Previous to this time, he generally resided at Ury with his father; but in this year he went to London, and from thence to Holland, accompanied by William Penn, the celebrated proprietor of the province of Pennsylvania. These religious men travelled in Hol land and Germany, visiting their friends, and dissemi nating their doctrines. They waited upon Elizabeth, princess palatine of the Rhine, at her residence at Herwerden, and were kindly received. She seems to have adopted their opinions, for she openly patronised the Quakers ; but her friendship for Barclay was sin cere and unfeigned, and lasted during life. She fre quently wrote to him with her own hand ; and al ways promoted his views at the court of England as far as her influence could be of service to him or his ' friends. When he returned to he learned that his father ...id other Quakers were imprisoned in Aberdeen for holding meetings in that city. He therefore presented a memorial in their behalf to Charles II., which was delivered by himself into the king's own hand, who caused his Secretary of State, the Duke of Lauderdale, to underwrite upon it a fa vourable reference to the council of Scotland, which had the desired effect, as they soon after obtained their liberty.
In this year (1676) he published " The Apology for true Christian Divinity," in Latin, at Amsterdam, which is the most celebrated of his works. It is de dicated to King Charles the II. The dedication is remarkable for the freedom and boldness of sentiment and language in which his majesty is addressed. " Thou hast tasted," he says, " of prosperity and adversity. Thou knowest what it is to be banished thy native country ; to be overruled, as well as to rule and sit upon the throne ; and being oppressed, thou bast reason to know how hateful the oppressor is both to God and man. If, after all these warn ings, and advertisements, thou dost not turn to the Lord with all thy heart, but forget Him who re membered thee in thy distress, and give up thyself to folly, lust, and vanity; surely great will be thy condem nation." " The Apology" is reared on the " Theses Theologicte," being an exposition of the fifteen pro positions contained in that work. The author's' ge neral plan is, to state the position he means to esta blish, and to support it by scripture quotations appli cable to the case, or to deduce the truth of it. by an argument in the form of a syllogism. By this learn ed work he acquired great celebrity, as a deep theolo gian, profoundly skilled in the scriptures, the fathers, and church history. His next publication, which also appeared this year, is entitled, the " Anarchy of the and it is a vindication of the society from the imputation of disorderly parties in their discipline, of which they were accused by their adversaries.
About the end of September, the Apologist re turned to Ury ; and although he had obtained his fa ther's release from confinement, he was not able to protect himself. On the 7th November 1676, he was committed to prison in Aberdeen along with.several other Quakers, for holding meetings tor public wor ship ; and did not regain his liberty until the 9th April 1677. 'While in prison he wrote a treatise entitled, " Universal Love considered and established upon its right foundation," which was published after his release.
He left Ury in May, and went to London to ex ert himself for the deliverance of the Quakers of the north, who were still harassed by imprisonment and fines, for holding meetings at Aberdeen in contra-, vention, as it was alleged, of a statute enacted against armed field conventicles ; which evidently did not ap ply to these peaceable people. From Theobald's near. London, lie wrote to the Princess Palatine on this subject, in which he gives an account of a conversa tion that had passed between him and the Duke of York relative to the sufferings of the Quakers. It appears by this letter, that he had addressed his Royal Highness in, very plain language, for he says, " I told him, I understood from Scotland, that, notwith standing Lauderdale was there, and had promised to do something before he went, yet our friends' bonds were rather increased ; and that there was only one thing to be done, which I desired of him, and that was, to write effectually to the Duke of Lauderdale in that style wherein Lauderdale might understand that he was serious in the business, and did really in tend the thing he did write concerning, should take. effect ; which I knew he might do, and I supposed the other might answer ; which he would do, must acknowledge as a great kindness. But if he did write and not in that manner, so that the other might not suppose him to be serious, I would rather he would excuse himself the trouble ; desiring withal to excuse my plain manner of dealing, as being different from the court way of soliciting : all which he seem ed to take in good part, and said he would write as I desired." He soon after returned to Ury, and was permitted to enjoy the full exercise of his religion un-. molested, until the 9th November 1679, when he was taken out of a meeting at Aberdeen, as well as seve. ral of his friends ; but they were discharged in a few hours, and never afterwards disturbed by the magis trate.