By W. W. Ravenliill, Esq. 



157 



J " I writt to you a week since, to know if you might have anything against one 

 Collonell Bennett (formerly of the kings party) whom I received upon suspition, 

 I and would willingly let goe free, if I knew his highness's pleasure therein. I 

 have now sent me an inventory of Mr. Lucas his personall estate, which I gott 

 J two honest men of the towne to take with an officer of myne. I shall send it 

 J up to you some time by a messenger, it being of too great bulke for a letter. 



I have employed two very honest men to go up and downe the countrey, 

 ] and bespeake such as may be fit matter for jurors at Sarum ; and Monday and 

 J tuesday severall honest gentlemen will be with the sheriffe and myselfe at 

 I Sarum, to direct and correct us therein ; and, indeed, his facileness, and my 

 | unacquaintance with the country, made me thinke of this course. The next 

 H time you shall write any commands to me, you may please to direct them to me 

 I at Salisbury." 



Mark well his observations about poor Lucas's estate — that ripe 

 plum for the Commissioners for Sequestration — and note that every 

 care is taken, that the jurors summoned should be government men. 

 The county is well searched for a panel of this colour, and then the 

 numbers so made up are further sifted a week before the assizes, after 

 a careful examination. But there is no evidence of any direct 

 tampering- with them ; in one, if not more cases we shall see that 

 they took a line of their own, notwithstanding the efforts of Mr. 

 Attorney General. 



The Salisbury commission day, April 11th, arrived and there was 



tl a very great appearance of honest jurymen, that shewed their readiness to 

 attend the service of His Highnesse and the Commonwealth, being made choice 

 of by the Sheriff." * 



All the judges arrived the day before, except the Lord Chief 

 Justice, who came the following morning. 



" The Sheriff was put to it to meet the judges, they coming into the City of 

 Sarum for this work, as it were from the 4 corners of the world, East, West, 

 North and South, so they did, the like was never known before, yet the Sheriffe 

 with his men gave the judges which came into the city, a meeting and waited 

 on them severally to their lodgings, so well as if they had been all together."f 



" That day too (April 11th) there was a sermon preached to the Commisisoncrs 

 in the Great Church at Salisbury by Mr. Eashley, Minister of the Great Church 

 and that day the Commisioners were called that after noon." % 



" The Sheriffe entertained the judges and his Highnesses coimsell with much 

 respect on the first day of their sitting." § 



* Perfect Proceedings, May 3rd, 1655. 



t Ibid. t Ibid, April 19th. 5 Ibid, May 3rd, 



