PENN. 
543 
the profpeft of fufferings, which he confidered as 
inflifted for confcience fake : and he began to occupy his 
folitude with religious compofitions, the moil confidera- 
ble among which was a pradical treatil'e on the Chriftian 
religion, entitled “ No Crofs No Crown.” In this work 
Isis contemporary, Dr. Henry More, fays, he has treated 
the fubjeft of a future life, and the immortality of the 
foul, with a force and fpirit equal to moil writers. It has 
palTed through many editions. 
After near feven months’ durance, Penn wrote to the 
fecretary of date, lord Arlington, requefting to be heard 
in his own defence before the king, and complaining 
warmly of the manner in which his fentiments had been 
mifrepreferited by his enemies. In this letter feveral juft 
and noble fentiments occur. He tells his lordihip, “ that 
he is at a lofs to imagine how a diverfity of religious opi¬ 
nions can affeft the iafety of the (late, feeing that king¬ 
doms and commonwealths have lived under the balance 
of divers parties. He conceives that they only are unfit 
for political fociety, who maintain principles fubverfive 
of induftry, fidelity, juftice, and obedience; but to fay 
that men mud form their faith of things proper to ano¬ 
ther world according to the prefcriptions of other mor¬ 
tal men in this, and, if they do not, that they have no 
right to be at liberty or to live in this, is both ridiculous 
and dangerous. He maintains that the underftanding 
can never be convinced by other arguments than what are 
adequate to its own nature. Force may make hypocrites, 
but can make no converts, &c. &c,” He now likewife 
publifhed a ihort piece, entitled “ Innocency with her 
open Face, prefen ted byway of Apology for the Book 
entitled The Sandy Foundation ihaken.” He here fays, 
“that which I am credibly informed to be the greateil 
reafon of my imprifonment, and of that noife of blaf- 
pbemy which hath pierced fo many ears of late, is my de¬ 
nying the divinity of Chrift, and diveiling him of his 
eternal Godhead ; which moll bufily has been fuggefted, 
as well to thofe in authority, as malicioufly inlinuated 
among the people.” In confutation of which charges, he 
proceeds to prove from Scripture the Godhead of Cbrifl. 
Both of thefe traffs were republilhed in the collection of 
his works, in folio, 1771 ; and the reader, who defires to 
obtain a juft view of his fentiments on the feveral contro¬ 
verted points, will do well to compare them with each 
other, and with his doftrinal works at large. Soon after 
this explanatory defence, Penn was liberated from the 
Tower ; and went to Ireland, where he fee ms to have been 
occupied for twelve months in the care of his father’s ef- 
tate, and in various fervices to his friends, the Quakers; 
after which he returned to England. 
In the year 1670, the Quakers, being perfecuted by 
fome magiftrates under the aft againft conventicles, were 
forcibly kept out of their meeting-houfe in Gracechurch- 
ftreef. They met as near it as they could, in the ftreet, 
agreeably to their praftice in fuch cafes ; and their firm- 
nefs herein eventually procured them the free exercife of 
their right. On the occafion alluded to, Penn, preach¬ 
ing in the ftreet, was apprehended by warrant from fir 
Samuel Starling, lord-mayor, and committed to Newgate. 
At the next feftions at the Old Bailey he was indifted, 
along with William Mead, another eminent Quaker, for 
meeting in, and confpiring to preach to, an unlawful and 
tumultuous affembly. He made, fays his biographer, a 
brave defence, difcovering both the free fpirit of an Eng- 
lilhman, and the undaunted magnanimity of a Chriftian 5 
infomuch that, notwithftanding the molt partial frowns 
and menaces of the bench, the jury acquitted them both. 
It ought to be added, that this jury exhibited an inftance 
of firm perfevering juftice under mod tyrannical and in¬ 
decorous treatment by the court, worthy of the notice 
and remembrance of every Englilhman. They were fined 
forty marks each for the verdict which they had brought in, 
and ordered to he imprifoned till the fines were paid. But 
this dangerous afl'umption of power was afterwards ad¬ 
judged illegal by the court of Common Pleas, on which 
Vol. XIX. No. 1323. 
occafion the chief juftice Vaughan diftinguiftied himfelf 
by a very able fpeech in vindication of the rights of juries. 
