After some time I returned to London again, where Friends were finely established in the truth, and great comings-in there were. When I had stayed a while in the city, I passed into Kent.
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From thence I passed into Sussex and came to a lodge near Horsham, where there was a great meeting, and many were convinced.
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Out of Sussex I passed through the countries till I came to Reading, where I found a few that were convinced of the way of the Lord. There I stayed till the First-day, and had a meeting in George Lamboll's orchard; and a great part of the town came to it. A glorious meeting it was; a great convincement there was, and the people were mightily satisfied. Thither came two of Judge Fell's daughters to me, and George Bishop, of Bristol, with his sword by his side, for he was a captain. After .the meeting many Baptists and Ranters came privately, reasoning and discoursing; but the Lord's power came over them.
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After this meeting at Reading I passed up to London, where I stayed a while, and had large meetings, then went into Essex, and came-to Coggeshall, where was a meeting of about two thousand people, as it was judged, which lasted several hours, and a glorious meeting it was; for the word of life was freely declared, and people were turned to the Lord Jesus Christ, their Teacher and their Saviour, the way, the truth, and the life. And after meeting was done, I walked out into the fields as I used to do. And when I was gone there came two or three justices of the peace, and they came riding up fiercely to me. I turned and looked at them and they then turned and spake never a word to me. One of them said to the other, "What! will you go away, sir?" said he, "Yes," said the other. So they went to the house, and Friends had some books of our principles; and they bought some of the books and went their ways. But they had in their hearts.
On the Sixth day of that week I had a meeting near Colchester, to which many professors and the Independent teachers came. After I had done speaking, and was stepped down from the place on which I stood, one of the Independent teachers began to make a jangling; which Captain Stoddart perceiving, said to me, "Stand up again, George," for I was going away, and did not at first hear them. But when I heard the jangling Independent, I stood up again; and after a while the Lord's power came over him and his company; and they were confounded, and the Lord's truth went over all. A great flock of sheep hath the Lord Jesus Christ in that country, that feed in His pastures of life. On the First-day following we had a very large meeting near Colchester, wherein the Lord's power was eminently manifested, and the people were very well satisfied; for they were turned to Christ's free teaching, and received it gladly, Many of these people had been of the stock of the martyrs.
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I passed to Cambridge, and when I came into the town, the scholars, hearing of me, were up, and were exceeding rude. I kept on my horse's back, and rid through them in the Lord's power; "Oh!" said they, "he shines, he glisters"; but they unhorsed Captain Amor Stoddart before he could get to the inn. When we were in the inn, they were so rude in the courts and in the streets, that miners, colliers, and carters could never be ruder. The people of the house asked us what we would have for supper, as is the usual way of inns. "Supper!" said I, "were it not that the Lord's power is over them, these rude scholars look as if they would pluck us in pieces, and make a supper of us." They knew I was so against the trade of preaching, which they were there as apprentices to learn, that they raged as much as ever Diana's craftsmen did against Paul. When it was within night, the mayor(2) of the town, being friendly, came and fetched me to his house; and as we walked through the streets, there was a bustle in the town; but they did not know me, it being darkish. They were in a rage not only against me but against the mayor also, so that he was almost afraid to walk the streets with me, for the tumult. We sent for the friendly people, and had a fine meeting in his house in the power of God; .and I stayed there all night. Next morning, having ordered our horses to be ready by the sixth hour, we passed peaceably out of town; and the destroyers were frustrated, for they thought I would have stayed longer, and intended to do us mischief; but our passing away early in the morning frustrated their evil purposes against us.
Then we rode to Hertford, where there were some convinced, and where there is now a fine meeting. From thence we returned to London, where Friends received us gladly; the Lord's power having carried us through many snares and dangers. Great service we had for the Lord; for many hundreds were brought to sit under the teaching of the Lord Jesus Christ, their Saviour, and to praise the Lord through Him.
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This year came out the oath of Abjuration, by which many Friends suffered; and several went to speak to the Protector about it; but he began to harden. And sufferings increasing upon Friends, by reason that envious magistrates made use of that oath as a snare to catch Friends in, who, they knew, could not swear at all, I was moved to write to the Protector.
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After clearing myself of those services for the Lord which lay upon me in London, I passed into Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire. At Wellingborough I had a great meeting, in which the Lord's everlasting power and truth was over all; and many in that country were turned to the Lord. Great rage was amongst the professors, for the wicked priests, Presbyterians and Indendents, falsely reported that we carried bottles about with us, which we gave people to drink of; which made them follow us: but the power, and spirit, and truth of God kept Friends over the rage of the people. Great spoiling also there was of Friends' goods for tithes by the Independent and Presbyterian priests, and some Baptist priests, that had got into the steeple-houses.
