<!DOCTYPE ETS PUBLIC "-//UMDLPS//DTD EEBOPROOF 2.0//EN">
<ETS>
<TEMPHEAD>
<REVDESCR>
<CHANGE>
<DATE>2010-09-14</DATE>
<RESPSTMT>
<NAME>Megan Marion</NAME>
<RESP>MURP</RESP>
</RESPSTMT>
<ITEM>Checklist:
x Add TEMPHEAD, change DATE, validate
xAdd DIV TYPEs, validate
xReview structure, use FRONT,BODY, BACK or rarely GROUP
xCheck PB placement and completeness, ensure sequence of N=""
xProof title page(s)
xCheck HEAD TRAILER ARGUMENT EPIGRAPH OPENER CLOSER SIGNED SALUTE BYLINE
xCheck ^, oe, abq, italic I / J, _Initals, space between &amp;c.
xCheck # @ -- UNCLEAR LB FIGURE
xCheck q; startq endq Q
xCorrect illegibles from proofsheet
xCheck illegible page, para, line, span, word, dollar signs
Final validate

Corrected [ ] illegible groups out of [ ].
Converted [ ] illegible groups to GAP DESC="illegible".
DONE</ITEM>
</CHANGE>
</REVDESCR>
</TEMPHEAD>
<EEBO>
<IDG S="marc" R="UM" ID="A80353">
<STC T="W">c5879</STC>
<STC T="T">e406_7</STC>
<BIBNO T="umi">99862393</BIBNO>
<VID>160485</VID>
</IDG>
<TEXT LANG="eng">
<FRONT>
<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
<PB REF="1" MS="y">
<P>26. of <HI>Augu&s;t,</HI> 1647.</P>
<P>TO ALL THE WORLD TO view, and to all men of common &s;ence Chri&s;tianity or humanity, to judge of <HI>Thomas Coningsby</HI> of <HI>Northmynis</HI> in the County of HARTFORD <HI>E&s;quire,</HI> now Pri&s;oner in the <HI>TOWER OF LONDON.</HI></P>
<P>And of continuance under &s;lavi&s;h and mo&s;t inhumaine Gaole tyrannie over his per&s;on, the &s;pace of foure yeares, eight months, and mo&s;t illegall proceeding and oppre&s;&s;ive, violence and Villanies, (by indirect carriage) to his totall ruine, pre&s;ents both the one and other to judge of and &s;hewes.</P>
<P><HI>London,</HI> Printed in the Yeare. 1647</P>
</DIV1>
</FRONT>
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="text">
<PB REF="2">
<PB N="1" REF="2">
<HEAD>26. of <HI>Augu&s;t,</HI> 1647. TO ALL THE VVORLD TO view, and to all men of common &s;ence, Chri&s;tianity or humanity to iudge of.</HEAD>
<P>_THat in <HI>November</HI> 1642. He being a Gentle|man borne in that County, and inhabitant there all his life time; was by the Kings Ma|je&s;ty made Shriffe of the &s;aid County, and a Commi&s;&s;ion under his &s;aid Maje&s;tyes great Seale (the authority of which was then un|que&s;tionable) for executing the &s;aid Office, and a writ directed to admini&s;ter &s;uch oathes as lawfully were u&s;ual to the tru&s;t committed to the Shrei&s;es, all which were accoor|dingly by me taken, and in <HI>January</HI> following it plea&s;ed his Ma|je&s;ty to direct his writ of <HI>non omittas</HI> with a certain number of pro|clamations, commanding me by the &s;aid authority under his great Seale to publi&s;h the &s;ame in the County, which unavoydable by Office, and Oath <HI>I</HI> was bound to performe, and performing the &s;ame at the Town of St. <HI>Albons</HI> the 13. of the &s;aid <HI>Ianuary</HI> in a peaceable manner, not doing any the lea&s;t thing in my own inter|re&s;t or accompanied with any force in doing the &s;ame. I was that day forceably &s;eized upon (without any warrant or authority) by one <HI>Pat<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;on</HI> with a Troop of 80. hor&s;e, and &s;o violently carryed a|way, and brought to <HI>We&s;tmin&s;ter</HI> the 15. of <HI>Janu.</HI> where indeavour|ing to be brought and heard in the hou&s;e of Commons, which could not be obtained, but that night unexamined &s;ent pri&s;oner
<PB N="2" REF="3">to London hou&s;e, but by what warrant, or for what cau&s;e I know not to this day, continuing in this condition till the 13 of <HI>March</HI> 1642. I was by a &s;trict warrant &s;igned, <HI>Miles Corbet</HI> &s;ei&s;ed on by one that called him&s;elfe a Sargeants deputy, and carryed before THE &s;aid <HI>Corbet</HI> in the Court of Wards Chamber, not exa|mined at all concerning the cau&s;e of my then impri&s;onment, and <HI>Corbet</HI> leaving me under Guarde going into the hou&s;e of Com|mons, what report <HI>Corbet</HI> fal&s;ely and ungroundedly made of me to the hou&s;e, nor upon what cau&s;e or rea&s;on, more then a mentio|ned order in this warrant of my Commitment whereon groun|ded, I could never &s;ince learne, the warrant here incerted.</P>
<Q><TEXT LANG="eng">
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="warrant">
