My very Reverend good sir althought the week past I have geven yow notice of my retorne from Colon and have withall answered souch of yours as expected me here in my absence soe that noe great occation doth rest which should move me this week to write yet to shew my self willinge to make some satisfaction for my former silence in tyme of my absence I have ben induced to breake my ordinary coustome of 15 dayes and this weeke alsoe to send yow thes few lines and the rather to certefie yow of the arrivall of don pedro de suniga from out of England unto this towne some six dayes past beinge now alsoe yesterday departed from hense towardes spayne. our kinge is sayed to have very honorably intreated him in his one [?] particuler and at his departure to have geven him in plate to the valew of 1500li stirlinge and at his request to have granted liberty unto 7 priestes wherof 3 are of our bretheren secular the 4th is f: Harington the franciscan frier and the other 3 are of the society and two of them thos which were taken in mrs Vaux her house, yt is alsoe sayed that he hath the grant and promise for the delivery of f: Baldwin upon condition diat one now in the inquisition at Rome who was sometyme tutor to my lord Rosse may be alsoe set at liberty, his chaplaine tould me that exception was taken agaynst the benidictans soe that he could not procuer liberty for any one of them nether for souch of our seculer as he demanded, but only for three best pleasinge to them selves, there names as yet I know not but m:r Musket is none of them thought [sic] he was demanded, 6 are arived to S:te Omers as mr: cape writeth unto me but I here nothinge what is become of f: Harington; the busines of the Embassador wrth the kinge is sayed to remayne very secret only to his maiesty two of his counsel and one interpreter as alsoe in spayne yt is only to the kinge, the duck of Lyrmo, one secretarie and the Embassador which was sent, from whose chaplaine I had this narration who althought he confesseth great extremity to be in England now used towards catholicks yet doth he withall indevor to insinuate great hopes of some speady redress, and for confirmation hereof they now geve forth that the mach of our prince with florence is broken of and that our kinge doth rather inclyne for the daughter of savoy and doe insinuate great hopes for Cadioliks hereby.

Much reverenced & as much beloved Sir

In the last I receaved from yow I had newes of mr Hairsteins for the which I hartely thank yow and yow shall hear more thearof hearafter. I suppose the untymely death of owr yong prince wyll be come before thease. he died on the 6th of novembre in the evening. Thowgh the L. Sanchar died with great edification yet if the speech which is thear come abroad it will be very scandalous and much impayre the estimation of that holy sea and give our adversaries greater ground of their slanders of our canonizing of wilfull murderours & wicked men which aspersion they have cast upon us in their writings from tyme to tyme. yow know the state of an heret. cowntry & thearfore may with greater freedome lett them know the harme that ensues such blind zeall. His cheif & I may say soole helper was one of owrs, namely the party that hath written the late large letter to his hol. which I sent yow word of & I suppose yow have ere this receaved.

Out of mr nelson his letter of ii [= 11] of Ianuarii

You have heard ere this of m.r Mush his death [.] he would say any tyme this halfe yere or more that he should assuredly dy upon the next sicknes if it were not an ague. His frendes having buylt a new house he went to ly there a fortnight before the rest, which as is verily thought was cause of his death [.] he went reasonably well to bed on a satterday, and at mid-night waking a[nd] fynding him self sick called presendy for his man and his frendes alsoe com [ing] to him he told them at die first that he should dye, and therupon began [to] prepare himself: and among other preparations gave his bookes to his fre[nd to] doe therwith what she would upon condition shee should geve 50. poundes for his [soul ?] and thus he continued till morning and all die fore noone and till fower [of the] clock after noone when he yielded his soule to god. when I know mor[e] you shalbe acquainted therwith.

