SOON after receiving this short epistle William Penn set out on a tour in Holland and Germany.
"Being the first day of the week," he says, "I left my dear wife and family at Worminghurst, in Sussex, in the fear and love of God."
Being joined by Robert Barclay, George Fox, and other Friends, he took boat for Rotterdam ; and on June 9th the whole party arrived at Herford, and sent word to the Princess that they would visit her at any time that would be most proper.
"She sent us word," he says, "she was glad that we were come, and should be ready to receive us the next morning about the seventh hour."
Accordingly at that early hour the eight Friends were received by the Princess and Countess Anna "with more than ordinary expression of kindness." The "meeting" which followed appears to have lasted about four hours.
"The Princess," says friend William, "entreated us to stay and dine with her ; but we at that time refused it, desiring, if she pleased, another opportunity" (i.e. another meeting) "that day, which she with all cheerfulness yielded to, she herself appointing the second hour. So we went to our quarters, and some time after we had dined we returned,"
This second meeting appears to have lasted five hours, "which done, with hearts and souls filled with holy thanksgivings to the Lord, we departed to our lodgings, desiring to know whether our coming the next day might not be uneasy or unseasonable to her, with respect to the affairs of her government, it being the last day of the week ; when we were informed, she was most frequently attended with addresses from her people, But with a loving and ready mind she replied that she should be glad to see us the next morning, and at any time we would, therefore the next morning, being the seventh day, we were there betwixt eight and nine."
After holding a meeting with the servants, the Friends, having dined at their inn, returned to the Princess. Elizabeth then reminded friend William of a promise made in one of his letters, "that he would give her an account, at some convenient time, of his first convincement, and of those tribulations and consolations he had met withal in this way of the kingdom which God had brought him to."
" Before this was half done," he tells us, " it was supper-time, and the Princess would by no means let us go, we must sup with her ; which importunity not being well able to avoid, we yielded to, and sat down with her to supper. Among the rest present at these opportunities was a Frenchwoman of quality " (Mademoiselle de Reneval, before mentioned), " who from a light and slighting carriage towards the very name of a Quaker, became very intimately and affectionately kind and respectful to us.
" Supper being ended, we all returned to the Princess's chamber, where, making us all sit down with her, she, with both the countesses and the French woman, pressed from me the continuance of my relation, which, though late, I was not unwilling to oblige them with, because I knew not when the Lord would give me such an opportunity."
This conversation lasted till about ten at night, and "they heard me," says friend William, "with an earnest and tender attention, and made arrangements for a large meeting at the second hour next day, to which any townspeople who liked to come were to be invited."
Of this meeting William Penn says, " The quickening power and life of Jesus wrought and reached to those present, and virtue from Him, in whom dwelleth the Godhead bodily, went forth, and blessedly distilled upon us His own heavenly life, sweeter than the pure frankincense ; yea, than the sweet-smelling myrrh that cometh from a far country."
"As soon as the meeting was done the Princess came to me, and took me by the hand (which she usually did to all, coming and going), and went to speak to me of the sense she had of that power and presence of God that was amongst us, but was stopped. And turning herself to the window, broke forth in an extraordinary passion, crying out, ‘I cannot speak to you, my heart is full,' clasping her hands upon her breast.
"It melted me into a deep and cairn tenderness, in which I was moved to minister a few words softly to her, and after some time of silence she recovered herself; and as I was taking leave of her she interrupted me thus : Will ye not come hither again ? Pray call here as ye return out of Germany.'
" I told her we were in the hand of the Lord ; and being His, could not dispose of ourselves. But the Lord had taken care that we should not forget her, and those with her, for He had raised and begotten an heavenly concernment in our souls for her and them, and we loved them all with that love wherewith God had loved us.
" She then turned to the rest of the Friends, and would have had us all go to supper with her. But we chose rather to be excused ; we should eat a bit of her bread and drink a glass of her wine, if she pleased, in the chamber where we were. The countess, the Frenchwoman, and the countess's waiting-woman, stayed with us, and we had a very retired and seasonable opportunity with them.
"After the Princess had supped, we all went down and took our solemn leave of her, with all the rest of the family, whose hearts were reached and opened by our testimonies.
" So we left them in the love and peace of God, praying that they might be kept from the evil of this world."
The next morning Robert Barclay returned to Amsterdam, and friend William went on to Frankfort. " But," he says, " before we parted, we had a little time together in the morning in our chamber, whither came one of the Princess's family, and one of the town. The Lord moved me to call upon His great name, that He would be with them that stayed, and with them that returned also, and with us that went forward in wild and untrodden places."
Thus did the little party proceed on their various ways, their travels being chiefly performed in open carts, along bad and muddy roads. Friend William, after visiting many places, arrived on the last day of June at " Cullen " (Cologne), "a great popish city," where he met with "serious and tender people, who had desires after the Lord."
Whilst at Cologne, a letter reached him from the Princess Elizabeth, entreating him to go to Millheim, on the Ruhr, to visit the two pastors. One of these was Copper, the affianced lover of Mademoiselle de Reneval. Elizabeth thought that her young friend would be glad to hear tidings of her betrothed.
The other pastor was named Sybel. She also desired Penn to visit, if possible, the young Countess Charlotte of Falkenstein, living at the Castle of 13roich, near Mülheim.