u understande bj mj le'r I sent bj o countrimā. Bur'll, that masse Brentt dispatchd 501. for u. Jh. Sdlr. [John Sadler] bounde alone as yeat. Because Mr. Brbr [Barber] might not have it for 12 moneths, he would none at all, wherebj I loste my expectation, & [am] leafte I assure u in the greatest neede of 301. that possiblj. maie In truth, brother, to u be it spokē & to none els; for want thereof knowe skarce w waj to turne me. be. Det deus misericordiæ dcus [Query, dons, i. e. dominus] exitu secundu bene placitum suum. u' fath'r wth. his blessinge & comendation mj sister wth. her lovinge remembrance, comends her: in health booth, with all u' childre & houshold. u' fath'r extraordinarj hartie, chearefull, & lustie, hath sent u this remembrance inclosed. It maie be u knowe Hins [him] his execut'r & brother; I meane of whom or brot" Whte borowed for me the 807. paihable at maj next. his name I have not att hand. he dwelleth in Watlinge Streate, if 407. thereof might be 'cured for 6 monethes more, it would make me whole. I knowe it doeth u good to be doing good & yt u will do all the good u can. I would Hamlet weare at home satisfied for his paines take before his coming & so freed from further travell. Nunc deus omnipot'ns opt. max. pater omnimodæ consolationis benedicat tibi in viis tuis, et secundet te in omb. tuis ? Ihn. crm. dom. erm. tuis tū. Dū. ullus sū ABRAH. STRL. [STURLEY.] Stratfordia Januarii 24 [1597-8]. Comend me to Mr Tom. Bur'll & praj him ffor me & - my broth. Da. Bakr [Daniel Baker] to looke yt T. Tub maie be well hooped, that he leake not out lawe to or hurte, for his cause: qōd partem avidio nonnihil suspicor & timeo. 3 Hamnet or Hamlet Sadler, who was probably godfather to Shakspeare's only son. He had accompanied Mr. Richard Quiney to London, on the business of the borough of Stratford. Received of Mr. But: Beanes 23q'. att 3s. 4d. the strike. ... I have paid & sowed theareof, 527. 11s. 8d. l. s. d. 30 13 4 13.12 0 12 0 0 56.5 4 Mj lad. Gre. is ru [run] in arreages wth mj sister for malt (as it seemeth), wc hendreth & troubleth hir not a littel. No. XIX. Nov. 4. 1598. All health happines of suites and wellfare be multiplied unto u & u'. labours in Gd o'. ffather by Cr. o' Ld. Yr l'er of the 21 of octobr came to mj handes the laste of the same at night ? Grenwai, wc. imported a staj of suites bj Sr Ed. Gr. [Edward Grevill's] advise, until &c1. & yt only u should follow on for tax & sub. 4 Pntly and allso u'. travell & hinderance of answere therein, bj u longe travell & thaffaires of the Courte: And that or countrima Mr W. Shak. [Shakspeare] would 'cure us monej, wc. I will like of, as I shall heare when, & wheare, & howe; and I praj let not go that occasion, if it maj sorte to anj indifferent condicions. Also yt if monej might be had for 30 or 40': a lease, &c. might be procured Oh howe can you make dowbt of monej, who will not beare xxxtie or xls. towards such a match! The latter end of u' l'er we concerned u' houshold affaires I dd [delivered] P'ntly nowe to u' other l'er of the 1o. of novmber received the 3d of the same. 4 The borough of Stratford at this time were soliciting the Lord Treasurer Burghley to be exempted from the subsidies imposed in the last Parliament, on the plea of poverty and distress occasioned by two recent fires. I would I weare with u; naj if you continue with hope of those suites u wrghte of, I thinke I shall wt [without] concent; & I will most willingly come unto u; as had u but advise & companj & more monej P'nte [present] much might be done to obtaine o' Ccr [charter] enlarged, ij faires more, with tole of corne bests and sheepe and a matter of more valeu the [than] all that; for (say u) all this is nothing yt is in hand, seeinge it will not rise to 80'. & the charges wilbe greate. What this matter of more valeu meaneth I cannot undrstand; but me thinketh whatsoever the good would be, u are afraid of want of monej. Good things in hand or neare hand can not choose but be worth monei to bring to hand, and being assured, will if neede be, bringe monej in their mouthes; there is no feare nor dowbte. If it be the rest of the tithes & the College houses and lands in o' towne u speake of, the one half weare abundantly ritch for us; and the other halfe to increase St E [Grevill's] rialties would both beare the charge & set him sure on: the wc I take to be your meaninge bj the latter p'te of u' l'er, where u write for a copie of the P'ticulars (wc, allso u shall have