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To my very frend Syr
Frances Walsyingham
knyght prencepall
secretory to her majesty
(1582) May 6
Domestic
39
84
good master Secretorye with my ryght harty comendatyons, I pray you take in good parte
my Lyke desyar that yt wyll please you to prefare my humble sute vnto the
quenes ma:jesty in the behaulfe of apore ynfant my Iuyll arbella who ys to
depend wholly vpon her ma:jestys bounty and goodnes being in her tender
age depryued of her parrents. whos Late mother in her extreme sycknes
and euen at the approching of her end (which I cannot without great grefe.
remembar) dyd most earnestly sundrye tymes recommend to her ma:jestys
gracyous goodnes and fauor that poore infant her only care with hartye
desyar and confedence that her ma:jesty myght inioy a Long and
prosperous raigne and be a gracyous patrone and soufarigne to that her
innocent chyld as her ma:jesty had hetherto ben to them both./ and forasm
as the foure hondryth poundes yerely graunted to my sayde daughtar
ys by her death at the quenes majestys dysposytyon; my humble sute ys that
her hyghnes whos manyfould gracyous fauors and bountye haue so
much bound me as no subyecte can be more to a most worthy soufraigne
wyll vouchesaffe to graunt the same foure hondryth poundes yearly
with the other tow hondryth pounds to arbella for her mayntenance
duaring her mynorytye, which ys but for a few yeares, whereof I dout not
but her ma:jesty wyll fauorable accepte as hetherto she hath don of all my
sutes, and conseder that her brenging vp euery way as appartayneth, and
so as she maybe able the sonnar in seruice to attend vpon her ma:jesty (which
I chefly desyar) wyll hardly be parformed with syxe hondryth pounds
yearly in mony and more commodetye ys not to be made of thos Lands
being as they are in Lesse. I do not Lyke she should be now here as
she was with her mother in her Lyfe tyme, nether can I be conte
she be in any place wher I may not somtymes se her and dayly here
of her well doing, and therfore at great chargs to kepe her in house
with such as are fytt to attend vpon her and be in her compeny
and being neare well towards vij yeares ould she ys of very greate
towardnes to Learne anytheng, and I very carefull of her good
educatyon as yf she were my owne and only chyld, and agreat deale
more for the consanguynitye she ys of to her ma:jesty whos happye raigne
ouer vs I dayly with most zealous mynd pray the allmeghty gouernor of
all thenges Long to contenew, and now craueing most hartelye your
frendshep in mouing thys sute to her ma:jesty I refare the same to your
wysdom being better able to conseder therof then I am at this present
who can not so sonne enter into any thought of thes clauses but that
I am ouercharged with gryefes, and so make an end of this my
vnconsederat Letters trusting her hyghnes wyll accepte of my
Loyall dutye and seruice which I desyar you wyll commend vnto her
royall mayestye./ Sheffeld this vjth of may
your very Louing frend
EShrouesbury
88
(39.)
Initial version