122 PAPERS, ETC. 



of the prey the land whicli his pious ancestor had solemnly 

 devoted to sacred use. He accordingly wrote to Cromwell, 

 who was the king's principal agent in this work, the fol- 

 lowing characteristie letter : — 



" Sure, pleshyt yo'' good mast[er]chype to vnderston yj 

 wer I dewlle ys a pore pryery, a fu'dacion off my nawyn- 

 setres, wyche ys my lord my father[es] ynerytans and 

 myne, and be the reson off a lowyde pryor y' was ther, 

 wyche was a schanon off taw'ton a for, browytte hytt 

 to be a seil vnto taw'ton, and now hys hytt dystryde, 

 and ther ys but to chanons, wyche be off no good leuyng, 

 and y* ys gret petty, the pore howse scholde be so 

 yll yntretyd ; werfor yff ytt may plese yo'' good mast[er]- 

 chype to be so good mast[er] to me to gett me the pore 

 howse wyche ys callyd stau[er]dell, I wer bownde to pray 

 for yo'' raast[er]chyp. And also I schal bere yo" my harty 

 s[er]uys nextt the kynge ys gras, and be at yo'' co'- 

 mayndme't, be the gras off god, ho eu[er] p[re]s[er]ue yo'' 

 good mast[er]chype. yo'' howyne pore s[er]uantt and 

 bedma', 



Kychard Zouche." 

 Endorsed : — " To the Ryght worchypfuU & my synglar 

 good mast[er], mast[er] Secrettory, be thys Dd."* 



The two canons alluded to by the writer of this letter 

 were the chaplains already mentioned in the Valor, whom 

 it suited his purpose to revile. Although it does not 

 appear that the epistle was productive of the precise effect 

 that he desired, as the ''fu'dacion off my nawynsetres" was 

 granted to John, earl of Oxford, he is mentioned, as we 

 shall See presently, in the Originalia roll as obtaining 

 possession of divers lands, tenements, and messuages in the 

 immediate neighbourhood. 



* MS. Cott. Cleop. E. iv., f. 315. (Olim, 259*) 



