1615.] THE EARL OF ORMOND. 175 



Robert Drury,^" Sir Thomas Jermin,^^ and to Sir 

 William Woodhouse, Knight/^ that by themselves or 

 their deputies they have care to preserve " his Majesty's 

 game of hare, heron, duck, mallard, etc., within twelve 

 miles' compass of Newmarket and Thetford, and to 

 punish offendors as well by course of Justice, as by 

 taking from them their greyhounds, beagles, guns, 

 bowes, setting dogs, trammel nets, etc." * 



The king and court were again at Newmarket in 

 November, when the Overbury poisoning case en- 

 grossed all other topics, so far at least as 

 related to prominent public events. But the November— 



^606111 1) 61* 



insidious backstairs influences, which rarely 

 saw the light of day until after the jobbery in hand 

 was done too effectually for redress, were rampant. 

 An instance of this kind, which had now taken 

 place, illustrates the terrible power acquired by the 

 Scotch courtiers. Sir Walter Butler, who had recently 

 succeeded his late uncle to the Earldom of Ormond, 

 arrived in Newmarket for the purpose of moving the 

 king to grant him the hereditary and natural right of 

 possessing and enjoying his estates. But his inheri- 

 tance, by some specious backstairs influence, was 

 conferred by the king, contrary to all law and justice, 

 upon the new earl's brother-in-law. Lord Dingwall in 

 the peerage of Scotland. The Earl of Ormond ^^ 

 naturally protested at being thus swindled out of his 

 patrimony. But his remonstrance was unavailable, 

 and, instead of obtaining justice, he was peremptorily 

 committed to the Fleet, and confined there, coram rege, 



* Signet Office. " Docquet Book," vol. vi., s. d. MS., P.R.O. 



