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
They tarried with us all night, and much discourse they had with my
father, both about the principles of truth in general, and me in
particular, which I was not privy to. But one thing I remember I
afterwards heard of, which was this:
When my father and I were at their house some months before, Mary
Penington, in some discourse between them, had told him how hardly her
husband’s father (Alderman Penington) had dealt with him about his hat;
which my father (little then thinking that it would, and so soon too, be
his own case) did very much censure the alderman for, wondering that so
wise a man as he was should take notice of such a trivial thing as the
putting off or keeping on a hat; and he spared not to blame him liberally
for it.
This gave her a handle to take hold of him by; and having had an ancient
acquaintance with him, and he having always had a high opinion of and
respect for her, she, who was a woman of great wisdom, of ready speech,
and of a well-resolved spirit, did press so close upon him with this home
argument, that he was utterly at a loss how to defend himself.
After dinner next day, when they were ready to take coach to return home,
she desired my father that, since my company was so little acceptable to
him, he would give me leave to go and spend some time with them, where I
should be sure to be welcome.
He was very unwilling I should go, and made many objections against it,
all which she answered and removed so clearly, that not finding what
excuse further to allege, he at length left it to me, and I soon turned
the scale for going.
We were come to the coach-side before this was concluded on, and I was
ready to step in, when one of my sisters privately put my father in mind
that I had never a hat on. That somewhat startled him, for he did not
think it fit I should go from home (and that so far and to stay abroad)
without a hat. Wherefore he whispered to her to fetch me a hat, and he
entertained them with some discourse in the meantime. But as soon as he
saw the hat coning he would not stay till it came, lest I should put it
on before him, but breaking off his discourse abruptly, took his leave of
them, and hastened in before the hat was brought to me.
I had not one penny of money about me, nor indeed elsewhere; for my
father, so soon as he saw that I would be a Quaker, took from me both
what money I had and everything of value, or that would have made money,
as some plate, buttons, rings, &c., pretending that he would keep them
for me till I came to myself again, lest I should destroy them.
But as I had no money, so being among my friends I had no need of any,
nor ever hankered after it; though once upon a particular occasion I had
liked to have wanted it. The case was this:
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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