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:

[page 37]

So after when the meetting was done and friends almost gone away and
past; I passed away from the house; to another friends house; I was no
sooner| gone out of the house, but presently they came in w^th naked
                                                                      friends wth naked
swords, dis=|guised men, which cutt and hacked at ʌ swords, and put
the candles forth| and friends was faine to take upp stooles ʌ& chaires to defend them selves, &| plucking friends that were there forth of the house and abusing y.^m| and cutt the chairs and stooles which friends held up to defend and| save them selves w^thall; they lying in waite in
y:^e way w^c way I migh[t]| passe; but I was moved to passe another way; So they missed of| mee both in the house and in y:^e way through the hand of y:^e lord.

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