<P>By vertue of an Order this day made by the Hou&s;e of Com|mons now a&s;&s;embled in Parliament, The&s;e are to will and re|quire you or your deputy, forthwith to receive from the Sarjeant at Armes or his deputy, the body of Mr. <HI>Coningsby</HI> high Sheriff of the County of <HI>Hertford</HI> into his Maje&s;ties Pri&s;on of the Tower. And him there to keepe as clo&s;e pri&s;oner, during the plea&s;ure of the &s;aid Commons; and this &s;hall be your &s;ufficient warant,</P>
<CLOSER><DATELINE>Da|ted <DATE>this 13 of <HI>March</HI> 1642,</DATE></DATELINE>
<SIGNED>William Lenthall Speaker.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
<TAILNOTE>
<P>To the Leivetenant of the Tower or his Deputy.</P>
</TAILNOTE>
</DIV1>
</BODY>
</TEXT></Q>
<P>Vnder this commitment. from the &s;aid 13 of <HI>March</HI> 1642. till ninth of <HI>May</HI> 1644. I did continue in the Tower without any charge brought again&s;t mee, and with what tyranicall u&s;age till then, and mo&s;t part &s;ince would draw it ju&s;tly to a que&s;tion whe|ther the place &s;tood in any part of Chri&s;tendome, or the Goalers bred under any rules of humanity, and THE &s;aid <HI>Corbet</HI> as a Committee for the Tower pretended to be their authority, for all their extortions and outrages, now that on the 9. of <HI>May,</HI> I here divide my time of impri&s;onment it fal on thus that my wife paying in the country all 5. and twenteth parts, and pay in all rates, untill the Seque&s;tration of my reall e&s;tate and totally rob|ing me of my per&s;onall e&s;tate (as here followes) I continued un|que&s;tioned, till one Sir <HI>William Brereton</HI> by ordinance of the Lords and Commons publi&s;hed in print, dated <HI>Die Martis</HI> 26. <HI>Martii</HI> 1644. <HI>inter ali<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter"></HI> in that ordinance has the&s;e en&s;uing words. And be it farther ordained by the Lords and Commons,
<PB N="3" REF="3">that the per&s;onall e&s;tates of all &s;uch Delinquents and Papi&s;ts within the <HI>Cittie</HI> of <HI>London</HI> and <HI>We&s;tmin&s;ter,</HI> and within 20 miles of the &s;ame, not Seque&s;tered nor di&s;covered, and which &s;hall be di&s;covered by the &s;aid Sir <HI>William Brereton,</HI> or &s;uch per&s;on or per&s;ons, as he &s;hall authori&s;e, under his hand and &s;eale for that purpo&s;e, within two months next after the publi&s;hing in print of the ordinance: &s;hall be allowed unto the &s;aid Sir <HI>William Bre|reton,</HI> for the farther advancement of the &s;aid &s;ervice, provided that the &s;aid concealed e&s;tates exceede not the &s;umme of 5000 l. And that the &s;aid Sir <HI>William Brereton</HI> or any per&s;on authorized by him as afore&s;aid nor any of them, &s;hall po&s;&s;e&s;&s;e them&s;elves of the &s;aid Papi&s;ts or Delinquents e&s;tates, before he or they acquaint the Committee of Lords and Commons for Seque&s;trations there|with, to the end they may judge of the Delinquencie of the per|&s;ons, before his or their e&s;tates be taken away.</P>
<P>Here is the limitations of <HI>Breretons</HI> Ordinance, yet &s;hortly after it appeared by his proceedings, he procured an order from the Hou&s;e of Commons, only to the Committee of Examinations, to examine and judge of the Delinquencie; marke here (right or wrong.) <HI>Brereton</HI> playes a &s;ure game with me in <HI>Corbets</HI> Chair-&s;hip.</P>
<P>1. <HI>May,</HI> A Warrant of that Committee i&s;&s;ues out for &s;eizing Ms. <HI>Conningsbys</HI> E&s;tate, and Mr. <HI>Williams</HI> his e&s;tate for &s;ending Hor&s;e and Armes to <HI>Oxford,</HI> and for entertaining and &s;ending Intelligence thether.</P>
<P>3. <HI>May,</HI> (No Delinquencie examined) the Warrant was exe|cuted, both their goods within doore and without, Inventored, &s;everall bonds with Sureties, required for &s;ecuring them, or el&s;e to have Soldiers put upon them, to looke to their goods, and to avoid that, bonds were accordingly given.</P>
<P>6. <HI>May.</HI> Both were &s;erved with order of that Committee of Examination to appeare, the 7. of <HI>May,</HI> which they accordingly did, being called and having nothing again&s;t Ms. <HI>Conningsby,</HI> the Soliciter was blamed for troubling her, and &s;he di&s;charged. But here begins a charge again&s;t me by one <HI>Prices</HI> information, to
