at travail has there been to bring thee forth and preserve
thee from such as would abuse and defile thee! O that thou mayest be
kept from the evil that would overwhelm thee; that faithful to the God
of mercies in the life of righteousness, thou mayest be preserved to the
end. My soul prays to God for thee that thou mayest stand in the day of
trial, that thy children may be blessed of the Lord, and thy people
saved by thy power. My love to thee has been great, and the remembrance
of thee affects mine heart and mine eye. The God of eternal strength
keep and preserve thee to his glory and peace."

VII

AT THE COURT OF JAMES THE SECOND, AND "IN RETIREMENT"

When Penn left the province in 1684, he expected to return speedily, but
he did not see that pleasant land again until 1699. The fifteen
intervening years were filled with contention, anxiety, misfortune, and
various distresses.

In the winter of 1684-85, Charles II. died, and the Duke of York, his
brother, succeeded him as James II. And James was the patron and good
friend of William Penn. But the king was a Roman Catholic. One of his
first acts upon coming to the throne was to go publicly to mass. He was
privately resolved upon making the Roman Church supreme in England. Penn
was stoutly opposed to the king's religion. In his "Seasonable Caveat
against Popery," as well as in his other writings, he had expressed his
dislike with characteristic frankness. That he had himself been accused
of being a Jesuit had naturally impelled him to use the strongest
language to belie the accusation. Nevertheless, William Penn stood by
the king. He sought and kept the position of favorite and agent of the
court. He upheld, and so far as he could, assisted, the projects of a
reign which, had it continued, would probably have contradicted his most
cherished principles, abolished liberty of conscience, and made an end
of Quakers.

This perplexing inconsistency, which is the only serious blot on Penn's
fair fame, appears to have been the result of two convictions.

He was sure, in the first place, of the honesty of the king; he believed
in him with all his heart. James had been true to the trust reposed in
him by William's father. He had befriended William, taking him out of
prison, increasing his estates, granting his petitions. "Anybody," said
Penn, "that has the least pretense to good-nature, gratitude, or
generosity, must needs know how to interpret my access to the king.