ORIGINAL LETTERS.. WE place among our Original Correspondence three royal letters which we have reason to think have never before been printed; and which cannot but be very acceptable to our readers, as well on account of the exalted rank of the parties, as of the interesting nature of their contents. The two addressed to Cardinal Wolsey, then in the plenitude of his power, are copied from the autographs in a private collection. The other, to the Lord Admiral, is from the original in a public library. QUEEN KATHERINE OF ARRAGON TO CARDINAL WOLsey. The object of this letter is to obtain from the Cardinal leave of absence for one of his retinue named Arundell, that he might visit his father to arrange respecting a jointure for his intended wife, who was one of the ladies attending on the Queen. The name of the lady is not mentioned: but if " Thomas Arundell, one of the gentlemen of my Lord Legate's prevy chambre "" is the gentleman intended, he married a daughter of Lord Edmund Howard, and sister of Queen Katherine Howard. The "Arondell" of the letter is, however, called "the heyre," which is inconsistent with what is stated in the peerages of Thomas Arundell, where it is said that he was a younger son of his father. The house of Arundel became divided at this period into the two branches of Lanherne and Wardour, to neither of which has justice yet been done by the writers on our gentilitial antiquities. That it was the fashion of those times for eminent persons to interest themselves in the marriages of their dependants appears by many relics of the period. In one of the letters published by Mr. Lodge, in his truly valuable "Illustrations of British History, Biography, and Manners 2," it is said "S Will❜m Compton shewed unto me, my Lord Cardinall wrote unto Mastres Vernon, if she wold atteyne the Kynge's favor, to berr her good mynd to his servand Tyrwyt; and Mr Coffyn, by the meanes of Caro, upon Thursday last gotte the Kynge's lettre after the same manner." To provide husbands for the ladies of their court appears to have been regarded by our queens as one of their principal duties, and an anxiety respecting the performance of that duty has been felt on a death-bed. This was experienced by Queen Katherine, who, in her last message to the King, recommended to him her women, in terms but slightly altered by Shakspeare: 1 See Cavendish's Life of Wolsey, Singer's edit. App. Vol. ii. 246. 2 I. 29. My next poor petition Is, that his noble grace would have some pity A right good husband; let him be a noble: And, sure, those men are happy that shall have 'em." The anxiety which this amiable and injured woman felt on the subject is very strongly marked in this letter. My Lord, it hathe pleased the King to be so good lord unto me as to speke unto Arondell the heyre for a maryage to be had betwene hym and oone of my mayds; and upon this I am aggreed w' hym, havyng a some of money that is offered unto hym he shall make her sure joyntor duryng her lief; the whiche she cannot be sure of, w' oute the license and good will of his fader being on lyve. For the whiche cause I beseche you good my lord to be good and gracious lord unto the said Aronndell, for busynesse whiche he hathe nowe to doo before you, so that w' right you will make a short ende, to th' entent that he may have a tyme to goe to his fader and make me sure of his said joyntor in this present terme tyme. And if this be payneful unto you, I pray yo my lord p'donne me; for the uncertaintie of my lief and the goodnes of my woman causithe me to make all this hast: trusting that she shal have a good husband and a sure lieving, and [if] God wold call me the nexte day after, the surer it shal appere before hym that I entende to helpe theym that be good and takythe labor doing me s'vece. And so I make an ende recommendyng me unto you. At Ampthill the xxv day of January. "KATHERINE THE QWENE." KING HENRY VIII. TO CARDINAL WOLSEY. This letter, like the foregoing, is without date. What the "news" was in which the distinguished persons mentioned in it were expected to be so deeply interested, can only be conjectured. The whole letter is strikingly illustrative at once of the policy of Henry, and of the jealousy and suspicion which haunt the mind of a tyrannical prince. Myne awne good Cardinall, I recommande me unto yow as hartely as hart can thynke. So it is that by cause wryttyng to me is sumwhat tedius and paynefull, therfor