the parke all the night, till Mr. Dilke's keeper and his other servants came hither for saveguard of the deere, which the said malefactors perceiving fled out of the parke, leaving their greyhounds behind them in the parke which were taken by the keeper. Whereof Wm. Marrowe hearing of this, about the 2nd of September last past, came to Mr. Dilke's dwelling-house at Maxstocke, and Mr. Dilke not being at home, in very hawtie and insolent manner then and there required or rather commanded the said dogs of Mr. Dilke's wife, who then desired Wm. Marrowe to stay till Mr. Dilke came home, and then she doubted not but the said Wm. Marrowe should be answered to his content. Whereunto Wm. Marrowe replying said-yf he might have his dogs, so it was; yf not, he would make hot work before the matter were ended; and then departed from Mr. Dilke's house, using many words of threats, and great distemperature. After which, Wm. Marrowe solicited persons to carry a challenge by word to one Wm. Smythe, then and now servant to Mr. Dilke, to provoke the said William to fight; which challenge the said persons refusing to carry to Smythe, Wm. Marrowe, by the privity and abettment of Edward Marrowe, did afterwards write a letter of challenge upon the 4th of September last to Wm. Smythe, with his owne hand, in this manner, viz: 'Smythe, whereas thou prodigallie said you would bestow the hanging or killing of my dogs before my face, yf thou be but half so good in act as thou art in words, bring him unto what place of the country thyself shall think

best, and I promise on my word, which I esteem above all things, that none shall come with me; yf thou refuse this I will proclaim thee for a coward; bring what weapons thyself shall think best, I only scorne to bring other weapons than those I continually ride withal. Your enemy till death, yf thou darest not meet me, William Marrowe.'

"And did send the said letter of challenge to Wm. Smythe by one Edward, who by the appointment of the same Wm. Marrowe delivered it to Wm. Smythe accordinglye. And Wm. Marrowe being not contented because Wm. Smythe returned no answer to the letter of challenge, he afterwards upon or about the 6th of Sept. last did contrive and write with his own hand a slanderous libell in nature of a proclamation in these words, viz.,

"Be it knowne unto all the lords, knights, captains, gentlemen, and soldiers, and to every one of what quality soever approaching to this town, that I, Wm. Marrowe of Barkeswell, do proclaim Wm. Smythe servant to Mr. Dilkes, the most baseste cowardlyeste slave that ever dishonourethe the earthe. Yet let me do him right, once in his life he played the very tall cowarde, for he stroake Mather Siches sword down when another man killed him. Thus leaving to trouble myself with so base a slave, I end:' and subscribed the same with his own hand thus, viz., 'Wm. Marrowe.' And in most riotouse, routouse and unlawful manner being accompanied and therein comforted and abetted by one Wm. Godson and Anthonye Churchman, John Ebrall and the said

Francis Darker and Richard Patricke, being all arrayed with weapons in warlike manner, on the 6th of September did fix and set up the same libell upon a maypole then standing in the town of Merreden aforesaid, being a thoroughfare town, to the end that all passengers might see and read the same, although in truth there was no such matter to be objected or supposed against Mr. Smyth as was most untruly suggested in the same libell. And the same libell, being set up as aforesaid, they in most forcible and riotous manner, being all arrayed as aforesaid, standing by the same maypole, did justify and maintain in the open street by the space of an hour at the least, to the great terror of the inhabitants of the town and all the passengers and travellers through it, &c."

"This complaint being made by Mr. Dilke to the Star Chamber and replied to by the defendants, they appear to have been so exasperated that they again assembled, later in the autumn, with Thomas Grey, William Lea, John Grey, and many others; which gave rise to the proceedings preserved in Bundle xxx. No. 15. It here appears that in great numbers and well armed, many of them being on horseback, and led by a chief with a white feather on his head-piece, they advanced to Maxstocke Castle after the evening had closed in. One of the party, in his reply to the questions put to him by the plaintiff, details the arms, names, and accoutrements of many of the party. At the Castle they found a boy and demanded the dogs, which he told them he could not bring to them; and they are accused of telling the boy that if

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the people in the castle would come out, they would kill them one after another, like sheep. It does not appear that they broke into the Castle, but they were watched from the windows, and soon after a battle ensued between them and the keepers. One of the keepers stood behind a tree near the gate of the parke, and was about to draw his bow, when Wm. Marrowe, being on horseback, rose up and struck him twice across the head with his sword; but being attacked, he received two wounds in the breast which he describes as 'mortal.' Upon this, the Sheriff appears and takes many of the party into custody; but Wm. Marrowe was so severely wounded that he was left at his own house. Upon these events, proceedings are commenced in the Star Chamber, but the judgment of the Court does not appear."

From the scene of this "riotous and routous" proceeding, thus graphically described, we passed to the ruins of Maxstoke Priory. The few remains which exist of this ancient abode of cowled monks, are such as to make it rather difficult to obtain a clear idea of what the building was in the days of its splendour. As we walk the green sward which now covers the old floors of the Priory, it is with astonishment that we reflect on the progress and mutations of time. Beneath our feet are still hidden and preserved the encaustic tiles on which the devout feet of the old religionists trod. Several labourers are now busily employed in clearing away the soil; and in a short space of time some six feet of encaus

tic tiles are cleared for the gratification and instruction of the archæologists. As we look at them, we think of the many knees which have been bent upon those unconscious relics, while the worshippers poured forth their hopes, confessions, fears, prayers, aspirations, and joys; and invoked the blessing in strength of the Father of all to guide them through the bitter pilgrimage of life. In its time many pilgrims doubtless visited this shrine, to offer up their prayers, and to receive consolation and encouragement: now pilgrims visit the ruins to gain a knowledge of the life and habits of their forefathers, or simply to have a pleasant and healthy day out. Rightly performed, the pilgrimages of to-day may be as holy and inspiring as the more ostensibly religious visits of those whose bones are now a part of the soil on which we walk. The Priory of Maxstoke is an old foundation; and its history was narrated in an able paper written by Mr. A. Davidson, (an excellent and faithful local antiquarian,) of which the following is an abstract :—

"The Priory sprang from a Chantry founded in Maxstoke Church, by William Clinton, afterwards Earl of Huntingdon, 1331. Letters patent were obtained, and the foundation commenced in 1336, the establishment being for canons regular of the order of St. Augustine, and to consist of twelve brothers and a prior,-thirteen being a favourite number, symbolical of the Saviour and the Apostles. Though no early chartulary remained, there was ample evidence that the house speedily acquired wealth, insomuch that the number of canons was