Selected quad for the lemma: justice_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A36344
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More shams still, or, A further discovery of the designs of the Papists to impose upon the nation the belief of their feigned Protestant or Presbyterian plot by Thomas Dangerfield.
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Dangerfield, Thomas, 1650?-1685.
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1681
(1681)
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Wing D191; ESTC R24288
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25,730
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39
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has happen'd about my detaining of you yet you had better make use of and depend upon me who will be bound for you as far as a hundred pounds goes For that person which you intend for your Bayl is a Presbiteryan and will do both you and himself much prejudice should he appear in this Affair Now as for my friends being of any other perswasion than that of the present Church of England as it is Estabish'd by Law I knew to be most notoriously false and had sufficient reason to think my friend the Constable as great a Rogue as any of the rest whoe 's best principles are all sorts of Debaucheries and therefore I thought my self so much the more oblidg'd to have a friend Because I saw all they drove at vvas to triumph and rejoyce at my Committment to Prison After this vve set forth tovvards the Justices vvhoes habitation vvas about four miles from Waltham vvho hath formerly been best knovvn by the name of Mad Wroth A person as fit for the purpose as my accusers and the Constable vvere Before him the Woman testified vvhat the Troopers and she had agreed upon before the heads of her Information being here set dovvn as they vvere taken by that Officious Just'ass vvho out of his abundant care and Zeal but for vvhat he hardly knevv himself took the pains to ride over to Whaltham that very same day to take fresh examinations or rather to temper vvith suborn vvitnesses against me as perhaps he may one day be sencible off Lucy French made Oath before Squire John Wroth the 15th day of August 1681. That Thomas Dangerfield drew his Sword and Pistol at her and swore he would kill her That he told her she must take leave of her Husband for she should see him no more that he told her the Subpena which he had served upon her Husband was in favour of my Lord of Shaftsbury that he did give her Husband instructions what to say when he came to Oxford on the behalf of Colledge That he the said Dangerfield did swear he would dye upon his sword point if he did not ruin both her and her husband before he went out of their house that he came not out of kindness to the house but to do them hurt that he would cause her Husband to be put in the Garet that he would procure their Lycence to be taken away in a months time c. With this and such kind of stuff did our Justice make shift to patch up an Information which vvhen it vvas taken and as I thought all things over as to that I desir'd my Defence might be heard to which he replied The Law did not allow such Rascals as I was any defence And besides I stood there charg'd with Subornation and had taken part with my Lord Shaftsbury whom he said was the greatest Traytor in the Nation That I had refused to drink the Duke of York's health because he was a Papist But then he swore Damn him he knew the Duke to be a better Protestant than I was with a great deal more of such like impious Riff Raff Then I told him I thought the rest of the Justices of the Peace would scarce be of his opinion at the Quarter Sessions To which he swore Damn him but he was sure they would However Sir said I you are not Parliament Proof With that he swore Damn him he vallued not a Parliament a Fart for a Parliament Then I held up my Finger and bid him have a care upon which he became somewhat mild and offered to let me go upon Bail which I had ready and so the heat was over But just when I was coming away says he to me pray Sir let me desire you to inform your self well about the persons which put you upon serving of this Subpena for your cannot chuse but find they had a design to embroyl you by it and to leave you in the Bryers whereby your prossecuting and detecting of Papists and the Popish-Plot might be rendred useless Pray says he again take my advice and sift it to the bottom And if you find it as I say make use of me to represent your discovery to the King vvhich shall serve to restore you to my good opinion again which you have at present lost by appearing in so foul a thing as serving the Subpena Now let all the world judge whether or no this Gentleman had not a design to suborn me to charge Mr. Colledges Friend from whom I had the Subpena with a design to destroy my Evidence in the Popish-Plot And whither or no the overflowing of his Gall has not carried him so much beyond the sedate and mild behaviour of a Civil Magistrate that I had just cause to think him as bad a person as the Woman who had sworn so falsely against me For how likely a thing is it that I who never knew the Woman nor spoak to her in my life before nor had ever heard of any the least injury either her self or any thing relating to her had done me should attempt to kill her to threaten either her or her Husbands Life or Ruine as she had sworn But now to shew you what became of this affair which Mr. Justice Overdo by his double dilligence had taken no small pain to Nurss into a Subornation I shall tell you in a few words Being bound over to the quarter-Quarter-Sessions which opened at Chelmsford the 4th of October I attended and the Evidence being heard against me and my Defence against that the thing I stood charg'd with seem'd so improbable that the Court not being of Squire John's opinion though he had pawn'd his Soul upon it by their great Justice and Honour discharg'd both me and my Bail leaving those malicious Prosecutors to my course at Law which I soon made use of for I straight vvay procur'd a Bill to be dravvn up against Slouch the Quartermaster for the assault and preseuted it to the Grand Jury vvho upon direct Evidences found it Billa vera upon the knovvledg of vvhich the Bacchanalian Svvash-Buckler notvvithstanding all his health-drinking leaving fearing the process of the Courr vvould reach him flead but our Justice remain'd behind biting and punishing his Lips that had so unadvisedly published his Ignoronce in the Law his contempt of Heaven and slght of Salvation finding himself not only liable besides to a just complaint in Parliament but in the Interval obnoxious to several Informations in the Crovvn-Office not only for his misbehaviour in this single affair but for several most notorious misdemeaners by him committed at a Special Sessions held at Epping in the Month of September vvhich he may be sure to hear of on both sides his Ears As also hovv basely he hath represented the Kings Person to the vvhole Country That which follows now is such a piece of unparralel'd Impudence as nothing but a Devil in that horrible Shape of a Papist would be guilty of The Copy