on, Mr. Peter Daniel employed me in helping to pull down a house, and rebuilding it.  I had then very good work, and full employ:  he sent for my wife, and children to Colchester, and provided us a house where we lived very comfortably.—­I hope I shall always gratefully acknowledge his kindness to myself and family.  I worked at this house for more than a year, till it was finished; and after that I was employed by several successively, and was never so happy as when I had something to do; but perceiving the winter coming on, and work rather slack, I was apprehensive that we should again be in want or become troublesome to our friends.

I had at this time an offer made me of going to Norwich and having constant employ.—­My wife seemed pleased with this proposal, as she supposed she might get work there in the weaving-manufactory, being the business she was brought up to, and more likely to succeed there than any other place; and we thought as we had an opportunity of moving to a Town where we could both be employ’d it was most adviseable to do so; and that probably we might settle there for our lives.—­When this step was resolv’d on, I went first alone to see how it would answer; which I very much repented after, for it was not in my power immediately to send my wife any supply, as I fell into the hands of a Master that was neither kind nor considerate; and she was reduced to great distress, so that she was oblig’d to sell the few goods that we had, and when I sent for her was under the disagreeable necessity of parting with our bed.

When she came to Norwich I hired a room ready furnished.—­I experienced a great deal of difference in the carriage of my Master from what I had been accustomed to from some of my other Masters.  He was very irregular in his payments to me.—­My wife hired a loom and wove all the leisure time she had and we began to do very well, till we were overtaken by fresh misfortunes.  Our three poor children fell ill of the small pox; this was a great trial to us; but still I was persuaded in myself we should not be forsaken.—­And I did all in my power to keep my dear partner’s spirits from sinking.  Her whole attention now was taken up with the children as she could mind nothing else, and all I could get was but little to support a family in such a situation, beside paying for the hire of our room, which I was obliged to omit doing for several weeks:  but the woman to whom we were indebted would not excuse us, tho’ I promised she should have the very first money we could get after my children came about, but she would not be satisfied and had the cruelty to threaten us that if we did not pay her immediately she would turn us all into the street.

The apprehension of this plunged me in the deepest distress, considering the situation of my poor babies:  if they had been in health I should have been less sensible of this misfortune.  But My GOD, still faithful to his promise, raised me a friend.  Mr. Henry Gurdney, a Quaker, a gracious gentleman heard of our distress, he sent a servant of his own to the woman we hired the room of, paid our rent, and bought all the goods with my wife’s loom and gave it us all.