From Wellingborough I went into Leicestershire, where Colonel Hacker had threatned that if I came there he would imprison me again, though the Protector had set me at liberty; but when I was come to Whetstone (the meeting from which he took me before) all was quiet there, Colonel Hacker's wife and his marshal came to the meeting, and were convinced: for the glorious powerful day of the Lord was exalted over all, and many were convinced that day. There were at that meeting two justices of the peace, that came out of Wales, whose names were Peter Price and Walter Jenkin, who came both to be ministers of Christ.
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From thence I went to Drayton, my native town, where so many priests and professors had formerly gathered together against me; but now not a priest or professor appeared. I asked some of my relations, "Where are all the priests and professors now?" They said, "The priest of Nun-Eaton(3) is dead, and eight or nine of them are seeking to get his benefice. They will let you alone now," said they, "for they are like a company of crows, when a sheep is dead, they all gather together to pluck out the puddings; so do the priests for fallen benefice." These were some of their own hearers that said so of them; they had spent their venom against me, and the Lord delivered me by His power out of their snares.
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From thence I passed into Nottinghamshire, and had large meetings there; and into Derbyshire, where the Lord's power came over all; and many were turned from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, and came to receive the Holy Ghost. Great miracles were wrought in many places by the power o~ the Lord through several. While we were here, Friends came out of Yorkshire to see us, and were glad of the prosperity of Truth.
After this I passed into Warwickshire, through Friends, visiting their meetings; and so into Worcestershire.
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From Worcester we went to Tewkesbury, where in the evening we had a great meeting; to which
came the priest of the town with a great rabble of rude people. He boasted that he would see
whether he or I should have the victory. I turned the people the divine light which Christ, the
heavenly and spiritual Man, enligheneth them withal; that with that light they might see their sins,
and that they were in death and darkness, and without God in the world; and that with the same
light they might also see Christ from whom it comes, their Saviour and Redeemer, who shed His
blood and died for them, and who is the way to God, the truth, and the life. Here the priest began
to rage against the light, and denied it; for neither priest nor professor could endure to hear the
light spoken of. So the priest having railed at the light went away, and left his rude company
amongst us; but the Lord's power came over them, though mischief was in their hearts.
Leaving Tewkesbury, we came to Warwick, where in the evening we had a meeting at a widow's house, with many sober people. A precious meeting we had in the Lord's power, and several were convinced and turned to the Lord. After it, as I was walking out, a Baptist in the company began to jangle; and the bailiff of the town with his officers came in, and said, "What do these people here at this time of night?" So he secured John Crook, Amor Stoddart, Gerrard Roberts, and myself, but we had leave to go to our inn, and to be forthcoming in the morning. Next morning many rude people came to the inn, and into our chambers, desperate fellows; but the Lord's power gave us dominion over them. Gerrard Roberts and John Crook went up to the bailiff to speak with him, and to know what he had to say to us. He said we might go our ways, for he had little to say to us. As we rode out of town, it lay upon me to ride to his house to let him know that O. P. having given forth an instrument of government, in which liberty of conscience was granted, it was very strange that, contrary to that instrument of government, he would trouble peaceable people that feared God. The Friends went with me, but the rude people gathered about us and got stones; and one of them took hold of my horse's bridle and brake it; but the horse drew back and threw him under him. Though the bailiff saw this, yet he did not stop, nor so much as rebuke the rude multitude, so that it was much we were not slam or hurt in the streets; for the people threw stones; and struck at us, as we rode along the town.
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When we came to Baldock in Hertfordshire, I asked, "Is there nothing in this town, no profession?" and it was answered me there were some Baptists and a Baptist woman sick. John Rush, of Bedfordshire, went with me to visit her. When we came in, there were many tender people about her. They told me she was not a woman for this world, but if I had anything to comfort her concerning the world to come, I might speak to her. So I was moved of the Lord God to speak to her; and the Lord raised her up that she was well, to the astonishment of the town and country. This Baptist woman and her husband, whose name was Baldock,(4) came to be convinced, and many hundreds of people have met at their house since. Great meetings and convincements were in those parts afterwards; many received the word of life, and sate down under the teaching of Christ, their Saviour.
When we had visited this sick woman, we returned to our inn, where were two desperate fellows fighting so that none durst come nigh to part them. But I was moved, in the Lord's power, to go to them; and when I had loosed their hands, I held one of them by one hand, and the other by the other, shewed them the evil of their doings and convinced them, and reconciled them one to the other, and they were so loving and thankful to me that people admired at it.
From thence I passed to Market-Street, where God had a people, and through Albans to London, where Friends were glad of the prosperity of Truth, and the manifestation of the Lord's glorious power which had delivered us, and carried us through many dangers and difficulties. I also rejoiced to find Truth prosper in the City, and all things well amongst friends there.
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1. John Crook lived at Beckerings Park, near Ridgmont. (N.P.)
2. The mayor in 1655 was Samuel Spalding. (N.P.)
3. Perhaps "priest Wise," mentioned by name in the Short Journal of George Fox. (N.P.)
4. Probably Thomas Baldock. (N.P.)