166 Ihe L 1 FÉ of the' Part III es, and Men had no Remedy. At latthe told me that hewould confult with other Aldermen at the Seilions, and they would go one way : When the Seffions tame I wentto Guild-Hall, and again defired him that I might be heard before I was Judged : But though the other Aldermen (fave two or three) were a- gain( fuch doings, I could not prevail with him, but (profeffing great Kindnefs) he then laid all onSir `loon Boúel, the Recorder,Paying, that it was his Judg- ment, and he mull follow his Advice. I defired him, and Sir Thomas Allen, that they would delire of theRecorder, that I might be heard before I was Judg- ed; and that if it mule pafs by his Judgment, that he would hear me fpeak But I could not procure it ; the Recorder would not fpeak with me: When I faw their Refolution, I toldSir Thomas Davis, if I might not be heard, I would record yo Pofterity the injufticeof his Judgment, and Record : But I perceived, that. Jtéhad already made the Record, but not yet given it in to the Sefliions: At loft, upon Confaltation with his Leaders, he granted me a hearing, and three of the Informers met me at his Hot:fe, that h:.d fworn againk me: I told them my particular Cafe , and asked them what made my Preaching a Breach of that Law, and how they proved their AccuftionI They fiat faid, Becaufe I Preached in an unconfeerated Place : I told them, t. That the Alt only hfid it on the manner of the Exercife, which the Place was nothing to : And, 2. That it was the Praftice of the Church of England to Preach in unconfecrated Places, as at Sturbridge-Fair , at the Spittle, at Whitehall-Court, and many filch like. They next Paid, [Becaufe I am aNonconforrnift.] I eafily convinced them that I am not a Nonconformift in Law-fence but in the fame cafe with a Conformiltthat bath noBenefice (whatever I am in confcience), the Law obliging me to no more than I do. And if I were, that is nothing to themanner of the exercife. Their Ian andgreat proof was, that I ufednot the Common Prayer. I under- took to prove to them that Law commandeth the ufe of the Common Prayer only in Church Meetings, and not in every other fubordinate or by Meeting for Religious Exercifes, fach as ours was : And that it was not the fenfe of the A& that Conformable perfons that Communicate in the Liturgy with the Parifh Churches, Ihould be judged Conventiclers, whenever abovefour of them joyned in a Religious Exercife without the Liturgy : For elfe all Tu- tors in the Univerfrty Ihould be punifhable, and all School-mafters that teach their Scholars and pray with them (if above 16 years of age) and they that inftruEt, Prifoners at Nerogate, and they that exhort and pray and fing Pfalms with them at the Gallows, with many fuch Inhances : We ought not to judge fo uncharitably of King and Parliament, unconftraiued, as to think that they would allow Multitudes to meet at a Play-houfe, a Mufick-hot fe, a horfe-race, a Bear-baiting, or Dancing, or any game, and allow many to meet at a Coffee- houfe, Ale- houfe, or Tavern, or in any private houfe, and do, on painof ut- ter ruine, only forbid Conformable perfons, tá -joyn more than four, in fing- ing a Pfalm, or reading a Chapter or a Licenfed book, or in praying together, or Conference tending to Religious Edification. Lt Summ,they confeft they couldnot Anfwer me,nor prove theircharge,but they ftill believedthat I wasguilty:, The Juftice was fofar from thinkingthat theyproved itgthat lie motionedto them toRetraE their Oaths (or elfe frill hethought that hyd muR condemn' me:) They denyed todo that, and faid, That the Bishop Allred them That it was a Conventicle,and I was guilty : I defired them,if it muff all lie upon theBishop, that I might Speak with them to the Bithop for my felf: Theytold me , That it was the Arch-Bishop of Canterbury and they were all tuft now going to him and promifed tobring me word when I might Speak with him ; But I heard nomore of them of that : But the Juftice retraced not his Judgment but delayed a Month or more, to give out his Warrant to diftrein, though I daily look when they takemy books ( for they will find but little elfe: ) Thoughboth Inflict and Accufers have before witnefs confeffed thatthey cannotprove me guilty, bot oneprofefeth togo on the belief of the Recorder and the other ofthe Arch- bilhop. S. 292. fist God hath more mercy on thefe ignorant Informers than on the Pharifaical Inftigators of them : For thofe repeat ,but no Prelate, ( fave one) that I hear of, cloth repent ï One ofthem that Sworeagainft me, went thenext Fait to Redri(f, to Mr. Rejwell'sChurch, where a Faft was kept, where hearing thren
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