ness (with the rest of the fugitives for their religion) was restored; when the duke of Hamilton was obliged to return him not only his estate, but all the back rents, except the payments which he had made, as above, at the instance of William Penn.

But to be the most successful friend and protector of injured individuals, even on the large scale that he filled, seemed but a small thing to the boundless charity of Penn. Nay, to promote the tenderest love between his own followers the quakers, or between the church and the quakers alone, did not half satisfy him. He longed to see that sweet spirit of the gospel shining on the faces of all Christian societies towards each other, as the only thing that can ever bring glory upon the religion of Christ, and give it a universal spread among the nations. Hence his incessant and most vehement labours with the king and government, if not to do away all established churches, yet to do away all "religious tests, and all penal statutes, and fines, and confiscations, and imprisonments, and murders for religion," as being utterly anti-christian, and barbarous, and most fatal in their effects upon the tempers and morals of society, destroying that which is the very end of all Christ's preaching, that is, LOVE, which can seldom grow in men's hearts towards others, when agonizing under cruel treatment from them.

"What signifies," says he, "all this pomp and show of religion; these great cathedrals, and these ringings of bells, and noise of organs, with all this to do about sacraments, and baptisms, and parade of so many priests in their white robes and black? What is the end and design of all this, but, as these preachers themselves will confess, to promote religion and brotherly love? But what chance is there that all this outward noise and show of one sect, will promote the brotherly love of the rest, when their dearest rights (of religion) are not only denied them, but when they are robbed and ruined for only claiming them! When the poor

presbyterian sees the rich churchman, (made rich too out of his spoils,) or when the half-starved catholic sees the fat protestant bishop rolling by him in his coach and four, set up out of the fines on the poor catholics! Ah, how hardly can love grow there! St. Paul would not "as long as the world stood, taste a peice of meat," though honestly come by, from making and selling his own tents, if it gave his weak brother offence!!" There was a Christian bishop of the right sort! But what sort of Christian bishop must he be who can consent to ride in his coach and four, with his revenues of thousands, when it tends to stir up deadly hate and to destroy immortal souls for whom Christ died!

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And for these cruel penal laws and tests, are they to be found among the examples of Christ? Did he "call down fire from heaven upon those who dissented from him?" Or, are they to be found any where in the genius and spirit of that blessed religion which is summed up in "doing unto others as you would they should do unto you?" Ah! who among us would like to be lying on the cold floor of a dungeon, with tears trickling down his cheeks, thinking of his poor wife and children starving at home, by Christian hands too; and all because he could not worship God as did the bishop! But indeed what common honesty is there in these penal laws and tests? Suppose that for fear of having his cows and calves taken from his children, a man should consent to go and kneel and pray by rote after the priest whose cold formalities he despised, what would this but make a hypocrite of him; and thus, instead of a trophy to God, erect a monument to the devil! And even suppose that your brother should stout it out, and in spite of all your penal laws and tests, still stick to his conscience, what glory could you win in so infamous a contest with your poor brother, as whether he should bear with most patience, or you inflict with most cruelty? Oh shame! shame!

shame upon our profession as Christians! Oh, when will come the time, the happy time that these practices shall no more be mentioned among us as becometh saints! nor indeed as becometh true patriots who know that the prosperity of their common country depends on the union of the citizens: and that again on their treating each other with such justice and kindness in all things that every man shall look on his neighbour as his brother, and by such union of fruitful loves and interests, and not of barren forms and opinions render old England the glory of the earth.

The effect of this address, on king James and his council, was but little short of miraculous. A royal proclamation was issued, the week following, for a general pardon of "all who were then in prison for conscience sake!" In consequence of this, twelve hundred quakers alone were restored to their families and business-many of whom had been in confinement for years! also of the papists and other sects, hundreds upon hundreds were let loose to enjoy the sweet air and light of day, with all the countless blessings of liberty and dear society.

CHAPTER XXII.

THE joy of William Penn for such services to his fellow men must have been very great; but they were somewhat dashed by certain wormwood advices, received at this time (1685,) from Pennsylvania. These advices turned upon the most unexpected and scandalous conduct of his colonists; not indeed of any of his own society, the quakers; for of them he learned, with exceeding joy, that they continued the same industrious, orderly and peaceable citizens he left them: but that his beloved COUNCIL, whom he had left to rule,

had all fallen to discord and neglect of the public good-that many others preferred a life of sloth and extortion in town, to the independence and innocent delights of the country, were filling his virgin city of Philadelphia with taverns !--that even 66 THE CAVES," were converted into tipling shops!-that his surveyors, fond of collations and gin, had spread their tables for such uses in his land offices, making the purchasers of lots pay the expense, which in some cases amounted to one fourth of the prime cost of the lots, thus checking the sale of his land; retarding the population of his province; encouraging drunkenness and immorality, especially among his Indians; and bringing infamy and ruin both upon himself and his colony-and to render such news the more painful, with all his anxiety to hasten to America, he actually had not the meanshe could get no remittances of his quit rents, although five hundred pounds sterling a year were due to him for one million of acres which he had sold, (the low quit rents of one shilling the hundred acres,) for twenty thousand pounds sterling-these twenty thousand pounds had been laid out in presents to the Indians--in various purchases of lands--in aiding his poor followers-in setting up and maintaining his government and governor-besides, sixteen thousand pounds which he had given up to king Charles, barely for his good will--also six thousand pounds which he had spent on this philanthropic enterprise, making in all, as money now values, at least one half a million of dollars! which, with maintenance of his own large family--much hospitality-costs for travelling and preaching; printing his numerous books, &c. had kept him low, and confined him to England. And even there it does not appear that he was allowed much peace, owing chiefly to the most unlucky state of public affairs at that time, on account of James's turn to popery, and the nation's dread of the dismal times of bloody Mary. Hence if William Penn waited on the

king though but to beg, as usual, some kindness for the injured, he was branded as a papist, and jesuit. If petitioners, for favours, crowded his own door, the suspicious populace would have it, "all these people did not come to him for nothing!" of course a gun-powder plot or something worse was a brewing; and both himself and his poor quakers were often insulted in the streets, and the windows of their houses broken. If he preached a sermon though never so much like that of Christ on the mount--conjuring his hearers to do nothing "to get praise of men;" but every thing for the "glory of God," making his love and that of our neighbour, the sole end of our being; he was sure to stir up a hornet's nest of angry hard-visaged puritans, reviling him as a false prophet who would make the "blood of Christ of none effect-by mixing it with nan's good works. But, for the sake of poor human nature, let us drop the recital of such unamiable truths, and bring our history towards a close. My readers will not, I hope, be offended. We are all born for pleasure; and the moment that pleasure ceases, the work we engaged in for pleasure ought to cease also. Writing a book should be like decanting wine for our friends; we ought never to pay them so ill a compliment as to disgust them with the dregs. Let others spin out the history of an individual to three or four large volumes; I, for my part, like the better example of the sacred biographers. These inspired penmen, in the life of any great personage they paint, whether it be good king Josiah or wicked king Ahab, after giving his characteristic features, and in colours never to fade, delicately add—" as for the rest of the acts of Josiah, are they not written in the book of the Chronicles of the kings of Israel?" So I must take the liberty to say to my readers concerning Penn; " ] have given them the history of a "POLYCHRESTUS," i. e. a man of many virtues, the least of which have conferred immortality on saints of old; a man meek as