distillers, and required the immediate payment of the duty upon all the liquor that had undergone conversion. The petitioners alleged that the consequences would be ruinous to the persons interested, and would put an end to their trade, by which " great discouragement" would be caused to the growers of apples and pears. The House referred the complaint to a committee, but it does not appear that any relief was granted. Four years later the cider counties were stricken with a new panic. After the Peace of Utrecht, the Government proposed that a system of free-trade should be established between England and France, and a scheme to carry it out was laid before the House of Commons. The cider growers of Gloucestershire at once took the alarm, and hastened to petition the House, contending that the liquors distilled from cider and perry produced "a good wholsome fine brandy, not only answering a home consumption, but also a foreign exportation, and which when rectified and kept to a good age is hardly known from French brandy"; and that if the duty on French spirits were taken off, the petitioners would be prejudiced, distilling stopped, and good crops of fruit left rotting on the ground. The merchants and distillers of Bristol, alarmed by the proposal, supported their rural neighbours, alleging in a petition that the home production of brandy, the quality of which excelled some foreign spirits, and was as wholesome, if not quite as palatable, as the French, encouraged domestic agriculture, and promoted navigation, while the consumption thereby caused of coarse sugar and molasses enabled refined sugar to be sold at a cheap rate. This agitation, coupled with that of other protected interests, was fatal to the Government scheme, which was rejected by a small majority, and free-trade was postponed for upwards of a century.

It would be interesting to learn when apple brandy ceased to be manufactured. It is still largely consumed in Normandy, and is certainly more "wholsome" than the French brandy of the present day, the bulk of which is notoriously adulterated with, if not wholly composed of, potato spirit manufactured in Germany.

J. L.

1895.-COMPLAINT OF THE CONDUCT OF THE LADY ANNE BERKELEY.-In Ellis's Original Letters, 3rd series, vol. iii., p. 142, there is one (No. cccxii.) from John Barlo, Dean of the College of Westbury, Gloucestershire, to Lord Cromwell, complaining of the violent conduct of Lady Anne Berkeley (Stat. Pap. Off. Misc. Corresp. 2 Ser. iii. 65).

[The Lady Anne Berkeley who forms the chief subject of this letter, was a singular character. She was daughter of Sir John Savage, of Frodsham, and became the second wife of Thomas, 6th Lord Berkeley. The match was supposed to have been made by Anne Boleyn and Henry VIII. Fosbroke, in his Extracts from Smyth's Lives of the Berkeley Family, pp. 181-185, says, "This

Lady Anne, when at any of her country-houses, would betimes, in winter and summer mornings, take her walks to visit her stable, barnes, dayries, poultry, swine-troughs, and the like; which huswifery her daughter-in-law, the Lady Catherine Howard, wife of the Lord Henry her son, seeming to decline, and to betake herself to the delights of youthful greatness, she would sometimes say to those about her, 'By God's blessed sacrament, this gay girle will beggar my son Henry.' During some family squabbles," says the same author, "Maurice Berkeley, Nicholas Poyntz, &c., and a riotous company of their servants and others, entered the park of Lady Anne, at Yate, and having havocked her deere at pleasure, sware, amongst themselves, they would, to fret and damage her the more, set the great hayricke on fire; meaninge a great rick of hay for winter's provision, inclosed with a high pale, at the stable end adjoininge to the house, wishing the fire might catch the house, and burne the lady with her werish boy in the midst of it; and Then, Maurice,' quoth Giles Poynz, thou shalt be heire, and we have an end of all our sutes.' There chanced, at the same time, another company of hunters to be in the same parke, stealing also of this lady's deere, who, perceiving a stronger packe of thievis than themselves to be in the place, and better provided, had drawne themselves secretly, for shelter, under the hayrick, where, close standing and hearing what was said and determined, and fearing to be either descried or burned, presently ran away and fled; which being perceived by Maurice and his company, and by them thought to be of the lady's family, and such as she and her keepers had drawne together, they also, as loth to be discovered or taken, fled as fast; and thus was a great danger prevented. From this and other aggressions the above Lady Anne fled to her old master, King Henry VIII., who granted her a special commission, under the great seal, to enquire, heare, and determine these riots and other misdemeanors, and made her one of the Commissioners and of the Quorum; whereupon she came to Gloucester, and there sate on the bench in the publique Sessionshall, impanelled a jury, received evidence, found Sir Nicholas Poyntz and Maurice Berkeley, and their fellowes, guilty of divers riots and disorders, and fined them; and hence it is that the comon people in these parts of Yate and Mangotsfield will, with some stifnes of opinion, to this day, to the honor of this lady, as they suppose, maintaine that she was a justice of the peace, and in the commission of the peace, and sat with them upon the bench."

