[Endorsement by Herle:]
To the right honorable mi verey good L. the Lord Thresuror of
England & towching the comisaion of Conselements./
[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./
- 1. To be a sutor to her Majestie to obtayne her bylle signed for a Comission,
wherin I might dispense with theme for the Arreraiges, for otherwise they
were undon, & impossibly browght to thys yellding./
- 2. Secondly, that they or their essignes (if I fownd theme mete for it) sholld
becom Tenants again of those grownds so fownd & [fol. 86v] presented, att suche rent
or rents without fine, as they sholld be vallued & rated by indifferent persons,
appointed to be jurates in that behallf./
- 3. Lastly, that bi vertue of this sayd Comission, they might have new leases
grawnted them owtt of Thexchequer for LXX. yeres, uppon the presentment
made theme, & the rate sett downe by your L. in consideracyon aswell of the
Revenew that her majestie sholld Receve bi this service, as of the humble
offices & dutyes, which they will employ theme selves in for her majesties
further service & proffitt./
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./
- 1. First, that I may call before me in all those shires & places comprehended in
the sayd Comission. aswell without the libertyes as within, all suche persons &
person, as I thinck mete to be examined, sworne & employed in these matters,
for the better understanding of the truthe, & the tryall of the Q. majesties right,
in that I shall have charge to inqwire of,
idquam viis & modis omnibus. secundum sanam discretione./
- 2. That I have awthority to survey grownds, to peruse her majestie Reccords
where I can, aswell those that be with the Auditors as elles where, serving to
this purpose. And to call for the sight of ani other mennes evidencs, willes,
leases, indentures, or writengs, that they pretend to hold those things by, that to
do com in question & ar presented before this Comission for the Q. majestie./
- 3. That this Comission may have contynuance & force for the [fol. 87r]space of on whole
yere, & that I may in every Terme durynge the sayd yere, certeffye & retorne
suche things in Charge into the Exchequer, to the use of the partyes that I shall
present, as ar fownd owtt bi the sayd Comission: To avoyd bi this devision of
tymes a long expectacion of the service, & the tedyosnes that it might be of to
the Cowrt, to have the whole masse browght in att ones./
- 4. Thatt allso the sayd Comission might be renewed att the end of the yere, bi
vertue of her majesties first grawnt, if the whole servic be nott then effected &
finished, without trobling her majestie to signe ani other new warrant for this
on & self cawse./
- 5. There may be allso inqired of bi vertue of this Comission (if it seme so
convenyent to your L. for the labor & coste is all on) of decayed Rents &
Lands, & milles: wherin certainly her majestie might Receve grett good
service to understand the perfect state therof, & the way how to refferme the
decaye, & to restore those agayn: which is afawtt & losse bothe, that growes
dayly more generall in Wales & yett easily redressed./ And for the milles, as I
know in on littell circuite of a shire LXXV, or there abowts, decayed by
gentillmen of the Contrey, & the next neighbors to them, only to advance their
own milles & grownds: so in other places of the sayd Contrey the nomber is
gretter, & bi exampell of suffrance, wilbe to grett, & very hurtfull to her
majestie to her lands & Tenants there./
- 6. In like sort may be inquired of (if it seme so convenient) what spoill there hath
bin made of the Q. majesties Castelles & howses, by whom & bi whatt
awthority; & whatt is becom of the Timber, lede, & stone so spoiled, & how it
^is^
to be answered to her majestie again, according to the statute provyded in
that behalf?/
- 7. And whither that ani of pretensed malice, do procure or suffer ani Castell or
Castelles, howse or howses, of her majesties that allredy ar in good reparatyon
& state (& be in their own keping) to decaye [fol. 87v] to th'end they might purchasse
theme after wards for a littel or nothing, a matter of notable losse & deceitt to
the Q. majestie. & likely to be of noles oppression to her poore Tenants, if the
malice be nott mett with in tyme./
- 8. Allso who doth colowrably usurpe ani part or parts of the Demaines belonging
to her sayde Castelles & howses, answering nothing to the sayd Demaynes,
butt joyneng theme rather to their own possessions & howses as things
purchased, wherof I have som partyculer notes & instructyons, bothe bi
Reccord & other wise, that may presently restore her majestie to som of the best
& frutefullest things in Wales./
- 9. Further to inquire for Incrochements uppon wasts & Comunes which as they
ar things verry generall in Wales, & of grete importance & proffitte: so bi good
discretyon
[
deleted: as]
ar they as easily to be browght within the Charge & increse of her
majesties Revenewes, as may be, att such rent as the sayd encrochements
shalbe vallewed by sufficient jury. /
- 10. The like may be don for the knowlege of such Cattell, Stock, & goods, as ar
imbesiled & have belonged att ani tyme heretofore, or do presently belong to
Churches, Chauntryes, or fraternityes, & for the mene to recover them to her
majesties use & comodity./ Of all which things & inquiryes, perfect books to be
made & kept, that they may be presented up to your L. & to the Court of
Th'excheqwer./
- 11. Then for lands holden in Capite in Wales, & for
[
deleted: wales conse]
wards Conseled, & for
escheled lands: Bicause these be no feudaryes att all or verry fewe appointed
in that Contry, butt specially non that doth the duty that becomes hym or them
faithfully in their offices: yf your L. will bestowe uppon me the whole
feodariship of Wales (an office, as your L. knowes, more painfull than
proffitable) I will indever mi self to do suche service therin to her majestie &
to the Cowrt of wards as (be it modestly spoken ) she had never [fol. 88r] better
service don in that behalf & in that Contrey, to this daye./ Wherin I shall ryd
som of her wards of miserable servitude that the be in to som particuler
gentillmen of the Contrey, & the rest of that kinde shall knowe that they hold
in Capite Since King Edward of most gloryous memory the first, who making
the north parte of that Contry civill & subject to englissh lawes, dyd institute
allso & give a great nomber of these Tenures, to hold the Contry therby & from
thenceforth in better obedience & dutye. Mary the Arreraiges wolld be as well
remitted to these men, as to the other before mencioned, by the which they
might the easelier be browght into charge again./ And further bi this creatyon
of a generall feodary, the Eschetor in every shire shold be compelled to do his
office fully & truly (with whom the
[
deleted: Eschetor sitts]
feodary syttes) & to intitell her majestie of
those things that ar hers by Eschete, which certainly riseth to a great matter in
Wales./
- 12. Now rests to tell your L. that where therebe sondry gentill men of the
principall sort of all Wales (as I sayd in the beginneng) that by mi travayll
will present their own things & their frynds things withall, to be intituled &
charged for the Q. majestie after the maner before mencyoned, which riseth
nott to so lyttell in certaynty as to vj C marks by the yere,
[
Marginalia
(by Herle): of their presentacion]
namely by Master
James
[
deleted: menes]
of Brecknock Shyre as on, a man of grett worship in his Contry & of
noles duty to the state that now is, your L. good kinseman withall: allso
master wallter vawghan, master woogan of Wiston, master John Prise of
Cardigan Shire, & sondry others of like devotyon & calling in their shires: to
whom it were convenient in mi poore oppinion to have som gentell lres
written
[
deleted: to theme,]
to incoraige their forwardnes & duty in the Q. majesties service, which
her majestie & your L. (as may be sayd for mi credite) doth understand of att
large by me & in repport which will sturre suche an Emulatyon amonge
theme to deserve best [fol. 88v] as the rest who deppend wholly of them, will imitate
theme in all things, certatim & agara as the Italien sayth./
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.