<PB N="4" REF="4">the Soliciter, that Mr. <HI>Conningsby</HI> had &s;et the Commi&s;&s;ion of Ar|ray on foot in that Country; hereupon it is appointed that I be brought before <HI>Corbet,</HI> on <HI>Thur&s;day</HI> following, my wife acquain|ted them with the &s;ci&s;ure of her goods, her barnes, locked, her hou&s;e full of Soldiers moved, &s;he might have nece&s;&s;arie reliefe for her and her childrens livelyhood out of her goods, and not be accountable for what the Soldiers took, who were unruly, and had continued there all the winter till then, and the Com|mittee declared accordingly, Mr. <HI>Williams</HI> is likewi&s;e di&s;charged of the &s;ame lying charge.</P>
<P>9 <HI>May</HI> I am brought before this Committee, no Comm&s;&s;ion of Array but charged for the Proclamations at Saint <HI>Albons</HI> the date afore&s;aid in <HI>Ianuary</HI> before the Ordinance of Seque&s;tration, for that Ordinance was not in being till <HI>March</HI> following, and upon one <HI>Browne</HI> (they &s;aid Lawyer) his learned expoud|ing the words has or &s;hall in the ordinance adjudged by that Committee a Delinquent though done before the &s;aid Ordinance and in the lawfull di&s;charge of my &s;aid office, of Sheriff wicke, the tye of oath than lay upon me and ju&s;tly puni&s;hable by Law, if not executed being the Kings Writs. This judgement of the Committee thus pact by <HI>Brereton,</HI> and as I may iu&s;tly &s;u&s;pect by the practi&s;e of <HI>Litton</HI> as by the &s;equell, (who in the beginning of this Parliament before a Committee in the court of reque&s;ts, and the contrary te&s;tified by two of his own ranke there, and notori|ou&s;ly known to hundreds of people pre&s;ent at the occa&s;ion, did lyingly declare and te&s;tifie before that Committee (that at the Election of Burge&s;&s;es for the Burrow of St. <HI>Albons</HI> (and my &s;elfe &s;tanding for an Election to &s;erve this Parliament) he &s;eeme brought <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 word"> &s;hoolders from my lodging to the place where the Kings writ wa<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter"> to be read and before reading the &s;ame. and in his view, as farre as the turning into the open market place from the end of a clo&s;e &s;treet, which is fully the length of <HI>We&s;t-min&s;ter hall,</HI> yet now upon this occa&s;ion, my &s;onne ioyning with my wife, applyed them&s;elves to crave his a&s;&s;i&s;tance in a Petition of Appeale to the Commons hou&s;e again&s;t the irregular in the proceedings, and mo&s;t uniu&s;t upon the matter of proceeding of this Committee, and &s;hewed him their Petition, the Lawyer
<PB N="5" REF="4"><HI>Browne</HI> was likewi&s;e acquainted with it, <HI>Littons</HI> di&s;couragement to them, and advice was to compound with <HI>Brereton</HI> for he &s;aid the Hou&s;e would not alter the Votes and judgement of a Com|mittee, and Lawyer <HI>Brown,</HI> his an&s;wer was, that if they went that way, my &s;onne would utterly undoe his father, and upon this they de&s;i&s;ted and were di&s;couraged to proceed, and &s;ome few dayes after, <HI>Litton</HI> pretending friend&s;hip, and they applying them|&s;elves to <HI>Litton,</HI> and in <HI>We&s;tmin&s;ter</HI> attending him, and in di&s;cours of my &s;aid ruin and &s;ad conditon upon this Iudgement meeting <HI>Browne,</HI> a&s;ked him why he gave at the Committee that opinion upon has or &s;hall again&s;t Mr. <HI>Coningsby</HI> an&s;wered why were you &s;o earne&s;t to have me there, I under&s;tood it to be in frend&s;hip to Sir <HI>William Brereton,</HI> or words to this effect.</P>
<P>My wife hereupon, prepared another Petition to the hou&s;e of Commons wherein her &s;on joynes &s;howes it to <HI>Brereton</HI> who gives her &s;moth language, and &s;eemes willing to referre the mat|ter to Sir William <HI>Litton,</HI> and Mr. <HI>Ab<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="2 letters">&s;t</HI> to &s;tand to what they &s;hould think good therein, and in the Intrim <HI>Brereton</HI> cau&s;ed the goods to be valued by creatures of his owne, contraty to what the ordinance declares, my wife offers <HI>Brereton</HI> a compo&s;ition which he excepts not of, goe &s;uddenly for <HI>Che&s;heire</HI> &s;hee is threatened of his Agent, all her goods to be taken away, upon which &s;hee Pe|titions the Committee of examination who referred the petition to the Committee of the Countie they appoynt a day to heare the &s;ame.</P>
