me in favour of one Richard Stansbye, that is to admit him favourably to his declaration against a bill of complaint offered to me against him, so that if he were found faultless of such things as be surmised in the said complaint, he might with my favour enjoy such as conscience would require; or else, if he be found faulty, that then upon his submission I would weigh the matter with some charitable favour, the sooner at your request: my Lord, so it is, that there is no such complaint offered to me against the said Richard Stansbie, wherefore I might accomplish your said request. But the said Stansbie was of late my baily, and also my copyholder of certain lands in Bilston, in Suffolk, for the favour that of long time I did bear unto him, until that now of late, at my court holden at Bilston foresaid, as well his dissimulate and cloaked untruth in misusing of his office both as against me and my tenants there, as his misdemeaning of his copyhold against the customs used within the said manor was by the whole homage presented. Wherefore I have seized into my hands his said copyhold, according to right, conscience, and custom, and have also deprived him of his office, intending never hereafter to bear him no such favour, that he shall have any thing of me more than right and conscience shall require; praying your Grace so to be contented therewith, nothing doubting the same, if your Grace knew the said misdemeanours. And what pleasure I may show to any other person at your request hereafter, I shall be glad to do the same, as our Lord knoweth; who have you in his blessed tuition. The xiii. day of October,

By my Lord of Essex.

Harl. MSS.

36. b.

In my right hearty wise I commend me unto your good 6148. fol. Lordship. These be to advertise you, that I have received your letters dated at Stansted the xiii. day of October. Whereby I perceive that you intend not to do any wrong to Richard Stansbye, notwithstanding any complaint or presentment made against him, which is my very trust, and the rather at my request. Wherefore eftsoons, I will desire you to be so good lord unto him, that two well learned

men and indifferent may have the hearing of all matters, that your Lordship is informed that he hath misordered himself against you. And so be it, that the said Stansby by any such misdemeanour hath not forfeit any of his land or copyhold, then I trust your Lordship will be contented that he may enjoy his lands and copyhold according to right and conscience. And if the said two indifferent learned men shall reasonably think that he hath misordered himself in any point, the same Richarde Stansby shall humbly require you to be his good lord, and shall to his small power make such amends for his offences, as shall be by the said two learned men thought reasonable. Trusting that in this his age ye will the rather be good lord unto him, and have herein the less regard to his negligence. Which to recompense I doubt not but that you shall have now no less good service of him, than ever you had of the same heretofore; and of my behalf such pleasure and commodity as you shall at any time require of me accordingly. An answer to the same by my Lord.

y [The Earl, it seems, paid no attention to this and some other letters; and at length provoked the following peremptory order from Henry VIII.

"By the King.

"To our right trusty and right wellbeloved Cousin and Counsellor, the Harl. MSS. 6148. fol.

66

"Earl of Essex.

"Right trusty and right wellbeloved cousin, we greet you well. And 37. b. "where upon complaint made unto us by our subject Richarde Stansby "for putting him out of certain copyholds, lands, and tenements, in your town of Bylston, which he and his ancestors have holden of you and your ancestors many years, it was thought by our Council 64 upon the examination of the matter to be reasonable, that our said subject should be restored to the possession of the said customary "lands and tenements, paying his rents and services to you for the "same, as hath been accustomed, till such time as the cause of seizure "thereof were examined by our said Council, and an order therein "taken as to justice and equity should appertain; and that afterward "our right trusty and right wellbeloved counsellor, Sir Thomas Audeley, "Knight our Chancellor of England, and other of our counsellors, have "directed unto you their several loving letters, advertising you of the "mind of the residue of our Council in the premises, and advising you "rather of yourself, upon the humble suit of our said subject, to restore "him accordingly, than it should be done by any order of compulsion; "which notwithstanding, ye, neither following their wholesome admo"nitions, nor yet the mind and order of our said Council, will not in

Harl. MSS. 6148. fol.

39.

LXXV. To CERTAIN GENTLEMEN IN HERTFORDSHIRE.

In my right hearty wise I commend me unto you. And where this bringer, Thomas Wiggynton, one of my tenants of Tryng, hath offered unto me a supplication concerning such injuries and wrongs as he is compelled to sustain, by reason that certain unadvised persons, whose names are comprised in the said supplication, hath unjustly, as he reporteth, both slandered and spoiled him of his goods and good name; and by cause it is against reason to give credence to one party, the other parties not heard; and also, forasmuch as the matter also being in a place so far distant from me, that I cannot call the parties and witness before me without their intolerable charges: I require you, forasmuch as you being as well justices of the peace as also dwelling nigh there, to whom the administration of justice the rather belongeth, that you will take the pains to peruse this said supplication, and thereto to see such justice ministered, as shall be thought convenient according to law and good conscience, to the intent this poor man need not any further to complain unto me or any other for the same. To certain Gentlemen in Hartefordshire.

