are, doubtlesse they will be taken for a company of gypsies, and be exceedinglie scorned and despised by that proud nation. As for himself, minuet præsentia famam, when the formall Spanish courtier shall note his heavy aspect and blunt behaviour, soe as they will hardly believe hee is the same O Neale which mayntained so long a warre against the Crowne of England.

Therefore if hee be gone into Spaine the first newes wee shall here of him wilbee, either that hee is shorne a monke, or dead with extreame greefe and melancholie. As for the Earle of Tireconnell, he will appeare to be soe vaine a person as they will scarce give him meanes to live, yf the Erle of Tirone doe not countenance and maintaine him. As for us that are heere, wee are glad to see the day wherein the countenance and majestie of the lawe and civill government hath banisht Tirone out of Ireland, which the best armie in Europe, and the expence of two millions of sterling pounds did not bring to passe.

And wee hope his Majesty's happie government will worke a greater miracle in this kingdome then ever St. Patrick did; for St. Patrick did onely banish the poisenous wormes, but suffred the men full of poyson to enhabite the land still; but his Majesty's blessed genius will banish all those generations of vipers out of yt, and make yt ere it be long a right fortunate iland.

This is my poore and weake conjecture towching this accident, which I humbly submitt to your Lp.'s judgment, and leave your Lp. to the divin protection.

at p

& to remayne at Lops contandmet very Mobly

Dublin, 12 September, 1607.

"Jossays 1

The variety of reports caused me to alter and blott that letter which I had written to your Lp. with mine owne ill hand, so as for expedition I caused my man to make thys coppy thereof; and yet Sr Oliver Lambert, who carried the first newes, was imbarqued before wee cold dispatch it. I beseech your Lp.'s pardon for this, and I shall bee quicker in my next advertisements.

Since the date of those letters, Sir Tho. Bourke, the Earle of Clanriccard's brother, is committed to the Castle for suspition of some practise agaynst the State, but God be blessed wee have peace and quiet in all parts, which wee hope will continew.

Since the date of those letters, I was commanded by the Lord Deputy to draw an instrument of association to be sworne and subscribed unto by the noblemen and gent. of this kingdome. It is done in that forme, as I dare boldly say no man would have refused to sweare and subscribe unto it; but, in regard of the novelty of it, some were of opinion that the safest way was to transmitt it into England first, and to have warrant from thence to offer it to this people: the copy thereof I send unto your Lp. inclosed.

THE MARCHES TOWARDS WALES.

[Ralphe Lord Eure, the writer of the ensuing letter to Lord Ellesmere, was President of the Marches towards Wales, and complains of various circumstances connected with his duties, and especially of a desire to limit or abolish the jurisdiction of his Court. His objection to the number of attornies in the counties subject to his authority would lead to the supposition that they were the chief promoters of a change for their own benefit, as regarded the suitors in the Court of the Lord President.]

To the Righte Honorable my very good Lord the Lord Ellesmere, Lord Chauncellor of England, and of his Maties most honourable Privy Councell.

My very good Lord,

As it hath pleased your Lop. out of your grave judgment and

CAMD. SOC. 12.

3 H

worthy respect, which you did alwaies beare nobly to strengthen and continewe the auncient established government of this jurisdiction of his Maties President and Councell in these partes, the same being of late strongly opposed by some of the great gent. of the fower sheires adjoyning to Wales, many of them combining thereunto, may breed and nourishe a just suspecion that the said Courte is meere unnecessary, oppressing, and unlawfull, rather then honourable to the King, beneficiall to the subjecte, and most necessary for thes partes, as by the grave wisedome of the dead upon the eminent occasions it was then found to be. I therefore beseech your Lop. be pleased at this tyme (necessity enforcing more than ever heretofore) to patronize and strengthen this decaying jurisdiction, and to make knowne to his Matie your worthy experience and knowledge of the course of this Courte, being much better knowne to your Lop. then to the gent. that oppose themselves againste it. How necessary the continewance of this Court, both for the English confronting sheires, as also for the body of the whole Principality of Wales, which confining each one with the other cannot welbe separated more in the tyme of our Soveraigne then heretofore it was in the tyme of his royall, wise, and prudent progenitors thoughte fitt and necessary to be established, I leave to your honourable consideration; fearing that the great liberty which persons of greatness did then usually challenge and usurpe, is likely now againe to be attempted, which was then thoughte fitt to be overruled and tempered by the justice of the Counsell here established, by which meanes was nourished obedience of the greatest to the septer, easement of the meaner subjects from oppression of the greate, each person possessed their owne vineyardes with peace and plenty, and the Courte, with ease and smale travell and coste to the subjects, did minister unto every one suum, meum, et tuum with all equality.