<P>1 <HI>Iuly Breretons</HI> Agent brings to my hou&s;e one <HI>Hanle</HI> and <HI>Geering</HI> two of the under Seque&s;trators, and revewe, and value the goods, but permit not my wife to be privie to the values now made, nor formerly not to have any coppie thereof, the Agent pretending ha&s;t, and mi&s;&s;ing &s;ome things of common u&s;e to the hou&s;e, in the places fir&s;t inventored entred the &s;ame as wanting, though my wife then told him they were nece&s;&s;arily u&s;ed in o|ther roomes, and &s;hould again&s;t the day of &s;ale be &s;et in their fir&s;t places which was accordingly done.</P>
<P>2 <HI>Iuly</HI> upon debate of my wives Petition referred as afore|&s;aid, <HI>Breretons</HI> Agent pre&s;ent the Committee, ordred the bringing
<PB N="6" REF="5">in the inventory next morning, and my wife to have the 5. part of the per&s;onall e&s;tate &s;et her out.</P>
<P>3 <HI>Iuly</HI> the inventory is brought in, amounting to 549. pound wherein the timber felled and the rents were not included but left to farther order, the Committee with con&s;ent of <HI>Breretons</HI> Agent did farther order that 9 pounds of 149 I &s;hould be &s;troken out for the goods they marked with a cro&s;&s;e, as belonging to the Hou&s;e. and that 108. be allotted to her for the fifth part of 540. l.</P>
<P>And for equall &s;etting forth five part, Mr. <HI>Grob</HI> and Mr. <HI>Brooks</HI> withother neighbours, or any two of them, were ordered to joyne with <HI>Breretons</HI> Agent for doing thereof out of the Parcells in-ventored.</P>
<P>But the &s;ame day the Agent proceeding to &s;ell the goods, the per&s;ons ordered for &s;etting out the 5th. part at my wives reque&s;t, tendred to the Agent for her 5th. part, the Cowes, the corne in the Barne, the Hogs, as they were &s;erverally appri&s;ed, and the re|&s;i<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">ue of her 5th. part to be &s;et out in &s;heep, or hou&s;hould &s;tuffe, but the Agent refu&s;ed the &s;ame, and <HI>Odui&s;ell</HI> the Soliciter of the County being then brought thither by the Agent, made him|&s;elfe another divi&s;ion giving her thereby the 5th. part of the Cowes, which were in the whole number 21. Cowes, the 5th. part of the &s;heep, Hogs, Corne upon the ground, and all the goods in her owne lodging Chamber, the little Parlor, and the Kitchin which my wife, and per&s;ons ordered to make the divi&s;i|on oppo&s;ed, chiefly becau&s;e tho&s;e goods were over valued in com|pari&s;on of all the other, out of pre&s;umption &s;he would take them, being &s;o nece&s;&s;ary for her owne u&s;e, and &s;ome of them her &s;onnes being &s;o marked in the inventory, as likewi&s;e that two of the Cowes were by the Soldiers that quartered there, killed and &s;pent 10. or 12. dayes after the &s;ei&s;ure, and by <HI>Breretons,</HI> Soldiers that quartered 8. or 9. dayes after the other were gone, and by ap|pointment of his owne Agents, and for that halfe of the &s;heep and tho&s;e of the be&s;t were driven away long before by <HI>Breretons</HI> A|gents, without &s;aile or authority, the Ladyes good ha&s;wifery at <HI>Chai&s;oe Bury,</HI> not to be otherwi&s;e provided, and the good wo|man much offended, that the Cowes &s;taid &s;o long, whether the
<PB N="7" REF="5">mo&s;t part of them were to be caried, which con&s;iderations made my wife, and the &s;aid per&s;ons de&s;ired a more equal divi&s;ion which was denied, then my wife de&s;ired (they proceeding to &s;ale) that the hou&s;hold &s;tuffe allotted her might likewi&s;e be put to &s;ale, and &s;hee have the taking or refu&s;ing them, or the fir&s;t of the monies upon the &s;ale of all the hou&s;hold &s;tuffe, for &s;omuch of her 5, part which likewi&s;e was denied her, then did &s;hee, and the &s;aid par|&s;ons appoynted de&s;ired they might chu&s;e one of their 4. Cowes for my wife, according to <HI>Odui&s;ells</HI> divi&s;ion, which was likewi&s;e refu&s;ed, and 9. of the be&s;t of them fir&s;t cho&s;en out by <HI>Breretons</HI> Agent, and driven away without putting them to &s;ale, 4. of tho&s;e 9. being more ualuable by much then 6. of tho&s;e left behind, of all which a cer|tificate was then made by tho&s;e per&s;ons appoynted for the divi&s;ion and returned to the Committee.</P>
