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
Our salutation to each other was very grave and solemn, nor did we
entertain one another with much talk, or with common discourses; but most
of the little time I had with them was spent in a silent retiredness of
spirit, waiting upon the Lord. Yet before we parted we imparted one to
another some of the exercises we had gone through; and they seeming
willing to understand the ground and manner of my commitment, I gave them
a brief account thereof, letting Thomas Loe more particularly know that I
had directed a letter to him, which having fallen into the hand of the
Lord Lieutenant, was (so far as I could learn) the immediate cause of my
being taken up.
Having stayed with them as long as my limited time would permit (which I
thought was but very short), that I might keep touch with my keeper and
come home in due time, I took leave of my friends there, and with mutual
embraces parting, returned to my (in some sense more easy, but in others
less easy) prison, where after this I stayed not long before I was
brought back to my father’s house.
For after my father was come home, who, as I observed before, was from
home when I was taken, he applied himself to those justices that had
committed me, and not having disobliged them when he was in office,
easily obtained to have me sent home, which between him and them was thus
contrived.
There was about this time a general muster and training of the militia
forces at Oxford, whither on that occasion came the Lord Lieutenant and
deputy-lieutenants of the county, of which number they who committed me
were two.
When they had been awhile together, and the Marshal with them, he stepped
suddenly in, and in haste told me I must get ready quickly to go out of
town, and that a soldier would come by and bye to go with me. This said,
he hastened to them again, not giving me any intimation how I was to go,
or whither.
I needed not much time to get ready in; but I was uneasy in thinking what
the Friends of the town would think of this my sudden and private
removal; and I feared lest any report should be raised that I had
purchased my liberty by an unfaithful compliance. Wherefore I was in
care how to speak with some Friends about it; and that friendly baker,
whose wife was a Friend, living on the other side of the street at a
little distance, I went out at a back door, intending to step over the
way to their house, and return immediately.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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