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let owte, and the rent recevide before hande, for x., xv., xx. chaunteres fowndett to be paide oute of the londes, and gret bondes off forfaitures therupon for non payment; the howse is iiij. hundreth powndes in revenewys. The kinges fowndation thus to be mangellede by the quondam, I have petie; the prior now is a bacheler of divinitie, a gret husbond, and a goode clerke, and petie hit is that ever he cam ther: if he were promotede to a better thyng, and the kinges grace wolde take hit into his handes, so myght he recover all the londes agayne, wiche the prior shall never. In my retorne owte of the northe I will attempte hym so to do, if hit be your pleasure. The colege of Newarke here in Lecestre of the kinges fowndation, with an hospitale, is welle keppede, and honeste men therin, iij. hundreth powndes in ther trezarewre howse before hande. The abbay here is confederyde, we suppos, and nothyng will confesse. The abbot is an honeste man, and doth varawell, but he hath here the moste obstinate and factiouse chanons that ever I knewe. This mornyng I will objecte aganste divers of them bugrie and adulterie, et sic specialiter discendere, wiche I have lernede of other (but not of any of them); what I shall fynde I cannot tell. This mornyng we depart towardes Lichefelde churche, and from thens to certayne abbays upon Trent syde, and so to pase on to Sothewelle,† and to be at Yorke within a day affter the xijth day, we intende, and thus to make spede with diligence and trew knowlege of everethyng is our intent. My lorde of Lincolne‡ commaundyt the prechers here of Newarke colege that they shulde no more preche, but onely in ther owne benifices. Why shulde he inhibite any man to preche the worde of Gode? He

The College of Newark, or St. Mary's the greater, in the city of Leicester, was founded by Henry duke of Lancaster, and the buildings completed by John of Gaunt. The church was destroyed after the dissolution.

↑ The collegiate church of Southwell in Nottinghamshire is said to have been founded by Paulinus archbishop of York about A.D. 630. Subsequently in the twelfth century it consisted of sixteen canons. After its dissolution, it was restored by

Henry VIII. and still exists.

John Longland, consecrated in 1521, and no very zealous reformer.

visitede here at Lecestre, and thorow his dioces in thes parttes, at Lent laste, onely to prevent the kinges visitacion; he cannot visite but de triennio in triennium, and he preventede his tyme. more then half a yere, so to prevent the kinges: et sic visitavit pendente visitatione metropolitica, to the derogation off my lorde of Canterburies power and prerogative metropolitan, gyvyn hym by the kinges hyghnes. If he will so suffer his power to be contemnede, hit is petie he shulde have his mitre. From Lichefelde, crastino divi Thome. By the spedy hande of youre assurede preste and servande,

RYCHARDE LAYTON.

The small priory of Newstead, called in Latin De Novo Loco juxta Stanford, for which the bishop of Lincoln writes in the following letter, was founded in the beginning of the reign of Henry III. by William de Albini. The last prior was Richard Lynne, so that it is probable that the bishop's recommendation was not listened to.

XLIII.

THE BISHOP OF LINCOLN TO CROMWELL.

[From MS. Cotton. Cleop. E. IV. fol. 48*.]

Myn humble duety remembred unto your good mastershippe, with my bounden thankes for your grette goodnes always and att all tymes shewed unto me, ytt may please you to understand that the pore house of Newsted besydes Stamford hathe bene voyde sence the xxixth day of October, by the resignation of the late prior ther. And forasmoche as ther ar nowe butt twoo chanons in the sayd house, my lord of Rutland, ther ffounder, hathe nominate ther unto sir John Blakytt, chanon, whiche semyth to be a right honest sobre man, and hathe compounded for the firste fructes. And for that your mastershippe commaunded me nott to medle with eny religious houses, I wilnott intermedle in these premisses, nor eny other lyke, withoute knowledge of your pleasour.

In consideration whereof, I beseche you I may knowe the same by this berer, wheddre itt may stand with your said pleasour to lycence me to admytte the said nomination, and to gyve mandatum to tharchedekon for his installation, for the ease of the said poore house. And thus the blessyd Trynyte have you in his tuicion. Wryten att Wooborne, the xth day of January. Your bownden bedisman,

To the right honourable master secretary, this may be delyveryd.

JOHN LINCOLN.

One of the objects of the mission of Legh and Layton to the North, appears to have been to intimate the wishes of the court to the archbishop of York (Edward Lee), who was looked upon with some suspicion as a favourer of the monks and of the old religion. In the year following he was drawn into the " pilgrimage of grace" rebellion, but excused himself on the ground of having acted under compulsion.

