(no date given) answer of Jn Lee cleric to bill of Jn Petefyld cleric vicar of the parish church of Earls Colne Essex Jn Lee says that the bill is in divers things untrue and also insufficient in the law and devised and contrived to put him to vexatious trouble charges costs and loss of his good and says that he is contented and pleased to satisfy and pay to the king and queen's majesty's the first fruits of the vicarage mentioned and payable by Lee at certain times expired and past and did never deny the payment thereof and shall stand therein to such order and direction as the court shall think mete and convenient without that he did not mind to pay his debt as is untruly surmised in the bill or minded or doth mind craftily to charge the church or vicarage with debts mentioned and the first fruits in the bill or that the fruits and profits of the vicarage be sequestred and seized into the king and queen's hands for not payment of any first fruits of the vicarage and payable by Lee to his knowledge or that the first fruits of special have heretofore been used to be paid of the fruits and profits of the same spiritual promotions# for the same first fruits have been used to be paid upon certain bonds obligations made for the same as well by the persons to whom any spiritual promotions were given as by good temporal bonds for the same or that there is anything done to his knowledge for the utter decay of the hospitality and relief of the poor of the parish or to the undoing of the complainant being vicar there or that the complainant is driven to serve the cure there without stipend or allowance for the same for that Lee is wealthy and rich as is surmised in the bill he says that he is very poor and has nothing certain wherewith to maintain his living or that he refused or refuseth anything to do concerning the payment of any first fruits of the vicarage which he is bound to pay or discharge or that he has unjustly or against right or conscience charged the vicarage with any of his debts as is surmised in the bill without that any other thing effectual or material in the bill alleged not here sufficiently confessed avoided denied or transversed is true all which he is ready to answer as the court awards prays to be dismissed with costs and charges