer which they had called for into the room, for us to pay for in the morning. We showed the innkeeper what an unworthy thing it was, but he told us, “we must pay it,” and we did. Before we left the town I wrote a paper to the magistrates and heads of the town, and to the priest, showing them and him how he had taught his people, and laying before them their rude and uncivil conduct to strangers that sought their good.

Leaving that place we came to Basingstoke, a very rude town; where they had formerly very much abused Friends. There I had a meeting in the evening, which was quiet for the Lord’s power chained the unruly. At the close of it I was moved to put off my hat, and pray to the Lord to open their understandings; upon which they raised a report, that, “I put off my hat to them, and bid them good-night,” which was never in my heart. After the meeting, when we came to our inn, I sent for the innkeeper (as I used to do,) and he came into the room to us, and showed himself a very rude man. I admonished him to be sober and fear the Lord; but he called for faggots and a pint of wine, and drank it off himself; then called for another, and called up half a dozen men into our chamber. Thereupon I bid him go out of the chamber, and told him he should not drink there, for we sent for him up to speak to him concerning his eternal good. He was exceedingly mad, rude, and drunk. When he continued his rudeness, and would not be gone, I told him the chamber was mine for the time I lodged in it, and called for the key. Then he went away in great rage. In the morning he would not be seen; but I told his wife of his unchristian and rude behaviour towards us.

After this we came to Bridport, having meetings in the way. We went to an inn, and sent into the town for such as feared God; and there came a shopkeeper, a professor, and put off his hat to us, and seeing we did not the same to him again, but said Thou and Thee to him, he told us, “he was not of our religion;” and after some discourse with him he went away. Then he went and stirred up the priest and magistrates against us, and after a while sent to the inn to desire us to come to his house, for there were some that would speak with us, he said. Thomas Curtis was with me, and he went to the man’s house; where, when he came, the man had laid a snare for him, for he had got the priest and magistrate thither, and they boasted much that they had caught George Fox, taking him for me. When they perceived their mistake, they were in great rage; yet the Lord’s power came over them, so that they let him go again. Meanwhile I had an opportunity of speaking to some sober people that came to the inn. When Thomas was come back, and we were passing out of the town, some of them came to us, and said, “the officers were coming to fetch me;” but the Lord’s power came over them all, so that they had not power to touch me. There were some convinced in the town, who were turned to the Lord, and have stood faithful in their testimony to the truth ever since, and a fine meeting there is there.

Passing hence we visited Portsmouth and Poole, where we had glorious meetings; and many were turned to the Lord. At Ringwood we had a large general meeting, where the Lord’s power was over all. At Weymouth we had a meeting; and thence came through Dorchester to Lyme, where the inn we went to was taken up with mountebanks, so that there was hardly any room for us or our horses. In the evening we drew up some queries concerning the ground of all diseases, and the natures and virtues of medicinal things, and sent them to the mountebanks; letting them know, “if they would not answer them, we would stick them on the cross next day.” This brought them down, and made them cool, for they could not answer them; but in the morning they reasoned a little with us. We left the queries with some friendly people, that were convinced in the town, to stick upon the market-cross. The Lord’s power reached some of the sober people in that place, who were turned by the Light and Spirit of Christ to his free teaching.

We then travelled to Exeter; and at the sign of the Seven Stars, an inn at the bridge foot, had a general meeting of Friends out of Cornwall and Devonshire; to which came Humphrey Lower, Thomas Lower, and John Ellis[52] from the Land’s End, Henry Pollexfen, and Friends from Plymouth, Elizabeth Trelawny, and divers other Friends. A blessed heavenly meeting we had, and the Lord’s everlasting power came over all, in which I saw and said, “that the Lord’s power had surrounded this nation round about, as with a wall and bulwark, and his seed reached from sea to sea.” Friends were established in the everlasting Seed of life, Christ Jesus, their life, rock, teacher and shepherd.

Next morning Major Blackmore sent soldiers to apprehend me; but I was gone before they came. As I was riding up the street, I saw the officers going down; so the Lord crossed them in their design, and Friends passed away peaceably and quietly. The soldiers examined some Friends after I was gone, “what they did there;” but when they told them they were in their inn, and had business in the city, they went away without meddling any further with them.

