Ianuary 1602
The Countess of
Shrewsbury to
Master ViceChamberlain and me/
I vnderstand hir Majesties gratious pleasure by your letters, and rest infinitely
bounde to hir Highnes for hir Majesties gratious favor to me./ I will followe your
directions so nere as I can./ To my great greif I see with what vanytie, base and
lewde instrumentes this inconsiderat yong woman hath ben abused, as by danbridge
and others not vnknowne to you, whoe bare hir in hande for my Lord of Hartfords
grandchilde./ I protest before the lyving god, I think his Lordship as cleyr from this
practize, as they that never harde of hir./ some of the plotters hereof by vndoing
hir, thought to bring me to my end with greif, yf not by violence, as (vppon good
groundes) I think, and not vaynly./ lately I suspected she had some other like matter
in hand, whereof I advertized hir Majestie./ since then, I have still perswaded hir to
manyfest all to hir Highnes, and to crave pardon. but I coulde not prevayle, neyther
learne more, then I formerly advertized vntill the receit of your letter, which according
to hir Highnes pleasure I shoed hir to make hir looke into hir great follies, and to se
that hir Majesties pleasure was she shoulde impart to me any matter of practize what
soever./ Your letter togather with my earnest perswasions prevayled so farr, as that
she hath sett downe with hir owne hand this declaration fraught with vanytie./
such as it is I have sent it hereinclosed, but I coulde not by any possible meanes prevayle
with hir to sett downe the matter playnly, as I desired she woulde in fewe lynes./ Theise
straunge courses ar wonderfull to me & can not but greatly greive me to se howe
wickedly she hath ben abused./ yf I can learne more I shall advertize, but I thinke it must
be some streyt Commaundement to hir from hir Majestie to declare the truthe & all circumstaunces
otherwise I doubt she will not, she protestes nothing shall force hir to yt, but I think she
wilbe better advised vppon newe Commaundment, seing she hath ben brought to sett
downe somuch alreddie which is more then I loked for./ vppon theise circumstaunces, you
in your wisdomes maye have some Coniecture whoe the partie ys. by what meanes she
hath ben wrought./ theyr malice to me was so great, that they respected not hir vndoing,
but what should I complayne of theyr malice when they forgett theyr dutie so greatly to
hir Majestie. What truth there is in this newe matter I knowe not./ I have fownde hir to
swarve somuch from truth, and so vaynly led in the first practize that I can not give
any creditt to hir./ yt maye be the matter is not so farr proceeded as she makes showe,
and that it is but a practize as the former was, but I can not but doubt the worst./
I have often heretofore in tyme of infection restrayned resort from my house (as at this
present the Cuntrie hereaboutes is infected with agues, smale poxe & mesells and the plauge
not farr ofe, which pretence of restaynt I tooke.) but I see yt is increased by some lewde and
idle persons, or rather by this vnadvised yong womans letters./ I have not had in my
howse above too persons more then my ordinary howsholde, and those but for three or foure
dayes./ I was more carefull and somewhat more precise in looking to the safetie of my house
for that I was tolde in playne termes she coulde goe awaye at hir pleasure and agaynst
my will, which I made sure she shoulde not./ Theise newe matters faling out, maye make
some alteration of hir Highnes pleasure for hir staye here./ in a straunge place she can
not have those meanes of the sudden to send & here, but what it shall please hir Majestie to
Commaunde me, to the vttermost of my power, I will doe my best service, though it be to the
shortning of my dayes./ I have auncient gentlewomen in my house which ar much with hir, and
gentlemen and others of good suffytientie./ by hir owne servantes she hath Conveyed & received
letters & hath corrupted some of myne./ I presently mean to part with myne to give example to the
rest./ Even to the last hower of my lyfe, I shall think my self happie to doe any acceptable
service to hir Majestie whose happie and blessed Raigne, the Almightie, long Continewe and
ever prosper./ And so wishing to you, all honor and happines, I will take my leave./
ffrom my poore house Hardwick this second of ffebruarie 1602./
your euer assured louing frend
EShrouesbury
