any shalle comme unto us, we shall fort [hwith] geve advertisement to youre highnes of the same.

Ymmediately and forthwithe after the writing of the pre[mises,] the xxviijti of June, and saint Peter's even, came to [us the] gentilmen of Fraunce, of whoos commyng and ent . . . we had advertisement by my lorde cardinalle. A[nd on] Saturdaie at after diner, according as tide [served] for thaym, they, being well accompanied by [the lord Barnes,] lorde Darcy and other, repaired to your dereste doughter then at Richmounte, where thay founde her grace right honorablei accompanied with your counseill, and other lordes, both spirituall and temporall; and her house and chambers right welle appointed and furnisshed with a goodly company of gentilmen and tall yomen; and as unto ladies ther were in the chamber of presence, attending on her grace, besides the lady governes and other her gentil women, the duches of Norfolk, with her iij doughters, the lady (blank *) wiff to the lorde Herbert, the countesse of Worcester, the ladies Gray and Nevelle, the lorde John's wiff,† with sondery other ladies and gentilwomen; and in the great chamber were many goodly gentilwomen well apparailled. And at the commyng of the said gentilmen of Fraunce to the princes' presence, her grace in suche wise shewed herself unto thaym, furst in welcomming and enterteynnyng of thaym with moost goodly countenaunce, propur communycacion, and pleasaunt passetyme in playing at the virginalles, that thay greately marveled and rejoyesed the same, her yong and tendre age conscidered. And soe after thay departed ageine to London, and at this present tyme be upon thair depeching from hennes. Sethen thaire hider commyng thay have bene well accompenied with the said lordes Barnes and Darcy, and other gentilmen, and goodly chere doon unto thayme, furst by the maire and sheriffes of London, th'abbot of Westmynster, and thenne after mooste specially by the duke of Norfolke.

The Lords of the Council in London to Wolsey.

(MS. Cotton. Calig. D. vII. p. 233.)

(Directed,) To my Lorde Cardynalles grace.

After our right humble recommendacion to your grace, Pleaseth the same

* See p. 93.

The wife of lord John Grey.

to wete your right honourable lettres bering date at Calais, the xxvjti day of June, conteignyng your advertisementes concerning the commyng hider of the thre gentilmen of Fraunce, so licenced to do by the king our souverain lord, were delyvered unto us on Thursday in the mornyng last passed, being saint Petres eve, The whiche daye, a litle before night, the same gentilmen cam suddainly to London. And albeit wee had litle and short warnyng before thayr commyng, yet convenient preparacions were made for theym according to your pleasure and advertisementes. The maire of London havyng knowlege of thair said commyng, made unto theym, being wele accompanyed with gentilmen of England, a goodly bankett at night in Chepe syde, and there they sawe the watche, which was right wele ordered, and by theym excellently commended, as we understande by reapport of the gentilmen that were in thair company. The next day after, being saint Petres day, we sent the lord Barnes to geve welcommynges to the said gentilmen, and to accompany theym. And the same day the said mayre had theym to dynner, and in the afternoone, inasmoche as they desired amonges other thinges to see th'ospitall of Savoye, and the kinges chapel at the monasterie of Westminster, they were conveyed thider, wele accompanyed on horsbak, and demonstracions made unto theym of notable thinges in the said hospitalle, the kinges chapelle, and the sayd [monastery,] th'abbot of the same accompanyeng theym, [and after] enterteigned theym with right goodly chere [as the] usage requered upon a Fryday. And on S[aturday] folowing oon of the shiriffes of London made [the said] gentilmen a goodly dyner, and for that the tyde was commodious for theym to Richemount aboute noone, they being wele accompanyed by the lord Barnes, the lord Darcy, and other, were then after conveyed thider in a barge, where they repayred to the princesse and fownde her righte honourably accompanyed with noble personages, aswel speritualle as temporalle, and her house and chambers wele appointed and fournysshed with right good nombre of goodly gentilmen and tall yeomen; and as unto ladyes, there were in the chamber of presence attending on her grace (besides the lady governesse and other her gentilwomen) the duchesse of Norfolk, with her thre doughters, the lady Margaret wif to the lord Herbert, the countesse of Worcester, the ladyes. Graye and Nevell, and the lord John's wif, with sundry other ladyes and gentilwomen; and in the greate chamber were dyvers goodly gentilwomen wele apparailled. And at the commyng of the said gentilmen of Fraunce to the princesse presence, her grace in suche wise shewed her self unto theym,

