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of thee, O God! nor of their own souls or bodies; nor of Christianity, modesty, or humanity.

"O Lord! Put it in the magistrates' hearts to bring down all this ungodliness, violence, and cruelty, profaneness, cursing, and swearing; and to put down all those lewd houses and play-houses, which corrupt youth and people, and lead them from thy kingdom, where no unclean thing can enter, neither shall come! Such works lead people to hell! Lord! In mercy bring down all these things in the nation, to stop thy wrath, O God! from coming on the land." G. F.

This Prayer was written at night, the 17th
of the 2d Month, 1671.

CHAPTER IV.

1671-1672.-His wife being still detained a prisoner, George Fox puts two women Friends upon going to the king to procure her discharge, which he granted under the broad seal, to clear her person and estate after being a prisoner under premunire ten years-he sails for the plantations in America with several other Friends chased by a Sallee man-of-war-the master in a strait asks advice of George Fox, who seeks counsel of the Lord, and is assured of their preservationthe event verifies the prediction-they land at Barbadoes after a seven weeks' passage a man in the island, who was greatly incensed against George Fox without just cause, and who had threatened his life, died a few days before his landingis laid up for some weeks-writes to Friends in England-exhorts Friends to care and watchfulness in regard to marriages, keeping registers and records, providing burial grounds, &c.-to deal mildly with their negroes, and, after certain years of servitude, to set them free-writes a further exhortation to Friends in Englandvisits the governor, who is very kind—has many large meetings, and there is a great convincement; Colonel Lyne testifies how much Friends exalt Christ in all his offices beyond what he had ever heard-the priests rage, and try in vain to stir up persecution-there is much clamour and cavilling against Friends, and many slanders and false reports are issued, which George Fox answers in a paper addressed to the governor-the governor visits him—writes to his wife-sails for Jamaica, where he has many meetings, and many are convinced-Elizabeth Hootou dies there.

I MENTIONED before, that, upon the notice I received of my wife's being imprisoned again, I sent two of her daughters to the king, and they procured his order to the sheriff of Lancashire, for her discharge. But though I expected she would be set at liberty thereby, this violent storm of persecution coming suddenly on, the persecutors there found means to hold her still in prison. But now the persecution a little ceasing, I was moved to speak to Martha Fisher and another woman Friend, to go to the king about her liberty. They went in faith, and in the Lord's power, who gave them favour with the king, so that he granted a discharge under the broad-seal, to clear both her and her estate, after she had been ten years a prisoner, and premunired; the like whereof was scarcely to be heard of in England. I sent down the discharge forthwith by a Friend; by whom also I wrote to her, informing her how to get it delivered to the justices, and acquainting her that it was upon me from the Lord to go beyond the seas to visit America; and therefore desired her to hasten to London, as soon as she could conveniently, after she had obtained her liberty, because the ship was then fitting for the voyage. In the meantime I got to Kingston, and stayed at John Rous's till my wife came up, and then I began to prepare for the voyage. But the Yearly Meeting being near at hand, I stayed till that was over. Many Friends came up to it from all parts of the nation, and a very large and precious meeting it was; for the Lord's power was over all, and his glorious everlastingly-renowned Seed of life was exalted above all.

