Transcript

[fol. 61v] From William Herle to the Lord Burghley.

xj ^to^ April. 1571

The keeper of this place My Lorde hath receaved your warrant for Charles close imprisonment and for the staye of all such as desire to speake with him, who is to execute his chardge as zealously as trustye for that he wisely foreseeth the matter by the importance of the words to touch the [same] which Charles hath bene visited all this daye of a great sight of his fellowes till a little before the lords warrant & even nowe was with me the same William Bartlet my mans host whome I mencioned to day sorrowinge the chaunce to be so sodaine & to be happened so unseasonably, for my lord of Rosse saith he is also comanded to kepe his howse whose [fol.62r]whose wisdome was to have foreseene this sooner, But nowe requyreinge my ayde, I tolde him if he would use fidelitye & secrecye I would hazard my pore fortune to convey pollitiquely either message or lre unto him whereupon with great contentment he departed meaneinge to returne to morowe, Beside that his opinion is such of me as he is to be perswaded to any thing tellinge me of two Scottish Shipps belonginge to Fife, who vale downe this tyde to Blackwall & might seme by him as though there were some partye or some matter in them which is worth the searche But then your Lp may remember one thinge that if they send any speciall partye he must be loked for aswell beneath Gravesend as of this side for herein rests a policie of such dealings, withall he tolde me that one Morgan who had bene in Spaine was a dere and secret frend of the Bps and so was Thomas Cobham But that was spoken in such manner as though he were a viewer of things to Curry more favor Exclaymeinge that Donbarton was won by treason whereof they had sometyme dowbted whether it were taken or no And now against all religion and honor Thearle of Lennox had hanged up the Bp of St Andrewes even the wisest man of all Scotland puttinge the lord Fleminge and others to straight & hard kepinge which had so moved the lord of Gramge the keper of Edinburgh Castell as he had justly seised bothe the Castell & Towne against all men into his owne hands till the kinge should Come to full ripenes fortifienge the Abbey Called Holierood and the Cathedral Churche which joyned with the Castell was a warlike possession of bothe the ends and the middle, loking under this pretence thus honestly gotten bothe for reliefe of men & money out of Fraunce to the Quenes behalf which this he told of certaine prodigious and monstrous tokens presageinge greate fire to fall out of heaven upon this realme shortly And these certainely be things that are augmented from hand to hand in this Towne who soever feedes them Addinge strainge birthes and wonders[fol. 62v] wonders to bringe the people into an astonishment, & so consequently into mislike of the present government But it may please your Lp to instruct me howe to proceede further, for as theis matters be great So requyre they prescripcon & aucthoritye haveing this day left (as your Lp comaunded) a reporte in writing of that I said by word of mouth & may requyre a knowledge of your Lps pleasure to every poinct & that presently, for that tyme is the Chief observacon of all wanting onely habilitye to importe goodwill being Codrus him self. /

I have tolde Malachias that his frends forsake him and that his owne advise was not ill to have writen to your Lp whereby happly he might get more libertye & under the same our flight might be the easier, so usinge his repayer now & then to the garden which I seme to get of the keeper by order as it doeth measure all the rest by due degrees, he haveinge written thereupon to your Lp this supplicacon inclosed, whose receipt doeth minister good occasion to send secretly for him Mary it may please your Lp thus as my opinion was to wyn him gently So if yow thought good that I should say before hand that the Bp of Rosse were comanded to kepe his howse it would so temper him before as your mildenes to him would appeare verie clemencye, Comendinge to your Lp my necessitye which is so extreame, as I cannot hold up my head longer without some ayde And yet my will desires death where my Prince may be served by it Prayeinge god for your Lps prosperity And wisheinge if I should come any more unto you ye would prescribe when & howe, for my open repayre to your Lp may hinder greater things then are yet expressed./ From the Marshalsea in hast the xvj ^th^ of Aprill 1571 your L most humbly W Herle