And upon the 15th of the same month, in the evening, came the gaoler, who ordered me and Thomas Hall to the common gaol, because we could not answer his unreasonable demands; howbeit there was not room in the common gaol, for it was wholly taken up with poor debtors and thieves. And I having been sick for some time, and not well recovered, a friend said to the gaoler, 'If this our friend die through thy cruelty and hard usage, his blood will be required at thy hands.' He answered, he did not care if I never stood upon my feet again, he would put me in the common gaol. I asked him, if the place was fit for us to be put in; especially I, not being well. He said, it was such as he had for us, and we might either sit or lie; and if there was not room that we two could lie one by the other, we might lie one above the other; and if there was not room by the sink, we might go into it, being a filthy, stinking hole, which fulfils that saying, The mercy of the wicked is cruelty.

And so accordingly, he put us two among poor debtors, in the common gaol, where there was no convenient room either to sit or lie; only such as it was, we were to have, and were forced to sit in our clothes all night, by the nasty hole, the sink; but next day the gaoler caused a poor debtor to be removed to his house, where he lodged him; and then we got some straw and bedding to lay on the ground which was

very raw and wettish in the debtor's place, and got stones for our bedstock, head and feet; where we were for the most part locked in day and night, for thirteen days and nights together. And notwithstanding the weakness that attended me when I was put there, and the nastiness of the place, the Lord was pleased to make it as a place of healing and restoration of health and strength to me. So that when the gaoler took me from that place again, as I was going down the street to the place from whence he took me, many people coming forth to look upon me, several said, 'He looks better than he did when they put him into the common gaol,' which was cause of rejoicing to me; endless praises, honour and glory, be given to the most high God, who by his own healing, restoring, preserving power, can do and bring to pass whatsoever seems good in his eyes!

One passage more by the way is fit to be taken notice of, to set forth the cruelty and hard heartedness of the gaoler, to wit, my dear wife, with other friends, coming to visit me in the common gaol, being above twenty miles from my own house, she desired the gaoler that he would do so much as suffer me to come forth of the gaol, to some other place; but there being no bowels of compassion in him, he would not suffer me to come forth to her; but sent word by his turnkey, if she would be with me she

might, in the common gaol or no other place; where she did contentedly abide with me that night and a part of the next day, rather than leave me and go to a better place.

6

And upon a time when I was doing some work in the common gaol, the gaoler came to me and said mockingly, 'John, thou hast scarce light to thy work (there being very little light in the prison,) but what matter,' said he, thou hast light enough within.' I answered, Yes, blessed be the Lord my God for ever, so I have, but thou hast little of it; for if thou hadst more, thou wouldst see thy way better what to do, than thou doest:' So he turned from me and said no more, but took my fellow prisoner Thomas Hall away from me at the end of thirteen days, and kept me three days and nights more, and then removed me as aforesaid.

And so when the gaoler saw that all his contrivances would not effect his purpose, to make me bow, and to get chamber rent of us; and being troubled in his conscience both day and night, as afterwards he confessed, neither any thing could he invent, nor any counsel and advice could he get.

And after he had brought me again to my friends, prisoners as aforesaid, slavish fear mixed with cruelty still attended him. So he, to please himself and others, though neither for peace nor profit to him (as he often confessed,)

betakes himself to a new invented shift, to hinder the sound of Truth's testimony by me borne, what in him lay, from coming to peoples ears.

About this time I wrote the following paper :

To the inhabitants of the city of Carlisle ; but more especially to all such therein, who cannot endure to hear the sound of a man's voice, though in prayer to the God of heaven, or in exhortation to his fellow prisoners or others to love and fear God, and walk before him as becomes Christians; and yet can endure to hear men and women curse and swear, without reproof or punishment; and suffer drunkards to stagger and reel in the streets, with cursed oaths; which I have often seen and heard to the grief of my soul, since I came prisoner into your city.

Under the consideration and weighty exercise whereof a necessity now attends me to testify something on this wise; to put you in mind what you have been and are a doing, that if happily you may come to see the evil you have done, and repent and amend; because an account we must all give unto the Lord, of our deeds done in the body, whether good or evil.

I say unto you all, what evil have I done, or what law have I transgressed, either against

God or man? Shew me, if you can, and let it be known to people abroad, what the great crime is that I have committed; or why I have been, and am so abused; even such abuses as never were done, I presume, to any prisoner in this city, in the like kind before, either by gaoler or others. And if you do not amend your ways and doings, I intend to let people know abroad how I am abused by you, for no other cause, but for worshipping and serving the Lord my God; I being prisoner in safe custody, with the rest of my suffering friends; and what words have I spoken, that are not true and sound, and agreeable to the testimony of the Holy Scriptures?

I say,, what is the matter or cause, why I have been and am now, so threatened and abused, being kept close prisoner in the common gaol? What is the crime, I say, that I or any one of us have committed, by praying to God, or exhorting one another, or warning people to repent, that the gaoler hath been so threatened, and charged to take a course with me? who accordingly often hath abused me, also his turnkey, Eli, sometimes one, and sometimes both; pulling and haling me off my knees when in prayer to God, both of them at one time taking me by the arm, throwing me down, and dragging me along the floor; threatening sometimes to throw me down the stairs, for the gaoler said to Eli, the turnkey, "Throw him down head foremost, and he will