My duty most honourably Remembred I truste your Ladyship will pardone me in wrytinge playnely & truly, altho it be bothe bluntley and tediously. I mett my Lord at bolsor yesterday aboute one of the clocke who at the very fyrste was rather desyrouse to heare from hence, then to inquyre of Kyllingeworthe, quothe he, gilbert what taulke had my wyfe with yow marry my Lord quothe I it hathe pleased her to taulke with me once or twyse synce my cumminge, but the matter she moste spake of is no smale discomforte for me to vnderstande then was he very desyrouse & bade me tell him what, I began./ Truly ser, with as greved a mynde as ever I sawe woman in my lyfe, she toulde me your Lordhip was vehemently offended with her, in suche sorte, and with so many wordes & shewes in your angre, of evell will towardes her, as therby your Ladyship sayde, you colde not, but stande doubtefull that all his wonted love & affection is cleane turned to the contrary for your Ladyship further sayde, you had geven him no cause at all to be offended, you hearinge that your imbroderers weare kepte oute of the Lodge from theyre beddes by Iohn dykensons commandement, sayde to my Lord thes wordes, in the morninge, noone, did you gyve commandement yat the imbroderers shoulde be kepte oute of the Lodge, And my Lord answered no, Then quothe your Ladyship they weare kepte from theyr beddes there yesternyghte, and he that did so sayde Iohn dykenson had geven yat expresse commandement, which my Lord sayde was a lye, And he sayde it was vtterly vntrewe, & so I wolde have gone on to have toulde the reste, howe your Ladyship willed him to inquyre whether they weare not in this manner kepte oute or no, his procedinge into vehement coller & harde speches, but he cutt me of, sayinge it was to no purpose to heare any resytall of this matter, for if he lysted he sayde he cold remember cruell speches your Ladyship vsed to him, which weare such as, quothe he, I was forced to tell her, she scolded lyke one yat came from the banke, then gilbert sayd he Iudge you whether I had cause or not, well quothe he I will speke no more of this matter, but she hathe suche a sorte of varletts aboute her as never restethe carryinge of tales & there vttered cruell wordes agaynste owen chefely and the imbroderers, over lounge to troble your Ladyship with, so beynge alyghted from his horsse all this whyle, sayde lett vs gett vpp and be goynge, and I shall have ynoughe to doe when I cum home, then (quothe I) I thynke my Lady be at Chatesworthe by this tyme, what quothe he is she gone from Sheffeld, I answered by ix of the cloke whervppon he seemed to marvayle greatly, & sayde is her malice suche she wolde not tarrye on nyght for my cumminge, I answered yat your Ladyship toulde me that he was contented at your fyrste cumminge you sholde goe as yesterday which he fursware he never harde of then quothe I, my Lady further toulde me that when your Lordship was contented for her departure that day, he sayde yat he had busynes in the Peake and wolde shortely cum thither & lye at Chatesworthe (quothe he) her goynge away thus gevethe me smale cause to cum to Chatesworthe, but answered not whether he sayde so or not, but I assure your Ladyship before god he was & is greatly offended with your goynge hence yesterday After he had seene all his groundes aboute bolsor and was comen into the way homewardes, he began with me agayne, sayinge yat all the house myghte deserne your Ladyship’s stomoke agaynste him by your departure before his cumminge, I answered, besydes yat I sayde before, yat your Ladyship sayde you had very gret & earnest busynes, as well at Chatesworthe for your thynges there, as to dele with sertayne freeholders for ser thomas stanhope, but he allowed not of any reson or cause, but was exceedinge angrye for the same wherevppon I spake at large, which I beseche your Ladyship to pardon my tediousnes in repetall therof, or at leste ye moste therof , quothe I, I pray your Lordship gyve me leave to tell you playnely what I gathered by my Lady, I see she is so greaved & vexed in mynde, as I proteste to god, I never sawe any woman more in my lyfe, and after she had toulde me, howe withoute any cause at all your Lordship vttered moste cruell & bytter speches agaynste her, when she all the whyle never vttered any vndutyfull worde, and had particularly Imparted the whole matter, she playnely declared vnto me, that she thoughte, your Lordship's harte was withdrawen from her, and all your affection & love to hate & evell wille sayinge yat you toke it as your crosse, yat so contrary to your deservinges he adiudged of you, applinge the manyfolde shewes which you so infynitely have made profe, & so forgott no earnest protestacion yat your Ladyship pleased to vtter to me of your deere affection and love to him bothe in healthe & sycknes, takinge it vppon your soule yat you have wysshed his greives weare on your selfe to disburthen & quyte him of, and quothe I my Lord when she toulde me of this her deere love towardes you, and now howe your Lordship had requyted her, she was in suche perplexitie, as I never sawe woman, and concluded yat your Ladyship's speche was, yat now you know he thoughte him selfe moste happye when you were absente from him, and moste vnhappye when you were with him, and att this I assure your Ladyship he melted, and altho I can not say his very wordes weare, yat he had Iniuryed & wronged you yet bothe by his countenance & wordes it playnely shewed the same, and answered, I know quothe he, her love hathe bene great to me/ and myne hathe bene & is as great to her, for what can a man doe more for his wyfe then I have done , and daly doe for her, and so reckened at large your Ladyship may thynke with the moste, what he had geven & bestowed whervnto I coulde not otherwise replye then thus. quothe I, my Lord she weare to blame if she consydered not thes thynges, but I gather playnely by her speche to me, yat she thynkethe notwithstandinge that your harte is hardened agaynste her, as I have once or twyse alredy toulde your Lordship, and yat you love them yat love not her, and beleave thos aboute you which hatethe her, and at your departure I sayde, your Ladyship toulde me, that you verely thoughte my Lord was gladder of your abcence then presence, wherin I assure your Ladyship he depely protested the contrary & sayde, gilbert you know the contrarye, and how often I have curced the buyldinge at Chatesworthe for wante of her companye, but (quothe he) you ... see she carethe not for my companie by her goynge away I wolde not have done so to her for vcli but after this he taulked not muche, but I know it pynched him & in my conscyence I thynke so, but what effecte will follow (god knowethe,) I will wryte agayne to your Ladyship what I fynde by him this day, for yesternighte havinge not talked with any but my selfe, I know that his harte desyred reconsyliation, if he wyste which way to brynge it to passe, The lyvynge god graunte it, and make his harte turne to your comforte in all thynges / To morow he will sende me to Darby aboute Sir thomas Stanhops matter. I moste humbly beseche your Ladyship's blessing to me & myne, george reioyced so greatly yesternyghte at my Lord's cumminge home, as I colde not have beleved if I had not seene it. Sunday at ix of the clocke. For godes sake maddame pardone my very tedyouse & evellfavored scryblinge.

your Ladyship's moste humble and obedient lovinge sunne durynge my lyfe

Gilbert Talbott

the hastie lettres from Sir Iohn cunstable was to advertise yat there are ij Scotts yat travell with lynen clothe to sell yat have lettres of importance to this Quene thone of them is brother to curle my Lord huntington lettre was refusall of Land yat my Lord offred him to sell.


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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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