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hus mayde by sir Gilbert de Gaunte, cosyne to our originall ffounder, appered to the contrarie whie of equitie his highnes owght not so to be, or elles to appere before your maistershipe and other of his graces counsell the laste day of Octobre, as I wolde awoide his graces highe displeasour. In this matter, even so humblie as I canne, I shall besuche your gude maistershipe to be gude maister to me and your poour and cotidiall oratours my bretheren; for notwithstondinge the kinges grace his noble progenitours titles and clames hertofore mayde to our said patronage and foundershipe (thoghe all we ar and ever will be at his moste graciouse commaundement and pleasour), yet we have ever benne dimissed. clere withowt any interruption in this behalfe nighe this two hundreth yeres, as shall appere before your gudnes under substanciall evidence of recorde. And so I besuche your maistershipe we may be at this tyme, for in your maistershipe our holle truste in all our gude causes remaneth. And where as I ame detenede withe diverse infirmities in my body, and in lyke maner ame feble of nature, so that withowt great yeopardie of my liffe I cannot nor ame not hable to labour in doinge of my dewtie to appere before your[gude] maistershipe, I shall right humblie besuche your gudnes to have [me] excused, and in lyke maner to accept this berar my brother as my lauful deputie in this behalfe, who shall mayke your maistershipe aunswer as concernynge thes premisses, to whome I besuche your maistershipe yeve firm credence, of whome also ye shal resave a poour token frome me whiche I eftsones besuche your gude maistershipe to accept, thankfullie with my poour hert and cotidiall prayers, of whiche ye shall be assured enduringe my liffe, as is my dewtie, Gode willinge, who ever preserve your gude maistershipe, in muche wourshipe longe to endure. Frome our monasterie of Bridlingtone, the xxiijd day of Octobre, by your humble and cotidiall oratour,

WILLIAM, prior of the same.

CAMD. SOC.

M

The next letter relates to the priory of Fordham, in Cambridgeshire. This house, which Tanner calls "Fordham alias Bigynge," is said to have been founded by Robert de Fordham, for canons of the order of Sempringham.

XXXVI.

DR. LEGH TO CROMWELL.

[From MS. Cotton. Cleop. E. iv. fol. 229.]

My hartye recommendatyons presupposid, pleasith yt your mastership to undrestand, that ther ys a pryory namyd Byggyn in the towne of Fordham, in the dyocesse of Norwyche, wher as ys but the prior and his moncke, and the moncke is in extreme age and at - dethes doore, and my lorde of Northehumberland ys fownder ther, of whom I suppose ye maye very easely opteyne his title and interest. Yt is a propre howse, and yt stand commodyously and pleasauntly, and yt maye spend xxx1i. by the yere in temporall landes, besyde spyrytualtyes, whyche ys a benefyce of xvjli. by the yere. Also I desyre you to send me worde, what shall be doon with thes relygyous persons whiche knelyng on ther knees, howldyng up ther handes, instantly with humble petycyon desyre of God, the kyng, and you, to be dymyssyd from ther relygyon, sayyng they lyve in yt contrary to Goddys lawe and ther conscyens, trustyng that the kyng of hys gracyous goodnes and you wyll set them at lybertye owte of this bondage, which they ar not able lenger to endure (as they saye), but shuld fall into dysperatyon or elles ronne awaye, with many other lamentable petycyons whiche war now to long to wryte, but yt war a dede of charyte that they myght lyve in that kynd of lyvyng whiche myght be moste to the glorye of God, the quyetnes of ther conscyens, and most to the commonwelthe, who so ever hathe informyd you to the contrary, for your harte wold lamente to here them as I doo, as thys berer your servauntec an shewe you. As consernyng thes thynges, I shall desyre your mastershyp of farder knowlege what I shall doo, and I shalle be redy to accomplyshe your mynde in thes and

in all other thynges with dylygens to thuttermost of my poore, desyryng that you wyll remembre God herein (as I dowte not but ye wyll), who ever accomplyshe your good mynd in all thynges. From Ely, the fyrst daye of Novembre. Yours ever assuryd,

THOMAS LEGH.

In the last edition of the Monasticon there appears to be some error or confusion relating to the date of the following letter, and to the last abbot of the Premonstratensian abbey of West Dereham, who is said to have been Roger Forman, and to have held the same office from 1522 to the time of the dissolution of his house. It is stated in the same work that "John Maxey, bishop of Elphin, was commendator of Welbeck, A.D. 1520."

