Transcript

[fol. 68r] 1571 26 April

[I] have copyed owtt mi Lord, the Cipher butt it was nott abowtt me when those that cam which your L. sent to me, to whom I made grett difficultye to delyver ani writeng, the more to cover mi delyng, having ment for that I never cowd close up Charles lre, to have broken it in [iij] or iiij parts, yett in suche sort as they might well have bin peced agayn together to th'end that I might have declared to the B, that I was serched, & had so broken them before hand hydeng them away & now sent them to hym that he might be the better armed, wherby a second trust might rise in hym & mi purgatyon appere sufficient, reqwireng hym as he is wise & noble, now to shew it & never to confesse of my being with him, wheruppon I am sure he will write to me & further matter may be discovered, menyng in th'affter noone to send your L. the Cipher I drew, therfore yf it seme good unto you, it may plese you to retorne [ deleted: his] Charles cipher to be used as I entended wherof no dowtt gretter service is to ensue, that allso your L. wold vowchesaffe [to] lett me know whither in the serche they have fownd Charles Cipher or no. Lastly having the sayd Charles lre back agayn to delyver to the B. I mene to tell hym that I were Irons & that fer no torment (being threttned the Rack) I mene to disclose the B. or Charles for that mi extremity rests thereuppon even of deth or perpetuall prisonment, desirows to know of your L. if I be examined how I shall behave mi self & whatt I shall yeld unto & whatt nott. [ deleted: They have] I have enclosed here certayn notes of myne owne, & that pece of paper which is closed up after charles maner conteynes nothyng but myne own practis how to make up a lre after that sort [s] o comending mi self humbly to your good L. I take mi leve / 26 of Aprill in close prison. 1571 Your L. verey humbly W Herlleli