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himself master of this project for the marts, he penned an- other distinct discourse: first, of the reasons and causes, why it was then most necessary to have a mart in England : secondly, how the mart would be brought to pass : third- ly, the discommodities and lets to the mart to be kept in
monev.
OF KING EDWARD VI. 593
wntmg concerning every of these particulars, are pub- ^"- ' hshed in the History of the a Reformation. 2. To 6H7.^L:;;7II;^ more arts into the realm: so that all may not stand bi/^^^ clothing-. '^ ^ Vol. ii.
mer, namely, for the procuring of a quantity of money to "'« device enable him to pay his debts, and to make a fund for any ''""''"' future service. For indeed the King found himself now smkmg deeper and deeper into debt, by borrowing money at high interest, more than he could well pay. For I find him this year taking up money thrice at Antwerp, by his agent Gressham. That is to say, in May, OfWolfRechelinge - . . 64000 flor. Car. Of Jasper Schetz, and his partners 64200 flor. Car. Of Anthony Fuggar, and his nephews 160500 flor. Car. Whereof the two former sums were payable in December, and the latter in November. Again, in July the King took up
Of Conrad Raylinger, and his sons 36860 flor. Car. Both sums payable in July 1553. For which the mayor and city of London were security. And to them the King gave a recognisance, therein discharging them, and their heirs, and successors, lands, possessions, and goods, both on this side the sea and beyond. Again, in September the King took up
1553, the third in September following, and the fourth in February the said year.
debts were great, and his treasure was low : so that upon any emergent necessity, he might be put to pressing straits: which the King well considering, contrived with VOL. II. Q q 594 MEMORIALS ECCLESIASTICAL BOOK himself for the composing of two things ; viz. the discharging '^* of his present debts, which amounted now to 300,000/. and Anno 1552. to get a treasure for all events, whatever chances might happen, whereby he might have present occasion of a mass of money ; which treasure, he concluded, should be 50,000Z. For the effecting of both which, he laid this scheme ; viz. I. For the getting himself out of debt, to retrench his expences : 1. Bi/ diminishing the charges of the Pensioners'' table, of the Lord Privy Seafs, of the Physician'' s, and of the Master of the Household ; giving them reasonable recom- pences. As the month before, viz. in September, the King began that course, when the young Lords' table was taken away, and those of the Masters of Requests, the Sergeants at Arms, and divers other extraordinary allowances, as the King noted in his Journal. 2. By providing Jbr the ward- robe, that the charge might be the less. S. By discharging of the admiralty; 4. A7id of the posts; 5. And of certain buhvarhs on the sea-side, thought to be superfluous. And accordingly I find a letter in this month of October, to the Lord Chamberlain, for his warrant, to discharge the unne- 345 cessary bulwarks in the county of Essex, according to a schedule of the same, signed by the Privy Council. And hereupon the bulwarks of earth and boards in Essex, which had continual allowance of soldiers in them, were dis- charged. By which was saved presently 500Z. per annum ; and hereafter 700Z. more, as the King notes in his Journal. 6. Discharging likewise of one thousand men in Ireland, bes'ides what had been already discharged. 7. Of five hun- dred men at Barwick, when his forts should be repaired ; and two hundred at Guis7ies for the winter. 8. By bring- ing the Augmentation Court into the Exchequer, and so likewise the Court of F'lrst-Fruits and Tenths, and saving all those fees that might be spared. 9- By eocamining, ivhe- tlier the receivers of the K'lng's monies, and such like of- ficers, had portage money allowed them by their patents. And if they had, how they gat it : it being something, it seems, not formerly allowed. By which portage money they had good consideration allowed them, for the bringing or OF KING EDWARD VI. 595 sending of the King^s money to the Exchequer, or else- CHAP. where. This the King made a note of, to retrench. 10. By ^^I- discharging UJcewise of suiierjiuous fees in the duchy and Anno 1552. the wards. And as these were the King's thoughts of good husbandry, and for cutting off what expences might be spared, for the saving money to enable him to pay his debts: so,
