To
the
RIGHT
HONOURABLE
HIS
MAJESTIES
JUDGES
,
Now
Sitting
in
Oxon
,
&c.
The
Humble
Petition
of
STEPHEN
JAY
,
Clerk
,
Rector
of
Chinner
,
in
the
County
of
Oxon
.
Humbly
Sheweth
,
THat
one
Titus
Brown
,
a
very
lewd
and
infamous
Person
,
guilty
of
several
Thefts
and
Burglary
,
about
January
last
,
by
a
forged
Licence
set
up
an
Ale-House
in
your
Petitioner's
Parish
,
(
where
two
already
were
)
but
upon
Petition
to
the
Justices
of
that
Division
at
their
private
Session
,
was
suppressed
according
to
Law
by
their
Order
of
April
the
Seventh
;
and
afterwards
by
the
General
Sessions
at
Oxon
,
April
the
Twelfth
.
The
said
Brown
thus
suppres'd
,
(
understanding
the
little
good
will
born
to
your
Petitioner
by
one
Mr.
Allnut
,
for
Causes
well
known
to
the
Countrey
)
applied
himself
to
the
said
Justice
,
who
receiving
the
said
Brown
into
his
favour
,
(
though
himself
knew
him
to
be
very
scandalous
,
and
had
been
brought
before
him
for
Assaulting
on
the
High-way
with
design
to
Rob
,
as
the
said
Justice
then
apprehended
;
)
at
Trinity
Sessions
following
,
on
a
Certificate
in
the
Name
of
a
Child
of
Twelve
Years
Old
,
very
vigorously
moved
the
Bench
for
a
Licence
for
the
said
Brown
(
after
it
had
been
denied
the
Day
before
on
the
account
of
the
Order
made
the
last
Session
)
and
prevailed
.
Your
Petitioner
and
Parish
much
afflicted
hereat
,
applied
themselves
by
Petition
to
the
Honourable
Judges
of
the
Assize
at
Oxon
,
July
the
Fourteenth
,
who
were
pleased
to
refer
our
Complaints
to
the
Examination
of
any
two
Justices
of
the
County
,
with
Order
to
suppress
the
said
Brown
,
&c.
In
pursuance
whereof
,
a
meeting
was
appointed
at
Tetsworth
,
on
Saturday
,
July
the
Thirtieth
past
;
your
Petitioner
writing
to
Justice
Allnut
to
be
there
,
and
accordingly
he
the
said
Mr.
Allnut
appeared
,
together
with
Sr.
Thomas
Tipping
,
to
whom
was
presented
the
Order
of
the
Judges
,
with
humble
desire
to
Execute
the
same
.
But
so
it
is
(
may
it
please
your
Lordships
)
that
he
the
said
Mr.
Allnut
utterly
refused
to
execute
the
Order
,
though
moved
earnestly
by
your
Petitioner
thereto
,
(
Ten
Witnesses
being
present
ready
to
be
Examined
on
Oath
against
the
said
Brown
)
but
the
said
Mr.
Allnut
pretending
Business
left
the
whole
Matter
unexamined
,
to
our
great
Amazement
and
Charge
.
And
to
your
Petitioner
(
telling
him
only
that
if
we
could
not
have
Justice
from
him
,
we
would
have
it
else-where
from
his
Superiours
)
Sirrah
,
(
said
he
)
I
could
find
in
my
Heart
to
cut
your
Pate
.
May
it
please
your
Lordships
;
your
poor
Petitioner
(
though
a
Minister
)
hath
yet
the
Honour
to
be
extracted
from
a
Worshipful
Family
,
and
(
with
all
humility
be
it
spoken
)
is
Allyed
to
the
several
Families
of
Three
Honourable
Members
of
His
Majesties
Most
Honourable
Privy
Council
.
His
Father
losing
an
Estate
of
near
500
l.
per
annum
,
for
his
Loyalty
to
his
late
Majesty
.
He
himself
driven
to
seek
Bread
in
another
Kingdom
,
during
the
Kings
absence
;
Though
by
Gods
Blessing
is
now
restored
to
a
plentiful
Estate
:
Is
Patron
,
as
well
as
Parson
of
his
Parish
,
which
ingageth
him
ever
to
seek
the
welfare
thereof
.