<P>And having &s;o informed the Committee of the mi&s;cari|age, and <HI>Odui&s;ells</HI> jugling, finding <HI>Odui&s;ells</HI> power with the Committee to great for her, &s;hee &s;ubmitted to his di|vi&s;ion, &s;o as &s;hee might have benefit of that for the future, the pretence being that <HI>Odui&s;ells</HI> devi&s;ion was for the ad|vantage (as they call it) of the State, and tho&s;e things would yeild mo&s;t, and readie&s;t mony to the State, that were denied to her by the fir&s;t devi&s;ion tendred, and how farre it tended to the benefit of the State, I de&s;ire all ho|ne&s;t men to judge of, except you will have it that knaves be countenanced in their villanies, the Committee Silli|citer <HI>Brereton,</HI> and his Agent being all like to like.</P>
<P>The 9. Cowes of the be&s;t driven away as afore&s;aid, without being put to &s;ale at all, out of the re&s;edue of them my wife had only 2. for her fift part, and tho&s;e killed by the Soldiers &s;et on her acount by abatement, and the re&s;t
<PB N="8" REF="6"><HI>Hale</HI> the under Seque&s;trator took without being put to &s;ale at 2. pound 10. &s;hillings a Cowe, as inventered, which o|thers under&s;tanding, de&s;ired the Solicitor that they might be put to &s;ale as other goods and the hou&s;ehold-&s;tuffe were by the candle, and thereupon they were put to &s;ale, and 3. pound 9. &s;hilings a peece bid for them, and &s;o cari|ed away, yet did <HI>Hale</HI> &s;o carrie the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e and claimed them as his right by the former privat &s;ale of them, that he got the Agent to referre it to <HI>Odui&s;ell,</HI> who adjudged the fir&s;t &s;ale to <HI>Hale</HI> good at 2. pound 10. &s;hillings a Cowe, and depa&s;tured then <HI>Gratis,</HI> in my ground all the yeare after for the Benefit of the State, and if <HI>Brereton</HI> examin his account I beleeve the monie is not paid yet.</P>
<P>The corne in the Barne was another particular my wi&s;e de&s;ired, at the rate inventoried which was 45. pound, and this &s;old at 41. pound payable by 5. pound a Weeke, which was 4. pound lo&s;&s;e to the State as they call it, and not &s;old for ready mony, &s;o that though the publique was pretended all was done to their own private ends, &s;o they robbed me of all, there State pretended was much co&s;ened by knaves, and my wife of the benefit of the Ordinance of her 5. part very much, for the hou&s;hold-&s;tuffe put to &s;ale, they had ready monie for nothing el&s;e.</P>
<P>In this &s;traite my wife was in and nothing left to keepe her, her children and familie, from &s;tarving, (but the du|tifull goodne&s;&s;e of hers and mine elde&s;t &s;onne Harry <HI>Co|ningsby,</HI> upon whom an e&s;tate was &s;etled on his Marriage) and &s;hee not being &s;uffered to have any thing out of her own goods propper for livelyhod, under hand imployes one Cow <HI>William</HI> who had for divers yeares beene Com|mittee over her hogs, to bid for and buy for her the wheat in the barne, which was to be paid for as afore&s;aid, which
<PB N="9" REF="6">accordingly did at 43. pound, went the next market day to make &s;ale of what was thre&s;hed, and according to his di&s;po&s;ition became very drunke, this di&s;courages my wife in her bargan and her new baylie, and allowes him not to market any more, her old Committeeman sa afore&s;aid growes di&s;content, aplyes him&s;elfe to the Committee at Saint <HI>Albons,</HI> claimes from them, to have the bargan to him&s;elfe, my wife rightly po&s;&s;e&s;&s;es that Committee how the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e &s;tood, of his barganing in her behalfe, yet this righteous Committee in their great wi&s;domes and e|quity, order Cow <HI>William</HI> to have the bargan to him&s;elfe, to breake open the Barne dores again&s;t her, and put him|&s;elfe in po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion, but now &s;ee Gods great providence to her in &s;o deepe di&s;tre&s;&s;e, &s;o to mollifie the heart of this one ra&s;call towards her, Cow <HI>William</HI> is content to take her to halves in the bargen, to pay for all the worke and carriage, pay <HI>Brereton,</HI> and &s;o to devide with her, the one halfe, and upon his account brought her in above 20. quarters of wheat, now judge all men by this account how my goods were &s;old for the beneifit of the State, and how &s;ea&s;onable a reliefe in &s;o great a di&s;tre&s;&s;e as this was, when being rob|ed of all wee had by the greater theeves, thus to be reliev|ed by &s;uch a ra&s;call.</P>