Beeloved & muche respected S.r

your lettres any tyme this halfe yeare have miste theire waye in comminge unto mee. for some I feare mee come not at all, & othersome come with soe stale a date as that theye bee in that respecte the lesse welcome unto mee. for example yours of the laste of Iune came not to mee untill the 9th of December, & those of the 3 of November which are the laste I receaved (none of October beinge yett come) came unto mee the 26 of Ianuarye by which as alsoe by the former of Iune I understande your meaninge concerninge your ringe, which I coulde have wisht I had understode sooner, for gatheringe (rather then perfectlye knowinge year minde) owte of your letters of september I thought it to bee to have the 20s beestowedd in pios usus for the good of your Patronesse which made mee within 24 howres after the receipte thereof to beestowe it accordinglye uppon such as promised to praye for her & I hope theye have soe donne. In verye deede when I perceaved that ytt was an usuall trike for my lettres (which I make noe doubte but thatt theye weare sente in the same packett with my neighbours) to [s]tagger [?] in theire iorney I thought theire was some falsehoode in fellowshipp (never for all that any whitt mistrustinge your good selfe) & I halfe purposed not to have writtne any moore unto yow untill mr Godfredo weare come unto yow & shoulde by his lettres unto mee insinuate & directe mee howe to wright unto him butt notwithstandinge this determination, I have once moore writtne by the other meanes cheefelye thatt yow maye understande my minde & not mistake mee if my lettres comme not as heeretofore owte of order unto yow.

my verie good Sr, I have receyved yours of the 3 and 18 [?] of lanuarie. I passe not much for there late arrivall when they come safe, my indisposition is such that neither fish nor flesh will goe downe. and yet yow wold judge me able to live, which I f[ea]re verie much. mr mush is gon, and so is m.r Southworth in lancashyre. be yow assured that your course is pleasinge to us, and for my part I do approve it, and lik verie well therof. I am sorie that fra Bartholomeo Telles hath served us in such sort, alas poore man, he knoweth full little owr needes and miseries, nor his master also, who doth what lieth in him to please [2 words deleted] and giveth catholiques faire wordes. I dare not write what is said of his unfittnes [?] for his place: neither do I know whome to gett to enforeme [?] him. for my selfe dare not venture upon it. but be yow full of good couradge, and be [‘yow’ deleted] sure that in what I can I will assist yow. heare is such sturre for Letters taken of late by my L of Canturberie, that it hath wrought us great trouble. do not marvell I praie yow that men write of our matters in generall. for in particular they dare not. to get some to regist[er] all particulars wilbe so chargeable, as I shall not be able to beare it out.

My very worthy, much reverenced, and asmuch beloved good sir. I receaved of late yowrs of the 26 of feb. & [Of the [] of Ia’ deleted] an other of a [word deleted] later date but I know not the day & I have sent it to our superiour to read, in regard of the speciall points thearof. I acquainted that worthy noble man with your desire to have leave in his name to signifie to his hol. the nature of his greaf & the triall that his litle regard of our suites doth put him & others unto. who answered me that he was very willing that yow shold not only signifie soe much in his name but also if yow pleased write that or what els yow shold think good as from him & for that end he gave yow his seall, which mee thinks yow might make much good use of. thear is a bruite & it comes from the Ies. freinds that yow are come from Rome But I take it as [or ‘is’] a dorr. Some say that Salkill the Ies. that is fallen & lives with the Bishop of lond. did make that booke which I sent yow, against his hol. but I can not beleiv that he is able to doe it. it must be done by some that is better acquainted in Rome thowgh some say it must be some Ies. or religiouse that have generall informations of all countryes as that hath of Spayne & Italie. d. Hill is prisoner in the clink and a Ies. one Rand alias Russell alias lentall at the same tyme committed to Newgate, cross the pursuivant told my Lo.

What shall I saye to yow Good s.r beeinge wearylye come whome from nedd & sybbs howse & findinge a copie of yours to bee answered? nothinge good s.r butt thatt theye are hartelye welcome unto mee & that I doe thanke yow for them as likewize for your Commendacions from m.r Godf: to whome I wright not bicause the gapp is not yett opened by which I holped that I shoulde have had meanes to send unto him. I praye yow thearefore to tell him soe muche & withall to thanke him for his kindenes in thatt in thease tymes wheare there is nothinge butt falsehoode in felloweshipp hee sticketh to his welmeaninge frendes & woulde weare it in his power not suffer them to bee oppressed.

I beseech yow remember my best love to Mr More, and if yow thinke it will bee a gratefull office [acqu]aint him with such occurrances as I shall sett downe: because the time is soe short that I writ[e] both to yow and him. Upon the 7th of Maii there were certaine convented att the Starchamber for speeches given out against the Earle of Northampton and upon occasion therof, they did all speake against Religion but especiallie & purposelie against [to]leracion therof: because of a bruite that hee should have made such a motion to the kinge. The Lo. Cooke made it noe lesse then treason to speake of anie such matter, or if anie should saie that the kinge had anie such intention, the Archbishopp of Canterbury inveyhed bitterly against it, and amonge other wordes, I saie (said hee) & I saie it boldlie that if [the] k. should goe about to give a tolleracion hee shold not bee the defendour of the faith but the betrayer of the faith. The Bishopp of London made manie imprecacions against it, & amongst the rest, that his eyes should sincke into his head, rather then see such a day, and the like did the Earle of Shrewesbury, which I was sorie to here, and should bee much more, If I thought hee spake it from his hart, and the rest had every one a vye against it.