The abbey of Premonstratensian canons of Welbeck, in Nottinghamshire, was begun in the reign of Stephen, and the foundation completed under Henry II. The bishops of Ely, having bought the manor, were afterwards considered the founders or patrons. The abbey of West Dereham, in Norfolk, formed by a colony of canons brought from Welbeck, was built in 1188 by Hubert, then dean of York, afterwards bishop of Salis bury.

XXXVII.

THE COMMENDATOR OF WELBECK TO CROMWELL.

[From MS. Cotton. Cleop. E. 1v. fol. 43.]

Jhesu.

Please hit you, maister secretarie, to understonde, I receyved the xxvjth day of Octobre a certificate from the convent of Westdorham under there convent sele of the dethe of my brother abbot ther (whose soule God pardon !), and the sele of his office also, accordinge to the old custome and usage that hath ben all wayes usid in timys past, to be sent unto the father abbot from all his filiall chirches, and also accordinge to ye private statutis of our religion. Sir, I perceyve that the kynges grace visitors (doctor

Lee) be forthe in those parties, and whether hit be your maistershipis plesure that he shall medle in that eleccion or noo I dissire humbly to know your plesur, ffor I insure you I wolde do nothinge but that which my3t stonde with your lawful favore, seinge that ye are and hath ben alwaye so gud maister to me and unto my pour religion. Notwithstondinge, as your maistershipe knowes well that the kynges grace hathe gyven to me and unto the pour monastery of Welbeck (imperpetuum) under his brod sele for all eleccions of al the ordre of Premonstraten. within this realme and Walis. Howbehit I intend to do nothinge but that shall stond withe the kynges grace plesur and yours bothe, humbly dissiringe to know your maistershipis plesur in writing what I shall do herein. Your maistership said unto me, at my last beinge withe you, that when any eleccion fell in my religion I shuld do my duety lyke as I have done before tyme, and accordingly unto the kynges grace graunt. Also ther hathe ben a prest (the person of Brandon Ferre), and maid a sequestracion of all the gudis ther, both within and witheout, moveable and unmovable, but whether your maistership knowes of hit or not I can not say. Sir, as towching all suche communicacions as I hade at my last being withe yow, (God willing) I shall performe at my commyng upe at Candlemas next commyng. And thus Jhesu preserve yow in helthe with myche honore. From Welbeck, the ijde day of Novembre.

Yours to hys little poure,

JOHN ELPHIN and commendatar off Welbek.

The commissioners appear to have found little in the large Benedictine monastery

of Bury in Suffolk to report, except a list of superstitious relics.

XXXVIII.

JOHN AP RICE TO CROMWELL.

[From MS. Cotton. Cleop. E. iv. fol. 120.]

Please it your mastership, fforasmoche as I suppose ye shall have sute made unto yow touching Burie er we retourne, I thought convenient to advertise yow of our procedinges there, and also of the compertes of the same. As for thabbot, we found nothing suspect as touching his lyving, but it was detected that he laye moche forth in his granges, that he delited moche in playng at dice and cardes, and therin spent moche money, and in buylding for his pleasure. He did not preche openly. Also that he converted divers fermes into copie holdes, wherof poore men doth complayne. Also he semeth to be addict to the mayntenyng of suche supersticious ceremones as hathe ben used hertofor.

As touching the convent, we coulde geate litle or no reportes amonge theym, although we did use moche diligence in our examinacion, and therby, with some other argumentes gethered of their examinacions, I fermely beleve and suppose that they had confedered and compacted bifore our commyng that they shulde disclose nothing. And yet it is confessed and proved, that there was here suche frequence of women commyng and reassorting to this monastery as to no place more. Amongest the reliques we founde moche vanitie and superstition, as the coles that Saint Laurence was tosted withall, the paring of S. Edmundes naylles, S. Thomas of Canterbury penneknyff and his bootes, and divers skulles for the hedache; peces of the holie crosse able to make a hole crosse of; other reliques for rayne and certain other superstitiouse usages, for avoyding of wedes growing in corne, with suche other. Here departe of theym that be under age upon an eight, and of theym that be above age upon a five, wolde departe

The immense number of pieces of the true cross possessed by different religious houses, both on the continent and in England, was a frequent subject of ridicule among the earlier reformers.

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