blessed be His holy name, He heard my cries, and preserved me out of
them.

When the justices saw they could not bow me to their wills, they
told me they must send me to prison. I told them I was contented to
suffer whatsoever the Lord should suffer them to inflict upon me.
Whereupon they withdrew into the parlour, to consult together what
to do with me, leaving me meanwhile to be gazed on in the hall.

After a pretty long stay they came forth to me again with a great
show of kindness, telling me they were very unwilling to send me to
gaol, but would be as favourable to me as possibly they could, and
that if I would take the oaths, they would pass by all the other
matter which they had against me. I told them I knew they could not
justly have anything against me, for I had neither done nor intended
anything against the government, or against them. And as to the
oaths, I assured them that my refusing them was merely matter of
conscience to me, and that I durst not take any oath whatsoever, if
it were to save my life.

When they heard this they left me again, and went and signed a
mittimus to send me to prison at Oxford, and charged one of the
troopers that brought me thither, who was one of the newly-raised
militia troop, to convey me safe to Oxford. But before we departed
they called the trooper aside, and gave him private instructions
what he should do with me, which I knew nothing of till I came
thither, but expected I should go directly to the castle.

It was almost dark when we took horse, and we had about nine or ten
miles to ride, the weather thick and cold (for it was about the