ON the 8th of Sixth Month, 1772, we landed at London, and I went straightway tothe Yearly Meeting of ministers and elders, which had been gathered, I suppose,about half an hour.(1)In this meeting my mind was humbly contrite. In the afternoon the meeting forbusiness was opened, which by adjournments held near a week. In these meetingsI often felt a living concern for the establishment of Friends in the pure lifeof truth. My heart was enlarged in the meetings of ministers, that forbusiness, and in several meetings for public worship, and I felt my mind unitedin true love to the faithful labourers now gathered at this Yearly Meeting. Onthe 15th I went to a Quarterly Meeting at Hertford.

　　First of Seventh Month. -- I have been at Quarterly Meetings at Sherrington,Northampton, Banbury, and Shipton, and have had sundry meetings between. Mymind hath been bowed under a sense of divine goodness manifested among us; myheart hath been often enlarged in true love, both among ministers and eldersand in public meetings, and through the Lord's goodness I believe it hath beena fresh visitation to many, in particular to the youth.

　　Seventeenth. -- I was this day at Birmingham: I have been at meetings atCoventry, Warwick, in Oxfordshire, and sundry other places, and have felt thehumbling hand of the Lord upon me; but through His tender mercies I find peacein the labours I have gone through.

　　Twenty-sixth. -- I have continued travelling northward, visiting meetings.

　　Was this day at Nottingham; the forenoon meeting was especially, through divinelove, a heart-tendering season. Next day I had a meeting in a Friend's family,which, through the strengthening arm of the Lord, was a time to be thankfullyremembered.

　　Second of Eighth Month and first of the week. -- I was this day at Sheffield,a large inland town. I was at sundry meetings last week, and feel inwardthankfulness for that divine support which hath been graciously extended to me.

　　On the 9th I was at Rushworth. I have lately passed through some painfullabour, but have been comforted under a sense of that divine visitation which Ifeel extended towards many young people.

　　Sixteenth of Eighth Month and the first of the week, I was at Settle. It hathof late been a time of inward poverty, under which my mind hath been preservedin a watchful, tender state, feeling for the mind of the Holy Leader, and Ifind peace in the labours I have passed through.

　　On inquiry in many places I find the price of rye about five shillings;wheat, eight shillings per bushel; oatmeal, twelve shillings for a hundred andtwenty pounds; mutton from threepence to fivepence per pound; bacon fromsevenpence to ninepence; cheese from fourpence to sixpence; butter fromeightpence to tenpence; house-rent for a poor man from twenty-five shillings toforty shillings per year, to be paid weekly; wood for fire very scarce anddear; coal in some places two shillings and sixpence per hundredweight; butnear the pits not a quarter so much. Oh, may the wealthy consider the poor!

　　The wages of labouring men in several counties toward London at tenpence perday in common business, the employer finds small beer and the labourer findshis own food; but in harvest and hay time wages are about one shilling per day,and the labourer hath all his diet. In some parts of the north of England, poorlabouring men have their food where they work, and appear in common to dorather better than nearer London. Industrious women who spin in the factoriesget some fourpence, some fivepence, and so on to six, seven, eight, nine, ortenpence per day, and find their own house-room and diet. Great numbers of poorpeople live chiefly on bread and water in the southern parts of England, aswell as in the northern parts; and there are many poor children not even taughtto read. May those who have abundance lay these things to heart!

　　Stage-coaches frequently go upwards of one hundred miles in twenty-fourhours; and I have heard Friends say in several places that it is common forhorses to be killed with hard driving, and that many others are driven tillthey grow blind. Post-boys pursue their business, each one to his stage, allnight through the winter. Some boys who ride long stages suffer greatly inwinter nights, and at several places I have heard of their being frozen todeath. So great is the hurry in the spirit of this world, that in aiming to dobusiness quickly and to gain wealth, the creation at this day doth loudlygroan.

