And when all the resources of royalty were ready munificently to
reward him, he, like Moses, preferred the rescue of his suffering
friends to personal honours or emoluments--even to all the riches
of England!

The efforts of Carver and Moore were followed by most earnest
appeals for mercy by George Whitehead, who with Moore appeared before
the king in council several times, until at length the royal word
sanctioned this act of mercy. The Quakers were then appealed to by
sufferers of other denominations, and advised them to obtain the
permission of the king in council, that their names might be inserted
in the deed; rendering them all the assistance that was in their
power. Great difficulties were encountered in passing the cumbrous
deed through the various offices, and then in pleading it in all
parts of the country. The number of Quakers thus released from
imprisonment was 471, being about the same number as those who had
perished in the jails. The rest of the prisoners liberated by this
deed were Baptists and Independents, and among the former was JOHN
BUNYAN.

A very circumstantial narrative of these proceedings, copies of the
minutes of the privy council, and other documents, will be found
in the introduction to The Pilgrim's Progress.[278] One of these
official papers affords an interesting subject of study to an
occasional conformist. It is the return of the sheriff of Bedfordshire,
stating that ALL the sufferings of Bunyan--his privation of liberty,
sacrifice of wife, children, and temporal comforts, with the fear
of an ignominious death--were for refusing to attend his parish
church and hear the Common Prayer service.