Thomas

Arundell.

disposition of sweet and apt speeches, fit for your place; and "instead thereof breed and make you a surly, sharp, and sour

plum, and no better in truth than a very melancholy mole and "a misanthropos, hateful to God and man."

A number of small presents fall to his lot: e.g., some firkins of oysters from the town of Colchester, "failing anything better;" a harp from the Countess of Desmond, and a "simple lover's gift" (its nature not otherwise defined) from Sir Richard Molineux.

The fortunes, continuously perverse, of Thomas Arundellcount by foreign creation, but plain commoner at home in England, where no one would recognise his patent of nobility -are illustrated by nearly twenty papers. Among them are letters from his aged father, Sir Matthew. This old servant of the Queen's, who had married "a woman of Her Majesty's own breeding," and till his wife's death (being twenty-six years) had never left service in Court, derived little comfort from his son's proceedings (p. 36), and cherished a particular antipathy to his son's wife, so much so that he confidentially confessed to Cecil that he had already disinherited him so far as the law allowed, the "law of nature having clean forgotten her office in me, "having received from my son and my son's wife many proud "thwarts for too too much bounty and love." The old knight had the most intense dislike of the whole business of the foreign title, chiefly because all his son's sons and daughters and their issues. must become counts and countesses, "a matter so peevish, harsh, and absurd" to the old Englishman's understanding that the more he spoke of it the greater was his grief in thinking upon it. The unacknowledged count was himself anxious to proceed on a voyage of adventure (pp. 72, 94), but falling anew under suspicion in consequence of the despatch of one Smallman, a retainer, to the Emperor's Court with his pedigree, "that the Emperor

might see he bad not bestowed that title of honour upon any "base person," he was again put in "close durance" (p. 228) and under surveillance, being first committed to the care of Mr. Robert Beale (pp. 193, 194), who took occasion to reason with him on the subjects of his pretended dignity and his religion. After more than a month's restraint, however (p. 228), and a strict investigation (p. 229) he was pronounced to be guilty of no crime of disloyalty, but only of contempt "in practising to contrive the

"justification of his vain title." On account of this and the fact that his house had been haunted by massing priests, though, as he maintained, without his knowledge, the Queen, while remitting all punishment out of favour to the house from which he was descended, decided that his father" should receive him and his upon his good abearing for some convenient time until there should be better demonstration of his discreet and "dutiful carriage." But this arrangement greatly "disquieted" the old gentleman (p. 260) now in the year which he designates his annus climactericus magnus, and he begged that the son and his family might be settled instead at a house "two flight shots from his own at Shafton, where he would pay for their "diet" and keep as vigilant a watch over them as his age, his wit, and his occupations would permit. Sir Matthew's wishes were respected, and it was explained to him (p. 276) that he was not asked to be his son's jailor. By December Thomas appears to have purged his contempt and established a character for good behaviour, and to be moving, a free man, about London (p. 527).

Smallman, the retainer whom he had employed on the mission to the Emperor, and Sir Humphrey Druell, also connected with his household, found themselves to be in worse case than the chief offender. The one was imprisoned in the Fleet, and the other (run to earth after a hunt of some days and some diffi. culty) in the Wood Street Counter (p. 284). Druell's letters incidentally disclose views of the interior of the Fleet prison three hundred years ago (pp. 188, 198).

dents.

Among miscellaneous correspondents are Sir Thomas Challoner Miscellaneous writing from Florence, telling, among other items of news, the corresponpopularity of English merchants there; Henry Cuffe, on his travels abroad in Europe, dating his letters from Paris and Florence; and Dowager Lady Russell, already referred to, a woman of vigorous modes of expression, ready at any moment to take up the cudgels on her own behalf and maintain what she held to be her just rights. Certain letters on the subject; of a demand made upon her by one May, a draper, for money which she averred she had already paid (pp. 296, 297) are e

Topography.

London.

amusing reading. Among her accomplishments was that of Latin verse-making. Her English is more emphatic in style than lucid, and her words as they flowed from her pen assumed forms far removed from modern orthography and not by any means always consistent. It is clear that she was not a painful" writer, using the word in the sense in which it is applied to the applauded preacher in these pages, the meaning universally given to it at the close of the 16th century, but if not models of careful composition, her letters are extremely lively.

A gossipy letter of news with a spice of slander from Thomas Audeley (p. 391) is also remarkable, because the endorsement erroneously attributes it to Sir Thomas Bodley. The original is clearly dated September, though the matter of the letter itself points almost inevitably to the month of December.

A single notice occurs of John Norden, the topographer, who devoted time and talent (p. 459) to "the more perfect description of the several shires of the realm." Part of his labours had by this time been embodied in imprints, but in order to obtain funds for the further prosecution of the work, Lord Burghley assisted him with a warrant to justices of the peace generally, commanding them "to use their best "favours for some voluntary benevolence or contribution to be given by them well affected to this service." London topography appears in a letter of Sir John Hollis (p. 464) which gives information of holdings in the neighbourhood of Clements Inn and Comming" Garden, and their rentals. Certain building operations had brought those connected with them into the Star Chamber, where some remarks made by Lord Burghley stung the hasty-tempered knight into the dangerous course of replying by means of a "lewd, saucy letter" (p. 270). This proceeding procured him an opportunity of quiet reflection in the Fleet prison upon the folly displayed in those days by an insignificant man who allowed himself the satisfaction of addressing abusive remarks in writing to so potent a personage as the Lord Treasurer. In another connexion (p. 187) we read of a "back gate" opening into the Strand, and of" field upon

field" being then found in the district between Drury Lane and Grays Inn.

R. A. R.

In the preparation of this volume the Commissioners have had the assistance of Mr. R. A. Roberts, Mr. R. F. Isaacson, Mr. E. Salisbury, Mr. R. H. Brodie, Mr. A. Hughes, and Mr. C. G. Crump, all of the Public Record Office, and of Mr. R. T. Gunton, Private Secretary to the Marquis of Salisbury.