February 1778

That on or about the Tuesday before Christmas Day last the said
John Gretton< no role > issued a Like Summons against one William Banister< no role >
for exhibiting a Puppet Shew and upon his appearance thereon the said
Justice gave the said Banister Directions to go out and settle the matt [..]
with his People That he accordingly went with them to the Cock a
neighbouring Alehouse and was there told by the Justices People the [..]
he must pay five Guineas which he not being able to do they reduce [..]
their demand to three Guineas which he agreed to pay but that Sum
being more than he had about him he the said Banister went out an [..]
pawned his Watch for a Guinea which he paid them and was dism [..]
and on the Tuesday following he paid another Guinea after which he [..]
heard any more of the said Summons or of the Complaint therein menti [..]

And his Majesty's said Justices further represent to your Lord [..]
that the two several Charges last abovementioned are respectively verif [..]
by the Voluntary affidavits of the said George Jobson< no role > and William Ba [..]
and the said Justices crave Leave to observe thereon that in both a [..]
the Duty of the said John Gretton< no role > as a Magistrate was to have
convicted the said Jobson and Banister under the Vagrant Act or [..]
least to have admonished them not to offend against the same for the
time to come and that as the Law does not invest Justices of the Peace
with any such power the Offer of his License to tolerate a Nusance [..]
case no less than the extortion in both was in the Said John Gretton< no role > a
Scandalous abuse of his Authority and a Disgrace to the Office of a
Magistrate

And his Majesty's said Justices do further represent to your
Lordship that it appeared to them by the Report of the said Committee
that the said John Gretton< no role > had in sundry Instances issued Summo [..]
under his Hand and Seal and caused them to be sent to the Persons
complained of by the common conveyance of the penny Post and that [..]
order to terrify them to whom they were directed with his authority many
of the Summonses by him so sent out contained a Threat that in ca [..]
of their non attendance the Magistrate would issue a Warrant for Contempt
a Process the issuing whereof in such a case would have been illegal and in [..]
high degree injurious and oppressive