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<DATE>2009-09-03</DATE>
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<NAME>Mona Logarbo</NAME>
<RESP>MURP</RESP>
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<ITEM>Proofed and reviewed as part of batch B090720.pdcc.</ITEM>
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<IDG S="marc" R="UM" ID="A87571">
<STC T="W">J683</STC>
<STC T="T">669.F.17[1]</STC>
<BIBNO T="umi">99870061</BIBNO>
<VID>163251</VID>
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<DIV1 TYPE="text">
<PB N="1" REF="1"><!-- PDF PAGE 6 -->
<HEAD>A BRIEF VINDICATION OF William Jervis, Gent. Again&s;t the &s;candalous A&s;per&s;ions of <HI>John Hodder,</HI> Gent.</HEAD>
<HEAD TYPE="sub">By way of a <HI>NARRATIVE.</HI></HEAD>
<P>_I Daily meeting with manifold &s;candalous A&s;per&s;ions divulged and &s;pread abroad again&s;t me by <HI>John Hodder</HI> and his Com|plices, touching the Charge pro&s;ecuted by me again&s;t the Tru&s;tees &s;itting at <HI>Drury hou&s;e,</HI> and finding that by his &s;ubtle in&s;i|nuations they have with &s;ome per&s;ons of honor received a credit, I conceive I am obliged to vindi|cate and free my &s;elf from them. The a&s;per&s;ions are many; but I &s;hall only endevour to clear my &s;elf from tho&s;e that are mo&s;t material in my judgment, and &s;eem of greate&s;t weight; which are,</P>
<P N="1">1. That <HI>I</HI> have neglected and declined the Pro&s;ecution of the &s;aid Charge.</P>
<P N="2">2. That <HI>I</HI> have received &s;everal Papers from the &s;aid <HI>Hodder,</HI> which <HI>I</HI> refu&s;e to deliver back to him.</P>
<P N="3">3. That I have taken one or more Bribes from the &s;aid Tru&s;tees, to de&s;i&s;t the &s;aid Pro&s;ecution.</P>
<P><PB N="2" REF="2"><!-- PDF PAGE 7 -->
In An&s;wer to which I &s;ay: As to the fir&s;t, I mu&s;t confe&s;s there was not that pro&s;ecution made, as at my fir&s;t under|taking taking it I did apprehend there &s;hould have been; But whether or no it proceeded from my &s;elf, or <HI>John Hodder,</HI> let all unbia&s;&s;ed men judge. For the truth of the Ca&s;e is thus: <HI>John Hodder</HI> being a Clerk under the &s;aid Tru&s;tees for &s;ome time, and they, as I &s;ince have heard, having a ju&s;t cau&s;e (which I &s;hall for his &s;ake forbear to name) to put him by his Imploiment; He, to be revenged of them, con|federating with &s;ome other di&s;contented Officers which had likewi&s;e been di&s;charged of their imploiments, did contrive a Charge again&s;t the &s;aid Tru&s;tees, and brought the &s;ame to me, and pre&s;t me very earne&s;tly to pro&s;ecute it; with many prote&s;tations atte&s;ting, That that and much more Vilany and Roguery (to u&s;e their language) they could make good again&s;t them by &s;ufficient proof. I mu&s;t confe&s;s I was at this very much &s;tartled; fir&s;t becau&s;e I never had any ground till that time of any other opinion of the &s;aid Tru&s;tees, but that they were hone&s;t godly men, and faithful in their tru&s;t but on the other hand con&s;idering of the relations of the Informing per&s;ons to the &s;aid I ru&s;tees, with their privity to all or mo&s;t of their tran&s;actions (as I then thought) with their multitude of a&s;&s;everations of the truth of the matter, and that it was extracted by them out of the &s;aid Tru&s;tees own Books, which operating together with my real inclina|tion to the Publick good (of which I conceive I have in other things &amp; tru&s;ts given an ample te&s;timony) prevailed with me to re&s;olve the owning of that Pro&s;ecution, not in the lea&s;t then di&s;tru&s;ting that the &s;aid <HI>John Hodder</HI> and his Complices had any other ends or aim in the bu&s;ine&s;s then my &s;elf, having not till that time been intimate with them. And indeed I can &s;ay little el&s;e then owned it; for I prote&s;t of my own knowledge I knew not, nor was able in the lea&s;t to make out any thing that was criminal again&s;t the Tru&s;tees; and what was done, though in my name, was wholly done by <HI>John Hodder</HI> and his Complices, (except the expunging of &s;ome unbe&s;eeming and meerly &s;candalous and frivolous language, proceeding from their malice, in|&s;erted
