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
Amongst those that remained there were several young men who cast
themselves into a club, and laying down every one an equal proportion of
money, put it into the hand of our friend Anne Travers, desiring her to
lay it out for them in provisions, and send them in every day a mess of
hot meat; and they kindly invited me to come into their club with them.
These saw my person, and judged of me by that, but they saw not my purse,
nor understood the lightness of my pocket. But I, who alone understood
my own condition, knew I must sit down with lower commons. Wherefore,
not giving them the true reason, I as fairly as I could excused myself
from entering at present into their mess, and went on, as before, to eat
by myself, and that very sparingly, as my stock would bear; and before my
tenpence was quite spent, Providence, on whom I relied, sent me in a
fresh supply.
For William Penington, a brother of Isaac Penington’s, a Friend and
merchant in London, at whose house, before I came to live in the city, I
was wont to lodge, having been at his brother’s that day upon a visit,
escaped this storm, and so was at liberty; and understanding when he came
back what had been done, bethought himself of me, and upon inquiry
hearing where I was, came in love to see me.
He in discourse, amongst other things, asked me how it was with me as to
money, and how well I was furnished: I told him I could not boast of
much, and yet I could not say I had none; though what I then had was
indeed next to none. Whereupon he put twenty shillings into my hand, and
desired me to accept of that for the present. I saw a Divine hand in
thus opening his heart and hand in this manner to me; and though I would
willingly have been excused from taking so much, and would have returned
one half of it, yet he pressing it all upon me, I received it with a
thankful acknowledgment as a token of love from the Lord and from him.
On the seventh day he went down again, as he usually did, to his
brother’s house at Chalfont, and in discourse gave them an account of my
imprisonment. Whereupon, at his return on the second day of the week
following, my affectionate friend Mary Penington sent me, by him, forty
shillings, which he soon after brought me; out of which I would have
repaid him the twenty shillings he had so kindly furnished me with, but
he would not admit it, telling me I might have occasion for that and more
before I got my liberty.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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