I went back thence to Leominster, where was a great meeting in a close, many hundreds of people being gathered together. There were about six Separate preachers .and priests among them. I stood up and declared about three hours; and none of the priests were able to open their mouths in opposition, the Lord's power and truth so reached them and bound them down. At length one priest went off about a bow-shot from me, drew of the people after him, and began to preach to them. So I kept our meeting, and he kept his.
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When I had thus opened the matter to the people, the priest(1) cried to the magistrates, "Take this man away, or else I shall not speak anymore." "But," said I, "Priest Tombs, deceive not thyself, thou art not in thy pulpit now, nor in thy old mass house; but we are in the fields." So he was shuffling to be gone.
From this place I travelled on in Wales, having several meetings till I came to Tenby; where, as I rode up the street, a justice of peace(2) came out of his house, desired me to alight, and stay at his house; and I did so. On the First-day the mayor(3) and his wife, and several of the chief of the town, came in about ten o'clock, and stayed all the time of the meeting. A glorious one it was. John ap John being then with me, left it, and went to the steeple-house, and the governor cast him into prison. On the Second-day morning the governor sent one of his officers to the justice's house to fetch me; which grieved the mayor and the justice, for they were both with me in the justice's house when the officer came. So the mayor and the justice went up to the governor before me; and a while after I went up with the officer. When I came in, I said, "Peace be unto this house." And before the governor could examine me, I asked him why he cast my friend into prison. He said, "For standing with his hat on in the church." I said, "Had not the priest(4) two caps on his head, a black one and a white one? Cut off the brims of the hat and then my friend would have but one, and the brims of the hat were only to save the rain from his neck." "These are frivolous things," said the governor. "Why then," said I, "dost thou cast my friend into prison for such frivolous things?" So then he began to ask me whether I owned election and reprobation. "Yes," said I, "and thou art in the reprobation." At that he was up in a rage, and said he would send me to prison till I proved it; but I told him I would prove that quickly, if he would confess Truth. Then I asked him whether wrath, fury, and rage, and persecution, were not marks of reprobation; for he that was born of the flesh persecuted him that was born of the Spirit; but Christ and His disciples never persecuted nor imprisoned any. Then he fairly confessed that he had too much wrath, haste and passion in him. I told him Esau was up in him, the first birth, not Jacob, the second birth. The Lord's power so reached and came over him, that he confessed to Truth; and the other justice came, and took me by the hand.
As I was passing away, I was moved to speak to the governor again, and he invited me to dine with him; and set my friend at liberty. I went back to the other justice's house; and after some time the mayor and his wife, and the justice and his wife, and divers other Friends of the town, went about half a mile out of town with us, to the water-side, when we went away; and there, when we parted from them, I was moved of the Lord to kneel down with them, and pray to the Lord to preserve them, So after I had recommended them to the Lord Jesus Christ, their Saviour and free Teacher, we passed away in the Lord's power, and the Lord had the glory.
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And at night we came to a little inn, very poor, but very cheap; for our own provision and our two horses cost but eightpence; but the horses would as soon eat the heath on the common as their oats. We declared the truth to the people of the place, and sounded the day of the Lord through the countries,
Thence we came to a great town and went to an inn. In the evening many people gathered about the inn; and some of them, being drunk, would fain have had us into the street again; but seeing their design, I told them if there were any that feared God and desired to hear the truth, they might come into our inn, or else we might have a meeting with them next morning, Some service for the Lord we had amongst them, both overnight and in the morning; and though the people were hard to receive the truth, yet the seed was sown; and thereabouts the Lord hath a people gathered to Himself. In that inn also I turned but my back to the man that was giving oats to my horse; and looking round again, I observed he was filling his pockets with the provender. A wicked, thievish people, to rob the poor dumb creature of his food. I would rather they had robbed me.
Leaving this town and travelling on, a great man overtook us on the way, and he purposed (as he told us afterwards) to take us up at the next town for highwaymen. But before we came to the town I was moved of the Lord God to speak to him. What I spake reached to the witness of God in the man, who was so affected therewith, that he had us to his house, and entertained us very civilly. He and his wife desired us to give them some Scriptures, both for proof of our principles and against the priests. We were glad of the service, and furnished them with Scriptures enough; and he writ them down, and was convinced of the truth both by the Spirit of God in his own heart, and by the Scriptures, which were a confirmation to him. Afterwards he set us on our journey, and as we travelled we came to a hill, which the people of the country say is two or three miles high;(5) from the side of this hill I could see a great way. And I was moved to set my face several ways, and to sound the day of the Lord there; and I told John ap John in what places God would raise up a people to Himself, to sit under His own teaching. Those places he took note of, and a great people have since been raised up there. The like I have been moved to do in many other rude places; and yet I have been moved to declare the Lord had a Seed in those parts, and afterwards there have been a brave people raised up in the covenant of God, and gathered in the name of Jesus; where they have salvation and free teaching.
