Transcript

[fol 144r] Sir. I do presume yn the good mynde that I ever bare, bothe to your vertew & person, & yn the dutye I desire to do yow the best service I can, to expowne unto yow mi hard estate, & to pray yow very humblye with your good favor to Tender the same./ Your honor hath understood how ytt plesed mi L. of Lecester, to make choyse of me to attend hym this jorny hither, & that att his retorne I am remayned here, which hath byn occasyend by the straygt delyng of master wade towards me, who for the non payment of 50li att the daye, hath proceded yn sute of lawe agaynst me. & fynally condempned me & ytt hath byn a matter muche Labord by mi L. of Lecester, to yntreatt hym to com to a resonable end with me: wheryn mi L. Threasuror dellt allso somwhatt, Butt mi L. of Lecester, to the end it might be an accord bettwen us, consydryng mi povertye, & that I was utterly unhable to satysfye master wades appetyte, grawnted to paye 40li owtt of his own purse, & that the rest sholld be made up by me, to the som yn the whole of a 150li./ Master fanshaw & master Osburne, offred hym the assignement of a C.li att their hands, of the first mony they sholld Receve owtt of wales, & I to content hym the other xli./ Butt he gratyng to have further assurance, suche as I cowd nott yeldd, brake of whollye & now wolld have 300li./ The extremitye wherof (consydryng that mi lybertye is the onlye thing that remaynes unto me) hath made me to take a voluntary exile uppon me, yett redy to performe ani thing that is in mi power the gentyllmans satisfactyon: wherof mi L. of Lecester & mi L. Thresuror I hope will wyttnesse for me, havyng humblye yntreated ether of theme by mi lres att this present, as lykewise I do your honor, that ye wolld be plesed to send for beffore yow, master fanshawe & master Osburn, to the end that order might be taken with theme for the Cli And for the Xli master [ deleted: Wades] wade knowes how to be satisfyed by a Bond of his brothers that shalbe delyverd him./ The other 40li mi good L. of Lecester, is enclyned to answer for me. And mi most humble reqwest is to your honor yn partycler (even for charitye it sellf) to drawe the gentillmanes consent to be satysfyed herwith, which yow will fynde to be an acte of equitye & conscyens, & therunto have don master wade a good turne allso: for he shall fynde nothyng in me to pursue butt want, & to contend therwith to his own farme, will gyve small tast of Tractablenes or polycye, muche more to ad afflyctyon to the afflycted./ He is wyse, & can mesure wiselye who deles with hym, & for whom: In which yf I fynde your honorable favor, extended towards me poore sowll, as I ever assured my sellf well of yow, I will stryve to do yow that service, that shall shew mi thanckfulnes ever after, & to hym a myndefullnes that shall yelld hym a good torne, accordyng to mi habilitye beffore it be long, havyng qwyettnes of mynde ones & libertye entyerlye, which with the grettest devotyon I may, I comend most humblye to your honorable hands./

For occurents, I know your honor is satisfyed from hens in other sort, than I am hable to wryte, & besyde for that I wolld nott hurt the suffycyencye of this worthye gentillman master Anthony Mylldmay your nevew, who is ynstructed in all thyngs, I refferre mi sellf whollye to his relatyon. (Butt yf yow will gyve me leve from hence furth to make yow acqwaynted with that I know, I will faythfullye & willinglye yndevor mi sellf to content yow in som good sort, for I have the mene, & that is to [dele] theryn all the service I can./ I have sent yow for novelltye a new Gwicardyn [simpleffied] muche & corrected & a pece of monsieurs new coyne of x styvers./ your [L.] shall have his joyows entrye with the first ympressyon, beffore it com to publyck shew so I humblye fynissh Andwarp the viij ^th^ of marche. 1581. your honors to obey yow./ W. Herlleli.