<PB N="3" REF="3"><!-- PDF PAGE 8 -->in the Charge;) He and they drew up the Charge, and all the Proceedings in order to it, in my name, as al&s;o in&s;tructed Council, appointed Witne&s;&s;es, and were exami|ned them&s;elves as Witne&s;&s;es, and e&s;pecially <HI>John Hodder</HI> managed the &s;ame as an Advocate at the Committee, but all indeed at my exce&s;&s;ive charge, except a Pamphlet printed in <HI>Hodder's</HI> name, which I utterly di&s;own. But had I known they would have fallen &s;o &s;hort of their Proof as they did, I &s;hould have been wi&s;er then to have put my finger in &s;uch a fire. But that when I never contradicted <HI>John Hodder</HI> in all his proceedings, but rather a&s;&s;i&s;ted him both with my friends, pur&s;e and per&s;on, unto the Ordering of the Bu&s;ine&s;s by the Committee before whom it was, to be Reported to the Parliament (which was as far as I could proceed in it) I leave it to all judicious and unbia&s;&s;ed per&s;ons to judge whether or no I can merit &s;uch u&s;age at his hands. But had I at my fir&s;t entertainment of it known as well as I now do, that <HI>John Hodder</HI> and all his Complices were per&s;ons better acquainted with the Proceedings of an Alchou&s;e, or wor&s;e, then &s;uch &s;erious things; I hope all men that know me will be &s;o charitable to be of opinion that I &s;hould not have undertaken it, nor have in the lea&s;t been &s;een to join with &s;uch per&s;ons.</P>
<P>As to his &s;econd Objection, I do acknowledge I have received &s;everal Papers from him in order to the &s;aid Charge and the making of it forth; which he hath demanded of me, and I have refu&s;ed to deliver, and hope in any rational mans judgment may ju&s;tly &s;o do, in regard they are almo&s;t the whole matter <HI>I</HI> have to ju&s;tifie my &s;elf as to my under|taking and proceeding in that Charge.</P>
<P>And as to his third and la&s;t Objection, I cannot otherwi&s;e give &s;atisfaction to the world then deny it, and that I thank God I can do with a clear con&s;cience; and do prote&s;t by all that is dear to me, that I never received directly or indirectly by Money, Promi&s;e, or other reward in pre&s;ent or in hopes, any manner of thing from the &s;aid Tru&s;tees or any of them, or any for them, to de&s;i&s;t or any way in the lea&s;t to decline the Pro&s;ecution of the &s;aid Charge; neither ever did any
<PB N="4" REF="4"><!-- PDF PAGE 9 -->&s;uch thing enter into my thoughts. But this <HI>I</HI> mu&s;t ingenu|ou&s;ly acknowledge, That having (as <HI>I</HI> &s;aid before) of my own knowledge no cau&s;e to have any ill opinion of the &s;aid Tru&s;tees, but on the contrary, and finding the &s;candalous and loo&s;e condition and quality of the &s;aid <HI>John Hodden</HI> and his Complices, and that their malice again&s;t the &s;aid Tru&s;tees was their onely inducement to it, and that their Proofs of the Charge fell exceeding &s;hort of what they had &s;o &s;peciou&s;ly pretended, I would have withdrawn my hand if I could have done it with any &s;afety to my reputation.</P>
<P><HI>I</HI> hope <HI>(Reader)</HI> by this thou art &s;ufficiently &s;atisfied of my real integrity and &s;incerity in that Charge, and that my meer aim and ends in it was the Publick good, and that <HI>I</HI> do not de&s;erve <HI>John Hodder's</HI> clamorous and impertinent A|&s;per&s;ions. But as for <HI>John Hodder</HI> and his Complices, if they want &s;atisfaction, they know <HI>I</HI> am able to &s;ay more then this, upon further occa&s;ion offered.</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>WILLIAM JERVIS.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
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