He asked the constable what we did where we were met together, and what we had with us?  I know he meant whether we had armour or not; but when he heard that there were only a few of us, met for preaching and hearing the Word, he could not well tell what to say.  Yet, because he had sent for me, he did adventure to put a few proposals to me, to this effect:  What did I there?  Why did I not content myself with following my calling?  For it was against the law that such as I should be admitted to do as I did.  I answered that my intent was to instruct the people to forsake their sins and close in with Christ, lest they did perish miserably, and that I could do both, follow my calling and also preach without confusion.

At which words he was in a chafe, for he said he would break the neck of our meetings.  I said it might be so.  Then he wished me to get sureties to be bound for me, or else he would send me to the gaol.  My sureties being ready, I called them in, and when the bond for my appearance was made, he told them that they were bound to keep me from preaching; and that if I did preach, their bonds would be forfeited.  To which I answered that I should break them, for I should not leave preaching the Word of God.  Whereat that my mittimus must be made, and I sent to the gaol, there to lie till the quarter sessions.

After I had lain in the gaol for four or five days, the brethren sought means again to get me out by bondsmen (for so runs my mittimus—­that I should lie there till I could find sureties).  They went to a justice at Elstow, one Mr. Crumpton, to desire him to take bond for my appearing at quarter session.  At first he told them he would; but afterwards he made a demur at the business, and desired first to see my mittimus, which ran to this purpose:  That I went about to several conventicles in this country, to the great disparagement of the government of the Church of England, etc.  When he had seen it, he said there might be something more against me than was expressed in my mittimus; and that he was but a young man, and, therefore, he durst not do it.  This my gaoler told me; whereat I was not at all daunted, but rather glad, and saw evidently that the Lord had heard me; for before I went down to the justice, I begged of God that if I might do more good by being at liberty than in prison that then I might be set at liberty; but, if not, His will be done.  For I was not altogether without hopes that my imprisonment might be an awakening to the saints in this country, therefore I could not tell well which to choose; only I in that manner did commit the thing to God.  And verily, at my return, I did meet my God sweetly in the prison again, comforting of me and satisfying of me that it was His will and mind that I should be there.

When I came back to prison, when I was musing at the slender answer of the justice, this word dropped in upon my heart with some life:  “For He knew that for envy they had delivered him.”