long at home before an illness seized on me, which proved to be the
small-pox; of which, so soon as Friends had notice, I had a nurse
sent me, and in a while Isaac Penington and his wife's daughter,
Gulielma Maria Springett, to whom I had been play-fellow in our
infancy, came to visit me, bringing with them our dear friend Edward
Burrough, by whose ministry I was called to the knowledge of the
truth.

It pleased the Lord to deal favourably with me in this illness, both
inwardly and outwardly; for His supporting presence was with me,
which kept my spirit near unto Him; and though the distemper was
strong upon me, yet I was preserved through it, and my countenance
was not much altered by it. But after I was got up again, and while
I kept my chamber, wanting some employment for entertainment's sake
to spend the time with, and there being at hand a pretty good
library of books, amongst which were the works of Augustine and
others of those ancient writers who were by many called the fathers,
I betook myself to reading. And these books being printed in the
old black letter, with abbreviations of the words difficult to be
read, I spent too much time therein, and thereby much impaired my
sight, which was not strong before, and was now weaker than usual by
reason of the illness I had so newly had, which proved an injury to
me afterwards, for which reason I here mention it.

After I was well enough to go abroad with respect to my own health
and the safety of others, I went up, in the beginning of the twelfth
month, 1661, to my friend Isaac Penington's at Chalfont, and abode
there some time, for the airing myself more fully, that I might be
more fit for conversation.