lvi        Early Maryland County Courts.

           a group higher in the social scale fills ten pages or more of the court record.
           In a suit for defamation the participants were Thomas Baker, the county
           justice, pitted against George Thompson, Clerk of the Court, William Robin
           son, a planter, John Nevill and his virago of a wife, with frequent mention of
           Job Chandler, a recently deceased member of the Council. Charges of hog-
           stealing, the merits of which need not be discussed, were made on both sides,
           but the suit apparently resulted in Baker being driven from the bench. As a
           study of the almost unbelievable grossness of seventeenth century speech, the
           testimony is not without interest (pp. 204-205, 220, 23 1-240).
            Licences for ordinaries, the fees from which were a perquisite of the Gover
           nor, were granted through the county courts. An act passed in 1662 “ for the
           encouragement of ordinary keepers “, provided an easy method for the collec
           tion of debts due them. (Arch. Md. i, 447). In 1666 to protect the patrons of
           ordinaries, who were frequently charged “excessive Rates for their drinks,
           victuals and lodging “, an act was passed to establish maximum rates which
           might be charged for Canarry---Malligol----Maderie---Fyall Porto-—Strong
           Cider—Clarrett—strong beer—Ale-------Rumm—English Spirites—Dutch drams
           —Anniseed Rosa Solis—Perry and Qunice Drinke “, as well as the rates for
           “dyatt “, lodging and bed, and “ horse meat” (Arch. Md. ii, 148-149). These
           acts were modified in 1669 (Arch. Md. ii, 214), when the maximum charges
           that might be made for drinks, except beer, were done away with, and the
           amount of credit which might be given to “any ifreeman in this Province, not
           a ifreeholder and depending upon his labor “, was limited to 400 pounds of
           tobacco (Arch. Md. ii, 407-408). At a Kent County Court held for January 25,
           1676, a suit for 742 pounds of tobacco, instituted by Christopher Andrews for
           charges incurred at his ordinary by John Wright, was thrown out by the court
           because the amount was greater than might under the act be legally charged a
           free man who was not a freeholder (Arch. Md. liv, 328). At the next court,
           held March 28, 1676, suit was again brought by Andrews for this same amount
           before a jury, and he again lost (Arch. Md. liv, 340). A number of those
           licensed as ordinary keepers appear in these county records. Dr. Jacob L.um
           brozo, of questionable memory, who has been previously referred to at con
           siderable length, was one. Mr. Francis Armstrong, described as the keeper
           of an ordinary in Talbot County, had sufficient patronage to have a book
           keeper to assist him, for in a suit filed in February, 1668/9, by Armstrong
           against a number of his patrons who were indebted to him, he had his accounts
           verified by his bookkeeper, Patrick Browne (Arch. Md. liv, 435).
            Scattered throughout these county court records, usually at the November
           sessions, are to be found the tax levies for the current year, covering the local
           county expenditures, called “ county levies “, or occasionally “private levies “:
           and also the levies for general or provincial expenses which were designated
           as “ public levies “. Some times these two levies were combined in one schedule.
           The county levy was to meet such local expenditures as the costs of transporta
           tion and the other expenses at St. Mary's of its burgesses or members in the
           Lower House, bounties on wolves and wildcats, and various minor items.
           Sometimes the county levy included expenditures for defense against the