The college of Westbury was founded about 1288 by Godfrey Gifford, Bishop of Worcester, who, after much opposition from the prior and convent of his cathedral, made several churches of the patronage of his see prebendal to this of Westbury; and here became a college for a dean and canons dedicated to the Holy Trinity. It was afterwards augmented by various benefactions.

John Carpenter, Bishop of Worcester, sometimes styled himself Bishop of Westbury. The house was valued in the 26th Hen. VIII. at 2327. 148. Od. per annum, and was granted 35 Hen. VIII. to Sir Ralph Sadler.-Ellis.]

PLESITH it your good Lordship that wher I uppon Mihelmas day last past, rydyng toward Gloucett', to serve the Kyng accordyng to my moste bowden douty at the Quarter Cessions holden ther, fownde in my sayd jornay, at the Churche Howse of the parish of Yate, in the Counte of Gloucett' afore said, wher the Lady Anne Barkley dwellith, divers evyll disposed persons, to the number of xiiij., playng at the unlawful and forbydden game of tennes at Divine serues tyme in the mornynge, who at my comynge toward them avoided and fledde a way. Neverthelesse, with moche difficulte I gotte some of ther names, intendyng at my comyng to the Cessions to have sett them forward for ther dew ponishment accordyng to the statute in that behalfe; but at my comyng to the said Cessions, ther was soche a bande of the sayd Lady Barkleys servaunts and retayners, beyng Comon Jurers all, as she hath no small number of soche, and wer impanneld the same tyme in Jures ther, rather to lett then to preferre Justice, as I then mistrusted, and as most comonly they use to do. For fere of the same I thought it good to differre the settynge forth of the said matter tyll the comyng of the Justices of th' assize, wherew the said Lady Barkley uppon knowlege geven to hur of the same, gretly beyng displesed, uncharitably rayled with mony sklaunderus and opprobrious words agenst me in the presens of diverse gentillmen; wisshyng that the sayd evill disposed persons had beten me; sayng that I shuld have ben well beton in dede if she had had knowlege before of my comyng thither; and further with thretenynge words sayd, the same tyme, that she wolde sytte uppon my skyrtes. Sens the wich tyme, accordynge to hur th retenyngs, at a purchased gaole delyuery holdon at Gloucett', the vj. day of this present monyth of November, the said Lady Barkley of malice have caused me with diverse of my frends and servaunts wrongefully to be indited by hurre said seruants of diuers trespaces. And on of the said trespaces is for that I caused on Sir William Norton, a priste, more than a yere past, to be attached for the kepyng of certen prohibited boks that I founde with hym, as Portuces not reformed of the Busshop of Romes names, and a boke of Busshop Fysshiers for the mayntenans of the sayd Bisshop of Romes pretensed supreme ecclesiasticall power, whe rof Sir Nicolas Poyntz and I gave informacōns to yor Lordship, and ye remitted it down to the Shere to be determined ther; which matter notwithstandyng it was and yet is very notorius, and pregnant evidens is of the same, yet by reson the said priste is retayning to the sayd Lady Barkley it cowde never be fownde to this day. And to declare the rest of the trespaces that I am indited of to yor lordeship, it wer to tedius, the wich if it shalbe

your plesure to here, Sir Nicolas Poyntz can declare them, to whom I have wrytten the hole matter at large; and thus I make an ende, besekyng your Lordship of your lawfull ayde, as hitherto I have fownde it allways redy in my resonable sewtes, and in this distresse now that I am in, so to provyde for me that I be not thus lefte in rebuke and shame, for doynge the Kyngs Grace trew and faithfull service in the ministracōn of Justice, from the wich no injuste vexacōns can cause me to desiste, hauyng your Lordshipps lawfull favor and ayde in that behalf as my speciall truste is in the same. Wrytten att Westbury College, the xij. day of November.

Yor Lorshippes bownde orator,

To the right honorable and my singler good Lorde, the Lorde Cromwell, Lorde Privy Seale.

JOHN BARLO, Dean there.

1896.-"THE BLOOD OF HALES."-(See No. 1277.)

