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
Wherefore, so soon as the Sheriff had done speaking to us and we had made
our acknowledgment of his kindness, I stepped a little nearer to him, and
pointing to that fellow, said: “That man is not only none of our company,
for he is no Quaker, but is an idle, dissolute fellow who hath thrust
himself in among our friends to be sent to prison with them, that he
might live upon them; therefore I desire we may not be troubled with him
at Bridewell.”
At this the Sheriff smiled, and calling the fellow forth, said to him:
“How came you to be in prison?”—“I was taken at a meeting,” said he.—“But
what business had you there?” said the Sheriff.—“I went to hear,” said
he.—“Aye, you went upon a worse design, it seems,” replied the Sheriff;
“but I’ll disappoint you,” said he, “for I’ll change your company and
send you to them that are like yourself.” Then calling for the turnkey,
he said: “Take this fellow, and put him among the felons, and be sure let
him not trouble the Quakers any more.”
Hitherto this fellow had stood with his hat on, as willing to have
passed, if he could, for a Quaker, but as soon as he heard this doom
passed on him, off went his hat, and to bowing and scraping he fell, with
“Good your worship, have pity upon me, and set me at liberty.”—“No, no,”
said the Sheriff: “I will not so far disappoint you; since you had a mind
to be in prison, in prison you shall be for me.” Then bidding the
turnkey take him away, he had him up, and put him among the felons, and
so Friends had a good deliverance from him.
The Sheriff then bidding us farewell, the porter of Bridewell came to us,
and told us we knew our way to Bridewell without him, and he could trust
us; therefore he would not stay nor go with us, but left us to take our
own time, so we were in before bedtime.
Then went we up again to our friends in Newgate, and gave them an account
of what had passed, and having taken a solemn leave of them, we made up
our packs to be gone. But before I pass from Newgate, I think it not
amiss to give the reader some little account of what I observed while I
was there.
The common side of Newgate is generally accounted, as it really is, the
worst part of that prison; not so much from the place as the people, it
being usually stocked with the veriest rogues and meanest sort of felons
and pickpockets, who not being able to pay chamber-rent on the master’s
side, are thrust in there. And if they come in bad, to be sure they do
no go out better; for here they have the opportunity to instruct one
another in their art, and impart to each other what improvements they
have made therein.
The common hall, which is the first room over the gate, is a good place
to walk in when the prisoners are out of it, saving the danger of
catching some cattle which they may have left in it, and there I used to
walk in a morning before they were let up, and sometimes in the daytime
when they have been there.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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