Marginalia1555. March.Maryes tyme his imprisonment was so strayte, that at no time it was permitted to hym to write. Albeit in his other troubles in king Edwardes tyme, certaine letters he wrote to the Archbishop of Canterbury Thomas Cranmer, and to the Earle of Warwike,  

which letters although they might be well referred to the first edition of this story, yet because in the saide letters is conteyned briefly and in fewe lines the whole discourse of his vniust vexation at that tyme wrough by his aduersaries, I thought good not to passe thē ouer, but to cōmunicate them vnto the reader, for the better vnderstanding both of the innocencie of that blessed Bishop, and of the crafty iniquitie of his conspired enemies: as in the said letters here folowing to the indifferent reader may easily appeare.

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MarginaliaA letter of M. Farrar Byshop of S. Dauyes.MOst humbly sheweth vnto your honor,  

your poore orator Rob. Bish. of Saint Dauies, that where as one Tho. Lee (by the procurement of Tho. Yong, Rowland Mericke being both Canons of S. Dauids, and George Cōstantine Register to the said Bishop) hath exhibited vnto your honor against him certaine articles, in the which are mētioned many trifling thinges vnwoorthy to be declared in your honorable audience, and also their pretensed weighty articles (as they haue alleged there) are vtterly vntrue, for proofe wherof the sayd Thomas Lee, hath had Commissions into the countrey: therfore it may please your honor of your fauourable goodnes, to graunt vnto your said Oratour a like Commission for the examinatiō of witnesses in defence of his truth and honesty, against the aforenamed Tho. Lee, George Cōstantine, Tho. Yong, Rowland Mericke, and all other persons with their vniust articles, attestations, & sayinges deposed against hym. And in tender consideratiō that MarginaliaB. Farrar bound with his sureties in a thousand Markes to appeare in a matter of Premunire.your said Orator standeth bounden and sureties with him, in the summe of a thousand markes, to appeare before the kinges Iustice in the Sessions at Carmarthen in Iuly nexte commyng, to answeare to a forged matter of Premunire,   by the procurement and counsel of his forenamed aduersaries malitiously surmised against hym to his vtter vndoyng: and furthermore that your Orator beyng in debt to the kinges maiestie, by reason of the malitious vexation of his foresaid aduersaries, can not (if he remain here) satisfie the same (for wheras ther be rerages to a great summe aswel of the kings money as of his owne rentes, he can receiue none therof, his aduersaries haue made such yll report, to his discredite, bearing the people in hand that he shal come no more thither, by reason of which bruite, neither his own tenants wil pay their rentes and rerages, nor the priestes their rerages due to the kinges maiestie, as wel for anno secundo and tertio, as for quarto and quinto:) In cōsideration of all these things it may please your honorable goodnes to licence your sayd Oratour to depart into the Dioces for these affayres and other: and he shalbe redy at al tymes at your honorable commaundement and pleasure to repayre againe, & euer to pray to the Lord Iesu for the perpetual conseruation of your honour, to his glory.

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Besides this letter he wrote an other likewise to the said Lorde (who was, as seemeth, D. Goodricke Lord Chauncellour  

afore mentioned) wherein he declareth the whole cause of his trouble, how it rose against hym by his aduersaries, as here foloweth.

MarginaliaAn other letter of B. Farrar to the Lord Chauncellour.RIght honourable,  

& my very especial good Lord, with humble seruice and harty thankes to God, and to you for your godly fauour towardes me at all tymes, as right plainly appeareth by your fatherly letters, most louingly admonishing me to incline vnto þ^t which is very necessary, as charitable concorde and vnitie: this is further to beseeche your Lordship for the Lordes sake, not to be greeued, but benignly to heare and grauely to ponder that weighty matter, which appearing to other but a light griefe, to me is in very deede a right greeuous offence to Godwarde, with no litle hinderaunce of his holy woorde and disturbaunce of the kinges godly proceedinges, and may be great occasion of muche inobedience, and disorder of good life.

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Wherefore I am straytly bounden, for the true zeale that I ought to beare vnto the worde of lyfe, Christian religion, the kinges Maiesties honour, and the godly quiete state of his people, not faintly to let fall the burthen of diligent redresse to be sought at his maiesties handes by the

godly wisdome of his most honourable and vpright Counsayle, but with harty affection to beare it vp agaynst those high mynded, arrogant, stubborne, ambitious, couetous Canons, trusting in their biting tongues, with crafty preuention and vtterly vntrue surmises, to stop the light, that their vngodly misdoynges in darkenes shall eyther not be seene, or at the leaste may haue a colourable appearaunce of right: In so muche that I doo not a litle marueile at these qualities in maister Chauntour, the Canon, and the Deane of Worcetour, whose vngentle and vntrue behaueour I haue not onely knowen, but expertly proued and sensibly fealt in two of the first, to my great losses, whereof I make no complaint.