How this happines should be contradicted and opposed with just reasons of state lawe and conveniency, I beseech your Lop. that those thinges which by the gent. opposors are or shalbe

.

alleadged against it, may be deepely considered before they be condiscended unto. The seate of justice for the Principality and the fower sheires appeareth plainely alwayes to have bene placed in the fower English sheires, as a place most worthy, meet, and indifferent for that purpose. Likewise the vicinitye of Wales and those fower sheires doth force continewall traffique, covenant, and trayding one with the other. See the inconvenience: the Welchman is served in the Marches by the Englishman, who with ease of charge recovereth that which to him is due, as which the Welchman (e converso) being farr poorer (as the case now standeth) cannot doe, but is remedilesse against the Englishman, except he traveil to Westminster Hall, which his poverty cannot endure, if prohibitions be allowed in such cases for the Englishman, as now they are. I am boald to send unto your Lop. a true transcript of the laste Instructions signed by his Matie to me, by which your Lop. shall perceave wheather I have exceeded my authority by any complaints that are or shalbe exhibited by the gent. or no; which Instructions being shorter then the former were, if they might be enlarged, according to the former, would cause the like obedience now to be observed as then was, soe shall his Matie be eased of many clamours at this Courte, and his Maties other Courtes of the common lawe shall receive no prejudice, indignity, or blame by the mutuall concurrancy which may easily and justly be held betweene them. And if it pleased the Lords the Judges to survey the number of Attorneys following the common law, and reduce them to a proportionable number fitting the Courte, it would be a good meanes, I thinke, to stopp the multiplicity of prohibitions which now are procured. I find by my litle experience that in Mounmothsheire there be above xxijtie Attorneys: in Shropshire about 40: in Herefordsheire about 50: in Worcestersheire about 50: in Glocestersheire about 40; soe that the number being so great, must of necessity draw a great number of causes unto them, which surely is muche more burthensome unto the subjects in

their charge then would fall out if they remayned subjecte unto this jurisdiction.

I beseech your Lop. pardon me in offering to your Lop. viewe some meanes, and my speciall desire to some present helpe (if it were so thoughte fitt by the Counsell of State), that a Proclamation were made in the fower English sheires and Mounmoth, commaunding all Sherriffes and Undersheriffes to execute all proces from this Courte for any cause not exceeding ten poundes, and withall commaunding the same to continewe untill his Maties finall resolution had with the privity of the Lordes of his Councell, and the opinion of his learned Councell, for the desyding of the question (which by instruction appeareth not yet adjudged), or otherwaies a letter to the Sherriffs of the severall countyes from the Lordes to that purpose. I doubt not but both your Lop. would in the interim well discerne the benefitt, or the inconvenience, of continewing the jurisdiction soe extended in the fower sheires, and in the meane tyme satisfy a number that with amaze wounder at the strong and strange opposition to the Instructions. Thus craving pardon for troubling your Lop. doe take my leave, and rest

Your Lop. ever at commaund,

Ludlow Castle, 13o Februarij, 1607.

RA. EURE.

NEWS FROM FLORENCE.

[Sir John Egerton, son and heir to Lord Ellesmere, was in the habit of keeping up a correspondence with some of the English official residents in foreign courts. What follows is a letter of news from the English resident at Florence, and the date of 1607 (for neither place, year nor month are given by the writer) is ascertained by what is stated at the close regarding the death of Cardinal Baronius leaving unfinished his Ecclesiastical Annals. This event occurred on 30th June, 1607. The conduct and adventures of Ward, the pirate, mentioned below, formed the subject of a play by Robert Daiborne printed in 1612.]