the forenoon, according to their usual manner; Gilbert and some other friends were met there to worship the Lord, as they were conscientiously persuaded was their duty; waiting upon him to feel his refreshing presence and love to be continued and shed in their hearts: and as they were thus met came two parties of foot soldiers, the one being of the train-bands, the other of the king's foot-guards: and they were like to have differed among themselves, which of them should lay first hold on the friends; but the guards being the stronger party, took the friends into their custody: and he who commanded them, laid hold of Gilbert, and told him that he was his prisoner, and all he had about him was his plunder: upon which Gilbert said, If I am thy prisoner, and all about me thy plunder, I charge thee in the name of the Lord, thou see that no man hurt me, nor my friends, for what with the train-bands and the guards, and the flocking of the people, a great rude company was got together; and as the officer led Gilbert through them, he said, and bound it with an oath, that if any of them harmed the prisoners, he would endeavour to be the death of them and Gilbert was carried away prisoner, and put under the Banqueting-house at Whitehall, where the presence of the Lord accompanied him to his great comfort and satisfaction,

in more than an ordinary manner, and he had good service there for the Lord.

And notwithstanding the trials which attended the people of God in these days, his power prevailed, and the truth prospered, and many were convinced and turned to the Lord: among whom, one Elizabeth Trott having received the truth, gave up her house, which was towards the end of the Pall Mall, near James's house, for a meeting, which in a great measure was there settled by Gilbert, who was a very constant attender thereof; and having acquaintance with a considerable justice of peace who lived thereby, had often prevailed to induce him to moderation; but at last he told Gilbert, that our meeting being so near the Duke's palace, he had been much blamed about it, and now had received positive command to put the laws in execution, and break and disperse the meeting; further adding, "I can no longer forbear coming, in order to prosecute the commands now laid upon me by so high and eminent a hand, as his that hath given me this matter in charge: however, Gilbert could not forbear, but according as he was persuaded, observed the command laid on the people of God, not to forsake the assembling themselves together, and went to the meeting, being about the latter part of the And the jus1662. year tice, according to the command he had, as he said, so positively received, brake up the meet

ing, and Gilbert and another public friend were carried away prisoners, and afterwards friends were often kept out, and met in the street; and although they were several times there taken and confined, yet Gilbert was still a frequent and constant attender thereof, whilst the friend Elizabeth Trott lived.

And now persecution was very heavy on the Lord's people, not only in this city and suburbs, where many were under confinement for thus meeting to worship the Lord; but the same spirit was at work in divers parts of the kingdom, and friends underwent great sufferings and hardships in most counties in the nation, and the people were let up into a light libertine spirit, having little consideration of the "affliction of Joseph," but were very high, proud, and loose.

The Lord God of heaven beholding that people's hearts were thus exalted, and his fear trampled upon, shook his rod over this great city, and brought a pestilence, which swept away about an hundred thousand of its inhabitants; and this being in the year 1665, Gilbert had taken lodgings in order to have gone into the country; but the consideration that many of the Lord's servants were under close confinement in several gaols for the testimony of a good conscience, as in particular in Newgate, the Gatehouse in Westminster, and other prisons, Gilbert

to

go

could not then find freedom to leave this city, and be at ease, while his brethren were thus under sufferings and therefore continued here; and according to his wonted manner, visited them in gaols, and endeavoured that nothing should be wanting that might either support them, or, according to his power, to solicit their enlargement.

poor

In this time of great and sore exercise, he was also under the same care of visiting friends in their families, as well those visited with sickness, as others whom the Lord had in measure restored again; and being thus exercised, the Lord concerned several friends in divers parts of the country, to consider the here, who were under this great calamity, and accordingly sent money to be distributed, a part of which was allotted to the poor people who were ill with the sickness, but more especially to those who were shut up in their houses situate in the out-parishes without TempleBar; and this service being committed to the care of Gilbert, and one other friend, to visit these poor, but particularly those who

were

confined to their own houses, they as nearly as they were able neglected none, but went and administered the charity to the thus confined particularly, many of whom had running sores upon them; but still the Lord was with him to preserve him hitherto in continued health:

but after the contagion was much abated, and the mortality decreased, there happening about the eighth month, a matter of difference, Gilbert was chosen an arbitrator for putting an end to the same; and the hearing of both parties taking up a pretty long time, and all the while sitting in a cold damp room, he at last felt the cold strike to his heart and as most illness then turned to the sickness, it prevailed so, that suddenly Gilbert grew very ill; but the Lord was good unto him, and having further service for him to do, raised him up again.

In the year 1666, some short time after Elizabeth Trott's decease, it was by Gilbert and some friends belonging to that end of the city, agreed, to remove the meeting from Pall Mall more among the body of friends, there being very few houses then in the Pall-Mall but on that side next the Park, the other side being a great row of large elm trees; and that which is now the market and the square, and all thereabouts then being fields; and Westminster being the residence of several friends, and a great concourse of people that way, Gilbert and some friends sought to get a place for a meeting in those parts, and accordingly they bought the term of a lease of a house and garden in the Little Almonry in Westminster, and immediately paid down the purchase money, and the meeting hath continued there ever since,