To the Right honorable Sir Iohn
Stanhope Knight ViceChamberlen
and Sir Robert Cecill Knight
Principall Secretarie to
hir Majestie/
1602
March .3.
Countess of Shrewsburye
Dowager to Master Vicechamberlen
and my Master
Maye it please you./ Sir Henry Brouncker will make relation of all that hath passed
here./ which maye ease you of reading/ and keepe me from wryting of a long discourse,
of that which to my infinite greif I finde./ yt is not vnknowne to you what earnest
and importunat suite, my vnfortunate Arbell hath made for Sir Henry Brounckers
comming downe./ I was in hope she woulde have discovered somewhat worth his
travell./ but nowe she will neyther name the partie to whome she hath showed to be
so affectionate, nor declare to Sir Henry Brouncker any matter of moment., spending
the tyme in idle and impertinent discourses./ And though Sir Henry Brouncker hath
left nothing vndone that might bring hir to conformytie, he coulde not in any
sorte prevayle with hir, though she putt him in hope from tyme to tyme that she woulde
name the partie./ yf it had lyen aswell in my power to have made all thinges playne
as I had a desire to further Sir Henry Brounckers service., it would have ben less
trouble to him and he shoulde not have departed with such vncertenties./ This is the fruit
of them that have labored to withdrawe hir naturall affection from me, and to perswade
hir to all theise vanyties./ they little respected hir vndoing, so they might overthrowe me
with greif./ sone after Sir Henry Brounkers departure hence, I loke she will fale into
some such extremytie of making of willfull vowes as she did lately./ she sayde before
Sir Henry Brounker that yf she had not ben suffred then to remove hence, she
woulde have performed hir vowe./ and the like I daylie doubt she maye doe vppon
any toye she will take discontentment at./ And therefore I most earnestly beseech
you both to be a mean to hir gratious Majestie for hir speedie remove./ yt maye be
the chaunge of place will worke some alteration in hir./ Sir Henry Brouncker
can testefie howe carefull I am to keep hir quyet till I maye vnderstand further
hir Majesties pleasure./ she most vaynely hath prefixed a daye to Sir Henry Brouncker
for hir remove./ both he and my self advised hir not to stand on dayes and tymes./
she is so wilfully bent, and there is so little reason in moste of hir doinges that I can
not tell what to make of yt./ a fewe more such weekes as I have suffred of late
will make an end of me./ notwithstanding yf it might be for hir Majesties service, I
coulde be content to spende my lyfe./ but I have had overgreat triall nowe
that she is brought to this extremytie, that hir remayne here is like to breede
overgreat inconvenience which will not lye in my power to prevent./ I beseech the
Almightie forever to prosper hir Highnes: and to send you all honor and
happynes: and my self quyetnes in my olde dayes./ ffrom Hardwick this
third of Marche .1602./
your pore frend most assured
EShrouesbury
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