<P>The &s;ame day the &s;ale was, they di&s;covered in a garret roome under a trape dore &s;ome goods, 5. feather beds &s;ome trunkes of linen, and pewter, two riding &s;utes of wo|mens furniture for hor&s;es, of velver, 12. halberds, 8. mu&s;|kets with other goods, &s;ome of the&s;e goods being my &s;onns and his wives, and put there long before &s;eque&s;tra|tion, for &s;ecuring them from &s;oldiers and plundring, and &s;ome of them my daughter in lawes put there in the win|ter before for &s;afety upon their going from thence to live at <HI>London,</HI> and upon di&s;covering of the&s;e goods my &s;onns
<PB N="10" REF="7">man being there, acquainted <HI>Odui&s;ells</HI> therewith, that &s;uch goods were his Ma&s;ters and Mi&s;tri&s;es, and laid there by him, offered oath for the &s;ame and de&s;ired time till next morning, and hee would fetch the inventory of &s;uch goods as were his ma&s;ters, and bring the next day far|ther proofe, this was denied him, the beds, and pewter, halbeards, and muskets, put to &s;ale; lynnen and the furni|ture had away without inventoring any, they &s;old the 5. beds, for 9. pound, and my wife borrowed monie and paid it there pre&s;ently for one of them five pounds, for her&s;elfe to ly upon, &s;o good was &s;uch furniture as they put upon her in her own chamber, and of all the&s;e goods &s;hee has had no account of a 5. part, nor my &s;onne of what of tho&s;e goods was taken away of his.</P>
<P>And my wife not &s;uffered to have the devi&s;ion &s;hee de&s;ired, &s;o &s;hee had not the benefit of <HI>Ondui &s;ells</HI> divi&s;ion for all the Cowes, but two were had a way, as before is &s;howed, and tho&s;e two &s;hee was forced to keepe out of their way, and the &s;heep likewi&s;e that were left were had away, and &s;old to <HI>Halle,</HI> and &s;hee left for account to her 5. part of tho&s;e that were killed and eaten by the Sol|diers, and for the Corne in the ground which was ano|ther particular, out of which &s;hee was to have a 5. part by <HI>Odui&s;ells</HI> divi&s;ion, one <HI>Andrewes</HI> the fir&s;t &s;etter on of <HI>Brereton</HI> upon this bu&s;ine&s;&s;e, the new admitted Vicker of the pari&s;h, as bu&s;ie for his own profit as any other, di|rector in chiefe of the whole matter, and in truth as uncon&s;cionable a knave as <HI>Brereton</HI> him&s;elfe, or any of his in&s;truments, though he were furni&s;hed with &s;ome out of Turneball <HI>Street,</HI> and <HI>Charter-hou&s;elaine,</HI> and &s;ome of the pertious dames of the&s;e places to boote, whether many Cart loads of my goods were brought, this <HI>Andrewes</HI>
<PB N="11" REF="7">without my wives privity, and not according to the or|dinance by the candle, did &s;ell away all the crone, and &s;hee de&s;iring to have &s;ome &s;hare, as mo&s;t convenient for lively-hood, and having neither mony nor meanes to &s;end to market was denied it, and yet it was not &s;old for ready mony, but payable at <HI>Chri&s;tma&s;&s;e,</HI> and upon her complaint hereupon to the Committee, and debate thereupon pre|tending the publique good, and examining of what my wife had received of her 5. part, which was about 50. pound, and of that 50. pound 44. pound was in hou&s;hold &s;tuffe not worth halfe the mony, after the rate of their ap|pri&s;ing of tho&s;e goods they caried away.</P>
<P>30 <HI>July</HI> the &s;aid <HI>Andrews,</HI> pre&s;ent it was ordred that my wife be paid 58. pound in mony for the re&s;edue of her 5. part, if cau&s;e were not &s;hewed to the contrary that day fortnight.</P>
