England, 1670. A bird had found itself a meal and was voraciously consuming it on the edge of the roof. An envious position for the man staring out of his prison cell window. Unlike the prisoner, the bird was eating, and could fly away any time it wanted. “How I wish I had something to eat… and Freedom”!
“Covenwald! You have a Visitor”!
A flamboyantly dressed man with a large powdered wig entered the tiny cell and the door slammed behind him.
“Sir”!
“Quiet Covenwald, the King’s ears are everywhere”.
Whispering, the two men began discussing their case. Covenwald was a juror for the case of William Penn, who had been arrested for blasphemy and was being held indefinitely in the Tower of London. The Judge had ordered the Jury to deliberate without the defense presenting their case, and when the Jury objected, they were also thrown in Jail.
“The Judge is giving you one more chance to return the correct verdict”! “You need to start thinking about yourself Covenwald”.
“But I am sir. I’m thinking about myself, and all free men, and a future where men cannot be imprisoned at the whim of a King, a Judge, or any Court without being confronted with real evidence of a real Crime”.
“If the King’s Court says it’s a Crime, it’s a Crime”.
“The King’s Court is a Farce! They know what happens when you disagree with the King, and there are no more men willing to stand up for themselves”.
“You will be fined a years’ pay if you do not come to your senses Covenwald. The Judge has decreed”!
“A years’ pay would be a bargain in exchange for freedom from the King’s will”!
“Quiet Covenwald, you are only looking at a years’ pay. If you keep this up, you will be paying for your treason with your head”!