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concerned in the lands equally with any others, uppon reading the Councill order above mentioned, about making a perfect booke of all distributions, did innocently and ignorantly fall in good earnest into debates and contrivances concerning such a booke indeed, according to the Councill order, and the pretended end of the comittee. Wheras Fflower satt swelling and looking uppon Warren, as for help, thinking he should this way never bee released of the one hundred pounds per annum he owed the Dr; insoemuch as, being convinced of the satisfaction he had and was like to give the comittee, hee, att the rising thereof, fell into the following pangs with George Bate, the clerke who then attended itt.
I doe hereby certifie that in the moneth of Ffebruary, 1658 (in which moneth the comittee of officers for inspecting the transaction of satisfyeing the army did often meet to that purpose), I, meeting Lieut.-Collonell Fflower one day after their rising, he being a member of that comittee, and that day present, asked him why he appeared more passionate against Dr Petty then any one officer I observed that day? To which he, the said Lieutenant-Collonell, answered, that he did verily beleive that the said Dr would cleare himselfe of what was objected against him by the officers, and that, if the said Dr would deliver him up his bond, hee would not speake nor meddle in the bussinesse any further; but that he, the said Lieut.-Collonell, was confident that when the Doctor had cleared himselfe from the accusations which then were uppon him, he, the said Dr, would plague him, the said Lieut.-Collonell, sufficiently. And further, that the said Lieut.-Collonell Fflower often afterwards meeting with mee, and discoursing of the same bussiness, uttered words to the same purpose. Wittness my hand, this 4th of June, 1659.
Collonell Lawrence, hearing how well scruples were cleared, did not thinke it worth while to come to the comittee, nor, as was conceived, to sitt in company with such persons, who interpreted orders of that nature according to the letter, and not according to the inward and mysticall meaning. Within three or four dayes the news was up and downe the towne, that the comittee had discovered noe enormity by Dr Petty; whereuppon it was by the malignant party concluded that the comittee was sett up by Dr Petty himselfe, on purpose to justifie him, and that it consisted of persons which might easily be wrought
