The History of Thomas Ellwood Written By HimselfEllwood, Thomas
History
The History of Thomas Ellwood Written By Himself
Ellwood, Thomas
Ellwood, Thomas, 1639-1713; Quakers -- Biography
Then were we sent for to the Justice’s house, and the rest being
released, Morgan Watkins and I were required to find sureties for our
appearance at the next assize; which we refusing to do, were committed
anew to our old prison, the House of Correction at Wycombe, there to lie
until the next assizes; Morgan being in this second mittimus represented
as a notorious offender in preaching, and I as being upon the second
conviction in order to banishment. There we lay till the 25th day of the
same month, and then, by the favour of the Earl of Ancram, being brought
before him at his house, we were discharged from the prison upon our
promise to appear, if at liberty and in health, at the assizes; which we
did, and were there discharged by proclamation.
During my imprisonment in this prison I betook myself for an employment
to making of nets for kitchen-service, to boil herbs, &c., in which trade
I learned of Morgan Watkins, and selling some and giving others, I pretty
well stocked the Friends of that country with them.
Though in that confinement I was not very well suited with company for
conversation, Morgan’s natural temper not being very agreeable to mine,
yet we kept a fair and brotherly correspondence, as became friends,
prison-fellows, and bed-fellows, which we were. And indeed it was a good
time, I think, to us all, for I found it so to me; the Lord being
graciously pleased to visit my soul with the refreshing dews of his
divine life, whereby my spirit was more and more quickened to Him, and
truth gained ground in me over the temptations and snares of the enemy;
which frequently raised in my heart thanksgivings and praises unto the
Lord. And at one time more especially the sense I had of the prosperity
of truth, and the spreading thereof, filling my heart with abundant joy,
made my cup overflow, and the following lines drop out:—
For truth I suffer bonds, in truth I live,
And unto truth this testimony give,
That truth shall over all exalted be,
And in dominion reign for evermore:
The child’s already born that this may see,
Honour, praise, glory be to God therefor.
And underneath thus:
Though death and hell should against truth combine,
Its glory shall through all their darkness shine.
This I saw with an eye of faith, beyond the reach of human sense; for,
As strong desire
Draws objects nigher
In apprehension than indeed they are;
I with an eye
That pierced high
Did thus of truth’s prosperity declare.
After we had been discharged at the assizes I returned to Isaac
Penington’s family at Bottrel’s in Chalfont, and, as I remember, Morgan
Watkins with me, leaving Isaac Penington a prisoner in Aylesbury goal.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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