542 
P E 
twelfth year, was already glowing with a fenfihility to re¬ 
ligion, which eventually unfitted him for the employ¬ 
ments of a corrupt court, and gave him to others of a 
more honourable and beneficent nature. He was placed 
firftat Chigwell fchooi in Effex ; then at a private academy 
on Tower Hill, with the advantage befides of a tutor ; 
and laftly, in 1660, entered a gentleman commoner of 
Chrift-Church college. He continued at Oxford two 
years, and was intimate with Robert Spencer, afterwards 
earl of Sunderland, and with John Locke. Though fond 
at this time of youthful fports, die had ftrong religious 
impreffions; and, together with fome other ftudents 
withdrew from the national way of worfhip to hold private 
meetings, at which they preached and prayed among 
themfelves. This conduct; gave great offence to the 
heads of the college; and a large fine, with fuitable ad¬ 
monitions, were impofed upon the young nonconformift. 
J uft at this critical period, an order was unluckily received 
from court to refume the ufe of the furplice, which it 
teems had been dilcontinued almoft ever fince the period 
of the Reformation; and the fight of this unfortunate 
veftment “ operated,” as Mr. Clarkfon exprefies it, “fo 
(lifagreeabh/ on William Penn, that he could not bear it; 
and, joining himfelf with fome other young gentlemen, 
he fell upon thofe ftudents who appeared in furplices, and 
tore them every-where over their heads.” This, we con¬ 
ceive, was not quite correCV, even as a Quaker proceed¬ 
ing; and was but an unpromifing beginning for the fu¬ 
ture champion of religious liberty. Its natural confe- 
quence, however, was, that he and his afl'ociates were, 
without further ceremony, expelled from the univerfity; 
and, when he went home to his father, and attempted 
to juftify by argument the meafures he had adopted, it 
was nolefs natural that the good admiral fhould give him 
a box on the ear, and turn him out at the door. 
The patience of young Penn held out under this rough 
treatment, until (parental affeftion taking place of anger, 
and pcffibly fuggefting the expedient) his father conclu¬ 
ded to fend him, in company with fome perfons of rank, 
on a tour to France. This took place in 1662. Here, 
though he fpent fome time in ftudy under the celebrated 
Proteftant preacher MdfesAmyrault, the very different con¬ 
vention of other afl'ociates at length diverted his thoughts 
from religion. He had howeveracquired the language, to¬ 
gether with the poliftied manners, of the French, when, in 
1664., hewas recalled by his father fromTurin, to which place 
he had proceeded from Saumur, the refidence of Amyrault. 
The admiral joyfully received his fon, concluding the 
main point (of his fitnefs for promotion) was now gained. 
He was admitted of Lincoln’s Inn to ftudy the law, where 
he continued till the breaking out of the peftilence; foon 
after which, being now twenty-two years of age, his fa¬ 
ther put under his management a confiderable eftate in 
Ireland, and be went to refide in that kingdom. 
In fclitude, the religious ftruggle in Penn’s breaft re¬ 
vived. On the one hand, natural vivacity, perfonal accom- 
plifhments, and the refpeCt and favour of his friends, at¬ 
tracted his regard to the prefent world : on the other, de¬ 
votion, and an indelible fenfe of duty, fixed his contem¬ 
plations on the next. He had been affe&ed, about ten 
years before this time, by the preaching of Thomas Loe, 
a Quaker; and, being at Cork, was informed of a meeting 
for worfhip, then about to be convened, as it feems, by 
defire of the fame perfon. Penn attended it, and Loe 
delivered a difcourfe, beginning with the words, “ There 
is a faith that overcomes the world, and there is a faith 
riiat is overcome by the world on which he is faid to 
have expatiated with much clearnefs and energy. His 
doftrine agreeing with the previous experience and pre¬ 
lent difpofition of Penn, he now inclined to enter into a 
communion with the Quakers, and from this time con- 
ftantly attended their meetings. At one of thefe held at 
Cork, November 1667, he, with many others, was appre¬ 
hended by order of the mayor, who would have liberated 
Penn upon his giving bond for his good behaviour j but 
3 
N N. 
