wife received us very civilly. The next day we had a meeting in Cardiff in the town-hall, and that justice sent about seventeen of his family to the meeting; there came some disturbers, but the Lord's power was over them, and many were turned to the Lord there. There were some that had run out with James Nayior, that did not come to meetings; to whom I sent word, that the day of their visitation was over, and they never prospered after.

We travelled from Cardiff through the country to Swansea, where we had a blessed meeting; and a meeting was settled there in the name of Jesus. In our way thither we passed over in a passage-boat with the high-sheriff of the county, and the next day I went to have spoken with him, but he would not be spoken withal.

From thence we went to another meeting in the country, where the Lord's presence was much with us. And from thence we went to a great man's house, who received us very lovingly, but the next morning he would not be seen; one, that in the mean time came to him, had so estranged him, that we could not get to him to speak with him again, he was so changed, and yet over-night was exceeding loving.

We passed still on through the countries, having meetings and gathering people in the name of Christ, to him their heavenly teacher, till we came to Brecknock, where we set up our horses at an inn. There went with me Thomas Holmes and John-ap-John, who was moved of the Lord to speak in the streets. I walked out but a little into the fields, and when I came in again, the town was up in an uproar. When I came into the chamber in the inn, it was full of people, and they were speaking in Welch; I desired them to speak in English, and they did, and much discourse we had. After a while they went away; but towards night the magistrates gathered together in the streets, with a multitude of people, and they bid them shout, and gathered up the town; so that for about two hours together, there was such a noise, as the like we had not heard, and the magistrates set them on to shout again when they had given over. We thought it looked like the uproar, which we read was amongst Diana's handicrafts' men: this tumult continued till it was within night; and if the Lord's power had not limited them, they seemed likely to have pulled down the house, and us to pieces.

After it was night, the woman of the house would have had us go to supper in another room, but we discerning her plot, refused. Then she would have had half a dozen men come into the room to us, under pretence of dis

coursing with us; but we told her, that no persons should come into our room that night, neither would we go to them. Then she told us, we should sup in another room; but we told her we would have no supper, if we had it not in our own room. At length when she saw she could not get us out, she brought up our supper in a great rage. So she and they were crossed in their design, for they had an intent to have done us mischief; but the Lord God prevented them. Next morning I writ a paper to the town concerning their unchristian carriages, shewing the fruits of their priests and magistrates; and as I passed out of the town I spake to the people, and told them they were a shame to Christianity and religion.

From this place we went to a great meeting in a steeplehouse-yard, where was a priest, and Walter Jenkin, who had been a justice, and another justice; and a blessed glorious meeting we had. And there being many professors, I was moved of the Lord to open the scriptures to them, and to answer the objections which they stuck at in their profession (for I knew them very well) and to turn them to Christ, who had enlightened them; with which light they might see their sins and trespasses they had been dead in, and their Saviour, him that came to redeem them out of them, who was to be their way to God, the truth and the life to them, and their priest made higher than the heavens, so that they might come to sit under his teaching. A peaceable meeting we had, and many were convinced and settled in the truth that day. After the meeting was over, I went with Walter Jenkin to the other justice's house; and he said unto me, 'You have this day given great satisfaction to the people, and answered all the objections that were in their minds.' For the people had the scriptures, but they were not turned to the Spirit, which should let them see that, which gave them forth, the spirit of God, which is the key to open them.

From hence we passed to Pontamile, to Richard Hamborow's, where was a great meeting; to which there came another justice of peace, and several great people, whose understandings were opened by the Lord's spirit and power, and the light of Jesus Christ, and they came to be turned to the Lord Jesus Christ, from whence it came; a great convincement there was, and a large meeting is gathered in those parts, and settled in the name of Jesus.

After this we returned back to England, and came to Shrewsbury, where we had a great meeting; and visited friends all up and down the countries in their meetings,

till we came to William Gandy's in Cheshire, where we had a meeting of between two and three thousand people (as it was thought); and the everlasting word of life was held forth, and received that day. A blessed meeting it was, for friends were settled by the power of God upon Christ Jesus, the rock and foundation.

At this time there was a great drought; and after this general meeting was ended, there fell so great a rain, that friends said they thought we could not travel, the brooks and waters would be so risen. But I believed the rain had gone so far, as they had come that day to the meeting. And the next day in the afternoon, when we turned back into some parts of Wales again, the roads were dusty, and no rain had fallen thereabouts.

And when Oliver Cromwell set forth a proclamation for a fast throughout the nation, for rain, when there was a very great drought, it was observed that as far as truth had spread in the north, there were pleasant showers and rain enough, when in the south, in many places, they were almost spoiled for want of rain. At that time I was moved to write an answer to the Protector's proclamation, wherein I told him if he had come to own God's truth, he should have had rain; and that drought was a sign unto them of their barrenness, and want of the water of life. And about the same time was writ the following paper to distinguish between the true and false fasts,

Concerning the true Fast and the false.

