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Further information on copyright and citation can be found at:- (URL: http://www.bessofhardwick.org/background.jsp?id=171) Ian:uary 1602 The confession of Owen Tydd.ou^r The Countess of Shrewsbury to Maste^r ViceCh:amberlain and me/ 170 129 169 I vnderstand hir Ma.jes^ties gratious pleasure by your letters, and rest infinitely bounde to hir Highnes for hir Ma:jes^ties gratious favor to me./ I will followe your directions so nere as I can./ To my great greif I see wi^th 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 Lo:rd of Hartfords grandchilde./ I protest before the lyving god, I think his Lo:rdshi^p 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 wi^th 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 Ma:jes^tie./ 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 yo.u^r letter, whi^ch according to hir Highnes pleasure I shoed hir to make hir looke into hir great follies, and to se that hir Ma:jes^ties pleasure was she shoulde impart to me any matter of practize what soever./ Your letter togather wi^th my earnest perswasions prevayled so farr, as that she hath sett downe wi^th hir owne hand this declaration fraught wi^th vanytie./ such as it is I have sent it hereinclosed, but I coulde not by any possible meanes p^revayle wi^th 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 Ma:jes^tie 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 whi^ch is more then I loked for./ vppon theise circumstaunces, you in you^r 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 Ma:jes^tie. 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 p^resent the Cuntrie hereaboutes is infected wi^th agues, smale poxe & mesells and the plauge not farr ofe, whi^ch p^retence 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 p^recise 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, whi^ch 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 Ma.jes^tie 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 whi^ch ar much wi^th hir, and gentlemen and others of good suffytientie./ by hir owne servantes she hath Conveyed & received letters & hath corrupted some of myne./ I p^resently mean to part wi^th 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 Ma:jes^tie 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 Initial version