ing; so that I soon forgot what little I had learned before.

However my mother spoke to a farmer (who was my father) to get me into the free-school, which he accordingly did; and here I learned to spell and read in the New Testament, and to write a little. But I never was put to any regular spelling-book, nor even to cast accounts; I only learnt to write a little, and to read in the New Testament. This school was free for poor children, if they could make friends to get them into it; but persons of property paid for their children. Here I have often been mortified to the highest degree to see how farmers' sons fared at dinner time, when I used to skulk about halfstarved.

About this time there came a great number of French prisoners of war to be confined at Sissinghurst castle, in the parish of Cranbrook. Among these prisoners there were several officers who were on their parole of honour, and had lodgings in the town. They had a little boy, who went on their errands, waited on them, and generally walked with them. He was about my age, rather stouter, but not quite so tall. It happened that I had been sent to school one day with a very scanty breakfast, and at noon was obliged to return from home without a dinner; and, as I went across a field, called the Ball-field (on account of its being a field appropriated for

cricket, and other sport), I saw this little French boy coming on the road before me, with a large loaf under his arm. I eyed the loaf; and being exceedingly hungry, entertained some thoughts of making a seizure of it; and, like Moses when he killed the Egyptian, I looked this way and that way, and, when I found the coast was clear, laid violent hands on the loaf, and broke off as much as I thought proper, letting the boy have the rest. He raged and stormed vehemently, and ran up to me muttering and threatening in his dialect, which I did not understand; nevertheless I stood my ground, and by my surly looks gave him to understand that my fist should dispute the point if he did not go off quietly, which I believe he understood, and therefore went off muttering and menacing; but if he could have taken no more hold of my action than I could of his words, it would have been well, for I knew nothing of what he said.

Not long after this robbery was committed, I was so unfortunate as to meet several French officers on the road, and the boy whom I had robbed with them. As soon as the boy saw me he cried out with a loud voice, and began to inform them (as I supposed by his pointing to me), that I was the highwayman who robbed him of his bread, because these words were often repeated, scoff the bread. I expected to have been pursued; but the officers took no farther

notice than by laughing at it; judging, as I supposed, by my appearance, that I was none of the most despicable sort of thieves; but, only one that stole to satisfy the soul when it was hungry, Prov. vi. 30.

This was the only highway robbery that my hunger ever drove me to commit; though I have often plundered apple orchards and turnip fields, but these were generally belonging to the farmer who was my father.

I believe this way of bringing up poor children often drives them to steal, until they become habituated to it. Many begin to steal to support life, and continue till they lose their lives for stealing.

These early sufferings for want of necessaries left a very deep impression on my heart; and gave me such a feeling for the poor when I was first brought to know the Lord, that I could scarcely carry a penny in my pocket; but, since I have been in London, I have seen such wretched advantage taken of my sympathy by hypocrites, that it has led me to guard as much against a mumping professor as against the craft of an Arminian. And it requires much of the wisdom of the serpent to distribute alms properly. I have had people send up petitions into the pulpit to me, expressive of the greatest afflictions and persecutions for Christ's sake, signed by reputable people in the neighbourhood, as it was

expressed; and, after a public collection, they have appeared impostors-ignorant of God and godliness-and the people's names were put to their petitions without their knowledge. And the very same people have imposed on me since in the same manner; but the plot was discovered, and the money given to proper objects.

There are at this time sacrilegious hands in the world, that have got money out of my pocket, and out of the pockets of others by my instrumentality, to the amount of above two hundred guineas; who I believe never felt the plague of their own hearts, nor their need of Christ, but only make an empty profession, and mump in his name; and I believe, out of all the money given by godly souls in our days, that there are not ten pounds in a thousand go to the household of faith. The devil hardens the hearts of his own children, and sends them about to persons who are strangers to them, with such a stock of infernal fortitude as hardens them against all denial; and they will cry and whine like a crocodile till they get it, and laugh at your folly when they have done. If my reader has a mind to give alms, let him look out for proper objects himself; for there are many who are truly gracious, that will go upon their knees, and cry before God, and suffer much, rather than let their case be made known to men. I have learned a sweet lesson out of the sixth chapter

of John on this head. The Saviour entertained the multitude of his followers twice; but when they followed him over the sea of Tiberias, he gives them a feast of eternal election, and vital godliness" No man can come to me except the Father draw him"-and "except ye eat of the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you"-" Ye seek me because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled."-And thus he sent the hypocrites off with a hungry belly and a killing reproof. But to return.

I continued at this school till I could read an easy chapter in the New Testament and write joining hand a little, and then I was taken away to go to work with my father (that should have been); which work was threshing in a barn. Here was hard labour, bad living, cold weather, and wretched apparel: however, I had some rejoicing days at this work; for the farmers in that country allow a dinner to those who thresh their corn every time they winnow it, and these days arrived about once in three weeks: good days these were, but they came too seldom. It once happened that, our winnowing-day being arrived, my father was gone before me, and I went rejoicing after him; but, to my great grief and disappointment, it began to rain; which circumstance I knew would prevent our dressing the corn, because the rain, blowing into the floor, would wet it and render it impossible to