MarginaliaAn. 1558.persuasions of diuers excellent learned mē, but by vniuersall cōsent & order whole vj. yeres past, inwardly to abhorre: if she should outwardly alow, she should both to Christ shew her self a false Christian, & to her prince a masquing subiect. MarginaliaPurgation of the Lady Duchesse for not comming to Masse.You know my Lord, one by iudgement reformed, is more worth then a M. transformed temporizers. To force a cōfession of Religiō by mouth, cōtrary to that in hart, worketh damnation where saluation is pretended.

Yea mary (quoth þ^e Bishop) that deliberation would do well if she neuer required to come from an old Religion to a new. But now she is to returne from a new to an auncient Religion: Wherein when she made me her Gossyp, she was as earnest as any.

For that, my Lorde (sayd M. Bertie) not long sithen, she aunswered a frend of hers vsing your Lordshyps speach, MarginaliaReligion goeth not by age, but by truth.that Religion went not by age but by truth: and therfore she was to be turned by persuasion and not by commaundement.

I pray you (quoth the Byshop) thinke you it possible to persuade her?

Yea verely (sayd M. Bertie) with the truth: for she is reasonable inough.

The Bishop therunto replying, sayd: it wil be a marueilous grief to the Prince of Spayne, and to all the nobilitie that shall come with him, when they shall finde but two noble personages of the Spanish race within this lād, the Queene, and my Lady your wife, and one of them gone from the fayth.

M. Bertie aunswered, that he trusted they should finde no fruites of infidelitie in her.

MarginaliaM. Bertie released from his band of appearing.So the Byshop persuadyng M. Bertie to trauaile earnestly for the reformation of her opinion, and offring large frendship, released him of his hande frō further appearance.

The Duchesse and her husband, dayly more and more, by their frendes vnderstandyng that the Byshop ment to call her to an accompt of her fayth, wherby extremitie might follow, MarginaliaWayes practised how to conuey the Duchesse ouer the seas, with the Queenes licence.deuised wayes how by the Queenes licence they might passe the Seas. M. Bertie had a ready meane: for there rested great summes of money due to the old Duke of Suffolke (one of whose executors þ^e Duchesse was) beyond the Seas, the Emperour him selfe beyng one of those debters. MarginaliaM. Bertie deuiseth cause to passe ouer into Flaunders.M. Bertie communicated this his purposed sute for licēce to passe the Seas, and the cause, to the Bishop, addyng, that he tooke this tyme most meete to deale with the Emperour, by reason of likelyhode of Mariage betwene the Queene and his sonne.

I like your deuise well (quoth the Byshop) but I thinke it better, that you tary the Princes commyng, and I will procure you his letters also to his father.

Nay (quoth M. Bertie) vnder your Lordships correction, and pardō of so liberall speach, I suppose the tyme will then be lesse conuenient: for whē þ^e Mariage is cōsummate, the Emperour hath his desire: but till then he will refuse nothyng to winne credite with vs.

By S. Mary (quoth the Byshop) smilyng, you gesse shrewdly. Well, procede in your sute to the Queene, and it shall not lacke my helpyng hand.

MarginaliaM. Bertie licenced by the Queene to passe the seas.M. Bertie found so good successe, that he in few dayes obteined þ^e Queenes licence, not only to passe the seas, but to passe & repasse thē so often as to him semed good, till he had finished all his busines & causes beyond the seas. So he passed þ^e seas at Douer, about þ^e beginnyng of Iune in the first yeare of her reigne, leauyng þ^e Duchesse behynd,MarginaliaPreparations made how to conuey the Duchesse ouer the seas. who by agreement and consent betwixt her and her husband, followed, takyng Barge at Lyon Key, very early in the mornyng, on the first day of Ianuary next ensuyng, not without some perill.

