out their weary length.  The oath ex officio was forced on Johnson, but he denied all guilt.  Finally, he was enjoined to procure three compurgators.  These swore that they believed "in animis suis" that Johnson had sworn to the truth.  Though pronounced innocent, Johnson was condemned to pay the costs of all the formalities that the apparitor had set in motion against him, and a last time was dragged into court in order to be admonished under pain of excommunication to pay these fees, amounting to L1. 3s. 4d., within a month!  The case had extended from 11th June, 1600, to 22nd May, 1601. Surtees Soc., lxxxiv (1888), 359-362.  Cf. also the following:  “payed for annswerynge dyuerse faulse vntrothes suggested by [five names] to the sayd Commyssyoneres vj s. viij d.”  Minchinhampton, Gloucester, Acc’ts, s.a. 1576 (archbishop’s visitation), Archaeologia, xxxv. “pd. for our charges to lycoln when we were p[re]sented by the apparytor unjustly for that our church should by [be] mysvsed vs. vjd.”  Leverton, Lincoln, Acc’ts, s.a. 1579, Archaeologia, xli, 365.  Under 1595 the Leverton wardens have the entries:  “pd. to the apparitor for fallts in the churche ijs. viijd.,” and:  “for playing in the churche iijs. viijd.”  The last is explained by a third entry:  “to the apparator for suffering a plaie in the church.” (Op. cit., 367.) This looks like bribery, or blackmail, or both.  For examples of bribery see Wing Acc’ts, s.a. 1561, Archaeologia, xxxvi ("to ye S[um]m[o]ner to kepe us ffrom Lincoln for slacknes of o[u]r auters").  Abbey Parish Acc’ts, s.a. 1600, Shrop.  Arch.  Soc., i. 65 ("paid to Cleaton, the Chauncelor’s man for keeping us from Lichfield").  Great Witchingham Acc’ts, Norfolk and Norwich Arch.  Soc., xiii, 207 ("Simp the sumner for his fees for excusing us from Norwich"). St. Mary Woolchurch Haw, London, Acc’ts, s.a. 1594 ("more unto the paratour and Doctor Stanhopes man for their favours").  Hale, Crim.  Prec., 202 ("Fassus est that he gave xs. to ... the apparitor to thend that he might not be called into this corte.” 1590).  For examples of fees paid for absolution from an unjust excommunication see Minchinhampton Acc’ts, s.a. 1606 ("layd out [at] Gloucester when we wer excommunicated for our not appearinge when wee were not warned to appeere, vj s. viij d").  St. Clement’s, Ipswich, Acc’ts, East Anglian, in (1890), 304 ("Payed for owr Absolution to the Commissary, being reprimanded for that we did not give in our Verdict, where as we nether had warning nor notice given us of his Corte houlden, ij[s.] x[d.]:”  and:  “Payed more ffor the discharg of his boocke, viijd.” 1610).  Churchwardens accounts are pretty reliable evidence, for they were subject to the scrutiny of those who had to foot the bills.

[184] See Mr. Andrew Clark’s Shirburn Ballads (Oxon. 1907), 306 ff.  Mr. Clark’s notes and illustrations drawn from other contemporary sources are most valuable.