[fol. 29r]
I am mi right honorable good Lord retorned presently owtt of mi jorny off wales, & to give your L. a due accompte of mi sayd
jorney, I first indevored to sett the Comissyon of Conselements a worke,
wherin having assembled the Comissyoners together, & other of her
majesties offycers, to th’end that all things might be orderlye don, I fownd the
tyme of the yere so late, the retorne of the Comissyon so short, & that
the jurye cowd nott have suffycyent space to give their verdyct
^up^
yn, that I
dissolved the same tyll som better opportunytye, yf your L. thowght well of
that servyce, wherin certainlye I had presented to me wellny ij C marks by the
yere in that Cownty of Meryoneth, which wolld have com peceably to her
majestie (for I dyd prosede in as modest & discrete terms, as the contrey
cowd wisshe) & can have the same so fownd for her majestie & a
grett dele more in the other shires adjoyneng, lyke as your L. shall perceve by
sondry gentillmen beffore the end of the Terme, yf ye vowchesave that they
may talke with yow therin, & that the lyke of the matter, wherin those
sayd gentillmen do holld som good portyon of the sayd conselements,
^theme
sellves^
, & it wolld bryng other men by their example ether to present their
own of that lyke nature allso, or elles to be more tractable when their things
sholld com in qwestyon, The handlyng of which matter & the travaill mi L.
hath bin verey chargeable unto me, as your wisdom can best consyder, &
now I mene to delyver up mi commissyon to master fanshawe agayn, &
will humbly beseche your L. to interprete well of my zele therin, & that yf
I were employed in ani other thing, I wolld to mi power & capacity
faithfullye & diligentlye discharge the same, which of your goodnes
consyder, when tyme & occasyon may serve./ Next towching the offyce of
the wood
[fol. 29v] wardship of the Cownty of herryfford, wherof it plesed yow to make
me som grawnt, & to make a staye of the same
[
deleted: sayd offyce]
in master
Smithes offyce by your warrant, tyll ye moved her majestie to bestowe it
uppon me. I have sene som parte of the woods in my jorney, & do assure
your L. that nott only grett spoyll is made of theme
[
deleted: &]
butt a playn havock,
where I understode further that the office was given to master woodfford of
the spycerye, which if it be so, yett I most humbly thanck your L. for your
goodnes to me, which is noles than if I had enjoyed it, butt it may please your
L. to take this advertisment
[
deleted: of me by the waye,]
withall, that woodfford hath
made suche a on his depute as was in hand to have bowght
a wood which he termed a vallett wood nere unto his howse, & now by
this deputacyon, he hath gotten som part of his will
^withowt charge^
more to his own
proffitt than the Q./ for me I desired this offyce to another end (for the fee is
butt iiij li by the yere) partly to bet be better acqwainted in the contry with that
begyneng, butt cheefflye to make an entrye of speche & familyarity with
master herryffords wydowe that was late woodward in that shire, to the which
this wolld have served for a good introductyon, & was desired by mi frynds
to com down into the contry to attempt the matche, & that I sholld be
well assisted by theme, which I dyd, fyndeng her to be a propper yong
gentillwoman of 28. yeres of aige, dowghter to master foxe the secretory
without chilldern, lefft well furnisshed & wellthye in howse &
movables, with iiij C markes a yere
[
deleted: besyde]
whatt in Lands & leases,
besyde the facilyty (if I were matched there) to compasse the gretter parte
qwyckly of the feesymple that herryford had, to me & my heyres. In which
attempt I have fownd good lykeng bothe of her & her frynds,
nottwithstanding the latenes of her hus
[fol. 30r] bonds decesse, & yf now I might
have som ayde & cowntenance of the Q. majestie & your L. lyke as
mi humble zele & servyce, do entreate for me, I wolld not dowtt butt to
obtayne mi purpose, & to be redy even from the very bottom of mi hart to
present all that ever I had & mi lyfe to att her majesties feete &
yowres, to be employed even to the dethe in suche service as I cowd do./ And
perhaps prove to be of som
[
deleted: stede]
pore stede in that contry, that had nede of
[
deleted: it]
more devotyon in Religyon & dutye. And partly I am incoraiged by her
majesties own words
[affectunes]
^repeted &^
conffirmed, that she wolld nott
only favor & cowntenance me,
^doing me ani resonable good she cowd^
butt allso gyve
me a C. markes pensyon by the yere, wherin as I am nether importunate nor a
craver, so do I humbly implore her majesties ayd & your L. now or never.
having your L. Testymony
^alredy^
(I thanck yow most humbly) under
your own hand towards ani wydowe where I wolld sue (though yett I never
shewed
^it^
to ani) which I do send your L. the copy therof verbatim herin, to
th’end I may asswell expresse how muche I am behollding to your
[
deleted: good]
good L. even inffinitely, as to remember yow therby of the goodnes
that ye have used to me & to desire humbly the contynuance therof, Thus
I have opened the whole state of that matter to your L. And to remove
^all^
other
blocks owtt the waye, that ether might
[
deleted: hurt]
^hurt^
or discredyte me, I shall by
master Skyners ayde your L. Secretorye, make som good end with master Wade
^I hope^
[
deleted: to]
& specially yf your L. will vowchesave to say som word therin to
master Skyner,
[
deleted: Then rests]
the end wilbe the soner, for it is the hevyest cawse
that doth presse me./ Then rests that where I have payd a grett masse of detts,
& canott dispatche the remnant so sone (yett I hope bettwen this &
mydsomer to finisshe all) that your L. will be so good to renew
her majesties comandement uppon me till mydsomer next, accordyng to your
former warrant I have
[fol. 30v] which is unexpired, butt master Recorder desires to
be certeffyed a new from your L. that yow have nott discharged it, & then
all mi busynes & difficultyes by your L. goodnes & favor were settled
& stayed / To which end I have inclosed a new warrant in this verbatim as
your olld warrant is. beseching God to reward yow for me & to prosper all
your worthye & honorable wise actyons. from Redcrosse strete the iiij
^th^
of
november. 1575. your L. most humbly. W. Herlleli.
[Postscript:]
There is on mi
good L. called hughe lloyd of the marches, who hath ernestlye intreated me to
move your L. for your good will that he may be sheriff this yere in Radnorshire.
he is the first man that is retorned from the marches, & where he had
controversy with wallcott, they be agreed. yf so be that your L. will butt shew
that I have moved this matter to I have moved this matter to yow & the
occasyon servinge for it, his repporrt in the contry may deme good agayn.
desyreng most humbly that your L. will vowchesave (to th'end I may go abowtt
mi busynes & repayre to your L. to signe & sele the lre of your
warrant to the recorder & the rest, which I do humbly & most
thanckfully attend./
4. Novemb. 1575 William Herle to my L. his procedings in Wales