r had died in a house in St. Dunstan's
belonging to a certain John Fleming, and an apparitor had been sent "to
seal his chamber and his goods" that the church might not lose her dues.
John Fleming drove him out, saying loudly unto him, "Thou shalt seale no
door here; go thy way, thou stynkyng knave, ye are but knaves and brybours
everych one of you."[209] Thomas Banister, of St. Mary Wolechurch, when a
process was served upon him, "did threaten to slay the apparitor." "Thou
horson knave," he said to him, "without thou tell me who set thee awork to
summon me to the court, by Goddis woundes, and by this gold, I shall brake
thy head."[210] A "waiter, at the sign of the Cock," fell in trouble for
saying that "the sight of a priest did make him sick," also, "that he would
go sixty miles to indict a priest," saying also in the presence of
many--"horsyn priests, they shall be indicted as many as come to my
handling."[211] Often the officers found threats convert themselves into
acts. The apparitor of the Bishop of London went with a citation into the
shop of a mercer of St. Bride's, Henry Clitheroe by name. "Who does cite
me?" asked the mercer. "Marry, that do I," answered the apparitor, "if thou
wilt anything with it;" whereupon, as the apparitor deposeth, the said
Henry Clitheroe did hurl at him from off his finger that instrument of his
art called the "thymmelle," and he, the apparitor, drawing his sword, "the
said Henry did snatch up his virga, Anglice, his yard, and did pursue the
apparitor into the public streets, and after multiplying of many blows did
break the head of the said apparitor."[212] These are light matters, but
they were straws upon the stream; and such a scene as this which follows
reveals the principles on which the courts awarded their judgment. One
Richard Hunt was summoned for certain articles implying contempt, and for
vilipending his lordship's jurisdiction. Being examined, he confessed to
the words following: "That all false matters were bolstered and clokyd in
this court of Paul's Cheyne; moreover he called the apparitor, William
Middleton, false knave in the full court, and his father's dettes, said he,
by means of his mother-in-law and master commissary, were not payd; and
this he would abide by, that he had now in this place said no more but
truth." Being called on to answer further, he said he would not, and his
lordship did therefore excommunicate him.[213] From so brief an entry we
cannot tell o