<P>The &s;ame day ordred my wife &s;hall receive her 5. part of the Ladie <HI>dayes</HI> rents, and of the money the Timber was &s;ould for, the &s;ale of which Timber was there tendred (in writing of his own hand) by <HI>Andrewes</HI> wherein he afirms in writing the quantity of the Timber that the &s;ame was mea&s;ured and &s;old (among o|thers therein named) by one George <HI>Oliver</HI> a carpenter, &s;ent by my wife for that purpo&s;e who thought the rate &s;ufficient, by w^c^h fal&s;e and deceitfull co&s;onage and forgery of that lying <HI>Andrewes</HI> (for he was excellent at that &amp; after well known to the Co~mittee them&s;elves for his qualities) without oppo&s;ition the committee allowed the &s;ale, but afterward upon examination of the matter, it was found otherwi&s;e, for <HI>Oliver</HI> never mea&s;ured nor &s;old any of it, nor knew of the &s;ale, nor was he &s;ent unto by my wife for that purpo&s;e, nor was the &s;ale made by the candle or otherwi&s;e, but in privat, nor the Timber ever mea&s;ured by any but the car|penter that brought it, and the quantety entred as he &s;aid it was &s;old for, at 18. &s;hilings <HI>p<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">r</HI> load, which others hard by &s;old at 1. pound 5. &s;hilings the loade, and the ends &s;uffered by <HI>Andrews</HI> to goe with the timber &s;ave aniy account, of great which were value and not mentioned
<PB N="12" REF="8">in his note, &amp; as large as the carpenter plea&s;ed to make them, which cheat was for the benefit of the State and my wife.</P>
<P>Now for a clo&s;e after my &s;o long durance without any cau&s;e or other matter then as afore&s;aid, and the indirect proceeding of <HI>Breretons,</HI> before the Committee of ex|amination neither warranted by the generall ordinance of Seque&s;t&punc; or his particular Ord that direcs the iudgement of cau&s;e Seque&s;tration to Lords and Commons, and not to any o|ther Iudicators; a &s;up&s;equent order of Commons only to that Committee &s;hewes where this <HI>Breretons</HI> &s;trength lay to ruine me, and carried on before a Committee where the dores were kept &s;hut, the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e carried among them|&s;elves, where is to be pre&s;umed he had a &s;trong party of the Committee made &s;ure, and councell prepared, whereas on the contrary, (after fal&s;e pretence to bring his ends a|bout) I am &s;ent for, to be brought out of a Gaole, not knowing upon what ground, or what was to be objected again&s;t me, without coun&s;ell or knowledge who were to be my Iudges, but am confident if the Ordinances had beene accordingly proceeded in before the right and open Committee, where cloo&s;e dealing carieth not cau&s;es, and others are free to here, though they only to Iudge, <HI>Brere|tons</HI> greedy ends upon me, nor the malice of others, nei|ther upon the cau&s;e it &s;elfe, nor <HI>Brownes</HI> has, or &s;hall, would have &s;o carried on my ruine, this cloo&s;e dealing is ever the contrary to ju&s;t dealing, and I once heard a No|ble Lord coming out of the Starre-Chamber, upon a hard &s;en&s;ure of a privat Gentleman, wee that are a few give judgement heere, but they are many more that judge us.</P>
<P>The order of the Committee on the 30. of <HI>July,</HI> that allowes her 58. pound to make up her 5. part, is oppo&s;ed by <HI>Andrews</HI> who had got the monie into his own hands, who pretends Malignan&s;ie, &amp; imbe&s;iling again&s;t my wife,
<PB N="13" REF="8">&s;pares no meanes to &s;uborne proofes, makes his &s;trength to countenance his malice, and cheating one <HI>Brad&s;haw,</HI> and <HI>Steele,</HI> Lawyers as I heare, by whom &s;he is for a full yeare to&s;&s;ed from Co~mittee above &amp; Co~mittee, below &amp; after &s;everal refer|rences of their procuring here, &amp; certificats from the coun|ty Committee, and nothing to be proved, &amp; <HI>Andrewes</HI> ma|lice perjury and villanies, &s;o di&s;covered by them that re|proved, and as I take it certified to the Committee here, and cau&s;ing her to &s;pend in following it aboue 60. pound for up&s;hot of all, ex&s;pecting a full &s;ertificate to this Com|mittee to have her mony, and being before the Commit|tee, the &s;aid <HI>Andrews</HI> and one <HI>Lownes,</HI> both &s;peciall in&s;tru|ments of <HI>Breretons, Brad&s;haw</HI> helping at a dead lift, informe that my wife had &s;poken words again&s;t the Parliament, <HI>Brad&s;haw</HI> makes u&s;e of this, and the words mu&s;t be receiv|ed as new matter again&s;t her, they are asked if the words were that the Parliament were Traytors, they an&s;wer they were much to that purpo&s;e, the que&s;tion againe put with humming and hawing give the &s;ame an&s;wer, it is then put that po&s;itively upon their oathes did &s;hee &s;ay the Par|liament were Traitors, and did you here <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">e<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter"> &s;peake the words, they an&s;wered &s;hee did, at which their villany and purjurie &s;hee was more a&s;toni&s;hed to haere, then troub|led at all her lo&s;&s;es, and this purjurie was by the wi&s;e Sar|giant <HI>Wild&punc;</HI> adjudged good payment of her monies, but admitted the words true, I pray judge whether it is provid|ed or ment in the ordinance, to make a Womans tongue under &s;o heavie lo&s;&s;es a Delinquent.</P>
