had to my poore degre, olde age, and longe contynuyd servys, as shal be to the Kyngs hygh honor and your gret prayse and laude, wych undowttydly shal folowe yf ye extende yowr benyvolence towards me and mine, perceiving that by your wysdom and dexteryte I shalbe releuyd and in this my calamyte holpyn. At the reverens therfor of God, myn owne goode M. Secretary and refuge, nowe set to your hande that I may come to a laudable ende and reposse; seyng that I may be furnyshyd aftyr suche a sorte and maner as I may ende my short tyme and lyff to the honor of Cryst's Churche and the Prince. And, besydys my dayly prayer and true hert, I shal so requyte your kyndnes as ye shal haue cause to thyncke the same to be wel imployed, lycke as my seyde trusty frende shal more amply shewe unto yow to whom yt may please yow to give for me credens and loving audience: and I shall pray for the increase of your honor. Wryttyn at Asher with the tremylling hand and hevy hart of your assuryd lover and bedysman.

To the rygth honorable and my synguler goode frende Master Secretary.

T. CARLIS EBOR.

LETTER CIV.

Cardinal Wolsey to Dr. Stephen Gardener.

[MS. MUS. ASHMOL. OXON. Orig.]

My owne goode mastyr Secretary aftyr my moste herty commendacons I pray you at the reverens of God to help, that exspedicion be usyd in my presents, the delay wherof so replenyssheth my herte with hevynes, that I can take no reste; nat for any vayne fere, but onely for the miserabli condycion that I am presently yn, and lyclyhod to contynue in the same onles that ye, in whom ys myn assuryd truste, do help and releve me therein; for fyrst contynuyng here in thys mowestea and corrupt eyer, beyng enteryd in to the passyon of the dropsy, cum prostratione appetitus, et continuo insompnus, I cannat lyve; wherfor of necessyte I muste be removyd to summe other dryer eyer and place, wher I may have comodyte of Physycyans. Secondly havyng but Yorke, wych ys now decayd by viijC.li by the yeere I can nat tell how to lyve and kepe the poore nombyr of folks wych I nowe have; my howsys ther be in decay, and of every thyng mete for howsold onprovidyd and furnyshyd. I have non apparell for my howsys ther, nor money to bryng me

a moist.

thether, nor to lyve with tyl the propyssea tyme of the year shal come to remove thither. Thes thyngs consyderyd, M: Secretary, must nedys make me in agony and hevynes; myn age therwith and sycknes consyderyd. Alas M Secretary, ye with other my lordys shewyd me that I shuld otherwyse be furnyshyd, and seyn unto. Ye knowe in your lernyng and consyens whether I shuld forfit my spiritualties of Wynchester or no. Alas the qualytes of myn offencys consyderyd, with the gret punisshement and losse of goodes that I have sustignyd, owt to move petyfull hertys. And the moste nobyl Kyng, to whom yf yt wold please yow of your cherytabli goodnes to shew the premyses aftyr your accustomable wysdom and dexteryte, yt ys nat to be dowettyd but hys Hyhnes wold have consyderacon and compassion, aggmentyng my lyvyng, and appoyntyng such thyngs as shuld be convenyent for my furniture; wych to do shalbe to the Kyngs high honer, meryte, and dyscharge of consyens; and to yow gret praysse for the bryngyng of the same to passe for your olde brynger up and lovyng frende. Thys kyndnes exibite from the Kyngs Hyghnes shal prolong my lyff for sum lytyl whyl, thow yt shall nat be long; by the meane wherof hys Grace shal take profygtt, and by my deth non. What ys yt to hys Hyhnes to geve summe convenyent porcion owt of Wynchester and Seynt Albons, hys Grace takyng with my herty good wyl the

■ propitious.

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.

To the rygth honorable
And my assuryd frende

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 L6374. 3. 7%; the schedule of which follows, p. 375. viz.

66

Fyrste in redy Money мMM1i.

Item, in Plate nyne thousand fyve hundred threscore fyve oz. dim. quarter, at iij. eight pence the oz. amounteth to MDCCLII. iije, vjd. ob.

"Item, dyvers Apparell of Houshold, as Hangyngs, Beddyng, Napry, and other thyngs, as appereth by the Inventorie of the same, amountyng in value, by estimation Dcccl.

" Item, in Horses and Geldyngs lxxx. with their apparell valued by estimation cr1i.

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 Lyng on thousand, valued by estimation L1i.

"Item, in Cod and Haberden eight hundred, valued by estimation XLli

" Item, in Salt eight waye, valued by estimation xli.

Item, in Implementes of the Kychen, as Potts, Pannes, Spitts, Pewter Vessel, and other things necessarie for the same, valued by estimation LXXX. "Item, lii. Oxen, valued by estimation LXXX.

"Item, in Muttons lxx. valued by estimation XII.

"Item, the Apparell for his Body, valued by estimation cccli.

power.

"Summa vj.M.ccc. lxxivli, iij. 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 admyňistracon 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