The Lodger Shakespeare: His Life on Silver Street (39 page)

Raf: Wormlaighton.

b. Christopher Mountjoy’s Answer, 3 February 1612 [ibid./2]

The Answeare of Christopher Mountioy to the Bill of Complainte of Stephen Belott Compl
^t

This defendante All advantages of exception to the Insufficiencie and Incertainty of the sayd Bill nowe and at all times saved vnto him for answeare thervnto and for the manifest declaration of the truth saith That about ten yeares last past the defendante was Contentented [
sic
] at the Entreaty of the sayd Complainauntes friend
es
to accept of the Complainaunte to serve him as a prentise to learne his trade being a Tyremaker his said frend
es
p
ro
mis-singe to finde him Convenient apparrell while he shoulde so Continue in this deffendaunt
es
service, and the said Complainaunte did serve this defendaunte as a Prentice to learne his trade the space of six yeares or thereabout
es
. But dueringe all the time of his sayd service neither the Complaynaunte nor any of his friend
es
did according to theire p
ro
mise fynde him any apparrell att all savinge Linen but this Defendaunte was enforced to finde him all the Residue of his apparrell duering all the sayd time neither had the Complainaunte duering all the sayd time of six yeares any further or other releefe or oth
^r
maintenaunce from any of his friend
es
but was duering all the saide time wholy and solye mayntayned by this Defendaunte. And after the said Complainaunt had served this Defendaunte as aforesayd the said time of six yeares then the said Complainaunte was desierus to travell into spaine and this Defendaunte did furnish him w
^th
mony and other necessaryes for the Iorney to the vallue of six pound
es
or therabout
es
after which time the sayd Complaynaunte returned from his travell vnto this Defendaunte againe and was a suter vnto this Defendaunt
es
daughter to marry her and to that purpose did move this Defendaunte and his then wife for theire Concent
es
for the marriage which this Defendaunte and his sayd wyfe being poore and able to bestowe lyttle or nothinge w
^th
their sayd Daughter in marryage (save y
^t
this Defendante had then brought her to a good perfection in his sayd trade of Tyermakeinge) was Contented to yeelde vnto: though the said Complainaunte neither then had nor ever sithence to the knowledge of this Defendaunte any mony, or other valluable good
es
or land
es
whatsoever from his sayd friend
es
nor any other thinge whatsoever but what he had gotten in this Defendaunt
es
service and by the trade that this Defendaunte had learned him. And afterward
es
vid. about five yeares past the sayd Complainaunte was marryed to the sayd Daughter of this Defendaunte at which mariyage it was agreed betweene the said Complainaunte and this Defendaunte that if the sayd Complainaunte with his wife shoulde Continue and worcke in theire trade to the benefitt of this Defendaunte in the house of this Defendaunte duering the space of twoe yeares or thereabout
es
after the said Marriage this Defendaunte giveinge them Conveniente housrome and dayate Convenient for them so that this Defendaunte might only haue the benifitt of theire labour
es
. Then this Defendaunte at the end of the sayd twoe year
es
would give vnto the sayd Complainaunte fiftie pound
es
or to that effect as this Defend
^t
nowe remembreth aft
^r
which time the sayd Complaynaunte did for a little time remayne in the house of this Defendaunte accordingly. But after the sayd Complaynaunte and his wife had stayed in the house of this Defendaunte as aforesayd the space of halfe a yeare or there about
es
he refused to stay there any longer and would need
es
take oth
^r
Courses for his better p
re
fermente as he then p
re
tended And at the end of the sayd halfe yeare when the said Compl
^t
Did departt from the house of this Defendaunte out of his love to the sayd Complainaunte and his wife (beinge no other way Compellable thervnto) did bestowe on them a good proportion of houshoulde stuffe and the thing
es
Concerninge theire trade according to this Defendaunt
es
poore ability being to the vallue of Twenty pound
es
or thereabout
es
and lykewyse ten pound
es
of ready mony to put into theire pursse and did hartely desier theire welfare and lykwise did Intende to leave vnto the sayd Complaynaunte and his wife beinge the only chylde of this Defendaunte all or the moste parte of that estate which god should have blessed them with at the time of his Death. And allso in his fath
er
ly love to have ben helpfull to them from time to time accordinge to his poore ability After which time (y
^t
the said Complainaunt was gon from the house of this Defendaunt) about a yeare This Defendaunt
es
wife dyed and then the said Complaynaunte and his wife Came againe and lived w
^th
this Deffendaunte as p
ar
tner
es
in ther sayd trade of Tyeringe about the space of half a yeare duering which time this Defendaunte had in his hand
es
the summe of forty shilling
es
of the Complaynaunt
es
mony and at the end of the said Halfe yeare & about the time of the Complaynaunt
es
depareture from this def
^tes
house the sayd Complaynaunte being Indebted vnto a Bruer the summe of three pound
es
desiered this Defendaunt to pay it for him to the sayd Bruer which sayd somm of three pound
es
this Defendaunte payed for the sayd Complaynaunte accordingly but this def
^t
was nev
^r
sithen
es
repaide the s
ai
d 3
¹¹
. or any p
ar
te therof other the
n
the s
ai
d 40
^s
as aforsaid, and dueringe the sayd half yeare that the Complaynaunt was with this Defendaunte as aforesayd this Defendaunte did buy into the shopp with his owne mony silvered wyer and oth
^r
Comodyties Concerninge theire trade to the vallue of Ten pound
es
or therabout
es
for which the sayd Complainaunte should by agreemente have payd halfe but did pay never a peny And this Defendaunte absolutely denyeth that he did ever to his knowledge offer vnto the sayd Complaynaunte in marryage w
^th
his daughter the summe of Threescore pound
es
or any portion or other som
m
e whatsoever other than the sayd summe of ffifty pound
es
at the end of the foresayd three yeares and vpon the Considderation as before is expressed. And this Defendante lykewyse denyeth that he did ever p
ro
mise to leave to the sayd Complainaunte and his wife at his Death the some of two hundred pound
es
or any other Certaine summe but as aforesayd did Intende to deale with the Complaynaunt and his wife at the time of his Death as it is fittinge for a fath
er
to deale with his only Chylde But this Defendaunte neither then Coulde nor yet Canne set dowe any Certaynty thereof for that this def
^t
, both then was and yet is a poore man and knows not howe it will please god to blesse him in his estate at the time of his Death nor how the sayd Complaynaunte and his wife will behave themselves toward
es
this Defendaunte In his life time wherby they may deserve this Defendaunt
es
either more or lesse affection and love toward
es
them. And this defendaunt lykewyse denyeth that he to his knowledge doth owe the Complaynaunte forty shilling
es
or any other former somme of Mony whatsoever otherwyse than as before is expressed An this Defendaunte further saith that he did about a month sythence earnestly request the sayd Complaynaunte in the p
re
sence of his neighbour
es
to account w
^th
him for the sayd Reckoninge betweene them at which time the sayd Complaynaunte did give this Defendaunte Ill Languages and bid him Come by his mony howe he Coulde Without that that any other matter or thing Contained in the sayd Bill of Complaynt materiall or effectuall to be answered vnto and not heerin sufficiently Confessed and avoyded denyed or traversed is true All which matters this Defendante is ready to averr and prove as this most honorable Court shall award and humbly prayeth to be dismissed out of the same with his reasonable Chardges in this behalfe most wrongfully sustayned/

