LVIII.

calling her Jezebel; who was adjudged by Sir Clement High- CHAP. am, a judge in that reign, to have both her ears cut off:

and so they were.

Anno 1557.

CHAP. LIX.

Preparations against an invasion in the west.

Instruc

tions to the Lord Lieutenant of Devon and Cornwal.

Bedford

west.

THIS year went out in great fears of storms ensuing, and The Earl of with a prospect of dangers from abroad. For about the sent down middle of March were grounds to expect some sudden in- into the vasion from France on the coast of Cornwal or Devon, and that some in those counties were ready to rise upon the landing of any such insult: which occasioned the Queen hastily to send down the Earl of Bedford, a good soldier, and lord lieutenant of those western shires, to put them in a readiness, to take order for the beacons, to muster the militia, to see to the horse and arms, to punish vagabonds and spreaders of tales and rumours, and to see to the preserving of peace and quietness, especially at the collecting of the subsidy lately given by Parliament. But to give more light to all this, I will set down at large the instructions given to the said Lord Lieutenant at his departing.

tions. Ti

tus, B. 2.

Instructions given by the King and Queen's Majesty to His instructheir right trusty and right well-beloved cousin, the Earl of Bedford, appointed their Highness's Lieutenant of the counties of Dorset, Devon, and Cornwal, and their city of Exeter, the xvi. day of March, the Iv. and v. years of their Majesties' reign.

"Mary the Queen.

Imprimis, The said lieutenant to have with him his "commission, his instructions, and his letters. To depart "forthwith to his charge with all diligence. To give order "strait for the raising of beacons, and watching of the "same, according to such orders as be appointed; and to

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give the charge of the beacons to men of understanding. "To cause muster to be taken of all persons within his

СНАР. 66
LIX.

66

lieutenancy, of their weapons and of their armour; and “to pick out and describe all the able horsemen and footAnno 1557.❝men, their names and dwellingplaces. To call all the "gentlemen of the shire together, and to take view of all "their serving-men, and of all such horses and geldings as they have meet to set the serving-men upon; and to "consider what number there is of them able to carry a 447" demi-lance; and how many light horsemen; to appoint "meet captains for the horsemen and for the footmen, "such as he shall think most convenient, dividing the shire "by hundreds, or such numbers as he shall think meet. "To appoint to every captain the number he shall lead. "To deliver him the names and dwellingplaces of his "number, and to deliver him a precept or commandment "for the numbers within that hundred, to obey him, and "to all officers for his assistance, if any will disobey. To "order every captain to take often musters and views of "his band; seeing them furnished with weapons and ar"mour convenient, so as he may well know them, and have "them always in a readiness. To appoint to what places "and upon what warning every captain shall resort with "his men for defence. To consider what dangerous places "there be for the landing of the enemies upon the sea"coast, and to cause the inhabitants next unto the place, "and, if they be not able, their neighbours next unto "them, to help them to make of new, or repair, as the case "shall require, for defence of the place, trenches and bul"warks of earth. To cause the inland-dwellers of the shire "to furnish the numbers that go from their quarters for "their defence at the seacoast, not only of sufficient money pay for their victuals when they come there, but also "to have consideration of their charges in coming back "again, and of the time (which may be ten or twelve days) "of their abode upon the seacoast: whereunto the said "inland-men may be induced, seeing the other go forth to "adventure their lives for their defence, and to the intent "that they may remain the more quiet at home. The "lieutenant, if he see the force of his enemies on land so

66 to

"great, as he shall not be able with the force of his charge CHAP. "to withstand them, then to withdraw himself, with his LIX. "forces, to places of advantage within his charge, breaking Anno 1557. "the bridges behind him, cutting of trenches, throwing

"down of trees, and giving such other impediments to the

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enemy as may be devised, until a greater force may come "unto him for his aid: giving immediately upon such landing, advertisement unto the Queen's Highness, or her Privy Council, or to other lieutenants next joining unto "him, for his further aid. To cause diligent watch to be "kept in all towns and boroughs within his lieutenancy, "according to the order prescribed for the same. To have special regard for the punishment of vagabonds, spreaders "of evil tales, and devisers or reporters of seditious rumours, by such pains as are ordained by the laws of the "realm in that behalf. To see the King and Queen's Highness served of all able men indifferently; that no man meet to serve be withdrawn from service by par"tiality, favour, or other like pretence, and unmeet men

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placed in lieu of them. To have a special care to keep "the shire in good order and quietness, especially at the "time of levying the subsidy. To see the statute, made "for musters and furniture of armour in this last session of "Parliament, truly and uprightly executed and kept of all "such as they shall put in trust to muster or levy any "number of men. And therefore to have a special care,

as they tender their Highnesses service, and the main"taining of the subjects good will and duty towards them. "Mary the Queen."

