366 CERTIFICATE TOUCHING THE PENAL LAWS. 



a discontinuance ; and 

 in that case there is no 

 penalty, but costs : and 

 the poor subject will never 

 sue for his costs, lest it 

 awake the informer to re 

 vive his information, and 

 so it escapeth clearly. 



2. Informers receive 

 pensions of divers persons 

 to forbear them. And 

 this is commonly of prin 

 cipal offenders, and of 

 the wealthiest sort of 

 tradesmen. For if one 

 tradesman may presume 

 to break the law, and 

 another not, he will be 

 soon richer than his fel 

 lows. As for example, 

 if one draper may use 

 tenters, because he is in 

 fee with an informer, and 

 others not, he will soon 

 outstrip the good trades 

 man that keeps the law. 



And if it be thought 

 strange that any man 

 should seek his peace by 

 one informer, when he 

 lieth open to all, the ex- 



2. This is an abuse 

 that appeareth not by 

 any proceeding in court, 

 because it is before suit 

 commenced, and therefore 

 requireth a particular en 

 quiry. 



But when it shall be 

 the care and cogitation of 

 one man to overlook in 

 formers, these things are 

 easily discovered : for let 

 him but look who they be 

 that the informer calls 

 in question, and hearken 

 who are of the same trade 

 in the same place and are 

 spared, and it will be 

 easy to trace a bargain. 



In this case, having 

 discovered the abuse, he 

 ought to inform the ba 

 rons of the exchequer, 



