But (1) I have disregarded ‘unintelligent’ or faulty marks of contraction, occurring in words in which no letter is omitted. (2) I have not italicized uncontracted letters inserted above the line. For example: the name ‘Thomas’ is almost always written ‘Thomas’ in the original: I have transcribed it ‘Thomas’ and not ‘Thomas.’ On the other hand, the word ‘your’ is usually written ‘yor’ in the manuscript: in this case I have taken the superior ‘r’ as a contracted form of ‘ur,’ and so have transcribed it ‘your.’ (3) In the originals the same script form is used for ‘I’ and ‘J’; I have followed the modern use. (4) The bracket [ ] signifies that the words or letters enclosed would have been in the manuscript had it not been injured. The bracket ‹ › signifies that the word or words enclosed have been inserted by me to complete the sense. The parenthesis ( ) signifies that the enclosure is bracketed in the original. (5) Sentences and words crossed out or underlined in the manuscript have been set below, except when evident mistakes of the writer. The letters ‘c.o.’ signify that the passage against which they are written was crossed out or underlined in the original.
In dating letters, I have followed the modern use, and have taken the first of January and not the twenty-fifth of March as the beginning of the year. I have used the bracket ‹ › in the headings to indicate that the name or date enclosed has not been given in the letter itself, but has been found from external or internal evidence. Letters which bear no indication of the day and month in which they were written are placed at the end of the year to which they apparently belong. The abbreviations ‘R.O.’ and ‘B.M.’ refer to the Public Record Office and British Museum respectively throughout the collection.
LETTERS
1. Cromwell to John Creke.
R.O. Cal. iii. 3249. Aug. 17 ‹1523›.
A letter of friendship, containing an account of the proceedings of the Parliament of 1523, in which Cromwell sat. News concerning Creke’s friends in England.
Maister Creke as hertelye as I can I commende me and in the same wise thanke yow [for your] gentill and louyng letteres to me at sundrye tymys Sent and wher as I accordinglye haue not in lyke wise remembrid and rescribid it hath bene for that I haue not hade anything to wryt of to your aduauncement. Whom I assure yow yf it were in my lytyll power I coulde be well contentyd to preferre as ferre as any one man lyuyng. But at this present I being at Sum layser entending to remembre and also remunerate the olde acquayntaunces and to renew our not forgoten Sundrye communycacions Supposing ye desyre to know the newes curraunt in thes partyes for it is said that newes refresshith the spy[rit] of lyffe, wherfor ye shall vnderstonde that by long tyme I amongist other haue Indured a parlyament which contenwid by the space of xvij hole wekes wher we communyd of warre pease Stryffe contencyon debatte murmure grudge Riches pouerte penurye trowth falshode Justyce equyte discayte opprescyon Magnanymyte actyuyte force attempraunce Treason murder Felonye consyli . . . and also how a commune welth myght be ediffyed and a[lso] contenewid within our Realme. Howbeyt in conclusyon we haue d[one] as our predecessors haue been wont to doo that ys to say, as well as we myght and lefte wher we begann. ye shall also vnderstond the Duke of Suthffolke Furnysshyd with a gret armye goyth ouer in all goodlye hast [whit]her I know not, when I know I shall aduertyse yow. Whe haue in our parlyament grauntyd vnto the Kinges highnes a right large Subsydye, the lyke wherof was neuer grauntyd in this realme. all your frendes to my knowlage be in good helth and specially thay that ye wott of: ye know what I meane. I thinke it best to wryt in parables becaus[e] I am In dowt. Maister Vawhan Fareth well and so doth Maister Munkcaste[r]. Maister Woodall is merye withowt a wyffe and commendyth hym to yow: and so ys also Nycholas longmede which hath payd William Wilfforde. And thus as well f[are] ye as I woolde do my Self At london the xvij daye of August by your Frende to all his possible power
Thomas Crumwell.