After this meeting was over, and I had finished my services for the Lord in England, the ship and the Friends that intended to go with me being ready, I went to GRAVESEND on the 12th of 6th month, my wife and several Friends accompanying me to the Downs. We went from Wapping in a barge to the ship, which lay a little below Gravesend, and there we found the Friends that were bound for the voyage with me, who had gone down to the ship the night before. Their names were Thomas Briggs, William Edmundson, John Rous, John Stubbs, Solomon Eccles, James Lancaster, John Cartwright, Robert Widders, George Pattison, John Hull, Elizabeth Hooton, and Elizabeth Miers. The vessel was a yacht, called the Industry; the captain's name Thomas Forster, and the number of passengers about fifty. I lay that night on board, but most of the Friends at Gravesend. Early next morning the passengers, and those Friends that intended to accompany us to the Downs, being come on board, we took our leave in great tenderness of those that came with us to Gravesend only, and set sail about six in the morning for the Downs. Having a fair wind, we out-sailed all the ships that were outward-bound, and got thither by evening. Some of us went ashore that night, and lodged at DEAL; where, we understood, an officer had orders from the governor to take our names in writing; which he did next morning, though we told him they had been taken at Gravesend. In the afternoon, the wind serving, I took leave of my wife and other Friends, and went on board. Before we could sail, there being two of the king's frigates riding in the DowNs, the captain of one of them sent his press-master on board us, who took three of our seamen. This would certainly have delayed, if not wholly prevented, our voyage, had not the captain of the other frigate, being informed of the leakiness of our vessel, and the length of our voyage, in compassion and much civility, spared us two of his own men. Before this was over, a custom-house officer came on board to peruse packets and get fees; so that we were kept from sailing till about sunset; during which delay a very considerable number of merchantmen, outward-bound, were got several leagues before us. Being clear, we set sail in the evening, and next morning overtook part of that fleet about the height of Dover. We soon reached the rest, and in a little time left them all behind; for our yacht was counted a very swift sailer. But she was very leaky, so that the seamen and some of the passengers did, for the most part, pump day and night. One day they observed, that in two hours' time she sucked in sixteen inches of water in the well.

When we had been about three weeks at sea, one afternoon we spied a vessel about four leagues astern of us. Our master said it was a Sallee man-of-war, that seemed to give us chasc. Our master said, “Come, let us go to supper, and when it grows dark we shall lose him." This he spoke to please and pacify the passengers, some of whom began to be very apprehensive of the danger. But Friends were well satisfied in themselves, having faith in God, and no fear upon their spirits. When the sun was gone down, I saw the ship out of my cabin making towards us. When it grew dark, we altered our course to miss her; but she altered also, and gained upon us. At night the master and others came into my cabin, and

asked me, "what they should do?" I told them, "I was no mariner;" and I asked them, "what they thought was best to do?" They said, "There were but two ways, either to outrun him, or tack about, and hold the same course we were going before." I told them, "if he were a thief, they might be sure he would tack about too; and as for outrunning him, it was to no purpose to talk of that, for they saw he sailed faster than we." They asked me again, "what they should do? for," they said, "if the mariners had taken Paul's counsel, they had not come to the damage they did." I answered, "it was a trial of faith, and therefore the Lord was to be waited on for counsel." So retiring in spirit, the Lord showed me, "that his life and power was placed between us and the ship that pursued us." I told this to the master and the rest, and that the best way was to tack about and steer our right course. I desired them also to put out all their candles, but the one they steered by, and to speak to all the passengers to be still and quiet. About eleven at night the watch called and said, they were just upon us." That disquieted some of the passengers; whereupon I sat up in my cabin, and looking through the port-hole, the moon being not quite down, I saw them very near us. I was getting up to go out of the cabin; but remembering the word of the Lord, "that his life and power was placed between us and them," I lay down again. The master and some of the seamen came again, and asked me, "if they might not steer such a point?" I told them, "they might do as they would.” By this time the moon was quite down, a fresh gale arose, and the Lord hid us from them; and we sailed briskly on and saw them no more. The next day, being the first day of the week, we had a public meeting in the ship, as we usually had on that day throughout the voyage, and the Lord's presence was greatly among us. And I desired

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the people "to mind the mercies of the Lord, who had delivered them; for they might have been all in the Turks' hands by that time, had not the Lord's hand saved them." About a week after, the master and some of the seamen endeavoured to persuade the passengers, that it was not a Turkish pirate that chased us, but a merchantman going to the Canaries. When I heard of it, I asked them, "Why then did they speak so to me? why did they trouble the passengers? and why did they tack about from him and alter their course?" I told them "they should take heed of slighting the mercies of God."

