And many who heard me spread the fame thereof, and the Lord’s power got ground, and many were turned from the darkness to the light within the compass of these three years—­1646, 1647, and 1648.  Moreover, when the Lord sent me forth, he forbade me to “put off my hat” to any, high or low.  And I was required to “thee” and “thou” all, men and women, without any respect to rich or poor, great or small.  But, oh, the rage that then was in the priests, magistrates, professors, and people of all sorts; but especially in priests and professors!  Oh, the scorn, the heat and fury that arose!  Oh, the blows, punchings, beatings, and imprisonments that we underwent!

About this time I was sorely exercised in speaking and writing to judges and justices to do justly; in warning such as kept public-houses for entertainment that they should not let people have more drink than would do them good.  In fairs also and in markets I was made to declare against their deceitful merchandise, cheating, and cozening; warning all to deal justly, to speak the truth, to let their yea be yea, and their nay be nay.  Likewise I was made to warn masters and mistresses, fathers and mothers in private families, to take care that their children and servants might be trained up in the fear of the Lord; and that they themselves should be therein examples and patterns of sobriety and virtue.

But the earthly spirit of the priests wounded my life, and when I heard the bell toll to call people together to the steeple-house it struck at my life; for it was just like a market-bell to gather people together, that the priest might set forth his wares to sale.

III.—­In Perils Oft

Now as I went towards Nottingham on a first-day, when I came on the top of a hill in sight of the town, I espied the great steeple-house, and the Lord said unto me, “Thou must go cry against yonder great idol, and against the worshippers therein.”  When I came there all the people looked like fallow ground, the priest (like a great lump of earth) stood in his pulpit above.  Now the Lord’s power was so mighty upon me that I could not hold, but was made to cry out.

As I spoke, the officers came and took me away, and put me into a nasty, stinking prison, the smell whereof got so into my nose and throat that it very much annoyed me.  But that day the Lord’s power sounded so in their ears that they were amazed at the voice.  At night they took me before the mayor, aldermen, and sheriffs of the town.  They examined me at large, and I told them how the Lord had moved me to come.  After some discourse between them and me, they sent me back to prison again; but some time after the head sheriff sent for me to his house.  I lodged at the sheriff’s, and great meetings we had in his house.  The Lord’s power was with this friendly sheriff, and wrought a mighty change in him; and accordingly he went into the market, and into several streets, and preached repentance to the people.  Hereupon the magistrates grew very angry, and sent for me from the sheriff’s house, and committed me to the common prison.  Now, after I was released from Nottingham gaol, where I had been kept prisoner for some time, I travelled as before in the work of the Lord.