Dur Travelling awhile longer in Surrey, Sussex, Kent, and Essex, his mind was brought under great exercise, on account of the profaneness and persecution which prevailed in the nation. This appears to have produced a long and heavy indisposition of body; so that, for a time, both his sight and hearing in a great measure failed him. ing his illness, he was removed from one Friend's house to another, in the neighbourhood of London. This was in the winter of 1670 and 1671, in which time, after some improvement in his health, he wrote two short epistles to his Friends; and one to the rulers of the nation, whom he faithfully warned, as he had before done, of the evil of persecution, and the sore judgments which would be its consequence. Being also greatly oppressed with the licentiousness which was then openly manifested in the nation, he was engaged to put up a prayer to God, in the following words, which he committed to writing on the 17th day of the 2d month, 1671. "O Lord God Almighty! Prosper truth, and preserve justice and equity in the land! Bring down all injustice, iniquity, oppression, falsehood, eruelty, and unmercifulness in the land; that mercy and righteousness may flourish.. "O Lord God! Set up and establish verity, and preserve it in the laud! Bring down in the land all debauchery, vice, whoredoms, fornication, and this raping spirit, which causeth people to have no esteem of thee, O God! nor of their own souls or bodies, nor of Christianity, modesty, or humanity. “O Lord! Put it in the Magistrates' hearts to bring down all this ungodliness, violence, cruelty, prophaneness, cursing and swearing; and to put down all these lewd houses and playhouses, which corrupt youth and people; and lead them from thy kingdom, where no unclean thing can enter, neither shall come. Such works lead people to hell. Lord! In mercy bring down all these things in the nation, to stop thy wrath, O God! from coming on the land. "G. F." CHAP. XVII. 1671 to 1673.-Obtains a more complete liberation for his wife.-Sails for America.—Lands in Barbadoes.— Continues there three months.--Goes to Jamaica.-After spending seven weeks there, sails for Maryland,-Thence travels through New Jersey, &c. to Long Island, Rhode Island, and New England.-Returns by East Jersey, &c. to Maryland.-Goes to Virginia and Carolina.-Returns again to Maryland.-Sails for England. Lands in King's Road, near Bristol.-Writes to his Wife. NOTWITHSTANDING the liberation of Margaret Fox, as before related, by order of the King; yet her persecutors found means, by the new Conventicle Act, either to retain her in confinement, or soon to recommit her to prison; but, when the violence of the persecution was a little abated, her husband employed a woman Friend, Martha Fisher, and another of her sex, to apply again to the King for her release; who granted a discharge under the broad seal, by which both her person and estate were now effectually cleared from the premunire, under which she had suffered for ten years. On her release, George requested her attendance in London, as he proposed soon to sail for America, and was desirous of her company, previously to his undertaking so long and try ing a journey. This request she readily complied with, and they spent several weeks together, at the house of John Rouse, of Kingston, who had married one of Margaret Fox's daughters, The yearly meeting in London, was now at hand, which was "a very large and precious meeting." After it was over, and George had finished some other services in this nation, he embarked at Gravesend, on the 12th of 6th month, 1671, in a yatch called the Industry, for Barbadoes. Twelve of his Friends, two of whom were women, were his companions in the voyage; and most or all of them were under a like religious engagement with himself. Their names were, Thomas Briggs, William Edmundson, John Rouse, John Stubbs, Solomon Eccles, James Lancaster, John Cartwright, Robert Widders, George Pattison, John Hull, Elizabeth Hooton, and Elizabeth Miers.His wife accompanied him to the Downs, and they parted at Deal; where some of the passengers went on shore. When they had been about three weeks at sea, they were pursued by a Sailee man of war, a kind of piratical vessel of the Algerine States. Without any avowed hostility to a particular nation, these pirates took and plundered all vessels they could meet with. When it grew dark, they altered their course to miss the enemy; but the piratical vessel changed her course also, and gained upon them. At night the master and others went into George's cabin, and asked him what they should do; adding "if the mariners had taken Paul's counsel, they had not come to the damage they did." In the conversation that passed, George Fox told them he was no mariner, and that "It was a trial of faith, therefore the Lord was to be waited on for counsel.” "So retiring," he says, "in spirit, the Lord showed me, 'That his life and power was placed between us and the ship that pursued us.' I told this to the master and the rest, and that the best way was to tack about and steer our right course, putting out the candles." However, before midnight, the watch called and said, “They are just upon us;" yet George's faith was strong that they should be delivered; and he kept quietly in his cabin. The master and some of the seamen came again and asked him if they might not steer such a point; to which he consented. By this time the moon was quite gone down, a fresh gale arose, and they sailed on briskly, and saw the pi rate no more. The next day, being the first of the week, when they usually had a religious meeting in the ship, George exhorted the people "to mind the mercies of God, who had delivered them; for they might have been all in the Turks' hands by that |