1676.

mortification; and this brings thee to the church of the first born, that is more divine and noble, than an outward glittering church, that is inwardly polluted: For, know, as thou foweft, thou reapeft, in the great day of account. So to God's fpirit, in thy own confcience, do I recommend thee, that leads out of all evil, and quickens thee to God, as thou obeyest it, and makes thee a child of God, and an heir of Glory. I am in much hafte, and as much love,

"London, ninth October, 1675."

In the year 1676, he became one of the princiHe becomes pal perfons, concerned in fettling West New Jersey, a proprietor in America; as hereafter will appear, in the fecond Jerfey, &c. part of this introduction, in the account of the

of Weft

1677.

first fettling and government of that colony. About this time alfo he writ to fome perfons of great quality, in Germany, as appears in his works; encouraging them to a perfeverance in the paths of virtue and true religion; with the love of which he had understood their minds were happily and divinely inspired.

In the year 1677, he travelled into Holland and Germany, in company with feveral of his friends, the Quakers, on a religious vifit, to thefe countries; of which there is extant, in his works, an account, or journal, written by himself; in a plain, familiar ftile,and particularly fuited to perfons of a religious turn of mind. It does not appear to have been originally intended to be publifhed; for, in the preface, to its first publication, the author himfelf fays," It was written for my own, and fome relations, and particular friends fatisfaction, as the long time it hath lain filent doth fhew, but a copy, that was found among the late countefs of Conway's papers, falling into the hands of a perfon, that much frequented that family, he was earnest with

me

me, both by himself and others, to have leave to publish it, for a common good," &c. In this account are included divers letters, epiftles and religious pieces, written during his travels there, to perfons of eminence and others, whom he either visited in person, or writing, or both;-It is continued from the twenty-fecond of the Fifth month, 1677, when he left home, to the first of the Ninth month the fame year, when he arrived well at Worminghurst, his habitation, in Suffex.

which he

In this journal mention is made of his having religious meetings, or paying perfonal vifits, at Names of Rotterdam, Leyden, Haerlam and Amfterdam; in fome places which laft place he made fome stay, being employ- vifited, &c. ed there in affifting to regulate and fettle the affairs of his religious fociety in that city, &c. from thence he writ to the king of Poland, in favour of his perfecuted and fuffering friends, the Quakers, at Dantzick. He was alfo at Naerden, Ofnaburgh and Herwerden; in the last of which places he had religious meetings and agreeable converfation with the princefs Elizabeth Palatine and others. He 1677. vifited Paderborn, Caffel and Frankfort; here he made fome stay, and writ an epiftle, "To the churches of Jefus throughout the world," &c. From hence he went by the way of Worms to Crisheim; where he found a meeting of his friends, the Quakers; and writ to the princefs, before mentioned, and the countefs of Hornes, two Proteftant ladies of great virtue and quality, at Herwerden. Thence by Frankenthall to Manheim; from which place he wrote to the prince elector Palatine of Heydelburgh. He was likewife at Mentz, and divers other places, on the Rhine; as Cullen, Duysburgh, &c. But, on account of his being a Quaker, he was prohibited to enter into Mulheim, by the Graef, or earl of Bruch and Falkensteyn, lord of that country; on which occafion he wrote to him from Duyfburgh, a fharp letter of reproof and advice; and to his daughter,

the

He folicits

ment, &c.

the countess, a virtuous and religious lady, at Mulheim, on whofe account his vifit there was principally intended, he fent a confolatory epistle.

He then vifited Wefel, Rees, Emrick, Cleve, Nimmeguen, Lippenhufen, Groningen, Embden, Bemen and the Hague; and divers of thefe places, feveral times, frequently writing letters of advice and religious comfort to divers virtuous and religious perfons of great quality, and others; with feveral of whom he corresponded; and at the last mentioned place he corrected and finifhed feveral long epiftles of a religious nature; which were written and intended for the prefs, both in his first and fecond journey, in Germany; which are now extant in his works. From the Hague he went to Delft, Wanderwick, and fo to the Briel; and from thence by the packet, to Harwich, and home, within the limits of the time above mentioned.