My verye good frende. I can not of late bragg of the favour to receave many lettres from yow. the reason maye bee either for thatt in this trublesome tyme theye maye have miscarryed or els bicause yow have little to wright off either of which excuse maye sarve bicause I shall never mistake yow what ever faule owte. I praye yow alsoe not to mistake mee in die like kinde for tymes growe woorse & woorse with mee & our trubles are soe greate that I knowe not wheare to beegin; nor scarce dare to adventure to wright leaste I add truble to truble: at this prsent men daylye expecte the woor[st]e that maye bee & I feare mee that the indiscretion of some of my neighbours will undoe them selves & others for company. The gentleman which borrowed 6l xis of yow takethe what care hee can diatt yow shoulde bee payed & the faulte is not in him for my Cosin Thomas hathe receaved as muche moneye of him & I have spoken to him to sende it unto yow by that good debter of yours whoe thinkethe diat hee can never requite your curtesye to die full. I understande the manner of diat late searche at stansteede which was for many howers together the pursephants havinge beene kepte oute of doors for 3 howers at which tyme whiles some weare at the greate gate one of the knaves went unto a backe doore & plucte owte a box in which hee had tooles to picke locks withall but as it chaunced the doore was bolted within.

worthely esteemed and beloved sr yours of the 1 of August gave us good contentment in that yt mentioned the arrivall of D Kellisones to the protectoure hopeinge that yt with ours unto him also will sett forward some good resolutione for Doway wherein I feare delay may be hurtfull[.] Therefore doe we wishe that as you can with anie conveniencie you should solicit and sett forwarde Doct Kell[i]son his establishement wzth all speede for yf there were no feare of other inconvenient [sic] the only deferringe of sendinge or thinkinge of sendinge some one into spayne ys cause enoughe to solicit that matter which untill yt be resolved upon will ever hinder the executione of thother to our great hinderance. I have writen to Doct Kell and have sent him your owne wordes bothe aswell in this of the 1 of august as of the 18 of Iuly and have urged him with all the reasones I cowld to write unto you playnly his mynd, & his desire, and to entreat you to solicit for him those thinges he proposethe which what they are in particuler we knowe no more then that we did by mr Harley his letter, we expect everie day to heare of his resolutione in this poynt but peradventure you shale heare frome him by mr pett his meanes sooner.

Very good sr

Yt is even nowe erkesome to mee to wright suche dainger I apprehende in sendinge & receavinge lettres for but yesterdaye a lettre which a brother of myne wrought unto mee beeinge t[ake]n by the purs[evan]tes beefore hee came to my handes muste coste either the wrighter or the receaver xili to free [t]he car[r]ier which was my Cosin Tho: H. from dainger. I perceave that yow keepe a fixte order in sending unto mee yett did not yours of Maye & Iune come to my handes untill the 17 of september & I verrelye feared that some dainger might have come by them through the indiscretion of my man Rich: whoe contrarye to my appointemente sente them upp & downe the countrye after mee. butt god bee thanked I receeved them & have torne them & halfe forgotten the contentes of them. I [am] sorye to heere that my good frende mr Godf. shoulde by reason of his lamenes leave the coorte & come downe into F: for I knowe thatt if hee live where & with whome hee desirethe theare will arise an inconvenience, his sister Cather: & I live in one howse & I take suche comforte in her companye thatt I woulde bee lothe to leave her to any butt your Kitt. to which purpose I have writtne to yow & daylye expecte your answeare. I praye yow to thanke m.r Godfreye for his kinde offer in offeringe mee to live with him.

