I. BOOK which I delivered him of trust: upon which demand he oftentimes made promise to bring it again; but he kept none of them. It followed, by the means of these and divers other ill abuses, I put him clean out of my service. And afterward, by reason of divers outlaws against the said Hasyl, the commodities whereof of right due unto me, I did clearly remit and forgive. But there came one especially afterwards, at the suit of Richard Barnes, clerk. By reason whereof, and by good warrant, unto the bailiff of the liberties directed; the said bailiff entred upon such goods and chattels as were then found to be the said Hasyll's. Among which the said patent was one. And the bailiff brought it unto me, as of right he ought to do. And which matter the said Hasyl before this time brought in question in the starchamber where he was answered, that it was lawfully done, which both the bailiff and I had done. And since that time he hath been divers times out-lawed, as may appear; but especially by two writs extant, signed under the hand of her majesties atturney general, Mr. Gerard. 100 A bill of complaints exhibited by Charles Balam, gent. of the Isle of Ely. Item, Wood felled by Mr. Balam upon his own ground, and sold for repairing of certain banks: the bishop caused his officers to fetch the said wood off the gentleman's own ground and inheritance. Answer. Charles Balam not paying my rent of xx nobles by year, for the space of xi or xii years, a distress was taken upon the ground, to the number of an hundred and half of faggots. Item, The bishop's officers do both threaten, and also offer the gentleman great injuries: only to enforce him to sell his lands to the said bishop. Answer. This is utterly untrue and slanderous. Articles exhibited against the bishop by one Radcliff, gent. 1. The bishop practised to frustrate a lease of the par sonage of Swavesy, and made a re-entry upon refusal of the BOOK rent. 2. Item, The rent was tendred and received by one of the bishop's officers. 3. Item, The rent being demanded the 27. April last past, it was tendered, and refused by one Mr. Alden, gentleman: who made a re-entry upon the lease. 4. Item, The lessee having disbursed 52. upon reparations of the parsonage, which the bishop standeth bound to answer, he can get no allowance of the same. Answer to the 1, 2, 3, and 4th articles. This lease is of a parsonage impropriate, which I had in exchange, among others, of the queen's majesty, for certain manours and parks, belonging to my bishoprick in Northfolk and Marshland. Which parsonage the queen's majesties auditors did set down to me in writing to be leased out for fourty years; and the rent set down also. And this man claimeth it by a lease of fourscore years yet to come; being dated the same day and year that the other lease of 40 years is. Where the other lease maketh end within these two years. And for that I do not allow of this long lease, he will not pay me rent. And therefore driven to re-enter. And for allowing of reparations, I do stay till I can learn how it cometh to pass, that he hath such a lease, and the queen's officers not privy to it. I am bound by the lease to repair all his houses and he buildeth new houses, and would have me pay for them. 5. Item, He detaineth a rent of twenty six shillings and eight pence per ann. going out of Water Beach, and denyeth payment. Answer. I know of no such rent: nor he himself sheweth not wherefore. Laurence Johnson (the bishop's under-keeper) against the bishop. 1. The bishop put him to great charge and trouble of long time; for that he would not cleanse certain waters, which the bishop was bound to do, and did of long time. I. BOOK I. Answer. The commissioners of sewers of the Isle, having made a law that the occupiers of fishings and all waters should cleanse their waters, I leased Laurence Johnson and others certain waters heretofore; not binding my self to scowre them. Notwithstanding he refused to do any cost upon them; nor would suffer his under tenants to do it. 101 And to bragg out the matter the better, he hath let them over to Austin Styward, and occupieth them himself under him. Notwithstanding this summer past, I have scored them at my own charges for the necessity of the country. And yet he complaineth that he is troubled. 2. Item, The bishop onely of malice, and without any just cause, caused the said Johnson to be bound to the good abearing. Answer. This is maliciously uttered. He compared my wife in his talk to Jezabel, for a matter which she never heard of. Which was complained of to the justice. Who wrot unto me, that he was content to submit himself. Which notwithstanding he did not perform. And at the next sessions, he denyed that he had offended me, but said openly in the face of the court, that I had done him wrong. Whereupon the justice bound him to the good abearing. For the which how outragiously the lord North before a good number, intolerably taunted the chief justice, because he presumed to touch his man, it doth plainly appear. Besides this, it is witnessed to me and other justices, that the said Johnson did prick forward one Bownet to complain of me to the honourable council. And besides that, I was credibly informed from time to time, how leudly and undutifully he hath used his tongue against me and others. Whereupon I discharged him of mine underkeepership. And straitways the lord North took him to be his man. 3. Item, The bishop took certain kine from Johnson without warning, and contrary to covenant. Answer. It is false that any kine was taken from him contrary to covenant. For I let him have twelve kine from year to year which were all I had in my park at that time. And for that he liked not of the bargain that my servant made with him, but said, he was a looser by them, they BOOK were taken again, when the year was ended. 4. Item, The bishop took a common marsh from the town of Somersham, and demised it by lease to his wife's brother. Answer. It is utterly untrue that I have let a common. But true it is, that I have let a lease unto mine auditor of a several marsh pertaining to my self and my successors; containing about xx acres, lying in Bluntesham parish. Which neither I nor divers of my predecessors made any account of: for that it was for the most part always drowned, and at this hour is. And because he doth intend to bestow cost to drain it, and bank it, to keep it hereafter from drowning, I was the willinger to let him have it. I. APPENDIX. 102 BOOK II. Number I. Jan. 29, 1576. The names of all such, as be certified into the exchequer, to be fugitives over the sea, contrary to the statute of an. 13 Eliz. &c. And in what countries they inhabited. William Soane, gent. John Watson, miller. Anthony Goldingham, clerk. Anthony Noller. Thomas Laurence, jun. Thomas Shelley, gent. |