satisfied, and I was
baptized by Doctor Gifford with some others. I then made known my
intentions of being married; but I found there were many objections
against it because the person I had fixed on was poor. She was a widow,
her husband had left her in debt, and with a child, so that they
persuaded me against it out of real regard to me.--But I had promised
and was resolved to have her; as I knew her to be a gracious woman, her
poverty was no objection to me, as they had nothing else to say against
her. When my friends found that they could not alter my opinion
respecting her, they wrote to Mr. Allen, the Minister she attended, to
persuade her to leave me; but he replied that he would not interfere at
all, that we might do as we would. I was resolved that all my wife's
little debt should be paid before we were married; so that I sold almost
every thing I had and with all the money I could raise cleared all that
she owed, and I never did any thing with a better will in all my Life,
because I firmly believed that we should be very happy together, and so
it prov'd, for she was given me from the LORD. And I have found her a
blessed partner, and we have never repented, tho' we have gone through
many great troubles and difficulties.

My wife got a very good living by weaving, and could do extremely well;
but just at that time there was great disturbance among the weavers; so
that I was afraid to let my wife work, least they should insist on my
joining the rioters which I could not think of, and, possibly, if I had
refused to do so they would have knock'd me on the head.--So that by
these means my wife could get no employ, neither had I work enough to
maintain my family. We had not yet been married a year before all these
misfortunes overtook us.

Just at this time a gentleman, that seemed much concerned for us,
advised me to go into Essex with him and promised to get me employed.--I
accepted his kind proposal, and he spoke to a friend of his, a Quaker, a
gentleman of large fortune, who resided a little way out of the town of
_Colchester_, his name was _Handbarar_; he ordered his steward to set me
to work. There were several employed in the same way with myself. I was
very thankful and contented though my wages were but small.--I was
allowed but eight pence a day, and found myself; but after I had been in
this situation for a fortnight, my Master, being told that a Black was
at work for him, had an inclination to see me. H