with all my herte and goode wille giffen and graunted unto you. And my Dame, not only in this, but in all other thyngs that I may knowe shoulde be to youre honour and plesure, and weale of your salle, I shall be as glad to plese you as youre herte can desire hit; and I knowe welle that I am as much bounden so to doe as any Creture lyvynge, for the grete and singular Moderly love and affection that hit hath plesed you at all tymes to ber towards me; wherefore myne owen Most Lovynge Moder in my most herty manner I thank you, beseeching you of your goode contynuance in the same.

And Madame, Your said Confessour hath moreover shewne unto me, on your behalve, that ye of youre goodnesse and kynde disposition have gyven and graunted unto me, such title and intereste as ye have or ought to have in such debts and duties which is oweing and dew unto you in Fraunce by the Frenche Kynge and others; wherefore Madame in my most herty and humble wise I thanke you. Howbeit I verrayly [thynke] hit will be righte harde to recover hit, without hit be dryven by compulsion and force, rather than by any true justice, which is not yet as we thynke any conveniant tyme to be put in execution. Nevertheless it hath pleased you to give us a good interest and meane, if they woule not conforme thayme to rayson and good justice, to diffende or offende at a convenyent tyme when the caas shall so require hereafter; for such a chaunce may fall that this youre Graunte might stande in grete stead for the recovery of our right, and to

make us free, whereas we be nowe bounde. And verrayly Madame and I myht recover hit at thys tyme or any other, ye be sure ye shulde have youre plesure therein, as I and all that Gode has given me is and shall ever be at your will and commaundment, as I have instructed Master Fysher more largely herein, as I doubt not but he wolle declare unto you. And I beseeche you to send me your mynde and plesure in the same, which I shall be full glad to followe with Goddis grace, which sende and gyve unto you the full accomplyshment of all your noble and vertuous desyrs. Written at Grenewiche the 17th day of July, with the hande of Your most humble and Lovynge Sonne.

H. R.

After the wryting of this Letter, youre Confessour delyvered unto me such Letters and wrytings obligatory of youre' duties in Fraunce, which hit hath pleased you to send unto me, which I have received by an Indenture of every parcell of the same. Wherefore eftsoons in my most humble wise I thanke you, and purpose hereafter at better leisure to knowe youre mynde and plesure farther therin.

For money borrowed of her by the D. of Orleans when Prisoner in England. These were demanded of Louis by her Grandson H. 8. (See Rymer Acta pub. Tom. 13. p.2 79.) who gives authority to Thos. Docwra and Nic. West-quascunque pecuniarum summas Serenissimæ Principi et Domina D. Margaretæ Richmondiæ et Darbiæ Comitissæ, Aviæ nostræ, et jam nobis ejusdem Comitissa Nepoti jure hæreditario per præfatum Francorum Regem, ratione quarumcunque literarum obligatoriarum, debitas, petendi, levandi, &c.'... vicesimo die Junii 1510.

Madame, I have encombred you now with thys my longe wrytings, but me thynke that I can doo no less, considering that yt is so selden that I do write. Wherefore I beseche you to pardon me, for verrayly Madame my syghte is nothing so perfit as it has ben, and I know well hit will appayre dayly ; wherefore I trust that you will not be displeased though I wryte not so often with myne owne hand, for on my fayth I have ben three dayes or I colde make an ende of this Letter.

To my Lady.

Note, that this Letter first regards Christ's College and afterwards St. John's.

A Letter from King Henry VII. To my Lady Grace his Moder.

And I thought I shoulde not offend you, which I will never do willfully, I am well myndit to promote Master Fisher youre Confessor to a Busshopric; and I assure you Madam, for non other cause, but for the grete and singular virtue that I know and se in hym, as well in conyng and natural wisdome, and specially for his good and vertuose lyving and conversation. And by the promotyon of suche a man, I know well it should corage many others to lyve vertuosely, and to take suche wayes as he dothe, which shulde be a good example to many others hereafter. Howebeit without your pleasure knowen I woll not move hym, nor tempt hym therein. And

therefor I beseche you that I may knowe your mynde and pleasure in that behalf, which shall be followed as muche as God will give me grace. I have in my days promoted mony a man unavisedly, and I wolde now make some recompencon to promote some good and vertuose men, which I doubt note shulde best please God, who ever preserve you in good helth and long lyve.

To the preceding letters, may be added, as a supplement, the three following of Lady Margaret. A letter from the Lady Margaret to her Son, which

was first printed in Dr Howard's Miscellaneous Collection of Letters, from the original in her own hand writing.

My derest and only desyred Joy yn thys World,

With my moste herty Blessyngs, and humble Commendations -y pray oure Lord to reward and thancke your Grace, for thatt yt plesyd your Hyghnes soo kyndly and lovyngly to be content to wryte your Lettyrs of Thancks to the Frenshe Kyng, for my great mater, that soo longe hath been yn Suete, as Mastyr Welby hath shewed me your bounteous Goodness is plesed'. I wish my der Hert, and my Fortune be to recover yt, y trust ye shall well perseyve y shall delle towards you as a kynd lovyng Modyr; and if y shuld nevyr have yt, yet your kynd delyng ys to me a thousand tymes more than all that

1 Concerning the Payment of a certain Sum of Money she lent to the Duke of Orleans, when Prisoner in England See Act. Reg. V. III. p. 129.

Good y can recover, and all the Frenshe Kyng's mygt be mine wyth all. My der Hert, and yt may plese your Hyghnes to lycense Mastyr Whytstongs for thys time to present your honorabyll Lettyrs, and begyn the Process of my Cause; for that he so well knoweth the Mater, and also brought me the Wrytyngs from the seyd Frenshe Kyng, with hys odyr Lettyrs to hys Parlyement at Paryse; yt shold be gretlye to my helpe, as y thynke, but all wyll y remyte to your plesyr; and yf y be too bold in this, or eny of my Desires, y humbly beseche your Grace of pardon, and that your Highnes take no displesyr. My good Kynge, y have now sent a Servant of myn ynto Kendall, to ressyve syche Anueietys as be yet hangynge opon the Accounte of Sir Wyllyam Wall, my Lord's Chapeleyn, whom y have clerly dyscharged; and if yt will plese your Majesty's oune Herte, at your loyser to sende me a Lettyr, and command me, that y suffyr none of my Tenants be reteyned with no man, but that they be kepte for my Lord of Yorke, your faire swete Son, for whom they be most mete; it shall be a good excuse for me to my Lord and Hosbond; and then y may well and wythoute dysplesyr cause them all to be sworne, the

2

2 Lady Margaret's Father was created Earl of Kendal, an. 21 Hen. VI.; and died in 1444, being then seized-'of two parts of the towns of Gresmere, Logaryg, Langeden, Casterton, Kirkby in Kendale, Hamelset, Troutbeck; with the reversion of two parts of the Manours of Helsyngton, Crosthwayte, Hoton, Frothwayte, and Syhkland-Ketel, in Com. Westmer.; leaving Margaret his sole daughter and heir three years of age.' [Dugdale's Bar. Vol. II. p. 123.]