Joseph Alleine (baptised 8 April 1634 – 17 November 1668) was an English Nonconformist pastor and author of many religious works. Life Alleine belonged to a family that had originally settled in Suffolk. As early as 1430, some of the descendants of Alan, Lord of Buckenhall settled in Wiltshire around Calne and Devizes. These were the immediate ancestors of "worthy Mr Tobie Alleine of Devizes", father of Joseph, who was the fourth of a large family, born at Devizes early in 1634. His elder brother Edward, who was a clergyman, died in 1645; and Joseph entreated his father that he might be educated to succeed his brother in the ministry. In April 1649 he entered Lincoln College, Oxford, and on 3 November 1651 he became scholar of Corpus Christi College. On 6 July 1653, he took the degree of Bachelor of Divinity, and became a tutor and chaplain of Corpus Christi, preferring this to a fellowship. In 1654 he had offers of high preferment in the state, which he declined; but in 1655 George Newton of St Mary Magdalene, Taunton, sought him for assistant and Alleine accepted the invitation. Almost coincident with his ordination as associate pastor came his marriage with Theodosia Alleine, daughter of Richard Alleine. Theodosia was a cousin but it is not known how close a cousin. She was said to have been "bred to work" and she soon opened a boarding school at George Newton's house, which was said to have twenty and sometimes thirty boarders. He found time to continue his studies, one part of which was his Theologia Philosophica (a lost manuscript), a learned attempt to harmonize revelation and nature, which was admired by Richard Baxter. He associated on equal terms with founders of the Royal Society. These scientific studies were, however, kept in subordination to his religious work. After the Uniformity Act 1662 Alleine was among the ejected ministers. With a fellow nonconformist minister also ejected from his pulpit, John Westley (not to be confused with his more famous grandson, John Wesley, founder of Methodism), Alleine then travelled about preaching. For this he was put into prison, indicted at sessions, bullied and fined. His Letters from Prison were an earlier Cardiphonia than John Newton's. In 1663 he was imprisoned and his wife stood by him during that year at Ilchester; he was released on 26 May 1664. In 1665 the Five Mile Act