Page:The History of the Church & Manor of Wigan part 2.djvu/166

Rh the knight (Sir Thomas Canon); but at afternoon he came by my pewe ende & then salluted both the maer & me: & we walkt all together as farr as Gerrard Johnson his Inne howse, where the maer bestowed a quart of sak on him, & then we parted from him. Discourse was none with him but what was not worthy mindinge or relatinge; only he took occasion cominge out of the church to extolle your Lo'pp for the bewtifying of it; to wh. I only answered yt befor your Lo'pp came thither this church and divers others in this county, which are now as handsome as it, were more undesent & filthye then most stables yt I had ever bene in. Mr. Hunt & the messenger after dynner came to see me at my Inne at Mr. Markland's, the messenger & the knight beinge fallen at difference, inasmuch as he intended the next morning to have gone for London, but Mr. Hunt dissuaded him from it Mr. Hunt tolde me. . . . . . he would be carefull in mannaging this service yt concerns your Lo'pp, & would be very circumspect & carfull yt ye knight, who is but equall in commission wth himself, should not retourne anythinge whereto he would subscribe but what was materiall; and he protested befor God & to me yt as yett he hade not anythinge at all yt was worthy the writtinge downe. Only he told me that ther appeered a commuta$\overline{c}$on of on yt lived in Preston (whose name I have now forgotten) that your Lo'pp commuted for either 8 or tenn pounds wch you had not chardged yourselfe withall. To this William Browne answers yt ye party gave good bond for such a some as aforsaid, but the fellowe presently after brok & ran his way out of the country & was never since heard off, neither was ever penny of the mony paid. This I acquainted Mr. Hunt with; who privatly wisht me yt Browne should writte downe himselfe what he remembered was receaved for commuta$\overline{c}$ons & what disbursd as he thought, & give it, when the knight sent to examine him, undr his hand, & noe further answer. I have [settled] with Mr. Bridge that he see Mr. Browne doe so, & likewais that he set downe the former passidge touching the commuta$\overline{c}$on at Preston. . . . . . Reynolds is a diligent attendent, but, beying to appeer by litle & litle as he is, he openly wth fearfull oeths avowed yt he thought your Lo'pp was a just and honnest B'pp, & that he knew no other of your Lo'pp; & this he did openly at James Markland's howse befor Mr. Hunt, ye messenger, Mr. Bridge, Mr. Russell & others, yett like the devill walks about to do misscheef. Mr. Hunt told me he informd the knight he was tryed by a jury of your Lo'pp's tenants to