MY ANCESTOR THE KNAVE 5 ?

One morning in March,1668, Thomas Chandler went to court once more about
Job Tyler. It was probably late in the month given the date of Job Tyler’s reply.
But this time Chandler was not there to press his case against his foe.

This time, apparently tired of Tyler’s verbal attacks, Thomas Chandler had
come to throw in the towel. I’ve boldfaced the last two words:

“Thomas Chandler of Andover came into court and offered Job Tyler 20li to settle
and also to remit his son's bond of 100li. Otherwise that the court might allow him
what they thought meet provided he might be quiet.”

Job might have been warned off his previous scurrilous attacks on Chandler
but the incident involving the cattle seems to have inspired him to new
heights of rhetoric:

“Job Tiler's complaint to the grand jury, dated Mar. 31, 1668, that John Stevens and
Thomas Chandeler, both of Andover, about Aug. 20, 1667, by violence and force "
and in a Ryotous mannor and against the peace of our Souerigne Lord the Kinge, his
Crowne & Dignity and the peace & Lawes of this Country," took away from Richard
Post of Oborne, the marshal general's deputy, in the common highway leading from
Andover to Oborne about six miles from Andover, two oxen and two cows which Post
was to deliver to Tiler, upon execution against said Chandler. Tiler prayed that
"such practises and violence offered to yt supreme Authority may not goe unpunished
for if this be suffered farr well Lawes Libertys and the rights of the People but you
are the persons yt god giues power to prevent these abuses, you beinge now thee eyes
and eares of this County & called Together to present offences and breach of Lawes."
-(Records and Files of the Quarterly Courts of Essex County, Massachusetts
Vol 4 Mar 1668 p14-15)

((Note Oborne seems to have been a transcription error for the town of Woburn ))
Given some of Tyler’s own actions in the whole affair, it seems a bit hypocritical to
me, but he seems to have been satisfied with this last outburst since so far I’ve found
no further court records of cases between him and my ancestor Thomas Chandler.
Perhaps he and his son Moses were too busy pursuing their feud with John Godfrey.
I had a thought the other day about all the court cases I’ve found about my ancestors:
if there’s such a thing as reincarnation, I wouldn’t be surprised if many Puritans came
back as crows and starlings so they could sit on a telephone wire and argue raucously at
each other much as they did in their human lives!