Page:History and characteristics of Bishop Auckland.djvu/38

 mSTOBY OF BISHOP AUCKLAND. 21 apesra, and bathe ryden to and fro betwixt [Brancepatb] and William Norton's bows twyse, so that they occapye the streets in [a] maner dayaand nyght, bntt delleth with no man. There [are] sundry tropes of twenty, or .thereabouts^ latly oome forth of Torksbyer, and direct their course to Branspethe, but yt ys not as yett knowne what theys are ; but I truste, by tomorowe at nyght, to understand and knowe the names of all the jentylmen that kepethe the Erlles* or anye of the others' companye. And yett ther ys verye strayt watche and ward ; and this daye ys appointyd to be at Branspeth all that anye of them in [any] manner can make, in ther armor ; but what actyon they intend I know not, that to-morowe, or this daye, they will sett f orthe what soever they pretend to doye, and shewe ther force, which ys nott, when yt ia wholly gathered, by that I can leme, above six hundred men, and thereaboutes. They will be together this daye, or nyght, but dowting what myght happen to my selfe, whom theye greatlye menace, I have put my selfe and my howsehold only, into Banuurd-castel Castel, and hath spoken with manye of the better sortt, as well of the bishopbrigg, as of Richmondshire^ all which promisethe to serve the Queue's Mi^estie obedyentlye and dewtyfully, and yett doith what they can to stay these rumours, which the others, before-named, wylfully styretL And sewro, in mj opynyon, the moste part, and in [a] manner all, both of the gentelmen and commoners [in] Rychmondahyre, are both dewtyfull and redye to serve, as thaye shall be commanded by you, so that th'Erll of Northumberland shall be able to doye small there. And, finalye, I yett reste of that opynyon, that the Erlles, with ther conf ederaytes, ar not determyned of any open action, butt makith thes assemblies, eyther for ther owne garde, beynge in greate f earo to be apprehendid, eyther meaneth to make a shewe, and so separate themselves ; wherunto I f eare they ihal be muche stirred by thea wicked counsellors, that hath brought them to this staye. Butt what shal be further sett f orthe, your Lo. shall ba assertaihed off with all deligens ; and so resteth redye to serve her Majestye, as by your Lo. I shal be directed, or commanded ; and so taketh my leve : from the Queen's Majesty's castell of Barnard Castell, the twelfth of November, 1569. Your Lordships wholly at commandment. We also give the following letter from Sir 6. Bowes to Secretary Cecil, copied from the same source as the above : — Sib Q. Bowis to Ssorbtabt Cecil, 14th Dbcembeb, 1569. It may please your honorable mastership : Testemyght I receyved a letter from the Queues Miyestie, of the 26th off November last, with another letter from yow of the sayme date : before which tyme I receyved none from her hyghnesa or Privy Councell, or yow, at any tyme sythens my entre into her Majesties Castle of Bernard Castell, which was in the beginning of thys rebellyon ; and beyng then commanded by her graces severall commyssyons to me and others, derecte^ to levye power, to be in redynes to attend upon the Lord Lieutenant, to suppresse thys rebellyon ; I had gathered thether bothe horsmen, and allso f otmen, and kepyng them at Barnard Castle with mc ; to repayer to the Lord Lieutenant, upon his Lordships call, as he had dyrected me. I was, in the mene tyme, besQged by the rebells, and contenewyng there in strayte seage, wythe very hard dyett and great want of bread, diynck, and water ; which was our onely dryncke, save I myxed yt with some wyne. I fownde the people in the Castle in continuall mutenyes, seakyng not only, by greatt nombers, to leape the wallea and run to the rebeUs ; but also by all menes to betraye the peoe, and with open force to deliver yt, and all in yt, to the rebells. So far, as in one daye and nyght, two hundred and twenty six men leapyd over the walles, and opened the gaytes, and went to the enemy ; off which nomber, thirty tyve broke their necks, legges, or armes in the leaping. Upon which especyall eztremytyes, and that day our water that we had, by the intelligens off them that fled from us, bcdng strayt) or ti^en away; and by other great occasyons, I was forced, by composytyon offerd, to leave the pece; takyng with me all the men, armor, weapons, and horses ; levyng my household stuffe, which I mayd no accompt off, in this tyme of servyce, tho the valewe wer greatt ; so as the enemyes receyed only the bare pece and stuff aforesaid, which, by the causses aforesayd, I could holde no longer. And I am come with my holle nomber, which this day will be three hundred horse, and one hundreth fotmen, to the Lo. Lieutenant, to serve her hyghness, wythe all my force and redj harte ; trustyng yt wyll please her graces goodness to accompt, in good part, these my doynges, intendyt only to save hyr graces good subjects from the force of the rebeUs; and to biyng theym agayne in place of servyce, rather than to preserve my lyef^ the danger whereof shall never drawe me any whytt backe from hyr hyghness servyce, with my full dewtye. Hereof I wiytte the more shortte unto you, because I tmste the La Lieut hath alredy certifyed hyr grace of all thyngs touching thys matter ; wher in I humble praye your favorable supporte and gudness, to holde me, in case and opynyone, as my symple faythe and truthe hath and shall deserve. At my comyng abrode, my storers, and kepers off my houses, repayred to me with the same speache that Jobes servants to him, (save only for my children :) for I am utterly spoylled off all my goodes, bothe within and without; my housses, and all my com and cattle karried away ; and my housses fuUy defaced, by pulling away off the dores, wyndowes, irons off the windows, sylyng, and all my brewe vessels and other vessels, and chymnees apperteyning my kytchyn ; so that I now possess nothing but my horse, armor, and weapon, brought out from Barnard Castle, which I more esteem than twenty times so much off other things ; for that by yt I am enablyd to serve my good Queue, whom God preserve, and I wey not all my losses. And thus I pray^ God preserve you. fVom Sysaye the ziigth of December, 1569. Digitized by Google ^
 * but ytt shall nott sooner be uttered to any nomber, but I trusts to be adver^pved. But sewer yt is loked veiye generally