Transcript
Editorial comments:
BL MS Lansdowne 29 f. 132r – 133v. William Herle to Lord Burghley.
Address Leaf:
[Superscription:]
To the Righte honorable my verey good L. the Lord highe Threasurer of
England &c. give these att the Cowrtt./
[Endorsement by unknown hand:]
xv. feb. 1579 Master Herle to your L. for the adding of certaine words to the order
your L. sett downe in thexchequer this terme for him for the Collecting of the
certaine Amercements.
Letter Text:
[fol. 132r]
My conscyens doth assure me (Right honorable good L.) that yow do esteme me
to be a devote Creature of yowres, & that in dutye & servyce I do
desire to expresse the humblest thanckfullnes that may procede from so
bownden a person to your L. as I am, which makes me the more conffydent to
presume yn Lyew of workes, to powre before your L. the words of highest
thanckfullnes that I am hable to yelld, for the compassyon & Tendernes
that it hath plesed yow to use towards me, yn bryngeng mi werysom sute, so
long deppending yn the Excheqwer
[
Marginalia
(by Herle): towards som more certayn conclusyon.]
wherby your L. hath freed me from a
marvaylows bondayge, & an excedyng charge, that dyd consume all that
ever I had & mi tyme therwith, hopyng therfore that your L. will
vowchesave to perffect that ye have begon yn me, that by your favor &
ayde I may be hable to gett som whatt towards the answeryng of my detts,
which shall nott be the lest good Acte that ye have don, yn rayseng upon, that
is somuche yowres, from the grettest depthe of wretchednes that may be to a
good mynde, which is to be yntangled by the errors of his yowthe with detts,
& nott hable to com owtt therof./
[
Marginalia
(by Herle): without favor & medyatyon.]
your L. by this your goodnes, shall use
charitye to a nomber, & in me yow shall se a Refformed change, to lyve in
proportyon, wherby I may do your good L. the more acceptable servyce./
I do se by your L. ynterlyneng of myne order, whatt payne & care yow have
taken for me, yett of on thing I wolld humblye putt your L. in remembrance,
that wheras yow wolld lymite mi Amercements to extend to non of those that ar
answerd the Q. yn the contry allredy ytt might plese yow to ad withall, unles
that Awncyentlye they do belong to the offyce of the Ragler./ for thowgh I
[mene]
nott to be busy with gatheryng of the Amercements att all yn this
begyneng, beffore the scarre that is grene, be browghte to a hardnes (for
surely your L. shall perceve that I will use the discretyon & modesty that
becomes me, bothe for the season, cawse & multitude) yett I wolld nott
preiudice mi Right,
[
deleted: yett]
(nott mi Righte butt her majesties) of which
Amercements yow shall perceve, whattsoever master Browghton doth suggest to
the contrarye, the Q. is answerd [fol. 132v] nothing, or very lyttell att all, as may
appere by the ministers accomptes, which Amercements ar
usurped by certayn lewd fellowes, that do under the cowntenance of the Erlle
of Essex, take the proffytts of theme to theyr sellves./ Yf myne order were
substanciallye ended, & under the seall, I sholld have som credite yn the
town, by mi frynds, to hellp the poore man James Hollnes away to his howse
& familye, the consyderatyon wherof, I very humbly recomend to your
wysdom & good favor, & withall to pray your L. that where I have a
warrant under your hand & others of the Cowncell, to be free from
Arrests, till the full end of this Terme be expired yn the Excheqwer, consydryng
otherwise that I canot be hable to go abowtt the dispatche of
[
deleted: your busy]
mi
busynes there, unles this be observed to me, which is yn myne oppynion till
satterday night next & no longer, All these mi delances & respects I
am humbly bolld to make your goodnes acqwaynted with./
There was a Knight of late in herryfford shire called wellwyn, who was
extremely vexed with a gowtt, but he dyd myttigate the same with usyng this
[medecyne]
withinclosed, that he dyd prevent the malyce therof so
effectuallye, as bothe his payne was prevented & the use of his lymes was
nott hyndred./ which medecyne therfore he helld in suceh estymatyon, as the
derest frynd he had cowd gett no copye therof, till he dyed, that hys son my
kynseman sent ytt me, judgyng that ytt might do your L. som ease, & the
rather for that he supposeth your L. gowtt & his fathers, to have byn lyke,
& precedyng from on cawse, vz colld, & remayneng long without
exercyse yn on place./ Yt canott be amysse that your L. vowchesave, to gyve
the same to your phisycyens to consyder of, & to pardon my bolldnes yn
this behallf, who prayeth to God for that hellth yn body & mynde
^to yow^
that your L. may best desyer, wherwith I most humbly fynisshe./ London the xv.
of february. 1579. your L. in all dutye to pray for yow & servyce yow. W.
Herlleli.