206 THE FAXMOTJTH MAJSnTSCBIPT. 



the case of a poor man, whose name is out of my head, a very- 

 poor man, shoemaker I think he was, who had a ffine of £4 

 set upon him, and from his poverty not readily paid ; he was sued 

 for it, and after being run up to 30 shillings cost, he was (in my 

 absence) advised of his being without Eemidy, and must pay it, 

 which with great difficulty, and to the apparent lessening of his 

 little stock, he complied with ; and which, coming to my ears, I 

 must own I coiild not readily give credit to so arbitrary a 

 violation of our Laws, and sent for the man, to be more certainly 

 inform'd as to the fact, who declaring the truth thereof, I asked 

 him what he had to show for his money, who answer'd — Mr. 

 Mayor's receipt for the ffine, and the Town Clerk's receipt for 

 the costs, which, when he had brought me, I told him that he 

 might count upon having his money refunded him by me 

 (v^lidbrme) upon his signing a power to my (p^|e7of) attorney 

 to sue the Mayor and Town Gierke in his name, and giving me 

 bond for his not releasing such actions as should be brought 

 in his name ; at which his spirits seem'd to be rais'd, and in 

 joy went home to tell his wife the good news, from whence I 

 counted myself secure of exploding his By Laws (^ylli^w)- The 

 said power and bond being ready, I sent for the man to sign 

 and execute, who not so readily coming as I had reason to 

 expect, repeated the message, when he came with a sorrowful 

 (^vlwfS) countenance, saying, that as with hard struggling in 

 his business he had got a settlement, and not without hopes 

 of supporting his family ; but should he sign or do (^'•or do'^*^) 

 anything whereby ye mayor might come to damage, he and 

 his wife were assur'd that they should not be suffer'd to live in 

 quiet in the. town, but ruin'd if they persisted to stop (^fj) in it. 

 And knowing the poor man had but too much reason on his side, 

 and for fear of hurting him, I held myself obliged to drop the 

 question ; which I think doth more than sufficiently demonstrate 

 the arbitrariness of this body of Lord sin possession (pi.,^ertTon) 

 of your estate (^^""litat'e*^'"'^) without controul, — and yet but one 

 instance of many.* The chief study and delight has ever been 

 to charge and oppress your tenants (^^-teS's)- 



The instances of their having an evil and envious eye to the 

 prosperity of the place are numerous, — sitting hard upon all 



* The selfish motives, the exactions and encroachments are made clear by 

 Thomas, pp., 68, 70. Thomas was the surveyor to the Arwenack Manor. 



