His discouragement was increased by ignorance of the language, and, with his accustomed diligence, on the morrow after his arrival he commenced learning French.  On the recurrence of his birth-day, which was nearly coincident with the beginning of the year, he says:—­

I am once more entered on a new year of my life, I fear without the last having been much improved; and to form resolutions of amendment in my own strength can avail me nothing.  May He who knows my infirmities assist me to overcome them and to become more useful in his cause.  My discouragement still continues; I don’t feel those refreshing seasons which I have often experienced in times past; the pure life is often low in meeting, and I am not so watchful and diligent to improve my time and talent as I ought to be.  I often feel as one already laid by useless, and the language of my heart is, “O that I were as in days past!”

Soon after their arrival at Congenies, Martha Savory met with a serious accident.  Thinking a ride would be beneficial to her health, when the rest of the party drove one afternoon to Sommieres, she accompanied them on horseback.  She had not a proper saddle, and her horse being eager to keep up with the carriage set off downhill at so rapid a rate as to throw her to the ground.  The cap of one knee was displaced by the fall, and, although she soon recovered so as to be able to walk, the limb continued to be subject to weakness for some years.

As soon as M. S. was sufficiently recovered, she and her companions visited the Friends at Congenies and the neighboring villages from house to house, and also assembled on one occasion the heads of families, and on another the young people of the Society.  In reviewing a part of this service John Yeardley says:—­

3 mo. 6.—­It has been a deeply exercising time, but has tended much more to the relief of our minds, at least as regards myself, than I had anticipated.  From the discouraged state of mind I passed through for the first few weeks at this place, I expected to leave it burdened and distressed, but am thankful to acknowledge that holy help has been near to afford relief to my poor tossed spirit, and I have cause to believe it is in divine wisdom that I am here.

On the 13th of the Third Month they took leave of their friends at Congenies to return to England, being accompanied by Edward Brady, and during part of the journey by Louis Majolier.  By the way they had some religious intercourse with Protestant dissenters at a few places; but at St. Etienne, where they had expected to remain a fortnight, they found the door nearly closed to their entrance; a company of pious persons in this town were at that time so nearly united with Friends as to bear their name.