"His Highness hath commanded us to signify unto you, that he doth much marvel, both that you write so slenderly in it, without sending hither the examinations, and that you have committed the thieves to common prisons, as though you made no difference betwixt the enterprise of the robbing of His Majesty, and the attempting of a like act towards any his mean subjects! His Majesty thinketh they should rather have been committed to the Tower, there to have remained upon further examination; though percase you think you have gotten out the bottom of their purpose."-State Papers, vol. i., p. 684.

One of the most serious impediments to justice was the insolence of the nobility, who did not hesitate to hector and threaten, and even to interfere with their armed forces, when their passions or their interests impelled. John Barlow, Dean of Westbury College, summoned several inhabitants of the village of Yate, in Gloucestershire, to appear before the Sessions, for playing at tennis-ball during church-hours on the Sunday.

66 But," ," he adds, "at my coming to the said Sessions, there was such a band of the said Lady Berkeley's servants and retainers, being common jurors all,- -as she hath no small number of such,-and were impanelled the same time in juries there, rather to let (hinder) than to prefer justice, as I then mistrusted, and as most commonly they used to do; for fear of the same, I thought it good to defer the setting forth of the said matter till the coming of the Justices of the Assize; wherewith the said Lady Berkeley, upon knowledge given to her of the same, greatly being displeased, uncharitably railed, with many slanderous and opprobrious words, against me, in the presence of diverse gentlemen, wishing that the said evil-disposed persons had beaten me, saying that I should have been well beaten indeed, if she had had knowledge before of my coming thither; and further, with threatening words, said at the same time, that she would sit upon my skirts !"-Letters, &c., vol. ii., p. 211.

When a Nobleman, at the head of a small army of retainers, chose to break out into acts of violence, and revenge his own quarrels, it was indeed difficult for the feeble and terrified magistracy to prevent him; and recourse was usually had to the King or his Minister. A Dowager Countess of Oxford thus appeals against the lawless conduct of her husband's successor, who, on two separate occasions, broke into her park, at the head of a large company, and shot down upwards of a hundred of her deer. The Justice of Assize interfered, and bound both the Lord and the Lady over to keep the peace; but so far from fulfilling his pledge, the Earl, at the head of three hundred persons, broke into her house, beat her servants, and took forcible possession of her goods. She appealed to Wolsey; the Earl was severely remonstrated with, and a writ sent to the Justices of Cambridgeshire to keep him in order,—with what success, the Countess herself records, in a letter to her brother, the Duke of Norfolk, to whom she was compelled to appeal, that he might oppose might to might :

"Please it your Grace to have knowledge that the writ which I had of my Lord Cardinal into Cambridgeshire doth nothing prevail me; for the Justices of Peace to whom the same was directed, with divers others of Peace of the same shire, were at the Castle of Camps, there to have avoided (turned out) all such persons as kept the same by force; but that notwithstanding, they answered them not to depart for no man, until such time as they had commandment from my Lord their master. And also the same Justices perceived themselves not able to remove them by their own power, nor yet with the raising of the country, without great disturbance of the King's peace, as they will justify at all times when they shall be called. They have not as yet proceeded no further in the execution of the said writ; wherefore, without your Grace help now, I know not how to obtain my possession again."-Letters, &c., vol. ii., p. 13.

The amenities of domestic life, depending more upon individual character than upon the complexion of the age, were then, as now, ever varying. We find one unfortunate lady complaining that her husband has kept her three or four years "a prisoner alone, and continually locked up in one of the towers of his castle," in constant danger of poisoning, which makes her fear to taste even the scanty allowance of food sent to her.

"Wherefore," she adds, "I have been, and yet am, fain to drink water, or else I should die for lack of sustenance, and had, long ere this time, had not poor women of the country, of their charity, knowing my Lord's demeanour always to his wives, brought me, to my great window, in the night, such meat and drink as they had, and gave me, for the love of God; for money have I none wherewith to pay them, nor yet have had of my Lord these four years, save four groats."Ibid., p. 274.