　　As my journey hath been without a horse, I have had several offers of beingassisted on my way in these stage-coaches, but have not been in them; nor haveI had freedom to send letters by these posts in the present way of riding, the stages being so fixed, and one boy dependent on another as to time, and goingat great speed, that in long cold winter nights the poor boys suffer much. Iheard in America of the way of these posts, and cautioned Friends in theGeneral Meeting of ministers and elders at Philadelphia, and in the YearlyMeeting of ministers and elders in London, not to send letters to me on anycommon occasion by post. And though on this account I may be likely not to hearso often from my family left behind, yet for righteousness' sake I am, throughdivine favour, made content.

　　I have felt great distress of mind since I came on this island, on accountof the members of our Society being mixed with the world in various sorts oftraffic, carried on in impure channels. Great is the trade to Africa forslaves; and for the loading of these ships a great number of people areemployed in their factories, among whom are many of our Society. Friends inearly times refused on a religious principle to make or trade in superfluities,of which we have many testimonies on record; but for want of faithfulness,some, whose examples were of note in our Society, gave way, from which otherstook more liberty. Members of our Society worked in superfluities, and boughtand sold them, and thus dimness of sight came over many; at length Friends gotinto the use of some superfluities in dress and in the furniture of theirhouses, which hath spread from less to more, till superfluity of some kinds iscommon among us.

　　In this declining state many look at the example of others and too muchneglect the pure feeling of truth. Of late years a deep exercise hath attendedmy mind, that Friends may dig deep, may carefully cast forth the loose matterand get down to the rock, the sure foundation, and there hearken to that divinevoice which gives a clear and certain sound; and I have felt in that which dothnot receive, that, if Friends who have known the truth, keep in that tendernessof heart where all views of outward gain are given up, and their trust is onlyin the Lord, he will graciously lead some to be patterns of deep self-denial inthings relating to trade and handicraft labour; and others who have plenty ofthe treasures of this world will be examples of a plain frugal life, and paywages to such as they may hire, more liberally than is now customary in someplaces.

　　Twenty-third of Eighth Month. -- I was this day at Preston Patrick, and had acomfortable meeting. I have several times been entertained at the houses ofFriends who had sundry things about them that had the appearance of outwardgreatness, and as I have kept inward, way hath opened for conversation withsuch in private, in which divine goodness hath favoured us together with heart-tendering times.

　　Twenty-sixth of Eighth Month. -- Being now at George Crosfield's, in thecounty of Westmoreland, I feel a concern to commit to writing the followinguncommon circumstance: -In a time of sickness, a little more than two years and a half ago, I wasbrought so near the gates of death that I forgot my name. Being then desirousto know who I was, I saw a mass of matter of a dull gloomy colour between thesouth and the east, and was informed that this mass was human beings in asgreat misery as they could be and live, and that I was mixed with them, andthat henceforth I might not consider myself as a distinct or separate being. Inthis state I remained several hours. I then heard a soft melodious voice, morepure and harmonious than any I had heard with my ears before; I believed it wasthe voice of an angel who spake to the other angels; the words were, "JohnWoolman is dead." I soon remembered that I was once John Woolman, and beingassured that I was alive in the body, I greatly wondered what that heavenlyvoice could mean. I believed beyond doubting that it was the voice of an holyangel, but as yet it was a mystery to me.

　　I was then carried in spirit to the mines where poor oppressed people weredigging rich treasures for those called Christians, and heard them blasphemethe name of Christ, at which I was grieved, for His name to me was precious. Iwas then informed that these heathens were told that those who oppressed themwere the followers of Christ, and they said among themselves, "If Christdirected them to use us in this sort, then Christ is a cruel tyrant."All this time the song of the angel remained a mystery; and in the morning,my dear wife and some others coming to my bedside, I asked them if they knewwho I was, and they telling me I was John Woolman, thought I was light-headed,for I told them not what the angel said, nor was I disposed to talk much to anyone, but was very desirous to get so deep that I might understand this mystery.

　　My tongue was often so dry that I could not speak till I had moved it aboutand gathered some moisture, and as I lay still for a time I at length felt adivine power prepare my mouth that I could speak, and I then said, "I amcrucified with Christ, nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me.

