CONVINCEMENT OF A MILITARY OFFICER. DAVID SANDS, in a letter to his wife in 1798, relates the following circumstance to have occurred during his gospel mission in Ireland about that time.

Some convincement has appeared in the course of my late journey, and that amongst the men mighty in war. A person who had long approved himself one of the most fearless and undaunted, and an officer of no inferior rank, having sat with us in several meetings which I had in a town that had been besieged, where many lives were lost, and from which the clergy had fled, invited me to his house to breakfast. After it was over, I had a religious opportunity with himself and his family, when he was much tendered and reached, as he had been in meeting before. He arose, and stripping off his military dress, and laying by his sword, asked for some other garments, saying to his wife and children, I shall never fight more, for I am convinced it is not in accordance with the spirit of Christ.'

'Since this,' adds David Sands, he appears very solid, and I hope he will make a valiant man in the cause of Christ.'-(Memoir of D. SANDS, p. 180.)

D

THE WARRANT.

IN Fifth Month, 1660, a meeting for worship at Kingston Lisle, in Berkshire, was entered by some of the county militia, who wounded several with the points of their swords, pulling some by the hair, breaking their heads, and cruelly beating others with many insults. Being desired to show the commission by which they acted, one of them held up his sword, saying, This is my warrant.'-(Besse.)

FORTITUDE, AND SINGULAR PRESERVATION. A PARTY of the King's army, stationed at Newtown-bary, in Ireland (during the Rebellion in 1798), came to Ferns to disperse the United Irishmen, who held possession of the place. The latter at first made some demonstration as if they would risk a battle; but seeing that the regular troops opposed to them were provided with cannon, they fled away from the town. On hearing that the army were coming in, a Friend stood at his own door, lest he should be suspected of being an enemy. When the military came near it, one of the soldiers stepping out of ranks, presented a gun at his breast, and was on the point of drawing the trigger, when the

Friend called out to him 'to desist from murder.' The soldier, like one struck with amazement, immediately let the gun fall from his shoulder; and presently his officers interfered for the Friend's protection, whose life was thus providentially preserved.-(HANCOCK's Peace Exemplified.)

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INJUSTICE OF A JUSTICE' (SO CALLED). IN 1665, Armorer, a justice of the peace (so called) in Berkshire, sent for some Friends. Coming before him with their hats on, he ordered his servant to take them off, and fill them with water. Seeing the injustice of this silly act, his servant was reluctant to do it'; but Armorer kicked him, and forced him to do it against his will. When the hats were filled with water, he ordered the constable to put them on their heads, which he refused to comply with, and throwing the water out, returned them to the Friends, who were afterwards committed by Armorer to the House of Correction for six months.-(Besse.)

ON WOMEN'S PREACHING.

JOHN STICKLAND, a respectable and serious man, a local preacher among the Methodists, used to

relate the following anecdote to his friends. In conversing once with a dissenting minister, on the subject of the Ministry of Women, he told J. S., that, some time before, he had himself delivered a discourse against the practice, from that passage, "I suffer not a woman to teach." After returning home, he had occasion to call his little girl to dinner. She tarried a little, being busied in reading the Bible, "I asked her why she came not sooner?" She said, "O, father, I am reading something so pretty." "What is it?" said I. She replied, "Paul went into Philip's house, and he had four daughters that did preach; "—remarking, "the word in our version is prophecy, but I looked," said she, "at the Greek, and found that it should be translated preached." The minister added, "I felt mortified to think my own little girl should pull down all my sermon; but I perceived my error, and hope I shall never speak against women's preaching any more."

SUFFERINGS OF KATHARINE EVANS.

KATHARINE EVANS was the wife of John Evans, a Friend who lived near Bath, 'a man of considerable estate,' who bore a good testimony to

the truth, and was on that account several times imprisoned. In 1664, he laid down his life in prison, for obeying our Saviour's command, Swear not at all.'

Katharine Evans and Sarah Cheevers were amongst the earliest Friends who visited Scotland, being there in the year 1654. In 1657, 'for exhorting the people to repentance,' at Salisbury, she was stripped and tied to a whipping-post in the market, and there whipped;' for 'she travelled in many countries, and suffered much for her testimony.' In 1658, she, with Sarah Cheevers, went towards Alexandria, but the ship putting in at Malta, the Friends going ashore were soon taken up, and suffered a dreadful confinement in the inquisition; of which an account is published.

After their return to England, they travelled in the service of truth in England and Ireland. In the year 1694, in which her husband died, she and Sarah Cheevers, her companion, were imprisoned at Wirdscombe; and in 1666, she was imprisoned at Welshpool, in Montgomeryshire.

In 1682, we find her amongst the Friends who suffered a cruel imprisonment in Newgate, in London, where, indeed, she appears frequently to have been; and in 1682, she was one of the