In the following letter we find Dr. London still on his way to Coventry: it is supplementary to the preceeding.

CXV.

DR. LONDON TO SIR RICHARD RICH (?).

[From MS. Cotton. Cleop. E. IV. fol. 207*.]

Right worschipfull, in my most harty maner I have me commendyd unto yow, in lyk maner thankinge yow for your kynde paynys taken for me, wherby ye have bound me to ow yow the best servys I can do yow, and therof always ye schall be well assured. I besek yow to delyver unto my lord suche surrendors as I have sent uppe. The plate of Notley and Ensham M. Williams being in commission with me ther hath brow3t uppe; and at the Crowche Fryers besyd Newbery wasse no more butt a power chalys. The londes be gudde xxij". by yere, butt the guddes all were nott worth the mynistre rewardyd vj".

At Delapray I hadde ij. chalyces and a pyxe, and the howse wasse pratily storyd with catell and corn. Ye schall se me mak yow a praty bank by that tym I com next uppe. I pray yow know my lordes [will], and that I may be acertenyd of the same in thinges folowing.

Imprimis, my lord commandyd me to putt M. Lucy in possession of the Crowch Fryers howse in Thelsford,* and now he wrytithe that I schall putt M. Cheynye in possession of the same. If M. Lucy schall have Thelsford, then if my lord so will that I do go to Nuncotton or Stikkiswold nonryes † in Lincoln schyer, M. Cheyney may be servyd in som of them.

* The friary of Thelesford in Warwickshire was founded in the reign of king John. Edward Davy was the last prior.

†The Cistercian nunnery of Stykeswold, or Stixwold, in Lincolnshire, was founded by the widow of Ranulph first earl of Chester, in the reign of Stephen. It had been refounded after the act for the suppression of the smaller monasteries, under which it fell. The last prioress was Mary Missenden.

If my lord will have me do any thing at Colme, then I wolde my lord wold send som oon of hys trusty servantes to me at my being ther, to receyve the howse with all other rekenynges to my lordes use, the guddes indifferently praysed. He can nott have a more commodiose howse, and the longer he taryeth the warsse every thing will be, as universally they mak ther handes all they can that yet do remayne nott suppressyd. When I am at Coventry, I am but iij. myles from Colme. And if my lord percase have syns my being ther sett hys mynde upon any other place, then help M. Gregory or M. Richard may have ytt, ffor yt ys a thynge to be taken.

Your own bounden assuredly,

JOHAN LONDON.

In the next letter we find Dr. London and his fellow commissioners at Gloucester, which had been recently visited by the bishop of Dover, whose letters are given on a former page.

CXVI.

THE COMMISSIONERS OF THE WEST TO CROMWELL.

[From MS. Cotton. Cleop. E. iv. fol. 254*.]

Ower humble dewties observyd unto your gudde lordeschippe, it may lyke the same to be advertysede, that we have taken the surrendre of the late monasterye of Haylys,* wher we founde the father and all hys brothern very honest and conformable persons, and the howse clerly owt of dett. Over that the father hadde hys

The mitred abbey of Hayles, in Gloucestershire, was founded in the middle of the thirteenth century, by Richard earl of Cornwall. Stephen Sagar was the last abbot.

howse and groundes so well furnysschede with juellys, plate, stuff, corne, catell, and the wodes also so well savyd, as thoo he hadde lokyde forre no alteration of hys howse. Hys arable londe also wasse in lyk maner husbondyd, no small nombre of acres redy sowen with whete, and the tylthe seasonablie orderyd for barlye; and dydde surrendre hys howse with suche discrete and frank maner, as we have seen no other do better in all ower jorney. The howse clerly dispacchede and commyttede, acording to the kinges majesties lettres, unto the custodye of M. Acton. We have from that howse right honest sortes of juellys, plate, ornamentes, and monye, besyde the garnysschyng of a small schryne, wherin wasse reposyd the counterfett relyke in tymys past,* wiche all we do saflye reserve unto the kinges highnes use, and thow3t it our partes to declare and signifie unto your lordeschipe thys honest manneis behaviour and doinges, to thentent he my3t have at your hondes condinge prayse and thankes for hys trew dealinge, and to humbly desyer your lordeschippe to be gudde lorde unto hym, as hys full trust ys ye will be. We have dispacchyd Haylys and Winchcombe,† and now be at Glocestre, wher we have taken the surrendre, and be dyligently traveling for a new ordre to be sett ther, wherin we fynde the more difficultye, for that as yet the kinges highnes hathe nott determyd hys pleasure upon the master that shall have the governance of thys congregation. From Glocestre we go unto Teuxbery, wher thys weke we trust clerly to mak a fynall conclusion of all our commissions for thys schyer, as we have now don in Hampschyer and Wilshyer, and schall use no