The trial of Penn and Mead is inferted in the colleftion 
of Penn’s Works, and has been alfo publifhed feparately. 
(See Monthly Mag.' Mar. 1811.) 
Not long after this event admiral Penn died, perfectly 
reconciled to his fon, to whom he left an eftate of 1500!. 
per annum. Penn engaged about this time in a public 
difpute, at Wycombe, with Jeremy Ives, a celebrated 
Baptift, on the univerfality of a divine light in the minds 
of men; which doftrine Ives undertook to difprove, but 
feems to have quitted the field to his antagonift imme¬ 
diately afterdating his argument. In the month called 
February, 1670-1, Penn was again committed, on the pre¬ 
text of preaching publicly, to Newgate, where he re¬ 
mained fix months. It is obfervabie that he had recently 
publifhed a piece in favour of liberty of confcience, and 
another entitled “ A feafonable Caveat againft Popery 
the one probably often five to the intolerant clergy, the 
other to the court. At his commitment he held a fpi- 
rited dialogue on perfecution with fir John Robinfon, 
lieutenant of the Tower; at the clofe of which, the let¬ 
ter calling for an officer with a file of mufketters, “ No,, 
no,” faid Penn, “fend thy lacquey, I know the way la 
Newgate. ” 
Early in 1672 he married Gulielmfi Maria, daughter 
of fir William Springett, formerly of Darling in Suffiex„ 
He fettled at Rickmanfworth, Herts, continuing to ren¬ 
der fervice, both by preaching and writing, to the reli¬ 
gious caufe in which he was now engaged for life. Nor 
did he negleft an attention to the intereils of his country, 
but publifhed, in this year, a pamphlet entitled “ The 
propofed Comprehenfion foberly and not unfeafonably 
confidered and, in 1675, a larger work, the title of 
which is, “ England’s prefent Intereft confidered, with 
Honour to the Prince and Safety to the People, in Anfwsr 
to this one Queftion, What is moft fit, eafy, and fafe, at 
this- Junfture of Affairs, to be done for quieting of Dif¬ 
ferences, allaying the Heat of contrary Interefts, and mak¬ 
ing them fubfervient to the Intereft of the Government, 
and confiftent with the Profperity of the Kingdom ?” 
The year 1675 made a commencement of Penn’s con¬ 
nexion with the North-American colonies. A moiety 
of the province of New-Jerfey having been granted by 
Charles II. to fir George Berkeley, he fold his intereft in 
it to one Billinge, a Quaker, who, being embarraffed in 
his circumftances, transferred his right in trull to Wil¬ 
liam Penn and two others, for payment of his debts. 
Through their means, that moiety, named Weft New-Jer¬ 
fey, became fettled principally by Quakers; and, through 
the prudent conduft of the truftees and fettlers, it foon 
put on the appearance of a fiourifliing colony, which it has 
ever fince maintained. 
In 1677, Penn, in company with George Fox, Robert 
Barclay, and others, went over to Holland, and a (lifted at 
a general meeting of the Friends in thofe parts, held for 
the purpofe of fettling their, religious difeipline ; and, 
thofe at Dantzic being under perfecution, Penn wrote, in 
their name, an Addrefs to the King of Poland, with a 
Confeffion of Faith, and a requeft that he would interpofe 
for them. He then proceeded with Barclay to Herwer- 
den, the court of the princefs Elizabeth of the Rhine, elder 
filler of Sophia eleftrefs of Hanover, on whom the fucceftion 
of the crown of England was afterwards fettled. Their ob- 
jeft was a religious vifit to this princefs and the countefs of 
Hornes, her companion, both Proteftants, and the former 
efteemed one of the mod learned of her fex in that age. 
Some correfpondence, begun upon the report of their 
extraordinary piety, had opened the way for a perfonal in¬ 
terview. Penn and his companion were well received at 
Herwerden : a correfpondence by letter was afterwards 
kept up between the former and the princefs 5 and, Ihe dy¬ 
ing in 1680, he inferted in the fecond edition of his “No 
Crofs no Crown” a teftimony to her highly-exemplary 
charafter. In returning through Germany and Holland, 
6 Z he: 
