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DATING EVENTS—NEW MANAGEMENT 85 
_ knowledge of the forthcoming charges reached Evans in some 
other way in October. For Evans, on the importunity of his wife, 
deeded everything,—Blackfriars lease, household goods, and all,— 
to his son-in-law, Alexander Hawkins, on the twenty-first of that 
month. Doubtless as a result of information or intimation of 
_Clifton’s charges, fearing the case might go hard with him and 
entail financial loss, he put his property thus out of his hands, as 
men do yet, to save it.? 
The Decree fell between the date of this transfer of property 
and April 20, 1602, when Evans circumvented its inhibitions 
against his using the Queen’s Children by entering into certain 
Articles of Agreement.2 As the Easter term of 1602 did not open 
until May 1, the Decree, causing this new arrangement, fell in 
either Michaelmas or Hilary term.° 
*Evans in his Answer in the case 
of Kirkham vs. Painton (G.-F., 
245a) declares he made this assign- 
ment solely to indemnify Hawkins 
on his 400/. bond to Burbage as 
security for the rent of Blackfriars 
(supra, 57°-57*), and that he did 
“vypon the earnest and ymportunate 
request of his this def‘* wife, 
-graunt & convey vnto him the said 
Alexander Hawkins, who married 
this def** daughter, all his goodes 
chattels and leases implem‘* hows- 
hold-stuff, wares, comodities, & all 
his goods. Notwstanding w™ 
graunt this deft kept the said orig- 
inall Lease made by the said Rich- 
ard Burbadge, and hath ever since 
enioyed and contynued the posses- 
sion aswell of all his said goodes, 
leases, implements & other the 
premises,” &c. 
It does not seem to have oc- 
curred to Hawkins or Evans or the 
wife that such security was needed 
when a year ago the lease was made. 
The cause of the present act cannot 
lie in lack of prosperity. For the 
Children at Blackfriars were never 
more popular than in this year of 
1601 (see, for example on Hamlet, 
imfra, 176-77) and doubtless the 
plays brought Evans more money 
than formerly. The sudden anxiety 
of all parties concerned,—especially 
Kirkham’s attorney in the 
of the wife,—the wholesale nature 
of the assignment, and the fact that 
in spite of the transfer (non bona 
fide) Evans still kept and enjoyed 
all, coupled with the circumstance 
that Clifton about this time pre- 
sented his case in Star Chamber, 
seem conclusive circumstantial evi- 
dence. [Later—As shown supra, 
84*, Clifton’s Bill was filed Dec. 
15, 1601, seven weeks after this 
transfer. This does not alter the 
probability that Evans had learned 
of the impending danger, but rather 
strengthens it. For had Evans not 
made the transfer until after the 
filing of the. complaint, his act 
would have been held in law as an 
attempt to defraud. ] 
*Infra, 87-91. 
*Court terms of this period un- 
der Elizabeth and James I :— 
Michaelmas term begins 9 or 10 Oct. 
Hilary term begins 23 or 24 Jan. 
Hilary term ends 12 or 13 Feb. 
Easter term begins 17 days after 
Easter. 
Trinity term begins Friday after 
Corpus Christi day (June). 
—See John Bond, Assistant 
Keeper of Public Records, Handy- 
Book of Rules and Tables for veri- 
fying Dates with the Christian Era, 
&c. (1869). 
199 
