conclave held there of the Independent
leaders, when it was resolved to bring the unfortunate king to the
block. I have often thought that it was well for us that my father was
a freeholder, owning the fee simple of Brandon Farm; for the gentry
around were now all become staunch Churchmen, though loyal to King
George II, and showing no favour to the young Pretender in his late
desperate rebellion. Of that, however, I remember little, being scarce
twelve years old when it occurred.

With the Rector of Brandon parish we held scant intercourse, except at
tithing time, when my father always received him with grim civility
and bade him take what the law gave him, since title from the Gospel
he had none. Our only friend in the neighbourhood was one Abner
Thurstan, a farmer who lived over the border in Blundell parish; but
as he was an Anabaptist--or Baptist as they were then beginning to
call themselves--and my father had a great contempt and dislike for
the visionary ideas of that sect, even he came but seldom to our
house. His daughter Patience was a great favourite with my mother; and
for that matter I did not dislike the child, and would oftentimes
pluck her an apple from our trees or cut a whistle for her out of a
twig of elder wood.

The man whom my father most held in esteem was Mr. Peter Walpole, a
wool factor of Norwich, and a very religious man. He had a great gift
in the expounding of Scripture and in prayer, and it was his custom
once in every month to ride over to our house from Norwich of a
Saturday and hold a service on the next day for such as chose to come.
This was before the Methodists had arisen in our parts, and there was
no other means of hearing the Gospel in country places, the Church
clergy being for the most part men of the world.

Lest I seem to be wandering from my story, let me say here that my
father had been in treaty with this Mr. Peter Walpole concerning my
apprenticeship to him in Norwich. After moping a long time at the
dullness of my life in Brandon I had plucked up courage to tell my
father that I would fain be abroad. He heard me less unkindly than I
had feared, and contrived this plan for settling me away from home for
a few years, after which, he was pleased to say, I might have sense
enough to wish to come back. Good Mr. Walpole came into the scheme
very readily, and I believe it was only a matter of fifty pounds
between them before the thing could be carried out; but each held
fi