WHereas thou haste of late showed thy selfe (most faithful Gilbard) to be a true subiecte to Mary quene of England, not on­ly by wordes, but by deedes, and for the farther triall of thy true heart towardes her did offer thy bodye to be slayne in her quarell, and offered vp thy selfe into the handes of the ragged beare most rācke, with whome is nether mer cy, pitie, nor compassion, but his in dignation presēt death. Thy pro­mis (Gilbarde) is faythfull. Thy heart is true. Thy loue is feruēte towardes her grace. And wher­as [Page] you did promis me faythfullye (when I last visited thee in prisō) to be torne with wild horses, thou wouldest not denye Marye oure Quene, & to y ^t whiche thou tofore dyd saye, no denial shalbe found in thee, so styll do thou continue in y ^e same mynde, haue a respect of thy conscience. Feare not to saye the truth, if thou dye, thou shalt die in the ryght, pugna propatria, fighte for thy countrey (sayeth the Philoso pher). For as it shalbe to thi great honour and prayse in this world & in heauen to dye in her graces quarel, & in the defence of thy coū trey, so wold it be to the vtter de­struction, both of thy body & soule to do the contrarye. But (o thou true Gilbard) stande stiflye in her cause, & do thou according to thy last promis made me (as I do not doubt but thou wilt) then wil god kepe thee and preserue thee. If [Page] thou shuld dye, thou shalt die inno cent, so shal you be assured to pos­sesse the euerlastyng kyngdom of heauen. If you fortune to lyue, then shal it be also accōpted praise to thee. And fully perswade with thy selfe, that her grace wil consi­der thy faythful & true heart (as she hath iuste occasion). For who could haue bene more faythfuller then thou haste bene? What man coulde haue showed him selfe bol­der in her graces cause, then thou hast showed? Or who dyd so vali­antlye in the proclamation tyme, when Iane was published quene (vnworthy as she was) & more to blame, I may say to thee, are some of the consenters therunto. Ther were thousandes more then thy selfe, yet durst they not (suche is y ^e fragility & weakenes of the flesh) once moue their lippes to speake y ^t, whiche thou did speake. Thou [Page] offerest thy selfe amongst the multitude of people to fight agaynste them all in her quarel, and for her honour dyd not feare to runne v­pon the poynt of the swordes. O faythful subiect, O true hearte to Mary our Quene, I can not but wryte of the conding prayse that y ^u deseruest for thys thy boldnes. I may compare thee to Sidrack, Misack, and Abdenago, whych ra ther then they wold forsake their mayster, were contented to suffer the tormentes in the hoate bur­nyng ouen. And as young Dani­el when he was broughte before such a ruler (as that false Duke of Northumberland) rather then to denye his Lord, would suffer the paynes of imprysonment, and to be cast in the denne of lions. Euen so (faythful Gilbard) rather then thou wouldeste consente to their false & trayterouse proclamation [Page] for Iane, when thou dyd heare it, hauyng a cleare conscience, wold not consent to the same most trai­terous fact. And so litle regarded thy life, boldly stode in thy mistres cause, and offered thy bodye to be inprisoned, & to suffer death, then to denye our vertuouse Mary to be quene. And therfore trust to it, (my faythful Gilbard) as the god of Sidrack, Misack, & Abdenago saued them from al hurt in y ^e hoat burnyng ouen, that not so muche as one heare of their heade was peryshed. So shall the same God saue thee out of the handes of the cruell beare, and gyue hym no po­wer of thy lyfe. Agayne as God preserued Daniel when he was cast in the denne amongest the li­ons at the commaundemēt of the king Nabuchodonosor. And whē he was in the middeste of thē, the lions playd with him (which was [Page] admirable). So do thou trust to, albeit thou art now in the denne amōgest deuourers (I meane vn­der the power of the beare & the raged staf) yet the god of Daniel shall safely delyuer thee out of all their hādes, & thee rather, if thou dost stil continue stedfast and hold on Mary our quene, and forsake thy mayster, no more then Daniel & the brethren did their God and mayster. Dispayre not, but lyue in hope to se a good day, & the soner wil it come, it we continue in prai­er. For my part, faithful Gylbard, I wyl neuer sease day nor nyght from praying for our good Mary y ^t her grace mighte once obteyne the crowne, & that it wold please him of his omnipotente power to strengten & helpe her grace, Ma­ry thy Quene & mine, so saye I to the death, & to conquere y ^t beare. So here I shall desire thee also to [Page] offer vp to the almighty lord, god ly contemplations, that she maye ouercome her enemies.

For as the inhabitours of the great city of Niniue continued in prayer, & clothed them selues in sackecloth, caste duste vpon their heades, repēted, & bewailed their manifold sinnes and offences, at what tyme as the Prophete Io­nas had preached to them the de­struction of their citye, knew that it was time to do all the same, els destructiō wold folow. So shulde we now not cease praying to God to send vs quietnes, & that the la­dy Mary might enioye y ^e kingdō.

