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BL Lansdowne MS 18 f. 86r - 89v. William Herle to Lord Burghley. 
Address Leaf:
[Endorsement by Herle:] To the right honorable mi verey good L. the Lord Thresuror of England & towching the comisaion of Conselements./
Letter Text:
[fol. 86r] Accordinge to the humble Care & duty, mi right honorable good L. that I owe to the Q. Majestie mi gracious Lady & Soveraigne, I did in mi late jorney into Wales, & in the way to & fro, observe suche things, as me thought dyd appertayn to her Majesties good service & profitt; wherof I partly advertised your L. by mowth, which now more fully I do putt down in writeng, that your L. may be the good judge of eche parte therof./

And first I dare, God Willing, assume her Majestie & your L. (for Idell I am nott, nor wilbe in ani cawse, where her Majestie hath an Intereste), that I will increse her revenewes in good land a mli a yere, which now is conseled from her majestie. And though the som be more than I spake of att the first, yett am I far within mi compasse from promiseng so muche, how grett soever this som seme to be./ The Reccords that I have gotten to this effect, by mi grett travayll & charge, shall prove it: The partyes principall theme selves, that do possesse of thise Conselements, shall present up their own things, which mi poore Credite & perswasion with som of them hath wrought: And their example shall induce & lede others to do the like, wherby her majestie shall have present good service & proffitable don unto her mani wayes: Beside that this forme of proceding hath in mi poore oppinion, a mylldnes with it, & a preparation of Conformity before hand, & therby takes away the grudge & offence from the Contrey, whom it generally towcheth, with whom it were verey hard & dangerous to dele by ani other degre, mary I promised them certain things again, & first./

Which is the humble motyon & dutifull that I make unto your L. for her majestie service, & of the Condicions that ar required for the bringing of it to spedy & easi perfection./ Yett herewith, if the Comission be graunted for such shires, as I am to name, & in that forme that is proponed then these particularityes following ar to be consydered of withall by your L. to strengthen the sayd Comission, with asmuche credite & awthority, as shall seme mete & convenient for advancing of the sayd service the more./

Whiche platt this layd downe, if it like your L. to allowe of, I will presently travaill abowtt it uppon myne owne charge, & will nott retorne, till her majestie & your L. shalbe fully satisfyed in every project that is comitted to me, desireng verey humbly withall (if her majestie will so vowchesave) that I might before I departe, kisse her most gracious hands, & uppon mi knees to thanck her from the bottom of mi hart, of all her highnes favors & goodness bestowed uppon me; the grantyng ^wherof^ wolde more comfort me than ani welthe I can desire, & this vehemency doth expresse the verey mynde that I wolde have her majestie knowe to be within me towards her. Whom if she will cherishe & cowntenance from hence furth in my well doing & devout menyng towards her majestie I will assure her that she shall Receve further service ^of me^ than I dare well expresse of mi self, to her majesties likeng & comodity, As sometymes the seely mowse hath bin of som use to the statley lyon./ Acknowleging further that bi her majesties bowntifullnes I shalbe hable by michellmas next to paye all the detts I owe in England, And in the mene tyme as this service wilbe verey chargeable & painfull to me (for I will begin mi jorney these holly dayes alsowe as the comision is grawnted & dispatched: in setting furth wherof, som resonable port wilbe required for the better executyon & cowntenance of the sayd Comision, a matter in Wales no les necessary than ^verey^ specially observed) so to shew mi good will to be [ deleted: above] above all hability that ever I maye have, I most say that I have nothing to lyve by [ deleted: presently] in the world att this present, butt her majesties only favor & your L. (which sufficeth me abowndantly) nether do I crave ani mite of this service to mi self, butt to her only [fol. 89r] use & the good of the Contry: which makes me the bolder (if her highnes will graciously interprete of it) to make on humble motyon) more unto her majestie (for a bashefull & slowe craver I am) that where of her gracyous goodnes & own instinct, she promised me ones a pension of a C marks by the yere, like as John Leigh, Parker, & sondry others have had of her majestie. So if now towards these mi grett chargs, butt cheefly for an argument of her undouted favour & good oppinion of me [ deleted: towards the world, she wold vowchesave] (mani having their eyes malicyously bent against me for her majesties sake) she wold vowchesave to bestowe uppon me this pensyon of a C. marks by the yere for terme of life; I wolde so humbly & diligently deserve it, as her majestie sholde joye in doing this for me, or elles lett it be revoked when she will to mi utter undoing & condempna- tyon : refferryng mi self most humbly in this & all mi Actyons to her majesties own disposityon, whose good turnes bestowed uppon me, ar butt layd up in store uppon on, that will employe theme again in her majesties service, with mi life allso when the cawse shall require it, for whom with all humble devotyon I do contynually & faithfully pray to God, to give her majestie helthe, long life, & happy successe in all her gracyous Raigne. Att London the 18. of December.1574. Your L. most humbly to pray for you & serve you duryng my life./ W. Herlle.

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