itude, reproach that part I had in King James's court. For I think I may say, without vanity, upon this provocation, I endeavoured at least

independent as ever, is a brave condition, and thou canst not say better for thyself or the greatest worthy in the flock. O dear John, I desire to dwell there, while I live in this tab-to do some good at my own cost, and would ernacle. It is my prayer, and much of my ministry to God's people. Some are convinced, but not converted; and many, who are converted, do not persevere: wherefore their oil dries up; and self, in Truth's form, gets up under specious pretences."

"Through the Lord's great mercy and beyond my hopes I am yet tolerably well through hard service, which it has been my lot to be engaged in of late; in which the Lord has abundantly answered me, and tender-hearted friends and sober people of all sorts."

have been glad to have done more. I am very sure I intended and I think I did harm to none, either parties or private persons, my own family excepted." And the injury done to his own family he shrewdly supposes could be no great offence in the view of his opponent.

In the autumn of this year, William Penn paid a religious visit to some of the western counties of England. In the eighth month he was present at a dispute held at Melksham in Wiltshire, between John Plympton a Baptist and John Clark a Friend. The said Baptist "As yet I have not seen my own home had challenged the people called Quakers to above these four months. I am a poor pil-a conference, on five heads, viz. 1. The unigrim on the earth, yet my hope is established versality of grace; 2. Baptism; 3. The Supfor an abiding place in an unchangeable world.".

"Dear John, never trouble thyself with priests. Let them have our books. Take two or three gross things from theirs, confute them, and leave the rest. Methinks J. R. (Sir John Rhodes, who was Gratton's neighbour, and had become a Quaker) should exercise himself that way, which would whet him up to services suitable to his condition. My love to him and the Doctor, (Gilbert Heathcote, who had married Sir John Rhodes's sister :) I remember them in my prayers to the Lord, that they may travel on to the end, and receive the crown of faithfulness. So, in the Lord's love, dearly farewell!

"Thy cordial friend and loving brother, " WILLIAM PENN." In the year 1695, a writer who chose to conceal his name, published what he called an answer to William Penn's Key; a tract which has been noticed under the transactions of 1692. This drew from him a reply containing further illustrations of the subjects embraced in the Key. There is near the beginning of this reply, a passage in relation to his conduct during the preceding reign, which evincing a consciousness of the integrity of his motives, may be here inserted.

per; 4. Perfection; 5. The Resurrection. The objections of the Baptist were ably met and answered by John Clark, to the general satisfaction of the numerous auditors. But Plympton, though confuted, was not silenced. At length evening coming on, William Penn arose and bore a powerful and convincing testimony to the doctrines of the Society, which obtained the marked attention of the audience. After which he concluded the meeting with prayer.

In the following month he visited Wells, where two of his friends procured a grant of the market house to hold a meeting in; but the clerk of the market was afterwards induced to retract his promise and refuse them admission. They then concluded to hold their meeting at a public house; of which they gave "notice to the bishop, as required by the act of toleration. The room in which they assembled, had adjoining it a balcony which opened to the street. The room being soon filled and a large concourse collected in the street, William Penn took his station in the balcony, and from that place addressed this double auditory. But in the midst of his declaration, he was interrupted by officers, with a warrant from the Mayor; which from its tenor appears to have been drawn up while he was preaching to the people. The officers were too offi cious to permit him to finish his testimony, The anonymous writer, having charged him though requested so to do, but instantly hurwith prevarication, and attributed his conduct ried him before the Mayor and his associate, to an intemperate zeal for an unbounded lib- who upon examination, soon discovered that erty of conscience, according to the doctrine they had themselves been violating the law, of King James's declaration; he refers him to by disturbing a lawful assembly held in a several of his works which were published in house regularly certified. They therefore exCharles's time, to show that he always de-cused themselves as well as they could, and fended the same principles, and was not more set him at liberty. Yet they afterwards threatintemperate in the reign that favoured liberty of conscience, than he was in the one which did not. To which he adds, "No man but a persecutor, can without great injustice or ingrat

ened the innkeeper with a fine, for permitting a conventicle to be held in his house. The bishop's certificate however, being procured, to show that due notice of the meeting

was given, no further proceedings were attempted.

