The Court of Star Chamber. against " papists," and for this was sum moned before the council while the queen was in Suffolk. After much browbeating he was committed to Newgate. But the queen interfered, and not only was he re leased from Newgate a few days after the queen's return, but she restored him to his place in the band of gentle pensioners to which he had belonged, and to his salary without deduction during the time of his imprisonment. Several instances are to be found of the queen's interference to save persons from the cruelty of her privy council. Indeed, during the whole of Mary's reign those who were of rank or consequence sufficient to find access to her were tolerably sure of her protection; thus the Star Cham ber had little opportunity for exercising its power against those of high station and of political prominence, and we actually find it stooping so low as to deal with persons whose positions in life would ordinarily have seemed too humble to make them objects of State punishment. We learn that the council solemnly sent orders to the town of Bedford " for the punishment of a woman (after due exami nation of her qualitie) by the cucking-stool," she having been apprehended for " railing and speaking unseemly words of the queen's majesty." But in the latter part of her reign, when her physical afflictions incapacitated her from interference with the proceedings of the Star Chamber, that court inflicted se verer punishments on old women " who railed against the queen's majesty." Its proceedings against the jury who had acquitted Sir Nicholas Throckmorton are well known. Whatever may be the impres sion of those who have never studied the evidence in the case, as to Throckmorton's complicity in Wyatt's uprising, a mere read ing of the testimony as it is printed in the State Trials must convince any fair mind that at the very least he knew of the treason
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able operations and gave them his approval. When Weston, the foreman of the jury, announced the verdict, Lord Chief Justice Bromley said to them : " Remember your selves better. Have you considered sub stantially the whole evidence in sort as it was declared and recited? The matter doth touch the Queen's Highness and yourselves also. Take good heed what you do." Weston, the foreman, replied : " My lord, we have thoroughly considered the evidence laid against the prisoner, and his answers to all these matters, and accordingly we have found him not guilty, agreeable to all our consciences." Bromley observed, " If you have done well it is the better for you." He then re committed Throckmorton to the Tower upon the plea that there were other matters charged against him. Attorney: "And it please you, my lords, forasmuch as it seemeth these men of the jury which have strangely acquitted the prisoner of his treasons whereof he was in dicted will forwith depart the court, I pray you for the Queen that they and every of them may be bound in a recognizance of £500 apiece to answer to such matters as they shall be charged with in the Queen's behalf wheresoever they shall be charged or called." Weston said: "1 pray you, my lords, be good unto us, and let us not be molested for discharging our consciences truly; we be poor merchantmen and have great charge upon our hands and our livings do depend upon our travails; therefore it may please you to appoint us a certain day for our ap pearance because perhaps also some of us may be in foreign parts about our business." The court thereupon committed the jury to prison. , Four of the jury acknowledged having been in the wrong. The remaining eight were shortly after brought before the King's Council in the Star Chamber. They af firmed that they had but acted according