From Exeter I took meetings as I went, till I came to Bristol, and was at the meeting there. After which I did not stay in the town, but passed into Wales, and had a meeting at the Slone. Thence going to Cardiff, a justice of the peace sent to me, desiring I would come with half a dozen of my friends to his house. So I took a friend or two, and went up to him, and he and his wife received us very civilly. The next day we had a meeting at Cardiff in the town-hall, and that justice sent about seventeen of his family to the meeting. There came some disturbers, but the Lord’s power was over them, and many were turned to the Lord. To some that had run out with James Naylor, and did not come to meetings, I sent word, that “the day of their visitation was over,” and they never prospered after.

We travelled from Cardiff to Swansea, where we had a blessed meeting; and a meeting was settled there in the name of Jesus. In our way thither we passed over in a boat, with the high-sheriff of the county, and next day I went to speak with him, but he would not admit me.

We went to another meeting in the country, where the Lord’s presence was much with us. Thence to a great man’s house, who received us very lovingly; but next morning he would not be seen; one that in the mean time had come to him, had so estranged him, that we could not get to speak with him again.

We still passed on through the countries, having meetings and gathering people, in the name of Christ, to Him their heavenly teacher, till we came to Brecknock; where we set up our horses at an inn. There went with me Thomas Holmes and John-ap-John, who was moved of the Lord to speak in the streets. I walked out a little into the fields, and when I came in again, the town was in an uproar. When I came into the chamber in the inn, it was full of people, and they were speaking in Welsh; I desired them to speak in English, which they did, and much discourse we had. After a while they went away; but towards night the magistrates gathered together in the streets, with a multitude of people, and they bid them shout, and gathered up the town; so that for about two hours together, there was such a noise, that the like we had not heard; and the magistrates set them on to shout again, when they had given over. We thought it looked like the uproar, which we read was amongst Diana’s craftsmen. This tumult continued till night; and if the Lord’s power had not limited them, they seemed likely to have pulled down the house, and us to pieces.

At night, the woman of the house would have had us go to supper in another room, but we discerning her plot, refused. Then she would have had half a dozen men come into the room to us, under pretence of discoursing with us. We told her, no persons should come into our room that night, neither would we go to them. Then she said, we should sup in another room; but we told her we would have no supper, if not in our own room. At length, when she saw she could not get us out, she brought up our supper in a great rage. So she and they were crossed in their design, for they had an intent to do us mischief; but the Lord God prevented them. Next morning I wrote a paper to the town concerning their unchristian conduct, showing the fruits of their priests and magistrates; and as I passed out of the town I spoke to the people, and told them, they were a shame to Christianity and religion.

From this place we went to a great meeting in a steeple-house yard, where was a priest, and Walter Jenkin, who had been a justice, and another justice. A blessed glorious meeting we had. There being many professors, I was moved of the Lord to open the Scriptures to them, and to answer their objections (for I knew them very well;) and to turn them to Christ, who had enlightened them; with which light they might see the sins and trespasses they had been dead in, and their Saviour, who came to redeem them out of them, who was to be their way to God, the truth and the life to them, and their priest made higher than the heavens, so that they might come to sit under his teaching. A peaceable meeting we had; many were convinced and settled in the truth that day. After it, I went with Walter Jenkin to the other justice’s house; and he said to me, “You have this day given great satisfaction to the people, and answered all the objections that were in their minds.” For the people had the Scriptures, but were not turned to the Spirit, which should let them see that, which gave them forth, the Spirit of God, which is the key to open them.

From hence we passed to Richard Hamborow’s, at Pontemoil, where was a great meeting; to which came another justice of peace, and several great people, whose understandings were opened by the Lord’s Spirit and power, and they were turned to the Lord Jesus Christ, from whence it came. A great convincement there was; a large meeting was gathered in those parts, and settled in the name of Jesus.

After this we returned to England, and came to Shrewsbury, where we had a great meeting, and visited Friends all over the countries in their meetings, till we came to William Gandy’s, in Cheshire, where we had a meeting of between two and three thousand people, as it was thought; and the everlasting word of life was held forth, and received that day. A blessed meeting it was, for Friends were settled by the power of God upon Christ Jesus, the rock and foundation.