The reader is to be informed, that during the time that I was a prisoner at the Mermaid at CHARING CROSS, this Captain Lawrence brought several Independent justices to see me there, with whom I had much discourse; which they took offence at. For they pleaded for imperfection, and to sin as long as they lived; but did not like to hear of Christ teaching his people himself, and making people as clear, whilst here upon the earth, as Adam and Eve were before they fell. These justices had plotted together this mischief against me in the country, pretending a house was broken up; that they might send their hue and cry after me. They were vexed also, and troubled, to hear of the great meeting at John Lawrence’s aforesaid; for a colonel was convinced there that day, who lived and died in the truth. But Providence so ordered, that the constable carried us to a justice about five miles onward in our way towards LYNN, who was not an Independent justice, as the rest were. When we were brought before him, he began to be angry, because we did not put off our hats to him. I told him, I had been before the Protector, and he was not offended at my hat; and why should he be offended at it, who was but one of his servants? Then he read the hue and cry; and I told him, “that that night, wherein the house was said to be broken up, we were at Captain Lawrence’s house; and that we had several men present who could testify the truth thereof.” Thereupon the justice, having examined us and them said “he believed we were not the men that had broken the house; but he was sorry,” he said, “that he had no more against us.” We told him, “he ought not to be sorry for not having evil against us; but rather to be glad; for to rejoice, when he got evil against people, as for housebreaking, or the like, was not a good mind in him.” It was a good while yet, before he could resolve, whether to let us go, or send us to prison; and the wicked constable stirred him up against us, telling him, “we had good horses, and that if it pleased him, he would carry us to NORWICH jail.” But we took hold of the justice’s confession, that “he believed we were not the men that had broken the house;” and after we had admonished him to fear the Lord in his day, the Lord’s power came over him, so that he let us go; so their snare was broken. A great people were afterwards gathered to the Lord in that town, where I was moved to speak to them in the street; and from whence the hue and cry came.