82 Some Stray Notes from the Marlborough Court Books. 



" The compleynt of Richard Wren being Mair of Mleburgh agenst Pet Peers the 



yonger. 



" The thyrd daye of July in the xvii"" yer of the reigne of Kyng Henri the 

 viij"" abought the oure of xi of the clock in the nyght cam oon Peter Peers the 

 yonger amonge the Kyngs Watchmen at Marleburgh and then and ther sauted 

 the seid watchmen with force and arrays that is to sey w"" a forest byll in 

 his right hand and a dagar by his syde / Then cam oone of the seid Kyngs 

 Watchmen whose name is John Cumlyn and mett with the seid Pet in the Hye 

 Street of Mleburgh beforeseid agenst the door of John Matwe and saluted the 

 seid Pet seyeng Good Evyn / and ferther mor axed this question of hym / seyeng 

 Is it allmost bedtyme w"" you / Than the seid Pet answerid and seid What 

 woldist thou with that / and incontinent smott the seid watchman in somoch that 

 he felyd hym to the grownd and brake his hed that the blood ran about his 

 showlders And after that the seid Watchman dyd ryse from the grownd the seid 

 Peter drewe out his dagar ujipon hym seying theise words / And yff thou wer 

 not the Kyng's Watchman I wold make the ette this daggar // And moreov did 

 swere by the crosse of the daggar yfE he myght take hym on the morough A 

 wold make hym ette hytt indeede / And so deptyd from that watchman // 



" And after this cam another of the Kyng's Watchmen whose name is Thomas 

 Wyse and seid to the same Peter theise woords / Goodman Peers it wer more 

 tyme for you to be in bed then to make any busyness w' the Kyng's Watchmen 

 at this tyme of the nyght To whom he answeryd and seid / What ye Knave do 

 you take his pte And gave hym iij Strypes with his byll 



" And in the next nyght imediatly foloyng the same Peter Peers came and 

 sawted the kyngs watchmen abovight the houre of xj of the clocke w"'. force & 

 armis that is to seye with a bowe in his left hand redy bentt. w' syx arowes at 

 the lest by estimacon under hys gyrdell And an arowe with a forkyd hed in his 

 right hand / Then met w' hym oon Richard Skeller oon of the Kynges watchmen 

 and seid to him // Who coms there / Then seid Peter Peers / Here is a good 

 felowe / Then seid the seid Watchman to him / Goodman Peers for what intent 

 do you here your Bowe bentt and your arowe so redy in youre other hand at this 

 tyme of the nyght / To whom answeryd the seid Peter and seid / what you 

 Bowye what wyll ye therwith / Have ye to doo to stopp me from my lodging / 

 And ther w'all leepe back and nockyd an arowe ready to have shott at the 

 seid watchman and yff he had nat come shortly within hym intendyd for to have 

 sleyne hym 



" Then came another of the Kyngs watchmen whose name is Robert Dixson 

 & seid to the same Peter theise woords Peter I py the be content and make no 

 more busynes / And yff thou wylt nott be content I wyll ley my byll uppon thy 

 face / Then seid the seid Peter Peers to hym / what yo begarly knave I shall 

 make the Towne to bote for you w'*'n theise fewe dayes 



" Then they too watchmen brought hym to Thomas Bacon oon of the constables 

 of the seid Towne of Mleburgh and callyd hym foorth of his bed / And then he 

 cam w' all the resonable hast that he myght / An so the watchmen shewyd this 

 matter to the constable / Then the constable comandyd oon of the Watchmen to 

 go for a Sargant / And in the meanetyme the seid pet ray led uppon the constable 

 and callyd him John Moone & John Poole and seid Whether shall I goe to the 

 Blynde Howse / Then seid ths Constable to hym Peter I py you be content ye 



