There was a great judgment upon the town, and the magistrates were uneasy about me; but they could not agree what to do with me. One while they would have me sent up to the parliament; another while they would have banished me to Ireland. At first they called me a deceiver, and a seducer, and a blasphemer; afterwards, when God had brought his plagues upon them, they said I was an honest, virtuous man. But their good report or bad report, their well speaking or ill speaking, was nothing to me; for the one did not lift me up, nor the other cast me down: praised be the Lord! At length they were made to turn me out of jail, about the beginning of Winter, in the year 1651, after I had been a prisoner in Derby almost a year, six months in the House of Correction, and the rest of the time in the common jail and dungeon. Thus being set at liberty again, I went on, as before, in the work of the Lord, passing through the country, first, into my own country of LEICESTERSHIRE, and had meetings as I went; and the Lord’s Spirit and power accompanied me. Afterwards I went near to BURTON-ON-TRENT, where some were convinced; and so to BUSHEL-HOUSE, where I had a meeting. I went up into the country, where there were friendly people; yet an outrageous wicked professor had an intent to do me a mischief, but the Lord prevented him. Blessed be the Lord! As I was walking along with several Friends, I lifted up my head and saw three steeple-house spires, and they struck at my life. I asked them what place that was? and they said, LICHFIELD. Immediately the word of the Lord came to me that I must go thither. Being come to the house we were going to, I wished the Friends that were with me, to walk into the house, saying nothing to them whither I was to go. As soon as they were gone, I stepped away, and went by my eye over hedge and ditch, till I came within a mile of Lichfield; where, in a great field, there were shepherds keeping their sheep. Then I was commanded by the Lord to pull off my shoes. I stood still, for it was Winter; and the word of the Lord was like a fire in me. So I put off my shoes, and left them with the shepherds; and the poor shepherds trembled and were astonished. Then I walked on about a mile, and as soon as I was within the city, the word of the Lord came to me again, saying, “Cry, Woe unto the bloody city of Lichfield.” So I went up and down the streets, crying with a loud voice, “WOE TO THE BLOODY CITY OF LICHFIELD!” It being market-day, I went into the market-place, and to and fro in the several parts of it, and made stands, crying as before, “WOE TO THE BLOODY CITY OF LICHFIELD!” And no one laid hands on me; but as I went thus crying through the streets, there seemed to me to be a channel of blood running down the streets, and the market-place appeared like a pool of blood. When I had declared what was upon me, and felt myself clear, I went out of the town in peace; and returning to the shepherds, gave them some money, and took my