Transcript
Editorial comments:
BL MS Lansdowne 21 f. 13r - 15v. William Herle to Lord Burghley.
Address Leaf:
[Endorsement by unknown hand:]
7
^o^
Juniij 1575. William Herle to my L.
Letter Text:
[fol. 13r]
Since the tyme mi right honorable good L. that I spake with your L. in lent last in
your garden, I travailed abowtt mi poore busynes into the Contry, where ever since I
have byn sick grevously, even as att this present the Amendment is nott grett. And if I
shall saye the truthe unto your L. even in the presence of God, the woords that you
spake unto me then dyd sincke so deepe into mi hart, as have well ny coste me mi life,
& whatt shall becom of me, being poore wretche, in a spyce of consumptyon, God he
best knoweth. The greff was that your L. sholld be charged for me by som grett
personaige, that you maintayned me to practis abrode. Myne owne estate which is
poore & unffortunate dyd never move me, butt I have him unjustly towched for me,
who is myne only staye & patron, therby to feele corrosive for mi sake, for whose
hellth & contentment, I wolld mi life, might serve for a plaster, was a greff above all
others, & a mene to discoraige him for cowntenancing & entertayneng me ani
longer./
Alas all the practis that I use, is to travaylle byterly & carefully how to com owtt of
dett, & to be hable to lyve in som honest poore estate, hoping that mi faithfull & good
service unto mi prince & contrey had deserved better than so, & that where it hath
procured me a grett dele of sclander & danger with the adversaryes of her majesty &
the state, that yett I sholld nott be frowned att, ye overwhellmed by those that ar
accompted the Q. grettest servants, to charge yow thus [fol. 13v] sharply with me, & me so
unjustly with an untruthe her majesty her sellf,
[
deleted: where]
when it was, dyd comend mi poore
service, & mi L. of Lecester & your L. dyd assure me, that it sholld never be forgotten,
& that of your sellves yow woulld advance me & prefferre me in ani thing
[
deleted: I]
ye cowd,
which in good will & humble duty I do still deserve butt if your L. sholld remove your
favor & cowntenans from me, for this rude charge that was given yow for me, then am
I sonck down for ever, & I must byd the world farewell. / I brag of no service, butt to
speke humbly that which is trew, mi service was acceptable & necessary, & wrowght
more good effects than is mete for me to expresse, ye I have don ever synce that
which might shew the dutifull mynde of a loving subject & will do contynually if it
may conserne her majesties saffety though it cost me mi lyfe./ her majesty bestowed
uppon me by your L. good mene, after .3. yeres sute a booke in Reversyon of 50li by
the yere, which is more than mi deservyng, yett being a token of her bowntifullnes, I
had ill luck to be so long abowt it, & besyde the consumptyon of mi tyme & chargs
therin, I had xijli & 0d prevented in mi sayd booke, by other mens former leases,
which I made mi complaint of to your L. & withowt your L. ayd am
[
Marginalia
(by Herle): lyke]
to lose it. The
rest of that grawnt then being this mene paied, is becom lyke a banbury cheesse wherof
the substance is butt small & how small soever it is, it is payd owtt in detts to satisfye
mi Creditors as far as it will stretche, which may deserve [fol. 14r] the more compassyon att
your hands, your L. behollding the disposityon of these things that I have Receved, &
the care I have to satisfye all men, though unsatisfied mi sellf./ Yett her majesty
promised me sundry tymes bothe by master killigrew, master Secretary, & others that
she wolld use me & make me hable to lyve, & that I sholld have a C markes by the
yere pensyon, till I were otherwise provyded for, Butt I am no craver nor have ani
Mediator butt your L. bycawse I know your vertue & worthines to be withowt paragon,
& can consyder of those that love yow truly, & do deserve well of their state, wissheng
that as I wolld daylye com to present mi sellf to your L. for dutye sake, so
^wysshe I^
that I
might never com unto you for ani private respect of myne owne butt to do your L.
som humble & agreable servyce, or for som gretter matter wherin mi humble hope is
that your L. will esteme of me accordyngly, in mi well doings, even as yow have byn a
gracyows patron & a father unto me hitherto, & this is mi humble sute, that
unworthily yow will nott reject me from yow, nor abate the good cowntenance that yow
ar wont to give me, which is nott given to me alone, butt to all those that by this
example may deserve well, & bycawse yow ar juged of all other most constant,
therfore the better sort desire this verteous cowntenance the more, in whom next to
God rests mi hope or despaire./
Lastly I must conclude with on humble request more that wheras master skyner your L.
servant sholld arbytrate with master John hastings the matter bettwen [fol. 14v] william Wade
& me, which Master Skyner was nott hitherto hable to do (though sondry metyngs
were appointed) by reson of his contynuall attendance uppon your L. servyce, ytt
might plese your good L. therfore to give leve to your sayd servant to sytt uppon it
with master hastings on hallf daye to end the matter & then if they canot agre it, that
your L. wolld of your eqwity furnissh it, I comitt mi sellf wholly to the same, & if I be
bownd by their Award to paye unto the sayd Wade ani som of money I will give hym
good menes obligatyons presently, to answer hym that sayd som, when
the obligatyons be due beseching your L. for God sake nott to suffer it to com into the
lawe (for the sayd Wades brother is nott only importunate butt extreme) & by reson of
specialltyes that he hath of myne, hath grett advantaige) therfore your L. shall do a
charitable dede to bothe parties to end it, & the rather bycawse that of your goodnes
yow dyd undertake so to do. wherwith most humbly I end in haste. from mi poore lodging
the vij
^th^
of June. 1575. / Your L. most humblye to comand cravyng humble pardon for this bolld & longe lre./ W.
Herlle.