Provincial Court Proceedings, 1677/8.    405

         vinciall Court of this Province in an accon of trespas on the case, Liber N N
         And declared agt him upon the said noat And in April Court last
         upon tryall of the cause suffered a nonsuite, by means of which
         unjust vexation he the said Wm Nicholls is much damnified & hath
         losse to the Value of five thousand pounds of tobacco & thereupon he
         bringeth his suite.
          And the said Richard Royston by Kenelm Cheseldyn his Attorny
         doth come & defend the force & injury when &c and prayeth liberty
         to imparle hereunto untill next Provinciall Court & itt is granted
         unto him the same day is given to the plt also.
          Now here att this day to witt the Eighteenth day of June in the
         third yeare of the Dominion of Charles Lord Baltemore &c Annoq
         Doni 1678 came the said parties by their Attorneys aforesaid And
         the said Richard by his said Attorney saith that he is not guilty of
         the prmisses in manner & forme as the said Wm hath above declared
         agt him & of this he putts himselfe upon the Countrey & the said
         pfl likewise Therefore itt is comanded the Sheriffe of St Maryes p. 630
         County that he cause to come here twelve &c by whom &c who
         neither &c to recognize &c because aswell &c Att which said Eight
         eenth day of June in the yeare aforesaid came the said parties by
         their Attorneys aforesaid And the jurors impannelled being called
         likewise came to witt Tho: Stagg, Benja Hunt, Edmond Dennis,
         Richard Keene, Robt Ellys, Edward Turner, Tho: Smith, Henry
         Parker, Edward Cooke, John Dickson Daniel Clocker & Tho: Ben-
         net who being elected tryed & sworne to say the truth in the prmisses
         upon their Oaths doe say that the said Richard Royston is not guilty
         of the trespas upon the case in manner & forme as the said Wm
         Nichols hath above declared agt him Therefore itt is granted by the
         Court here that the said Richard Royston recover agt the said Wm
         Nichols the sume of Nine hundred & twenty pds of tobacco for his
         costs & charges by him about his defence in this behalfe laid out &
         expended to the said Richard by the discretion of the justices here
         adjudged And the said Wm in mercy for his false claime

        John  Hartwell Thomas Helgar late of Charles County Innholder
            agt was Sumoned to answer unto John Hartwell in a
       Tho: Helgar plea that he render unto him the sume of six thou
                   sand two hundred thirty nine pds of tobacco which to
         him he oweth & unjustly detaineth
          And whereupon the said John Hartwell by Kenelm Cheseldyn his
         Attorney saith, that whereas the said Thomas Helgar the twentieth
         day of Septembr in the yeare of our Lord One thousand six hundred
         seventy seven by his certaine writeing obligatory sealed with the seale
         of the said Thomas here in Court produced whose date is the same
         day & yeare above written did oblige himselfe his heyres Exrs Admrs
         to pay unto the said John Hartwell of the County aforesaid to him