Mary Ball: Information of Mary Ball 21 January 1698/9
Information of Mary Ball
This Informant says she has lived with Mrs. Mathews about 3 quarters of a year That about Iune or Iuly last Chaloner and Carter came to her Mistress's house That Chaloner sent her to Carters Lodging to getch an oylestone which was a short piece of a stone as also a litle Bottle of oyle and a Viol of aqua fortis which she brought to Chaloner then he wanted some small Cole to be lighted and a bason of clean water with a cloth which he had with him in a room up one pair of stairs where he lockt himself in and took out the key Chaloner staid there about 2 hours this Informant had the curiousity to look through the Key hole and saw Chaloner sitting with his back toward {her} + his face towards the Window she thought he was writing but as he turned his head asside she perceived he had something very bright lying before him which lookt like a plate and She was satisfyed it was a Copper plate seeing it afterwards in her mistress's Trunck. When Chaloner came down staires this Informant went into the room and upon the Window where Mr. Chaloner sat + she saw a thin shining Dust the same Evening Chaloner brought in a piece of Leather and made up a Sand Bagg
The Plate this Informant saw in her Mistress Trunck lookt like a thing that was scratcht the ends lookt like flourishes of a letter and in the Midle were some lines scratcht
The next day the bagg was carryed away and she supposes the Plate too for she did not see it till about a fortnight or three weeks after when Chaloner came againe and wanted some paper
This Informant fetcht them a pennyworth of the best writing paper Chaloner carried it up into the Room above stairs and askt for Scissors and a piece of an earthen Dish and clean woollen raggs which had with some clean water and a Napkin Chaloner lock{ed} himself up as before giving orders that if any body askt for him Carter or her Mistress that the Maid should answer no body was at home and not open the Door. Chaloner was by himself Shut up 2 houres and this Informant peeped againe through the key hole and saw Chaloner standing at the Window with the Earthen Dish by him and the plate before him he took the raggs and dipt them in the Dish then he rubbed it over the plate and laid some paper atop of it and then laid something over the paper which lookt whitish like Flannell but she could {not} tell what it was then she thinks he turned it and took off the paper and laid it by and then he rubbed the plate over againe as he did before and laid on another paper This Informant peeped near an hour then went up stairs and came to the key hole againe and saw Chaloner still doing the same thing with his raggs and his paper
When Chaloner was gone of the Room this Informant went into it and saw the Window all daubed only where the plate lay that place was clean, in the earthen Dish was {ogle} and Blacking and the ragg left in it she put the Dish up in a Closset and it so still to be seen as it was left
About a week after that Chaloner gave her mistress a paper with some thing in it which she put into a Trunck that did not shut close this Informant opened the Trunk as soon as Chaloner and her Mistress went out together there this Informant saw the said plate again but all the stroaks were now finisht and black with the stuff which she supposes Chaloner had used when he workt upon it Chaloner fetcht the plate againe about three dayes after
Mary Ball
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