No. 43.

Letter from Queen Mary to the City, desiring a contingent of 1,000 men to be held ready for active service at a day's notice. Dated Richmond, 31 July, 1557.

Journal 17, fo. 54b.

By the Quene

Trustie & welbeloved we grete yow well and lett yow wete y^t the warres beinge open betwixte us and Fraunce and the Kynge our deerest Lorde & husband passed the seas in persone to pursue the enemye we have gyven order as mete is (o^r hono^r and suertie so requiering) to have a convenyent force putt in a perfytt readynes to attend upon o^r persone aswell for the defence & suertie thereof as to resiste suche attempes as may be by any forrein enemye or otherwise made agaynst us & o^r Realme and therefore will & comaunde yow that of the hole manred of that o^r Cytie of London aswell in lyberties as w^thowt yow do appoynte the nomber of one thousand hable souldyers wherof as many to be horsemen as may be and the resydewe to be hable footemen the horsemen to be well horssed & armed & of the footemen the fourthe parte to be harquebutiars or archers One other fourthe parte or more to beare pykes and the residewe of the said footemen to be bylles all well harnessed and weaponed to serve us in o^r saide defense having & kepinge the same nomeber in suche order as under the leadynge of mete Captaynes gentlemen of enherytaunce or their heires apparaunte by yow lykewyse to be named they may be readye by the xvj^th of August nexte at the furthest and from thensfourthe to contynue in suche a redynes as at all tymes after they maye be hable upon one dayes warninge to repaire unto us or suche other place as we shall appoyncte for our servyce Takinge also suche order as the said Captaynes to bee by yow named may in the meane tyme knowe and be acquaynted w^th theire soldiers and the soldyers lykewyse withe their Captaines And because we have wrytten o^r specyall lettres to the persones named in the scedule inclosed to furnyshe for o^r servyce suche nombers of men as they ar hable to make Our pleasure is yow shall forbeare in the settinge fourthe of theis numbers to take any the tenaunts or others under the rules or offyces of the said persones or of any others appoynted lykewyse to serve us And our pleasure is yow shall have also lyke respecte to the tenaunts & others under the rules and offyces of those noble men and gentlemen now gon with o^r armye into Fraunce And of yo^r doinges herein o^r pleasure is yow shall advertise us by yo^r Lettres w^th as muche spede as you possibly maye And theis o^r Lettres Shalbe unto yow suffycient warraunte and dyscharge for yo^r doinges in that behalfe Yoven under o^r Sygnet at o^r mano^r of Richemond the last of July the fourth and fyveth yeres of o^r raignes [1557].