182 : Wulfhali and the Seymours. 
‘‘Further theys shal be to advertyse you that I have discharged Foscowe and 
Hance the myners, and they have had for their charges and bordying, syns they 
came owte of London in Lent past vi£ with the xls. that I delyvered to them 
there at theyr comyng owt. Foscowe sayeth that he hath found a riche plott 
of grounde as eny is in Englonde. I wolde fayne have knowen sumthing of his 
secresy, but he answeryd me so reasonably that I colde go no further with him. 
Which was that it was not mete for eny man to know it, unto suche tyme he 
had fyrst declarid the same hymselfe to my Lord’s grace. He shewyd mea 
grey stone suche as be yn the felds and strete of Eston, wherein there’s metall 
(as he saith). I have sent you a pece thereof by this berer, lest he shuld shewe 
my lord’s grace a contrary thing. And as to Hance I think there be not a more 
dissembler yn England, for he worketh too fondly as Mr. Comptroller can 
declare. 
Further ye sent us downe such a lewde company of Frenchmen masons as I 
never saw the lyke. I assure you they be the worst condicyoned people that 
ever I saw and the dronkenst ; for they will drynke more in one day than three 
days wages wyll come to, and then lye lyke beasts on the floor not able to stonde. 
I have geven them dyvers warnyngs me selfe and yet never the better. And 
now I perceive by Bryan they be departid and stolen away lyke themselfs, and 
be yndeptyd (indebted) to dyvers folkes yn theis parts; wherefore it were well 
don to punyshe them if they may be found; I thynke they will make their 
repayr to London, 
Further, according my lors grace’s pleasure, I have byn at Vasterne Park* 
and there with moche worke I have put owt by estymacion 500 dere of all sorts 
into Braydon. It was not possible to devyde the bucks from the rascallst+ but 
one with the other. Whereof the most part were rascalls. And although we 
colde not get owte so maynye dere as we wolde, yet there wil be pasture ynough 
for my Lord’s grace’s provysion, for the grounde was never so well beforehande 
yn grasse thys tyme of the yere as yt is nowe. And thus desyryng you to re- 
member my sutes wherein I requyred Walron to move you I wysh you no less 
helth with th’yncrease of wurshipp that your gentle harte desyrethe. Praying 
you that I may be most hartely commendyd unto'my good lady your bedfellowe. 
From Estone the iiijth of June. 1549. 
Your most assuredly to command, 
JoHN BERWICKE.” 
To the right worshipfull Sir John Thynne, Knyght. 
5.—Mr. ArtHur Roops to Sir Jonn Tuynnz. Asout Purbeck Srone‘t 
1549 6 June. Thys shal be to advertyse y". Mastershyppe after whatt sort 
the stone lyeth att Purbecke, and whatt order I have taken there. Fyrste in 
the south partt of the Iland, at a poyntt calyd Sayntt Aldomis from the wyche 
pointt ij myles towards the west end of the Ile lyeth the towyche (touch) stone 
*Fasterne Park, near Wootton Bassett: appears in the list of estates granted to the Protector, 
+See Note, p. 156. 
+ This letter may be interesting to geologists: as some of the old Purbeck stone quarries, out of 
which much stone used formerly to be obtained for church columns; and monuments, are now 
filled up and scarcely known, 
