The Lodger Shakespeare: His Life on Silver Street (44 page)

7/ To the vij
^th
Interr this depon
e
nt is not examyned at the Requeste of the def
endant

Nouel Montioi

DEPOSITION OF THOMAS FLOWER

Thomas fflower of the p
ar
ishe of S
^ct
Albans in Woddstreete London m
er
chaunttaylo
^r
of the Age of thirtye Eight yeres or th
^r
about
es
sworne and examed the daye and yere abouesaid deposith and saythe/

1. /To the ffirste Interr this depon
e
nt sayth he knoweth the pl
aintiff
and deft

2. /To the seconde Interr this depon
e
nt sayth that he hath often herd Marye the defendt
es
wyffe did often in her lyffe tyme vrdge her husbond the deft to geue somthynge more vnto the pl
aintiff
and his wyffe then he had donne before wherevnto the deft Mountioye would comonlye answeare her that he would not p
ro
mise them any thinge because he knewe not what he should neede him selfe./ And soe he hath herd the deft often saye he would p
ro
mise nothinge for feare of wantinge him selfe or woord
es
to the lyke effecte./ And more he Cannott depose./

3. /To the third Interr this depon
e
nt sayth he hath herd the deft
es
wyffe in her lyffe tyme saye that her husbonde and shee hadd geuen her daughter Marye and her husbond the pl
aintiff
synce there marriadge togeath
^r
the some of ten pound
es
in Monney And Certayne Implem
^tes
of houshould stuffe, And that shee would haue had her husbond Mountioye haue geuen them more./ but he would not sayinge he knewe not what he him selfe might want or word
es
to the lyke effecte. And more he Cannott depose/

4. To the iiij
^th
Interr this depon
e
nt sayth that he herd as aforesaid that the pl
aintiff
Receaved of the deft ten pound
es
in monney and Certayne househould stuffe./ but the valewe of the houshould stuffe he knoweth not./ And furth
^r
sayth that synce the pl
aintiffes
goinge from the deft the deft sent this depon
e
nt to the pl
aintiff
to desire him to Reccon w
^th
him for some Monney and other thing
es
w
^ch
he had takne w
^th
him when he went Awaye./ And the pl
aintiff
did answeare this depon
e
nt that he had but some fewe trifles of his w
^ch
he would not confesse in p
ar
ticuler nor deliu
er
. And more he Cannott depose/

5. To the v
^th
Interr this depon
e
nt sayth the pl
aintiff
hath not at any tyme vrdged nor p
er
swaded this depon
e
nt to conceale his knowledge nor otherwise to depose and speake Any thinge conc
er
ninge the matt
^r
nowe in Question betweene them./ And more he cannot depose./

6. /To the vj
^th
Interr this depon
e
nt sayth that by him this depon
e
nt the defendt did longe synce desire the pl
aintiff
to Reccon w
^th
him the de
fendan
t about monney And other thing
es
due betweene them, wherevppon this deponnt moved him to A Recconinge, who Answeared in mann
^r
ffollowinge vz wheare I haue a penniwoorth of Any thinge, I would I hadd more of his. I haue nothinge but that w
^ch
I will keepe And yf I owe him Any monney lett him com by yt as he Can./ w
^ch
Answeare this depon
e
nt retorned the deft. And more he cannot depose.

7. To the vij
^th
Interr this depon
e
nt is not examned at requeste of the def
endant
./

Thomas fflowers

3. ARBITRATION

a. Referral from the Court of Requests to the French Church, 30 June 1612 [TNA Pro REQ 1/26, fol. 421]

In the matter of varyance brought before the King
es
ma
^tie
and his highenes Counsaill in his ma
^tes
ho: Court of Whitehall by Stephen Bellot compl
ainant
against Xpofer Mountioy def
^t
, the said compl
ainant
by his bill seeking to be releived touching A promise supposed by the said bill to be by him the said def
^t
Mountioy made for the payment vnto the said compl
ainan
^t
of the som
m
e of threescore pound
es
or theareabout
es
vpon the day of the said compl
ainan
^tes
marriage w
^th
Mary Mountioy daughter of the said def
^t
& now wief of the compl
^t
, And for the leaving to the said compl
ainan
^t
& Mary his wief the some of CC
^l
more at the tyme of his the said def
^tes
decease, As in & by the said bill of complaynt more at lardge appeareth. Vnto w
^ch
bill the said def
^t
appeared & answered, witnesses on both p
ar
t
es
were exa
min
ed and A day of hearing appoynted. Vpon opening whereof It is by his ma
^tes
said Counsaill of this Court in p
res
ence of the said p
ar
ties and of Counsaill learned on both sydes ordered by and w
^th
the full consent of the saide p
ar
ties, that the same matter shalbe referred to the hearing ordering & finall determinac
i
on of the Reverend & grave overseers and Elders of the french Church in London aucthorising them hereby to call before them both the saide p
ar
ties, And vpon considerac
i
on had of the state of the same cause & the circumstanc
es
of the same, to heare Order & finally determine the said matter touching the promise as to their discrec
i
ons & wisdomes shall seeme convenient, And such order as shalbe herein determined by the said Committees this court will confirme establishe & decree./

b. Entries in the Act-book of the French Church, 1612-14 [
Les Actes du Consistoire de l’Eglise Franc¸oise de Londres, 1589-1615
; FPC Ms 4]

30 July 1612 [fol. 495]. Cretophle Montioye ayant esté mis en p
ro
ces p
ar
son gendre Etiene Belot, p
our
q
¹
q
^e
argent de son mariage q
^e
p
re
tendoit luy deuoir vz: 10. li. dont n’ auoit preuve, ne tesmoings. La Court
par
l
ett
re nous pria de le mettre en Arbitre, ce qui fut fait, dont furent elleus, Abraham Hardret, Gedeon de Laune,
pour
Monioye: Et Dauid Carp
er
au & Pierre Beauuais p
our
Belot. tous 2. pere & gendre desbauche’z.

