Transcript

After mi harty Comendacyons. I understand that on master William Herlle a gentillman whom I have long knowen, & that is verey well borne, & of a good kinred, dothe make menes to have your good will to becom your husbond, & becawse I have good cawse to know hym & to love hym, & therfore I am desirows to do hym good, I am thus bolld to require you to credit me, that I thinck assuredly he will prove an honest husband & will behave hym self towards you like a gentillman to be loved of you. / He is [ deleted: sur] surely a gentillman of verey good qwalityes, wise, lerned, & of grett experyens in mani thynges, & so hath bin employed in sondry services for the Q. majestie: in which respect he hath her majesties favor & is well knowen of her, insomuche as now verey lately, her majestie hath granted to hym a sute of som good [ deleted: val] valew for his reward, & is further to be considered by her majestie whan tyme may serve with som convenient office for his better [ deleted: Cowntenance] mayntenaunce & credite. And now if it may like you to esteme hym for your husbond, I dare undertake that he shall so behave hym sellf, as you shall thinck me to have don you grett plesure, in recomeding & preferring hym unto yow: Assuryng yow if I dyd nott perswade mi self so of hym, I wolld nott wryte yn this sort as I do: And so wishing that I might here of your inclynatyon to permitt hym to be a sutor to yow, & than I dowtt nott butt your self, shall fynde & manifestly perceve a sufficyencye of worthines for his good nature & ^^ [ deleted: qwallityes] other qwalityes to be accepted as he desireth. from the Cowrt att Sir Thomas Byllfords howse in Kent the x ^th^ of Awgust. 1573. Your verey loving frynd./