[first] in welcommyng and enterteignyng of theym with moost goodly countenaunce, proper communicacion, and pleasaunt passetyme in playing at the virginalles, that they greatly marvailed and rejoysed the same, her young and tender age considered. Communicacion had, and licence taken by the said gentilmen of the . . . . goodly chere was made unto theym of strawberes, wafers, wyne, and ypocras in plenty. The same nighte th❜oder shirif of London made unto theym a goodly soper. Yesterday (Sonday) my lord of Norfolk had the said gentilmen with hym at dyner, and used and enter [tained] theym all the day with moche goodly chere and passetyme. This present daye they entende to see the Towre, and so to depeche themselves from hens. We have at this tyme written unto the kinges highnes, and geven unto his grace our moost humble thankes for his gracious advertisement lately geven unto us, by his moost honourable lettres, concerning his moost excellent and goodly actes, passetymes, and pleasures had in those parties, like as your grace shall conceyve by the copye of our lettre whiche we sende unto you herinclosed. And almighty God have your grace in his preservacion. At ....... the second day of July.

Other signatures are burnt off. The lords who signed on the 13th June may be seen in Ellis, Orig. Letters, I. i. 176.

[P. 30]. THE expenses of WoLSEY'S EMBASSY, 1521.

(Abstracted from MS. Harl. 620.)

The booke of Soluc'. In my lordes graces Jorneye to Cales, Bruges, and other places. Master Roberte Carter occupyinge the office of stewardeshipe. Anno xiij°.

f. 2. "Ale and beare," extending three pages. Total cciiijli. ixs. iijd. f. 3b. "Wyn." Total lxixli. xiijs. xd. ob.

f. 4. "Buttry." The account for "mapylle bollys, lether pottes, ashen cuppys," &c. Total cxiijs. iiijd. ob.

f. 5. "Pantre." Expenses of washing "clothys" and "covyr-payns." Total xvijs. xd.

f. 6.

f. 8.

"Ewrye." Three pages. Total lxxiijli. xijs. vd.
"Sault and sawcys."

Total xjli. ixs. ixd.

f. 9. "The pultrye." Total vjli. vjs. jd. ob.

f. 10. "Lynges, coddes, and other salt-fyschys, bought of Basdeyn and of other fyschmongars." Total xijli. viijs.

f. 11. "Beffes and muttuns." Total cclxvjli. iijs. ijd.

f. 12. "Foreyn chargys;" that is, miscellaneous expenses, amounting to cxliiijli. xvijs. viijd. Some of them are curious, as this for the scocheons which ambassadors were accustomed to leave on their route :

"Item, payd to Joh'n Browyn, paynter of Lundun, for dyvers scochyns bought of hym and receyved be the syght of the said officers, as apperyth be bylle,-xli. xvijs."

The following items of expenses incurred on the cardinal's attendance at the two churches in Calais may also be considered worth extracting

"Item, payd to Wylliam Elton, for a carpynter and tymber, in seynt Mary's chyrche of Caleys, for hangyng of [the] hye auter, the iijth day of August, vjd.

"Item, for the hyer of a cart for carrying of the vestry staff from the stapylle to seynt Mary's chyrche, iiij d.

“Item, paid to the sexton of seynt Peter's, for the hyer of a carpenter, and for iiij ledges for the hye auter, and for my lordes traves, xvjd. "Item, paid for a wagon carrying of the gret standerd of the vestry to seynt Peter's chyrch, xvjd."

f. 18.

