Transcript

[fol. 88r] My Lord, your sodein lre amased me wholly, seing mi sellf bettwen the hard Annevylld & the hamer, butt I will comffort yow as I loke for comffort att your hands, which is all that I desire, & is the prooff I will shew, with hasard of [ deleted: mi lyf] myne own lyfe. And fyrst, for the trust ye have comytted to me, this right hand shall playe rather Mutius parte, than ether breke with yow, or shrynck therin. And for a last conffirmatyon, they shall rather rent this pore carkasse, than I bewraye the lest tytell of that that hath passed in these affayres: wherin as I speke it with grett sorow of mynde, so will I seale it with mi blood yf nede be, estemyng no torment gretter, than the unjust gelowsye conseved of a true frind, for they be even droppes of dethe in every motyon; mary yf I wayed them nott, the matter were sone passed, so as now ye have a grett instrument in hand, yf ye know to use hym well weyeng honor more than wellthe & truthe above lyfe, remayneng yowres, be it humbly spoken though ye wold nott, for so mi loving dutye, hath bin zelows long since, nether can force nor prefferment remove me, having cared lesse for gretter temptacyons or now, as to be playn, I do ambycyously affect to be somwhatt or nothing: therfore stand boldly to the Cowncell & (yf they charge me) in mi honest cause, for this tong & pen shall nether com agaynst yow: And as wisdom is to suspect lykely causes, & to give eare to true Rumors: so is it gretter nysenes to condempne fryndship so truly ment & so dangerowsly tryed; for I am a partye & no beholder, which may move ani wyse judgement to depe consyderatyon, otherwise gretter servyce wilbe discoraged, when so grett a wekenes is discoverd in the principall, loking for consolatyon at your L. hands, elles yow do me more wrong than ever ye may redresse, protestyng to yow, yf ani will mayntayne that I procede otherwise than honestly, I will make them lyers in their throte, challenging the Acte it sellf for my tryall & no glose, which if it were nott, wold sone appere, as your sellf hath written, beseching your L. humbly to kepe this wryteng for an invyolable ffaythe bettwen us, & to resolve me ye or naye of your trust, having secrettly hard by mi dere frynd & companion John poole thatt the keper here hath byn att the Cowrt, & that the Cowncell stormes that Charles will utter nothing, wherin his remove to the Towre is nott somuche I thinck, for ani extremitye, as to devyde us a sonder, the suspicyon riseng of a Bakers wyfe that sawe me talking att a wyndowe with him. So our Lord preserve you. & comffort us in troble, for truly mi legges are galled with Irons, butt mi mynde muche more with pensive thoughts, butt yf your L. be satisfyed, I am well, having wrytten a lre to William Barthlett to this end, willeng him to shew it yow. this satterday morning att x of the clock, forsaken of al mi frynds. h.