XLIV.

DR. LEGH TO CROMWELL.

[From MS. Cotton. Cleopat. E. iv. fol. 104.]

Ryght worshipfull syr, my dewty presupposid, this is to advertise you that master doctor Layton and I the xj. daye of January war with the archebushope of Yorke, whom we accordyng to your pleasure and preceptes have vysyte, injoynyng him to preache and teache the word of God according to his bownd dewty to his cure committid unto hym, and also in the knowlege concernyng the prerogatyve poore that the kynges grace have, and to see other here in his jurisdiction being enduyd with good qualites, havyng any respecte either to God, goodnes, vertue, or godlynes, to performe the same; injoyning moreover to hym to bring up unto you hys fyrst, second, and thyrd fundations, wherupon he enjoiythe hys office and prerogatyve poore, with the grawntes, privelegis, and concessions geven to hym and to his see apperteynyng. The

whiche whan that you have red them, and knowen in all poyntes the hole effect of them, I doo not dowte but that you shall see and rede many thynges wordy reformation, by the knowlege wherof I suppose the kynges hyghnes and you wyll be glad, and to thyncke it mete that every bushope war in leke wyse orderyd, then shuld they them under ther governauns edyfye moche in Christ, in his doctrine and teach ynges, and then the poore ignoraunte persons, now by blyndenes and ignoraunce sedusid, myght therby be browght to lighte and knowlege, wherby they shuld profitt moche the welthe of ther owne sowlys and the commynaltye. And it shuld be gretly expedient to the concervacion of ther fidelite toward ther prince, and to hys graces succession now begotten, or hereafter to be begotton. Now that I have enformyd your mastership of our actes and dedes, doon to a good ende, as our opinion serve us, yt shall lye in your circumspecte prudencye and wysdom to order all thynges as ye shall thincke to your approvyd dyscretion most mete, and to the farderans of the glory of God and preservation of the common welthe most expedient and necessary. For in the same injunctions geven heretofore, eyther augmentid or diminyshyd, to be mynystred to other bushopys, as shall be thowght to your wysdom most convenyent, I doo not dowght but it shall be moche profitable and commodius bothe to the kynges highnes and to your mastership, as knoweth God, who ever preserve your mastership. From Yorke, the xiijth daye of January. Yours ever assureyd, THOMAS LEGH.

To the ryght honerable
master Thomas Cromwell,
chyeff secretary unto the
kynges highnes, and master
of his rollys, this be delyveryd.

The mitred abbey of St. Mary at York, mentioned in the following letter, dated from the eleventh century. According to some it was founded by earl Siward; according to others, it sprang from a colony of monks who came thither from Whitby. It was enlarged by William Rufus, and became in course of time a very rich house, The last abbot was William Thornton or Dent.

XLV.

DR. LAYTON TO CROMWELL.

[From MS. Cotton. Cleop. E. IV. fol. 115*.]

Hit may please your mastershipe to be advertissede, that here in Yorkeshire we fynde gret corruption emongiste persons religiouse, evyn lyke as we dyde in the sowthe, tam in capite quam in membris, and wurse if wurse may be in kyndes of knaverie, as, retrahere membrum virile in ipso punctu seminis emittendi, ne inde fieret prolis generatio, and nunnes to take potations ad prolem conceptum opprimendum, with suche other kindes of offences lamentable to here. This day, we begyn with Saint Mare abbay, whereas we suppos to fynde muche evile disposition bothe in thabbot and the convent, wheroff, Gode willyng, I shall certify yowe in my next letters. The dean of Yorke was never fully concludede with the tresareure here for the deanrie. The dean wolde not resign unto hym, unleste he wolde leffe hym other possessions; for pension he wolde none have, fearyng suche lyke debaytment therof as was of pensions in the laste Parliament. To have takyn the tresareureshipe for the lieu of a pension he was onse content, wherunto the tresareure wolde not agre, unleste he myght have hade his prebende also with his deanrie, wiche the dean wolde not, and so they broke; the tresareure wolde have hade the dean to have wryten unto yowe of sum towardnes in the premisses at suche tyme as the tresareure came up laste to London, wyche the dean then refusede to do, bycause therof he persavede no gret towardnes of any conclusion. This is the deans taile to me, and this I fynde trewe; wherfore I shall desier your mastershipe to continewe

CAMD. SOC.

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