To the Ryght worshipfull & my very good lady & mistress the lady sentlo gyue this
Thus

Ryght worshipfull my very good Lady thys shall be to Lett your good Ladiship vnderstand that I receued A letter frome your good ladyship the whych dyd dyscoreg me wery sore Although yat were not tre[w] And wheare As your ladyship sayd that your frendes therabowt dyd let your ladyship vnderstand that I weare muche Abrode Abowte me pleasuer be iij dayes to gether yt ys not true for I were neuer Absent ij dayes then iij neuer syns your ladyship went but at my fathers At wakes that me father & serten of my frendes met me there & I went of sundaye in the mornyng After I had bene in the warene & came Ageyn of mondaye at nyght & last one to walke the waren when I were Absent And wheare your ladyship sayd that your nebores dyd tell you that I were neclygent in lowkyng to the waren/ But I dyd woll know that the had not so lyttell honesty to wryte to your ladyship any such vntruth but And yf dycons wold not haue had yt known he showld not haue Rejoysed & sayd to my frendes yat yt were hys letter that mayd me to be so Rebuked At your Ladyships hand wherfor I thynk my selffe very vnfortunat to haue such one As he ys to make me to haue Rebukes vnworthy And I do not care what any can wryte agaynst me so that I do my duty vnto my offes that I haue charge vppon that when the that hath knowleg shall see my doynges the whych I trust shall be fatles And when your ladyship were At chatsworth your selffe the were yat towld you yat there were not xx copeles of conys in the grownd but lyke as ther knowleg were so the spake & now ye maye see ther selffes Ahundereth copel at a tyme & doth saye there ys conys very great plenty And yf the Report of theym that hath no knowleg ys better to be credyt then myne I Ame not mete to be in An offes/ for there ys no mane that hathe Anoffes but he can tell how to behaue hym selffe yn hyt or ell[s] he ys not fyt to be in hit/ And as for birrowes makyng we haue taken Anorder that thenext workadaye After crystenmas holydayes we wyll haue a great sort of serten of our nebores to cast borowes & in the men tyme we wyll be doyng As we maye for I haue mayd ij borrowes my selff & couered theme with thornes & now I must make trapes euery daye As I may cum to & I haue taken syns I wryt to your ladyship both doges & fornash... & of wedensday beyng the vij daye of desembr in the mornyng then came ij copell of hownd[s] in to the waren & huntyd the conies & I ran vp & downe the wod & were Angary At theym be case I had Runn so sore at them & At lengh I wyth my byll cut iij of them very sore that I thynke ye wyll not lyue & then came one & sayd the were his maysteres master fyharbartes & I sayd I dyd not care whos the were for yf the hunntyed ther I wold kyll them & there master wer by & yf he wryt to your ladyship of hit this the truth As All the howse knoth & the conys be gynneth to make ther nestes Ready now for I haue fond deueres holes stoped close vp after them yat ye may be Ready Agaynst marche thus I praye Ihesus preserue your ladyship long in your prosperytie ffrom chatsworth the viij daye of desember//

Be your ladyships faythfull servand

Edward ffoxe


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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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