No. 42.

Letter from Lords of the Council to the City touching the conduct of the Duke of Somerset. Dated 6 Oct. [1549].

Letter Book R, fo. 40.

After o^r right hartye comendacõns unto yo^r good lordship knowyng yo^r hartye loves & earnest zeales to the preservacõn of the person of the kynges maiestie & of this realme: and other his maiesties realmes & domynyons we have thought good to advertyse yowe that notw^thstanding all the good advyse & counseyll that we cowde geve to the Duke of Somerset to steye hymself w^thin his reasonable lymyttes and to use his governement nowe in the tender age of his maiestye in suche sorte as might tende to his highnes suertye to the conservacõn of his estate & to his owne hono^r. The seid duke neverthelesse styll contynuing in his pryde covetousnes & ambycyon ceaseth not daylie by all the wayes & meanes he can devyse to enryche hymself w^thowte measure and to empoveryshe his ma^tie he buyldeth in iiij or v places moste sumptuouslye & leaveth the poore souldiers unpayed of their wages onvyttaylled and in all thynges so unfurnysshed as the losses lately susteyned to the greatest dyshono^r that ever came to the kynge & this realme do declare; he soweth daylie dyvysyon bytwene the nobles & gentlemen of the commens he rewardeth & enterteyneth a nomber of those that were capteyns of the commens in this late insureccõns & fynally in such wyse subverteth all lawes justyce & good order as yt is evydent that puttyng his truste in the commens & perceyving that the nobles and gentlemen shuld be an impedyment to hym in hys dyvyllyshe purposes he laboureth fyrste to have theym destroyed & thyncketh after easelye inough to achive his desyer w^th yt appeireth playnly is to occupye the kinges maiesties place for his doinges who so ever lyste to beholde theym do manyfestlye declare that he myndeth never to render accompte to his maiestie of his procedynges. These thynges w^th manye moo to large to recyte consydered we pondred w^th o^rselfes that eyther we muste travayle for some reformacõn or we muste in effecte as yt were consent w^th hym to the destruccyon of o^r soveraign lorde & cuntreye, wherepon laying aparte all respectes and restyng only upon o^r duetyes we joyned in counseyll & thought quyetlye to have treated the matter w^th hym, who perceyvyng that we joyned for the kynge & wold have suche order as might be for the suertye of his ma^ties person & the commen welthe streight put hym self in force & resteth at pleyn point as yt appereth eyther to go thurrough w^th his detestable purpose in sorte as he hathe done or to trye yt by the sworde. Nowe for asmoche as we see presentlie that onles there be a reformacõn the person of the kinges ma^tie is in moste certeyn daunger & this realme o^r naturall countrey lyke to be destroyed w^th o^r posteryties, lyke as we have agayne fully resolved w^th godes helpe eyther to delyver the kynges ma^tie & the realme from this extreme ruyne & destruccyon or to spend o^r lyves for the declaracõn of o^r faythfull hartes and duetyes so knowinge yo^r hartye good wylles & troth to his maiestye & therefore nothinge doubtyng of yo^r redynes to joyne w^th us in o^r godly purpose we thought good to lett yowe knowe the verye trouthe of o^r enterprice & in the kynges ma^ties behalf so requyre yowe not onlye to put good & substancyall order for watche and warde but also to have an earnest contynuall regarde to the preservacõn w^thin yo^r cytie of all harneys weapons & munycõns so as none be suffred to be conveyed to the seid duke nor any others attendyng aboute hym and besydes that yow from hensforth obey no letters proclamacõns nor other commaundements to be sent from the seid duke and thus we byd yo^r L. moste hartely farewell from London the vj^th of October.