come once again to your Lordship, to know what may be done with my

husband.
JUDGE HALE. To whom he said, Woman, I told thee before I could do

thee no good; because they have taken that for a conviction which
thy husband spoke at the sessions: and unless there be something

done to undo that, I can do thee no good.
WOMAN. My lord, said she, he is kept unlawfully in prison; they

clapped him up before there was any proclamation against the
meetings; the indictment also is false. Besides, they never asked

him whether he was guilty or no; neither did he confess the
indictment.

ONE OF THE JUSTICES. Then one of the justices that stood by, whom
she knew not, said, My Lord, he was lawfully convicted.

WOM. It is false, said she; for when they said to him, Do you
confess the indictment? he said only this, that he had been at

several meetings, both where there were preaching" target="_blank" title="n.说教 a.说教的">preaching the Word, and
prayer, and that they had God's presence among them.

JUDGE TWISDON. Whereat Judge TWISDON answered very angrily,
saying, What, you think we can do what we list; your husband is a

breaker of the peace, and is convicted by the law, etc. Whereupon
Judge HALE called for the Statute Book.

WOM. But, said she, my lord, he was not lawfully convicted.
CHESTER. Then Justice CHESTER said, My lord, he was lawfully

convicted.
WOM. It is false, said she; it was but a word of discourse that

they took for a conviction (as you heard before).
CHEST. But it is recorded, woman; it is recorded, said Justice

CHESTER; as if it must be of necessity true, because it was
recorded. With which words he often endeavoured to stop her mouth,

having no other argument to convince her, but it is recorded, it is
recorded.

WOM. My Lord, said she, I was a while since at LONDON, to see if I
could get my husband's liberty; and there I spoke with my lord

BARKWOOD, one of the House of Lords, to whom I delivered a
petition, who took it of me and presented it to some of the rest of

the House of Lords, for my husband's releasement; who, when they
had seen it, they said, that they could not release him, but had

committed his releasement to the judges, at the next assizes. This
he told me; and now I am come to you to see if any thing may be

done in this business, and you give neither releasement nor relief.
To which they gave her no answer, but made as if they heard her

not.
CHEST. Only Justice CHESTER was often up with this, - He is

convicted, and it is recorded.
WOM. If it be, it is false, said she.

CHEST. My lord, said Justice CHESTER, he is a pestilent fellow,
there is not such a fellow in the country again.

TWIS. What, will your husband leave preaching" target="_blank" title="n.说教 a.说教的">preaching? If he will do so,
then send for him.

WOM. My lord, said she, he dares not leave preaching" target="_blank" title="n.说教 a.说教的">preaching as long as he
can speak.

TWIS. See here, what should we talk any more about such a fellow?
Must he do what he lists? He is a breaker of the peace.

WOM. She told him again, that he desired to live peaceably, and to
follow his calling, that his family might be maintained; and

moreover, said, My Lord, I have four small children, that cannot
help themselves, one of which is blind, and have nothing to live

upon, but the charity of good people.
HALE. Hast thou four children? said Judge Hale; thou art but a

young woman to have four children.
WOM. My lord, said she, I am but mother-in-law to them, having not

been married to him yet full two years. Indeed, I was with child
when my husband was first apprehended; but being young, and

unaccustomed to such things, said she, I being smayed at the news,
fell into labour, and so continued for eight days, and then was

delivered, but my child died.
HALE. Whereat, he looking very soberly on the matter, said, Alas,

poor woman!
TWIS. But Judge TWISDON told her, that she made poverty her cloak;

and said, moreover, that he understood I was maintained better by
running up and down a preaching" target="_blank" title="n.说教 a.说教的">preaching, than by following my calling.

HALE. What is his calling? said Judge Hale.
ANSWER. Then some of the company that stood by, said, A tinker, my

lord.
WOM. Yes, said she; and because he is a tinker, and a poor man,

therefore he is despised, and cannot have justice.
HALE. Then Judge HALE answered very mildly, saying, I tell thee,

woman, seeing it is so, that they have taken what thy husband spake
for a conviction; thou must either apply thyself to the King, or

sue out his pardon, or get a writ of error.
CHEST. But when Justice CHESTER heard him give her this counsel;

and especially (as she supposed) because he spoke of a writ of
error, he chafed, and seemed to be very much offended; saying, My

lord, he will preach and do what he lists.
WOM. He preacheth nothing but the Word of God, said she.

TWIS. He preach the Word of God! said Twisdon; and withal, she
thought he would have struck her; he runneth up and down, and doth

harm.
WOM. No, my lord, said she, it is not so; God hath owned him, and

done much good by him.
TWIS. God! said he, his doctrine is the doctrine of the devil.

WOM. My lord, said she, when the righteous Judge shall appear, it
will be known that his doctrine is not the doctrine of the devil.

TWIS. My lord, said he, to Judge Hale, do not mind her, but send
her away.

HALE. Then said Judge Hale, I am sorry, woman, that I can do thee
no good; thou must do one of those three things aforesaid, namely,

either to apply thyself to the King, or sue out his pardon, or get
a writ of error; but a writ of error will be cheapest.

WOM. At which Chester again seemed to be in a chafe, and put off
his hat, and as she thought, scratched his head for anger: but

when I saw, said she, that there was no prevailing to have my
husband sent for, though I often desired them that they would send

for him, that he might speak for himself; telling them, that he
could give them better satisfaction than I could, in what they

demanded of him, with several other things, which now I forget;
only this I remember, that though I was somewhat timorous at my

first entrance into the chamber, yet before I went out, I could not
but break forth into tears, not so much because they were so hard-

hearted against me, and my husband, but to think what a sad account
such poor creatures will have to give at the coming of the Lord,

when they shall there answer for all things whatsoever they have
done in the body, whether it be good, or whether it be bad.

So, when I departed from them, the book of statutes was brought,
but what they said of it I know nothing at all, neither did I hear

any more from them.
SOME CARRIAGES OF THE ADVERSARIES OF GOD'S TRUTH WITH ME AT THE

NEXT ASSIZES, WHICH WAS ON THE 19TH OF THE FIRST MONTH, 1662.
I SHALL pass by what befell between these two assizes, how I had,

by my jailor, some liberty granted me, more than at the first, and
how I followed my wonted course of preaching" target="_blank" title="n.说教 a.说教的">preaching, taking all occasions

that were put into my hand to visit the people of God; exhorting
them to be steadfast in the faith of Jesus Christ, and to take heed