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The History of Thomas Ellwood Written By Himself by Thomas Ellwood
page 95 of 246 (38%)

He took Isaac Penington and his brother, George Whitehead, and the
Friend of Colchester, and me, with three or four more of the county,
who belonged to that meeting.

He was not fond of the work, and that made him take no more; but he
must take some, he said, and bade us provide to go with him before
Sir William Boyer of Denham, who was a justice of the peace. Isaac
Penington being but weakly, rode, but the rest of us walked thither,
it being about four miles.

When we came there the Justice carried himself civilly to us all,
courteously to Isaac Penington as being a gentleman of his
neighbourhood; and there was nothing charged against us but that we
were met together without word or deed. Yet this being contrary to
a late proclamation, given forth upon the rising of the fifth-
monarchy men, whereby all dissenters' meetings were forbidden, the
Justice could do no less than take notice of us.

Wherefore he examined all of us whom he did not personally know,
asking our names and the places of our respective habitations. But
when he had them, and considered from what distant parts of the
nation we came, he was amazed; for George Whitehead was of
Westmoreland, in the north of England; the grocer was of Essex; I
was of Oxfordshire; and William Penington was of London.

Hereupon he told us that our case looked ill, and he was sorry for
it: "for how," said he, "can it be imagined that so many could jump
altogether at one time and place, from such remote quarters and
parts of the kingdom, if it was not by combination and appointment?"
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