Transcript
Editorial comments:
BL MS Lansdowne 27 f. 174r - 175v. William Herle to Lord Burghley.
Address Leaf:
[Superscription:]
To the Right honorable mi very singuler good L. the L. highe Thresuror of
England &c. give these att the Cowrtt./
[Endorsement by unknown hand:]
25. feb. 1578 m. William Herle to my L.
licence to travell. master Trevor
Letter Text:
[fol. 174r]
Nott being hable to waytt uppon your L. as I humbly desyre, I am forced to signeffye
the same unto your L. therby in humble sort to pray yow to vowchesave som favorable
answer to mi last lre that I may have non occasyon to troble your L. ani more./ ytt
greves me noles Right honorable L. to consider the juste occasyon of dole that ye have
att this present. for the decesse of that worthye Cowncellor & pyller of this comune
weale, than if it consered me yn the hyghest poynt of mi lyfe & lyveng, which I take
God to wyttnesse of, & which we all shall fele & Rew, Cravyng therfore pardon that I
do ymportune your good L. this far in a season, that is so unfytt for the purpose, butt
[
deleted: that]
necessitye hath no lawe, & I wolld humblye procede in mi sute to her majestie (havyng
your honorable favor & assistence) for 3. years leve to travell abrode, asswell to frame
a new cowrse to mi pore estate, & duryng that tyme to take order with mi credytors,
as to do her majestie & your L. the best service I cowd, withowt ani charge to her att
all, Comendyng to God all law & Lawe matters, of which I had made an end long
sithens to mi beneffite, yf I had not preffered credite before commoditye & cowd nott
be browght to do wrong to her majesties titell by yelldyng to any pryvate composityon,
wherof your widsom shalbe judge, when the tyme & my habilitye shall serve for ytt. /
On thing
^further^
I do desyre most humblye to comend unto your good L.
[
deleted: that is]
the cawse of a
pore kynseman of myne, helld yn the fleett by his wyfe, who is supported in that acte
(so dangerows to the whole estate of maryayge) by ij grett ladyes, & his humble
petycyon is butt to be hard by your L. yn the presence of those ladyes & his wife,
being asshamed to complayn of her, by whom he hath had viij chilldern, which hath
made hym to endure the more & the longer, yf your L. will vowchesave to understand
the truthe herof, doctor Lewys for the lawe, & mi L. of Buckhurst for his own
knowledge of [fol. 174v] that which may appertayn
[
deleted: to this controversye]
^herunto^
ar hable to satisfye your L. fullye, yf it
may plese yow in waye of charitye to send for theme for the better decydeng of this
presumpteows & unsufferable actyon of the wyfe agaynst the husbond, by whom he is
separated from the comunyon of the Churche to the which he is most humblye
desyrows to be restored, & to be sett att libertye uppon good suretyes till this
controversye be decyded in lawe, which by his delygens & confformitye is browght to
a good forwardnes he wrytt to me a very pyttiffull & large lre, som whyles synce,
makyng his mone as to his assured kynseman, butt I had no tyme to
[
deleted: del]
shew it to your L.
as I humblye pretended, for the grett affayres that I sawe your L. still
[emersed]
with,
yett now I do presume to enclose it heryn, yn the which your L. shall fynde nothing sett
downe, that is nott justifficabell, therfore it may plese yow mi honorable good L. to
give me this credite, that mi kynseman may fynd the more favor att your L. hands,
through mi humble sute & intreatty & that yow will weye the justyce & eqwitye of his
cawse, as it shall fall owtt in truthe, which I shall humblye Receve from your L. as a
grett beneffite bestowed uppon me, prayeng to God for your honorable contynuance,
to the servyce of God & her majestie & to the good of this pore contry. /
On thing more most I advertyse your L. of, in the dutye I do bere to her majestie & to
your L. from whom the truthe of nothing sholld be hyd./ There is on kyffte an
Irysshman that doth grettlye ymportune your L/ with complaynts,
[
deleted: &]
therby to be
sercher of myllfford. Surely he is the lewdest fellow & the busyest, & the most
ympudent withall, that ever cam beffore your L. an Accessarye to pyracye &
corruptyon, & disturbes the whole contry; your L. knowyng hym throwlye, maye
judge of his fyttnes for that offyce, he being allredy sergeant to the Admiralltye in that
contry, & wolld supplant [fol. 175r] a pore man of the serchershipp that hath it under the grett
seall of England, And this far in discharge of mi dutye, I thowght mete to gyve your L.
to understand of, wherwith I very humblye fynissh. Redcrosse strete the 25. of
februarye. 1578. your L. even with his hart to serve yow & pray for you W. Herllely.