* The following note of the fate of this counterfeit relique, which had been seized some weeks before the date of this letter, is found in Holinshed :-"1538. The foure and twentith of November, the bishop of Rochester preached at Paules crosse, and there shewed the bloud of Hales, and affirmed the same to be no bloud, but honie clarified, and coloured with saffron, as it had beene evidentlie proved before the king and his counceil."

+ The abbey of Winchcombe, or Winchelescombe, in Gloucestershire, was founded by Oswald bishop of Worcester in 985, in the place of a much more ancient nunnery. The last abbot was Richard Ancelme, Anstelme, or Mounslow.

lesse diligens for the next of Worcestre schyer, by the grace of almyghty Godde, who with increse of moche honour longe preserve your gudd lordeschippe. At Glocestre, iiij°. Januarii. Your lordschipes most humbly to be comandyd,

Bishop Lee, the writer of the following letter, was lord president of the principality and marches of Wales, the court of government of which was held at Ludlow. The following letter is dated from Wigmore Castle.

CXVII.

BISHOP LEE TO CROMWELL.

[From MS. Cotton. Cleop. E. iv. fol. 256*.]

Right honerabile, my dewte rememberyde unto youer good lordschippe, it may plesse the same to caule unto youer lordschypes rememberans my seute mayd to your lordschipe for the cathedrall churche of Coventre, for the contynewans of the same, that apon alteracion it myght stonde: we moweyd soe to doo, for soe miche it is my principall see and hede churche. Whereunto youer lordschype dyd gyff me levyng answere of comfurthe; and now I am informyd by the letteres herein inclosseyd frome the mayre and aldermen of the citee, that doctor London repareys thether for the suppression of the same. My good lorde, helpe me and the cite bothe in thys, and that the churche may stonde, wherby I may kepe my name, and the cite have commodite and ease to theyre desyre, wiche

schall folew, if by your goodnes it myght be browght to a colege churche, as Liche., and soe that poyre cite schall have a perpetuall comfurthe of the same, as knowyth the holy Trenite, whoo preserve youer lordschyp in honor to youer hartys comfurth. At Wigmere, xij. Januarii.

Youer lordschypes most bownden,

ROLAND CO. et LICH.

Having thus traced the proceedings of Dr. London, in his progress during the autumn and winter of 1538, we shall return to the summer of that year, to give a few miscellaneous letters relating to different parts of the country, beginning with Essex.

CXVIII.

SIR THOMAS AUDLEY TO CROMWELL.

[From MS. Cotton. Cleop. E. IV. fol. 201.]

After my right herty comendacions to your good lordshipp, I sende to you a true copy of the value of the goodes of Seynt Osies,* and of the particularytees therof, delyvered to me by Myldmay the auditour, oon of the comyssioners, wherby your lordshipp may perceyve the contentes of al the same goodes, with the estymate of leade and belles. I was not at the dissolucion of the howse, nor have eny penyworthe of the goodes, but I thynke the comyssioners have servyd the kynges mageste bothe honestely and truly. The comyssioners were syr John Seynteler, syr William Pirton, Myldmay, and Jobson, whiche be ij of the comyt of the augmentacion, and a master of the chancery with them, to take

* The priory of St. Osith's was founded for Austin canons sometime before the year 1118, by Richard de Belmeis, bishop of London. Its site is said to have been occupied, in Saxon times, by a very ancient nunnery. The last prior was John Colchester, alias Witherick. The site was granted to Lord Cromwell in the 31 Hen. VIII.