Transcript
Editorial comments:
BL MS Cotton Caligula C III f. 60r - v. William Herle to Lord Burghley.
The top three lines of this letter are badly eroded.The script becomes legible after the word 'knowes' in the second line.
Letter Text:
[fol. 60r]
1571
Mi Lor
[d]
[ ... ]
forni
[ture]
knowes I have no mene to com by
ani, & to
[endure]
[such]
fleyes, & have nott somuche
[ ... ]
[sto]
le to sitt on, nor
^a^
table to
wryte on nor yett a clowtt to wipe on,
[
deleted: which is more than I can endure]
Butt towching
the servyce I
[am]
here for, the tyme consumes & I do nothyng &
[
deleted: for]
the livetenant
hath no warrant to suffer ani
[ac]
cesse unto me, nor somuche as paper & inck unles I
will write to your L. or the Cowncell
[w]
hereby the cheeff purposer do decaye, for if
in this beginneng, I do nott entertayne a wis
[e]
oppinion with mi cawses abrode, I
mar all, as no dowtt Barthlett is ether for fere redy
[to]
ron awaye, having no
encoragement from me, or elles may give over ani further deling in the contrary
passions that thus mete together, And withall I most have money to go threw with
the busy
[nes in]
sondry wayes, otherwise it is vayne to procede in it, for as I speke
only the
[
deleted: cheef]
good oppinion of mi Prince, & her preservatyon, so is it nott xli nor a Cli can
do me good, butt in the end as I deserve well, so lett me have well, oweing Barthelett
a 3li 15s which he most nedes have presently, elles this mi comittyng will make hym
in dowtt of all together, &
^to^
breke of wholly in the busynes. It may plese you therfore
to send me viijli which makes up xxli, & I will make you true accompte as I laye it
furthe, being ashamed that I shold thus dayly importune your L. butt that mi hability is
nott eqwall to mi good will being entred into suche a discredite with mi frynds
[that]
ar
com up to this parlyament, that where they had ment to have don largely for me, I am
now wiped of all, & scarse a rag of myne own to mi back
^but borowed^
. Desireng your L.
that I may speke
[to]
you tomorow mi self, for that I have sondry thyngs to say unto
you by mowth, & this mi open b
[ ... ]
ng to the Cowrt will make the better oppinion of
me with the B. & lastly that I may have the key of the marshallsea & mi man
[
deleted: with]
to
repayre unto me, wheruppon rests mi grettest enterprise, & to understand your L.
plesure whither I may certeffye the B. that I was examined
[
deleted: whither]
^iff^
I had eve
[r]
accesse unto hym, or whither ever I practised bettwen Charles & hym ether by lres or
messinger, w
[hich]
I most nedes denye to have confessed ani of this, or elles I cannott
attayne to that end, which is to appere gilltles to the B. of ani overture or yeldyng of
mi syde, wherby only I may enter into his former grace moreover it may plese your L
to wryte me or cawse master Blithe to do it whatt artycles
^I shall saye that^
I was examyned
uppon by the Cowncell, that I may be throwly armed, lest he perceve a further
halltyng in the matter
^than before^
desireng your L to consyder of mi state
^here^
& how
willingly I wold do ani thyng that were servisable, mary I lye on the grownd, which
my yll leg canott bere./ So most humbly taking mi leve, & most ernestly desireng to
speke with your L./ iiij aprilis 1571 your L verey humbly To the Lord Burghly her
Majestys principall Secretary