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1602

March .3. Countess of Shrewsburye Dowager to M.aste^r Vicechamberlen and my M.aste^r Vol.ume 92 1 Maye it please you./ S.i^r Henry Brouncker will make relation of all that hath passed here./ whi^ch maye ease you of reading/ and keepe me from wryting of a long discourse, of that whi^ch to my infinite greif I finde./ yt is not vnknowne to you what earnest and importunat suite, my vnfortunate Arbell hath made for S.i^r 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 S.i^r Henry Brouncker any matter of moment., spending the tyme in idle and impertinent discourses./ And though S.i^r Henry Brouncker hath left nothing vndone that might bring hir to conformytie, he coulde not in any sorte p^revayle wi^th 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 S.i^r Henry Brounckers service., it would have ben less trouble to him and he shoulde not have departed wi^th such vncertenties./ This is the fruit of them that have labored to wi^thdrawe hir naturall affection from me, and to perswade hir to all theise vanyties./ they little respected hir vndoing, so they might overthrowe me wi^th greif./ sone after S.i^r 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 S.i^r 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 Ma.jes^tie for hir speedie remove./ yt maye be the chaunge of place will worke some alteration in hir./ S.i^r Henry Brouncker can testefie howe carefull I am to keep hir quyet till I maye vnderstand further hir Ma.jes^ties pleasure./ she most vaynely hath p^refixed a daye to S.i^r 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./ notwi^thstanding yf it might be for hir Ma.jes^ties 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 whi^ch will not lye in my power to p^revent./ 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 / / / / / / / Initial version