Saintes, and acquitting me entirely. My poor neighbors, for form's sake, were banished from the province for six months. The Seneschal of Saintes was ordered to return the hundred livres that I had deposited, and he was prohibited from receiving fees on this or any future occasion, where the King was the prosecutor. Two grievous blows for the Seneschal.
It was necessary that I should obtain a copy of the decree in order to regain my liberty, and then I must exhibit the copy to the Seneschal of Saintes, to compel him to pay me back my hundred livres.
The Register was, like some of the others with whom we had to deal, very fond of money. I applied to him for a copy of the decree, and offered him eight or ten pistoles for payment. He would not let me have a single copy unless I paid him for twenty-one, which, he said, would be required, one for each prisoner. I knew, as well as he did, that one would be sufficient, and that the jailer would set us all at liberty upon exhibiting one single copy.
I preferred a complaint to my reporter, who recommended me to go and make it in person to my Lord the President; which I did, and he told me I was to command the Register, in his name, to furnish me with a copy, paying only for that single one.
I went promptly and cheerfully with this order to the Chief Register, but he was a great man who interfered little with the business of his office, and he sent me to his deputy, one Cardon, who said it was none of his business. I returned to the Chief Register, for I did not begrudge my steps, and he told me to tell Cardon, from him, to speak to the President. For several days I was kept on the move, going from one to the other without any prospect of redress; and I then
