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BL MS Cotton Caligula C VIII f. 204r - 206v. William Herle to Lord Burghley. In his subscription (at the words 'yf ether be') Herle positions his script perpendicular in the left margin. 
Letter Text:
[fol. 204r]

The Frenche Ambassador on thursdaye mornyng, being the 21. of this moneth, had Archeballd Duglasse browght secrettlye to him by Corselles into his chamber, where after long & ernest consultacyon had bettwen theme, which cheeffly conserned the late lre Receved from the scottish Q. the sayd Archeballd was secrettly dismissed agayn./

They ij do holld for certayn, that master Secretory Wallsingham opend the scottish Q. packett, before it cam to the Ambassadors hands, & imported the secretts therof to the Q. majestie which makes theme the more respectyve mani wayes, & therfore debated of the maner & matter, how to dele with her majestie towching Awdyens: desirows by som cowrse of Terrificatyon, to withdrawe her majestie from procedyng to far in examnyneng these Actyons, that ar broken furthe, & the deciphreng of their gretter fryndes, nott yett discoverd./

The sayd Archeballd, layes plotts of importance for the scottish Q. & whatt he deviseth, is comunicated with the howse of Gwise, & executed by the scottish Q. & her syde. And your L. may be well assured, thatt Archeballd playes with a verey long ij handed sword, that Reches into mani places att ones, beyond this Iland (Leving frawnce & meener Regyons) as far as Spayne & Roome./ He was ever a Cowntermyner & unfaythfull, wherfore most dangerows to be intertayned in ani degree, for [ deleted: this] service of this State, nether can conyng nor dread comprehend him, yf he have ones the starte, ever a practiser & Irreligyows, & a Reveler in the end of all secretts to serve his own Torne. Lett his plott [ Marginalia (by Herle): in scotland] to master Randall for sowndnes serve for example to the rest, & for his sinceritye in the end therof./

The cowrse that the scottish K. toke a x. dayes paste, with those that bare affectyon to this State, by somonyng Angwisshe to render him sellf prisoner into Edenburgh Castell by the first of december, & Marre to be banisshed this Iland intyerly: & to others, other correctyons of displesure, doth concurre with the Rowndnes of the scottish Q. late lre whollye./

Duffilld the precher, of whom I writt to your L in mi last lre, was with the Erlle of A. his master on thursdaye: who wooed him to preche att [fol. 204v] Powlles crosse verey instantly, & sholld be seconded he sayd, by other suffycyent men./ Butt duffilld reffused to obey him in that cowrse alleging with a certayn Reverent bolldnes, that it wolld apere only to be a cloke & no matter of sinceritye ment by the sayd Erlle: which had (he alledged) deceved his father beffore him, that dyd dallye in lyke maner with God & his Prynce, & was therfore payd with a sharp mesure./ Wheruppon the sayd Erlle urged him to saye, whatt he had hard spoken of him by people, & in whatt consyett he was with theme: & whatt the best remedy were to purge his credite to the worlld agayne: / To the which duffilld Repplyed: that as they were matters far above his capacitye to satisfye him in: so cowd he nott lykewise so well judge of their particularityes by reson of his partiall affectyon borne to his sayd master. yett he sawe the cowntenance of the people offended with him & to condempne the [maner] of his lyfe, his disposityon, & loyallty./ Sondry things (he sayd) [were] objected in comune speches of him, which severallye made no grett shew, but layed together, semed weightye & of consyderacion./

He added herunto of him sellf: thatt his father before, bothe in the begyneng of his Trobles & duryng the same, had made of suche objectyons lighte accompte: Butt when they cam to the constructyon of grave men, they were fownd to be the perparatyves of an yll affected mynde aspireng to a shrewd end./ Wherfore he cowd nott advise him [fol. 205r] of ani Remedy, for reconsyelng of his credite, than the same which his own honor & dutye was to direct him, & that conscyens & sinceritye prescribed him./

Herewith the Erlle semed content with his playnesse, & rownd proceding, butt it was after a grett pawse, before he answerd ani thing att all: & then as on hallf benomed of his sences, he sayd:

Butt herewith he toke a greeke Testament in his hand, & sware verey solempnlye by the contents of the same (under protest of his sallvacyon) that he detested papistrye & the Pope, & ever had don, & wolld spend his lyfe & Lands in the qwarrell, to confirme his Loyalltye on that behallf to her majestie which he wolld make apparant very shortlye, with the first occasyon that were presented./

