He said that if he took the oath, " he would perjure himself and that none but Rogues and Fools would or could take it." He was declared guilty of " a high Contempt and Insult upon the Authority of this State in General and this Board in particular," and was sent to jail to await the pleasure of the commissioners. 5 The board sought to ferret out spies from the British lines, as well as secret emissaries at home, and ordered the examination of witnesses against them. An item of more than passing interest came up before the board, on October 5, 1780. Philip Van Rensselaer had received a letter from Colonel Richard Varick, who had been aide-decamp to Benedict Arnold at the time of the treason of the latter.As this letter was reported to contain " Expressions which would tend to discover some of the persons concerned with Arnold in his Villanous Plot," the board requested

Lauis of Nov York. ' Poughkeepsie: John Holt, 1782, pp. 21-22. For the powers of judges of the supreme court and courts of oyer and terminer in certain cases of felony, see ibid, p. 1 1 5.

* Ibid, p. 77. ' October 13, 1778. • June 24, 1778. 'July 23, 1778. •September 22, 1779; July 29, 1780. See also this chapter under " Prisoners."

Introduction 61

Van Rensselaer to come before it at his earliest convenience, and exhibit at that time the contents of that letter. It is

regrettable that the subject-matter is not revealed. A perspective view has been presented in these chapters of the magnitude of the work with which commissioners for detecting and defeating conspiracies were entrusted by the legislature of New York. It is a soul-harrowing picture in the