For we haue had manye Pro­phetes & true preachers whiche did declare vnto vs, y ^t oure kinge shalbe taken awaye from vs, & a tirant shal reygne, the Gospel shal be plucked awaye, the right heyre shalbe dispossessed, & al for our vn­thanckfulnes, [Page] & thinkest thou not (Gilbard) y ^e world is now come? Yea truely. And what shal folow yf we repente not in tymes. The same God wil take frō vs the ver­tuouse Lady Mary oure lawfull quene, & send such a cruel Pharao as the ragged beare, to rule vs, which shal pul & pol vs, spoyle vs, & vtterly destroy vs, & bringe vs in great calamities and miseries. And this god wil send vs, & all for our iniquities. For yf vnto oure quene Mary any euell shuld hap­pē, let vs fully perswade with our selues, that it is not for her small sinnes only, but for our euel liuin­ges. And this litle troubles (whi­che be greuous to hir grace) doth chaunse to her for thy sinnes and myne, let vs so thinke. For truely (faythful Gilbard) god is displea­sed w ^t vs many wayes. And here I dar be bold to say, y ^t her grace is [Page] more sorowful for y ^e death of king Edwarde her brother, then she is glad y ^t she is quene. For her parte (good vertuouse lady) she would haue bene as glad of her brothers life, as the ragged beare is glad of his death. Agamenon the heathen king was neuer more vnquieted with his highe estate, when he la­mented for that he was king ouer so manye people, as her grace is nowe troubled to rule & gouerne so manye euell persons. Plato was neuer gladder, when he was exi­led frō the kinges courte, because his mind was more addict therby and geuen to the study of Philo­sophie, as she wold be, if she might once be exiled frō the company of such traitours, wherby she might be more quieter, and possesse this her kingdome peasablye. Euen so I dare aduouche, y ^t her grace was farre quieter, & better contented [Page] with her olde estate, then now she is quene (yf it had pleased God) But now praised be almighti god because he hath so prouided vs a right & lawful ayre, & so vertuous a princesse, to possesse this imperi­al crowne of England, & so are we all bounde highlye to thanke him therfore. Trustyng that the same god wil shortlye exalt her grace, & set her in her perfect dignitie, and plucke downe y ^t Iane, I can not nominate hir quene, for y ^e I know no other quenes, but the good la­dy Mary her grace, whome God prosper. I heare say (faithful Gil­bard) y ^t the true subiect sir Edmōd peckhame is gone with al his po­wer & treasure to assist her grace. Ex fructu scimus quid sit arbor, By y ^e frute we may knowe what the tree is. So by his frutes, y ^t is, by al his do inges we may knowe, what he is, howe true & faythful hath he she­wed [Page] him selfe to be at all times to Henry theight of famous memo­ry. What man deserued more cō ­mendation then he? He neuer rob bed his grace, whē he had all the rule of his treasure, he vsed not to bye siluer for foure shillinges an once & made the kinge paye fiue shillinges fowre pence (as other false traitours did) but loke what he payd, the king payde no more. He was euer true & faithful by re porte aswell of all other as of hys owne seruauntes. And now for y ^e ful triall of his true hearte, howe hath he showed him selfe to her grace, left house landes & al, and gone to help her. Truly we haue to few such faithful men. I heare also, y ^t ther is come more to helpe her grace, the Erle of Darbey, the Erle of Oxford, the Erle of Bath, & diuerse other nobles, whiche I can not rehearse nominatly. The [Page] God of hostes, y ^e God of Abraham prosper them, kepe them, & geue them power to withstand al their enemies, & the moost mighty lord take part with them (as I do not mistrust) for the right sake. I hear no other newes, but y ^t here is con tinually great preparation, & ma­ny cartes appoynted to cary har­nes & artilery, God send thē euell to spede. The good Erle of Arun del, and the Erle of Shrosburye be here stil, but as I am informed, the Erle of Arundel will not con­sent to none of their doynges. O God I most hertelye desire thee, heare my prayer, kepe & preserue the good Erle of Arundel frō the tirāny of y ^t deuouryng beare. For as thou hast frō the beginning en dued him with al truth, so doth he stil continue stedfast in y ^t same, like a worthy noble, preserue him I be seche thee (o my god) & geue hym [Page] grace still to stande stedfaste. The Erle of Shrosbury beareth hym selfe equal god kepe him, & send al those that wold y ^e ladye Mary to be quene long life & pleasure, and they which wold not, I wyshe thē the paynes of Satan in hell. I haue (faithfull Gilbard) scattered abroad thre of y ^e bokes more, and two also haue I sent into the rag­ged beares campe, kepe that close which thou hast: the world is daū gerous: the great deuell Dudley ruleth, Duke I shuld haue sayde, wel let y ^t passe, seing it is oute, but I truste he shal not longe. I haue proued if I could get a. M. of thē in printed in some straunge letter & so a nōber of thē to be disparsed abroade. Forasmuch (Gilbard) as I perceaue that thou art straytly kept, & not suffred to haue liberty I shal brieuely visite the with my letters frō time to time. And here [Page] Gilbard I exhort the to continue in prayer, & to take in good parte this yoke, layd vpō thy shoulders & beare this crosse patiently. For aduersity is a good thinge, & shall make thee to know god y ^e better. For I trust in the lord to liue to se y ^e day her grace to mary such one, as knoweth what aduersity mea neth, so shal we haue both a merci­ful quene & king to their subiects. And wold to god y ^t I might liue (if it so pleased her grace) to haue an other vertuouse Edward: & God make her grace frutful, & send her frute to inherite the kingdō after her. I promised you to salut your frend Robert in your name, accor dingly I haue done, desired hym to pray w ^t you for our quene Ma ry, y ^t it wold please y ^e lorde to giue her the crowne, which she oughte to haue of right. And thus to bre­uiate my long processe I end, desi­ring [Page] the (my constāt Gilbard) not to beholde the gorgiousnes of my letters, which be void of al, but to weygh in an equal payre of ballās the good wil of the writer, who beareth the no worse wil, then to his owne soule, prayinge God to strengthē the, & geue thee grace, to abide faythfull tow̄ardes oure most excellent true & onlye quene Mary, so shalt thou be assured to haue god thy faithful frēd againe, & at the last thou shalt inherit his kingdom: to the which kingdome bringe both you & me, and vs all.

Amen