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But I woonder in my mynde and lament in my hart, the strange alteration and wylful going backward of mine old faithful brother George Constantine, MarginaliaThe vnkind dealing of G. Constantine, against B. Farrar.the which (knowing them all three to haue bene in tymes past, either obstinate enemies to the true bearers of the Crosse of Christ, or (at the least) priuie lurkers vnder pretence of fauour towardes the Gospell, to styng the poore folowers thereof, seeking but their owen lucre & pleasure in all their doings) would so earnestly cleaue vnto them in their wrong deedes, as to betray me with his tongue, become vntrue of his promise, and a bearer of filthy sinne for lucres sake, euen yet stifly persisting in the same, namely in thinges manifestly knowen vnto many, although he would deny it, and that I might not be credited.

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And as for their Premunire,  

both George, & they at my firste commyng vngently detainyng from MarginaliaThis Ferlee was Chauncellour to B. Farrer.M. Ferlee his Commission of the Chauncelorship, would haue faced me down with the Premunire, because it was written in mine owne name according to the statute: yet was I faine for the zeale of vnitie, not to see their vncourteous deedes, departing with maister Ferlee, for the auoyding of their malice and enuie, and gaue that office for the amitie of George, vnto MarginaliaThis Chaunter was D. Yong.M. Chaunter his sonne in law, and to D. Mericke the office of Cardigan. But seeing afterwarde their couetous respect to their owne glory and lucre, not regarding the reformation of sinne, and especially of shameles whooredome, MarginaliaD. Yong and D. Mericke remoued by B. Ferrar from their officesI was compelled to remoue them, sore against their wylles: and whereas I desired many and sundrye tymes charitable redresse of their wrong doyngs in the vacation tyme, I obteyned many fayre woordes, and nothing in deede.

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MarginaliaThe wronges which B. Farrar receaued by Thomas Yong and D. Mericke.Also desiring to haue sight of the booke of Statutes of the Church for the knowledge of my duetie and theirs, I could not obteyne. Desiring to haue a key of the Chapter house Seale, as my Lord of Bath had, they woulde not deliuer it, but vppon conditions: yet was I content to be brideled, receiuyng it, as pleased them to geue it. And further requiring the sight of necessarye euidences for the declaration of diuers things in trauers of my right, they woulde in no wise graunt it. And thereupon consideryng their vngentlenes, I moued the Quo warranto, knowing right wel that if they should shewe any substantiall graunt vnder the kinges Seale for their corporation, it must therin appeare, the bishop to be the head, and euer hath ben vnder the king: for other they neither haue nor had, except they would returne to Rome againe, as I trust they wyll not. And yet perceiuyng afterwarde that they had no speciall graunt to shew, or els such as they would not shewe, I my selfe for the respect of vnitie, wrote my letters to the kings Attorney, by reason wherof the Quo warranto  

was stayed, and so yet remayneth.

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But touchyng the Certificat, the kinges Subsidie being due at Michaelmas last, and forborne tyll after Christmas, and lawfully demaunded afore, they did vterly refuse to paye, both to my Vicecollector and to my selfe, except I woulde take it of them in portions, not knowing where to aske the rest, and it is committed vnto me in the kinges Rol a whole summe in grosse, to be receyued of the Canons residentiaries for their Diuident: who because they can not agree in diuidyng, woulde haue the kinges maiestie to tary for his money, tyll they can agree to make diuision: and I can not demaund it of any particuler person, nor at any particular place.

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Wherfore I most humbly beseech your fatherly goodnes for the Lordes sake, to persist and continue my good Lord and friend, vnto suche time as ye finde me either desiring to be defended in my wrong, or not willing to put the iudgement of my right cause into your hands. And becuse that the residue of matters, touching them, and their vngentle, vntrue, and vngodly doinges is too long, & I haue molested you too much with this my tedious letter, I shall nowe surcease: humbly beseeching your good Lordship to accept in good part this my boldnes proceding of necessitie, and to pardon it for the loue of our Lord Iesu: who saue and keepe you in health, comfort, and honor, long to endure,

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