After his return from Germany, the people called the parlia- Quakers being harraffed with fevere prosecutions, in the exchequer, on penalties of twenty pounds per month, or two-thirds of their eftates, by laws made against Papists, but unjustly turned upon them; W. Penn, foliciting the parliament for redrefs of those grievances, prefented petitions, on the occafion, both to the lords and commons; where, upon being admitted to a hearing before a committee, on the twenty-fecond of the month, called March, 1678, he made the following fpeech

1678.

1678.

W. P's. firft

es, viz.

His first Speech to the committee.

"If we ought to believe that it is our duty, according to the doctrine of the apoftle, to be always ready to give an account of the hope, that is in us, and that to every fober and private enquirer; fpeech to certainly much more ought we to hold ourselves committee obliged to declare, with all readiness, when called of parlia- to it by fo great authority, what is not our hope, efpecially

especially when our very fafety is eminently concerned in fo doing, and that we cannot decline this difcrimination of ourselves from Papists, without being confcious to ourselves of the guilt of our own fufferings; for that muft every man needs be, that fuffers mutely, under another character than that, which truly and properly belongeth to him, and his belief. That which giveth me a more than ordinary right to fpeak, at this time, and in this place, is the great abuse, that I have received, above any other of my profeffion; for, of a long time, I have not only been fuppofed a Papift, but a feminary, a Jefuit, an emiffary of Rome, and in pay from the Pope, a man dedicating my endeavours to the intereft and advancement of that party. Nor hath this been the report of the rabble, but the jealousy and infinuation of perfons otherwise fober and difcreet: Nay, fome zealous for the Proteftant religion, have been fo far gone in this mistake, as not only to think ill of us, and to decline our converfation, but to take courage to themfelves, to profecute us for a fort of concealed Papifts; and the truth is, what with one thing, and what with another, we have been as the wool-facks, and common whipping-stock of the kingdom; all laws have been let loose upon us, as if the defign were not to reform, but to destroy us, and that not for what we are, but for what we are not: It is hard, that we must thus bear the stripes of another intereft, and be their proxy, in punishment; but it is worse, that some men can please themselves in fuch a fort of administration."

cr

"I would not be mistaken, I am far from thinking it fit that Papifts fhould be whipped for their confciences, because I exclaim against the injustice of whipping Quakers for Papifts: No, for though the hand, pretended to be lifted up against them, hath (I know not by what direction) lit heavy upon us, and we complain; yet we do not mean, that

any

W. P's. fecond

speech to the committee of parliament.

any should take a fresh aim at them, or that they must come in our room; for we must give the liberty we afk, and cannot be falfe to our principles, though it were to relieve ourselves; for we have good will to all men, and would have none fuffer for a truly fober and confcientious diffent, on any hand: and I humbly take leave to add, that thofe methods, against perfons fo qualified, do not feem to me to be convincing, or indeed adequate to the reafon of mankind; but this I submit to your confideration."

"To conclude, I hope we fhall be held excufed of the men of that profeffion, in giving this diftinguishing declaration, fince it is not with defign to expose them; but, first, to pay that regard, we owe to the enquiry of this committee; and, in the next place, to relieve ourselves from the daily spoil and ruin, which now attend and threaten many hundreds of families, by the execution of laws, that we humbly conceive were never made against

us.'

His fecond fpeech to the committee.

you

"The candid hearing, our fufferings have received from the committee, and the fair and eafy entertainment, that you have given us, oblige me to add what ever can increase your fatisfaction about us. I hope you do not believe, I would tell a lie; I am fure I fhould choose an ill time and place to tell it in; but, I thank God it is too late in the day for that. There are fome here that have known me formerly; I believe they will fay, I never was that man; and it would be hard, if after a voluntary neglect of the advantages of this world, I fhould fit down, in my retirement, fhort of common truth."

"Excufe the length of my introduction, it is for this I make it. I was bred a Proteftant, and that ftrictly too: I loft nothing by time or study; for

years,