698 1he HISTORY oj the Pu~ITANS. VoL. IJ. Kitrg fire. to the fa.ggot, and to t~ach ~hem by fcourges or fcorpions, and open Cha~l;s I!. their eyes wnh gall. The ktng himfelf Iifued out a proclamation for put– ~ ting the penal laws in full execution; which had its effeCt. lb. p. 155· Mr. Baxter was one of the firft upon whom the ftorm fell, being apprefiended as he was preaching his 'Thurjday leClure at Mr, <furner's. He went with th~ conftable and Keting t~e informer to Sir Wi!liam Pultney's, who demanding the warrant, found lt figned by Henry Montague Efq; bailiff of We!lmil!fler. Sir Wi//iam told the conftable, that none but a city juftice could give a warrant to apprehend a man for preaching in the city, whereupon he was difmi1Ted. Endeavours were ufed to fur prize Dr. Manton, and fend him to prifon upon the Oxford or jive mile aB, but Mr. Bedford preaching for him, was accidentally apprehended in his fiead ; and though he had taken the oath in the ji·ve mile aB, was fined twenty pounds, and the place forty pounds, which was paid by the hearers. Others plunThe like ravages were made in moll parts of England; Mr. Jqfepb de~ed, imSwajjield of Salijbury was feized preaching in his own houfe, and bound prifon;d, andover to the affizes, and imprifoned in the county gaol almoft a year. rurnc • Twenty-five perfons men and women were indicted for a riot, that is, Conf. Plea, for a conventicle, and fuffered the penalty of the law. The informers part IV. p. were roman catholics, one of whom was executed for treafon in the pop75· ifh plot. At Ea_/1 Sa/comb in p evonjhire lived one Joan Bqjlon, an old blind widow, who for a fuppofed conventicle held at her houfe, was fined twelve pounds, and for non. payment of it threatened with a gaol. After fame weeks the officers broke open her doors, and carried away her goods to above the value of the fine. They fold as many goods as were worth thirteen pounds for fifty lhillings; fix hogfheads valued at forty fhillings for nine !billings; and pewter, feather-beds, &c. for twenty lhillings; befides the rent which they demanded of her tenants. -- Mr. John :J:hompfon minifter in Brijlol, was apprehended, and refuling to take the Oxford oath was committed to prifon, where he was feized with a feve~ throuah the noifomnefs of the place: A phyfician being fent for, advifed his re~oval ; and a bond of five hundred pounds was offered the fheriff for his fecurity : Application was alfo made to the bifhop without fuccefs; fo he died in prifon March 4, declaring, that if he had known ~vhen he came to prifon that he jhould die there, he would have done no otherwije than he did. Numberlefs examples of the like kind, might be produced durP£ace with ing the recefs of the .parliament. ~ut th~ king's want of money, and the dutch. the d~fcontents of h1s people, obliged him to put an end to the war with the dutch, with no other advantage than a fum of two or thre.e hundred thoufand poun~s for his expences. His
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