Transcript
Editorial comments:
BL MS Lansdowne 19 f. 91r - 92v. William Herle to Lord Burghley.
Address Leaf:
[Superscription:]
To the right honorable mi verey good Lord the L. Thresuror./
[Endorsement by unknown hand:]
9 november 1574
William Herle to my L. Master Wade
Letter Text:
[fol. 91r]
Uppon satterday last mi right honorable good Lord, I talked with Thomas Wade in
that matter which is bettwen his brother & me, & the
[
deleted: lyke ]
lyke I dyd on sonday following
after the sermon tyme, I allso sent mi brother in Lawe to hym yesterday, in all which
speches, he sheweth suche roughnes
[
deleted: of speche]
& suche extremityes, as thowgh he wold ether
undo me clene, or ellse provoke me to som qwarrell with him, to withdrawe your L.
favor therby from me, And certainly his termes & behavyor is suche, as it is no small
acte to be hable to master a mans passyon, that heres hym sellf so provoked &
contempned as he dothe me.
[
deleted: Im]
In the talke with him on satterday I tolld hym that his
brother of his own motyon, had refferred the whole matter to master Skyners
determinatyon, & if ani thing were that he cowd nott agre us in, that then your L.
sholld order & end
[
deleted: &]
it as plesed you best, which he denyed nott, yett he wold nott enter
into bond to stand unto master Skyners award, unles he might joyne another with him,
& so wold have urged that ij Lawyers sholld conclude the difference that was
bettwen us, butt I tolld hym that the same was the waye to entangle the matter more
than to end it, besyde that
[
deleted: the same]
^it^
was a cowrse to spend money by & nott to procede with
that conscyens & charity that the cause required. Wheruppon I tolld hym that if he
wold chuse master Smith the customer, I wold chuse master skynner, or elles he
sholld take master Skyner & I wold take master Smith, which lyked hym well, adding
that master Smith was a fitt man for the purpose, for that he knew all the merchants to
whom these somes that he claymes had byn payd unto. Butt on sonday he went from
all this, axing me if I sholld prescribe hym whom he sholld chuse for the
determinatyon of his owne matters, butt I repplyeng that master Smith was a man of
his owne choyse & namyng, & therffore that he sholld nott enter into these
innovatyons, besyde that
[
deleted: I tolld hym that]
mi credyt dyd begyn to Awgment, & therfore wold be lothe
that every stranger sholld be privy to these grett bonds that he had of myne/ [fol. 91v] which
satisfyed him nothing, butt rather he burst owtt to saye that he estemed nether me nor
mi credyte, & he wold have good suretyes bownd fyrst for me to abyde the order,
beffore he wold prejudice his
[
deleted: brothers]
brothers right, for I was butt newly start up by the favor of
som, & was growen far to hawthy since that the prince of orange had given me a
chayne, yett conffessyng that your L. willed hym for avoydeng of chargs & tolles to us
bothe on satterday last, to have the matter fryndly agreed bettwen us
[
deleted: by frynds]
wherunto master
Skyner had offred his travayll & care,
^he sayd^
very willingly to end the same, as the
party
^in dede^
that best understands the state of the matter, by the delyng that he had in it
beffore, which served verey lyttell to bryng him to ani resolutyon, wheratt (in
temperyng mi sellf asswell as I cowd) I tolld him that his brother was more
beholldyng to your L. than so hardly to use me, whiles your L. for bothe our qwyettnes
was desirows that he sholld suffer the matter to be taken up, & to whom the whole
matter was wholly comitted by his brother hym sellf, which brother of his was holpen
by your L. favor & ayd in on moneth a m marks thyck & VC. markes, as master Smith
the Customer & master Cuckrain, ar redy to testeffye unto your L. more partyclerly,
[
deleted: tho]
though he had written
^I sayd^
to your L. yf yow wold do him no good, yow sholld do hym
no hurte, butt this sett us farther owtt. The next day which was monday I sent mi
brother in Lawe unto him, to se yf he were ani better advised than beffore, butt he
used the same yll & worse words unto hym of me than he had don, butt in the end
(seing mi brothers coldnes for
[
deleted: that he sholld have non occasyon to object unto me]
^that
was it that^
I warned him principally of he sayd that he wold move master Smith in it, & as
he sawe him easy in the matter, so wold he ether chuse him or another This may shew
unto your L, how imperyously he proceedes & how lyttell he regards ether eqwity, or
conscyens, which dett [fol. 92r] his brother wold have solld me ones for xli./ And I humbly
com to your L. for your favor & goodnes to preserve me from undoing herin, whom
your L. hath only raysed, therfore will have the more regard (whiles I mene well &
dutifully to all the world) that I may nott be over throwen by extremity, & do present
with all mi harte to stand to ani order that shalbe prescribed to me in this, & that I
shalbe hable to perfforme, though I leve nott mi sellf a grote to maintayne
^a pore lyfe with^
[
deleted: mi sellf ]
only to be owtt of these challengs & to satisfye the sayd Wade, & yett in equity &
conscyens, & yn the verey truthe of all things, I owe nott a peny of this clayme, butt it
is discharged by the privilige I had, wherof makyng mi humble mone unto your L. I
comend mi sellf & mi cawse to yow, as to mi only patron & reffuge under God/ whom
God long mayntayne in muche honor & contentment// from Redcrosse strete the ix
^th^
of november. 1574./ your L. most humbly to obey you & pray for you. W. Herlleli.