70 



and subsequent to 1705 served the office of chief magistrate on 

 several occasions. 



As tlie evidence of the various witnesses contains here and 

 there passages illustrative of the habits and manners of the time, 

 which would be injured by condensation, I will reproduce them 

 in the main in full. The first witness is " James Turner, of the 

 borough and town of Weymouth and Melcombe Regis (com_ 

 mander of ye Diligence privateir), who, being examined, on his 

 oath saith (vizt.) : That on Munday the Twenty -third day of this 

 Inst. July he the dep'ent had delivered him by Mrs. Dearinge 

 ye wife of Edward Dearing postmaster of this place One packett 

 of letters under a Cover which contained thre inclosed single 

 Letters. The Direction on ye Cover was to Capt. Tui-ner to be 

 left at Mr. Tenner's a minister in Waymouth, and fPrancked by 

 letters thus (S. Barker). That in ye Cover was writt some Lines 

 he this Dep'ent Cannot Eemember. But ye Cover and ye Three 

 Letters inclosed were all Delivered to this Dep'ent ye cover being 

 open and ye inclosed letters broken open. In ye one of ye 

 Letters Inclosed, Dated from Norwich, part of a paragraph was in 

 these words, ye Queen hath Broken her Coronation oath; ye rest 

 of ye Letters were filled up and Intermixed in sundry hands, 

 within Lines, &c. ; Termes he allowed no sense, or knew not 

 what to make of it. That all that was mentioned of Turner's 

 name was (my service to Capt. Turner). That haveinge shewed 

 ye said Leters to several he was sent to on Tuesday last by Mr, 

 Eichard Arnold, the keeper (of) ye Bear Inn in Waymouth and 

 went with the said Arnold to ye said Inn and Delivered the said 

 letters unto a Q-entm. who was a stranger to him ; this dep'ent 

 then in company with ye said Tenner (an Independent Minister 

 in this place) called as this Dep'ent hath bin Informed Mr. 

 Daniell Dufoe which said Daniell Dufoe's name was mentioned 

 very frequent in ye severall Letters, who paid him, this D' j)ent, Gd- 

 for postidge of a former Letter Directed as aforesaid. That Mr. 

 Fenner joaked this Dep'ent about ye Letters and said it came 

 from some of his wenches, or to that effect. That on Saturday 

 last he had also a Letter Dii-ected as ye former, but not francked 