My very worshipfull and Rev: S.r

Some few weekes past I receyved a letter of yours, wher by I perceive that from dyvers of your frends you had receyved letters, myne onelie you found wantinge, wherat some accidentall cause was to be feared & some errour committed by not delivery of our mutuali lettres, or that which is worse might be deemed, (which I dare say you never firmelie apprehended) that I ungratfullie & unkindlie behaved my selfe, in beinge unmindfull of my deare frends; but none of thes happened, as I take it in this defection: for the truth is I know not any certayne time sett downe when as your said frends ioyntlie writt to concurre with them but as time & matter do afford I do accordinglie, for when I find small subiect to make any relation upon I differ it somewhat longer, for about that time I wrot unto you, but some weekes after the date of those letters as I collect, & you er this may well perceyve. In thes bad daies manie thinges do happen to the undoing of many men, as searchinge, apprehendinge, imprisoninge, losse of goodes, & lyvelihoodes which do continew still as they have done many dayes & in some kind much worse, for the pursevantes are never quiet nor rest, but they searchinge or apprehendinge, & no Cath. they will let go without he redeeme himself for a round some of money if he or his frendes be able to make it. otherwise they would not ech one of them pay every six moneths threscore pounds for a new licence, as they do, & like gentlemen keepe men & geldinges, & be worth hundreth in a short time as some are, iste quaestus est nunc uberrimus. sed melius est modicum iusto, super divitias peccatorum multas.

Rev. sr havinge written as much as I am able alredie, yett can I not hold my hand, but that I must informe yow still how matters do passe amongst us. att the comminge forth this terme of widd disputation in latine for defence of the oath against the reasons of Card bell, lessius, Gretzerus, and becanus, yow will not beleve how the Clinck is visited with many, and how they seek to wipe the imputation from fa preston with such excuses as to wise men seame verie weeke. well such books will certenly worke us much woe. the favorers of that congregation flock together, and bragge that many both Iesuites and secular preistes are of widderintons opinion, wherin they faile, albeit widderinton nameth 13 seculars of the best lerned in this Last booke, but vainly and falsly: and now they give out further (as I suppose for the better excuse of fa preston) that Clinch mr widd ghostly father, and one of the best lerned northerne seculars is the maker of that booke; but as true as the rest.

my good Sr, albeit I find my selfe wearied, because of the Little good we doe, yet I thanke god my couradge faileth not to do any thinge without preiudice to the state, that may sett forward our cause. I have said enough in diverse Letters about mr Pett. I suppose he will to spaine, and I have gotten him leave to prosecute his busines there, yow have no more to do but to helpe him to some good frendes. I am sure yow have hard before this of one Carier a minister of great sufficiencie Lately converted, yf he seeke to yow for acquaintance, I could wish yow to give him the best comfort yow can. lest for waunt of such courtesie he fall againe as diverse have don; and namely now of Late one Rontree a minister, first offeringe him selfe to the benedictins, and after to the Iesuites, for Lack of kyndnes became discontented and is now returned to his vomitt with much offence and scandall to others, one of thes daies I meane to send yow a Letter to the protector and one to his auditor, who yow say is our frend. my letters come slowly unto yow I confesse, but diey come with the best speed that I can use.

my very Reverend and much reverenced good sir. There be many reasons why I shold (as I doe) much honor and love yow. yowr speciall vertues and worth, yow [sic] great love & labors for the generall cause of our church, wherin thowgh my love and desires may be as great as yours, yet in paynes, and all things els that may further the good therof, I am incomparably behind yow. also your sweet disposition & conversation with the continuance of your love to me soe much above my deserts, your frendly constructions of my negligence in writing, and notwithstanding my faile [sic], the continance of yours, thease and such like did at the first beget and after nourish, continew & increase those respects in mee towards yow which shall not decay godwilling whiles I breath.

my very R. and much honored good sir. I receaved of late from mr clapham 2. lettres of yours to him, which did please me soe well (especially th'one which was very iudiciously written, & to good purpose) that I made a meting and presumed soe much of your allowance as to read it in the hearing of mr coll. and a knight a freind of myne and an other gentleman that is noe stranger to our affayres. it was noe less liked of them then of mee, and seemed for the present to put life in them, the effects wherof I was in hoope, yow shold have seen, but I doe in part excuse them, for besides the generall difficulties many men are soe puzled with diverse particuler buisinesses sometyme in regard of religion and sometyme for their private state of life as they can hardly (unles greater zeall then usually I finde now a dayes move them) find any tyme to attend to the generall buisines. especially having soe litle incouragement (as they finde wee have) from those that shold yeeld us more comforth then they doe. but I only now towch that point, least yow applye that unto mee. ridiculus citharaedus – chorda qui semper oberrat eadem. I saw a lettre written owt of Ireland, that reported that there bee arrived in waterford 3. Irish Iesuits of rank & place, who browght with them pardons (as the lettre said) from the beginning of the world to all those that opposed themselves to the parlament, and continued therin, and they have made known that they have comission from their superiours to preach 3. sermons (the party that did write the lettre was promised the texts and a draught of their discourse) and they incouraged that people to continew & assured them of succour in tyme of need.