of money, he devised this course : \, To gather and coin the church plate. For which there were soon after com- missions issued out to persons of the chiefest eminency in the several counties, to take away, and convert to the King's use, all such plate as was more than necessary for the cele- brating the communion. 2. To sell some lands ^ for the making up the sum of 50001. namely, the lands of certain chantries, colleges, houses, and Beaumonfs lands, late master of the rolls, forfeited now to the King. 3. To re- deem the leases pertaining to the liveries at Westminster, Waltham, Reading, and St. Albans. 4. To call in for the remnant of the Kin^s debts. 5. To take account of all those that have had to do with the King's money since the S6th of King Henry VIII. For this also a commission was issued out. 6. The stay of lead. This was Gressham's coun- sel to the Duke of Northumberland, as may be seen before. 7. To sell the bell-metal. 8. To execute the perial laws touching horses, ploughs, &^c. for riots, oppressions, plant- ing, and gr offing of trees, for the size of wood and billet, forestalling and regrating. I find divers commissions is- sued out for these purposes : which, no doubt, created sometimes oppressions and hard dealing towards the people. And I am apt to think the hand of Northumberland was with the King in this, whose father had put it into the head of this King's grandfather, to take his advantage upon his subjects, for the breaking of old obsolete laws, which had pecuniary penalties annexed to them : but it cost him his head. 9. To take the advantage of the offences and
a Parliament, to get a subsidy in respect of the defence Qq ^ 596 MEMORIALS ECCLESIASTICAL BOOK of the English robbed by the French, 11. To sell certain ^^' j eivelss to the sum o/"15,000Z. \% To examine how the sale Anno xhbi.of the fustians was made, and also of the copper ; which the King had bought of the Fuggars and the Schetz, according to the custom of those that borrowed money of them, to take some part in commodities. 13. To borrow money of the staplers; which the King did this month, to the sum of 346 40,000/. that is, 20^. upon every cloth exported. And there was at a shipping this month of October carried out 40,000 broadcloths. 14. To call in for Sir Anthony Guidofs ob- ligatio7is : for there were some dealings between the King and him, the King granting him, being a stranger, a liberty of trade, and he entering into obligations to the King for that privilege. I find also the King granted him a protec- tion. Lastly, To take order for the mines in Ireland: for there were mines lately found out there, and several Almains, expert in mines, were procured, to search and dig in them. But I think this turned but to httle account, and the King, not long after, had thoughts of discharging these Almains. Commis- According to these devices of the King for raising money, sions issued ^^^.^ v^erQ in December and January divers commissions raising issued out ; and some of them somewhat oppressive. As for money. ^^^^^ foj. requiring of all church plate, (excepting what was requisite for the administration of the sacrament,) the King, it appears, was moved to do this upon these considerations, as he wrote himself, " That he thought that way best, be- " cause it should make things to be looked for, that else " perad venture would be lost : as church plate ; which, as " men said, was daily conveyed away. And hereby the " bullion might remain still, [and be for a further reserve,] *' and the land not sold : [which was appointed so to be, " for raising money :] which the King thought better to be " bestowed upon those that had served him, [in places of " trust, and offices about his person,] than sold to auditors " and penmen ; [such, he meant, as were in places of ac- " count, and receivers of the King's revenues ;] who, having " store of money, would buy it."' And as for the commis- sion to examine the breakers of laws, which were to be OF KING EDWARD VI. 597 punished by pecuniary mulcts and forfeitures, to alleviate CHAP, this, the King wrote, " That the forfeits being demanded of. "such as had willingly devoured their neighbours, and^""^^^^^- " broken the law, would do much good." He meant, by making the laws better observed for the future, and to pa- cify many people that had suffered by their oppressions. And lastly, for the commissions, whereby the King's officers and receivers, and those that were intrusted with the King's money, were to be called to account, he intended, that what monies should be recovered of them, should be set apart for a stock for any future event. For so he wrote in his book, " The arrearages of the surveyors and auditors of the " courts shall be left for a treasure, or not dismembered.'"* In fine, it was not far from this time, that the King ap- The King's plied himself to compute his own debts, and his own trea- tionf"**" sure, thus:
£.
£. Debts owing beyond sea - -
Debts owing to him - 100,000^ The subsidy, which he reckoned at - 80,000 I 200,000 Superfluous church plate - 20,000 -' Besides this he had. In the Household - 20,000
Of the Mints - 10,000 Michaelmas Rent - 10,000 Treasure - 100,000 Bullion - 34,000 Lands to be sold - 3000 Fustians - 14,000 347 Thus did this young Prince mind his royal estate, and look after his treasure, as knowing it the very nerves and marrow of the flourishing condition of a kingdom. Qq 3
598
MEMORIALS ECCLESIASTICAL \nno 1552 'he Lord )eputysent or over. CHAP. XIII. Matters of Ireland. The Emperor raises money in the IjOW Countries. Antiverp. The English mercha7its there. BuchhoWs process against the King.
