me againe on your Maties behalf for the voyage into Scotland by land. Wherupon the more I thinke, the more I do mislike it; for, when I thinke of every parte of this verse, quicquid agas prudenter agas, et respice finem, I am marvelously troubled, for I se the two endes of it, and know nothing of the middest. I se that your Matie is in actione, and I see as men may see, and feare finem: quanta prudentia hath byn used in the matter I knowe not, and it becometh not me to enquire. Your Matie knoweth that it is good to deliberate wisely and to execute quickely, for thexecution is all; for yf the maner used in Parliamentes heretofore be used in a Prince's consultation, and the tyme consumed with long contentious orations, and in the end nothing to the purpose, for nothing is executed, the same must folow of those that we se daily doth folowe of thother. I am sure your Matie hath wise Counsailors, or els (I speake upon hope of your Maties pardon) the fawte is youres. If your Counsaill hath geven you advise in this matter, or in any other, good gracious Lady, folowe yt, and do that you are advised by them to do in tyme. I speke it undre supportation of your good favor, for that I have hard that tyme hath byn lost, and occasion not taken by the forehead; but if it hath byn, and that prudentia hath byn used in your thinges from the begynnyng, it is well, and I am glad of it: it will appeare in the end. Because it semeth your Matie is advised still, and many fayre semblaunces shewed, to move you to folow that that hath byn devised in this matter, wherunto surely, but it maketh no force, I can not by any meanes be induced to agre; otherwise then, as a simple subjecte, it maketh me to thinke upon Duke Charles of Burgundy, who being advised to invade Swisserland, after a sevenights sitting in consultation how and which wayes he might entre, a foole of his, such a one as I or Will Somer, sitting after his custome by him at his foote at the bord's end, fell sodenly a-laughing, and said, What a wise sorte are you, that talk every man of your going in, and no man how you shall come out agayne. If your Matie be advised nedes to entre,

entre so, as if there be falshod in felowship, you may trust to your self, and be able to come out againe with honour, or at the lest without daunger; but yet I can not see how you can well entre by land, specyally this tyme of the yeare. The Duke of Norfolkes granfather was sent by the King, your father, to invade Scotland, well accompanied both with good headds and with a good nombre: an army also by sea went into the Frithe, well furnished with victualles to releive the army by land at theire comyng to Edenborow, which the army by land was not able to do for lacke, and yet as much was done for the furtherance of the jorney as might be. In the Duke of Somersettes tyme, the victory was not folowed in Scotland for lacke. I doubt not but your Counsaillors for this warre, at this tyme, do considre what an enemy besides the French men, yea, and peradventure the Scotts, first the weather will be to your people and to there horses.

Item.-How they shalbe furnished of victualls both going and

comyng.

Item.-What store of gunners you may have.

Item.-What passage for their ordinaunce and the carriages. Item. What store of carriages for their munition and victualles. Item.-What maner of encamping is at this tyme of the yeare by the waye. Item.-What forage is to be founde both for the horse of service and for the horse of drawght.

Item. What maner of men be sent in to this invasion, and if they should fortune to perishe for lacke of one thing or of another, how much the losse of them will importe to your Matie and to this realme. It were good, if it may pleas your Matie, if you be not already enformed of these poyntes, and that you must nedes entre to understand particularly first how these thinges be foreseen and provided.

If it be said to your Matie you shall lacke no victualles, you shall have carriages ynough, you shall have horses ynough to drawe your carriages, both of victualles and munition, and like

wise for your ordinaunce, good gracious Lady, be not to ready to beleve yt without you se the proportion in your eye, and knowe where, by whome, and by what tyme, expressely every thing may be furnished, set furth, and come to the place; for we have sene heretofore, in our dayes, the wisest men have failed in their enterprices for the want of good provision of these thinges. I pray God, if your Matie will nedes send it, that you may finde store of these thinges; for I feare, from the further south your folkes come, the worse they will like the aire and ground of Scotland at this tyme of the yeare.

But alas, Madame, what have I done,-being but a simple man -to entre this farre into the matters of your counsaill? What will the Lords and others of your counsaill say, when they shall heare yt? Yf they say well, they shall saye as I meane: if they say evill, I must flye to your Matie for refuge, who is the cause of this my doyng. Our Lorde save youe and prosper youe, and send you the upper hand and victory of all your enemies.

