Wesley Corpus

“ After I left Wednesbury, I stayed two nights at Nottingham, and had large congregations. But while I was meeting the society the second night, there came a mob, raging as if they would pull the house to the ground. Assoonas we had done meeting, the constable came and seized me, and said, I must go before the mayor, for making a riot. So he took me by the arm, and led me through the streets, the mob accompanying us with curses and huzzas. God gave me as we went, to speak very plain to the constable, and to all that ‘rere near me: till one cried out, ‘Don’t carry him to the mayor, for he js a friend to the Methodists, but to alderman ----.’ Upon this he tur! ed, and led me to the alderman’s. When we were brought in, he said, ‘Sir, I have brought you another Methodist preacher.’ He asked my name, and then said, ‘I wonder you cannot stay at home: you see the mob won’t suffer you to preach in this town.’ I said, ‘I did not know this town was governed by the mob; most towns are governed by the magistrates.’ He said, ‘ What, do you expect us to take your parts, when you take the people from their work ?? I said, ‘ Sir, you are wrong informed; we preach at five in the morning, and seven at night: and these are the hours when most people are in 308 REV. J. WESLEY’S JOURNAL. [ May, 1746 their beds in the morning, and at night, either at play or at the alehouse.