By the Bev, J. E. Jackson. 



297 



yf yt may stand with your Grace's pleasure this bearer may advertise your 

 Grace of the wholle. The names of my men are under-written who will be at 

 all tymes at your Grace's comaundment to take an othe all this to be trewe. 

 Thus Jesu preserve your Grace in prosperous estate to his worthy will. From 

 , Sturton this Friday the xxi st of June 1549. 



Roger Ellis, John Blandford, Robert Frank, Owyn Tew, Alexander More 

 and Richard Muckill, of the which the furst two rehersed are auncyent house 

 holders and thei all are honest men. 



" Your Graces to comand 



X 



Carolus Stourtu." 



{Addressed) 



" To the high and excellent Prince my Lord Protector's 

 [ Grace with speed." {Below, in another hand,) " L. Warwyk." 



{Docketed) "My L. Stourton complayninge upon Hartgyll, to my Lord P. xxi° 

 Junii 1549." 



Sir John Thynne, trying to make peace, had written some good 

 i | advice to Lord Stourton, but instead of peace, his letter only pro- 

 I duced an intemperate reply. The captured blood-hound appears to 

 ' have belonged to the Protector Somerset himself, for whom William 

 Hartgill acted as Ranger of Maiden Bradley. There is no date to 

 the next letter, but it evidently belongs to this period. 



(No. 31. No date.) Charles Lord Stourton to Sir John Thynne. {Original at 

 Longleat.) 



M r Thine, w th harty recomandasions. Whear as yn yo r laste letters you dyd 

 as well wyshe me to walk advysedly, for the wh. I thank you, and that, yn y r 

 judgement, I was symply governed by sertayn off my men : as also that my men 

 shuld detayn a hound off my Lord's Grace, Syr, I shall lett you to wyett (wit) 

 therfor ; As for the gubernation off my servantts, allthough I be not the myttest 

 (i.e. meetest) to governe, yet am I not the symplyste to be governed : and as 

 for the outrage and mysusage off my men (i.e. committed by my men) wh. you 

 , say ys trew, this my letter shall beare wy tries, that their apparent acts may be 

 bothe avouched and allowed, untyll the Law, yn the same, be altered. The 

 j truth is, two off my men meatt w th Hartgyll's kyper allmoste halff a myle w th yn 

 my Frehay, walkyng thear with his hound as a kyper of the same, for the w ch 

 he had receaved beforehaynd contrary warnyng ; and my men took his hound 

 from hym ; and so shall they do agayn yff the case requyre the lyke, excepte my 

 Lord's Grace comand the contrary, yn the which I truste his Grace wyllethe me 

 as mooche lyberty & comodety as any other subjecte. 



And as for the hound, he shalbe att my lords Graces comandment with all 

 that I have besydes, trustyng that his Graces opynyon is so yndefferent to- 

 wards me : the hound to be as well yn my custody, doyng wrong to no man, as 

 he shuld be yn Hartgyll's kypyng oppressyng every man. 



Mr. Thine, I do not a lytle woonder what shuld cause you to beare suche a 



Y [villain ?] agaynste me, excepte you shuld do hit to spyght me withall. 



EE 2 



