256 Provincial Court Proceedings, 1679/80.

Liber W. C.

according to his Oath, and Afterwards by meanes of his good Con-
dicon and honest Conversacon & Repute was by the Justices of the
said Kent County Court as also of Seav^H others his Lo^pps County
Courts Admitted and Sworne an Attorney, in w^ch sd office also hee
hath ffaithfully and honestly behaved himself, By meanes whereof
the said Benjamin Divers pleas accons and suites in the said Courts
for divers psons in this Province hath prosecuted and Defended and
still doth psecute and defend whereby and by Meanes of his ffaithfull
Exercise of his office of Attorney aforesaid hee hath gained & got
divers great gaines and pfitts for Attorneys fees of him the said
Benjamin for the psecucon and defending the said accons & Suites
Neverthelesse the said William Harris not ignorant of the p^rmisses,
but out of his Meer Evill mallice Endeavouring the said Benjamin
Randall to hurt Blemish and deprive the good Name Credit and
Repute of the said Benjamin and to bring him into Reproach &
scandall w^th the good people of this province whose suites hee hath
and still doth psecute and defend, but especially w^th his Lo^pps Jus-
tices of the County Courts, to the Endangering the losse of his said
Office of being Attorney, by w^ch hee hath gained his honest Lively-
hood, and to bring him Upon greate vexacon and Trouble, Did
the Sixteenth day of May in the Yeare of our Lord 1679 openly and
publickly. and in the hearing of many the good people of this Prov-
ince, as also of Some of his Lopps Justices of Kent County Court,
Repeate publish and pnounce These false Malitious and Scandalous
English words following, The said Benjamin then and still being
an Attorney as aforesaid (that is to say you) meaning the said
Benjamin Randall, is a Cheating Knave and hathe cheated the Coun-
try, by Meanes of Speaking of w^ch ffalse Malitious and Scandalous
Words, the Said Benjamin Randall is not onely Wounded in his
good name fame and Repute wherew* before that time hee was
Endued, but also hath lost divers and great sumes of Tobacco w^ch
in psecucon and defence of the pleas Accons suites of divers of the
good people of this Province in his Lo^pps County Courts aforesaid
w^ch there hee might have gotten and gained, but also hath beene
greatly damnifyed in his buying selling and dealeing w^th Marchants
and others who have since the speaking the said Words wdrawne
from his Company and Refused to Converse w^th him To the greate
damage of the said Benjamin Randall the Sume of six thousand
pounds of Tobacco, and thereupon hee brings his suite,
And the said William Harris by Robert Ridgely his Attorney
Cometh & defendeth the force and Injury when &c. and Prayeth
Liberty to imparle hereunto untill next Provinciall Court, and It
is granted unto him, the same Day is given to the plt also

p. 230

Now here att this Day To witt the Thirteenth day of May in the
ffifth Yeare of the Dominion of the R^t hono^ble Charles Lord Balte-
more &c Came the said partyes by their Attorneys aforesaid, and the
said William Harris by his sayd Attorney Sayth, That hee is noe