Upon a day when she had retired for secret prayer, a minister, having put off his shoes that he might the more quietly and unobservedly hear what she said, went as near to the door of the room as he possibly could. He, having returned, did most seriously declare that he thought every word she spoke came from the very bottom of her heart. Among other suits she put up she particularly insisted for two ministers, Messrs. R. G. and A. P.,1 who were then prisoners in the Bass. The one was a young man, and the other old. The expressions she used were, “There are many, O Lord, who use means to get the young minister’s liberty, but we hear of no means used for the old; therefore, O Lord, do it Thyself, and I will declare Thou didst it Thyself, and bless Thy name for it.” Some while after this the old minister, Mr. A. P., was wonderfully delivered from that prison.
In the ninth year of her age, when she was one day going to school, three or four boys, older and bigger than she, met her in the way ; and, having furnished themselves with small rods in their hands, they threatened to beat her, and said they would slay her if she would not swear to be no more a whig, and promise to go afterwards to church. She answered, “Though ye should slay me, I will not swear at all.” Hereupon they lashed her with their rods and threatened her further. She essayed to make an escape, but could not because they were swifter and stronger than she. This put her sore to it, because she was without the reach of help by crying, the place being remote from houses and company. But having considered awhile what to do, she remembered that she had some farthings by her, whereupon she took them all out and scattered them amongst the boys, who did presently run together and contended about them. This fair occasion and advantage she took, and, running with all her might, she escaped that danger. Nevertheless, the fear and stripes were very hurtful to her ; for, after that encounter, she contracted a sickness which procured her vomiting a great deal of blackish humour that would have been fatal to her as many thought had it not been evacuated. Next day it was told her that the parents of these boys had corrected them severely for their heinous crimes, which when she heard it brought this meek answer from her—namely, “That she freely forgave them, seeing they knew no better.”