This circumstance sufficiently proves, that the spirit of persecution was still alive in some parts of Great Britain, notwithstanding the act of toleration. It is however fair to add, that this instance appears to have originated with the civil officers and not with the clergy.* Friends after this hired a house in that city for a meeting place, at which William Penn subsequently had a meeting to good satisfaction. Several other meetings, and the Quarterly Meeting for the county were afterwards held there.

From Wells William Penn proceeded to visit other places in the county, holding meet ings almost daily as he went along. He at length visited Bristol, where he staid some time, and thence returned to his home at Worminghurst in Essex.

Although friends were relieved by the act of toleration, from fines and imprisonment on account of their meetings for worship, they were still subject to great inconvenience and frequent losses, because of their conscientious refusal to take the oaths, which on numerous occasions were required by law. Efforts were therefore made in 1693, and renewed in subsequent years, to obtain an act of parliament allowing them to give testimony upon their solemn affirmation, instead of an oath; with the condition annexed, that in case any of them should be duly convicted of making, in that manner, a false declaration, they should be liable to the same penalty as though they had been convicted of corrupt perjury. In 1695, the subject gained so much place with persons in power, that a bill was brought into the house for granting the relief desired. Whether William Penn took part in these applications, is uncertain, but while the bill was depending, he presented a brief memorial to the house of commons on the subject, of which the following is a copy.

an oath, it is hoped there will be no difficulty in accepting it in lieu of an oath.

"The pledge that every man upon oath gives of his truth is his soul; he means that God should deal with him according to the truth of his affirmative or negative given by him in the name of God. Now that the said people do as much, viz: That they pledge their souls too, in their way; that they mean the same caution with them that swear, and are under the same reverence in their simple and solemn aye or no, and therefore give the same security; I shall beg this honourable house to consider three things:

"First, that this people make it an article of their faith and practice, and a great part of their characteristic, not to swear at all. They think, whether mistaken or no, that the righte ousness of Christianity does not need nor use an oath; so that you have their religion, in the highest exercises of it, in human affairs, for your security.

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Secondly, that they have often, and at very dear rates, proved to the world, they mean what they say; since they have fre quently chosen to lose their estates, and lie and die in jail, rather than save the one, or deliver the other, by deviating from their principle; and since in such cases, integrity is the security all aim at, it is hard to conceive which way any man can give a greater; nor are they so insensible, as not to know that untruth in them, after this great indulgence, is a more aggravated crime than perjury in others; since they excuse themselves from not swearing, by a profession of an exacter simplicity and greater strictness.

"Lastly, they humbly hope, that being to suffer for untruth as for perjury, their request will not be uneasy; since they subject their integrity to trial, upon the hazard of a correction, that is so much greater than the nature of the offence, in the eye of the law, would bear. Let them then, pray, speak in their own way; and if false, be punished in yours. And since this honourable house has testified an excelling zeal to secure the rights and privileges of that great body they repre sent, this inferior member, with all due re

spect, claiming a relation to it, request they may not be left exposed in theirs; but that provided for, in true proportion to the exiby your wisdom and goodness, they may be gencies they are under; which will engage them in the best wishes for your prosperities. "WILLIAM PENN."

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*The bishop to whom notice of this meeting was given, and who treated Friends respectfully, The issue of the case was the passage was Robert Redder, who was afterwards advantaa law, to come into force on the 4th of third geously known as the author of a work entitled month 1696, permitting every Quaker in Eng "A Demonstration of the Messias." land or Wales, to make a solemn declaration

of a prescribed form, in all cases where an with Hannah Callowhill, daughter of Thomas oath was previously required; and rendering Callowhill, and grand-daughter of Dennis such affirmation equivalent in law to an Hollister, both eminent merchants of that oath; except that they were not permitted to city. She was a sober, religious young wogive evidence in criminal cases, to serve on man, and continued an agreeable companion juries, or to hold any office of profit in the to him during the remainder of his life. government. In procuring this act, Friends received the aid of the influence and talents of the king and Waller the poet, who was then a member of the house of Commons.

