near Vienna, had found means sometimes to have access to them, and had been reached by their pious discourse, and in good degree convinced of the truth of their principles. This man commiserated much their suffering condition, and exerted himself indefatigably to obtain their release. By some means he found out the place of William's detention, notwithstanding the secrecy maintained by the priests, and supplied him with some refreshments. The earl being seized with sickness, from which his recovery was doubtful, Adam, who had influence with this nobleman, seized this opportunity of renewing his solicitations in their favor, and finally succeeded in obtaining an order for their release. They were then set at liberty, and though turned adrift without any money, which had all been taken away from them, and in a country infested with war, yet they were favored to arrive in safety among their friends.

CHAPTER XVI.

EDWARD BURROUGH AND RICHARD HUBBERTHORN, BEING VIOLENTLY SEIZED AT THE BULL-AND-MOUTH MEETING, DIE IN PRISON.

DURING the year 1662, e cause of a good conscience

URING the year 1662, died Edward Burrough, a

toward God. We have seen by what process of mental experience and refinement he was brought to a knowledge of the Truth as it is in Jesus, and how, about the eighteenth year of his age, his Divine Master saw fit to make use of him to sound the glad tidings of the Gospel to his fellowHis ministry was powerful and reaching, his doctrine

men.

sound, and his language eloquent; having learned in the best school, that of Christ himself, and been prepared for the ministry by the immediate teachings of the Spirit of Truth, gradually leading unto the living experience of holiness, and clothing him with ardent desires for the salvation of mankind.

His own example gave efficacy to his ministry. He lived as he advised others to live, in the fear of his Maker, and in a sense of His omnipresence. His natural disposition was bold and manly, tempered with innocence; his conversation affable and instructive, circumscribed by great watchfulness over himself. His Christian courage in the fulfilment of his duty was remarkable, an instance of which we may here mention.

On one of his frequent visits to London, he passed by a place, where a number of rude muscular men were exhibiting feats of wrestling, before a multitude of idle people, who stood gazing at them outside a ring. He saw how one strong and dexterous fellow had already thrown three others, and was waiting for a fourth champion, if any durst venture to enter the lists. At length, none being bold enough to try, Edward Burrough stepped within the ring; and looking upon the wrestler with a serious countenance, the man was not a little surprised, instead of an airy antagonist, to meet with a grave and awful young man. All stood amazed at the sight, wondering what would be the issue of this contest. But it was quite another fight that Edward aimed at. He began very seriously to speak to the by-standers, and that with such a heart-piercing power, that he was heard by this mixed and rude multitude with no less attention than admiration. His speech tended to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God. To effect this, he labored with convincing power, showing how God had not left himself without a witness, but had graciously enlightened every man with the light of Christ. Thus

zealously he preached; and though many might look on this as a novelty, yet it was of such effect, that some were convinced of the truth.

He travelled in many parts of England, Ireland, Scotland and Flanders, in the exercise of his ministerial gift, meeting with repeated sufferings and imprisonments. But his principal field of labor was London and its neighborhood, where his ministry was effectual to the conversion of many. His gospel solicitude for the inhabitants of that city was so warm, that when persecution grew hot, he said to his bosom friend, Francis Howgill: "I can freely go to that city, and lay down my life for a testimony to that truth, which I have declared through the Spirit and power of God." And being this year on a visit to Friends in Bristol, in taking leave of them, he said "he did not know that he should see their faces any more;" and therefore exhorted them to faithfulness; adding to some, "I am now going up to London again, to lay down my life for the Gospel, and suffer among Friends in that place."

About that time the rage of persecution was such, that it was estimated there were five hundred Friends in prison at one time in London alone; and the Friends who met for divine worship at the "Bull-and-Mouth" meeting, near the centre of the metropolis, were particularly exposed to the merciless violence of the magistrates and soldiery. The soldiers came several successive First-days, with muskets, lighted matches, pikes, and halberts, conducted by an officer, with a drawn sword in one hand, and a cane in the other. They usually entered with violent rushing and uproar, to terrify the assembly, commanding the people to be gone; and then shamefully attacked both men and women with canes and clubs, threatening to fire at them, and even striking them with swords, and the butt-ends of their muskets, in such a manner that some fainted away, and others survived their injuries but a short time.

On one occasion, when the meeting was near breaking up, Major-general Richard Brown entered the house with a party of men with drawn swords, in a manner rude and terrifying beyond expression; and ordering the doors to be made fast, they fell upon the innocent assembly, engaged in the most solemn act of worshipping their Maker; and without regard to age or sex, dealt such unmerciful and unmanly blows on men and women with their swords and cudgels, cutting, bruising, and levelling those before them, as bore an appearance of open hostility beyond what had ever been seen in a time of peace. Six or eight together being knocked down, were dragged out and laid in the gutters senseless, and apparently half dead, with the wounds and bruises they had received. Their blood flowed visibly in the street, so that the passers-by, struck with compassion for this unoffending people, cried, "Shame" upon the perpetrators, and for their compassionate expressions obtained also their share of similar abuse. Many of these Friends were so much injured, as to keep their beds for a considerable time, and one died of the wounds he there received. Thomas Ellwood was among those thus seized on one of these occasions, along with many more Friends; and the prisons in London were literally thronged with this people for several months.

Not long after Edward Burrough's arrival in London this year, he attended this meeting; and while he was preaching the gospel, he was violently pulled down by soldiers, and committed, with many others, to Newgate prison. Here, being thrust into crowded rooms, among the vilest felons, besides the great annoyance to which, from the filthy character of these criminals, and the dirty state of the prison, Friends were subjected, they were also witnesses of such vile and wicked conduct and conversation, as brought grief and sorrow on their souls. Having lain here some weeks, Edward was brought to trial at the Old Bailey, fined by the court

twenty marks, without authority of any law, and condemned to lie in prison till he should pay the fine. As the deed for which he and his brethren were condemned, viz., meeting for the worship of God, was in their estimation no crime, but an act of indispensable duty to their Maker and Redeemer; and as a voluntary and active compliance with the penalty would have been a tacit confession of guilt, a giving away of the cause, and a balking of their testimony to the Truth; they durst not, for conscience' sake, pay the fine; so that this sentence amounted to perpetual imprisonment, unless released by the king.

Being thus immured in prison with six or seven score of his Friends, and so many crowded into one room as to make it even suffocating, many of them grew sick and died; of which number he was one. A special order from the king was sent to the sheriffs for his release and that of some others; but so implacable was the malice of some of the city magistrates, that they found means to evade the execution of this order. Edward being consequently still detained in prison, his disease gained upon him, and threatened approaching dissolution. But this holy man being raised above the fear of death, supported by the consolatory review of a life spent in the service of his Creator, and comforted by a consciousness of no wilful omission of duty, and an inward sense of freedom from the power and guilt of sin, through the effectual operation and atonement of Him who came to put an end to sin and take away its guilt, he made the following solemn and affecting appeal: "I have had the testimony of the Lord's love unto me from my youth; and my heart, O Lord, hath been given up to do thy will. I have preached the gospel freely in this city, and have often given up my life for the Gospel's sake. And now, O Lord, rip open my heart, and see if it be not right before thee!" Again he said: "There is no iniquity lies at my door; but the presence of the Lord is with me, and His life, I feel, justifies