Sir John Cheke and Sir Thomas Smith. 121 care wherewith I was then a little vexed, to have suche a reresouper, and a clapping of the backe after my travaile, most of alle for that your grace seatnid to me to speake as half persuaded that their saienges was true, I coulde not then hide my griefc and sorowe; and I tooke that I had then aunswerid those thinges fully, and had lefto your grace my good ladie, of whose goodnes I coulde never despaire. Sith Mr. Thynne hath shewed me agayne mych like thinges, I aunswered him hoole, and in the most part I toke him for witnes, as hcarin I must, and required him to reaport the same to your grace (tyme by like not servyng) or how soever it was, I perceavc by thinges of late, that it was not done. And wordes I see goeth away ; my writinges may be tried whither they be false or no. And I think your grace wolde that I shulde knowe your grace's opinion of me, or at the least what others say unto your grace of me, for I do not take it, nor cannot, that alle that is objected is firmelie beleved of your grace, and I am sure lesse will, when I have made myne aunswere ; but this your grace wolde have notified, that if I were gilty, I shulde amend, if I were ungilty, I shulde answere, the which, with pardon obteigned, I "most gladly desire. Haultenes was objected, and, as it was termed, high in th'instep. Of that fault, which is great, for I take it pride, if it be ment inwardely, and in my stomake and mynde, God can onely be judge ; and it is ment a that I shulde be prowde, disdaynefull, mych regarding myself, despising other, as I saie of the hart God judgeth only truly. And I misclf, tought I trust by God, knowing myne owne vilenes and weakenes, neither knowe cause whic I shulde be so, nor knowe the fault to raigne in me ; whearin I may be deceyved, but my conscience doth not accuse me, and, as I saide before, God only can judge me. For outwarde apparaunce of pride, I am sure there is occasions whye I shulde be thought to base myself to mych, and so I have ben notid (so that it is hardc to please every man) rather then to take uppon me to myche; and let men looke uppon my order, gesture, sitting, capping, and such like thinges, either at the Counsailc or otherwise, and I am sure they may have more just occasion so to think and judge. For the rest I cannot denye but I am of nature hault of courage and stomake, to contempne all perill and worldly thinges or daungers, to doo my master service, and more wolde be, but I am by suche thinges somtymes plucked backe, and so am contented to rule meself, being liable, I thanke God, to serve in the bodic and thilles (as carters calle it) asweale as in the romc of a fore-horse. The seconde was, that I was a sore and extreme man, as I understode it. as it were an oppressour. To this I require nothing, but sith 1 came furst to the Court, and xx yeares before, let eny man come and prove, that I have, I will not say taken, but axid th'extremite and rigour of eny man where equitie wolde moderate, I shall give him the hoole 1 axid, and pay him yet doble the wourth. Yf I had any man to the lawe, I will give him his coastcs and the thing I sued for, lei them come before your "race and axe it. I never entrid accion against any man in my lief, nor / D never pledid. Ones in deade I had bought an house of Thexecutours, b which, as me thought after, shulde have ben the Kinges ; I moved my Lordes grace of it, c and if it were the Kinges I required only of his grace the preferrement. An other had boughte the same house by an other title. i.e. if it be meant. b i.e. the executors of King Henry the Eighth. The duke of Somerset. VOL. XXXVIII. R
