A short treatise touching sheriffs accompts written by the Honourable Sir Matthew Hale ... ; to which is added, A tryal of witches, at the assizes held at Bury St. Edmonds, for the county of Suffolk, on the 10th of March 1664, before the said Sir Matthew Hale, Kt.

CHAP. IX. The Third Period from the fif∣teenth year of King Charles the first untill the year of our Lord 1650. And how the Sheriffs Firmes and Ac∣compts stood in that inter∣val. (Book 9)

BY an order of the Court of Ex∣chequer made the 25th. Junii, 15 Car. 1. upon the complaint of the King's Firmor of decayed Rents it was ordered that the Clerk of the Pipe should cast up and compute, and severally and distinctly put in charge arrearages of decayed Rents and parcells of Rents, that process and commissions might be made forth thereupon by virtue of the order. But this proved uneffectu∣al, for although the same was done

accordingly, yet the King received litte advantage thereby, neither did it at all convenience the Sheriff, or alter the charge written out in the Summons of the Pipe, or upon the great Roll▪ For the Firmes conti∣nued still in charge as before, with∣out any alterations: And though somewhat of small consequence was found out, which might help to make good the Sheriffs Firmes in some particulars, yet the same still fell short, and the Sheriffs were still enforced to make use of the advan∣tage of the Statute of 2 E. 6. to ease themselves by their oath of il∣leviable Rents, till the year 1650.