at the am house. BOOK “ refused them all, and appeared otherwise than they needII. “ed, he granted them both copies of the articles, and what Anno 1576.6 else either for time or manner they themselves desired. “ Concluding, thus in most humble and hearty wise he be“ seeched the Almighty long to preserve their honours, to “ the maintenance of the gospel, Ri. Cicestren." It bore date April 1577. Public mass But popery was discovered yet nearer the court; mass bassador of being publicly said in the Portugal ambassador's house, at Portugal's the Charter-house, many English, the queen's subjects, being present at it, the Spanish ambassador being there. Fleetwood, the recorder of the city, hearing thereof, and by order, as it seems, of the lord treasurer Burghley, from court, interrupted them, while they were at their ceremony. Upon complaint whereof made by the said ambassador to the queen, she was so complaisant as to command the recorder to be committed ; and ordered the lords of her privy council to inquire more particularly into the matter, that so she might the better and more fully understand it, and be able to give the ambassador (who made a great clamour) a more absolute answer. Whereupon the lords of the council appointed the lord keeper, the lord treasurer, and sir Walter Mildmay, chancellor of the exchequer, to take the The privy examination of this matter: writing thus to them; “ After our hearty commendations to your good lordships. Her the said am-“ majesty being given to understand, that the ambassador bassador's complaint “ of Portugal doth not rest satisfied with the punishment for being “ extended by her highness' order upon the recorder; in “sisting greatly upon the outrage committed by the said “ recorder, in the manner of his proceeding, in the late “ search made by him of the said ambassador's house; as, “ the beating the porter, the entering in with naked swords, “ the laying violent hands upon the lady his wife, the tak ing of the host and chalice, and the breaking open of 411“ certain doors; and such other like violences; wherewith " the said ambassador hath acquainted you, the lord trea“ surer: she thinketh it very convenient, lest happily he might aggravate the matter more than there is cause, that council's letter about disturbed. 1. “ due examination be made by you of the said particularities, CHAP. (Signed) The more regard was now given to this ambassador, be- The recorcause he was ready to depart, having concluded upon a der and she riffs sent to traffick between both nations. So that the sheriffs and the the Fleet. recorder were sent for before the council; before whom they spake for themselves. And the lords made a true report thereof to her majesty. And at their return they said to them, that they had done but according to law: yet notwithstanding, for honour's sake, and that now seigneur Giraldo was upon his despatch; and for that by his good means there was an honourable conclusion of traffick brought to pass: therefore it was thought meet by her majesty that they should go to the Fleet. And thereupon, at the board they received their warrant to Mr. Warden of the Fleet, to receive them. All this the recorder writ out of the Fleet the same day, (November 7,) wherein they were committed, to the lord treasurer: and lastly, thanking him for his great care for their well doing; and that he would thank the lords, who did as much at that present as possibly they could. But the queen's will must stand. The lord treasurer had, by a postscript to the council's order, advised the recorder to give a just and true relation of this whole matter in writing. And accordingly so he did, accompanied with his letter: which letter, with his declara done. 66 that 66 BOOK tion at large of his proceedings, I will set down from the II. very original, that the merits of the cause may more fully Anno 1576. appear: together with other passages, not unworthy our taking notice of The recor- In his letter he shewed the treasurer, together with the der's vindication of lord keeper, and the chancellor of the exchequer, “ That what he had “ he had required Mr. Spinola, [a merchant in London, “ in time past, to give seignior Giraldie (that was the am“bassador's name) counsel to amend divers things that were amiss; and especially touching the repair of these “ lewd people, the queen's subjects, that came to his mass. 412“ That seignior Giraldie said to his friends, that he (the “ recorder] bare him malice, and that he did this for malice. Upon which occasion he used these words: My lord, I “ refer that to God and your lordship’s own conscience, I never said we heard that your lordship ever touched any man for malice; and I thank God even from my heart, never used any man living with any malicious dealings. He added, that seignior Giraldie's faults were such, “ that he did not only malice, but did abhor. Our Lord “ make him a virtuous man. And then he beseeched his lordship to thank Mr. Warden (of the Fleet] for his most friendly and courteous using of him. And he thanked “ God for it, that he was quiet, and lacked nothing that he his bedfellow were able to do for him; and that it was “ a place where a man might quietly be acquainted with “ God. And so prayed the Lord God to bless his good “ lordship, the lord keeper, and sir Walter Mildmay. It was dated the 9th of November." His infor- Then he began his information touching his proceedings mation of what was in the Portugal ambassador's house, with this preface, that done at the he had, according to the lord treasurer's postscript, writ ambassador's house, with his own hand, set down (and sure he was thereof) the very truth, without adding or informing any thing more or saying. less than the simplicity of the matter was in action. • Upon Sunday last, at eleven o'clock in the forenoon, “ Mr. Sheriff Kimpton and Mr. Sheriff Barnes, and I, the “ recorder, did repair unto the Charter-house; and knock or when the mass was I. ing at the gates, no man answered. Mr. Sheriff B. by CHAP. agreement went upon the back-stairs, to see that no mass“ hearers should escape. And after divers knockings at the Anno 1576. gate, the porter came, being a Portugal, who did speak English, and said my lord was not at home. Then, “ quoth we, let us speak with you, Mr. Porter, for we have “ brought letters. And the porter answered us very stub“ bornly. And at the length he opened the gate, and I, " the recorder, put in my left leg, meaning to enter in at " the gate. And being half in and half out, the porter, “ knowing me very well, said, Back, villain; and thrust “ the gate so sore upon my leg, that I shall carry the grief “ thereof to my grave. Sithence that time my pain hath “ been so great, that I can take no rest. And if Mr. She"riff Kimpton had not thrust the gate from me, my leg “ had been utterly bruised into shivers. And besides, the “porter began to bustle himself to his dagger, and took me “ by the throat: and then I thrust him from me; for in“deed he was but a testy little wretch. And so I willed “ Mr. Sheriff and the officers to stay the fellow from doing “any hurt to any other in his fury. “ After this we passed quietly, all doors being open, out “ of the hall up the stairs : and at the stair-head there was a great long gallery, that in length stood east and west. be quiet ; and I caused the bailiffs to put up their swords. II. was. BOOK “And then Mr. K. with all the mass-hearers, with seignior “ Giraldie's wife, and her maids, were all in a heap, forty Anno 1576.“ persons at once speaking in several languages. “ And then I said to Mr. Sheriff, I pray you, let me and you make a way for my lady. And so he making way “ before, I kissed my hand, and took my lady Giraldie by “ the hand, and led her out of the press to her chamber “ door, and there made a most humble curtsey unto her. “ And after, I put out my hand to the rest of her gentle women, and first kissed it, and delivered them into their “ chamber also. And Mr. Sheriff Barnes And Mr. Sheriff Barnes came into the “gallery: and so we three examined every man what he And first, such as were seignior Giraldie's men, we “ required them to depart. And after many lewd and con“ tumelious words used by them against us, we by fair means got them out of the gallery into their lady's lodg“ing. And then proceeded we to the examination of the strangers that were not of seignior Giraldie's house, nor civility, used such like words in their language against that if our company had understood them, there might “ But in plain terms I said unto them, Sirs, I see no on them; and immediately every man suddenly most was not willing to depart from us, but kept us company. “ And all this done, we examined the English subjects, and “ sent them to prison; who, to say the truth, provoked the “strangers into fury and disorder against us. For if the “ English then had, according to our direction, departed “ from the strangers, and come forth unto us, the strangers “ had been quiet, and we without trouble. But truly the greatest fault was, that as well the English mass-mongers, “ as also the free denizens, for the covering of their own you be |