79 In ye euening I walked out a foote to Rob: Withers; & I was
noe sooner gonne butt there came in a company of disguised men
to Tho: Lepers with swords & pistolls; cuttinge & hackeinge amongst
ye people off ye house: & putt out all ye candles,: & ye people
helde vppe ye chaires before y^m to saue ymselues: & after a while
they droue all ye people of ye house out of ye house in ye night
& searched & lookt for mee: whoe was ye person onely they
looked for: & layde waite in ye high ways: w^ch: I shoulde
haue come in if I had ridden to Rob: Withers

And soe when ye meetinge was donne they came in & thought
to haue founde mee in ye house: but ye Ld preuented ym
as abovesd:

And soe when I was come to Rob Withers: some freinds came

                              Tho: Leper

from ye townde where Rob: Withers liued & gaue vs ye rela
tion of this: & they were afraide least they shoulde come to search Rob: Withers house | alsoe for mee to doe mee mischeife but they came not:

And ffreinds perceiued they was some of y^m: french men: Sxx

& S^r Rob: Binleys seruants: for some of y:^m saide in there nation
they vsed to tye ye protestants to trees: & whippe y:^m & destroy
y^m: & these vsed often to abuse freindes in there meetinges &
goeinge from there meetinges: for they tooke Rich: Huberthorne
& seuerall others out of ye meetinge & carryed y^m: a good way
off in ye feildes & there bounde y^m: & left y:^m ʌbounde in ye winter
season * & ʌone of his seruants came to ff. fflemminges house & thrust his naked rapier Into att his doore: & att his
windowes: & there came a Cousen off ff: fflemminges with a cudgell in his hande w^ch was noe freinde: &
hee bid him putt vppe his rapier; but hee woulde not but vapored with it &att him & was rude: & hee vppe with his staffe & knockt

[vertically in margin]

him downe soe as hee made him sprawle one y^e: grounde &
hee tooke his rapier from him; & had it not beene for freindes
hee woulde haue runn him through with it. & soe freindes
preserued his life y^t woulde haue destroyed theres:

And after this I went to see Justice West & Rich. Huberthorne wast
with mee: & wee ridd uppe ye sands where neuer noe man

      before         not knoweinge y:^e way nor y^e: daunger of y:^e sands

ridde ʌ a very dangerous place: & swimmed ouer ye water ʌ &

came to wests house: & when wee were come in hee saide to
vs did syou not see two men rideinge ouer ye sands I shall

                                  for I am y^e: crowner

haue there cloaths anon ʌ for they ncannott escape drowne=
inge & wee tolde him y^t wee was ye men & hee was astonisht att it

                                        wondred howe wee escaped drowneinge

And then ye preists & professors raised a report with& a slaunder

upon mee

ʌ y^t neither water: coulde drowne mee: nor coulde they draw
bloode of mee: & y^t surely I was a witch:

for when they beate mee with great stafes they did not much drawe
my bloode but bruised my heade & body: & thus ye Lords power
carryed mee ouer there bloody murderous spiritts: in whome ye

In the evening I walked out on foot to Robert Withers’; and I was
no sooner gone but there came in a company of disguised men| to
Thomas Leper’s with swords and pistols, cutting and hacking amongst
the people off the house, and put out all the candles, and the people

held up the chairs before them to save themselves; and after a while
they drove all the people of the house out of the house in the night
and searched and looked for me, who was the person only they
looked for, and laid wait in the high ways which I should
have come in, if I had ridden to Robert Withers’.

And so when the meeting was done they came in and thought
to have found me in the house: but the Lord prevented them
as abovesaid.

And so when I was come to Rob Withers, some friends came

from the town where Thomas Leper lived, and gave us the rela|-tion
of this: and they were afraid least they should come to search Robert Withers’ house| also for me to do me mischief: but they came not.

And Friends perceived they was some of them Frenchmen,| and
Sir Robert Bindloss’s servants: for some of them said in their nation
they used to tie the Protestants to trees, and whip them and destroy
them: and these used often to abuse Friends in their meetings, and
going from their meetings: for they took Richard: Hubberthorne
and several others out of the meeting and carried them a good way
off in the fields, and there bound them, and left them bound in the winter season.

* And one of his servants came to F. Flemming’s house and thrust his
naked rapier in at his door, and at his| windows: and there came a
cousin of F. Flemmings with a cudgel in his hand which was no Friend:
and| he bid him put up his rapier; but he would not, but vapoured with
it at him and was rude: and he up with his staff and knocked

[vertically in margin]

him down so as he made him sprawl on the ground, and
he took his rapier from him; and had it not been for Friends
he would have run him through with it: and so Friends
preserved his life that would have destroyed theirs.[end]

And after this I went to see Justice West and Richard Hubberthorne
was[t]| with me: and we rid up the sands where never no man
rid before, a very dangerous place, and swimmed over the water, not knowing the way nor the danger of the sands, and
came to West’s house: and when we were come in, he said to
us, ‘Did you not see two men riding over the sands? I shall
have their clothes anon, for I am the Crowner; for they cannot escape drown|ing’; and we told him that we was the men,
and he was astonished at it| and wondered how we escaped drowning.

And then the priests and professors raised a report and a slander
upon me that neither water could drown me, nor could they draw
blood of me, and that surely I was a witch:
for when they beat me with great staves, they did not much draw
my blood, but bruised my head and body: and thus the Lord’s power
carried me over their bloody murderous spirits, in whom the