(Christopher Montjoye having been sued by his son-in-law Etienne Belot for a certain marriage portion which he claims is owed to him, viz. £10, for which he has neither proof nor witness, the Court requested us by letter to put the case to arbitration, which was done, for which purpose were elected Abraham Hardret and Gideon de Laune for Monjoye, and David Carperau and Pierre Beauvais for Belot. Both the father and son-in law are debauched.) 13 September 1612 [fol. 498]. Etienne Belot, redemandant le mereau, dont il s’est absteint de long temps a raison de atroverses [?] auec son beau pere, Cretophle Montioye. On veillera sur luy. & la Cene de 10-bre. &-c. (Etienne Belot asking for the sign [i.e. the sacrament] again, from which he has long abstained because of his quarrel [?] with his father-in-law, Cretophle Montioye, we will watch over him at the Communion of October)

6 May 1613 [fol. 501]. Cretophle Montioye, entré, fut censuré de ce q
^l
ne payoit les 20. Nobles a son gendre, ordonné p
ar
les Arbitres, plaida pourete’, bien q
^e
luy baillera des dettes, p
our
les receuoir. Et d’auoir eu 2. bastards. de sa seruante, a quoy il ne respondit p
er
tinam
^t
Aussi Michel Art son Ancien Leuicta de serm
^t
faux en la Court spirituelle q
^l
n’auoit couche’ avec elle. Ne se trouua preuue suffisante. Suspendu. (Cretophle Montjoye, coming before us, was censured for not paying his son-in-law the 20 nobles ordered by the Arbritators; he pleaded poverty, although he will find the money by borrowing it. And [
sc
he was censured] for having had two bastards by his maidservant, to which makes no pertinent response. Also Michel Art, his elder, convicted him of falsely swearing in the Spiritual Court that he had not slept with her. There was not sufficient proof. Suspended.)

2 September 1613 [fol. 505].
^d
Cristopher Monjoie ha estes appelles 2 fois et ha dict qu’l ne setient point des n
o
tres pa
r
tant de aduiser en plus grande Compaingnie de sa rebellion. (Cristopher Monjoie has been summoned twice, and has said that he does not recognize our authority. We intend to advise the full Company [i.e. congregation?] of his rebellion.)

27 February 1614 [fol. 511]. Cretophle Montioye, ayant souuent esté exhorté, en p
ar
ticulier & Consistoire d’estre pieux, de sa vie desreglée, & desborde’e, & suspendu sans fruict, estant endurci, ayant este’ tiré au Magistrat p
our
ses paillardises, & adulteres; N’ayant voulu venir au Consistoire y estant appelle’. Ne fréquantant ceste Eglize, suspendu publiquem
^t
p
our
ces scandalles. Exhortons de prier Dieu p
our
luy, de luy toucher le coeur,
luy
donant vraye rescipiscence.

(Cretophile Montjoye, having often been exhorted both in private and in the Consistory to be pious, because of his irregular and outlandish life; and having been suspended without any effect, becoming more hardened; and having been brought before the Magistrate for his lewd acts and adulteries; and having not wished to come to the Consistory when summoned; and not frequenting the church, was publicly suspended for these scandals. Let us pray for him, that God may touch his heart and give him true repentance.)

4. OTHER DOCUMENTS

a. Will of Christopher Mountjoy, 26 January 1620 [Peculiar Court of the Dean & Chapter of St Paul’s,
Registrum Testamentorum 1608-33
; gl Ms 25626/4, fol. 179]

In the name of God Amen
, the Six & twentith day of January
Anno Dm secundum computacionem Ecclesiae Anglicanae
1619 [i.e. 1620] ... I Christopher Mountjoy of London, Marchant, beinge sicke & weake in body but of perfect mind & memory (thankes bee given to almightie God therefore) doe make & ordeyne this my last will and Testament in manner & forme followinge (that is to say):
ffirst
I give & bequeath my soule unto almightie God my maker and Creator, trustinge & assuredly beleivinge y
^t
by the merritte of
Jesus Christ my Saviour
I have and shall have free & cleire remission of all my sinnes & that after this transitory life ended I shall be pertaker of that heavenly rest wch God hath prepared for his elect.
Item
I will my body to be Christianlike buried at the discrecon of myne Executrix herein after named.
Item
my will and minde is that all such Goods & Chattells as God hath bestowed upon mee shall, after my debtes paid & funeralls discharged, bee given & disposed of in manner & forme following (that is to say) Three Third partes of my goods & Chattells (the whole being devided into ffower Third partes) I give & bequeath unto my welbeloved wief Isabell.
And
one other thirde part of the said ffower Third parts I doe hereby give & bequeath unto my daughter Mary Blott the wief of Stephen Blott.
And
my will & minde is that all & everie my said goods and Chattells shall, assoone after my decease as conveniently may bee, bee equally devided betweene my said wife & daughter accordinge unto my severall bequests herin before menconed by two indifferent persons to be nominated & elected betweene them.
And
I doe hereby make & appoint the said Isabell my wief the full & sole Executrix of this my last will & testament.
In witness whereof
I the said Christopher Mountjoy have to this my last will & testament sett my hande & seale the daie & yeares first above written. Par moy Christopher Mountjoy. Sealed & delivered by the said Christopher Mountjoy & by him published & pronounced in the presence of Raphe Merifeild
Ed: Dendye Thomas Seman Robert Walker
.