The Life of William Penn; With Selections from His Correspondence and Auto-Biography

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: LIFE OF WILLIAM PENN. CHAPTER I. His birth and Parentage; Education; Expelled from Oxford for nonconformity; Sent to France; Returns and enters Lincoln's Inn; Goes to Ireland; Assists in quelling a Mutiny; Prospect of a Captaincy; Correspondence with his father; Hears Thomas Loe a second time; Convinced of Friends' principles; Imprisoned; Released and returns to England; His Father's displeasure; His expulsion from home. 1644-67. It is the purpose of this work to narrate the life and delineate the character of William Penn; a man alike distinguished for his moral qualities and mental endowments; his sufferings and his success; his labors as an author, a gospel minister, and a Christian legislator; who, having wisely improved the talents intrusted to him, has left his impress upon the world, and bequeathed to posterity an example that will not soon be forgotten. His father is known in history as Vice-Admiral Sir William Penn, a distinguished commander in the British Navy during the wars of the Commonwealth and in the reign of Charles II., who conferred on him the honor of knighthood, as a reward for his services in a great victory gained over the Dutch, commanded by Admiral Opdam. Sir William Penn married early in life Margaret, the daughter of John Jasper, of Rotterdam, by whom he left two sons?theyounger of whom survived him only thre years?and one daughter. William, the elder son, who is the subject of thisVork, was born in the parish called St. Catherine's, near the Tower of London, on the 14th day of October, (then the 8th month), A. D., 1644.J Admiral Penn being possessed of an ample estate, and desirous that his son William should become distinguished in the world, determined to give him a liberal education. At an early age he was sent to a free g...