MarginaliaAn. 1558.to persuade her?

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

The Bishop therunto replying, said: it wil be a marueilous grief to the Prince of Spayne, & 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 releysed 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 bande from further appearance.

The Duchesse and her houseband, dayly more and more, by their frendes vnderstandyng that the Byshop ment to call her to an accompt of her fayth, whereby extremitie might follow, MarginaliaWayes practised how to conuey þ^e Duchesse ouer the seas, with þ^e Quenes 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 the Duchesse was) beyond þ^e Seas, the Emperour him self 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, adding, 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 wel (quod 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 (quod M. Bertie) vnder your Lordships correctiō, and pardō of so liberall speach, I suppose the time will then be lesse conuenient: for when the Mariage is consummate, the Emperour hath his desire: but till thē he will refuse nothyng to winne credite with vs.

By S. Mary (quod 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 Quene to passe the seas.M. Bertie foūd so good successe, that he in few daies obteined the Quenes licēce, not only to passe the seas, but to passe and repasse then so often as to him seemed good, till he had finished all his busines and causes beyond the seas. So he passed the seas at Douer, about the 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 agreemēt & cōsent betwixt her and her housbād, followed, takyng Barge at Lyō 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 on old Gentlemā 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, & the meanest of her seruauntes, for she doubted the best would not aduēture that fortune with her. They were in number iiij. men, one a Greeke borne, whiche 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 Barbicā, betwixt iiij. and fiue of the clocke in the morning, with her companie 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 womē and her child, so soone as she was forth of her own 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 rāsacking parcels left in the male, the Duchesse issued into the streete, and proceded in her iourney, knowyng the place onely by name where she should take her boate, but not þ^e way thether, nor none with her. Likewise her seruauntes hauing diuided them selues, none but one knew the way to the sayd key.

So she apparelled like a meane Marchantes wife, and the rest like meane seruaūts, walking in þ^e streetes vnknowen, she tooke þ^e way that led to Finesbury field,

and the others walked the Citie streetes as they lay open before thē, till by chaūce more then discretiō, they mette all sodeinly together a litle within Mooregate, frō whence they passed directly to Lion key, MarginaliaThe Duchesse with her companie 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 inuētory of her goods, MarginaliaPursuit after the Duchesse.besides further order deuised for search and watch to apprehēd and 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 Marchant of Londō, an old acquaintaunce of Cranwelles, whether the said Cranwell brought the Duchesse, naming her Mistres White, the daughter of Master Gosling, for such a daughter hee had which neuer was in that countrey. MarginaliaThe Duchesse retayned in Master Goslings house by Leigh, vnder the name of his daughter.There she reposed her, and made new garmēts for her daughter, hauing lost her owne in þ^e male at Barbicā.

When the tyme came that she shoulde take shippe, being cōstrayned to lye that night at an Inne in Leigh (where she was agayne almost bewrayed) yet notwithstāding, by Gods good working she escaping that hassard, at length, as the tyde and wynde did serue, MarginaliaThe hard aduenture of the Duchesse vpon the Seas.they went aborde, and being carried twise into the 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 his tale, onely the appearaunce of a meane Marchauntes wife to be a shipboorde, 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 housband tooke their iourney towardes Cleuelād, 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 might further deuise of some sure place where to settle themselues.

About fiue miles from Santon,MarginaliaThe free town of Wesell in Cleueland.is a free towne called Wesel, vnder the said Duke of Cleues dominion, and one of the Haūs townes, priuileged with the company of the Stilyard in Londō, whether diuers Wallons were fled for religion, and had for their Minister one Frances Perusell, thē called Frances de Riuers, who had receaued some curtesie in Englād at the Duchesse handes. Maister Bertie beyng yet at Santon, practised with him to obtaine a protectiō from the Magistrates, for his abode & his wiues at Wesell:MarginaliaA protection procured for the Duchesse, of the Magistrates of Wesell.which was the sooner procured because the state of the Duchesse was not discouered but onely to the chiefe Magistrate, earnestly bent to shew them pleasure, whiles this protection was in seeking.

In the meane while, at the towne of Santon was a muttering that the Duchesse and her houseband were greater personages then they gaue themselues forth, and the Magistrates not very wel inclined to religiō, MarginaliaM. Bertie and the Duchesse in daunger of taking by the B. of Arras at Santon.the Byshop of Arras also being Deane of the great Minster, order was taken, that the Duchesse and her houseband should be examined of their condition and religion vpon the sodayne. Which practise discouered by a gentleman of that countrey to Master Bertie,MarginaliaAn other escape of the Duchesse and her houseband.he without further delay taking no more then the Duchesse, her daughter, & two other with them, as though he mēt no more but to take the ayre, about three of the clocke in the after noone in February, on foote, wythout hiering of horse or wagon for feare of disclosing his purpose, ment priuily that night to get to Wesell, leauing his other family still at Santon.

After the Duchesse and hee were one English mile from the Towne, there fell a mighty rayne of continuance, whereby a long frost and ise before congealed, was thawed, which doubled more þ^e wearines of those new lacquies. MarginaliaThe hard distresse of þ^e Duchesse by euill wether.But beyng now on the way, and ouer taken with þ^e night, they sent their ij. seruaunts (which onely went with them) to villages, as they past, to hyre some carre for their ease, but none could be hyred. In the meane tyme Master Bertie was forced to cary the childe, and the Duchesse his cloke and rapier. At last, betwixt vi. and vij. of the clocke in the darke night, they came to Wesell, and repayring to their Innes for lodging & some repose after such a payneful iorney, MarginaliaThe hard intertainment of M. Bertie and the Duchesse at their entring into Wesell.found hard intertainment: for goyng from Inne to Inne, offring large money for small lodging, they were refu-