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[Item] that in the tyme of peas bytwene the kinges grace and his cousyn [the French] king the seid castelle [shall] be furnyssh but with lx. souldears, wherof the king shal apoynt [xx.] of the same, and the [said] sir Nicholas xl. persones, provided alwey that such persones as the [said sir Nicholas shalle do name and apointe to the same keping shall have the kinges warant un [to them] afore their entre, orelles not to be there.

Item, that aslonge as the said paas shalle contynue, so that the [re shall not] be requisite to have more nombre of solders then lx., that every yere duringe the sa[me th]e said sir Nicholas shall content and pay unto the kinges grace, out of the wages [the sum of v.] markes sterling current within the realme of England, towardes the said reparacion.

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Item, the said sir Nicholas shalle serve the king in his persone with the nombre es at al tymes of werre, within this realme of England, when nede, and asofte as the caas [require,] apon reasonable warnyng unto hym geven by the kinges lettres under any of his seales or signet, lev[ing that] place sufficiently furnysshed for the defence of the same in the meane tyme.

Item, when it shall fortune warre to be betwene the kinges grace [and the king] of Fraunce, that during the tyme of the same warre the said sir Nicholas shall furnysh [the said c]astelle with the old holl nombre of soldeours aforetyme oldely accustumed in the same, and duringe the [time of the] said warr to be dischargid of the said yerely paiement of the said vc. markes, and no lenger.

Item, if in the said tyme of warre nede require of a crue of a more. soldeours to be had for the defence and suer keping of the said castelle, then the said nombre shall be furn]ysshed and provided by the said sir Nicholas atte kinges costes and charges.

Item, the said sir Nicholas to receave by bille endented of (blank) alle the abilymentes of warre and other stoff now being in the said castelle, and t[hem to] kepe and redelyver ageyne unto such persones as the king thereunto shall appoint eny tyme [when his] grace shalle commaund, reasonable use, were, and expenses of the same to be deducted and alowed.

Item, he shalle saufly and suerly kepe the said castelle to the kinges [use, and redeliver the] same at alle tymes, when he shalle be commaunded; and therto find sufficient suerty.

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Letters under the king's signet to sir Adryan Fortescue, directing him to contribute ten men towards the defence of the castle of Guisnes. Dated April 1, 1527.

(MS. Cotton. Faustina, E. vII. p. 113.)

BY THE KING.

(Stamp of the royal signature.)

TRUSTY and welbiloved, we grete you well, and forasmoche as the warres wyche long have contynued betwene th' Emperour and the Frenshe king bee now so quykened and with effect poursued on either partie, that dailly excourses bee made upon their frontiers, and the garrisons on booth sides largely fournyshed and encreased, in suche wise as rodes and other entreprises bee dailly made by the oon and the other in greate nombres al alonges and foranempst the frontier of our towne and marches of Calays, and right nere unto our castell of Guysnes, wherby no small daunger might ensue unto the same our castell, and semblably unto our said towne and marches; and in caas there be not speciall regarde had to the furniture, suertie, and defense thereof, We therfor, by deliberat advise of our counsaill, have ordeyned and determined to send a certaine crewe of men, well elect and chosen, unto our said towne, castell, and marches, the same to be under the leading of our right trusty and welbiloved counsaillour the lord Sandes our chamberlain, and captain of our said castell of Guysnes, there to remaigne for a season upon the tuicion and defense of the same. To which crewe we have appointed you to sende the nombre of x* personnes, fotemen, archers, and other, to be wele elect and tryed as is aforesaid. Wherfore we woll and commaunde you that with all spede and celeritie, upon the recept herof, ye prepare and put in arredynes your said nombre, sufficiently harnessed and apointed for the warre, in suche perfite wise as they maye be at Guldeford the iijth daye of the next moneth, there to bee viewed by the

*The number filled up subsequently to the first writing.

+ The date filled in, and "next" substituted for "present."

said lord Sandes, oonles ye shall before that tyme have from him knowlege to the contrary, where also money shalbe delyvered to suche a personne as ye shall appointe, for ther cootes and conduyte money, So to passe forthe, under suche captaynes to whom they shalbe lotted, to our said towne and marches for the pourpose beforesaid. Faile ye not therfor to use diligence herein, as our trust is in you, advertising the said lord Sandes incontinently by this berer of your conformable mynde herein. And these our letres shalbe as well unto you for levyeng, raising, gathering, mustring, viewing, arraying and sending of the said nombre as to them so by you levied, raised, gathered, mustred, viewed, arrayed and sent, as sufficient warrant and discharge as though the same were passed under our greate seale, any act, statute, proclamacion, ordenance or commandement passed to the contrary notwithstanding. Yeven under our Signet at our manour of Richemount the first day of Aprill, the xixth yere of our reigne. Directed, To our trusty and welbeloved sir Adryan Fortescue, and sealed with the king's signet.

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Letter of John Cheyny to lord Sandes, lieutenant of Guisnes,
Nov. 1527.