And this discowrse towching the Erlle (though long mi L.) I thought nott impertynent to have your wisdom acqwaynted therewith, to judge there & of theire effects, as in vallew they might import, Butt I shalbe hable to advertys your L. more hereof, by penetratyng discreetely nere [fol. 205v] yf yow thinck so good, The pad is grett that is amongest theme & their fere gretter, butt ytt may plese your L. to carye well in mynde whatt I wrytt to yow by mi Laste, towching Thorneley, who is hable to discover all./

Frawncs Flowr is demed to have opend the gappe for discovery of Hawll the preest & others of that familye, butt nott of dutye to the Q. nor of zele to Religyon, being an Atheist him sellf & Lowse./ His polycye is sayd, to have byn partly for revenge, butt cheefflye for credite, when the rest ar expullsed, & that his master mistrustyng noles, the skylle of his former prancks, wolld fayne be ryd of him, saving that he expectes tyme. The matter of Hawll the preest is devyded bettwen Somerfilld & him, the deciphreng of others of the Trowpe [ Marginalia (by Herle): this is a consideracion among the best sort./ of f. flowre/] belongyng to his master, is ascribed only to him./

Trulye mi L there was never tyme of gretter corruptyon & newtrality than now, nor wherin honest sincere men sholld be bothe better discerned & cherished./ I do perse by myne own knowlege, into the [inward] partyculer nature, of the most in England, of whatt shire or familye soever they be: whatt in dutye & disposytyon they ar to their Soveraigne, & whatt respectly do carye theme ether forward or backward in matters of State or Religyon: And I do here the sighes of good withall, wissheng a more difference to be made in cowntenance & effect, bettwen those that ar assured & merite well, from the rest [worse] disposed./ Which Regarde I most saye, is a vertew most speciall & peculyer in yow, as it was in Awncyent Pericles, id este favere & amitye bene merentibz./ I wolld to God there were mani Imitators therof of the cawse & the tyme requireng it ernestlye./

The scottish factyon doth presse on a pace in nomber & vyew, & those of theme that desire novelltyes: The on & the other affirmeng that Cuthbert Armerors late dispatche into Scottland is butt intertaynment, to occopye the chilld with, & that a hope or glemse of a mariage under this is handled to draw the yong K. from his disseygnes & settled frynds, butt that the affinitye [ deleted: of] with H. is to weke a Calamite to attracte so grett [fol. 206r] an effect from his own Sphere. In lyke sorte we yntertayne the K. of Spayne is sayd, & his Ambassador with accomptments now, to devyde or weken the Tempest prepared & comyng.

I am glad to knowe unto mi sellf, in respect of publyck securitye, to our gracyows Soveraigne, that she is furnisshed with matter of her sellf to convynce the L. H. Haward criminallye, when she pleseth to extend it his spirite otherwise is within no compasse of qwiett dutye, & his own syde saye of that travaylleng mynde of his, erat aut non capiendus aut non relaxandum

I here it agayn confirmed, whatt Tryumphes were made in Spayne, uppon the brute of her majesties dethe./ Spayne, Frawnce, & the Pope, do now labor by all menes (post posita fide & virtute) to prevayll per sicurios & Proditores. God forgyve me if I judge amisse, in seyng charles Arundell provyde gloves & swete savors att a new parfumers howse in Abchurche lane of late, yf I dyd nott fere som poyson towards her majestie she havyng her sences of smellyng so perfect, & delyted with good savors, butt God will deffend her I knowe, for she trustes in him./ And to the rest I dare pronownce even from Godds mowthe that cruellty & trecherye is highest promisse [d] & Revenged, with breche of faythe, even yn the grettest that ar disposed therunto./

John Gyllpin tolld me ij yeres synce & more, that when he was sent after his masters son into franwce, he mett att Roane with Hawll the preest, who amongest Trees & plants, & under Reames of white paper that he browght over hither, there were sedycyows bookes packed together very conynglye [ deleted: together] , that allso he was then a mynister of messayges & practises, & he was suspected to have had Hydes bookes then, to be dispersed by his menes in England, the methode wherof was a descriptyon of all the states of England, & of the persons of the nobilytye, Cowncellors, & others well affected to God & our Soveraigne, in the sclanderest maner & most reprochefull that might be, onlye the Erlle of Sussex & som others were reverentlye spoken of, this remembrance towching Hawlle may serve to bryng som other thing to to lighte.

This I presume to advertys mi knowlege in the premisses to your L. wherin yf ether I be to Tedyows or bolld, I submytt mi sellf humblye to your own censure./ Curyows I am nott, butt geleos [ deleted: for her ] over her majesties securitye & qwyettnes. Which mi lyfe & mi dethe shall ever Testeffye./

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