There had been lately some disturbances and commotions in the northern parts, by O'Conor, and some other Irish lords, blown up, as it seems, by the French and the Scots : making use of the practice of one George Paris, a discon- tented Irishman ; who, at length, in hope of his lands, made discovery, and had letters promising him pardon, and more favour. Which coming to the knowledge of the Queen of Scots, he was clapt up in Striveling Castle, when he was about coming out of Scotland into England. Seasonable opposition being made against these stirs, by some of the nobility and chief men in that kingdom, and by the cities of Dublin and Drogheda, under the Lord Deputy, things were appeased, and set at quiet. Whereupon, in October, the King sent several letters ; one to the Lord Chancellor and Council ; another to the Master of the Rolls there ; another to the Master of the Ordnance ; and a fourth to the Earl of Desmond ; signifying, that as the Lord Deputy there had advertised his Majesty of their diligent service done to him in the expedition northwards, so he would not neglect to keep the same in good remembrance to requite, when occa- sion should require. And two other letters of the same effect were sent to Drogheda and Dublin. The King was now busy for settling the whole state of Ireland in good order.
puty, over to his presence, the letters importing. That forasmuch as certain articles sent unto the Privy Council could not be resolved and answered, without present confer- ence with him, by his Majesty and the Council, he should repair thither, leaving the charge of that realm, during his absence, to the Chancellor there, the two Justices of the Bench
OF KING EDWARD VI. 599 and Common Pleas, and the Chief Baron of the Exchequer, CHAP, jointly to minister the affairs of that realm, by the advice of ^^^^' such other counsellors there as they should think needful, ^"no iss2 This letter was dated October 27. Yet, counsels altering, 348 November 7. following, letters came from the King to the said Lord Deputy, to nominate and appoint Sir Thomas Cusake to supply the place of chief governor of the realm, during the absence of him the said deputy, together with Sir Gerard Aylmer, justice of the Bench. And another letter, of the same date, was sent to the Earl of Desmond, to aid and assist them, together with thanks given him for his former service. But upon some new advice, it was not safe for the deputy as yet to be absent from Ireland; for November 26, letters were sent to him, to stay his coming away for a while, till the King's pleasure should be further signified unto him.
Boloignois, by some Burgundians in the Emperor's service : ^"'j 'I^^' which letters were writ from the Queen of Scots to the Journal. French King ; importing, how she had sent O'Conor's son into Ireland, to comfort the lords of Ireland, who had lately been defeated, and to encourage them to attempt new dis- turbances. These letters being brought to the Queen Re- gent, she ordered Mons. De Langie, the treasurer of Flan- ders, to acquaint Mr. Gressham, the King's agent, (then at Antwerp,) with them : who, November 24, arrived at the English court, and shewed these matters there : whereupon counsels were taken to send letters by Henry Knowles, a special messenger, in post, to stay the deputy, if he met him in Ireland, that he might watch these intended mutinies, and be provided against them ; with advice that he should pretend his own private affairs, for his present stay, and to prolong his going from week to week, lest it might be per- ceived. Knowles also carried with him articles concerning the whole state of that realm ; which the deputy was willed to answer. For the which purpose he had been sent for over, to give satisfaction thereunto by his own mouth. For this discovery and intelligence, a letter of thanks was writ- aq4 600 MEMORIALS ECCLESIASTICAL BOOK ten to the Regent; signifying withal a desire of further ' amity, lino 1552. In November some stop was put to the coinage in DubUn, jinage of ^p^j^ ^\^q death of Martin Pirry, esq. treasurer of the mints ubiin. there. But December 25, letters were wrote to the Council, to give order to the officers of the mint to proceed to the coinage of such further portions of bullion, as ought to have been coined by the grant made to the said Pirry, so the same exceeded not the value of 8000Z. more than was already coined. For it was but in July last, that an indenture was made between the King and this Pirry, witnessing, that for divers urgent causes and considerations, the King, minding for the present to coin a certain mass of bullion within his mints erected in the city and castle of Dublin in Ireland, had ordained and made the said Martin to be master or treasurer of his said mint, Oliver Daubeny to be the comp- troller thereof, and William Williams to be assay-master : and where his Highness had delivered