cleared myself among the people; and they did not feem very forward to take me away, till fome of the fuperior perfecutors towards the door, cried out, How well do you execute your warrant?' And then they took me and Edward Cowper, Henry Ridgway, and John Harris, away in cuftody up to the justice's house, but he would not be seen, being / much troubled that he had figned the warrant, it having been ready drawn by Robert Connell, the bishop's regifter, and fent to the justice by the bifhop, defiring him to fign it, which he had done with great reluctancy. They then took us from place to place, to find a juftice, but none cared to fee us; till at last we were brought before the mayor, and this Connell, who being one of the aldermen, was also a justice of the peace for the city, ex officio. They were a little rough, and pretty high upon us, but the Lord, for whofe name and caufe we were there, kept us over their spirit and power. John Boles, John Lackey, Samuel Watfon, Thomas Pim, John Pim, jun. and other friends, continuing the meeting, and many of the people with them; the officers alfo brought away thefe friends laft named, before the mayor at the fame time. They charged us with a riotous and unlawful affembly; I told them, they themfelves did not believe it to be a riotous affembly; and there were many witneffes that we were peaceable, till the churchwardens and their officers difturbed us. Then Robert Connell himself confeffed we were not making any disturbance, but faid it was an unlawful affembly, the act of toleration in England not extending to Ireland. I answered, that act being for the liberty of the fubject, extended every where in Ireland, and other countries, where the fubjects of England are fettled under the crown of England. Then they demanded fecurity for our appearance at the affizes, and for our good behaviour in the mean time. We told them, we were not of ill behaviour, and there fore needed not to be bound; but feeing their wicked defign, we all refufed; they then wrote a mittimus, pretending to fend us to gaol; but at laft they told us we might go where we pleased; only they charged us, upon pain of what fhould follow, not to have any more meetings there, for if we did, they would take more fevere measures with us. Then they having a full bottle of wine upon the table, would have given us fome, but we all refused it, at which they were angry, and fo we left them, and went down to Thomas Dale's at the Swan, where many of us lodged, and pretty many friends being together there after fupper, we concluded to have another meeting next morning, and fome friends were appointed to give notice to the mayor, fome to the juftices, fome to the foldiers, and fome to the people of the town. 28th. The next morning, about nine, we went to this fecond meeting, where the people did not gather much till about ten, and I had stood up about half an hour, when in came the fame church-wardens, and made the lik: difturbance as before, taking names, and threatening the people with the bishop's court and excommunication, frightning fome, but moft did not feem to mind them, and I went on for fome time, till alfo came two of the mayor's ferjeants at mace, and conftables, and a great mob after them, and they commanded me to be filent, and the meeting to difperfe. Some of the meaner fort went out of the house as faft as they could, being fearful; but many ftaid to fee the iffue, and they taking me into cuftody, I went with them, but they took no other friend. The mayor, this alderman Connell, and fome others, being together, I was had before them without any warrant; they were very angry, and gave me fome threatening language. I told them, they were not to infult the king's peaceable fubjects, nor exercise their own paffions upon them; but if I had broken any law, I was fubject to the law, either actively or paffively, and if they acted without law, they also were punishable by the law. They were very angry ftill, and the mayor faid, I had affembled myfelf with others, contrary to law, and demanded fecurity for my appearance at the next affizes, the fixteenth of next month, at the city of Kilkenny, and in the mean time to be of good behaviour. Then I faid, What law have you here in Ireland against our meetings? The mayor faid, There is no law for them here;' then faid I, There is none against them; and where there is no law, there is no tranf greffion; and the act of toleration in England gives us, as well as all others the king's Proteftant diffenting fubjes, liberty every where in his dominions. Then they wrote a mittimus as followeth, viz. City of Kilkenny, fs. By John Birch, Efq. "We herewith fend you the body of Thomas Story, he unlawfully affembling himself with feveral other perfons, and refufing to find fufficient fecurity for his appearance next affizes, and for his good behaviour, and him in fafe custody to keep, till thence discharged by due courfe of law; and for fo doing this fhall be your warrant. Given under our hands and feals this twenty-eighth day of February, 1716. Here is a copy alfo of the warrant, viz. • Com. Kilken. et. Com. Civit. Kilken. fs. "By Ebenezer Warren, Efq. one of his Majesty's justices of the Peace for the faid counties. Whereas complaint hath been made unto me, that a fet of people called Quakers, are riotoufly affembled, thefe are therefore in his Majefty's name, to will and require you, and every of you, on fight hereof, to difperfe the faid Quakers, and in cafe of refiftance or refufal, to apprehend the bodies of the feveral perfons fo refufing or refifting, and them fo apprehended to bring before me or fome other of his majesty's justices of the peace in the faid counties, to be dealt with according to law, whereof fail not at your peril, and for fo doing this fhall be your warrant. Given under my hand and feal this 27th day of February, 1716. Ebenezer Warren.' To the feveral Conftables and Officers, in and through the faid Counties.' This juftice Warren having all along in parliament (for he was a member) been friendly and kind to friends in all their concerns, and being inadvertently precipitated into this affair by the bishop, we were better fatisfied that we had this fecond handle to proceed upon, than to have any occafion for his name in the conteft; and fo I was fent to the common gaol of the town, among thieves in irons, where I stayed not long in the cuftody of the gaoler, till Anthony Blunt, the fheriff of the city, a very civil young man, and loyal to king George, came to me, and fhewed his refentment fufficiently at their doings; for he not only called for the mittimus, that we might have a copy of it (which the gaoler had refufed, being an Irish papift) but left it in my own hand till he returned, going immediately to fome of the juftices. (Warren for one) to have their opinions and concur VOL. III. rence in taking me to his house, which he readily had, and accordingly took me with him, and provided me a very great room in his house, and agreeable accommodations, to the disappointment of that great epifcopal envy thus levelled against me. All this I obferved to be the Lord's doings, for the furtherance of the gospel and his own glory, and the Lord was with me in a good degree, to my great comfort and only fure help. 'On the Sixth and Seventh days came friends from feveral parts to fee me, and many ftayed in town till the First-day, being the third of the First month, and in the forenoon we had a meeting in the sheriff's house, where his wife (a very good-natured fober woman) and family were prefent, and many of the neighbourhood. We had a good open time, wherein I had an opportunity to expose Antichrift and his minifters, which I am apt to think went to the bishop's ears, as it did quickly through the town, the people wondering at our boldness, not knowing our foundation. 4th. The next day I went to take the air in the late duke of Ormond's gardens there, and fome friends with me, and feveral people came to us, and among others fome French Proteftants, and an Irifh papift; who feemed friendly, and repeated fome verfes against fuch as feemed to be religious, but aimed at nothing but promotion and worldly honour and glory by it. I gueffed what he was, and gave him the following lines, which he took on a piece of paper with a pencil: Natural religion was fimple firft and plain, |