But as Providence had
ordered it, I wanted the work more than the wages, and therefore
took what he gave me, without complaining.
About this time, while we were prisoners in our fair chamber, a
Friend was brought and put in among us, who had been sent thither by
Richard Brown to beat hemp; whose case was thus:
He was a very poor man, who lived by mending shoes, and on a
seventh-day night, late, a carman, or some other such labouring man,
brought him a pair of shoes to mend, desiring him to mend them that
night, that he might have them in the morning, for he had no other
to wear. The poor man sat up at work upon them till after midnight,
and then finding he could not finish them, went to bed, intending to
do the rest in the morning.
Accordingly, he got up betimes, and though he wrought as privately
as he could in his chamber, that he might avoid giving offence to
any, yet could he not do it so privately but that an ill-natured
neighbour perceived it, who went and informed against him for
working on the Sunday. Whereupon he was had before Richard Brown,
who committed him to Bridewell for a certain time, to be kept to
hard labour in beating hemp, which is labour hard enough.
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