for the most part off thes bysynesses I have commytted to our trusty conseler thy's berrar to be declaryd to yow by mowthe, to whyche we wollde yow shude gyff credens. Nevertheles to thys that folowith I thowght nott best to make hym pryve nor non other but yow and I, whyche is that I wolde yow shulde make good wache on the Duke off Suffolke, on the Duke off Bukyngam, on my Lord off Northecomberland, on my Lord off Darby, on my Lord off Wylshere, and on others whyche yow thynke suspecte, to see what they do w' thes nwes. No more to yow at thys tyme but sapienti pauca. Wryttyne w' the hand off your lovyng master, " HENRY R." Few letters of this reign place in a more glaring light the state of suspicion in which Henry and his minister must have passed their lives. Here is the King's brother-in-law and the chief of the nobility thought" suspecte" by the Cardinal, with others not named: and he is encouraged by the King to keep watch upon them. What could ensue upon this, but the downfall of the Cardinal, when once the gale of the King's favour blew a contrary way? QUEEN KATHERINE PARR TO THE LORD ADMIRAL. This confidential and very curious letter admits us to a near view of the state of the Queen's mind with respect to the Protector Somerset and his lady, before, perhaps, there had been any of those overt acts of hostility of which we have notice in another letter of hers, transferred to our pages from the Burghley Papers'. The letter now before us must have been written a short time before that in which she tells her husband that my lord his brother had that afternoon made her warm, since it appears the business respecting Fausterne, whatever it was, was in progress when this letter was written, and that it was just concluded, though not to the lady's satisfaction, when she penned the one we have before inserted. The opinion which she expresses concerning "Paraphrisers," in which there is probably a glance at the Scripture commentaries of the reformers, and the secrecy with which the Lord Admirall paid his visits to Chelsea, give additional interest to this valuable relic. "My Lord, as I gether by your letter delyvered to my brother Harbert, ye ar in sum fere how to frame my lord your brother to speke in your favour. The denyall of your request schall make hys foly more manyfest to the world, whyche will more greve me than the want of hys spekyng. I wold not wyssche you inportune for hys good wyll: yf yt cum nott frankely at the fyrst, yt schalbe suffycyent ones to have requyre yt, and after to cesse. I wold desyre ye myght obtayne the Kynge's letters in your favour, and also the ayde and furtherance of the moost notable of the counsell suche as ye schall thynke convenyent; wyche thynge obtayned schalbe no small schame to your brother and loving syster, in case they do not the lyke. My Lord, where as ye charge me w' a promys written w' myne one hand to chaunge the two yeres into two monethes, I thynke ye have no suche playne sentence wrytten w' my hand. I knowe not 1 See p. 207. 2 Sir William Herbert, Gentleman of the Privy Chamber to Henry VIII. and one of the executors of his will. He married Anne Parr, sister of the Queen. In the 3rd of Edward VI. he was made a knight of the garter, and in the 5th Edward VI. was created Earl of Pembroke. wether ye be a paraphryser or not. Yf ye be lerned in that scyence yt ys possyble ye may of one worde make a hole sentence, and yett nott at all tymes after the true meanyng of the wryter, as yt appereth by thys your exposycyon upon my wryttyng. "Whan yt shalbe yowr plesur to repayre hether, ye must take sum payne to come erly in the mornyng that ye may be gone agayne by seven o clock; and so I suppose ye may come wtout suspect. I pray yow lett me have knowlege over nyght at what hower ye will come that yowr porteresse may wayte at the gate to the feldes for you. "And thus wyth my most humble and harty comendatyon I take my leve of yow for thys tyme gyvyng yow lyke thankes for your comyng [to] the court whan I war there. From Chelsey. "I wyll kepe in store tyll I speke w' you my lorde's large offer for Fausterne; at wyche tyme I schalbe glad to knowe your further pleasur therein. "By her that ys and schalbe yowr humble true and lovyng wyffe duryng her lyf, "KATERYN THE QUENE K. P." LETTER OF THE COUNCIL OF QUEEN JANE GREY, 1553. Inedited documents of this short reign are so rarely to be met with, that we make no