To all you that be keeping fasts, who smite with the fist of wickedness, and fast for strife and debate, against you hath the voice cried aloud, like a trumpet, that you may come to know the true fast, which is accepted; and the fast, which is in the strife and the debate, and smiting with the fists of wickedness, which fast is not required of the Lord. Behold, in the day of your fast you find pleasure, and exact all your labour: behold, (mark, take notice) ye fast for strife and debate, and to smite with the fist of wickedness: ye shall not fast, as ye do this day, to make your voice known on high. Is it such a fast that I have chosen, saith the Lord, a day for a man to afflict his soul? Is it to bow down his head like a bulrush, and to spread sack-cloth under him? Wilt thou call this a fast, and an acceptable day to the Lord?

'Consider all you that do fast, see, if it be not hanging down the head for a day, like a bulrush; and are in strife

and debate, and to smite with the fists of wickedness, to make your voice to be known on high: but this fast is not with the Lord accepted: but that which leads you from strife, from debate, from wickedness; which is not the bowing down of the head, as a bulrush for a day, and yet live in exacting and pleasure; this is not accepted with the Lord: but that which separates from all these beforementioned; which separates from wickedness, debate, strife, pleasures, smiting with the fist of wickedness, that which separates from that, brings to know the true fast, which breaks the bonds of iniquity, and deals the bread to the hungry; brings the poor that are cast out to his own house, and when he sees any naked, he covers them, and hides not himself from his own flesh. Here is the true fast, which separates from them, where the bonds of iniquity are standing, and the heavy burthens of the oppressed remaining, and the yoke not broken; who deals not the bread to the hungry, and brings not the poor to their own house; and sees the naked, but lets him go uncloathed, and hides himself from his own flesh. Yet such will make their voice to be heard on high, as Christ speaks of the pharisees, which sounded a trumpet before them, and disfigured their faces, to appear to men to fast; but the bonds of iniquity were standing, strife and debate was standing, striking with the fists of wickedness standing; that made their voice heard on high, who had their reward.

"But that which brings to the true fast, which appears not to men to fast, but unto the Father which sees in secret ; and the Father that seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly. This fast separates from the pharisees' fast, and them that bow the head for a day, like a bulrush: and this is it which brings to deal the bread to the hungry, and cloath thine own flesh when thou seest them naked; and bring the poor to thine house, and to loose the bonds of wickedness; mark, this is the fast; and to undo every heavy burthen (mark again), and to let the oppressed go free; this is the fast: and to break every yoke. And thou that observest this fast, then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily, and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the Lord shall be thy rere-ward. Then shalt thou call, and the Lord shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, 'Here I am:' if thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke, the putting forth of the finger, and speaking vanity; and if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul, then shall thy light arise in ob

scurity, and thy darkness be as the noon-day. The light brings to know this fast; and walking in it this fast is kept: and he that believeth in the light, in darkness abides not. And again; the Lord shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones; and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not, Isa. lviii. 11. These are them that are guided with the light which comes from Christ, where the springs are.

And again; they that shall be of thee, (that keeps this fast) shall build the old waste places, and thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of paths to dwell in, Isa. lviii. 12. Now that which gives to see the foundation of many generations, is the light which separates from all, which is out of the light: and they that go out of the light, though they may pretend a fast, and bowing down the head for a time, yet they are far from this fast, that doth raise up the foundation of many generations, and is the repairer of the breach, and restorer of the paths to dwell in. That which doth give to see this foundation of many generations, and these breaches that are to be repaired and restored, and paths to dwell in, is the light which brings to know the true fast; and where this fast is known, which is from wickedness, from debate, from strife, from pleasures, from exacting, from the voice that is heard on high, from the speaking of vanity, from the bonds of iniquity, which breaks every yoke, and lets the oppressed go free, here the health grows. Where the morning is known, righteousness goes forth; the glory of the Lord is the rereward, and the light riseth, and the soul is drawn out to the hungry, and satisfies the afflicted soul; and the springs of living water are known and felt. The waters fail not here; the Lord guides continually, and the foundation of many generations comes to be seen and raised up: and the repairer of breaches is here witnessed, and the restorer of paths to dwell in.

But all such as be from the light which the prophets were in, with which they saw Christ, and such to be in fasts, where was strife, where was wickedness, where was debate, where was bowing down the head like a bulrush for a day, lifting their voice on high, and the bonds of wickedness yet standing, and the burthens unloosed, and the oppressed not let go free, and the yoke not broken, the nakedness not cloathed, the bread not dealt to the hungry, and this foundation of many generations not raised up; until these things before-mentioned be broken down, on