Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	action_n	court_n	plaintiff_n	1,440	5	10.4446	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A39792	The history of Russia, or, The government of the Emperour of Muscovia with the manners & fashions of the people of that countrey / by G. Fletcher, sometime fellow of Kings Colledge in Cambridge and employed in the embassie thither.	Fletcher, Giles, 1549?-1611.	1643 (1643)	Wing F1330; ESTC R28633	98,943	288

be appointed for some ease to the Subjects is the office of the Gubnoy Starust that signifieth an Alderman and of the Sotskey Starust or Bailiff of the Soak or Hundred whereof I spake before in the ordering of the Provinces These may end matters among their neighbours within their Soak or severall Hundred where they are appointed under the Dukes and Diacks of the Provinces to whom the parties may remove their matter if they cannot be agreed by the said Gubnoy or Sotskoy Starust The second is kept in the head towns of every Province or Shire by the said Dukes and Diacks that are deputies to the foure Lords of the Chetfirds as before was said From these courts they may appeal and remove their suits to the chief Court that is kept at the Mosko where are resident the officers of the foure Chetfirds These are the chief Justices or Judges every of them in all civill matters that grow within their severall Chetfird or quarter and may be either commenced originally before them or prosecuted out of the inferiour Courts of the Shires by way of appeal Their commencing and proceeding in civill actions is on this manner First the plaintiff putteth up his supplication wherein he declareth the effect of his cause or wrong done unto him Whereupon is granted unto him a Wepis or warrant which he delivereth to the Prestave or Sergeant to do the arrest upon the partie whom he meaneth to implead who upon the arrest is to put in sureties to answer the day appointed or else standeth at the Sergeants devotion to be kept safe by such means as he thinketh good The Sergeants are many and excell for their hard and cruell dealing towards their prisoners commonly they clap irons upon them as many as they can bear to wring out of them some larger fees Though it be but for six pence you shall see them go with chains on their legs arms and neck When they come before the Judge the plaintiff beginneth to declare his matter after the content of his supplication As for Atturneys Counsellours Procuratours and Advocates to plead their cause for them they have no such order but every man is to tell his own tale and plead for himself so well as he can If they have any witnesse or other evidence they produce it before the Judge If they have none or if the truth of the cause cannot so well be discerned by the plea or evidence on both parts then the Judge asketh either partie which he thinketh good plaintife or defendant whether he will kisse the Crosse upon that which he avoucheth or denieth He that taketh the Crosse being so offered by the Judge is accounted clear and carrieth away the matter This ceremonie is not done within the Court or Office but the partie is carried to the Church by an Officer and there the ceremonie is done the money in the mean while hanging upon a nail or else lying at the idols feet ready to be delivered to the partie as soon as he hath kissed the Crosse before the said Idol This kissing of the Crosse called Creustina chelovania is as their corporall oath and accounted with them a very holy thing which no man will dare to violate or prophane with a false allegation If both parties offer to kisse the Crosse in a contradictorie matter then they draw lots The better lot is supposed to have the ight and beateth away the matter So the partie convicted is adjudged to pay the debt or penaltie whatsoever and withall to pay the Emperours fees which is twentie pence upon every mark as before hath been noted When the matter is thus ended the partie convicted is delivered to the Sergeant who hath a writ for his warrant out of the office to carry him to the Praveush or Righter of Justice if presently he pay not the money or content not the partie This Praveush or Righter is a place near to the office where such as have sentence passed against them and refuse to pay that which is adjudged are beaten with great cudgels on the shinnes and calves of their legs Every forenoon from eight to eleven they are set on the Praveush and beat in this sort till the money be paid The afternoon and night time they are kept in chains by the Sergeant except they put in sufficient sureties for their appearance at the Praveush at the houre appointed You shall see fourtie or fiftie stand together on the Praveush all on a row their shinnes thus becudgelled and bedasted every morning with a pi●eous crie If after a years standing on the Praveush the partie will not or lack wherewithall to satisfie his creditour it is lawfull for him to sell his wife and children either outright or for a certain term of years And if the price of them do not amount to the full payment the creditour may take them to be his bondslaves for years or for ever according as the value of the debt requireth Such kind of suits as lack direct evidence or stand upon conjectures and circumstances to be weighed by the Judge draw of great length and yield great advantage to the Judge officers If the suit be upon a bond or bill they have for the most part good and speedy justice Their bonds or bills are drawn in a very plain sort after this tenour I Juan Vastleo have borrowed of Alphonasse Dementio the summe of one hundred rubbels of going money of Mosko from the Kreshenea or hallowing of the water untill the Saburney voscreshenea or Counsell Sunday without interest And if this money rest unpayed after that day then be shall give interest upon the said money after the common rate as it goeth among the people viz. for every five the sixth rubbel Upon this there are witnesses Micheta Sydroveskoy c. Subscribed This bill have I written Gabriel Jacovelesni in the year 796. The witnesses and debter if he can write endorse their names on the back side of the bill Other signing or sealing have they none When any is taken for a matter of crime as treason murder theft and such like he is first brought to the Duke and Diack that are for the Province where the partie is attached by whom he is examined The manner of examination in such cases is all by torture as scourging with whips made of sinews or whitleather called the Pudkey as bigge as a mans finger which giveth a sore lash and entreth into the flesh or by tying to a spit and rosting at the fire sometimes by breaking and wresting one of their ribs with a pair of hot tongues or cutting their flesh under the nails and such like The examination thus taken with all the proofs evidences that can be alledged against the partie is it sent up to the Mosko to the Lord of the Chetfird or fourth part under whom the Province is and by him is presented to the Counsell table to be read and sentenced there where onely judgement is given in matter of