a resydue. Remembyr, good M: Secretary, my poore degre and what servys I have done: and how nowe approchyng to deth I must begyn the world ageyn. I beseche yow therfor, movyd with pity and compassyon, soker me in thys my calamyti, and to your power, wych I do knowe ys gret, releve me: and I with all myn shall not onely ascrybe thys my relef unto yow, but also pray to God for the increase of your honor. And as my poore shal increase, so I shal not fayle to acquyte yo' kyndnes. Wryttyn hastely at Asher with the rude and shackyng hand of your dayly bedysman and assuryd frende. b To the rygth honorable Mastyr Secretary. T. CARLIS Ebor. ■ In Rymer, tom. xiv. p. 371. is an Indenture between the King and Cardinal Wolsey, that the latter should give up the Bishoprick of Winchester and Abbey of St. Albans, and have one thousand marks yearly allowed him in lieu thereof. The Indenture recites that the King had previously given the Cardinal certain sums of money, goods, and chattels, to the amount and value of £6374. 3. 72; the schedule of which follows, p. 375. viz. "Fyrste in redy Money MMMli. "Item, in Plate nyne thousand fyve hundred threscore fyve oz. dim. quarter, at iij. eight pence the oz. amounteth to MDCCLII. iijs. vjd ob. "Item, dyvers Apparell of Houshold, as Hangyngs, Beddyng, Napry, and other thyngs, as appereth by the Inventorie of the same, amбuntyng in value, by estimation Dcccli. "Item, in Horses and Geldyngs lxxx. with their apparell valued by estima tion culi. "Item, in Mules for the Saddell iv. with their apparell, valued by estimation " Item, in Mules for cariage vi. with their apparell, valued by estimation XL. "Item, in Cod and Haberden eight hundred, valued by estimation XL1i. "Item, in Implementes of the Kychen, as Potts, Pannes, Spitts, Peawter Vessel, and other things necessarie for the same, valued by estimation LXXX. "Item, lii. Oxen, valued by estimation LXXxli. "Item, in Muttons lxx. valued by estimation XII1i. "Item, the Apparell for his Body, valued by estimation cccli. b power. "Summa vj.M.ccc. lxxiv, iijs. viid, ob.” LETTER CV. Cardinal Wolsey to Secretary Gardener. [MS. MUS. ASHMOL. Orig.] My owne goode mastyr Secretary goyng this day owt of my pue to sey masse, your lettres datyd yesternygth at London wer delyveryd unto me, by the contynue wherof I undyrstand that the Kyngs Hyhnes of hys excellent goodnes and cheryte ys contentyd that I shal inyoy and have the admynistracon of Yorke merly, with the gyftts of the promocyons spiritual and temporall of the same; reservyd onely onto hys nobyll Grace the gyft of v or vj of the best promocōns: and that hys pleasure ys I shal leve Wynchester and Saynt Albons. As hereonto Master Secretary I can nat expresse howe moche I am bowndyn to the Kyngs Royal Maieste for thys hys gret and bowntawse liberalyte, reputyng the same to be moche more than I schal evyr be abyl to deserve. Howbeyt yf hys Maieste, consyderyng the short and lytyl tyme that I shal lyve here in thys world, by the reason of suche hevynes as I have conceyved in my hert, with the minyuose of the olde howsys, and the decay of the seyd archbyshoprych at the lest to the summe of viij C marcke yerely, by the reason of the Act passyd for fynys of testaments; with also min long peynful servys and poore degre; and for the declaracion of hys Graces excellent cheryte, yf hys hyhnes be myndyd I shal leve Wynchester and Saynt Albons wych I supposyd when I made my Submyssyan, not offendyng in my treweth towards hys royal parson, dygnyti, or majeste royal, I shuld not now have deservyd to have left; and moche the more knowyng hys Graces excellent propensyon to pyte and mercy, and rememberyng of the francke departyng with of all that I had in thys world; that I may have summe convenyent pencion reservyd unto me, suche as the Kyngs hyhnes of hys nobyl charite shal thynke mete; so orderyng hys that shal succede and my lyvyng, that the same may be of lyck value yeerly and exstent. Wherat my trust ys and my herte so gevyth me, that hys Majeste wole make no dyfficultie yf yt may lycke yow frendly to propone the same; assuryng yow that I desyre nat thys for any mynde, God ys my jugge, that I have to accumulat good, or desyre that I have to the muke of the world; sen God be thankyd, at this ower, I set no more by the ryches and promocyons of the world than by the roshe undyr my fote; but onely for the declaration of the Kyngs honor and hyhe charyte, and to have wherewith, to do good dedys, and to helpe my poore servants and kynnysfolks. And furthermore that yt wold please the Kyngs excellent goodnes by your freindly medyacion, consyderyng how slendyrly I am furnyshyd in my Howse, nowe specially that the appa rell of Wynchester and Saynt Albons shalbe takyn from me, to geve and appoynt on to me a convenyent fernyture for the same, non ad pompam sed necessariam honestatem: and yf I may have the free gyft and dyssposycion of the benefyces, yt shalbe gretly to my comfort. And yet when any of the v or vj princypall shal fortune to be voyd, the Kyngs Grace beyng myndyd to have any of them, hys hyhnes shalbe as sure of the same as thougth they wer reservyd. And thus by hys nobyl and mercyful goodnes delyveryd owt of extreme calamyte, and restoryd to a newe fredome, I shall, with Gods mercy and help, so ordyr my lyff, that I trust hys Majeste shal take special comfort theran, and be pleasyd with the same. Spero quod hæc quæ peto non videbuntur magna. moste humbly submyt and refferre all my petycions, immo ipsam vitam, to hys gracyous ordynance and pleasure, prayng yow to declare and sygnyfye the same, supplying myn indyssposcycon and lack of wyt conceyvyd by reason of my extreme sorowe and hevynes, that the same may be to the Kyngs contentacion; whom I had lever be ded than to ofende in worde, thowgth, or dede. And as towchyng the grantyng of the fee of one Cli for M: Nores duryng hys lyff for hys good servys done unto the Kyng's hyhnes, for the wych I have alweyes lovyd hym, and for the singler good hert and mynde that I knowe he hath allweys borne unto me, I am content to make owt my graunte Howbeyt I opon the same, ye and yt wol please the Kyng to inlarge yt to one Cli more: and semblably, cause M. Thesauror hath the kepyng of the Kyngs game nygth to Fernam, I wold gladly yf yt may stand with the Kyngs pleasure grawnte onto hym the revercion of such thinges as the lorde Sands hath ther, with the ampliacion of the fee, above that wych ys oldely accustomyd, to the summe of xli by the yeer: and also I wold gladly geve to M: Comptroller a lycke ffee: and to Mr Russell anothyr of xx1i by the yeere: remyttyng thys and all other my suts to the Kyng's Hyhnes pleasure, mercy, pity, and compassyon moste holly. Besechyng hys Hyhnes so nowe gracyously to ordyr me that I may from hens forth serve God quyetly and with reposse of mynd, and pray as I am moste bowndyn for the conservacion and increase of hys most nobyll and royal astat. And thus with my dayly prayer From Asher hastely, with the I byd yow farewell. rude hand and moste hevy hert of yowr assuryd frend and bedysman To the rygth honorable Mr Secretary, in hast. T. CARLIS Ebor. In the second of these Letters to Gardener (p. 7.), Wolsey laments the loss of his goods more than once. "I have none apparel for my Houses." And, in another place (p. 8.): “ Alas the qualities of mine offences considered, with the great punishment and loss of goods that I have sustained, ought to move pitiful hearts." |