This year Miles Halhead came to Berwick in Northumberland, and went to the mayor of that town, and spoke to him in his shop thus; ‘Friend, hear what the servant of the Lord hath to say unto thee. Give over persecuting the Lord’s servants, whom he doth send in love to this town of Berwick, to show you the way that leads to life eternal. I charge thee, O man, touch not the Lord’s anointed, nor do his prophets any harm, lest thou procure the anger of the living eternal God against thee.’ This bold language so offended the mayor, that he sent Miles to prison, where he was about ten weeks, and then was brought to the sessions, where a bill drawn up against him, was read in open court: but he denied the contents thereof, yet said, ‘But what I said to the mayor of this town, I will not deny.’ And then he related the aforesaid words he spoke to the mayor. Whereupon the recorder said, ‘Sirs, as I understand by his own words, if he cannot prove the mayor of the town a persecutor, in my judgment he hath wronged him.’ To this Miles answered, ‘If the mayor of this town of Berwick, dare say in the presence of the Lord, whose presence is here, that he is no persecutor, but the persecuting nature is slain in him, I will be willing to abide the judgment of the court.’ Then the clerk of the court said, ‘Mr. Mayor, if you will say that you are no persecutor, but the persecuting nature is slain in you, he is willing to abide the judgment of the court.’ To this the mayor answered, ‘I know not what to do; I would I had never seen him; I pray you, let him go, and let us be no more troubled with him.’ Then Miles said that he would prove this mayor of Berwick the greatest persecutor in town or country. ‘I was once, [thus he went on,] committed to the prison in this town before, by some of the justices that are now in this court; but thou, O man, hast exceeded them all; thou hast committed me, and kept me in close prison, for about ten weeks, for speaking to thy own person, in thy own shop. Now I make my appeal to the recorder of this town of Berwick, as I am a free-born Englishman, whether my imprisonment be legal, according to the law of this nation, or not?’ Then the recorder of the town stood up and said, ‘It is not very legal for any minister of the law to imprison any man in his own cause.’ Then the court cried, ‘Take him away.’ The chief priest of the town then stood, and desired the court that he might ask Miles one question; to this Miles said, ‘The Lord knows thy heart, O man, and at this present has revealed thy thoughts to his servant; and therefore now I know thy heart also, thou high priest, and the question thou wouldst ask me: and if thou wilt promise me before the court, that if I tell thee the question thou wouldst ask me, thou wilt deal plainly with me, I will not only tell thee thy query, but I will answer it.’ Then the priest said he would. Then Miles proceeded: ‘Thy question is this: thou wouldst know whether I own that