"What place is this?" I asked of a peasant as I drew near the town I have mentioned. "Maidstone," was the reply. "Be you going to the church?" "Maybe," I replied, "but it is early yet." "Ay, early, but not too early if you will see the sights." "What sights?" "Haven't you heard? Why God a' mercy, the old rector hath come back, and hath got together twenty men to help the constables. Besides, I hear that Master Burnbridge is shaking in his shoes." "And who is Master Burnbridge?" "Why you must be a furriner not to know. From whence come you, master?" "I come from London." "Ay? From London? Then you have seen the new king?" "Ay, I have seen him; but who is Master Burnbridge?" "He is the Independent minister who hath ministered in the parish church for many a year. He is much beloved of the people, too, and hath many followers. But the new king hates the Presbyterians and the Independents, so we are to see gay doings to-day. It is but ten o'clock yet, but I mean to get near the pulpit so that I can see all that goes on. The old vicar, Master Noel, was one of Bishop Laud's men, and it will be rare sport to see him tackle Master Burnbridge." "But he hath no right to do this." "That's no matter. I do hear that the king is going to make a law, so Master Noel is taking time by the forelock, and we are to have gay doings." The man turned in at a side road, while I rode on towards the inn I had seen in the main street. I called to mind what the Duke of York had said to me only the night before, and to me his words bore on the peasant's gossip. When he had said that although no laws had been passed against Independents and Presbyterians they had already been ejected from their pulpits, and many had been thrown into gaol, I could only regard it as the talk of a man who had drunk too freely; but now I saw that he spoke not without his book, and I determined that I would also find my way to the parish church that morning.