\ 
the latter, deeming the meeting no mifdemeanour, re- 
fufed bond, and was fent to prifon with the reft. He 
wrote a few lines to the earl of Orrery, containing ex¬ 
ceptions to the mayor’s proceedings, an argument again ft 
perfecution, and a requeft “for the fpeedy relealement of 
ail” who had been committed on the occafion. The 
earl contented himfelf with ordering Penn’s difcharge. 
His father, being informed by a nobleman of his ac¬ 
quaintance of the danger his fon was in of being prof'e- 
lyted to Quakerifm, remanded him home, and was readily 
obeyed. Penn had now again to pafs through the ordeal 
of parental difpleafure; and in this a principal objeCf 
feems to have been, his continuance in the exterior of 
his education, or, as his biographer has it, in the cuftoms 
and falhions of the age. But lb fixed was he in the refo- 
lution to follow what heefteemed a manifeftation of the will 
of God in his confcience to the contrary, that, although 
he behaved on thefe occafions with Chriftian meeknefs . 
and filial affeftion, neither threats nor entreaties could 
move his conftancy. The honour of the hat (in thefe 
times a matter of no light efteem) was efpecially contend¬ 
ed for by the pun&ilious admiral; who, at halt, would 
have tolerated his fon in other inftances of nonconformity, 
on condition that he fhould be uncovered before the 
king, the duke of York, and himfelf. Penn took time 
to confider of this propofal in fecret; he even made it a 
fubjeCt of fading and fupplication to God to be directed 
aright; and he at length deliberately refufed the terms. 
This was facrificing much to fincerity and confiftency in 
his profeflion ; for his father, upon this, finding his hopes 
of the courtier at an end, Could no longer endure the)oii 
in his prefence, and he was a fecond time driven from the 
paternal manfion. His integrity was now put to a fevere 
proof: it appears, that he found a fhelter among his 
adopted friends the Quakers,, while his mother privately 
fupplied his wants. At length the admiral relented, fo 
far as to wink at his return to the family ; and when, in 
confequence of being found at religious meetings (by 
the ftate then called feditious conventicles), he was at 
any time imprifoned, would privately ufe his influence 
to get him releafed. 
The talents of Penn were foon devoted to the fupport 
of the doCtrine he had efpoufed. He became a preacher 
among the Quakers, and publifhed, in 1668, on their be¬ 
half, a piece entitled “ Truth exalted.” Another occafion, 
however, more important in its confequences, prefently 
occurred. A preacher named Thomas Vincent, irrita¬ 
ted by the going over of two of his hearers to the Quakers, 
accufed the latter of holding erroneous do&rine concern¬ 
ing the Trinity. A difpute was held in confequence, in 
a meeting-houfe belonging to a prefbyterian congregation 
in London, chiefly between Vincent on the one part, and 
George Whitehead, an eminent Quaker, on the other 5 
but the difpute ended for the prefent to the fatisfaCtion 
of neither fide. In profecution of the controverfy thus 
railed, Penn wrote a piece with the following title: “ The 
fandy Foundation Ihaken, or thofe fo generally believed 
and applauded DoCtrines, of one God fubfifting in three 
diftinCt and feparate Perfons; the Impoflibility of God’s 
pardoning Sinners; a plenary Satisfaction ; the J unifica¬ 
tion of impure Perfons by an imputative Righteoufnefs ; 
refuted from the Authority of Scripture and right Rea- 
fon.” The difpute with Vincent had excited much at¬ 
tention. This publication did more; it ftirred up the 
vindictive fpirit of intolerance. It was evil fpoken of, 
fays Sewel, the hiftorian of the Quakers; and not long- 
after Penn w f as committed to the Tower; and, as fome 
thought, not without his father’s being acquainted with 
it, perhaps to prevent a worfe treatment. From what 
quarter this was apprehended we fhall fee prefently; for 
Penn being thus fecured in the Tower, and denied the 
accefs of his friends, his fervant one day brought him 
word (as it feems, from the admiral) that the billiop of 
London w-as refolved he fhould either publicly recant, or 
die a prifoner. His reply evinced a mind unterrified at 
