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L. H. J.
Liber No. 49
Dec. 1
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the Serjeant to walk in; which he did, and stood at the Top of the
Steps; and the Servant went in immediately. Mr. Ridout very soon
came, and stood near him, and asked the Serjeant, if he had any
Business with him; upon which the Serjeant told him, he had a
Warrant to take him, and carry him before the House; and was going
to read the Warrant to him; and he replied, it was very well, and
turned about and went away, saying, he would come again imme-
diately; very soon afterwards Mr. Ridout came to the Door of the
Room which he had gone into, and said, he (the Serjeant) must
excuse him, for that he could not attend; and then went in, and
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p. 111
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shut the Door. Shortly after, the Serjeant desired a Servant Lad,
who was going into the Room, to tell Mr. Ridout he should be glad
to see him; the Lad returned and said, his Master ordered him to
tell the Serjeant he could not attend. Immediately after, the other
Servant came and told the Serjeant, the Governor desired to speak
to him; upon which the Serjeant followed the Servant into the Gov-
ernor's Room; the Governor immediately asked the Serjeant, what
he wanted with Mr. Ridout; the Serjeant acquainted the Governor
with his having a Warrant to bring Mr. Ridout before the House ;
the Governor said, Sir, you cannot take Mr. Ridout; he shall not
attend; the Matter concerns myself, and the House should first have
made me acquainted with it; and you may go and carry that Message
to the Speaker; upon which the Serjeant came away immediately.
The Affair being thus circumstanced, we could not avoid in our
Answer to your Excellency's Message of the 30th Day of September
insisting on the issuing a Warrant to our Serjeant, to take into
Custody a Person (tho' one of your Excellency's Family) who had
thus contemptuously misbehaved before this House, in refusing to
give Evidence, and to attend according to Order, as a Right which
we conceived we ought to exercise, without any previous Application
to your Excellency; and our Address was purposely so worded, that
had that Message been occasioned, either by the Misbehaviour of our
Serjeant, thro' Inacquaintance with the Duties of his Office, or by
Inadvertence in your Excellency, to the Rights and Privileges of this
House, you might have put an End to the Affair, by suffering Mr.
Ridout to give Evidence before this House, and so have left us to
proceed without Interruption, on the important Business, which
occasioned our being called together.
We are surprized to find your Excellency so much mistaken, as
to mention our apologizing for ourselves; we assure you we shall
not be easily brought to make an Apology for doing what is not
only right, but absolutely necessary. Our Words, out of which the
Apology is endeavoured to be extorted, are, " if the Serjeant behaved
in a Manner inconsistent with the Decorum that ought to be observed
in your Excellency's House while you are at Dinner, it was not by
any Direction of this House; and we hope, if he has been Guilty of
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