Some other gentlemen, hearing of his design, were pleased to assist him in these generous acts, for which we never can be thankful enough; after this my children soon came about; we began to do pretty well again; my dear wife work’d hard and constant when she could get work, but it was upon a disagreeable footing as her employ was so uncertain, sometimes she could get nothing to do and at other times when the weavers of Norwich had orders from London they were so excessively hurried, that the people they employ’d were often oblig’d to work on the Sabbath-day; but this my wife would never do, and it was matter of uneasiness to us that we could not get our living in a regular manner, though we were both diligent, industrious, and willing to work.  I was far from being happy in my Master, he did not use me well.  I could scarcely ever get my money from him; but I continued patient ’till it pleased GOD to alter my situation.

My worthy friend Mr. Gurdney advised me to follow the employ of chopping chaff, and bought me an instrument for that purpose.  There were but few people in the town that made this their business beside myself; so that I did very well indeed and we became easy and happy.—­But we did not continue long in this comfortable state:  Many of the inferior people were envious and ill-natur’d and set up the same employ and work’d under price on purpose to get my business from me, and they succeeded so well that I could hardly get any thing to do, and became again unfortunate:  Nor did this misfortune come alone, for just at this time we lost one of our little girls who died of a fever; this circumstance occasion’d us new troubles, for the Baptist Minister refused to bury her because we were not their members.  The Parson of the parish denied us because she had never been baptized.  I applied to the Quakers, but met with no success; this was one of the greatest trials I ever met with, as we did not know what to do with our poor baby.—­At length I resolv’d to dig a grave in the garden behind the house, and bury her there; when the Parson of the parish sent for me to tell me he would bury the child, but did not chuse to read the burial service over her.  I told him I did not mind whether he would or not, as the child could not hear it.

We met with a great deal of ill treatment after this, and found it very difficult to live.—­We could scarcely get work to do, and were obliged to pawn our cloaths.  We were ready to sink under our troubles.—­When I purposed to my wife to go to Kidderminster and try if we could do there.  I had always an inclination for that place, and now more than ever as I had heard Mr. Fawcet mentioned in the most respectful manner, as a pious worthy Gentleman; and I had seen his name in a favourite book of mine, Baxter’s Saints everlasting rest, and as the Manufactory of Kidderminster seemed to promise my wife some employment, she readily came into my way of thinking.