Countrie for the same assault, and fined before the Justices of Peace there, or found surety for the same fine." "The rest of the misdemeanours punishable in this Court," he says, " cannot bee comprized under any certaine title but this, for that the most part bee such as receive no speciall punish ment, by either the Common or Statute Law. And these in the Civill Law are called, Crimina Extraordinaria, quia extraordine puniuntur, untie eerier nullce pxna existunt; Sed arbitris Judicis committuntur" The following instances taken from Crompton's work, show some of the more unusual cases in which the Star Chamber exercised its jurisdiction. "A woman great with childe, which was sus pected of incontinency without cause, was com manded to bee whipped in Bride-well, London, by the Masters there; and because she fell to travell before her time, etc., they were for this fined in this Court at a great summe : And by order of the Court, it was awarded that they should pay a certain sum to the said woman about the 31 of Eliz. See the proceedings there concerning this matter in the yeare aforesaid, set downe more at large." "A man tooke the beasts of another, but not feloniously, and held them as his owne in the deceit of the Buyer. This falsehood may bee punished here, if it be a notorious deceit as it seemeth, for hee may have an action upon the case, Br. 85. lib. Ass. 8." "A man hath an Elegit, and the Creditour causeth the Jurie to find that the Debtor hath more land than indeed hee hath, insomuch as the Creditour hath all the land in execution; there hee hath no remedy to disanull the execu tion by the Common Law, because he hath the land by record, viz. by the verdict of the Jurie. . . But it seemeth that hee shall be punished in this Court of Star-Chamber; for this dealing is a procurement to the Jurie to bee foresworne, and no attaint lyeth, for it is but an Enquest of office." "Master Fleetwood the Recorder of London
was assaulted by one of the Queene's house as he was going to Westminster, in the Terme-time, who gave him divers wounds, for which he was fined in this court, and put out of the Queen's service." "Note that one tooke upon him to view or survey gentlemens armes in the countrey, as if hee had been an Herald, and had counterfeited a Seale of the same office. And he was fined in the Starre-Chamber, because hee had gotten money of the Queene's subjects by his falsehood, 27, Eliz. vel circa." "Note that one G. writes his Letter to a juror to appeare between L. and C. D. and to do his conscience, and he was fined at twenty pounds here, because he had nothing to do in the mat ter. Here note that no man ought to meddle in any matter depending in suit where hee hath nothing to doe." "One Smith in the County of Somerset Esq., was fined in the Court for slandrous words, which he had spoken of one Sir John Yong, Kt., which touched his life, which the said Smith could not prove, and he was committed and gave great damages to-the Knight." "One L. O. of Kent was punished in the Court for falsely going about to prove one that was his Cousin or Brother to be a Traitor : And for this he was adjudged to ride about Westmin ster hall with his face to the horse-tayle." "Note that one S. of the County of Lancaster for falsely procuring one to be indicted for the death of another, was fined in this Court to a great summe." "Divers were set on Pillory in Cheapside in London ... for cutting out the tongues of certaine living beasts, and for barking of certaine fruit trees and burning of a Farme malitiously of one Greshams." "A Knight of the County of Northumberland was fined in a great summe in the Starre-Cham ber because he permitted a seditious Booke