Another lady, evidently a wilful, wayward termagant, and yet the mother of the gallant poet-courtier, Surrey, whom she stigmatizes as her "ungracious son," pours forth volleys of abuse against her unfortunate spouse, whom she represents as dragging her about by the hair, and subjecting her to all sorts of insult from the menials of his house. This was the result of a marriage against her will; for her love had previously been lavished on an earlier suitor, who was rejected by her father. Of a very opposite character is an epistle from a young lady, the sister of Queen Anne Boleyn, who had incurred the hot displeasure of both King and Queen, by contracting a stolen love-match with Sir William Stafford.

66 After my poor recommendations, which is smally to be regarded of me, that am a poor banished creature, this shall be to desire you to be good to my poor husband and to me. I am sure it is not unknown to you the high displeasure that both he and I have, both of the King's Highness and of the Queen's Grace, by reason of our marriage without their knowledge, wherein we both do yield ourselves faulty, and do acknowledge that we did not well to be so hasty nor so bold, without

their knowledge. But one thing, good Master Secretary, consider, that he was young, and love overcame reason; and, for my part, I saw so much honesty in him, that I loved him as well as he did me, and was in bondage, and glad I was to be at liberty; so that, for my part, I saw that all the world did set so little by me, and he so much, that I thought I could take no better way, but to take him and forsake all other ways, and live a poor honest life with him. For well I might have had a greater man of birth and a higher; but I assure you I could never have had one that should have loved me so well, nor a more honest man; and, besides that, he is both come of an ancient stock, and again as meet (if it was His Grace's pleasure) to do the King's service, as any young gentleman in his Court."-Letters, &c., vol. ii., p. 194.

As pendant to the above picture, we will place a few curious extracts from the domestic correspondence of Lord Lisle, Governor of Calais, and his lady, during a visit paid by the latter to England. Announcing her safe arrival to "her own sweet-heart," Lady Lisle adds, "I should have been much merrier if I had been coming towards you, or if you had been with me. Your absence and my departure maketh heavy; also, for that I departed at the stair of Calais so hastily, without taking my leave of you accordingly, made me very sorry; but I assure you, my Lord, that I thought you had been in the boat, and would have brought me to the ship." She ends by assuring her husband that she should think every hour ten, till she was with him again. Referring to the business which brought her to England, she writes, "I shall from time to time certify you how I shall prosper and succeed in all my affairs and doings, wherein I trust you shall not find me slack, but shall well know me to use such diligence as one should do, whose whole heart and mind will never be settled nor established till the body be returned unto you." Before parting, the husband made a promise rather precipitate, that he would show his sorrow for his wife's absence by keeping himself very much in retirement. She heard, however, of his having been at a fête in the town, and rallied him on his breach of faith. "Fain would I be with you," she writes, "notwithstanding you promised me that after my departing you would dine at ten of the clock every day, and keep little company, because you would mourn for mine absence; but I warrant you I know what rule you keep, and company, well enough, since my departing, and what thought you take for me; whereof you shall hear at my coming home." To mitigate the apprehensions of the curtain lecture, she assures him that this quarrel she makes him is but her fantasy, and subscribes herself, "her that is more yours than her own, which had much rather die with you there, than live here."

Lord Lisle, in his replies, apologizes that the pressing civilities of his neighbours prevent his mourning by day, but that at night he sleeps not an hour for lack of her, and never sleeps at all

after two o'clock in the morning! A lady who was at the fête which had caused this fit of mock jealousy, assures Lady Lisle that her good Lord drank to her health in a full bumper, "and my Lord said that he thought the time long of your absence, and would for no good that you should lack him so long again, if it might otherwise be." Again, the loving Lady Lisle says, "And where you write that you never longed so sore for me as you now do, I assure you, my good heart-root, your desire in that behalf can be no vehementer than mine is; for I can neither sleep, nor eat, nor drink, that doeth me good; my heart is so heavy and full of sorrow, which, I know well, will never be lightened till I be with you, which I trust shall be shortly." Her Lord replied, that "never child longed for its nurse as he does for her;" and after a month's absence, in which she had written him more than a dozen letters, and they had exchanged various presents, she returned to Calais. This lady was as notable as she was loving. Her husband's affairs were much left to her guidance. She exacted from him a strict account of all his expenditure, and so completely controlled it, that he had to plead very earnestly to be permitted to have a new doublet against Christmas; whilst his gowns, hosen, shirts, &c., were all selected and provided by her.