Shortly after this event, he was subjected to a heavy trial, by the death of his eldest son, a youth of a very promising character, both in regard to his understanding, which was of the brightest order, and the more substantial virtues of the heart. The account which he has given of this son is too interesting to be omitted; it is as follows:

It is a remarkable circumstance that this act, permitting the members of a Society long known to be conscientiously scrupulous of swearing, to substitute a solemn declaration in place of an oath, was procured with considerable difficulty, and granted with apparent "My very dear child and eldest son, hesitation; for it was to continue in force for Springett Penn, from his childhood maniseven years, and to the end of the next ses-fested a disposition to goodness, and gave sion of parliament and no longer. The form of the affirmation in this first act was not satisfactory, the terms being considered as too nearly approximating to those of an oath, and many Friends declined its use on that account, choosing to suffer all the inconvenience and hardship to which they had been hitherto subjected, rather than obtain relief in so questionable a manner. The act was at length made perpetual, though the terms of the affirmation being still uneasy to many Friends, it failed to afford the intended relief. At length, in 1721, an act was obtained, giving to the affirmation a form with which Friends were generally satisfied.

me hope of a more than ordinary capacity; and time satisfied me in both respects. Besides a good share of learning and especially of mathematical knowledge, he showed a judgment in the use and application of it, much above his years. He had the seeds of many good qualities rising in him, which made him beloved, and consequently lamented; but especially his humility, plainness and truth; with a tenderness and softness of nature, that if I may say it, were an improvement upon his other good qualities. And though these were no security against sickness and death, yet they went a good way to facilitate a due preparation for them. Indeed the good From the enactment being made at first ground that was in him showed itself very for seven years, and then for eleven, before it plainly sometime before his illness. For was declared perpetual, it would appear that more than half a year before it pleased the dispensing with an oath, even in favour of Lord to visit him with weakness, he grew those who were restrained from its use by more retired, and much disengaged from religious principle, was then viewed as a youthful delights; showing a remarkable legislative experiment of doubtful expedien- tenderness in meetings, even when they were. cy; yet in 1830 and 1835, the use of oaths, silent. But when he saw himself doubtful as in a great number of cases, was abolished by to his recovery, he turned his mind and meact of parliament, after a very full examina-ditations more apparently towards the Lord; tion of their effect, and a satisfactory convic-secretly, as also when those were in the room tion that the truth might be as well obtained who attended upon him, praying often with by a simple declaration.

On the 5th of first month, 1696, William Penn accomplished his marriage at Bristol,

great fervency to the Lord, and uttering many thankful expressions and praises to Him in a very deep and sensible manner. One day he said to us, I am resigned to what God pleaseth; he knows what is best. I would live if it pleased him that I might serve him. But, O Lord, not my will, but thy will be done.

* It even appears that some of those who favoured this act, granted the affirmation under the belief that it was in reality an oath of a disguised form. Writers are not, indeed, altogether agreed what constitutes an oath. If we regard the legal "One speaking to him of the things of definition, we must perceive that this affirmation this world, and what might please him when was not an oath. It was in these words, I, A. B., recovered; he answered, My eye looks do declare in the presence of Almighty God, the another way, where the truest pleasure is. witness of the truth of what I say. But accord-When he told me he had rested well, and ing to legal authorities, "what is universally un

derstood by an oath, is, that the person who takes I said it was a mercy to him, he quickly it, imprecates the vengeance of God upon him, if replied upon me, with a serious yet sweet the oath he takes is false." look, All is mercy, dear father, every thing

VOL. V.-No. 7.

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"He also called his sister, and said to her, Poor child, come and kiss me: there seemed a tender and long farewell between them. I sent By this short treatise, thou wilt perceive for his brother that he might kiss him too, the subject of it, viz: The light of Christ in which he did all were in tears about him, and man, as the manifestation of God's love for turning his head to me, he said softly, Dear man's happiness. Forasmuch as this is a father, hast thou no hope for me? I answered, peculiar testimony and characteristic of the My dear child, I am afraid to hope, and I dare people called Quakers, and their great funda. not despair; but am, and have been resigned, mental in religion; that by which they have though one of the hardest lessons I ever been distinguished from other professors of learned. He paused awhile, and with a com- Christianity in their time, and to which they posed frame of mind, said, Come life, come refer all people about faith, worship, and pracdeath, I am resigned: O the love of God! tice, both in their ministry and writings; that