To my Lord my husband the Earle of Shrouesbury.//
My Lord I hould my selfe most infortunatt that vpon soe lyght occation yt pleaseth you to wryte in that forme to me, for what new offence ys comitted since her magesty reconciled vs. yf the denyall of the plate be the only cause why then my Lord the trew affermation therof in my letter ys more then my wordes nether such atryfell I hoped could haue wrought so vnkynd effectes and weare my state able I would not stande vpon such toyes as then you spake of./ touching my sonnes leueing that ys no new cause for yt was longe agoe moued by you and could nevar be consented too by vs in respecte of the reasons in my last letter alleged and tho som myght seme not to dysalowe your motyons yett yt was not her majestys order nether they had cometyon to add to that order anythynge without our consentes but synce her magesty hath sett downe her order which my sonnes wyll and must precyslye obsarue./ my Lord I know not how Iustly you can tearme me vnsaciable in my desyre of geayning for my loses hath ben so greate with my charge that makes me desyre honystly to dyscharge my debte with my chyldrens lands which you haue no nede of and wyll not in my tyme dyscharge them tho we all should leue of nothyng, and I am gredye of nobodys lands else nether louke for the seuen hondryth pounds you haue of ther lands but would kepe the rest which by all lawe order and consyance they ought to posces nether my case and fortune hath ben to mentayne my meserys with vntrewthes for reseueing dayly manyfest dyscurtecys nede not blushe to speake truly./ I assure you my Lord my meaning ys not to molest or greue you with demanding nether I trust yt can be thought gredynes to demande nothyng for I desyar no more then her magestys order genetli and wyshe your happy days to be many and good./ wheras yt pleaseth you to caule her magestys wretten order but alate order the defferance only ys that the furst order ys latly wretten and then for her magestye to axe your consente to that you before consented to had ben amotyon superfluus./ I am exceding sory yt pleaseth you to wryte that I Impudently charge you with the saueing of athousand pounds you allowed me yearly baldwen spake yt before sir watter myldmay and amongst other thyngs set yt downe in wryting, and I maruyll you caule not to memory thys when so small thyngs be resyved./ as fyue hondryth pounds allowed in mony yearly your hydes and fells which you payd me ahondryth pounds ayeare fore score pound for saruants wages and made vp the thousand pound with better in benes muttons corne and other prouigyons, and you know thys to be very trewe./ touching the poscrypte my desyre hath ben so greate to be with you and sawe your longe delays that made me an humble suter to her magesty to be earnest with you but not as you wryte. for the other that I labour your stay I assure you my lord I dyd not but yet would be very glad that all wear parfeted heare and then to goe downe with you and hoped also eare thys we should haue be on our ways into the contrye./ so beseaching the almyghty to make you better conseaue of me, I end wyshing my selfe without offence with you./ Rychmond thys thursday /

your obedyante faytheful wyffe

EShrouesbury


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'Bess of Hardwick's Letters' was developed by The University of Glasgow with technical development provided by The Digital Humanities Institute at The University of Sheffield
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