apology for inserting this letter at length. It was addressed to the sheriff of Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire, for at that period the two counties had but one sheriff, and to the justices of the peace; and it shows more fully than any document that has hitherto seen the light, the colour which the friends of Lady Jane Grey gave to the measures adopted by Mary to secure her just rights. King Edward, it must be observed, died on the sixth of July. "Aft o' most hertye comendations. Where as the Queenes Highnes Quen Jane, beyng presently by just tytle in full possession of the imperiall crowne of this realme and other domynions and p❜hemynencs thereunto belonging; the Lady Mary bast doughtar of the late Kyng of famouse memory Kyng Henry the heyght dothe not only by all the weys and meanes she maye, stur and provoke the commen pepulle of the realme to rebellion, but also sekyth meanes to bryng in great sortes of papystes Spanyards and other straungers for the aide of her unjust and unnaturall pretence, to the greate peryll and daunger of the utter subversion of God's holy worde and of the woll state of this realme, we nothyng doute but theese sedytious and rebellious doyngs of the Lady Mary beyng well knowne unto yow wyll of themselffs well admonyshe yow of yo' dutyes to yours and ours sayd lovyng Lady Quen Jane and preservation of the trew rellegion and awntiant libertye of yo' naturell contrey ageanst forren powers: Yet, consideryng what desolution may come to men of worshipp and good degre and welth by the sedyssions rebellions and motyones of the Basts force; we have thowght good to sygnify unto yow that our sayd lovyng Lady Quene Jane's plesure and commandement is that [ye] shall not only use all man' of travell and labur to kepe and preserve her majeste's pepull inhabytyng nere aboute yow in peace and good guyett, and to represse all others that shall goo aboute to move any tumulte ether by pretence of the unjuste and feyned tytle of the Ladye Mary beyng illigitimat and bast as ys aforsayd, or by any other meanes, butt also to put yo' selffes in order w' sutche nombres of horsemen and footemen as yow be able to make of your servants tenants and others under yo' rewles and offises, so as yow may upon sendyng for, or forther knowledge gevyn yow, eyther repair to our good Lorde the Duke of Northehumberlond, who havyng wth hym o' very good lord the Margues of Northamton the Erle of Huntington and other parsonags of estate, is presently in the feilde who said soverengs powre for the repression of the sayd rebellion, or other ways be employed for the diffence of the realme, as the case shall require. By your good travell thereyn yow shall nott only declare yo' selffes good and pay the full mynisters to the Quenes Highnes and your contrey, butt also will deserve to fynd her highnes yo' good and gratious lady in any yo' reasonable suttes; and as also moste redye to forther your sayd suttes accordyngly. And thus fare you moste hartely well. From the Towr of London the XIJ day of July 1553. "Your assured lovyng frends, "T. Cant. F. Shrewsbury, Penbroke, "To oure lovyng frends the Sheriff of Nottyngham and Derbyshire, and to the Justices of peace of the said counties and to every of them." A friend who is well acquainted with early charters has assured us that he has seen only one private deed executed during this reign, if such it may be called. It respected a messuage in the parish of St. Dunstan in the county of Kent. The date was thus expressed: "Dat. decimo quinto die Julij anno regni D'næ Janæ Dei gratia Angliæ Franciæ et Hiberniæ Reginæ Fidei Defensoris atque in terra ecclesiæ Anglicanæ et Hiberniæ supremi capitis primo." BARONY OF LEIGH. As a claim to this dignity is now pending before the House of Lords, a short analysis of the Case may be acceptable: On the 1st of July, 1643, Sir Thomas Leigh of Stoneley, in the county of Warwick, Knight and Baronet, was created Baron Leigh of Stoneley aforesaid, to him and the heirs male of his body. He had issue:-1st, John, who died an infant; 2nd, Sir Thomas Leigh, who died before his father, and from whom the subsequent Lords Leigh descended; 3rd, Charles, who was baptized 31st March, 1625, and died without male issue on the 1st August, 1704; 4th, Christopher, the asserted ancestor of the claimant; and 5th, Ferdinand, who was baptized in February, 1633, and died in vitá patris, unmarried, in |