Further holograph draft on the examinations of Oadham and Brattell

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Mr Oadhams paper of reasons against Mr Brattel is full of mistakes. Sr Isaac Newton was the first man who proposed a trial between the Petitioners & never opposed or discouraged it or affirmed that Mr Brattel could not do the business of an Assaymaster without an Assistant, nor know of any hardships or impositions in the trial between them, nor of any Reference of Mr Oadhams Petition from the King to ye Treasury, nor is the place of Assaymaster in the Kings gift of the Lords of the Treasury but in that of his Maty who hath given it to Mr Brattel, & in all Mr Brattels paper of reasons there is not one reason for coiding the grant. The Act of 2 H. 6 doth not make it voidvoid the grant, nor excludes the Mint Master & Worker from joyning with his fellow Officers in recommending an Assaymaster. The Mint Master He can make no advantage by bad assay & tTo recommend a good Assayerone is as much his Duty as any mans & much more his interest & concern because he {illeg} can make no advantage by bad assays but may be ruined by athem bad one. And therefore his recommendation is more to be regarded in point of impartiality then that of any other subject whatsoever.

Mr Oadham pretends that Mr Brattels incapacity & unfairness can be proved. But Whereas upon the Trial between them, seven of Mr Brattels eight Assays of Gold agreed wth one another without any sensible difference & the eighth differed from the rest only the twelft part of a grain: whilst some of Mr Oadham's gold Assays differed a quarter of a grain from onthers another & one of them erred two grains wch is three times the Remedy & 24 times more then the greatest error of Mr Brattel: & Mr Brattel was also observed to het {sic} with more dexterity & dispatch then Mr Oadham. And {illeg}as for the{illeg}ir {illeg}dit in point other qualifications it was then thought unadvisable {sic} it was then thought unadvisable to venture the credit of the Mint upon a person who in his Apprentis-ship had neglected his Masters business to mind projects, & when his time was out, left his Trade to turn Broker, & to reject a person who with his brother had kept up & improved the credit of the Mint upon a person who in his Apprentisship had neglected his Masters business to mind Projects & when his time was out left his trade to buy & sell stocks, & was suspected to have sent a mess to Mr Brattel an Offer of the place for a summ of money, wch suspicion has been incconfirmed by increased by a late report of the same kind his talking lately to the same purpose, not to mention his carriage to the Officers of the Min in such a manner as is not to be born in an Assaymaster.