There was none of those that went with her, made priuy to her goyng till the instant, but an old Gentleman called M. Robert Cranwell,MarginaliaM. Cranwell a trusty frend to M. Bertie. whom M. Bertie had specially prouided for that purpose. She tooke with her her daughter an infant of one yeare, and the meanest

of her seruauntes, for she doubted the best would not aduēture that fortune with her. They were in nūber iiij. one a Greeke borne, which was a rider of horses, an other a Ioyner, the thyrd a Brewer, the fourth a foole one of the Kitchen, one Gentlewoman, and a Laundresse.

MarginaliaThe Duchesse with her company departeth the realme.As she departed her house called þ^e Barbican, betwixt iiij. and fiue of the clocke in the morning, with her company and baggage, one Atkinson a Herault, keeper of her house, hearyng noyse about the house, rose and came out with a torch in his hand as she was yet issuing out of the gate: wherewith beyng amased, she was forced to leaue a male with necessaries for her young daughter, and a milke pot with milke in the same gatehouse, commaunding all her seruauntes to spede them away before to Lion Key, MarginaliaThe maner of the Duchesse flying out of her house.and takyng with her onely the two women, and her child, so soone as she was forth of her owne house, perceiuyng the Harrault to follow, she stept in at Garter house hard by. The Harrault commyng out of the Duchesse house, & seyng no body sturring, not assured (though by the male suspecting) that she was departed, returned in: and while he stayd ransacking parcels left in the male, the Duchesse issued into þ^e streete, and proceded in her iourney, knowyng the place onely by name where she should take her boate, but not the way thether, nor none with her. Likewise her seruauntes hauing deuided them selues, none but one knew the way to the sayd key.

So she apparelled like a meane Marchantes wife, and þ^e rest like meane seruaunts, walking in streetes vnknowen, she tooke þ^e way that led to Finesbury field, and the others walked the City streets as they lay open before thē, till by chaunce more then discretiō, they mette all sodeinly together a litle within Mooregate, frō whence they passed directly to Lion key, MarginaliaThe Duchesse with her company taketh Barge.and there tooke barge in a morning so misty, that the stearesman was loth to launch out, but that they vrged hym. So soone as the day permitted, the Counsaile was informed of her departure, and some of them came forthwith to her house to enquire of the maner thereof, and to take an inuentory of her goods, MarginaliaPursuit after the Duchesse.besides further order deuised for search and watch to apprehend & stay her.

The fame of her departure reached to Leigh, a towne at the lādes end, before her approching thether. By Leigh dwelt one Gosling a Marchaunt of London, an old acquaintaunce of Cranwelles, whether the sayd Cranwell brought the Duchesse, naming her Mistres White, the daughter of master Gosling, for such a daughter he had which neuer was in that countrey. MarginaliaThe Duchesse retayned in Master Goslinges house by Leigh, vnder the name of his daughter.There she reposed her, and made new garments for her daughter, hauing lost her owne in the Male at Barbican. When the time came that she shoulde take shippe, being constrayned to lye that night at an Inne in Leigh (where she was agayne almost bewrayed) yet notwithstanding, by Gods good working she escaping that hassard, at length, as the tyde & wynde did serue, MarginaliaThe hard aduenture of the Duchesse vpon the Seas.they went aborde, and being carried twise into þ^e seas, almost into the coast of Zeland, by contrary wynde were driuen to the place from whence they came, and at the last recuile, certayne parsons came to the shore, suspecting she was within that shippe: yet hauing examined one of her company that was a land for freshe Achates, and finding by the simplicitie of hys tale, only the appearance of a meane Marchantes wife to be a ship boorde, he ceased any further search.

MarginaliaThe Duchesse landed in Brabant.To be short, so soone as the Duchesse had landed in Brabant, she and her women were apparrelled lyke the women of Netherland with hukes, and so she and her husband tooke their iourney towardes Cleueland, MarginaliaM. Bertie with the Duchesse his wife ariued at Santon.and beyng aryued at a towne therein called Santon, tooke a house there vntill they myght further deuise of some sure place where to settle themselues.

About fiue miles frō Santon, MarginaliaThe free towne of Wesell in Cleueland.is a free towne called Wesell, vnder þ^e said Duke of Cleues dominion, & one of the Haūs Townes, priuileged with the company of