By R. W. Merriman, Esq. 



83 



shall go thether as ye have desrvyd / And incontinent the Constable & _the 

 Watchmen brought hym to the p'sonhowse doore And then cam the Sargan & 

 seid he cowde not com by the keye for his felowe had hitt in his purse / Then the 

 seid Peter desired of the Constable that the doore myght be left open uppon hym 

 And to have libertie to go in and ought at his pleasure / And the Constable of 

 his gentylnes graunted hym uppon the condicion that he should nott go awey but 

 ther to abyde as trew psoner And upon that the seid Peter plight his feyth & 

 troth in the Constables hand that he wolde not go awey nor make no fraye nor 

 quarell w th the Watchmen / And whan the constable was gone and the Watchmen 

 abought the kyng's watch the seid peter toke his pleasure and went his wey from 

 the p'son and brake the Constables arest. 



" And uppon the morough when the Maire and his brethren wer in the Geeld 

 Hall to kepe the Kyng's Court of Pypowdres the seid peter cam before the Maire 

 and his brethren w th a dagar by his syde / Then the Maire examined hym what 

 rewele he had kept the ij nyghtts past And why he dyd were his dagar contry to 

 his comanndmet / And he made answer and seid he kept none but good rewle 

 and wolde were his dagar whomsoev sed naye to hit / Then the Maire comandyd 

 hym to warde unto such time he myght have the watchmen and hym face to face 

 Then the Sargant afEter the mayre was goone home at the desyre of the seid Peter 

 put hym in a place of pnishment contry to the Mayres comanndment called the 

 Cage which is ordenyd for vacabonds & purscutters And when the Mayre hard 

 of that he was not contentyd but as fast as he myght he cam to the constables 

 howses and comannded them to bryng hym ought of that place unto the place 

 that was meete for hym & the mayre went with them And when thei came 

 theder the mayre comandyd the seid Peter to dely v' hym his dagar to the which 

 he answerid and seid Ther showlde no man have his dag' Then the Maire 

 comandyd hym to com forth And he seid he wold be drawne ought with wilde 

 horses fyrst. Then the Mayr comanndyd the Constables to set him ought / And 

 oone of them whose name is Thomas Bacon went in to the p'son callyd the Cage 

 to have set hym ought. And then he drewe his dagar and smott at the seid 

 constable in somych that ylf he had not pulled the doore betweene them he had 

 surely sleyne hym And all this is approvyd by good wittnes." 



Note. — The illustration facing page 76 gives specimens of 

 entries made at the Court of Piepowder, 26th October, 16 Henry 

 VIII. 



g 2 