66

any wise [be] answerable to the same, but have lately sent to the "lands and grounds in variance certain persons unknown; which "being there assembled have forcibly kept the possession of the same, "intending to cast out the goods of our said subject therein; being to "the evil example of other, in case it should be suffered, as we be in"formed; whereof we do not a little marvel: We let you to wit, that "forasmuch as it belongeth unto us to minister right justice and equity "to every of our subjects, and willing the order and decrees of our "Council to be firmly obeyed and observed without violation, do signify "unto you the premises; and not doubting that ye, being of such au"thority and one of our Council, will conform yourself to observe and "ensue such orders as is or shall be taken by our said Council, without "giving evil examples to other persons, or otherwise to give us occasion "to compel you; which of necessity we must do, if after such proceeding 66 ye thus attempt us; seeing it standeth not with good congruence nor "our prerogative, that the process and orders made by us and our "Council, or by our writs in causes of justice, should be resisted by any "of our subjects, by colour of any manner liberty or franchise. And "therefore we will and command you to take good respect to yourself "in this behalf, and to follow the orders of our Council therein as ye "will answer unto us at your peril in that behalf, and as you tender "our pleasure. Yeven under our signet, at our manor of Westminster "the xxvi. day of March."]

LXXVI. TO THE ARCHDEACON OF CANTERBURY 2,

6148. fol.

39. b.

Master Archdeacon, in my right hearty wise I commend Harl. MSS. me unto you. And where I am informed by my servant John Creakea, that the farm of your parsonage of Hayes is already, or else shortly like to be void, I heartily require you, at this mine instance, that you will grant to him the preferment thereof, whensoever the same shall next happen to be void, he finding you sufficient sureties for the payment thereof, and thereto giving you as much as any other reasonably will give. And what you intend to do herein, I require you to advertise me by this bearer, or as shortly as you may conveniently. And if there be any pleasure that may do for you again, you may be sure to be bold of me accordingly.

I

To the Archdeacon of Canterbury.

LXXVII. TO BONER.

In my right hearty manner I commend me to you. So Cotton it is, as ye know right well, I stand in dread, lest our holy

MSS.

Cleop. E.vi. f. 234. b.

[Wm. Warham, nephew to the late Archbishop. He resigned both Original. the archdeaconry of Canterbury, and the provostship of Wingham in Burn. Ref. March 1534, in favour of Edmund Cranmer, and retired on a pension. App.vol. III. Strype, Cranmer, p. 24; (edit. Oxf. 1812.) Le Neve, Fasti.]

See Letters XVIII. XXXVII.]

book ii. No. 24.

b[" I find moreover, that the Archbishop of Canterbury at this time, Strype, suspecting the Pope would proceed against him, by the advice of Cranm. our King made his appeal also to the Council, which he desired our p. 31. agents to intimate to the Pope. The success whereof yet doth not appear in our Records." Lord Herbert, Life of Henry VIII. p. 389. Boner was now the English agent to the Pope, and had lately presented to him the King's appeal at Marseilles. There can therefore be little doubt of his being, as Strype supposes, the person who was entrusted with a similar commission by Cranmer. Yet Burnet considered, it does not appear on what grounds, that this Letter was addressed to Crumwell. See his Hist. of Reformat. vol. iii. p. 161; and Strype, Cranmer, p. 36. The appeal itself was probably never delivered; for Boner, writing on the 13th of November, nine days earlier, states that the Pope had already left Marseilles, and that he himself was on the point of setting out from thence on his return to England. Even if Cranmer's letter had been forwarded sooner, the rejection of the King's appeal as "fri"volous, forbidden, and unlawful," would have afforded but little en

father the Pope do intend to make some manner of prejudicial process against me and my Church; and therefore having probable conjectures thereof, I have provoked from his Holiness to the General Council, accordingly as the King's Highness and his Council have advised me to do; which my provocation and a procuracy under my seal I do send unto you herewith, desiring you right heartily to have me commended to my Lord of Winchester, and with his advice and counsel to intimate the said provocation, after the best manner that his Lordship and you shall think most expedient for me. I am the bolder thus to write unto you, because the King's Highness commanded me thus to do, (as ye shall I trust further perceive by his Grace's letters,) nothing doubting in your goodness, but at this mine own desire ye will be contented to take this pains, though his Highness shall percase forget to write unto you therein which your pains and kindness (if it shall lie in me in time to come to recompense) I will not forget it, with God's grace; who preserve you as myself. From Lambeth, the xxiid day of November. [1533.]

Thomas Cantuar.

MSS.
Chapter
House,

ster; Crum

LXXVIII. TO CRUMWell.

Right Worshipful Master Crumwell, I commend me heartily to you, likewise praying you to continue good masWestmin. ter to my friend of old acquaintance Mr. Newman, this bearer, to whom, albeit I have been a tedious suitor unto you a long time, upon such comfortable promise as ye first made unto me for him, I eftsoons pray you now to make such resolute and comfortable answer therein, as I do trust

well's Correspondence. Original.

couragement to the presentation of another from the Archbishop. See Boner's very curious narrative of his interview with the Pope, in Burnet, Reformat. vol. 111. App. B. ii. No. 23.]

с

Stephen Gardyner; who was at this time at Marseilles on an embassy to Francis I.

d

[See Letters IV. V. LXIV. CLIII.]