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Extracts printed as a footnote in NC, 4: 245, n.2.
Atherton was arrested on criminal charges and without Lucas's knowledge. The guard's fight with the porter's son arose because the porter's family demanded bribes to open the gate. After hearing of the alleged sighting of King James in Roettier's house, Lucas tried three times to find a Mint officer to consult before searching the house, but without success. All inhabitants of the Tower are obliged to take oaths of loyalty at the Tower's court of record, and though this has hitherto been waived in the case of Mint employees, Lucas is no longer prepared to permit this infringement of the Tower's jurisdiction. Suspects the story of the drunken officer is as untrue as the claim that Lucas authorised his men to fire on Mint workers. He did forbid drink to be brought into the Tower for Mint workers, or food sold by them to the soldiers, following a complaint that the soldiers spent their cash on food and drink from the Mint workers though in debt to their own victuallers. Counters with charges that the Mint workers are habitually drunk and provoke the Tower guards: a sentry was recently almost murdered by a drunken horsekeeper and other Mint personnel.
My Lords
I have by r.ps:
a Copy of a scandalous and untrue paper delivrd
to o r:pps:e
Warden, and Mastrag t:
me and my administraconm t:
of the Tower, ch:
ashamed to have made any Answer or
Iustification of my selfe, But as every tt r:
of fact Concerning me, herein is grosely untrue,
and many of their Scandalous, and such as I
believe, were never before, (to groundlessly)
presumed to be Offer'd to o r.pps:t:
man whatsoever so (besides the other reparaconch:r:ps
will as much, as in you Lyes, Iustifie and
redresse me t:
th.
exempted from all Arrests, as well Criminall
as for debt, and that one Atherton (one of theire
Labourers) was on the third of Iuly instant,
taken upon a Warrant from a Iustice of the
peace of the Tower back'd by my selfe. Whereas
an ties:
of Record of the Tower (wherein all ccons
whatsoever are try'd) hath Iurisdiction in
the Tower and Liberties there of, and the
Officers have alwayes Arrested in the Tower,
by the process of that Court (as Appeares by ts: ch:att r
by the Iustices Warrant, by the direction of the
provost of the Mint, who sent an Officer to
see it executed, ch:
or backing the arrt
Suggest'd, and disprovd by the dt:
ly:d: day of
Iuly t:
into the Mint, to shewe it to two Strangers,
seized the Gate, and took ert rs:
Throate, & occasion'd a fray ch:
mony to be unsafe and the Warder threatens
revenge on the porters sonn, and I had caus'd
the porter for be Whereasv rll:dts:nx d:
that the Warder went th:
usuall) to shew the Mint where they paid
6 d: at e
refused to be Lett out at the Gate by the
Porters Sonn, and Wife, tho they offer'd 2 d: a
piece (when nothing was due), But was
refused unless they would pay Silver,
whereupon the Strangers were forced to goe
another way out of the Mint, who being
gonn, the Warder ask'd, if they would Stopp
him, and he going to putt back the Lock, the
Porters Sonn Struck, and pu
that neither I nor the Warder, had any thing to
do there, and the Warder Iust touching his
Coate, to come out of the
the Warder on the face, and he, his father,
mother, and sister, fell upon and beate the
Warder who about 2 hours afterwards, told e
porter, that if he had ec d:
of the Tower, he would have ch
was all the threatning words us'd But the
Warder did not take et rs:e
nor seize e
by 3 dts
be e
the persons for e
dly:e
appointed to guard the doore of e
Roome, had Orders to permitt my entrance,
as well as eWhereasrs:
were ever given, or executed, Nor did I knowe
of any Sr ll:
hours after it was done, ch:e r.e
request of the Warden and Masts r.