The position of a widow in the higher classes was often fraught with much discomfort, as the selection of a second husband generally devolved upon the King; and he was not very scrupulous in the choice, if the widow were richly jointured, and he could sell his influence over her at a fair price.

Lord Dacre thus addresses Wolsey concerning one of "the King's widows :".

"My Lord, I humbly thank your Grace that you have stopped the coming up of the Lady Pickering, late wife to Sir Christopher Pickering, Knight; which (if it might so. stand with the King's high pleasure, seeing that she is his widow) I would have her in marriage, and have his gracious letters of consent to the same. And if His Highness have made any grant to any other person, I will speak no more therein. Her substance is this: she hath under £40 by year, by reason of her late husband; and as for her goods, they are of little value, and how, and in what case as her father's land standeth in, seeing that she hath issue, I cannot perfectly advertise Your Grace. The labour that I have made unto Your Grace concerning her was more for love_than for any profit.”——Wolsey Correspondence, vol. iv., p. 11, State-Paper Office.

But royalty itself could not always lord it over the affections of these experienced dames. The following is a curious record of a courtship-scene, and its failure. The heroine is the same Lady Berkeley who had before defied the law in protecting her tennis-players, and empannelling her own tenants as jury-men. Her unsuccessful suitor was Edward, son and heir of John Lord

Dudley, a Nobleman notoriously poor. This circumstance might -such things have been known-influence the decision of her Ladyship. Dudley writes to Wriothesley as follows:

"In my heartiest manner I recommend me unto you, ever heartily thanking you of your most singular goodness to me at all times, and in especial for the procurement and device of the King's letters and my Lord Privy Seal's, the which were as effectually devised in my behalf and preferment as I could either advise or desire. Notwithstanding, I have not been regarded according to the King's desire and my Lord's, but she hath made me a very light answer, that she is not minded to marry, and at the next time she will make an answer to the King, which is but done for a delay; whereby I am not able to follow my suit, unless you be good Lord unto me, to put your help with my Lady, my aunt, the bearer hereof, to speak unto my Lord that I may have some straiter command from the King and my Lord unto her, to go forward in the accomplishing my desire. The truth is, she entertained me, after the most loving sort, at my first coming to her, as I could desire; for, when she was in her chamber sewing, she would suffer me lie in her lap, with many other as familiar fashions as I could desire; also, she would bring me to my chamber, and send the gentlewomen unto me for to entertain me. But at my coming with the King's letters, I was nothing so well welcomed; but where it was so familiar before, it was much stranger since my coming last, which grieved me sore, as well for her own part as for mine, considering the King's pleasure and my Lord's request. Howbeit, as far as I perceive by such of my friends as be about her, if my letters had been of commandment, as they were in desire and request, I should have obtained my heart's desire without any further delay.

66

Also, my desire is that it may be devised that the King and my Lord will see that I shall at all times use myself like an honest man unto her, or else that His Grace will see it remedied, trusting that I have not so little discretion for to use myself any way to her displeasure there is too many discommodities would rise thereupon. Truly I love her not so weakly; but undoubtedly my heart is so faithfully assured unto her, that it were impossible to remove it for any pleasure in the world. And although it hath been expenseful and chargeable unto me, the suit unto her, yet, an I were worth a thousand pounds, I would vouchsafe to spend it for her sake; wherefore you cannot do me a higher pleasure than to procure me a commandment whereby I may obtain her favour."-Letters, vol. iii., p. 76.

The royal letters of recommendation were accordingly issued to Lady Berkeley, in terms stronger than before; but she declared that, although, if her heart were towards Mr. Dudley, she would rather receive a husband on the recommendation of the King and Cromwell than any other, yet, as it was not, she could not accept him; adding, that she had written to the King to signify "that I cannot with my heart be fair unto Mr. Dudley, to accomplish his high pleasure, and in semblewise also desiring your good Lordship, in that my stomach cannot lean there, neither as yet to any marriage, that you will continue my especial good Lord, as