CHAP. LX.

A fleet equipped against France. Divers memorials of matters and events in the months of August, September, October, November, and December.

448

THERE was great talk in May 1558, and expectation of Anno 1558. King Philip's coming over with speed in England, though The King

expected.

CHAP. the merchants, strangers in London, thought otherwise, and LX. that he could not yet conveniently be spared. For indeed Anno 1558. the wars grew hot between him and the French. However,

Great preparations against

France.

A design to

the Queen earnestly looked for him, and horses and his wardrobe were gone as well to Dover as to Harwich. The Lord Admiral went also to Dover to prepare the fleet and shipping.

For all things were putting in a readiness for him, and preparation was made of a very great army of soldiers, which were to serve him upon an expedition now resolved against France. And the Lord Treasurer, who was the Marquis of Winchester, was made lieutenant general south of Trent, and the Earls of Huntingdon and Rutland were appointed to be head officers of the army. At Portsmouth there were then ready two hundred and forty sail ready victualled. However, the merchants and others now reported, that peace was ready to be concluded between King Philip and the French King. The first occasion thereof was by means of the Duchess of Lorain. This news was writ from London by a servant of the Earl of Shrewsbury to him; who, being president of the north, was providing forces in those parts. The money was at this time extreme scarce, and never so hard to come by at London; and as hard to be gotten at the Exchequer. From both which places the said Earl had expected money for the present purpose. But at length his receiver wrote him, that he was in hope to receive his money at the Exchequer.

The present design was, by the help of the English fleet, take Brest. to which that of Spain was to join, to assault and take Brest in Britain from the French. But after the taking and spoiling of another seaport in Britain, called Conquet, and some other neighbouring towns, they departed, finding it not safe to make any further attempt against Brest. And soon after were overtures made of peace between King Philip and France which nevertheless took not place, because the French would not hear of restoring Calais.

Men raised

in the north.

In July they were raising men in the north; and 1500 men were appointed to be raised in the county of Darby,

LX.

by the Earl of Westmerland. Which county, consisting of CHAP. eight hundreds or wapentakes, six of them, together with the town of Darby, pertained unto the Earl of Shrewsbury, Anno 1558. and which were parcels of the rules, offices, and inheritance of that nobleman. These hundreds were, Scarsdale, High Peak, Appletree, Wirksworth, Hartington Soyle, Melbourn Home. Therefore it lay in this Earl to assign the proportion of men to be raised in these his hundreds. And he accordingly assigned 400 men only, having, it is probable, raised for to serve under him good numbers before. But 449 this caused some discontent in the Earl of Westmerland, that so many as 1100, being the remaining number to complete 1500 men, should be taken out of two hundreds, namely, Morlaston and Repton. Which therefore caused him to write a letter to the Earl concerning this

matter.

let's obse

August the 3d, the Lady Rowlet, late wife to Sir Rafe August. Rowlet, knt. was buried in St. Mary Staining, honourably. Lady RowAnd after mass, the company retreated to the place to din- quies. ner, which was plentifully furnished with venison, fresh salmon, fresh sturgeon, and many other fine dishes. This seems to have been her anniversary; for she was buried in December 1557.

dies.

The 12th day died Mr. Machyl, alderman of London, Alderman merchant of Moscovy, and clothworker. He was (saith my Machyl MS.) a worshipful man, and a Godys man to the poor, and to all men in the parish of St. Mary Magdalen in Milkstreet, where he lived and died, in a house wherein Alderman Hind died. Had he lived, he had been mayor the next year. And on the 21st he was buried in the said His burial. parish church, with five pennons of arms and coat armour, and four dozen of torches, and four branch tapers double store, with arms and pensils upon wax. All the church, the street, and the place [his house] hanged with black and arms. There attended the funeral the mayor and aldermen, and an hundred in black. Eight dozen of escutcheons, and four dozen of pensils, and an hundred men in mantle frieze gowns. And on the morrow-mass three masses