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To my very frend Syr Frances
Walsyingham Knyght prence-pall secretory to her Majesty
Countesse Shrewsbury
La.dy arabella
about 1582 May
Lady Arabella was born in 1575 (or 1577)
& was now near 7 years old.
Domestic Elizabeth
Domestic
86
90
Countesse of Shrewsbury's
Land
988
85
85
40
Good Master Secretarie with my ryght harty comendatyons
I pray you take in good parte my lyke desyar that yt will
please you to prefare my humble sute unto the quenes
Majesty in the behaulfe of a pore ynfant my Iuyll arbella:
who ys to depend wholly vpon her Majestys bounty and goodness
being in her tender age depryved of her parrents. whos
late mother in her extreeme sycknes, and even at the appro-ching of her end (which I cannot without great grefe remem-bar) dyd most earnestly sundrye tymes recommend to her
Ma.jestys gracyous goodnes and favor that poore infant her only
care with hartye desyar, and confedence, that her Majesty myght
inioy a Long and prosperous raigne and be a gracyous Patrone, and
souveraine to that her innocent chyld, as her Majesty had hetherto.
ben to them both. and for as much as the foure hondryth poundes
yerely graunted to my Lady's daughtar ys by her death at the
quenes Ma.jesty's dysposytyon, my humble sute ys that her hyghnes
whos manyfould gracious favours and bountye have so much
bound me as no subiecte can be more to a most worthy soufarigne
wyll vouchesaffe to graunt the same foure hundryth poundes
yearly with the other tow hondryth pounds to Arbella for her
maintenance duaring her mynorytye, which is but for a few yeares,
whereof I dout not but her ma.jesty wyll favorable accepte as he-therto she hath don of all my sutes, and conseder, that her brenging
up every way as appartayneth, and so as she may be able the sonar
in service to attend upon her Ma.jesty (which I chefly desyar) will 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 contented she be in any place
wher I may not som tymes 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 upon her and be in her compeny, and being neare
well towards vij yeares ould she ys of very greate towardnes to
learne any theng, and I very carefull of her good educatyon, as yf
she were my owne and only chyld, and a great deale more for the
consanguynitye she is of to her Ma.jesty whose happye raigne
7 years old
89
(40.)
over us I dayly with most zealous mynd pray the Almeghty
Gouernor of all thenges long to contenew and now craveing
most hartelye your frendshep in moveing 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 cannot so soone enter into
any thought of thes causes but that I am overcharged with
gryefes, and so make an end of this my unconsederat Letters trusting
her hyghnes wyll accepte of my loyall dutye and service, which I de-syar you wyll commend unto her royall Mayestye. Sheffeld
this vjth of May.
your very loving frend
E Shrouesbury.
Initial version