accordingly) Oh howe I fear whe I se what Sr Ed can do, & howe neare it sitteth to his selfe: leaste he shall thinke it to [too] good for us, & P'cure it for himselfe, as he s'ved us the last time. for it seemeth by u' owne words theare is some of hit [it] in u owne conceite, when u write if Sr Ed be as forward to do as to speake, it will be done: a dowbt I assure you not w'hout doubt to be made:-whearto allso u ad notw'standing yt doubt, no want but monej. Somewhat must be to Sr Ed & to each one yt dealeth somewhat & great reason. And me thinketh u need not be affraid to 'mise that as fitt for him, for all the [them] and for u' selfe. The thinge obtained no dowbte will paj all. For P'sent advice and encouragmte u have by this time Mr Bailj; and for monej, when you certifie what u have done, & what u have spent, what u will do, & what u wante, somewhat u knowe we have in hand, & Gd will p'vide that we shall be sufficient. Be of good courage. Make fast Sr Ed. bj all meanes, or els all our hope & u' travells be utterlj disgraced Consider and advise if St Ed. will be faste for us, so yt bj his goodwill to us & his meanes for us these things be brought about. What weare it for the fee farme of his rialties, nowe not above xii or xiij'. he weare assured of the double, when these things come to hand, or more, as the goodnes of the things pr'cured p'veth. But whj do I travill in these things, whe [when] I knowe not certainly what u intende, neither what u' meanes are, nor what are u' difficulties P'ciselj & by name all we must be knowe' by name & specially wth an estimate of the charge before anj thing can be added either for advise or supplie. I leave these matters therefore unto the allmighties mercifull disposition in u' hand untill a more neare possibilite or more leisure will encourage u or suffer u to write more plainly & P'ticularly. But whall the Chancell must not be forgotte' wallso obtained would yeald somep'ettj gub of monej for u' P'sent busines as I thinke. The P'ticulars u write for shalle this morninge be dispatched & sent as soon as maj be. All is well att home; all your paiments made & dispatchd, mj sister saith if it be so yt u can not be P'vided for M" Pendllbur. [Pendlebury] she will, if you will, send you up x'. towards that by the next after, or if u take it up paj it to who u appointe. Wm Wallford sendeth order and monej Wm Court nowe cominge who hath some cause to feare, for he was newelj s'ved with p'ces [process] on Tusday last at Ale'. [Aleeber] p Rog'r S[adler]. Mr Parsons supposeth that Wenlock came the same day wth Mr Bailj y'u writt u' l'er. he saith he supposeth u maj use yt x'. for our br'winge matters. Wm Wiatt answered Mr Ba [Bailif] and us all yt he would neither b'rwe him selfe, nor submit him selfe to the order; but (bj those very wordes) make against it wth all the strength he could possibly make, yeat we do this day begin Mr Bar[ber] and my selfe a littel for assai. My bro. D. B. [Daniel Baker] att Shrewsburj or homeward from thence. But nowe the bell hath runge my time spent. The Ld of all power, glorj, mercj, grace and goodnes, make his great power & mercie knowe towardes us in u' weaknes Take heed of tabacco whereof we heare ? Wm Perrj against ani longe iournei u maj undertake on foote of necessity, or wherein the exercise of u' bodj must be implored, drinke some good burned wine or aq'avita and ale strongly mingled wthout bread for a t[oast] & above all keepe u warme. Farewell mj dare heart, and the Ld increase or loves & comforts one to an other that once it maj be such as becomethe christianity purity & sincerity wthout staine or blemishe. Fare you well, all u' & or well. ffrom Stratford, Novem. 4th 1598. urs in all love in the best bond ABRAH. STURLEY. Mrs Coombs whe Gil'ert Charnocke paid the there monej as he told me, said yt if anj but he had brought it she would not receve it, because she had not hir gowne; & that she would arrest u for hit as soon as u come home; & much twattle; but at the end so yt youe would pai 4". towards hit, she would allow u xxs & we shall heare at some leasure howe fruits are & hopps & sutch knakks. At this point came Wm Sheldon the silkma with a warrant to serve Wm Walford againe upon a trespasse of 5001. To his most lovinge brother Mr Richard Quiney, at the Bell in Carter Lane att London, give these. No. XX. Sir Walter Ralegh, at the time Colin Clout was written, 5 Probably Mrs. Mary Combe, the wife of Thomas Combe, John Combe's elder brother. |