to the said Martin the quantity and sum of 1500 pound weight of fine silver of troy weight, his Majesty willed, granted, and agreed, that the said Martin Pirry, his executors and assigns, with the comptroller and assay-master of the said mint for the time being, and with such monies, ministers, and labourers, as to them should seem good, should melt, work, and make in the foresaid mint, the said quantity and sum of 1500 pounds 349 weight of fine silver, into one manner of silver monies, which should be called pieces of six pence, running for six pence of lawful money of England ; and should be of such weight, as sixty and twelve of them should weigh one pound \^eight of troy ; and that every pound weight of the same monies should hold and be three ounces of fine silver out of the fire, and nine ounces of allay : which his Majesty had ordained to be standard, le Em- In the winter of this year, great preparations were mak- Ino/foT ^^^ ^^^' ^ai'^yiiig on the war between the Emperor and the ¦i war. French, who was somewhat too Iiard for the former the last summer. And what means were made in the Low Countries by the Queen Regent, for the raising of money, the nerves
OF KING EDWARD VI. 601 of war, and which the Emperor had extraordinary need of, CHAP. Chamberlain, the King's ambassador, informed the Council, ' in a letter writ January 8: " That on Thursday last, the ^""01552. " proposition to be made unto the states, both temporal and " spiritual, assembled at Bruges, arrived from the Em- " peror, to whom it was sent to be seen ; and it was imme- " diately propounded there. Wherein the Queen herself, as " it was said, played the jolly woman, exhorting the states " and burgesses at this time to help the Emperor, being " provoked to a war against his will : whereto the pre- " eminence of answering fell at this time to Flanders, because " the demand was there made. They of that town answered " for all Flanders before Brabant, which else ought to have " had the preference. And so declared themselves to be '' willing to aid the Emperor's Majesty, like good subjects, " according to their power. Forthwith the next day her " Majesty had all the commoners of the towns of Brabant " and Flanders before her, in her privy chamber, where all " men were put out, officers of the household, and others, " except the Council. The day on which the ambassador " wrote his letter, the rest for Holland and Zeland, Artois, " and Henault, Freezland, and others, were before her Ma- " jesty in the same place. " The demands made by the Queen were, from Flanders " 480,000 gulderen, from Brabant 400,000. Henault and " Artois did pay less always, because they were nigh the *' enemy, and should feel the war more than the rest. And " those said sums it was agreed to be assessed upon them : " Zeland was cessed at 40,000 gulderen ; the bishopric of " Utrecht at 20,000. The clergy were not mentioned in " the sums above specified. Besides, these demands of the '' Emperor were to be put out to rent for the sum of " 600,000 gulders : which, after the wars ended, the sub- '' jects were like to redeem themselves. Howbeit the thing ^' was so raised upon their meat and drink, that it would be " almost not felt. The answer to this demand was to be '^ made at Brussels within ten days. " Here were now taken great determinations to bend a 602 MEMORIALS ECCLESIASTICAL BOOK " mighty power against the French King. And the Em- '^* " peror had a great quantity of gold and silver of the Anno 1552." Indies, come by land from Jeanes thither; which was "" put to be forged into money. But yet he sought never- " theless to have what he could by finance, and other " means. And a person of the ambassador's acquaintance, " newly come from Zeland, had learned certainly, that sixty " ships of war, that were prepared to have gone to the sea " with the Admiral, were then all dismissed. And order was " taken for to excuse the charge of 100,000 gulders monthly 350" for the same. And that every of the towns of Holland, " and Zeland, and Flanders, should rig out ships of them- " selves, for which they had an ordinance of their own ; and " the Emperor should be at no more cost, but the wages of " certain soldiers in every ship. And so they should of " themselves both keep the seas, and convoy their merchants " ships from time to time.'' England In all this time England kept herself disengaged to either
ceived of her. Skipperius, the Emperor's admiral, in some discourse with the English ambassador, said, that it was told him, that 2 or 3000 horsemen should be sent out of Eng- land to France: which, he added, he could not believe. And the ambassador assured him it was untrue. A friar The Emperor, that he might have the less upon his hand,
tween the Turk : whicli a friar, of great pretended sanctity, did en- Yüklə 12,09 Mb. Dostları ilə paylaş:
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