talk with him, I to my office; there busy, till by and by Jacke Noble came
to me to tell me that he had Cave in prison, and that he would give me and
my father good security that neither we nor any of our family should be
troubled with the child; for he could prove that he was fully satisfied
for him; and that if the worst came to the worst, the parish must keep it;
that Cave did bring the child to his house, but they got it carried back
again, and that thereupon he put him in prison. When he saw that I would
not pay him the money, nor made anything of being secured against the
child, he then said that then he must go to law, not himself, but come in
as a witness for Cave against us. I could have told him that he could
bear witness that Cave is satisfied, or else there is no money due to
himself; but I let alone any such discourse, only getting as much out of
him as I could. I perceive he is a rogue, and hath inquired into
everything and consulted with Dr. Pepys, and that he thinks as Dr. Pepys
told him that my father if he could would not pay a farthing of the debts,
and yet I made him confess that in all his lifetime he never knew my
father to be asked for money twice, nay, not once, all the time he lived
with him, and that for his own debts he believed he would do so still, but
he meant only for those of Tom. He said now that Randall and his wife and
the midwife could prove from my brother's own mouth that the child was
his, and that Tom had told them the circumstances of time, upon November
5th at night, that he got it on her. I offered him if he would secure my
father against being forced to pay the money again I would pay him, which
at first he would do, give his own security, and when I asked more than
his own he told me yes he would, and those able men, subsidy men, but when
we came by and by to discourse of it again he would not then do it, but
said he would take his course, and joyne with Cave and release him, and so
we parted. However, this vexed me so as I could not be quiet, but took
coach to go speak with Mr. Cole, but met him not within, so back, buying a
table by the way, and at my office late, and then home to supper and to