standing at my bedside, arrayed all in white, having a long and
broad white beard hanging down to his girdle-stead, who, taking me
by my right ear, spake these words following unto me:-'Sirrah! will
not you take time to translate that book which is sent unto you out
of Germany? I will shortly provide for you both place and time to
do it;' and then he vanished away out of my sight.

"Whereupon, being much thereby affrighted, I fell into an extreme
sweat, insomuch that my wife awaking, and finding me all over wet,
she asked me what I ailed. I told her what I had seen and heard;
but I never did heed nor regard visions nor dreams; and so the same
fell soon out of my mind.

"Then about a fortnight after I had seen that vision, on a Sunday, I
went to Whitehall to hear the sermon, after which ended I returned
to my lodging, which was then in King Street, at Westminster, and
sitting down to dinner with my wife, two Messengers were sent from
the whole Council-board, with a warrant to carry me to the keeper of
the Gatehouse, Westminster, there to be safely kept until further
order from the Lords of the Council, which was done without showing
me any cause {1} at all wherefore I was committed. Upon which said
warrant I was kept there ten whole years close prisoner, where I
spent five years thereof about the translating of the said book;
insomuch as I found the words very true which the old man, in the
aforesaid vision, did say unto me: 'I will shortly provide for you
both place and time to translate it.'

"Then, after I had finished the said translation in the prison, the
late Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Laud, understanding that I had
translated such a book, called Martin Luther's Divine Discourses,