Marginalia1558.hys vndiscrete maners in that behalfe, as they myght very well. When supper was done, he called my Lord, and willed him that all the gentlemen & Ladyes should withdraw themselues euery one to hys lodging, merueling much that he would permit there such a company, considering so great a charge committed to hym. Syr Henry (quoth my Lord) content your selfe, all shall be voyded, your men and all. Nay my souldiours (quoth Syr Henry) shall watch all night. The Lord of Tame aunswered: it shall not neede. Well sayd he, neede or neede not, they shall so do, mistrusting belike the company: which God knoweth was wythout cause.

MarginaliaLady Elizabeth cōmeth to Woodstocke.The next day her grace tooke her iorney from thence to Woodstocke, where she was inclosed, as before in the Tower of London, MarginaliaThe strait watch kept at Woodstocke.the souldiers garding & warding, both within and without the walles, euery day to the number of three score: and in the night without the walles xl. during the tyme of her imprisonment there. At length she had gardens appointed for her walke, which was very comfortable to her grace. But alwayes when she did recreate her selfe therein, the doores were fast locked vp, as in straite maner as they were in the Tower, beyng at the least v. or vj. lockes betwene her lodging and her walkes: Syr Hēry himself keeping the keyes, and trusting no mā therwith. Whereupon she called hym her Gailer: and he kneeling downe desired her grace not to call hym so, for he was appointed there be be one of her officers. Frō such officers (quoth she) good Lord deliuer me.

MarginaliaA mery story concerning the straite keeping of the Lady Elizabeth.And now by the way as digressing, or rather refreshing the reader, if it be lawfull in so serious a story to recite a matter incident, and yet not impertinent to the same: occasion here moueth, or rather inforceth me to touch breifly what happened in the same place & tyme by a certayne mery conceited man, beyng then about her grace: who noting the straite and straunge keeping of hys Lady and mistres by the sayd Syr Hēry Benifielde, wyth so many lockes and doores, wyth such watch and ward about her, as was straunge and wonderfull, spyed a Goate in the warde where her grace was: & whether to refresh her oppressed minde, or to notifie her straite handling by Syr Henry, eyther els both, he tooke it vp on his necke, and followed her grace therewith as she was going into her lodging. Which whē she saw, she asked him what he would do with it, willing him to let it alone. Vnto whom the said party aunswered: no by saint Mary (if it like your grace) will I not: for I can not tell whether he be one of the Queenes frendes or no. I will cary hym to Syr Henry Benifield (God willing) to know what hee is. So leauing her grace, hee went wyth the Goate on hys necke, and caryed it to Syr Henry Benifielde. Who when he saw hym comming with it, asked hym halfe angerly what he had there. Vnto whom the party aunswered, saying: MarginaliaThe straitnes of Sir Henry Benifield merely noted.Syr (quoth he) I cannot tell what he is. I pray you examine hym, for I found hym in the place where my Ladyes grace was walking, and what talke they haue had I cannot tell. For I vnderstand hym not, but he should seeme to me to be some straunger, & I thinke verely a Welchman, for he hath a white freese coate on hys backe. And for so much as I being the Queenes subiect, and perceauing the strait charge committed to you of her keeping, that no straunger should haue accesse to her without sufficient licence, I haue here found a straunger (what he is I cannot tell) in place where her grace was walking: and therefore for the necessary discharge of my duty, I thought it good to bring the sayd straunger to you, to examine, as you see cause: and so he set hym downe. At which his wordes Syr Henry seemed much displeased, and sayd: Well, well, you will neuer leaue this geare I see: and so they departed.

Now, to returne to the matter frō whence we haue digressed, after her grace had bene there a tyme, she

made sute to the Counsaile that she might be suffered to write to the Queene. MarginaliaLady Elizab. with much ado, suffered to write to the Queene.Which at last was permitted: so that Syr Henry Benifield brought her penne, incke, and paper: and standyng by her while she wrote (which he straitly obserued) alwayes she beyng wery, he would cary away her letters, & bryng them agayne when she called for them. In the finishyng therof, he would haue bene messenger to the Queene of the same. Whose request her grace denied, saying: one of her owne men should cary them, and that she would neither trust him, nor none of his therein. Then he aūsweryng agayne said: none of them durst be so bold, (he trowed) to cary her letters, beyng in that case. Yes (quoth she) I am assured I haue none so dishonest, that would deny my request in that behalfe, but wilbe as willyng to serue me now as before. MarginaliaThe cruell dealing of Syr Henry Benifield to the Lady Elizabeth noted and reproued.Well (sayd he) my Commission is to the contrary, and I may not so suffer it. Her grace replying agayne, sayd: you charge me very often with your Commission. I pray God you may iustly aunswere the cruell dealyng you vse towardes me.

Then he kneeling down, desired her grace to thinke and consider how he was a seruaunt, and put in trust there by the Queene to serue her Maiesty, protestyng that if the case were hers, he would as willyngly serue her grace, as now he did the Queenes highnes. For the which his aunswere, her grace thanked him, desiryng God that she might neuer haue neede of such seruaūtes as he was: declaryng fruther to him, that his doynges towardes her were not good nor answerable, but more then all þ^e frendes he had would stand by. To whō Syr Henry replied and sayd, that there was no remedy but his doynges must be aunswered, and so they should, trustyng to make good accōpt therof. The cause which moued her grace so to say, was for that he would not permit her letters to be caried. iiij. or v. dayes after the writyng therof. MarginaliaThe Letters of the Lady Elizabeth caryed to the Queene.But in fine he was content to send for her Gentleman from the Towne of Woodstocke, demaundyng of him whether he durst enterprise the cariage of her graces letters to the Queene, or no: and he aunswered, yea Syr, that I dare, and will with all my hart. Whereupon Syr Henry, halfe agaynst his stomacke, tooke them vnto him.

Then about the eight day of Iune came downe MarginaliaD. Owen & D. Wendye, Q Maries Phisitions, sent to þ^e Lady Elizabeth.Doctor Owen & Doctor Wendye, sent by the Queene to her grace, for that she was sickly: who ministring to her, and letting her bloud, taried there and attended on her grace v. or vj. dayes. Thē she beyng well amended, they returned agayne to the Court, making their good report to the Queene and the Counsaile of her graces behauiour and humblenes towardes the Queenes highnes. Which her Maiesty hearing, toke very thankfully: but the Byshops therat repined, MarginaliaThe Popishe Prelates repined agaynst the Lady Elizabeth.looked blacke in the mouth, and tolde the Queene, they marueiled that she submitted not her selfe to her Maiesties mercy, considering that she had offended her highnes.

MarginaliaLady Elizab. requested to submitte her selfe to the Queene.About thys tyme, her grace was requested by a secret frend, to submit her selfe to the Queenes maiesty, which would be very well taken, and to her great quiet and commodity. Vnto whom she aunswered, that she would neuer submit her selfe to them whom she neuer offended. For (quoth she) if I haue offended and am gilty, I then craue no mercy, but the law, which I am certayne (quoth she) I should haue had ere thys, if it could be proued by me. For I know my selfe (I thanke God) to be out of the daunger thereof, wishing that I were as cleare out of the perill of my enemies, and then I am assured I should not so be locked and bolted vp within walles and doores as I am. God geue them a better mynde when it pleaseth hym.

MarginaliaCounsell of the Papistes to mary þ^e Lady Elizabeth to a Spanyard.About thys tyme was there a great cōsulting among the Byshops & gentlemen touching a mariage for her grace, which some of the Spanyardes wished to be wyth some straunger, that she might go out of the Realme wyth her portion: some saying one thyng,