<P>To enlarge my &s;elfe farther of all my &s;ufferings upon this fal&s;e foundation, and the villains both countenanced and act|ed upon me and my famelie the&s;e 4 yeares 8 monthes, and to tell you that <HI>Andrews</HI> in his mallice, and by his firme &s;upporters by advantage of the&s;e times, when <HI>Brad&s;haw</HI> and <HI>Steele</HI> have laid a &s;ide their old law books, how they have laid at my &s;on to ruin him, and the proceeding therein would pre&s;ent to an unde&s;tand|ing man that had for 7. yeare beene ab&s;ent in farre parts, and ne|ver
<PB N="14" REF="9">heard what and how the affaires of this Kingdome have beene carried, and to heare but as to my particulars, &s;uch a lo&s;&s;e of the good old lawes in force, at the time he left us a happie Na|tion, wonder and hardly be brought to beleeve &s;uch things could be done, a Parliament &s;itting in England,</P>
<P>To make an end you have my impri&s;onment for cau&s;e and time, the Committee proceeding, and by that my unrecoverable ruine of me and my familie, my endeavours u&s;ed by appeale to the hou&s;e of Commons ob&s;tructed, I &s;hall tell you but one mote, and that is when lawes are of no u&s;e to protect hone&s;t men, the commons tru&s;tes not to be protective to their tru&s;ters, the mixt Committee of Lords and Commons as to my ca&s;e, and as you have heard &s;o quick in Iudgement, but &s;lo to come to it, that ex&s;pences and attendance will &s;oone undoe a better man then they have left me, to bring a good cau&s;e to a hearing, after all and for the &s;pace of a yeare and two months pa&s;t &s;ince, I did periti|on the hou&s;e of Lords, and appealed with de&s;ire to be heard, but no an&s;wer for that yeare, 2. months &s;ince renned my petition&punc; had for an&s;wer of one particular Lord they were tied up tanta|mount to doe no man right or ju&s;tice, if the complaint concerned the hou&s;e of Commons, &s;o no ju&s;tice to be had in hou&s;e of Com|mons, again&s;t a vote of a Committee, no lawes to protect, no Lords to relieve, and opre&s;&s;ions thus continuing on me, I have made recoverede to the lawes taken po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion of my own, pre|&s;umed of the lawes protection, the<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">e I finde an Army which banne<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter"> again&s;t me, and Club <HI>Law</HI> Captaine Clowne and his trained &s;oldiers full charged again&s;t me, a Committes that beleeves all hone&s;ty and lawes are to be cleane forgotten, and that to perpetuate their lawle&s;&s;e, cheating and villanies, have by the power and the Trained bands, impri&s;oned 9 poore labouring men for working in my worke, and in my own ground, and for no other cau&s;e, broken open my barne, and continuing Captaine <HI>Clowne</HI> &amp; his lawle&s;&s;e, violence and riot all day, carried away all the corne by night. What can be &s;and when a &s;ort of men degenerate in to brute bea&s;ts are countenanced in the&s;e lawle&s;&s;e, villanes, I may &s;ay they are more wolves and beares then tho&s;e brute bea&s;ts them&s;elves, for they in their kinde are peaceable among them&s;elves, and bite not one another, whereas con|trary the mallice of the&s;e men give them no content, but in tearing and &s;poyling of others, Now heare O Heavens and con&s;ider O earth, if the like oppre&s;&s;ions were ever heard of in our fore Fathers times, as I have here truly &s;tated, and all hone&s;t men will have a &s;ence and feeling of my condition, I may ju&s;tly &s;ay a fel|low feeling with me, nor to a few &amp; the good God of Heaven, earth &amp; all hone&s;t men look on our mi&s;eries and in thy good tune &s;end us deliverance, ever are the prayers and the &s;teadfa&s;t a&s;&s;ureance of <HI>Thomas Connigs by.</HI></P>
<TRAILER>FINIS</TRAILER>
</DIV1>
</BODY>
</TEXT>
</EEBO>
</ETS>