My very Reverend good s.r upon occasion of some of yours I did scrible over a lettre of thankgiving to your monsignor. but afterwards it was cast by for a long tyme, and finding it by chance of late among other papers, I read it over, and resolved to send it, for thowgh there be errours in it, yet owr difficulties, the distance between yow & us, the want of particuler information and such life [sic for ‘like’] may excuse them, at the least he will see that wee take notice of his worth & favours to us. yow may doe well hereafter both to send us a copie of ther titles & stile which wee must use in our lettres to those to whom we write as also to enforme us of their states in perticuler for mr coll. & I did differ in owr opinions about this monsignor your freind. because he thinketh that he is noe cleargy man, I mean noe p. and he alleaged his reasons for it, by which yow may see how ignorant wee are.

my most kind and worthy S.r

Yow last which I received was that wherin you gave us to understand of the establishinge of d K. in the Coll. to whom I have addressed & I hope they are receaved by this some few lynnes, as speedilie & effectuallie as I could, accordinge to your desire; and the matter which was entreated of, since which time I am credible infomed that the place which is imposed upon him is a thinge forced contrary to his minde & will, but he is willinge to concurre & conjoyne wzth us in all thinges in what he can, but he seameth somewhat to timorous, (as I have he [sic] obiected it unto him as his fault) to enterprise any thinge not practised before because of the censure given in such affaires by P. Quod nihil est innovandum & therfor dares not as yet make you his Agent untill it be motioned by some meanes unto the cheifest. I have moved Mr Nel. to writt unto the dr as touchinge this busines, as allso unto you concerning all other our affaires, which I doubt not but he hath performed. The Bened. say heare that your cheife suite was opposed & resisted for that it was propounded that the Bis. might be their superieurs for so hath Mr Beach written to them, & that f. Owen gave him the first knowledge therof, & so they conioyned together in opposition: they frame dyvers reasons & argumentes that it is thinge most inconvenient that they should be subjected or commaunded by any such superior who is ignorant of ther rule, life, discipline, & other affaires belonginge to ther company; and that ther Superior should be commaunded by an other not proportionated to them as they say, a thing most unagreable[.] But it seameth they are not willinge to any at all, upon any fashion whatsoever.

My very deare & true frend.

It doth much trouble me that since St Barnabas day wherof my letter was dated which you last receyved you have not receyved any more, so many moneth now expired; in August I wrot as I take it, wherin somethinge did particularly concerne a frend of myne, sendinge you therwith a bill of Atturney for the recovery of a certayne debt, wherof I stood in hope neare this time to have receaved an answere, since which time I have together with this writen five times, as you may gather by some of my former lettres, accordinge to my true account, though of the dates I do but make coniecture, reservinge no notes therof; I should be sorie that any of them should miscarrye for I did my endevour to satisfie your expectation,: [sic] in a whole yeare I have not written more oftener then within this halfe: and now I cannot tunne my pipes unto a more ioyfull note, then heertofore, but day by day more lamentable.

My v.r. & b. sir

Being at this present in a pathmos yow cannot expect the certayne report of any fresh occurrences, yet because I did not lately write I thowght my lettres wold be welcome how meanly soever they were fraught. I receyved a comission of procuration for yow from our superior & at my coming from london which was 6. dayes agoe I sent it. I did also in my last to mr pet, intreat him to signifie unto yow that I had dealt about the money and that I found yowr cosen ready to pay it at easier tearme at the furthest, thowgh he wold presently have disbursed some part therof. but I now fear me, that it cometh too late for mr Mayny as I perceave, is arrived and hath made it over to my la. R. for mr Th. & mr Io: R. who are there with yow. and upon occasion of this I hold it fit to enforme yow, that pseudowiddr. is great with their mother and yow know how easy a matter it is for a man of sufficiency to sway with his freinds & consequently yow must think that she will incline to think favorably of what he doth. which disposition is soothed from thence. for she told me that she had lettres from thence (but wold not graunt that they were from her s.) that widdr. his boke was not censured and that they there did hold it a learned work & that much was not spoken against it etcetera.