Copyright Information All material is made available free of charge for individual, non-commercial use only. The copyright and other intellectual property rights in the transcribed letter text, metadata about the letters and the design of the letter display are owned by the University of Glasgow. You are permitted to access, print and download letters from this site on the following conditions: - use of all material on this site is for information and for non-commercial or your own personal use only; any copies of these pages saved to disk or to any other storage medium may only be used for subsequent viewing purposes or to print extracts for non-commercial or your own personal use. - the content must not be modified in any way. - any use of the material for a permitted purpose must be accompanied by a full source citation. No part of this site may be reproduced or stored in any other web site or included in any public or private electronic retrieval system or service without the University of Glasgow's prior written permission. Commercial exploitation of the transcribed letters, including use by radio or television programme makers and examination boards, is prohibited without licence from the University of Glasgow. Further information on copyright and citation can be found at:- (URL: http://www.bessofhardwick.org/background.jsp?id=171) my Lorde my Lady Lord Gilbert to his father the Earl of Sh:rewsbury 13 February 1574 X X 287 My duty moste humbly Remembred. may it please you^r honors Accordynge as my L.ord of Lecester wyllethe me, so doe I advertyze him of every convenyent messenger that I know passethe vnto you^r ho:onors And so he promysethe as his leasure wyll permytte, to wryte vnto you^r honors, And this mornynge tellynge him of th a messenger, he promysed to wryte if he colde fynde any tyme, And so he sytting in the starre chamber, did ryse sumwhat before the reste, and wrote this lettre to you^r L.ordship/ I have shewed him the sondry com=mendacions whi^ch you^r honors hathe done vnto him in you^r lettres to me, the whi^ch he takethe ever moste thankefully and Ioyouslye as any man can doe/ This day vppon the Lordes rysynge in the starre chamber, The arbytrators in Burrells cause have appoynted, that on Wednesday nexte they wyll heare & determyne it/ And in the meane tyme I wyll fynde meanes that my L.ord of Lecester And my L:ord cheife Iustyce shalbe throw throughly acquaynted wi^th the chefeste poyntes on our sydes, and wyll travell with all my Indevoyre to brynge it to a good ende, yet am I in great doubte that we shall lose all the lande, for ya^t they all, And my L.ord of Lecester also is fully resolved that it is so suffitiently assured vnto the younger brother, as it were dyrectely agaynst the lawes of the realme to putt it from him And so my L.ord of Lecester sayde vnto me this mornynge/ I can not gesse what ende it wyll cum vnto/ but I wolde I had no greatter discomforte in it, then my Lord of Rutlandes travell, And then I wolde be in better hope, altho I thynke he laborethe earnestly for the younger brother / maste^r Solysitor dothe promis me all care in the matter, and wyll be wi^th vs on wednesday, The miserye of the elder Burrell is suche, as for remorce I have releaved him ij or iij tymes, and muste pay the lawyers fees of my owne pursse god grant vs a good ende./ I thynke my L.ord of Lecester hathe wrytten vnto you^r L.ordship suche newes as is styrrynge, for my selfe I know none, but suche as are common/ the duke Casymyre departethe hens to morro to morrow, and hathe yesterday taken his leave of her ma.jes^tie who as I heare wyll gyve him at his departure ij Cupps of goulde, of severall fassions worthe CCC^li a peece, the whi^ch there hathe bene sumwhat to doe it and maste^r Secretary Wallsyngham bare the brut brunte therof, on Sunday laste this duke was chosen one of thorder of the garter, And my L.ord of Lecester gave him for a present A ryche collor, and A George at it, And ij other Georges besydes, wherof one of them was an Aggett, a Curyous and ryche pece/ be also my L.ord of Pembroke hathe sente Casymyre from Wyllton where he is sumwhat sycke a fayre george at a cheane of goulde sett wi^th stones whi^ch Coste a CL.^li/ my L.ord of Lecester also hathe geven him dyvers other thynges, as geldyngs, hawks and hounds woddknyves falchynes, hornes, crossebowes, And sondry peces of clothe brode clothe fytte for huntynge garmentes; bothe for wynter & sumer/ for he delyghtethe greatly in huntynge, and can chouse his wynter deere very well, he kylled a barren dooe wi^th his pece this other day in hyde park, from emongest CCC other deere/ her majes^tie contynuethe her very good vsage of Monsieur Semyer and all his companye, and he hathe conference wi^th hir iij or 4 tymes A weeke/ And she is the best disposed, & pleasantest, when she talkethe wi^th him, as by her gestures apperethe, that is possible The opinion of Monsieurs cummynge styll holdethe, And yet it is shoretely bruted that he can not take vpp so muche monny as he wolde of suche a soddayne, And therfore will not cum so sone / I can not learne any thynge more of Quene mother her cumming into Inglande, yet sum doe thynke that she will cum very sodenly, but for my owne parte I doe not beleave it./ I had forgotten to wryte vnto you^r L.ordship before I wrote of seinges that my L.ord of Huntyngdon goethe wi^th Casymyre to gravesende And Si^r henry sydney to Dover. The frenchemen here & the Spanyshe Ambassadore dothe very greatly repyne, at the great Intertaynemen^t of this duke./ my L.ord of Lecester, hathe bene allmost continually wi^th him synce his commynge to London./ The matter betwyxte my L.ord of Rutland & maste^r markham resteth as it did, And nothynge as yet hathe bene done therein, synce theyr laste commynge vpp. her ma.jes^tie hathe talked ofener wi^th thomas mark markham than wi^th the other, and shewethe to markham very great good countenance. And suerly he hathe many good freindes that doe stycke vary well vnto him./ Touchynge the effecte of the laste lettre whi^ch I receaved yesterday from you^r L.ordship concernynge Roulsoon/ I will betymes to morrow imparte it to maste^r myddellmore/ for he hathe bene oute of the Towne thes iiij dayes, but wylbe here at courte to morrow mornynge/ I wyll also imparte it to my L.ord of Lecester & to maste^r Skidmore, And desyre them as occasion servethe; & ya^t they heare that this impudent fellow dealethe in any suche sorte, to infore informe her ma.jes^tie of the truthe therof, yet I intende to tell maste^r myddellmore therof, & not doe it wi^thoute his advyse leaste he sholde thynke any thynge therat. I can not learne that Roulston is come vpp./ This day in the starre chamber the lordes examyned iiij messengers suche as are daly sente of errantes from the courte, who 289 are founde by counterfeytynge of the L.ord chamberlayne And ye secreteryes handes, to have deseaved the Quene above three thousande poundes wi^thin thes vij yeres, they and theyr confederates, whervppon they muste stande of the pyllerye, at Westmester, at the courte gates, & in chepesyde, on certayne dayes appoynted, and then have theyr eares cutte of./ on thursday laste, as my Lorde Rytche was rydynge in the streetes, there was on wyndam that stode in a dore and shott A dagge at him, thynkynge to have slayne him, but god provyded so for my L.ord ryche, that this Wyndam apoyntynge his servante ya^t mornynge to charge his dagge wi^th ij bulletts; the fellow doubtinge he mente to doe sum myschefe wi^th it, charged it only wi^th pouder & paper, & no bullett, and so this L.ord's lyfe was therby saved for otherwyse he had bene slayne, Wyndam was p^resently taken by my L.ord Rytches men, & beynge broughte before the counsell confessed his Intende, but the cause of this quarrell I know not but he is commytted to the Towre/ The same day also as Si^r Iohn Conway was goeynge in the strees stretes,

