made their boast of what they would do to enrich themselves; and in order thereto, had, and were setting up their agents in many parts to ruin the king's peaceable subjects; but their hands were very much weakened, and their designs broken by the Lord, who soon after gave rest and peace to his church and people, and restored to them their meeting houses, and the quiet enjoyment of their peaceable meeting together.

Now Gilbert, through his often attendance, was personally well known to the king, who, as he was a hunting, and happened with the company that attended him, being all on horseback, to be at a stand or halt, within the pales, near Coombe, in Surrey, spake to Gilbert, and took notice of him in a particular manner, as he sed on the road.

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In the year 1688, before there was any talk, or thought by any, as Gilbert conceived or knew, of what afterwards in that year came to pass he and two friends, namely George Whitehead and William Penn, meeting at White hall, they asked Gilbert if he would go along with them to wait upon the king; whereupon he made some little pause before he gave his answer, having nothing in his mind to say, or attend the king upon; and as he thus stood a little silent, it opened in his heart what he should say to the king, whereupon he told the

friends, he was ready to go with them; and accordingly they went, and had admittance to the king's presence, there being only one more present besides the king and the friends; and George Whitehead and William Penn having spoken what they had to say, the king was pleased to ask Gilbert whether he had not something to say; upon which, Gilbert, in a great deal of humility, spake in the manner following: "The mercy, favour, and kindness which the king hath extended to us as a people, in the time of our exercise and sore distress, we humbly acknowledge; and I truly desire that God may shew the king mercy and favour in the time of his trouble and sore distress." To which the king replied, "I thank you;" and so at that time they parted.

But what was then spoken by Gilbert, lived with the king; who, in a considerable time after, when he was in Ireland, desired a friend to remember him to Gilbert, and "Tell him," said the king, "the words he spake to me I shall never forget; adding that one part of them was come, and that he prayed to God the other might also come to pass; upon which, Gilbert desired the friend, that when he returned again to Ireland, if he had opportunity to see king James, he would let him know that the second part of what he had said, in relation to the

king, was also in great measure come to pass, and that the Lord had given him his life.

Now soon after the coming in of King William, a consideration of the toleration measureably made use of in the late reign, made some think that it would be of great service, that what was granted then by a dispensing power, might now, in this happy reign, be established by a legal power of Parliament; and King William having a desire to make his subjects easy, the promoting of this good work was acceptable to him. And a bill of that kind was proposed to the Parliament, and order given for the bringing in thereof, which accordingly was passed, under the title of, "An Act for exempting their Majesties' Protestant Subjects, dissenting from the church of England, from the penalties of certain Laws," (being about thirteen in number:) and it was enacted, "That all Protestant dissenting Subjects should take the oaths mentioned in a Statute made in that Parliament, and should make and subscribe the Declaration mentioned in a Statute made in the thirtieth year of king Charles the Second; which oaths and declaration the justices of peace at the General Sessions were required to tender."

Upon the reading of this bill in the House, friends understanding the tenor to be obliging for all to take the oath aforesaid, and seeing for conscience they could not swear in any case,

found it their place to solicit the Parliament for the obtaining a clause to make them alike easy with the rest of the king's protestant subjects; and Gilbert was one, with divers others, appointed to attend this service, and their labours were blessed with success; and a clause was prepared and received by the house; and, according as they agreed to it, is as followeth :

"Whereas there are certain other persons, dissenters from the Church of England, who scruple the taking of any oath; be it enacted by the authority aforesaid, that every such person shall make and subscribe the aforesaid Declaration, and also this Declaration of Fidelity following."-Which may be seen at large in the act, which was passed in the month called May, 1689. Subscription was also required to a profession of Christian belief, according to the words therein contained.

In the year 1694, and the fourth of the reign of King William and Queen Mary, Gilbert was one of those who attended the king at Kensington, with the following case, which had so good effect that one hundred of our friends were discharged, as will appear hereafter.

"TO THE KING.

"The case and request of the people called Quakers, in behalf of many of them, who are present sufferers for conscience sake, humbly presented :

"Shewing,

"That as the God of all our mercies hath preserved us, a peaceable and quiet people in the land, according to our Christian principle and profession, under the various revolutions of government, so we humbly hope and resolve by his divine assistance, ever so to continue; being also heartily thankful for the several kindnesses and compassions received from the government, especially for the present liberty we now by law enjoy, in point of religious worship; yet forasmuch as many of the said people are continued under deep sufferings in their persons and estates by tedious imprisonments, seizures, and sequestrations; divers also of late have died in prisons, and many more [are] under prosecution, and liable so to suffer in England and Wales, tending to the ruin of many families; for these causes of conscience, viz. chiefly on contempts (as adjudged) for not answering on oath in cases of tithes, when sued in the Exchequer, and also for not answering upon oath, when prosecuted in the Ecclesiastical Courts for tithes, church