Transcript
Editorial comments:
SP 53/6/48 f. 82r - v. William Herle to Lord Burghley.
At the word 'espied' the writing contiunes perpendicular in the left hand margin.
Address Leaf:
[Endorsement by unknown hand:]
24. Apr. 1571 William Herle
Letter Text:
[fol. 82r]
Abowtt midnight mi Lord, I cam to Charlles chamber dore, alledging that the
gentillman his neighbor was haply com that night to lye in his Chamber, which had
opened the occasyon to me so to have free accesse unto hym, yett shewing grett fere
to mi self, butt comfortyng hym in that I might, reserving of purpose the B. lre,
whose cipher I gave your L. yesternight, till I might fully know hys mynde towchyng
those poynts the B. reqwired me to know att his hands, yett tellyng hym that I had
a lre for hym, cowd nott finde it in the darke, & durst nott seke it for my chamber
fellowes, which unhaply I had forgotten to putt a part beffore night, wheratt he was
importunate to have it by & by, butt I told hym there was no remedy tyll the mornyng.
And demanding of hym in the B. name whither he had byn examyned who gave
hym the male, & whither he had confessed it was hamellton & lastly whither his
examinatyon extended not to know whatt delyng he had with the english rebelles, att
which word he was so astonyed, as albeit
[
deleted: though]
there were no light
^his allteracion was
apparent & falling^
[
deleted: he fell]
into A sodein trembling & to suche a faltryng of his tong, as in
som whyle he cowd expresse nothyng well, butt in th'end he axed, whye then hath
nott mi Lord his lres? which I answerd yes, butt that before he had receved them, he
wrytt me a lre to that end, & used the like speche by mowth or he had deciphred the
sayd lres, & this was th'occasyon, yett hallf stamryng he sayd that he had confessed
nothyng of hammellton, butt for the rebelles he detested them, & knew no one of
them, using suche vehement passion in speking of them, as though they had byn
fellowes to the devyll, & that the executyoner had bin by to have promised som
present fawtt, like to escape his mowth
[sayeng]
in dede that your L. had threttned hym
dethe or att lest wise the losse of his eres,
[and this]
stickes depe in his breste,
wheruppon your L. may worke dowttles the whole
[discoverye]
namely if I be comitted
close prisoner & examined uppon these articles, which I exhibyt herewith a matter
noway deniable by mani proffes. And in this place I glawnsed att some secrett kinde
of wryteng, to passe by his mene bettwixt us, butt he gave verey cold answer. Then I
told hym of ij speciall frynds I had among the rebelles, whose chance I lamented
grevously, desirows only
^to know^
how they dyd & whatt life
[
deleted: &]
they led & where; th'one
[
deleted: whose]
was the Cowntesse of northumberland, whose pore kinseman I was by the Somersetts,
& the other a companion of myne Thomas Jeny, butt he cowd endure no motyon of
them att all, protesting he never knew them, nor understode whatt names I ment by
them, wheratt reconcileng hym with more plawsible & sweter matter I left hym
contented & so departed for that night. Now this mornyng knowing whatt tyme he
shold com furth I conveyed mi sellf secrettly beffore into the privey in the gardein,
where I delyvered hym the B. lre, who with grett joye receving it, promised
answer in th'affter noone, butt still harping uppon a certayn fere to lese his eares I
confirmed hym agayn,
[
deleted: repayreng in ]
butt in being espyed com from the privey by john
grey that attends uppon hym, I was sharply reproved by hym, which I excused by
medecine & by the solublenes of mi body that risse therof, repaireng in the affter
noone to Axe alley, where he cast me owtt of the grate an answer to the B. lre,
which I present herewith & menyng to have caste up a lre of myne owne, whose copi
is here also I was espied by a bakers wife
who objected to me ytt cowd be no honest matter that I offred in so unffytt a place,
[
deleted: when]
which she wold declare unto the keper, butt I gave the best words I cowd, & so
departeng delyvered the sayd lre under Charles stayres dore to hys own hands, who within
a
[
deleted: whyle]
whyle after delyvered me an answer to the same, which also I have here with me.
24
^o^
Aprilis 1571.