maste^r Lodovyke grevell

came sodenly vppon him, and stroke him on the hedd wi^th a great Cougell & felled him, And beynge doune stroke at him wi^th a sworde And but for one of Si^r Iohn Conwayes men who warded the blow he had cutte

Cutte of his Legges

, yet did he hurte him sumwhat on bothes his shynns/ The

councell sente for Lodovyke grevell

, and hathe commytted him to the

marshallcye:

I am forced

to troble you^r honors wi^th thes tryflynge matters, for ya^t I know no greatter. / my wyfe dothe very well, I thanke god, And is an obedyente patient, & lykethe thos easye thynges ya^t are applyed to her very well. for thestate of her boddy maste^r Iulio toulde me that he hadd wrytten it at Lengethe to you^r Ladyshypp. And thus moste humbly we beseche you^r honors daly blessynge, praynge to allmyghtye god for you^r Lordships. longe contynuance in all honor, moste perfyte healthe and longe lyfe. at you^r Lordships. lyttell house nere charing crosse this p^resent fryday late at nyghte. the xiij^th of february

1578

you^r honors moste humble and obedient Lovynge chyldren. Gilbert Talbott Mary Talbott I never sawe Thomas Cornyshe but once synce he came vpp, nether doe I know whether he wyll goe into fraunce, or returne to you^r L.ordship agayne/ nor any thynge at all

of his besynes more than you^r L.ordship's lettre./

I pray you^r La.dyship lett me know you^r pleasure for y^e parsonage of Tormorton Initial version