of money from a tender-hearted mother, since he, with all his accomplishments, had no certain profession to fall back upon for support. But in spite of all the ad- verse surroundini; circumstances, and the sad feelings of a sensitive heart, he continued with his whole soul to work in the holy cause he had embraced by deed, word, and writing. We may here observe it was princi- pally Penn, in connection with Robert Barclay, George Keith, and Samuel Fisher, who tempered the rude and irregular utterances of George Fox, and reduced them to a system of doctrine and discipline, the main features of which are still preserved as the rules of the Society of the Friends. The lirst essay published by Penn, under the title Tnith Exalted, was addressed to lay and clericals, to the king and the people, exhorting all to examine into the foundation of their faith, etc. On account of a succeeding publication. The Sandy Foun- dation Shaken, he had to undergo an imprisonment in the Tower (1668-C9). It was declared heretical, as, among other things, it attempted to refute '' that the Godhead existed in three separate persons." During this incarceration, when it was reported to him that the bishop of London had threatened, " Penn must either re- cant or die in it," he said, "Then the prison shall be my grave before I will budge a jot: my conscience I owe to no mortal man ;" and in this expected martyr- dom he wrote one of his most popular treatises. No Cross, no Crown; followed shortly after by another, In- nocency icith her Open Face, in which he acknowledged Christ's divinity. This latter pamphlet gave somewhat better satisfaction to the clergy, and the intercession of the duke of York with the king effected, after nearly nine months' confinement, his liberation. But in August, 1G()9, he was again arrested for preaching in the open street before the Friends" meeting-house, which was shut, and kept closed against them by a guard of soldiers. On the occasion of this trial before mayor (of London), re- corder, and aldermen, he made a most manly defence, not only of his own case, but of the liberties of the Eng- lish people so greatly involved in this case, and won from the jury an honest verdict of acquittal. The magistrate turned now in anger against the jury, and fined the members, and imprisoned them until the fine should be paid. An appeal, however, pronounced this absurd sen- tence, which would render the jurors only tools of the judge, illegal. Penn and IMead were fined for contempt of court, because they had kept their heads covered. The admiral settled this matter, although his son pro- tested. About this time a reconciliation took place be- tween father and son. The admiral's health had been of late fast declining, and he learned to see earthly things, however splendid, in a more sober light. Will- iam, too, had gained greatly in his esteem by the firm and able stand he had made in the last trial. Without being a Simeon, he could easily foresee the thorny paths, the persecutions and dangers, which such a char- acter would have to encounter, and with paternal solici- tude he made to the king and to the duke of York the dying request that they might extend to his son their protection. The promise was graciously given, and in after-years truly complied with on their side, and didy and gratofuUy appreciated by him on whom it was con- ferred. He remained at his father's l)edside, watching him with tender assiduity until he breathed his last, and liad even the gratification to hear from the lips of the dying man, "Let nothing in the world tempt you to wrong your conscience," etc., a confirmation of what William had contended for. Admiral Penn died Sept. 16, 1C70, and left William property yielding an annual reve- nue of £150t) (*7500),and a claim of £10,000 ($80,000) on the government, due for services and money advanced to the crown. Shortly after this event he was again committed by the lieutenant of the Tower rather arbi- trarily to the loathsome prison of Newgate for address- ing a meeting on the street on religious subjects, and refusing to take the oath of the Oxford Act, which, ac- cording to his view, applied only to persons in orders
addressing unlawful assemblies. He employed during this term of six months his pen busily in support of his principles and in defence of his society. Among the treatises issued from this dungeon stands pre-eminent for ability, learning, and charity. The Great Canse of Liberty of Conscience once more briejly Debated and De- fended by the Authority of Reason, Scripture, and An- tiquity, After the expiration of his imprisonment he visited the Continent on a religious mission, and travel- led through Holland and some parts of Germany. After his return to England (1G72) he married the daughter of Sir William Springett, of Darling, Sussex, and then connected with the Quakers by her mother, who had become the wife of Isaac Penington (q. v.). His domestic relations and the attention required for the management of his extensive private affairs did not abate his zeal in behalf of what he deemed true religion. He engaged either in controversies or in exposing the hardships to which his society was subjected by oppressive and un- equal laws. He also wrote during this period a treatise On Oaths, and another on the A'ecessity of Reliyious Tol- eration,m which he ventured to maintain that the civil affairs of all governments may be peaceably transacted under the different liveries or trims of religion. "So far from a government being weakened or endangered by a variety of religious sentiments," he writes, " it is, on the contrary, strengthened by them, provided that all are equally tolerated ; for it prevents combinations against the government."