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From hence we went to Beaumaris, a town wherein John ap John had formerly been a Separate preacher. After we had put up our horses at an inn, John went forth and spake through the street: and there being a garrison in the town, they took him and put him into prison. The innkeeper's wife came and told me that the governor and magistrates were sending for me to commit me to prison also. I told her they had done more than they could answer already; and had acted contrary to Christianity in imprisoning him for reproving sin in their streets and for declaring the truth. Soon after came other friendly people, and told me if I went out into the street they would imprison me also; and therefore they desired me to keep at the inn. Upon this I was moved to go and walk up and down the streets; and told the people what an uncivil and unchristian thing they had done, in casting my friend into prison. And they being high professors, I asked them if this was the entertainment they had for strangers; if they would willingly be so served themselves; and whether they, who looked upon the Scriptures to be their rule, had any example therein from Christ or His apostles for what they had done. So after a while they set John ap John at liberty.
Next day, being market-day, we were to cross a great water: and not far from the place where we were to take boat, many of the market-people drew to us; amongst whom we had good service for the Lord, After the Lord's truth had been declared to them in the power of God, and Christ the free Teacher set over all the hireling teachers, I bid John get his horse into the boat, which was then ready. But there being a company of wild gentlemen, as they called them, got into it, whom we found very rude men, they, with others, kept his horse out of the boat. I rode to the boat's side and spake to them, shewing them what unmanly and unchristian conduct it was; and told them they shewed an unworthy spirit, below Christianity or humanity. As I spake, I leaped my horse into the boat amongst them, thinking John's horse would have followed, when he had seen mine go in before him; but the water being deep, John could not get his horse into the boat. Wherefore I leaped out again on horseback into the water, and stayed with John on that side till the boat returned. There we tarried from the eleventh hour to the second before the boat came to fetch us; and then we had forty-two miles to ride that evening: and when we had paid for our passage, we had but one groat(6) left between us in money. We rode about sixteen miles, and then got a little hay for our horses. Setting forward again, we came in the night to an ale-house, but finding we could have neither oats nor hay there, we travelled on all night; and about four o'clock in the morning got to a place within six miles of Wrexham; where that day we met with many Friends, and had a glorious meeting. Very weary we were with travelling so hard up and down in Wales; and in some places we found it difficult to get meat for our horses, or ourselves either in many places.
Next day we passed thence into Flintshire, sounding the day of the Lord through the towns; and came into Wrexham at night. Here many of Floyd's people came to us; but very rude, and wild, and airy they were, and little sense of Truth they had: yet some were convinced in that town. Next morning there was a lady sent for me, who kept a preacher in her house. I went, but found both her and her preacher very light and airy; too light to receive the weighty things of God. In her lightness she came and asked me if she should cut my hair: but I was moved to reprove her, and bid her cut down the corruptions in herself with the sword of the Spirit of God. And afterwards in her frothy mind she made her boast that she came behind me and cut off the curl of my hair; but she spake falsely.
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I travelled through every county in Wales, preaching the everlasting gospel of Christ; and a brave people there is now~ who have received it, and sit under Christ's teaching.
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Thence we came to Manchester; and the Sessions being there that day, many rude people were come out of the country. In the meeting they threw at me coals, clods, stones and water; yet the Lord's power bore me up over them, that they could not strike me down. At last, when they saw they could not prevail by throwing water, stones and dirt at me, they went and informed the justices in the Sessions; who thereupon sent officers to fetch me before them. The officers came in while I was declaring the word of life to the people, and plucked me down, and haled me up into their Court. When I came there, all the Court was in disorder and noise. Wherefore I asked where were the magistrates that they did not keep the people civil. Some of the justices said they were magistrates. I asked them why then did they not appease the people, and keep them sober, for one cried, "I'll swear," and another cried, "I'll swear." I declared to the justices how we were abused in our meeting by the rude people who threw stones, and clods, and water; and how I was haled out of the meeting, and brought thither, contrary to the Instrument of Government which said, "None shall be molested in their meetings that professed God, and owned the Lord Jesus Christ"; which I did. So the truth came over them, that when one of the rude fellows cried he would swear, one of the justices checked him, saying, "What will you swear? hold your tongue." At last they bid the constable take me to my lodging, and there be secured till morning, till they sent for me again. So the constable had me to my lodging; and as we went the people were exceeding rude; but I let them see the fruits of their teachers, and how they shamed Christianity, and dishonoured the name of Jesus, which they professed. At night we went to a justice's house in the town, who was pretty moderate; and I had much discourse with him. Next morning we sent to the constable to know if he had anything more to say to us. And he sent us word he had nothing to say to us, but that we might go whither we would. The Lord hath since raised up a people to stand for His name and truth in that town over those chaffy professors.