whose Orders the S
commanded to observe as appeares by dt:nx d:
thlyr
Mint, and seized the Gates (without notice to
any of the Officrs
dangerous to them and that I demand a List
of eWhereas
informacone
in Mr: Roteer's house, ch:
in which time I sent thrice, To speake w th:
of the Officers of the Mint, but Could fine none,
nor the porter or any of his fammily, whereupon
about 9: a Clock, my selfe, the Deputy rn r:
and a Iustice of the Peace, went in
Roteer's house, & 3: or 4: days after, by order
of theire Excellencies e
again to Roteers house, & took the examinacon
of all his fammily, ch:
or other searches that were made. And it's
usually & Incumbant, & highly necessary for
all e
to the Governm t:
the court seech
Chiefe Steward, yett I have excused the Mint,
they being fully employ'd. But think not fitt
to doe the same any Longer, to eech:
sworne to e
Iustices Command to demand an t:e
Inhabita
thly:r
Two of theire houses w
midnight by a Drunker Officer of the Guard,
who made a pass at one of theire erv ts:vord
to make et:
in e
that theire rvt:
the Centinell, & had order'd the Centinells to fire
at e
sett as Vsuall and why should they Looke a
good Officer, for pretence, of his being
ch:
Impower'd to shoot his Enemy, or any others who complai
of such bloody discipline, Or why should they be terrified
in the Mint. Whereas
heard of the drunken Officer, untill I was Lately
inform'd by the Warden who
nor Can I find out who it was, Nor have I any
reason to believe the truth of the Complaint in that
matter, most of e
Groundless and untrue. And theire pr
Centinells are not Sett (as usually) & that I gave
Orders for e
others (save rll:
or allow of any bloody discipline or terrifie any
Body, is most scandellous and Grosely false (as ppears:
by ts:ch
doubt not but r.ps
measures as I may have racon:.
thlyrg t:Gov rn:
did the next day giver Orders, not to suffer meat
or Drunk to be Carried to workmen in the Mint,
And to take away what should be sent to them
& give it to the Soldiers, I pr
workmen sell the meate and drink to others. Wherease
Suttlers, That drink was brought into the Tower
in potts and pitchers, and sold to the Solldiers,
who were very Considerably indebted to the
Suttler in e
was not paid, and that the Soldiers now having
Money, now Lay out and spend the same in
drink ch:rIr ch:
no person should be suffere
into the Tower in potts or pitchers, or to sell
Virtually to the Solldiers (save the Suttlers
Appointed) Besides there are Suttlers in the Mint,
for supplying theire Workmen who were never
hindred from brining what Meate and drink
they thought fitt: And
Workers in the Mint use greate disorders in
drinking to excesse & selling to others, ch.
not to be allow'd in the Tower. But
restraine e
Suttlers in the Mint, nor order the same, or
any Others to be taken away, or given to the
Solldiers, as is most untruly suggested in the
said paper.
thly
disorders of some of the
in the Mint (incouraged by their Porters and
his Sonns going unpunisheeth: day of Iuly: n t:
in the afternoone, one of theire horse keepers
(being almost drunk) came on a Gallop w th:
horses in the Sentinells Posts, at the Deputy
Governours doore, and ridd ag t:
to a post, and call'd him many foule Names,
without any manner of provocation or reason,
And the Sentinells endeavouring to keepe his
Post, the horse keeper was encouraged +
directed, (by one Fowles a Clerk in the Mint)
to dragg the Centinell by the Eares from his
Post, and shoot him through the
aner
probability had not the Deputy n rs.
hear
they had Murther'd the Centinell, (as appeares
by 2: ts:nx d:But
the Matter of the said Complaint Lyes before o r:pps:
any thing therein, untill ReprYo r:pps.
Sonn, and the Clerk and Horsekeepers,
And now (My Lords) haveing
fully answer'd and disprov'd that Libell (ch.
I think) had it not beene deliver'd to rpps
deserved no Answer in this manner. And I do
submitte to r:pps
upon such a Libell (so full of untruths and
Scandalls) to sett forth any of the Records
Roll
are as an
I am
My Lords
r:pps:
humble Serv t:
Lucas