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good friend , and with an obliging air put him on the road . Though the traveller was upon the reserve , yet his artful guide suspected him to be a dissenting minister . However , they parted in a friendly manner . Mr . O . went forward , and was to
preach next day at one Thomas Fenner's in Hope parish . The gentleman , fond of this mighty discovery , returned to his associates , and with them contrived how to surprize the preacher and people , for they presumed there would be a conventicle next day somewhere in that neighbourhood . It was agreed t& meet again the following day upon an adjacent high hill , where N under the pretence of hawking or some other diversion , they
might easily observe which way the poor , innocent and unwary people gathered . The stratagem took ; and when they descried the place , they soon dismounted , and surrounded it in a hostile manner , with guns and swords . To make sure of their prey , they secured the avenues leading to the house , placed centinels at the doors , to prevent the escape of any from within , while part of the company broke into the house , and profanely
disturbed the assembly in the midst of divine service . They took care to seize upon Mr . O . and also upon his Bible , which one of them , finding a Concordance bound up at the end of it , swore , was an unlawful Bible , and he should suffer for it . His notes were next inspected , which happening to be in Latin , a
language which they did not , it seems , understand , they swore again that he was a Jesuit ,-and they would prove it . After they had hectored a while , and terrified the poor people with threats of ruin , backed by horrid imprecations , they sent for a constable , who made them wait for about three hours . In the interim they had time to cool a little , and began to examine Mr . O . who till now had held his peace . They inquired about his
learning , and why he would not conform ? adding a gre&t many ensnaring questions about the king and government ; but not being able with all their artifice to trepan him , or draw fron \ any of the auditors any thing that would criminate him , they gave over . Mr . O . managed the discourse with so much
discretion , presence of mind , and force of reasoning , as at once confounded his opponents , and confirmed his friends in their dissenting principles * When the dilatory constable arrived , one of them took out a paper , and made the ignorant officer
believe it to be a warrant ; by virtue of which he and they now
drove Mr . CX and his hearers , like so many sheep , before them to Mould , a towa about 5 miles off . When they came there , one of the prosecuting zealots sent for Mr . C . J . a justice of the peace for that county , who treated Mr . O . and his fellow-prisoners in a very scurrilous manner ; but not knowing what to make of his Latin notes , he demanded help from the Vicar , who
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232 Biographical Sketches .
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Citation
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Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), May 2, 1806, page 232, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct1724/page/8/
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