CP 152, 137

From Waalt

CP Volume 152 Folio 137

HMC Volume 1 Page 212 Number 679

Haynes Page 295 Number 286

Transcribed by Samuel Haynes in “A Collection of State Papers . . . 1542 to 1570” London, 1740

20 April 1560 Lord John Grey to Secretary Cecill

From the Original.

Cousen Cecill,

I HEARTELY thanke you for your Letters and Fryndshipp dayly sent and showed, the contynuanns wheerof with all my Heart I requier, and, to be playne with you, so muche the rather, for that I well understand ye ar the only Mayntayner of Gode's Cawes, and Defender of your Cuntre. And as to the Philippiains bothe abroade, and night her Counsell, nay, ye may rather say of her Counsell, (and dayly in her Coansell,) her Hyghnes must ether dyspars them abrode theer to owen Howses, or els wype them quite owt of her Counsell; in the wyche Number I rekon my Lorde of Arrundell, Peter, and Mason: Well, what I thynke of Parry the Tresorer, I had rather tell yt him to his Faes, then wryt yt, or say yt to onny. I tell you trewly, Cousen Cecill, tomuche Lenitie and Gentyllnes hath mard all; my trust is that her Magesty wyll now goo throwghe with that she hath begonn, becawes yt ys Gode's Cawes, the Commune Welthes Savety, and her owen Shurtie. And as for Kyng Phillippe's aydyng of his Browther agaynst the eretyke Scotts, and Queene may (and she wyll not sleape her Matters) wynne Lythe, and put the Cuntre in sume good staye, before he shaull be able to levey a Man. Theer ys but taree Wayes to the Wynnyng of a Forte, Famyn, Assulte, and the Myen; the syrst ys long and tedyus; the second ys sum Losse of Men; the last ys esyest of all, the Grownd servyng for yt: But what Thyng was theer ever atcheyved or won by Warr, without the Losse of Men and Expense of Munny? I knowe not what great Ordenances my Lord of Norfolke hathe with hym; but yf he have good Provysyon of Wheeles, every Shippe theer may lend hym a Kannon, and theer Shippes never a whitte the more unfurneshed; and so, whylst they trenche for the placyng of theer Battery, may with more Savety and lesse Suspicion enter theer Myens: For I knowe and remember the Grownd so well, that I am suer the upper Part of the Towen Lythe wylbe undermynd. The Coel Myners at Newcastell wyll serve to doo this well innoeh; therfore I pray you set yt a Worke, that the Quene's Munny benot spent in vayen, to ower shames, her dyshonor, and great aplaudyng of Gode's Ennymies and hers, the Papystes I meen, as well a brode as at home. The Queene must so contenauns my Lord Grey with sum good Entertaynment, as she may put a new Courrage in hym, and then let hym alone; gevyng hym his Furnetuer. God wyllyng, I mynd to see you within thees fortyn Dayes, wheerfore I see the lesse nowe: Thus wythe my Comendatyons (from the Bottum of my Heart) to my Lady my Cousen and you, I byd ye fare well in Chryst. From Pyrgo, the 20th of April 1560. Your lovyng Cousen and assured Frynd to his Power,

John Grey.

To my very lovyng Cousen Sir Wyllyam Cecill Secretory.