covery, and confessed this error, an evident proof of human weakness, and a notorious instance of our frailty, when we assume to ourselves the doing of any thing, to which heaven alone can enable us.

I cannot well pass by without taking notice of it, that about three weeks before the said fire, the English landed in the island of Schelling. in Holland, under the conduct of captain Holmes, and setting the town on fire, there were above three hundred houses burnt down belonging mostly to Baptists that did not bear arms. It may be farther observed, that the English were beaten at sea this summer by the Dutch, under the conduct of admiral De Ruyter, in a fight, which lasted four days; so that they had occasion to call to mind how often the judgments of God had been foretold them, which now came over their country, viz. lence, war, and fire.

pesti

G. Fox being at liberty did not omit to visit his friends, and in their meetings to edify them with his exhortations, whereby others also came to be convinced. And coming to Whitby, he went to a priest's house, who fourteen years before had said, that if ever he met G. Fox again, he would have his life, or he should have his. But now his wife was not only one of G. Fox's friends, but this priest himself favoured the doctrine professed by his wife, and was

very kind to G. Fox, who passed from thence to York, where he had a large meeting, and visited also justice Robinson, who had been loving to him from the beginning. At this

time there was a priest with him, who told G. Fox, "It is said of you that ye love none but yourselves." But he shewed him his mistake, and gave him so much satisfaction, that they parted friendly.

In this county G. Fox had many meetings, and one not far from colonel Kirby's abode, who had been the chief means of his imprisonment at Lancaster and Scarborough castles; and when he heard of his release, said, he would have him taken again; but now when G. Fox came so near him, he himself was caught by the gout, which had seized him so that he was fain to keep his bed; and afterwards he met with adversities, as did most of the justices and others who had been the cause of the imprisonment of G. Fox, who now coming to Sinderhill Green, had a large meeting there, where the priest sent the constable to the justices for a warrant; but the notice being short, the way long, and having spent time in searching for G. Fox in another house, before the officers came where the meeting was, it was ended, though they had almost spoiled their horses by hard riding.

G. F. passing from thence through Notting

hamshire, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, and Oxfordshire, and visiting his friends in all places where he came, and edifying them in their meetings, gets at length to London: but he was so weak, by lying almost three years in hard and cold prisons, and his joints and body were so stiff and ben umbed, that he could hardly get on horseback.

Being now in London, he beheld the ruins of the city, and saw the fulfilling of what had been shewn him some years before. Notwithstanding this stroke on London, persecution did not cease, which gave occasion to Josiah Coale to write these lines to the king:

"King Charles,

"Set the people of God at liberty, who suffer imprisonment for the exercise of their conscience towards him, and give liberty of conscience to them to worship and serve him as he requireth, and leadeth them by his spirit; or else his judgments shall not depart from thy kingdom, until thereby he hath wrought the liberty of his people, and removed their oppressions. And remember thou art once more warned,

by a servant of the Lord, Josiah Coale."

London, Dec. 2, 1666.

About this time, or it may be in the next month, Stephen Crisp published an epistle, containing an exhortation to his friends, and also a prediction concerning succeeding times, which is as followeth :

"Friends,

"I am the more drawn forth at this time to visit you with an epistle, because the Lord hath given me some sight of his great and dreadful day, and workings in it, which is at hand, and greatly hastens, of which I have something to say unto you, that ye may be prepared to stand in his day, and may behold his wondrous working among his enemies, and have fellowship with his power therein, and may not be dismayed nor driven away in the tempest, which will be great.

"And as concerning these succeeding times, the spirit of the Lord hath signified, that they will be times of horror and amazement, to all that have, and yet do reject his counsel for as the days of his forbearance, warning and inviting, have been long, so shall his appearance amongst those that have withstood him, be fierce and terrible; even so terrible, as who shall abide his coming? For the Lord will work both secretly and openly, and his arm shall be manifest to his children in both.

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'Secretly he shall raise up a continual fret

ting anguish among his enemies, one against another, so that being vexed and tormented inwardly, they shall seek to make each other miserable, and delight therein for a little season; and then the prevailer must be prevailed over, and the digger of the pit must fall therein; and the confidence that men have had one in another shall fail, and they will beguile and betray one another, both by counsel and strength; and as they have banded themselves to break you, whom God hath gathered, so shall they band themselves one against another, to break, ⚫to spoil and destroy one another; and through the multitude of their treacheries, all credit or belief on the account of their solemn engagement, shall fail; so that few men shall count themselves, or what is theirs, safe in the hand of his friend, who hath not chosen his safety and friendship in the pure light of the unchangeable truth of God; and all the secret counsels of the ungodly shall be brought to nought, sometimes by the means of some of themselves, and sometimes by impossibilities lying in their way, which shall make their hearts fail of ever accomplishing what they have determined; and in this state shall men fret themselves for a season, and shall not be able to see the hand that turns against them, but shall turn to fight against one thing and another, and a third thing, and shall stagger, and reel in counsel and judg