A True Hero: A Story of the Days of William Penn
Quakers gain but scant courtesy or justice.”

These last remarks were made as Mead, with a constable on either side of him, was being led off with William Penn to the Guildhall.

The old Commonwealth officer and his son followed as close behind them as the shouting, jeering mob would allow them; Christison revolving in his mind how he should act best to render assistance to his old friend. At length they arrived at the hall where the Lord Mayor was sitting for the administration of justice.

Captain Christison and his son entered with others who found their way into the court. A short, though somewhat corpulent-looking gentleman, with ferrety eyes and rubicund nose, telling of numerous cups of sack which had gone down between the thick lips below it, occupied the magisterial chair.

“Who are these knaves?” he exclaimed, in a gruff voice, casting a fierce glance at the young William Penn and his companion, Captain Mead. “What! ye varlets, do you come into the presence of the Lord Mayor of London with your hats on? Ho! ho! I know you now,” he exclaimed, as an officer handed him a paper, while he turned his eyes especially on Penn. “Let me tell you, if you pay not proper respect to the court, I will have you carried to Bridewell and well whipped, you varlet, though you are the son of a Commonwealth admiral! Do you hear me, sirrah?”

“By my troth,” whispered Christison to his son. “I should like to rush in with my sword and stop that foul-speaking varlet’s mouth, Lord Mayor of London though he be. And now I look at him, I remember him well, Master Starling, a brawling supporter of the Protector when he was seated firmly at the head of Government. And now see, he is louder still in carrying out the evil designs of this Charles Stuart and his myrmidons.” These words, though said in a low voice, were not altogether inaudible to some of the by-standers.

“Beware!” said some one at his elbow.

To this tirade of the Lord Mayor, the young gentleman made no answer. “Do you hear me, sirrah?” he exclaimed again; “I speak to you, William Penn. You and others have unlawfully and tumultuously been assembling and congregating yourselves together for the purpose of creating a disturbance of the peace, to the great terror and annoyance of His Majesty’s liege people and subjects, and to the ill example of all others; and you have, in contempt of the law of the land, been preaching to a concourse of people whom you tumultuously assembled for the 
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