Geo: Hartoppe

c. Belott’s Replication, 5 May 1612 [ibid./3]

The Replica
ci
on of Stephen Belot Comp
^lt
to the Answer of Christopher Mountioye def
^t
.

The said Comp
^lt
not Confessinge or acknowledginge anie matter or thinge materiall or effectuall in the said def
^tes
Answer conteyned to be true in suche sorte manner or forme as in and by the said bill they are sett forthe and declared sayth that the said Answer is in all or the moste p
ar
te thereof vntrue incerteyne and insufficient to be replyed vnto for manie imp
er
fecc
i
ons in the same appearinge. All the advantages of excepc
i
on to thincertaintyes and insufficiencies whereof nowe and at all tymes hereafter to this Comp
^lt
, saued, This Comp
^lt
, for Replicac
i
on sayeth in all thinges as in his said Bill of Complainte he hathe sayed, and doth and will auer maynteyne iustyfie and proue his said Bill of Comp
^lt
, and euerie matter article and allegac
i
on therein Conteyned to bee true Certayne and sufficient to be answered vnto set forthe and declared w
^th
out that that this Comp
^ltes
ffrends at the tyme of his Commynge to bee Apprentice w
^th
the said def
^t
did p
ro
mise to finde this Comp
^lt
. Convenient apparrell while he shoulde Contynewe in the said def
^tes
service. Or that the said def
^t
at the tyme of this Comp
^ltes
trauaile into spayne did furnishe this Comp
^lt
. w
^th
six poundes or w
^th
any other somme of Money but that this Comp
^lt
, was only therein furnished by himselfe w
^th
out that that allsoe this Comp
^lt
. moved the said def
^t
or his wyffe for theire Consent
es
to the Mariage of the said Mary but that this Comp
^lt
, was only drawen therevnto by the said def
^t
, And w
^th
out that that after the Marriage of this Comp
^lt
. w
^th
the said Mary there was any suche Conclus
i
on or agreement made betwixt the said def
^t
and this Comp
^lt
, euer receuied any good
es
or howsehold stuffe of the said def
^t
or any things Concerninge theire trade, or desiered the said def
^t
to pay the somme of three poundes or any other somme to the Brewer, or was soe indebted vnto the said Brewer as by the said Answere all soe is alleadged, w
^th
that that the said def
^t
did p
ro
mise vnto this Comp
^lt
, the somme of threscore pounds in mariadge w
^th
the said Mary his daughter and did likewise p
ro
mise to leave vnto this Comp
^lt
, and his wyffe the some of two hundred poundes or thereabout
es
after his deceasse, And that the said def
^t
is truely indebted vnto this Comp
^lt
. in the somme of fforty shillinges w
^th
out that that this Comp
^lt
. was desiered by the said def
^t
to come to anie accompte or gaue the said def
^t
any ill languages as in & by the said Answere is allsoe Alleadged, And w
^th
out that that any other matter thinge or thinges Clause sentence, Article or allegacion in the said Answere Conteyned materiall or effectuall in the lawe to be replyed vnto, and not heerein sufficiently replyed vnto Confessed and avoyded denyed or trauersed is true, All and euery w
^ch
matters hee this Comp
^lt
. is ready to averr iustify mayntayne and proue as this honorable Courte shall award, And humbly prayeth as hee before by his said Bill of Complaynte hathe allready prayed./