Page:The Life of Sir Thomas More (William Roper, ed by Samuel Singer).djvu/193

 the name of the courte for thys once, or call it if ye will a courte of pye Syr William Pounder. But thys was the maiter loe, that vpon a tyme, at suche a courte holden at Bartylmewe fayre, there was an eschetour of London that had arested a man that was outlawed, and had seased hys goodes that he hadde broughte into the fayre, tellying hym out of the fayre by a trayne. The man that was arested, and hys goodes seased, was a northern manne, whiche by his frendes made th'eschetour within the fayre to be arested vpon an accion, I wot nere what, and so was he brought before the judge, of the court of py Syr William Pounder. And at the laste that matter came to a certayne ceremonye to be tryed by a quest of xii men, a jury as I remember they called it, or elles a perjury. Nowe had the clothman by friendshyp of the officers founden the meanes to haue all the quest almost, made of the northern men, such as had theyr boothes there standing in the fayre. Now was it come to the last daye in the afternoon, and the xxi men had herd both the parties, and theyr counsel tel their tales at the barre, and were fro the barre had into a place, to talke, and common, and agree vpon their sentence. Nay let me speke better in my termes yet, I trow the judge geueth the sentence, and the questes tale is called a verdict. They wer skant come in together, but the northern men were agreed, and in effect all the tother too, to cast our London eschetour. They thoughte ther neded no more to proue that he did wrong, than even the name of his bare office alone. But than was ther among them, as the deuill wold, this honest man of another quarter, that was called Cumpany. And because the felowe semed but a foole, and sate still and sayde nothing, they made no reckoning of hym, but sayd we be agreed now, come let vs go geve our verdic. Than whan the poore felowe sawe that they made such haste, and his mind nothing gaue him that way that theirs did, (if their mindes gaue them that way that they said) he prayde them to tary and talke vpon that matter, and tell him such reason therein, that he might thinke as they did: and when he so shold do, he wold be glad to say with them, or els he sayde they must pardone him. For sith he had a soule of his owne to keepe as they had, he