Part III. Reverend Mr. Richard Baxter. 5 t Houfe as contentedly and comfortably as at home, though in a narroiver room and I had the fight of more of my Friends in aday, than I had at home in half a Year: And I knew that if I got out againft their Will, my fufferings would be never thenearer to an end. But yet on the other fide, r . It was in the extream- eft heat of Summer, when Londonwas wont tohave Epidemical difeafes : And the hope of my dying in Prifon I have reafon to think was one great inducement to foie ofthe Inftruments,tomove to what they did.z. AndmyChamberbeing overthe Gate. which was knockt and opened with noire of Prifoners juif under mealmoit every Night, I had little hope of fleeping but by day, which would have been likely to have quickly broken my ftrength, which was fo little, as that I didbut live. 3. And the number of Viliters byday, did put me out of hope ofStudying, or doing any thing but entertainthem. 4. And I had neither leave at any rite to go out of Doors, much ids toChurch on the Lord's Days, nor on that Dayto have any cometo me, nor to Preach to any but my Family. Upon all thefe Confederations the adviceof force was, that I Ihould Petition the King, but to that I was averlre, r. Becaufe I was indifferent almoft whether I came out or not and I was loth either to feemmore Aided or impatient than I was or to beg for nothing. 2. I had avoided the Court, and the Converfe of all great Men fo many years on purpofe, that I was loth to creep to them now for nothing. 3. And I expeftedbut to be put upon foie promife which I could not make, .or to be rejefled. ç. I had fomany great Men at Court who had profeft extraordinary Kindnefs to me, (tho' I was never beholden to one Man ofthem all for more thanWords) that I knew if it were tobe done, they would do it without myfeeking. Andmy Counfellor Serjeant Fotditain,advifed menot to feek to them, nor yet refufetheir Favour ifthey offered it, but to bewholly paffive as to the Court : butto feek my Freedom by Law, becaufe ofmygreat weak- nefs, and the probability of future Peril to my Life. And this Counfel I fol- lowed. S i an. The Earl of Orery I heard, did earnefly and fpeedily (peak to the King how much my Imprifonment was tohis dis-fervice. The Earl of Mancbe- fter could do little,but by theLord Arlington,whowith theDuke ofBuckingham ram-, ed much concerned in it : But the Earl ofLauderdale, (who would have beenfor- wardeff had he known the King's mind tobe otherwife) Paid nothing. And fo all anygreat Friends didme not the leaff Service, but made a talk of it, with no Fruit at all: And themoderate honef' Part of theEpifcopal Clergy weremuch offended, and faid, I was ehofen out defignedly to makethem all odious to the People. But, Sir john Bator often vifiting me, affured me, That he had fpoken to the King about it, and (when all haddone their left) he was not Willing to be fees to relaxe the Law, and difcourage Juftices in executing it, (Yc. but he would not beoffended if I fought my Remedy at Law (which molt thought would come to nothing.) Whilit I was thus unrefolved which way to take, Sir yobs Babor de- firiag a Narrative ofmy Cafe; I gave him one, which he chewed the Lord Arli¡/iig- ton; which I will here infect, and I will joyo with it twoother Scripts, onewñich I gave as Reafons to prove, That the Aft againft Conventicles forbad not my Preaching : Another which I gave all my Counfellom when they weretoplead vat Wife about the Error oftheMittimer. S rza. The Narrative ofmy Cafe. The Oathcannot be impofedón theby the AR. Firfb, Becaufe I neverkept any Conventicle or UnlawfulAflémbly proved. L By Conventicles and Unlawful Affemblies for Religious Exercifes, the Lawsdd Olean only theMeetings of Recufants, Separatifts, or filch as Cohtimunicate not with theChurchof England, or filch Alfemblies as are held in oppofition tothe Church- Affemblies, and not filch as are held only by the Conformable Members of the Church, in weer Subordination to the Church-Afremblies, to promote them. But all Meetings which I haveheld are only of this latterfont: ß ggg 2 the
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