was a full Appearance of them too) was pleafed to Declare (my Self ftanding by him, and divers Others) That he would justify my Honesty (that was, with re fpeal to my Proceedings in the Veftry) on any Ground in England.

My Adverfaries thus failing of their Defign, they, with one or two more, have, almost ever fince that time to this, turned every Stone to Ruine me: And London Rings of their Carriage towards me. Nor hath it Satisfied them to abuse Me in the grossest manner, but they have put an intolerable Abuse upon a GreatMan or Two; for when they have been Expoftulated with, for making my Life lo Uneasy, they have Endeavoured to remove all Blame from themfelves, by pretending that what they had done, was in meer Obedience to their Commands. And when it was. replyed (as once it was by my Self, to this Effect) Tou first inftigate Great Perfons by your wretched Stories, and then Hypocritically pretend that my Troubles Origi nally proceed from them; there was no Answer, but perfect Silence.

It might make a Competent Volume, to give an Account what Slanders they have devifed, and Methods they have taken, from time to time, to do Me Mifchief. I have a Narrative by me of the Molestations they have given me, to about Half a Tear fince, which I intended then to Publifh, but upon Second Thoughts I judged it more prudent to hold my hand for fome time longer.

But to return to this Knavifh Certificate; The Perfon I certified for, was one Mr. R. W. who is one of my nearest Neighbours., The Occafion of the Certificate was This, Two of thefe Three or Four Men, who have

fo

fo long been my Adverfaries, accused this Man to me before his face (which fair play they rarely use) of having called the Common-Prayers an Innovation, upon a Motion to have them Read, at the meeting of their Quest, in the Queft-Houfe. Mr. W. Profeffed that he only called the Reading of them upon That Occafion fo, for that never any fuch thing had been done before, that ever he heard of in this Parifh: And that he oppofed the bringing up of fuch a Cuftome, for the Poors fake, because he prefumed they would pay the Reader out of the Purfe, that at That Meeting annually was made for Them. But he told me be declared to them, that if they would pay the Reader out of their Own Purfes, they might have the Prayers in the Church with all his heart; and acknowledged then that he gave them a Proverbial Saying, which they made a mighty bufinefs of, that fignified no more than that every Body might have his Liberty, either to go, or to stay away; which, though it might be decently enough used in moft Cafes not relating to Religious Affaires, yet I told him it was Irreverendly done of him to use it in this Cafe; And though I could not impute it to his Difaffection to the Prayers (he having ever fince I came to this Parish, and I understand, for fome Years before was a conftant attender on them upon Sundayes) but to meer Raffinefs and Inconfideration, they being then in the heat of Paffion; yet at that time, and more then once fince, I rebuked him for it with feverity enough. And I further Reproved him before thefe Men, for not being as for-. ward as any to fo good a Motion; though it was evident enough, that the Mction was not made from fo good a Principle, as that of true Love to the Wor

fhip

fhip of God, but upon a design that was very Obvious. I farther added, that to encourage the Reading of the Prayers, at this Yearly Meeting, I would My Self first read them at their Meeting again the next Year, and fo for the future, which accordingly I did the last Christmas. They had another Story of a moft indecent Scoff at our Church Mufick, but this he utterly denied, and perfifts in doing fo; and the Truth is I never Believed it, but now, for a reafon I won't mention, I disbelieve it.

After all the Paffionate Fending and Proving was over, and I had, as I faid, fmartly enough reproved Mr. W. I told them 'twas evident, he did not call the Prayers an Innovation, but only the Reading them in the Quest-House, or upon that Occafion, and then Exhorted them to more Chriftian behaviour towards one another, and to be Friends again; Having heard that there was an elder Grudg between one or both of thefe Men, and this Mr. W. And that the Difference did not begin now: Although one of them had been fometime before his great Intimate, and he Conftantly gave Mr. W. the Title of his Mafter. Hereupon they Drank to each other, more than once, and thook hands. But the Next News I heard of them, which furprized me much, was, that they had made a Complaint of him to Mr. Recorder, and that the Conftable had carried him away to Guild-Hall, and that there he was bound over to answer for his Depraving the Common-Prayer, upon these Mens Oaths, at the Kings Bench Barr. Whereupon this Mr. W.fignified to me, That the Lord Mayor had advised him, to get a good Petition drawn up to my Lord Chief Justice, and as good a Certificate as his Minifter and other Creditable People of the Parish, could give him;

(a)

and

and that His Lordship promised him to prefent both with his own hand,and accordingly He performed that Promife. Hereupon I again Reproved him,and told him I hoped this would be for the future a warning to him; and finding him much dejected, I faid I would willingly certifie for him whatfoever I knew to be true of him. And the Certificate I gave him was this, That he was a Conftant Attender on the Prayers of the Church, a Frequenter of the Holy Communion, in the way of the Church of England, and a forward man to Publick good Works in the Parish, and particularly at that time, to the Repairing of our Church and Steeple. And in the clofe, I expressed how far I was from going about to excufe his fault; but in what Words I did this, I don't now remember.

This is the plain and Naked Truth of this matter, and I am yet to learn where lay my fault. Nay I am ftill fully fatisfied in my Confcience, that I did nothing but what I might Lawfully do, nay nor any thing but what I was bound in Common Justice to do. For I never knew him other, than a Conftant attender on the Prayers of the Church, nor than a Frequen ter of the Holy Communion, I mean upon his Knees and at the Rayles. And, whatsoever Faults he may have been guilty of, I have found no one Parishioner more Publick Spirited, both in reference to the Church and Parish. And he was one of the best Church-Wardens (1 finding him in that Office when I first came hither) that I believe the Parish ever knew. It hath been Objected to me, that he behaved himself Disloyally at the Election of Sheriffs, and therefore this Certificate was taken the Worfe at my hands. But I need make no other Reply, than that this was more than I Knew. I have

I have but little Acquaintance in this Parish to this Day, and had lefs then, fo that I might very well be a ftranger to his Behaviour at that Election. For my part, I never perceived any Difloyalty in him, but the Contrary, when he hath come to me, which he does very rarely, but when Bufinefs brings him, though he lives close by me. And had he discovered Difaffection to the Government, either in Church or State to Me, what is commendable in him fhould not have made with Me an Atonement for it. But there is no end of thefe my Obliging Friends Stories; I hope though, for the future they'l be more Innocent ones; I mean, that their Tongues will be no Slander. The worst thing I knew of this man was, that he would be too eafily Provoked, but as foon (that I'le fay for him too) Pacified. But why fhould I better know what this W. was, than what Thefe Men were? I was I confefs often told what Two of them were, but I would not believe it, till they did me the kindness to make me understand them whether I would or no; and fince I have been fufficiently upbraided with my Charitable Incredulity. But in order to the more Blackening of Me, One or More of my good Friends have reported, That he was upon the Scaffold when the King was Murthered. I never heard of This till this very day, but I concluded 'twas a Wicked Lye, before I fent for him to ask him the Question. His Reply was, that he was then but a Boy about fixteen Years Old, (as any one may believe that knows him) and that he was at that time Fourfcore Miles from London.

In short, Mr. Attorney General had a full Hearing of the forementioned Caufe, was fully fatisfied of the Bafenefs of it, and gave Mr.W. a Noli Profequi. (a 2)

My