xvi Introduction.

dred pounds of "salted well saved sound porke", and also to transport the "horse
beefe porke and corne" to St. Mary's County. Lewis said he had delivered the
woman to Grey, but that Grey had not done as he promised. The jury, called in
the suit, declared in favor of Lewis, and the Court, refusing to arrest the judg-
ment, awarded him the 400 pounds of tobacco set by the jury and 2619 pounds
more for his costs. Nothing more is heard of Bridget (post, 82-83).

Several servants had to sue for their freedom, and usually they got it, sooner
or later. Elizabeth Cannee said that she had been a servant of Mark Cordea,
and that Cordea had committed her to the custody of his son-in-law, John
LeCompt. LeCompt had bargained with her to set her free at once, if she
would sign to him her freedom corn and clothes. She did so sign and she did
receive a discharge from LeCompt. But Cordea had her re-arrested and
threatened to make her serve the familiar ten days for one day's absence from
his service. The Court ordered her to serve out the remainder of her time with
Cordea, but forbade him to exact any extra time for her absence and ordered
him to pay her her corn and clothes when her time of service was ended. She
obeyed, but at the expiry of her service, Cordea refused to set her free or to
give her the corn and clothes. When she came into court again to get an order
against Cordea, the Court said she was free and ordered Cordea to pay her
what was due her. (post, 123-124, 207-208). Nothing more is heard from
her now. Richard Newman was another servant who had to petition "for his
freedom and freedome Corne and Cloathes". The Court looked at a certificate
he produced, said he was free, and ordered that he have the corn and clothes.
Furthermore, he was granted execution of the Court order (post, 222-223).

On the whole, the Court was merciful toward ill-treated servants. James
Anderson told the Court that he had come into the Province on a four years
indenture, consigned to Mr. John Addison, and that the four years were expired
December 22, 1679. Yet Mark Cordea, whose servant he had meantime be-
come, refused to free him or to give him his due in corn and clothes. More than
that, Anderson said he was now very lame and broken out with sores, which
Cordea refused to care for. When he applied to the Chancellor, Calvert gave
him medicine for his wounds, and ordered innholder John Barnes to take care
of him. The Court decreed that he was free, ordered Cordea to satisfy him for
his corn and clothes, and told him to apply to the St. Mary's County Court for
an allowance for his livelihood (post, 122-123).

The hot-headed James Lewis, who had, years before, been judged guilty of
abusing a member of the Lower House, and been compelled to beg the pardon
of the injured member on his knees (Archives II, 253-254), now came into
court for harsh behavior toward one of his women servants, and for such
cruelty toward a manservant that the man died. Lewis refused to allow the
maid, Mary Baines, clothes to wear, food to eat or a bed to lie on. He had
ordered the man, Joseph Robinson, to bring in a huge log, and had abused
some others who tried to help carry the wood. When Robinson confessed that
he had taken a small piece of meat to eat, Lewis threw him to the ground,
"and Trampled Upon his Throat with such Violence That within Two hours
after the said Joseph Dyed" (post, 413). To all this, petitioner Mary Baines