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[fol. 46r] Ther is com to mi hands, mi right honorable good L. a booke of survey of the Lordship of Brecknock in maner & forme of a generall Rentall, with certain other particularityes that appertain to the same: which bycawse I thought it a mete thing for your L. (as I wolld to God the whole Lordship of Brecknock were yowres, which generally & naturally is wisshed for in that Contry) I have presumed to send you the sayd booke to peruse, & to use it as ye will, hoping that ye will take my humble good menyng in good parte, though ye may have the sayd booke allredy, & more knowledge therof than ani other can give yow./

Withall, for that I am very Idell att this present, having no thing to do, especially being restrayned from going abrode to follow those poore cawses, that I sholld follow of myne owne; I have applyed mi mynd to the remembrans of som experyments & notes that I had heretoffore, towching sallt matters & the making therof within this Reallme, to se therby yf the grett scarsitye & derthe of sallt that we have now (which is lykely to contynew mani yeres, yf we deppend uppon forreyn sallt) might be turned to plenty, & consequently to a more resonably prise, to the dase of all sorts, butt specially of the poore. Wherin confferring zelowsly with som that have good judgement in these things in dede, & a parffect experyens in making of sallt, I do fynde that there is good remedy to have abowndance of sallt made of our owne, to serve the whole Reallm with, & the prise grettly to be hollpen allso: which for the care & tendernes that your L. hath to those publick benefittes, that extend theme sellves to the good of every parte, I do present an offer in wryting here inclosed, to be considered of by your L. the which yf ye shall thinck worthy to be hard & further debated of, I will wayt uppon your L. [fol. 46v] to this end, with full instructyons to discharge mi dutye ther [in] & to satisfye yow in ani thing that may be required towching the same: advertiseng you that those which ar delers in this behallf, ar men of experyens, honesty, & substans, who will God willing, perfforme assmuche as shalbe promised though it be a matter hitherunto subject to mani difficultyes & sclanders. In effect, your L. shall order the condycyons that ar to be proponed by theme, more to the advantaige of the comune weall than to ani private respect of theirs, which I thowght humbly mi parte, to signeffye unto your good L./

Thirdly, for that I dyd move your L. in marche last, & since that tyme in Awgust following, towching the Brokeraige of Wares bowght or solld by strangers, offring for the sayd Brokeraige in the name of certeyn howse men the som of a mli by the yere. [ deleted: unto your L.] I hope now your L. having joyned it with your grawnt of the exhange, will consider that I was on of the first movers & sollyciters of it to yow, & will the rather att mi humble request, lett me have the prefferment of it beffore another for mi frynds (yf your L. promis be nott otherwise to far paste) att suche Rate or rates, as ani other shall com highest unto./ Att lestwise ytt may plese yow nott to do it awaye, before I speke with your L. bycawse I do presume that I shalbe habell to advantaige you a mli more in the bargayne, than yow haply loke for, which mi humble devotyon & dutye towards your good L. dothe more than bynde me unto, sending to your L. herewith to consyder of, a Reccord had in the Towne towching a pattent grawnted to on Mowll in K. E. the fowrths tyme, [ deleted: durying lyfe his lyfe] for the Brokeringe only of London & the Subburbes, wherof I had ij [ deleted: lykes] lyke pattents more, grawnted to others after his decesse successively for the sayd office, which among [fol. 47r] mi papers, I canott yett fynde, butt being fownde shalbe lykewise sent to your L. having presumed further to send you the drawght of a booke that was given me the last yere, for the whole office of the sayd Brokeraige as thowgh it were grawnted to som infferyor personaiges. which your L. may vowchesave to peruse (how symple so ever it be) seing it appertaynes to this matter, & so to think of me in the doing hereoff, as of an humble & faythfull well willer of yowres, that wolld spend his life & all that he hath, to do you ani acceptable service that he cowd, advertising yow humbly by the waye, that the soner ye conclude for this brokeraige, with those that ye name to dele for the same, of the more proffitt it shalbe to your L. & theme allso, in respect of the iiij Argusyes that ar daylye looked for./

Lastly I comend most humbly unto you myne own pore estate, which wholly deppends of your good next unto God. The occasyons presented for mi prefferment, makes me the bollder to crave ayd now: & the tyme (which passeth awaye) to putt your L. this offten in remembrans of me, whom yf her majesty will now cowntenance & hellp, I am made for ever, & made hable to do [ deleted: of] some good service herafter. Butt ytt presseth me [menest] in the mene tyme, to have a scope to go abrode to do mi busynes, lest I be overthrowen for lack of that, mi credyte & all together, beffore I [ ... ] to ani further degre. your goodnes in espyeng [ ... ] howe to move her majesty for me, will God rewarde & I shall allwayes most humbly pray for your good L. Another thing ther is mi right honorable good L. that master waye of the marshallsea, desired me to know your L. plesure whatt he sholld do towching 35li 6s 8d / that he claymes for the dett of ij of the Erlle of Oxffords men, wherwith most humbly I fynisshe the 30. of december. 1575. your L. most humbly in London./ W. Herlle.