　　And the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son ofGod, who loved me and gave Himself for me." Then the mystery was opened and Iperceived there was joy in heaven over a sinner who had repented, and that thelanguage "John Woolman is dead," meant no more than the death of my own will.

　　My natural understanding now returned as before, and I saw that peoplesetting off their tables with silver vessels at entertainments was oftenstained with worldly glory, and that in the present state of things I shouldtake heed how I fed myself out of such vessels. Going to our Monthly Meetingsoon after my recovery, I dined at a Friend's house where drink was brought insilver vessels, and not in any other. Wanting something to drink, I told him mycase with weeping, and he ordered some drink for me in another vessel. Iafterwards went through the same exercise in several Friends' houses inAmerica, as well as in England, and I have cause to acknowledge with humblereverence the loving-kindness of my Heavenly Father, who hath preserved me in such a tender frame of mind, that none, I believe, have ever been offended atwhat I have said on that subject.

　　After this sickness I spake not in public meetings for worship for nearly oneyear, but my mind was very often in company with the oppressed slaves as I satin meetings; and though under his dispensation I was shut up from speaking, yetthe spring of the gospel ministry was many times livingly opened in me, and thedivine gift operated by abundance of weeping, in feeling the oppression of thispeople. It being so long since I passed through this dispensation, and thematter remaining fresh and lively in my mind, I believe it safest for me tocommit it to writing.

　　Thirtieth of Eighth Month. -- This morning I wrote a letter in substance asfollows: -BELOVED FRIEND, --My mind is often affected as I pass along under a senseof the state of many poor people who sit under that sort of ministry whichrequires much outward labour to support it; and the loving-kindness of ourHeavenly Father in opening a pure gospel ministry in this nation hath oftenraised thankfulness in my heart to Him. I often remember the conflicts of thefaithful under persecution, and now look at the free exercise of the pure giftuninterrupted by outward laws as a trust committed to us, which requires ourdeepest gratitude and most careful attention. I feel a tender concern that thework of reformation so prosperously carried on in this land within a few agespast may go forward and spread among the nations, and may not go backwardthrough dust gathering on our garments, who have been called to a work so greatand so precious.

　　Last evening during thy absence I had a little opportunity with some of thyfamily, in which I rejoiced, and feeling a sweetness on my mind towards thee, Inow endeavour to open a little of the feeling I had there.

　　I have heard that you in these parts have at certain seasons Meetings ofConference in relation to Friends living up to our principles, in which severalmeetings unite in one. With this I feel unity, having in some measure felttruth lead that way among Friends in America, and I have found, my dear friend,that in these labours all superfluities in our own living are against us. Ifeel that pure love towards thee in which there is freedom.

　　I look at that precious gift bestowed on thee with awfulness before Him whogave it, and feel a desire that we may be so separated to the gospel of Christ,that those things which proceed from the spirit of this world may have no placeamong us.

　　Thy friend, JOHN WOOLMAN.

　　I rested a few days in body and mind with our friend, Jane Crosfield, who wasonce in America. On the sixth day of the week I was at Kendal, in Westmoreland,and at Greyrig Meeting the 30th day of the month, and first of the week. I have known poverty of late, and have been graciously supported to keep in thepatience, and am thankful under a sense of the goodness of the Lord towardsthose who are of a contrite spirit.

　　Sixth of Ninth Month and first of the week. -- I was this day at Counterside,a large meeting-house, and very full. Through the opening of pure love, it wasa strengthening time to me, and I believe to many more.

　　Thirteenth of Ninth Month. -- This day I was at Leyburn, a small meeting;but, the towns-people coming in, the house was crowded. It was a time of heavylabour, and I believe was a profitable meeting. At this place I heard that mykinsman, William Hunt, from North Carolina, who was on a religious visit toFriends in England, departed this life on the ninth of this month, of thesmallpox, at Newcastle. He appeared in the ministry when a youth, and hislabours therein were of good savour. He travelled much in that work in America.

　　I once heard him say in public testimony, that his concern in that visit was tobe devoted to the service of Christ so fully that he might not spend one minutein pleasing himself, which words, joined with his example, was a means ofstirring up the pure mind in me.