I thinke, undre your Maties correction, it were good to inquire whether the vessells, or rather (if I might so call them) the tumbarrels which the Kinge, your father, made for a defence upon the enemies (of which Sir Thomas Carden had the charge), be furth comyng or no? If not, whether it were mete to make such others of new, for they may hap, being well ordered, to serve to some great purpose. I thinke the Citie of London might, by good meanes, be perswaded, if they be to be made new, to be at the charge both of making and furnyshing, and also of mayntenaunce of the same. Sir William Woodhouse were a mete man to be spoken withall touching this matter.

I pray your Matie most humbly to remembre my licence. Mr. Secretarey hath it to be presented to youe: it was none other but agreable to the meanynge of the statute, and that can Mr. Secretary, if nede be, best declare to your Matie, who was a great setter furth of the statute, and knoweth that it was nothing intended by the statute, that neither I, nor myn, nor any others in our case, shuld be toched in yt.

CAMD. Soc. 12.

F

MARRIAGE OF QUEEN ELIZABETH.

[The purpose of the ensuing letter was to prevail upon Queen Elizabeth to marry, and thereby to remove doubts as to the succession. The object of her choice is not mentioned, but the writer (a Peer of Parliament, summoned to attend the House, but prevented by sickness), adverts in considerable detail to the points of history connected with the question he discusses. He states that he had before written to and had had personal conference with her Majesty on the subject. His great argument in favour of marriage is, that it would put an end to the danger to which the entail of the Crown would otherwise be exposed. Mr. Wright's "Queen Elizabeth and her Times" contains some interesting matter upon this subject, shewing the gradual change in the Queen's mind: in October 1561, she was "strange to allow of marriage," but in December 1564, she was disposed "to marry abroad." The advice which follows was written in the interval, viz. in February 1562-3.] Indorsed, "To the Quenes Matie."

10th Februarij, 1562.

Most excellent. Princesse, my most gracious Soveraigne and good Ladye. I crave of your Matie, prostrate before your feete, pardon for my boldnes in wryting unto youe at this tyme; wherunto I am brought by the great confidens I have had geven unto me heretoffore by youre selff for my wryting unto youre Matie, and partelie am enforced by myn own consciens, burdend with the charge off my love and duetie to youre Matie and my countrey, and with the knowledge and foresight I have (as a man maye have by some experiens), howe much the matter wherof I will write dothe importe either to the contentation and quietnes of youre Maties mynde, and to the perpetuall tranquillytie and peax of this realme (being prosecuted in a right course), or to the contrarie, if by private affections, without anie respect to that which maie and is lyke to followe hereafter, yt be otherwise finished at this tyme then yt ought to be by right and consciens.

I understand that there hathe ben a sewte moved unto your Matie for the mariage of your most noble person (whome I beseeche God longe to preserve unto us), and for thentaille of the succession of youre crowne, if youe leave us without heires of youre bodye; which sewte [is] made unto your Matie in gene

rallytie without lymitation for youre mariage or for the succession. Lyke, as I suppose, no good man maye or can be against the furtheraunce of the sewte (and I my selff have heretofore, not longe agone, wrytten unto youre Matie by youre favor to that effect), so, if anie person shall do prejudice unto youe by debating and disputing of titles in open and great presens, he is not much to be commended; for yt shuld not be done in open presens (I saie,) without youre Maties former lycens, for so might followe muche inconveniens, which dothe not nor can not yet appeare.

Itt is the greatest matter that ever I or anie man alive at this daie can remember hathe bin brought in deliberation in our daies, and therfore everie parte therof, aswell youre Maties answer to the motion, did require good consideration (which I have heard youe did most prudentlie use) as the further progresse by youre Matie in that parte of the matter which tocheth succession, must of necessytie have a tyme to be determined, bicause yt is subjecte to diverse affections and humors founded upon private respectes, some desyringe (after youre Matie and the heires of youre bodye) that a man should succeede, without anie regard to the tytle of a woman, whatsoever yt be, forgetting (as I have heard that most noble Prince of worthy memorie, the King, youre father, saie) that the greatest ancherhold of this crowne, after King Henrye the first, tooke roote from the heire generall Maud, daughter and heire to the said Henrye, who was maried first to themp❜ror, and after his deceasse to Jeffrey Plantagenett, Ducke of Anjou, &c. Of which two came Kinge Henrye the seconde (none alien, though he were borne out off the realme), but rightfull Kinge by course of nature and by discent of bloode; of whome your Matie ys rightfullie discended, and unto whome, by course of nature, discent of bloode, and by lawes of this realme your Matie is right and lawfull heire and successor of this crowne.

And therfore I saie, under your Maties correction, that right, whether it be in man or woman, ought to take place, for ytt is well knowen sithens the Conqueror's tyme, yea, and beffore allso, that the greatest trouble, yea, and almost the onelie trouble that hath