Afterwards, while we were at Barbadoes, there came in a merchant from Sallee, and told the people, "that one of the Sallee men-of-war saw a monstrous yacht at sea, the greatest that ever he saw, and had her in chase, and was just upon her, but that there was a spirit in her that he could not take." This confirmed us in the belief that it was a Sallee-man we saw make after us, and that it was the Lord that delivered us out of his hands. I was not sea-sick during the voyage, as many of the Friends and other passengers were; but the many hurts and bruises I had formerly received, and the infirmities I had contracted in England by extreme cold and hardships, that I had undergone in many long and sore imprisonments, returned upon me at sea; so that I was very ill in my stomach, and full of violent pains in my bones and limbs. This was after I had been at sca

about a month; for about three weeks after I came first to sea, I perspired abundantly, chiefly my head, and my body broke out in pimples, and my legs and feet swelled extremely, so that my stockings and slippers could not be drawn on without difficulty and great pain. Suddenly the sweating ceased, so that when I came into the hot climate, where others perspired most freely, I could not perspire at all; but my flesh was hot, dry, and burning; and that which before broke out in pimples, struck in again to my stomach and heart, so that I was very ill, and weak beyond expression. Thus I continued during the rest of the voyage, which was about a month; for we were above seven weeks at sea.

On the third of the eighth month, early in the morning, we discovered the island of BARBADOES, but it was between nine and ten at night ere we came to anchor in CARLISLE-BAY. We got on shore as soon as we could, and I, with some others, walked to a Friend's house, a merchant, whose name was Richard Forstall, above a quarter of a mile from the bridge. But being very ill and weak, I was so tired with that little walk, that I was in a manner spent by the time I got thither. There I abode very ill for several days, and though they several times gave me things to make me perspire, they could not effect it. But what they gave me did rather parch and dry up my body, and made me probably worse than otherwise I might have been. Thus I continued about three weeks after I landed, having much pain in my bones, joints, and whole body, so that I could hardly get any rest; yet I was pretty cheerful, and my spirit kept above it all. Neither did my illness take me off from the service of truth, but both while I was at sea, and after I came to Barbadoes, before I was able to travel about, gave forth several papers (having a Friend to write for me), some of which I sent by the first conveyance for England to be printed.

I

After I had rested three or four days at Richard Forstall's, where many Friends came to visit me, John Rous* having borrowed a coach of Colonel Chamberlain, came to fetch me to his father, Thomas Rous's house.* But it was late ere we could get thither, and little or no rest could I take that night. A few days after, Colonel Chamberlain, who had so kindly lent his coach, paid me a visit, and was very courteous towards me.

Soon after I came into the island, I was informed of a remarkable

* Thomas Rous was a wealthy sugar-planter of Barbadoes. John Rous was his son, and son-in-law to George Fox, having married his wife's eldest daughter. John Rous visited New England as a gospel minister when a young man, and suffered whipping and imprisonment there. After his release from Boston jail in 1658, except a visit which he paid to the island of Nevis towards the close of that year, we lose all trace of him until his marriage with Margaret, eldest daughter of Judge Fell, at Swarthmore Hall, in 1662. After his marriage he settled in London, in which, and in its vicinity, he appears to have resided during the remainder of his life. But few particulars respecting him are preserved, except a visit to the county of Kent in 1670, accompanied by Alexander Parker and George Whitehead; and to Barbadoes the following year with George Fox, as related in this Journal. Besides this, and a visit to the counties of York and Durham in 1689, we know nothing of his gospel labours after he settled in England. In his will, dated from Kingston in Surrey in 1692, he describes himself as a merchant, and his property, which, it appears was considerable, lay chiefly in Barbadoes. It is singular no record of his death has been found, but as his will was proved in 1695, it probably took place in that year.

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