The following letter is dated from Guisnes, and is evidently addressed to the nobleman who was at the time lieutenant of the castle. Though the fire in the Cottonian library has deprived it of its address, and also of the precise date, it is pretty clear that it belongs to the year 1527, at the close of which a war with the emperor appeared imminent, as the writer states. It was written at the close of November: and the writer had despatched on the 22d of the same month a previous letter, which had failed of passage from Calais on the Sunday following. The 24th November 1527 fell on a Sunday. An amusing account is given of the adventures of a spy sent into Flanders.

(MS. Cotton. Calig. E. II. p. 144. Much burnt round.)

Pleasith it youre lordshypp [I did write] unto your lordshypp the xxij. day of [this month,] whuche letter I dyd send unto master water [-bailiff, desiring] hym to se it conveyed unto you with delyg [ence, the which] letter went nott at that passaige, whyche was [upon] Sonday last, and sens ther hath gone no passaige.

Syr Frances Bryan hath leyne at Calleis this

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dayes. It

may plese your lordshypp to wytt I have [sent] forth youre espyalle into Flaunders, and at Dunkyrk [he] dyd se wrytyng sett uppon the churche dore, [and] he harde say it was so all Flanders thorow; and [so] retournyng agayne he came to Graveling, and by fort [une] met with a solldyour of the castell ther, who is a Spay [niard] and hath maryed Gyles Kevalles wyves syster; [for] acquayntans he dranke with hym; and incontynent t[he] cappiteyne sent for them both into the c[astle], and when Gyles your servaunt came before the cappit [eyne,] he demaunded of hym what he made in those [parts]; Gyles seyde he had bene at a pylgremaig of our [Lady] a myle out of Dunkyrke; the cappiteine swo[re] and he shoulde do hym ryght he shoulde hang [hym] by the necke, and send his cappiteine worde th[at he] had done hym tru justice; and then he command[ed him] to avoyde owte of the towne. Other newis he [hath] none butt that the wrytyng be sett uppon chy [rch] dorris in Flanders, wherof I do send unto your lordshypp the coppye.*

Also, it may please your lordshypp to be advertysed [that on Wednes]day the xxvij. daye of this present moneth, my lord [deputy] of Calleis sent for me and for the bailly, and at our comyng to hym he askid us for newis, and bad us take heede to our chargis; he said it was no other butt to be warr betwene the emperoure and the [king] oure master; and further he shewed us he ha[rd] ther was comyng downe xxx. thowsand Alm[aynes]. Also he saide that maister Bryan shoulde say the Fr[ench] king wolde take parte with the kinge our maister.

[Also it] may please your lordshipp to be advertised [that I have this] day sent owte into every paryshe of this [county to inquire] what store of grayne, and also of all maner [of provisions] ther is within the said countie, and have gy[ven order] that uppon a dayes warnyng they to be [ready to bring] into this castell suche grayne and su[ch provisions as] they shalbe commanded.

Also, it may please your lordshypp to wytt

dekey, as wheelles and stockes .

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here is sore in and the brydge that goth owte

of the . . . . Pyrton's bulwarke, is so feebell that men [cannot pass] over hit. I have spoken to Thomas Fowller . . .

brydge, who hathe promysed .

.. for the same

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*This inclosure is not preserved with the letter.

your lord [shypp any] thinge that in hym lyes; and further he says [it is] requesyt that your lordshypp shoulde shortly [send] a warrant for more money for reparacions, [and] specially for a new bruhowse, for the olde ys [too decayed] to stande longe : beseching your lordshypp to [give] thanks to the said Thomas Fowller for his goo[d heed]. And further, my lord, yf I do here more of [this] besynes owte of Flanders, whiche spekes [of] warr, I shall advertise your lordshypp thereof [with] the shortest speede that may be. And as [for] your compane here, every man ys in goode ord[er and] well wyllyng to do theyre duties. Humbly [beseching] your lordshypp that I may be recommended [to your] synguler goode lady, and also to sir Richard And thus the blessed Trynete preserve your lordshypp in honour. At Guysnes, the . . . . . of Novembre. Also, it may please your lordshypp to consydder [we have] butt fyve gonners in this howse, what chanse sh[all happen]; and also here is no salt, whiche is nedefull to be provided.

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By your lowly servaunte,

JOHN CHEYNY.

NEWNHAMBRIDGE.

The fortress of Newnhambridge, situated a short distance from Calais on the road to Boulogne, has formed the subject of a few remarks, in the prefatory description of the Map. The term "newly made" used in the present document must be understood as implying only an extensive repair or re-edification. The date is imperfect, but it was of course subsequent to the knighting of Sir Robert Jerningham by the duke of Suffolk, in 1523 (see p. 100).

Appointment of sir Robert Jerningham to the custody of the fortress of Newnhambridge.

(MS. Cotton. Calig. E. 11. f. 162.)

Henry the viij., by the g[race of God king of England and] France, defensour of the faith, and. . . [unto our] right trusty and welbiloved counseillor our deputie of our toune and marches of Calais, [the lord] Sandes, capitain of our castell of Guysnes, [our right] trusty and right

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