"Weet" (wheat).

Total cxliijli. vjs. vijd. ob.

f. 19, 20. "Burdwages." Lists of gentlemen. (See hereafter.) f. 21b, 22. "Burdwagys for yomen."

These accounts continue to f. 29, where is the "Summa totalis denar' solut' pro commensalibus forensecis ccxxviijli. vijs. ijd. q."

f. 30.

f. 33.

f. 37.

f. 38.

f. 39.

"Veelys and lambys." Total iiijij li. xijs. vijd.

"Caryages." Eight pages. Total iiijij li. vijs. xd.
"Woode and coole." Total cxjli. xijs. jd.

"Rusches." Total iiijli. xvs. viijd. ob.

"Rewardes." These are curious as enumerating the presents

Wolsey received, and the senders of them; but they were in England, on his route to the coast. Total, vij li. vjs. viij d.

f. 40. This commences another account, on a smaller quire of paper, entitled "The Queyre of Velwettes, Skarlettes, Redde Clothes, and of Milleyn Bonettes."

f. 41. "Blacke velvett gevyn to my lordes graces gentlemen agayn hys journé to Cales, in July an° xiij° Regis H. viijmi." To fifty gentlemen, each ten yards of black velvet at ixs. the yard, and a bonett, price iiijs. iiijd.

f. 43. "Skerllettes geven to my lordes yomen." To a hundred men three yards of black velvet at vijs. viijd. the yard, and iij yards of scarlet at viijs. vjd. the yard, and each a bonett.

f. 456. The totals here given distinguish the allowance made to the various recipients, as follows

"Velwette.-Somme totalle of velwette delyvered to 1. gentylmen aftyr the rate of x. yardes to every of theym, vc. yards at ixs. the yarde, ccxxvli. to iiijxx xvi of my lordes yomen, clerkes of his chapelle, and clerkes of his kychyn, aftyr the rate of every one of theym iij. yardes, ccmiiijxx di. yardes. To the iiij. fotemen aftyr vj. yardes di. for every of theym xxvj. yardes. To Mr. Stiward (iiij.di.). Mr. Tresorer (vj.) & Mr. Comptroller (vj.) xvi. yardes di. And to x. childyr of the chapelle xviij. yardes. In all cccxlviij yardes di. at vijs. viijd. the yarde, cxxxiijli. xjs. xd. In alle in black velwett viijem xlviij. yardes di. and in all in moneye, ccclviijli. xis. xd.

"Skarlette.—Somme totalle of money paid for skarlette delyvered unto cm of my lordes yomen, clerkes of his chapelle and clerkes of his kichyn, with the iiij. footemen, at iij. yardes for every of theym, cccm yardes; to x. prestes of his seid chapelle, and to his ij. secretaries, to every of theym iij. yardes, xlij. yardes. And to the seid x. childyr of his seid chapelle for x. cootes xxiiij. yardes di. In alle in skarlette ccclxvj. yards di. whereof lxxviij. yardes at viijs. vjd. xxxiijli. iijs.; xlij. yardes at viijs. xvili. xvjs.; xlij. yardes at vijs. viijd. ævili. ij s.; cmij. yardes at vijs. vjd. xxxviijli. vs.; and cmij. yardes di. at vijs. xxxv li. xvijs. vjd.; in alle in moneye, cxlli. iijs. vjd.

"Reddes.—Somme totalle of money paid for redde cloth delyvered unto iiij. vj. of my lords gromys with the gromys of the stabulle, that is to saye, to every of theym iij. yardes, and to the ij. chariotte menne and to Alan Spaynyard the mule manne, to every of theym iij quarters of a yarde, and to the sumpter manne di. a yarde, to make theym jerkyns besides theyr cootes, cclx.yards iij. quarters. And to xxvij. abbey menne, to every of theym iij. yardes iiijj. yards. In alle of redde cloth, cccmxlj. yardes iij. quarters.