And we have another letter asking for an order to the Leicestershire magistrates to restore her goods “that J may haue a horse to ride on in my old age.”[113] So many of her appeals are on the same theme that it is exceedingly difficult in making selections to avoid reiteration, but the following addressed to the Lord Chamberlain[114] is so characteristic of her that, in spite of repetition, we hardly like to omit it:[115]
ffrind.
This J wright that thou maist consider the cause of the innocent, with the cause of the widdow, how it is as yit sleighted by one & another.
J labored on foot to come hither to London, aboue 100 miles being one yᵗ is aged, & weake, to lay before the King & counsell the greuiances of the innocent, who are imprisoned all ouer the Nation, who haue not wronged the King, nor his Counsell, nor haue not entertained euill in our hearts against him, to doe him any hurt, or wrong in the least, & hither haue J come time after time, for that thinge, & for equity, & Justice, who had my goods taken away contrary to yʳ owne law, my goods, for another bodies fine, though he allsoe did fulfill yʳ law in suffering the penalty of it, & what could be more required. They took from me 20ˡ worth of goods in time of harvest, namely my teame, which at that time was aboue 100ˡ losse to me, & my ffamily, both as to the losse of my cattle & corne, and putting off my ffarme. This was don at Sileby in Leicester shire by Mathew Babington of Roadby, whome they call Justice, he bearinge Sway aboue the rest to doe mischeife, by setting a Baly of the hundred on worke called William Palmer, who took away my goods, and sold them, and J would haue had a warrant time after time of the Justices to fetch him before them, but they would grant me none, But the hand of the Lord light on that man, and he died a miserable death.
Soe seing J could not be heard there in the Country, nor righted, Therefore J haue appealed and applyed my selfe to the King, who bid me goe to the Lord Chamberlane, and J should haue an answer by him, soe J applyed my selfe to thee, to know an answer from the King, how J might haue my ffrinds at liberty, or gett my goods restored, but as yit J haue had noe answer as to either of them, but when J was heare before, thou writ me a letter to carry to the Earle of Stamford,[116] and sealed it, which J did carry to him accordingly, in a sore jurney to the endangering of my life, but had J Knowne what had been in it, J should haue labored more to the King & Duke of Yorke before J went, which then might haue been serviceable to me or my ffrinds, J neuer did desire any Lords favor, for my goods againe, nor deed of Charity, for these were not my words, but onely equity & Justice.
My harts desire is, that you may doe Justice & Judgement, all of you while you haue time, least yʳ day goe ouer yʳ heads, as to others it hath don before you; and so come to yᵗ which is true honor, out of all flattering titles, for the true Nobility is to hear the cry of the Jnnocent and to doe Justice & Judgmᵗ to the widdow, the ffatherlesse, and to Keep yʳ selues vnspotted from the world, and this is the true Nobility which is vnchangeable & that man is noble in his place which will hear the cry of the Jnnocent & help them in theire distresse but he yᵗ will not doe it, comes short of the vnjust Judge, whoe though he neither feared God nor regarded man, yit did the widdow Justice, least shee should weary him, Soe ffrind, take these thinges into thy Consideration, for J haue respected thee, more then many because of thy moderation which is noble in itts place....
Concerning that letter which the Earle of Stamford sent to thee by me itt being soe coldly handled between you both, noe thinge is don for my satisfaction, and whereas his letter saith, that some men are dead that bought my cattle, and that the rest are vnwilling to contribute any considerable matter, to this, J say, that the Baley of hundred is dead but the men that bought the cattle of him were aliue, when J came, for J was with them, but if any that they sold them to be dead, or noe, that J cannot tell, but he that should restore my goods is Mathew Babington if J may haue my right.
The Earle of Stamford hath been about it, to see what they will doe who had my goods, but seing he hath noe more forceable letter from hence, he could doe nothing but hath left it vnto thee, therefore if thou writest to him againe lett it be effectually that J may haue Justice, for the law is not against me but for me, (though J cannot make vse of it in a way of sute) and this J know you may doe between you, being sett in greater power then many others.
this was deliuered the 10ᵗʰ day of the 5ᵗʰ month 1667