By the Rev. J. E. Jackson. 



291 



felony which then had seased the goods of Mr. HartgylPs prist to the use of the 

 I Lord Stourton, for that the said prist together with his wyff are also suspeeted 

 of felonyous murdre by murdering of the late husbonde of the seid prist's wyff, 

 which suspicion sholde seme rather to growe of kankered malice of Mr. Horner, 

 Fitzjames, and Basyng, partly because, as I am informed, the seid prist's wyff 

 being wydowe wold not marie a servant of the seid Basyng at his request and 

 partly because she maried the seid prist at the request of Mr. Hartgyll then of 

 any just cause or good profe. For the proff whereof yt may please you to 

 understand that in riding to Wanstrowe where the seid Lord Stourton's servant 

 was, we chaunsed to overtake the father (of the said man so supposed to be 

 murdred) cumming from Mr. Fitzjames. Mr. Hartgyll, fayning hymself to be a 

 friend of the said parties, magnyfying them and with most vyle termes depravyng 

 hymself, and I, my self, to be vendyd to my Lord Stourton, inquiring of hym 

 what was the occasion of his first sute in that behalf? who half mistrusted us 

 I and wold have departed from us but we compelled hym saying, 1 We came about 

 j the busines and the ayde, and if thou leave us we wyll leve thee,' but at length 

 | he trusted us so much that he declared the matter wholly, saying one Hill declared 

 to hym that hys sone x dayes before he dyed dyd swelle a wonderfull bygnes ; 

 then seid Mr, Hartgyll, ' Made he no wyll ? ' he answered, ' Yes : ' < When ? ' 

 said he. He answered, ' More than fower dayes before he dyed.' * Well,' quoth 

 Mr. Hartgyll, < is this all ye canne saye ? ' he answered, < No, for ij days before he 

 dyed, she brought home Malmesey which she dyd warme at the fire and after 

 gave her husband to drinke and after that threw away the pott ; ' with dyverse 

 others as fonde and fryvolous as vayne and of none effect. ' Well,' sayed Mr. 

 Hartgyll, 1 then was it by your tale vi days after he was poysoned before he 

 made hys wyll, and I pray thee what gave he his wyff? ' he answered, < He 

 made her his executrice, and gaye her all that he hadd, save onlie certen to his 

 sone.' ' Then,' said Mr. Hartgyll, < he thought not then to be poysoned by her I 

 thinke." And further the seid father declared that a chyrurgeon was hyred 

 to cumme and se the ded body beyng taken up and had iijs. ivd. for his labors, 

 which founde that his necke was broken, the whiche if it be trewe semeth rather 

 to be done by some polycy than by the woman, for all the day before the man 

 lay above the grownde, the Coroner syttynge upon hym, all men going by and 

 beholding the corse, no man perseyving his neke to be broken, nother they that 

 toke hym up nor none of the Coroner's Inquest, insomuch the said Inquest were 

 determined to have acquyted the said suspecth because they had no evydence 

 concernyng the poysonyng, nothing mencyoned of the brekyng of his necke. 

 Whereuppon the Coroner of his hote charitie adjorned the Inquest uppon better 

 advyse to gyve the verdict at an other tyme and left the corse, as Mr. Hartgyll 

 sayeth, in the custodie of the mortall enymyes of the seid suspecth to be 

 watched, and so agenst the morning the said surgyon provyded declared as ys 

 aforeseid. And further Mr. Hartgyll sayeth that the said suspected can bryng 

 sufficyent wytnesses that were at the deth of the seid partie and continually 

 three; or fower howers before hys deth, and sawe hym ded and alyve and after 

 buried and lay fyve wyks in the ground nothing spoken nor mencioned of any 

 such murdre pretensed, and further at the comaundement of Mr. Hartgyll I 

 have sent you herein inclosed the copie of the letters which Mr. Horner of late 