We passed from Manchester, having many precious meetings in several places, tilt we came over
the Sands to Swarthmoor where Friends were glad to see me, I stayed there two First-days,
visiting Friends in their meetings thereaways. They rejoiced with me in the goodness of the Lord,
who by His eternal power had carried me through and over many difficulties and dangers in His
service: to Him be the praise for ever!
And in the old Parliament's days many people that used to wear ribands, and lace, and costly apparel, and followed junketing and feasting with priests and professors, came to leave it off when they came to be convinced of God's eternal truth, and to walk and serve God in the spirit as the Apostle did. They left off their curious apparel and ribands and lace, and their sporting and feasting with priests and professors, and would not go to wakes or plays or shows, as they formerly had used to do, and would not wear gold or silver or lace or ribands, nor make them.
Then the priests and professors raged exceedingly against us and printed books against us; and said that our religion lay in not wearing fine clothes, and lace, and ribands, and in not eating good cheer, when we could not make feasts for the priests or professors as we used to do, nor feasts for companies in the cities; but if they would join with us, when they made feasts, to feast such as could not feast them again, we would make a feast for all the poor of the parish that could not feast us and them again. And this was according to Christ's command, but in this their selfish principle would never join with us.
We told them that when they went to their sports, and games, and plays, and the like, they had better serve God than spend their time so vainly. And that costly apparel, with the lace that we formerly had hung upon our backs that kept us not warm, with that we could maintain a company of poor people that had no clothes.(7)
And so our religion lay not in meats, nor drinks, nor clothes, nor Thee nor Thou, nor putting off
hats nor making curtseys (at which they were greatly offended because we Thee'd and Thou'd
them and could not put off our hats nor bow to them), and therefore they said our religion lay in
such things. But out answer was, "Nay; for though the spirit of God led into that which was
comely and decent, and from chambering and wantonness, and from sporting and pastimes and
feasting as in the day of slaughter, and from wearing costly apparel, as the Apostle commands,
and from the world's honour, fashions and customs--our religion lies in that which brings to visit
the poor, and fatherless, and widows, and keeps from the spots of the world (which religion is
pure and undefiled before God). This is our religion which we own, which the apostles were in
above 1600 years since; and we do deny all vain religions got up since, which are not only spotted
with the world, but plead for a body of sin and death to the grave; and their widows and fatherless
lie begging up and down the streets and countries."
In the Presbyterian and Independents' anti-christian times, who were against the gospel of peace, we had a meeting in the Palace Yard, but it was so pestered with rude priests, watermen, and lackeys, and rude professors, that sometimes there would he many hundreds about it. And we could seldom keep any glass whole in the windows, it would be so often broken down by the rude company.
And one time, at the Palace Yard,(8) as I was declaring the eternal word of life and preaching the everlasting seed of life, many hundreds of people were gathered, some being attentive, but many of the rude ones so bespattered me with dirt and muck, that my hair or clothes could hardly .be seen, nor face, for dirt and muck. And some outlandish and other civil people were so ashamed to see what a dishonour this was to Christianity that they began to reprove and stop the rude people; so, as the rude ones fell upon them, they were forced to take sanctuary in Westminster Hall, and fled there for safety.
Such disturbance we had in our meetings in the City and in many places of the country also.
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2.
Said to be Thomas Barrett. (N.P.)3.
Probably Richard Barrow. (N.P.)4.
Perhaps Edward Carner, a Commonwealth holder of the living. (N.P.)5.
Presumably Cader Idris. (N.P.)6.
About fourpence. (N.P.)7.
Cp. William Penn's maxim: "The very trimming of the vain would cloath all the naked ones." (N.P.)8.
Probably the house of Stephen Hart, New Palace Yard. (N.P.)