No sooner was he come into the street, than the people gave a shout, that made the street ring again, crying out, “a Papist informer! a Papist informer!” We desired the constable and soldiers to go and rescue him out of the people’s hands, fearing lest they should do him a mischief. They went, and brought him into the mayor’s entry, where they stayed a while; but when he went out again, the people received him with another shout. The soldiers were fain to go and rescue him once more, and they led him into a house in an alley, where they persuaded him to change his periwig, and so he got away unknown. When the mayor came, we were brought into the room where he was, and some of his officers would have taken off our hats, which he perceiving, called to them, and bid them, “let us alone, and not meddle with our hats; for,” said he, “they are not yet brought before me in judicature.” So we stood by while he examined some Presbyterian and Baptist teachers; with whom he was somewhat sharp, and convicted them. After he had done with them, I was brought up to the table where he sat; and then the officers took off my hat; and the mayor said mildly to me, “Mr. Fox, you are an eminent man amongst those of your profession; pray, will you be instrumental to dissuade them from meeting in such great numbers? for, seeing Christ hath promised that where two or three are met in his name, he will be in the midst of them, and the king and parliament are graciously pleased to allow of four to meet together to worship God; why will not you be content to partake both of Christ’s promise to two or three, and the king’s indulgence to four?” I answered to this purpose: “Christ’s promise was not to discourage many from meeting together in his name, but to encourage the few, that the fewest might not forbear to meet, because of their fewness. But if Christ hath promised to manifest his presence in the midst of so small an assembly, where but two or three were gathered in his name, how much more would his presence abound where two or three hundred are gathered in his name? I wished him to consider, whether this act would not have taken hold of Christ, with his twelve apostles and seventy disciples, if it had been in their time, who used to meet often together, and that with great numbers? However, I told him this act did not concern us; for it was made against seditious meetings, of such as met, under colour and pretence of religion, ‘to contrive insurrections, as (the act says) late experience had shown;’ but we had been sufficiently tried and proved, and always found peaceable, and therefore he should do well to put a difference between the innocent and the guilty.” He said, “the act was made against meetings, and a worship not according to the liturgy.” I told him, “according to” was not the very same thing: and I asked him, “whether the liturgy was according to the Scriptures? and whether we might not read Scriptures, and speak Scriptures?” He said