Graunts made by your noble Progenitors, confirmed also by the late King of famous memory, your noble father, whose soule Jesus pardon, & also by your Highness, were show'd unto your Councell, whereby they evidently perceived, that neither the Marshall of England, ne the Steward of your most honble. Household, ne also the office of Clerk of the Markets, shall be exercised with the said liberties, by other then the officers of the said Monastery, as by the Graunts & Confirmations, ready at your good pleasure to be eftsone showed, doth right largely appear. Nevertheless, whereas the inquest & officers there, have not justly, discreetly, & indifferently assessed & taxed the prices of the Market, as to right, equity, & the good commodity of your Grace's servants hath appertayned; I who knew nothing thereof, am not only discontented with them, for their misdemeanor in that behalf, & shall with God's grace, see them ordered accordingly, but also have no small cause most humbly to thank your Highness, whome it hath pleased to see the said prices reformed, unto the due order & direct course. And God forbid

that I should, or suffer any man to, encroach upon any part of your jurisdiction royall, trusting verily, in consideration of my poor service, that your Highness will be as good a Lord to that your Monastery, as your noble Progenitors have been, as I most humbly, on my knees, beseech your Highness to be.

And albeit Sr. some folks, which be always more

prone to speak evil & report the worst without knowledge of the truth, have percase informed your Highness of some disorder that should be used by my Commissaries in suppressing of the said Monasteries, yet most humbly I shall beseech your Highness, after your noble & accustomed manner, to give no credence unto them unto such time as your Grace demay hear my claration in that behalf. For Sr. Allmighty God I take to my record, I have not meant, intended, or gone about, ne also have willed mine Officers, to do any thing concerning the said Suppressions, but under such forme & manner, as is & hath largly been to the full satisfaction, recompence, & joyous contentation of any person which hath had, or could pretend to have right or interest in the same, in such wise, that many of them giving thanks & laude to God, for the good chance succeeded unto them would for nothing, if they might, return or be restored, & put again into their former State, as your Highness shall abundantly & largly perceive, at my next repair unto the same. Verily Sr. I would be loath to be noted, that I should intend such a vertuous foundation for the encrease of your Highnesses merit, profit of your subjects, the advancement of good learning, & for the weale of my poore soule, to be established or adquired ex rapinis. But, God willing, shall in such wise proceed to the perfection thereof, with prejudice or derogation of any man's right or interest, that it shall appear to all the

world, that I am minded to sett forth that act sincerely, purely, & without injury, wrong, or damage to any person. Howbeit, S. I account myself most bounden unto your Highness, in that it hath pleased the same so favourably & benignly to advertise me, of the reports contrived in that behalf, which I trust in such wise to avoyd, that your Highness shall not only be therwith contented, but also they shall peradventure be the more circumspect, to make any such like reports - hereafter.

Finally, S, I send herewith unto your Highness, a Copy of certain Articles & Clauses excerpted & taken out of the Popes Letters now sent unto his Oratour here resident, declaring in what terms he doth stand with the French King, alledging that he hath nothing done, nor intendeth to do, to the prejudice of your Highness & the Emperour. And albeit his Holynesses demeanor in that behalf, is not so laudable, ne of such sort, as I would it were, yet it is not so evill as it hath ben bruted & reported, trusting that after the arrivall of my last Letters, wherein I have ben rounde & plain, his said Holyness shall alter his copie, & percase shew himself according to such expectation as your Highness & I have had of him. And thus Jesus preserve your most noble & royall estate. Howse besides Westminster ye 5th, day of Febr. by

your

most humble Chapleyn,

At my

T. CARDLIS. EBOR.

LETTER C.

Henry Stafford to King Henry the Eighth, praying to be restored as son and heir of Edward Duke of Buckingham. A.D. 1529.

[CART. ANTIQ. COTTON. XIII. 19. Orig.]

From the statement in Dugdale's Baronage, an ordinary reader would suppose that Henry Lord Stafford had been restored, without intention of further disturbance, to a portion of his father's lands, in the 14th of Henry the Eighth.

The present Letter of petition, presented in 1529, explains the manner in which Wolsey's vindictive feelings interfered with what was intended to be royal bounty. Dugdale states that this Lord Stafford, by Ursula the daughter of Sir Richard Pole, had issue three sons and a daughter. We here learn upon his own authority that he had boarded in an Abbey from sheer poverty for four years, with his wife and SEVEN children.

In his moste humble wise shewethe vnto yo". Highnes your most humble and true subiect Henry Stafforde, sone of Edwarde Stafforde late Duke of Buckingham, whiche eght yeres paste for his offences contrary to his allegians, by verdite of his perys of highe treason was atteyntyde, and after for the same suffred not only his dethe, but by the course of your lawes forfetted all his landes, goodes, and hereditamentes, into your Highnes handes, and after by your highe Courte of Parlament more largely therof atteyntyde; not only forfetting all the premysses, not only in debarring his heires from all his landes, goodes, and possessions, but also from

all honor, degre, and reputacion that of right to every true subject apparteynyth or belongyth after there degres, except yo". Highnes of yo". most mercifull and juste disposicion, calling to yo". gracius remembraunce, do ponder not only the offence done by the father of your saide suppliant to the utter vndoing of his heires for ever, but also will most equally mercifully agayne waye and remembre, first the powr innocensy of your saide suppliant in and of all and every of his faders offences, and also his true and onspotted demeanor not only sins the dethe of his saide father, but always affore, not vnknowne to your Highnes; and where your moste noble Grace of your most bowntious disposicion graunted to your saide subject and suppliant CCCCC marke landes, to take and parceyve sins the next Michalmes after the dethe of his saide fader, not only for his leving but also for the joyntor of his wyffe. So it is moste graciouse Prince that at the tyme of delyvery of the saide Landes to your powr subject by the Lorde Cardinall, late your Highe Chancheler, your powr Suppliant perceyving the same landes not to be of the saide valure by a

most humbly declared the same then by sondry bokes made by your auditors and otherwise to the saide Cardinall, whiche at that tyme willyd your powr suppliaunt to take the saide landes, and promysyd on his prestwoode to be contynuall suter to your Highnes for the performacion of the saide CCCCC markes, to

The blank here is in the original. EDIT.