[fol. 53r] As affectyon good Cosyn ledes me, by consangwinitye & vertew (the on comune to us bothe & the other peculier to your sellf) to love & Reverence yow with mi hart: so wants butt occasyon & power to expresse ytt, to your view & mi satisfactyon. Butt yf yn the mynde be the cheeff power, wherunto the Gods & Accydents be subject, then possesse the better parte, & may [ Marginalia (by Herle): comande] the rest, whattsoever the habilytye be./
This Ceremony is needeles, butt of my syde no ceremony att all, seying I write as I meane, & ment to have written to yow soner, & to have sene yow mi sellf, yf mi poore ocasyons & travaylles had nott so long hynderd the same, beyng att this ynstant com (as I vowed) to Ludlowe, desirows onlye from hens, to here & understand how yow do, & nott to disburse yow from your bylldyngs & solitarye Recreatyons, And therfore have sent to supplye the same, this berer of purpose with mi lre, to beyng yow in hartye comendacons, & to knowe wheryn I might ani waye stand yow in stede, which I wolld as gladly perfforme as might be answerable even to your own desires./
Towching mi busynes in wales I will give yow this accompte, that albeitt, I have fownd it a towgh long pece of work, & very chargeable: [ deleted: yett] namely in Respect of the thing I most esteme, that is the consumptyon of mi tyme, yett her majestie & her honorable Cowncell have that care over me, as that of theme sellves they have sent master H [enry] Townsend the rather downe, to travayll with me into Cardiganshire, for the ending fullye of the sayd cawse, by the xvj ^th^ of this present moneth, & for the cuttyng of determinatelye, all furth delayes & difficultyes whattsoever, that might Aryse, To which effect master S [ ... ] foxe is allso enjoyned by the Awthority afforesayd, to accompani me thither & so is another of good worship owtt of Mongomerye shire, wherby I hope with more fredom to se yow shortlye, as a person discharged of these sutes of Lawe & vexacions, which is a very kynd of deth to mi mynde that is otherwise enclyned./
[fol. 53v] [fol. 54r] Somwhatt allso to satisfye yow, how the state of ^the^ worlld, goeth as it is comlye & propper for wyse men to understand the same, be ^(withowt offence)^ curyows observer of tymes & actyons. I do send yow ynclosed the ij last advertisments that cam owtt of the Lowe Contryes wherunto may be added ^which I Receved sithens^ that Stenwyck is succord by Coronell master Norys, with synguler prayse to our natyon, beyng butt a handfull of men, ^to so mani^ , att which exploytt a nomber of the enmyes were slayne, the seege removed, & the sayd master norrys shott throw bothe the shollders, butt without danger (thanck God) of dethe or mayme./
for the frenche matters, on monsieur de marchemont is sent to her majestie as an Agent for the d. of Angeew his master had grett & often awdyens, butt yett undispatched, for that Rests uppon som Termes which wilbe hardlye grawnted unto, lest her majestie sholld be prejudiced therby, before the Commissyoners & the parlyament sholld have ^occasyon^ [ deleted: metyng ^first together herby^ ] to treatt of theme [ deleted: without prejudice to the cawse] [ Marginalia (by Herle): in a free sort ] wheruppon it is in suspens, whither the Comissyoners that be now att Bulleyn, shall com over att all, & uppon her majesties [ ... ] to marche mont, deppends ether the prolongyng or dissollving the parlyament, beyng lykelye ^(in mi symple oppynion)^ that yf the Comissyoners [ deleted: do] be permitted to have accesse [ deleted: unto us] then the parlyament contynewes otherwise disollves furthwith./
The names of these Comissyoners ^ar monsieur Govenor ^who is^ ^ principall [ deleted: be the] marshall [ ... ] of Cossye. [ deleted: Secretory] pibrate [ deleted: Secretory] pynes bothe Secretoryes of the State, Carowges governor of [Roane] Milleraye governor of Cawx & marchemonte before all depe shewed fellowes wherof ij be grett Cyvillyans butt these ^shewes to wise men^ good cosyn (under the seall of confessyon ^delyverd^ ) [ deleted: be it spoken] be practises rather than Actyons), without grownd of syncerytye, wherunto her majesties provydens is hable to ^give suffycyent [ends] ^ (God be praysed, for all events./ Latet angine lamen subherba [fol. 54v] Owr parlyament hath as yett butt a slowe cowrse, for on that of the last moneth nothing was then concluded, & onlye the byll of Subsedy [ deleted: twyse] ^had byn twise red^ [ deleted: red] & that of Religion ones./
Scottissh matters ^must gather hete & vyolence^ as they be furnisshed with fowell & enkyndlyng ^& settyng on^ from foreyn parts. master Randall is as yett unretorned from thence, & the power of our [ deleted: Borders ] ^northern Borderers^ to the nomber of iiijm. ar assembled & Redy to enter Scottland, when they shalbe commanded. ye shall have more shortlye, for it is dangerows to have an enmye yn the same Contynent that we be of./
The Erlle marton (after that Religion was establysshed of late in Scottland by parlyament, & conffirmed under the Kyngs grett sealle, which bad assurans ye a securitye in eche manes mynde ^of qwiettnes & protectyon^ sodenlye was the sayd marton lokyng for nothyng lesse afforehanded syttyng in his chayne within his own howse, by a band ^of odd fellowes^ sent to that purpose ^by theme browght to comittment^ [ deleted: & comitted to prison] Afterwards he had forme of Lawe used unto him (as a pretens of justice, ^ rather than of effect^ howsoever it was ment) & ^thirtye^ browght to Arraygnement, [ deleted: where by ] his peeres, (far contrarye to dobegnyes ^expectacion^ who now rules the rest ^in scottland^ & is frenche in factyon) he was qwytt & fownd [ deleted: Inculpable] ^fawtles^ of the Cryme layd to his charge. yett he is detayned & the seqwell ^of their yntentyon towards hym^ is dowttfull./
The K. of Spayne doth nott only kepe his forcs & navye ^^ ^together^ undisssollved ^that were ymployed of late in portyngall^ butt prepares a new provisyon by sea & by land ^for a further enterprise^ joyned heryn with the pope & the princs Conffetherats ^of Trent^ wherby England & Ireland [ deleted: as] ^ar^ shrewdlye threttned./
[ deleted: Ir] Ireland is yn comtoyon still & the englissh pale owtt of order, Onelle hollds hym sellf qwiett. The Irissh scotts ar busye on the north of Ireland. The Cowntesse of Killdare ^with^ her son & [ ... ] that fled with the Rebelles, ar arryved in England & [ deleted: ar] gon towards the Cowrt to be suters for them sellves & ^for^ the Erlle of Kylldare ^(the husbond & father to theme)^ that is in holld:
master drake, shall procede in a second vyage well furnisshed & cowntenanced every waye, this hallf werye I take mi leve from master pynners howse in Ludlowe ths sondaye the v ^th^ of marche ^attendyng your aunswer^ [ ... ]
Don Anthonio the Late K. of Portyngall is thowght to be secrettly in frawnce of whom the K. & Q. mother will make their advantayge. I warrant yow smallye for his suretye & proffitt muche ado ther is abowtt jesuites & papists att London 7. bookes sowed of late ^abowt^ colyne the sedycows matter & [ ... ] of the papists. butt the awthors [ ... ]
