After this I went to MARLBOROUGH and had a meeting there, to which some of the magistrates came, and were civil and moderate. Then passing to Bartholomew Maylin’s, I had a very precious meeting there; and then went a little beyond OARE, where we had a blessed meeting, and very large, as we had also soon after upon the border of HAMPSHIRE. Then turning into OXFORDSHIRE, we visited Friends there; and then went to READING, where we had a large meeting. Thence passing into BUCKINGHAMSHIRE, we had many precious meetings in that county. After which we visited Friends till we came to KINGSTON-UPON-THAMES, where my wife and her daughter Rachel met me. I made no long stay at Kingston, but went to LONDON, where I found the Baptists and Socinians, with some old apostates, grown very rude, having printed many books against us; so that I had a great travail in the Lord’s power, before I could get clear of that city. But blessed be the Lord, his power came over them, and all their lying, wicked, scandalous books were answered. I made a short journey into some parts of ESSEX and MIDDLESEX, visiting Friends at their meetings, and their children at their schools, and returned soon to LONDON. After some service there among Friends, I went to KINGSTON, and thence to Stephen Smith’s in SURREY, where was a very large meeting, many hundreds of people attending it. I stayed in those parts till I had cleared myself of the service the Lord had given me to do there, and then returned by KINGSTON to LONDON, whither I felt my spirit drawn; having heard that many Friends were taken before the magistrates, and divers imprisoned in London and other towns, for opening their shop-windows on holidays and fast-days (as they were called,) and for bearing testimony against all such observations of days. Which Friends could not but do, knowing that the true Christians did not observe the Jews’ holidays in the apostles’ times, neither could we observe the Heathens’ and Papists’ holidays (so called) which have been set up amongst those called Christians, since the apostles’ days. For we were redeemed out of days by Christ Jesus, and brought into the day which hath sprung from on high, and are come into Him who is Lord of the Jewish Sabbath, and the substance of the Jews’ signs.