And
doth
behave
himself
in
all
things
as
becometh
a
Minister
and
a
Gentleman
;
who
by
his
constant
Preaching
and
Exemplary
Life
hath
gain'd
in
some
Dissenters
to
the
Church
,
and
preserves
the
whole
Parish
in
it
:
Having
owned
the
Episcopal
Government
,
by
being
Ordain'd
by
a
Bishop
even
in
Cromwell's
time
.
You
Petitioner
(
dares
not
Justifie
himself
before
God
,
yet
)
is
bold
towards
your
Lordships
,
to
hope
that
Protection
and
Security
will
be
granted
him
by
your
Honours
,
from
such
insulting
Menaces
against
a
Minister
of
the
Church
(
how
unworthy
soever
)
in
the
discharge
of
his
Duty
,
and
the
suppression
of
Wickedness
in
his
Parish
.
And
that
your
Lordships
will
not
suffer
so
Causless
an
Affront
to
be
given
him
in
the
publick
Yard
of
an
Inn
,
and
before
many
of
his
own
People
and
Strangers
,
to
his
great
Disgrace
,
on
no
other
Provocation
but
demanding
Justice
against
a
dangerous
fellow
.
The
very
Heathen
have
ever
honoured
their
Priests
.
Your
Petitioner
most
humbly
kneels
to
your
Lordships
for
Redress
,
and
cast's
Himself
and
his
Complaint
at
your
Honours
Feet
,
humbly
submitting
Himself
and
It
,
to
your
Prudent
Censure
.
And
does
beseech
your
Lorship
to
Examine
,
or
Order
to
be
Examined
the
High
Misdemeanours
of
the
said
〈…〉
To
the
WORSHIPFUL
HIS
MAJESTIES
JUSTICES
,
For
the
County
of
Oxon
.
Gentlemen
!
THe
Petitioner
has
not
appealed
in
dishonour
of
the
Justice
of
the
Bench
;
(
there
is
not
a
Gentleman
on
it
,
that
is
a
really
Gentleman
,
whom
he
does
not
worthily
esteem
and
submit
to
)
but
thinks
it
duty
to
himself
to
fly
the
Attaques
of
an
Enemy
,
whose
Will
had
so
great
an
Influence
as
Arbitrarily
to
procure
the
rescinding
a
positive
Order
granted
but
the
Session
before
;
and
whose
Prejudices
against
the
Petitioner
have
gradually
encreased
from
these
remarkable
Causes
:
1.
The
Petitioner's
dismissing
Richard
his
Elder
Brother
(
an
honest
plain
Man
,
)
from
being
his
Tenant
,
for
Reasons
accountable
to
any
that
demand
them
1669.
2.
An
(
yet
unrooted
)
Jealousie
that
the
Petitioner
impeached
him
to
the
Council
at
the
breaking
out
of
the
Plot
;
when
(
in
a
better
than
Jesuitical
sence
)
he
was
as
Innocent
as
the
New
Born
Child
.
3.
The
Petitioners
sawcy
equalizing
himself
with
him
;
when
in
heat
and
altercation
of
words
before
Forty
or
Fifty
Gentlemen
at
Dinner
,
he
drop'd
this
Truth
,
That
he
was
as
good
a
Gentleman
,
as
he
;
(
and
cannot
as
yet
recant
it
.
)
Besides
,
his
charging
him
with
indiscretion
in
the
manage
of
an
Interest
,
the
miscarrying
of
which
he
would
(
very
invidiously
)
have
foysted
on
the
Petitioner
,
1679.
4.
The
Petitioner's
Neighbours
their
Voting
for
those
he
disfavours
occasion'd
(
as
he
fancies
)
by
him
;
when
of
a
Truth
they
were
voluntarily
led
by
their
own
Discretion
and
Will
.
And
who
are
wise
enough
without
him
to
be
faithful
to
their
Native
Interests
and
Rights
,
1680.
Gentlemen
;
Duty
will
Oblige
you
to
keep
the
Peace
;
and
Gallantry
will
prompt
you
to
be
generous
and
just
to
a
Stranger
,
whose
near
Sir
Jo
.
Ernle
.
Sir
Edw
.
Hungerford
.
Sir
Walter
Ernle
.
Sir
Giles
Hungerford
.
Sir
Walter
St.
Johns
.
Mr.
Daniel
.
Relations
fill
the
Neighbouring
Bench
;
who
will
not
take
it
so
kindly
to
have
the
Pate
cut
of
Their
poor
Kinsman
,
and
your
Servant
S.
J.