In Ellis's

Original Letters, 3rd series, vol. iii., p. 223, there is one (No. cccxxxix.) from the Abbot of Hales to the Lord Privy Seal, praying that the shrine of the feigned relic, called the Blood of Hales, may be razed, to avoid superstition (Stat. Pap. Off. Misc. Corresp. 2 Ser. avii. 170. Orig.).

[This document has been printed ante, vol. iii., p. 335, from a copy in the Bodleian Library (Tanner MS. 105, fol. 546); but as there are some differences, though not very material, between the original and the copy, it has been thought well to reprint the letter exactly as given by Sir Henry Ellis.]

PLEASITH hit youre Honor, aftyr my most humble dewty with immortal thancks for youre inestymable goodnes towarde me ever att my nede, to be advertysyd that where hit is so that the case where that faynyd relycke callyd the Bloode was in doth stande as yet in the place there styll, as hit was in manner and fasshion of a Shryne, so that I am aferde lest hit shulde mynistre occasyon to any weke person, loking therupon, to abuse his conscyens therwith; and, therfore, I do beseche you to be so good Lorde unto me as to geve me lycens that I may putt hit downe, every styck and stone, so that no maner of tokyn or remembrans of that forgyd Relycke shall remayne there during the tyme that hit shall please God, oure soveregne Lorde the Kings Majesty, and your good Lordeshipe, that this pore Howse may stande. And as towching the valor of the sylver and golde that is theryn, I thynck hit is not worth xl.", scant xxxli. by estymacon, wherin hit may please yor Lordeshipe to geve credyt to this berer, and by the same to lett me know your pleasure in the premysses, beseching yow most humbly to contynew my good Lorde, as ye have ever byn, and to accept this pore tokyn whiche I do send you att this tyme, a strange pece

of golde. And this the blessyd Lorde of Hevyn longe preserve yo2 lyf and helth to his pleasure. Amen. Att Heiles, the xxiij. daye of Septembre.

Your most boundyn bedsman,

To my most especyall good Lorde, my Lorde Pryvye Seale.

STEPHYN, Abbat there.

[In the same volume, p. 249, Ellis has inserted a letter (No. cccliii.) from Bishop Latimer to Lord Cromwell, relative to the surrender of Evesham Abbey, and to the examination and exposure of the miracle of the Blood of Hales (MS. Cotton. 2 Ser. zliz. 487. Orig.). The latter portion only shall be quoted.]

SYR, we have byn bultynge and syfftynge the blud of Haylls all thys fornowne. Hytt was wunderslye clossly and craftelye inclosyd and stoppyd upe for takyn of care. Ande hytt clevesse faste to [the] bothom of the lytull glasse that yt [ys] in. Ande verelye hytt semyth to be an unctuousse goom and [a] compownd of many thyngs. Hytt hath a certen vnctuousse moastenesse, and thowgh ytt seme sumwhatt lyke blude whyell ytt ys in the glasse, yett whan ony parcell of the same ys taken ought ytt turnyth to a youlownesse, and ys cleevynge lycke glew. Butt we have natt yett examenyd all the Moonks. And therfore thys my brother Abbott shall tell your Lordshype whatt he hath sene and herde in thatt matter. And in the end your Lordshyp shall know all to gether. Butt we perceve natt by yor commyssion whether we shall send ytt vp, or leve ytt here, or certefie ther of as we know.

29 Oct.

Att Haylls.

To the right honorable and hys singuler

good Lord, the Lord Privye Seale.

H. L. WIGORN.

1897.-BISHOP CHENEY'S DESIRE TO RESIGN, 1563.-In Ellis's Original Letters, 3rd series, vol. iii., p. 353, there is one (No. cccxcii.) from Richard Cheney to Sir William Cecil, expressing his desire to resign his bishoprics of Gloucester and Bristol, A.D. 1563 (MS. Lansd. art. 72. Orig.).

[This was in the year after his appointment to Gloucester, with Bristol in commendam; but the desire was not carried into effect, as he continued to hold both sees until his death in 1579, when he was succeeded by John Bullingham.]

I CANNOT but renue my former sute to your Honour touchyng the resignyng of myne office, for consideryng that the jurisdiction of Bristow is taken from me, and in some poynctes suche prechyng of the rashe and ignoraunt is continued in Gloucester diocese, as my consciens and poore learnyng can thynk not to be good, contrarie to the promyse that my Lords Grace of Canterbury made me at my beyng at London: I had moche rayther lyve a private lyfe, like a poore