5© The L 1 FFfof the Part III §113, Here it is to be noted that the Aa againft Conventicles was long aga expired ;. that I was never ConviE of a Conventicle while that Law was in force nor fince : that the Oxford Aa fuppofeth me Convict of a Conventicle ; and Both net enable them to Convi& me, without another Law : That really they had nonebut Raft's Man to witnefs that I preached, who crept in but the Lord's Day before, and heard me only preach on this Text. Mat. q. Bleffedare the meek, for they AZ inherit the Earth] preifeth efpecially Quietnefs and Patience towards our Governours, and denying all turbulent, unpeaceable, and feditious difpofiti- ens and prahtices. § 114. They would have given me leaveto stay till Monday before I went to Goal, if I would promife themnot to preach the next Lord's Day, which I de- nied to promife, and fo went away the next Morning.' § r i s: This was made a heinous Crime againft me at theCourt, and alfo it was faid by the- --- that it could not be out of Confcience that I preached, elfe why did not my Confcience put me on. it fo long before. Whereas I- had ever preached to myownFamily, and never once invited any one to hear me, nor forbad any So that thedifference was made by thepeople, andnot by me. If theycome moreat lath than at fish, before they hadever heardme,- that fignified no change in me. But thus mull we be judged of, where we are abfent, and our Adverfa- ties, prefent; and there are many to (peak gait* us what they pleafe, and wo are banifhe from mCity and Corporations, and cannot fpeak for our felves. S r 16. The whole Town of Acton were greatly exafperated againft theDean, when I was going toPrifon; infomuch asever fine they abhor him as a felfilh Perfe- tutor : Nor could he devife to do more to hinder the fuccefs of his(feldom) Preach- ing there : But it was his own choice, Let them hate me, fo they fear me : And fo I finally left that Place, being grieved mot( that Satan had prevailed to ftop the poor People in fuch hopeful beginnings of a common Reformation, and that I was to be deprived of the exceeding grateful Neighbourhoodof the Lord Chief Baron Hale, who could fearer refrainTearswhen hedid but hear of the finkWar., rant for my appearance. S 117.1 knew nothing all this whileof the rife of my trouble!,but I refólved tá part in Peace on my part with the Dean, not doubting but it was his doing. And fo I went to take my leave of him, who took on him to be forry and fwore it was none of his doing , and to proveit, told me all the Story before mentioned ; that fuch a Letter he received from Wolverhampton, and be- ing treafonable, he was in to acquaint the King with it: Andwhen he faw my Meeting mentioned the Letter, he examined him about them, and he couldnot deny but they were very numerous ; and the King againft his Will rent him to the Bithopof London to fee it fuppreft. I told him that I came not now to expoftulate or gxprefs any Offence , but to endeavour that we might part in Love. And that I had taken that way for his affiftance , and his Peo- ple's good, which was agreeable to my Judgment, and now he was trying that whichwas according to his Judgment; and which would prove the better the end will {hew. He otpoftulated with me for not receiving the Sacrament with him, andoffered nie any Service of his which I defired, and I told him I defired nothing of him, but to do his People good, and to guide them faithfully, as might tend to eheif Salvation, and his own, and fo we parted. § 118. As I went to Prifon I called of Serjeant Fountain, my fpecial Friend, to take his Advice (for I wouldnot be fo injurious to Judge Hale) And he perufed my hittimus, and in Ihort advifed ice to feek for a Habeas Corpus, yet not in the ufual Court (the King's-Bench ) for reafons known to all that know the Judges, nor yet in the Exchequer, left his Kindnefs to me should be an Injury to Judge Hale, and fo to the Kingdom (and the Power of that Court therein is que- flioned) but at theCommon-Pleas, which he faid might grant it, though it be not nfüal. § i r g. But my greateft doubt was whether the King would not take it ill, that I rather foughtto the Iaw than unto him; or if I fought any releafe ratherthan emu inued in Prifon. My Imprifonment was at prefentno (great Suffering to me, fou I had an large rosin, andnthe Jlbety ofgw Mewed ng in a fairrGarden ; andhmyWste was Re- a fo chearful a Companion to me as inPrifon, and was very much againft my Peeking to be releafed, and file had brought fo many Neceffaries, that we kept
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