Friends of other Meetings menaced Evil designs prevented in other Meetings also ibid. ...... ibid. CHAP. V. TESTIMONIES Of Friends from DIFFERENT PARTS, INCLUDINg a narra TIVE OF EVENTS AT BALLITORE, AND A FEW PARTICULARS OF THE PAGE .... THE PRINCIPLES OF PEACE, &c. PART II. CHAP. III. Of the Dangers to which the Society was exposed in the Attendance of their Meetings. THE events which have been noticed in the last Chapter, as far as they relate to the Society of Friends, may be considered rather of a domestic nature, concerning only two or three families. It may now, therefore, be proper to say a few words as to the situation of its members in the quarter where the Individual, so often alluded to, resided, viz. in the county of Wexford, with respect to the performance of their religious duties. In this part of the country, notwithstanding some of the members of the same Meeting were several miles distant from each other, they did not suffer their perplexities at home to interfere with the sacred duty of religious worship abroad, or to prevent them from traversing the country, filled with armed men, amidst dangers, if possible, still greater than those they had left, in order that they might assemble together for this solemn purpose. Consequently, in going to, and returning from, their meetings, they had to encounter many difficulties, besides the struggle between their faith and their natural fears, in leaving their houses and property a prey perhaps to pillage, or to the flames, during their absence. Human prudence, it is likely, would have induced them, in such an awful extremity, to remain at home, and to look after their outward affairs; but the sense of what they owed to their Maker, and to the Society of which they were members, in many instances, overbalanced these selfish considerations; and it appears, that in most cases they left behind them a better guardian than human prudence. Most of the horses being taken from them, the members of that particular Meeting had frequently to walk to their place of worship. The first time they did so, some of them met a man of very terrible character, who had killed a neighbour, in Ferns, a day or two before. He was, however, friendly in his behaviour to them, and even offered to have them carried to their Meeting. But, though they acknɔwledged his civility, they did not accept his offer, pursuing their journey on foot six Irish miles. Parties of these people often met with the Friends going to and returning from their Meeting, and they were sometimes very inquisitive to know whence they came, and whither they were going; but none of them offered any molestation, except at one time when several Friends were passing to Meeting through Camolin, a village not far from Ferns, with a horse belonging to one, and a jaunting-car to another. A great number of United Men being in the street, and conversing about the Society, one of them said, it was the last time the Quakers should ever go that road." After the latter had passed the crowd, a shot was fired apparently to alarm them. The horse took fright and broke the traces, an inconvenience they remedied as well as they were able, and afterwards proceeded quietly to their meeting-place. It was a remarkable circumstance that before the next meeting-day came round in regular course, the power of these misguided men was overthrown. In other parts of the county of Wexford, some of the members of the Society, having been observed by the United Men to persevere in attending their place of religious worship, notwithstanding the threats and opposition they experienced, became objects of this party's displeasure, and were apprised, that, if they persisted, they should be taken to the Altar of a neighbouring Chapel, and suffer the penalty of their obstinacy. A large and respectable family of the Society, though they were often threatened and advised by a priest and others to stay at home for some time, or at least to go by some private way, did not feel that it would be right for them to go to Meeting by any other than the usual way, along the high road, through the town of Taghmon, which was inhabited almost entirely by persons supposed to be friendly to the United Irishmen, and therefore unfriendly to them. Some of these were heard to say of the Friends, They even dare us by going through the streets, but they shall not go long ;" and they used many threats both by words and actions to intimidate the family. The young women, who were delicately brought up, sometimes walked to and from the Meeting-place at Forrest, about four Irish miles distant, without any male attendant, and experienced no molestation, even in the very height of the commotions; their parents from the infirmities of advanced age being unable to accompany them. On one of these occasions, having been more than usually threatened, they remarked that a strange dog, which they could not recollect to have ever seen before, followed, or rather accompanied them home, as an escort for some miles; and, on seeing them safe to the house, which he could not be prevailed upon to enter, left them. This might have been only an accidental occurrence, but it engaged their attention at the time; and, though simple in itself, may now prove nothing more than that their minds were not resting upon human help. Amongst the various menaces that were used to alarm the Society, some of the United Irishmen spoke "of converting the Quakers Meeting-house at Forrest into a Romish Chapel ;" and two boys were heard to say that "they would burn the Quakers in their place of worship the next meeting day." A member of that Meeting residing near, was also informed that the Meeting-house should be burned; and that he and his large family should be destroyed if he attempted to go there again; and in order to intimidate him the more, a blunderbuss was presented at him. Another Friend was also told by a woman, that she heard several persons declare, on the very day the Rebels were driven out of their camp near Ross, that the Quakers should never meet again at their Meeting-house in Forrest." Thus it appears that the same threat was held out to many families. It is worthy, however, of notice, that, notwithstanding individuals and whole families were thus threatened, in different places, few were deterred from the steady pursuit of what they considered to be the path of religious duty; and the fact is to be recorded, as a monument, not to their praise, but to the mercy of that Providence which watches over the weakest of his children who trust in him, that all the machinations and evil designs of their enemies, in this as in other instances, were signally confounded; for on the very morning of the next Meeting-day at Forrest, when so many were to be |