If I heare not from you before the middle of this tearme, my intent is by Gods grace to bee at London, where your apprentice and my sonne shall be in person forth comming vnto you. At which time if I find farther defects, or more equitie to charge him, contrarying to that which alreadie haue bin answered by him, he shal not be mine by anie his ill dealings to be vpholden, but yours as belongeth in any sort you like to chastise him. And euen so recommending my selfe heartilie vnto you, I do bid you farewell. This of, &c.
An example Purgatorie from the partie chalenged in answer of the
Epistle accusatorie before remembred.
IT may please you sir, on Munday last, beeing the next day after my comming to my Vncles,Narratiō. he sending to T. to my fathers house to vnderstand his pleasure, worde was returned immediatelie, of a messenger and letters receyued from you, whereby it was my fathers pleasure to commaund me to his presence, and to require mine vncle to be there present also in companie.
At my comming thither, many things were laid forth as wel by your writing, as by the mouth of your man, how grieuouslie you were damaged both by diuers summes wherein you were short in reckoning, and other thinges by you missing, vppon my running away (as you tearme it)Prosonomasia. the muchnesse whereof was not so much enlarged by your letter, as the ouerlauish deliuerie of your man had to the great encrease of ill opinion in my father, with diuers vnbeseeming tearmes, augmented the same.
And nowithstanding I had in mine own conscience sufficientlie, and with sound appearing trueth to the viewe of others answered the occasion, yet forasmuch as neither seemed the same a full satisfaction to my father, nor a matter clearlye auoided towardes you, till in your plaine and certain notice, I had also confirmed the same, I was commaunded by him to write what I there affirmed, and accordinglie to aduertize you of the state of your busines, and inualidity of your coniectures, that by the verity thereof I might with more liking be reputed of, and himselfe haue lesse cause then he supposed whereat to be grieued.
To the matter of your letter, whereby I am accused, and in which you saie you are backward I knowe not in what, it appeareth that for the finding out of the certaintie or likelihoode thereof you entred vpon my desk and coffers, and searched my books of account and payments, which beeing so, if you were as circumspect in my behalfe, as you were in a rash surmize of your own harmes, you might haue assured yourselfe, for to haue found no one penie of any summe wanting at all, or where any was missing, either by exchange at your own appointment, or vpon other good occasions to haue also seene howe the same was bestowed, or where, or vpon what it was els where imploied.
For your better assurance wherein (if hitherto you vnderstande not so much) my boxe marked with this letter A. lying in the neather parte of my deske, will confirme the same. And least I might be deceiued in ought, before your comming, by the sinister practise of some such as had more enuie at my honest credite with you,Metonimia. than care of your good (whereof I mistake not at all, if I iudge this viper to be one) I not onelie reserued notes of euerie thing, caused one whome you will beleeue (though to what purpose I protest hee then knewe not) not onelie to tell euerie summe of money remaining in euerie bagge, and to see the same sealed vp, but also to set his hand to my notes, as witnesse to the same, so much I knowe I lefte, and of the residue the declaration of a trueth shall bee witnesse sufficient of mine owne fidelitie.
Finallie, touching the likelihood of my going awaie without knowledge, and that also in your absence, to bee a token of some waste or wrōg to you offered, which you value not to be so litle as CC. poūds, I trust sir (albeit the sum be great where little remaineth, and if also it were lesse, it were yet too much to bee lost) your selfe notwithstanding can tell verie well, that more then once I haue bin credited with ten times the value of that at your handes, when by great similitude, I could with more facilitie haue benefited my selfe to a farre greater value, if I had bin so disposed, then what herein to be accompted of, and (if so I had beene then also minded) coulde haue been therewith farther out of your reach then euer I yet entended. And where you suggest that it is sithence told you of my lauish expence, I can thereunto say nothing more then euerie one knoweth, that trulie will speake of me, and so you find not the hindrance in your owne accompte. I trust you will beare equallie what in others opinions maie bee construed of reasonablie.
My going away is apparant, I cannot denie it, wherein if happelie I haue done more then beseemeth, yet none so much as my selfe hath thereby beene wronged, for that such occasion hath by meanes thereof ensued, whereby my credite by sinister reports hath so greatly been hazarded, yet was not yᵉ same altogether done without cause, nor voide of honest excuse, for if either I had beene certaine of your so speedie returne, or had not had so presumptuous an intruder vppon the trust to mee committed (as at my comming to London I shall make more plaine vnto you) I had not done as I did. And this assure your selfe sir, that howe farre soeuer you imagine or are informed, that mine vncontrouled rule in your house stretched, if I might with performaunce of as honest trust haue discharged the same vnto you, as I alwaies had endeuoured, I neither had lefte your house or stocke, to haue depended vpon so harde supposed reckoning, nor lost you one houres commoditie of my seruices, as you nowe challenge me to haue done.
My endeuour towardes my self,Peroratiō. my fathers care, and your woonted good opinion, hath mooued mee in sort as you see, to giue items of those whome iustlie I am to complaine of, and to praie you that surceasing all other surmizes vppon our hastie comming to London you will more circumspectly in the meane time consider both of your dealings and my writing, which in as dutifull manner as beseemeth, eftsoons crauing at your handes, I doe (as euer I haue been) remaine, and take my leaue, &c.