would answer; which I
very much repented after, for it was not in my power immediately to send
my wife any supply, as I fell into the hands of a Master that was
neither kind nor considerate; and she was reduced to great distress, so
that she was oblig'd to sell the few goods that we had, and when I sent
for her was under the disagreeable necessity of parting with our bed.

When she came to _Norwich_ I hired a room ready furnished.--I
experienced a great deal of difference in the carriage of my Master from
what I had been accustomed to from some of my other Masters. He was very
irregular in his payments to me.--My wife hired a loom and wove all the
leisure time she had and we began to do very well, till we were
overtaken by fresh misfortunes. Our three poor children fell ill of the
small pox; this was a great trial to us; but still I was persuaded in
myself we should not be forsaken.--And I did all in my power to keep my
dear partner's spirits from sinking. Her whole attention now was taken
up with the children as she could mind nothing else, and all I could get
was but little to support a family in such a situation, beside paying
for the hire of our room, which I was obliged to omit doing for several
weeks: but the woman to whom we were indebted would not excuse us, tho'
I promised she should have the very first money we could get after my
children came about, but she would not be satisfied and had the cruelty
to threaten us that if we did not pay her immediately she would turn us
all into the street.

The apprehension of this plunged me in the deepest distress,
considering the situation of my poor babies: if they had been in health
I should have been less sensible of this misfortune. But My GOD, _still
faithful to his promise_, raised me a friend. Mr. Henry Gurdney, a
Quaker, a gracious gentleman heard of our distress, he sent a servant of
his own to the woman we hired the room of, paid our rent, and bought all
the goods with my wife's loom and gave it us all.

Some other gentlemen, hearing of his design, were pleased to assist him
in these generous acts, for which we never can be thankful enough; after
this my children soon came about; we began to do pretty well again; my
dear wife work'd hard and constant when she could get work, but it was
upon a disagreeable footing as her employ was so uncertain, sometimes
she could get nothing to do and at other times when the weavers of
_Norwich_ had orders from London they we