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to Kngland, and being required by the plain cover, together with his expenses in going to tiff to fulfil the contract of marriage between visit her. himself and the said Lucy, and also to re The plaintiff in this case, one John James, imburse him for the maintenance of her and who appears, curiously enough, to have also her maid during his protracted absence, with been a " law-student," alleges that one other grevous hurtez, costez, and charges " Thomas Morgan, of Northampton, scribe incurred by him, utterly refused to do either, there to the Commissary of the Bishop of "which is not only to the greate htirte and Lincoln, and Robert Morgan, his brother, hevynes of your said besecher, but also to " instantly labored your said besecher to the greate pcrell and iopardy of soule of the take to wyfe one Elizabeth Morgan, daugh sa7ne Maister Richard;" which sums of ter to the said Robert Morgan, with whom money, with other " reasonable considera your said besecher suld have in hand by tlter tions," which ought to be paid to the said promes 100 marks in redy money" upon plaintiff, are set out in a schedule annexed which " promes, gret instaunce and labor" to the plaintiff's bill. made to him by the defendants, the plaintiff In the foregoing proceedings it is worthy " resorted to the said Elizabeth to his gret of remark that the plaintiff, having affianced costs and charges." And " thorow the desaveabull comforde as well of the said his daughter-in-law to an eligible suitor, con siders himself thereby relieved from the duty Thomas and Robert Morgan as of the said of maintaining her to the same extent as if Elizabeth," delivered to her many tokens, — she were already the wife of the defaulting namely, " a ryng of gold set with certen stones lyke to a dragone's hede; " "a ryng law-student, which in effect she was. Un justifiable as the defendant's conduct seems of gold called a serjeaunt's ryng;" "a crosse to have been, the claim for damages to the of gold with a crucyfyx; " "a ryall in gold;" unfortunate Lucy, as appears by an item in " a nobull in gold;" " thre pomaunders;" "a rebon of sylke; " "a pyncase of cloth the schedule, represents only " the sum ac tually expended on her in consequence of of gold; " with other many small tokens to "hir sore and gret sekenes " caused by the value of ten marks and more; " and his " onkyndnes and chaungeablenes," and also was at gret costs and charges thorow makes no pretence to compensation for her his manyfoldjourneys taken in that behalf;" shattered hopes and wounded feelings, which which he estimates at other ten marks. in a modern suit of this kind would have But now the said Thomas and Robert have " by ther crafty and falce meane" been assessed at no inconsiderable figure. In the fourth of these curious actions, the caused the said Elizabeth to take to husband date of which appears to have been between one John Maurice, since which time the the years 1504 and 1515, the gentleman is plaintiff hath many times demanded his said again the plaintiff, and seems, according to tokens, with his costs and charges, as well of his own statement, like the defaulting swain the said Robert and Thomas, as of the said first referred to, to have been considerably Elizabeth, which "they and every of them sought after; both the lady's father and at all times hath denayed and yit doth her uncle having used "gret instaunce and denay, contrary to right and good con labor " to induce him to take her to science," and therefore he prays a writ, his affections, although they seem, for etc. some unexplained reason, to have afterward From the documents above quoted, which changed their minds; not, however, before are fair specimens of a tolerably numer the plaintiff had bestowed on the chosen ous class, the action for breach of promise lady many tokens of affection, which, matter- of marriage as we understand it at the of-fact man that he is, he now seeks to re present day, — that is to say, an action