Sir John Cheke and Sir Thomas Smith. 125 desire no more of your grace but to heare both parties, before your grace enclyne to th'one, as I doo not doubt your grace will and doth; for else, if I knewe I were condempned in your grace's judgement, I wolde neither write nor speake, but paciently suffer, and lament my fortune. I doo not doubt but your grace shall fynde that fewe about my lordo hath purchased Jesse, usid lesse extremite, or any such thinges as myne evill willers wolde faynest lay to my charge, then I have ; and I offer myself to be tried and ransaked to every coffer and booke I have, to see what they can fynde in me. They may see the money I boughte land with came not by briborye, and for that matier I offer me to alle the worlde for any peny I have taken dishonestly. I put two of my servauntes away, when I was in Mr. Cicilles office, for taking money, and selling dispatches of sutes, and my Lordes grace lettres, of whom also I shewid my L. grace. Seyng I did so to them, if I had ben giltie myself it is mervaile they wolde not accuse me, for I movid my L. grace to have had one of their eares nayled to the pillory. Th'other is in London every daie, and yet may accuse me, if he can. They be both on life at this day, and in most displeasure with me of eny man living, and for that cause o'nclie, and none other. But I am no vawntor of my doinges meself. Now I am constreyned to excuse, nor I have none other to whisper my tale for me, but I have ynough of whom I never deserved it, to invent and pike out of their nailes all that ever they can to deface me, and make me lesse liable to serve my Lordes grace ; but pacience shall endure, and my true and loving hart shall [never] faile me to his grace, whiles I shall live. Nor their malice shall not make me thinke evill, or mistrust, or trust lesse of his goodnesse, whose nature me thinkes I shulde knowe, and therefore I love. Other points of covetousness is two ; th'one that my wief doth not goo so gorgeously as some wolde have her. If that be a fault, although she is litle, let her bearc it. She hath all my money ; I never debarrid her of peny, and I have often spoken to her, whie she doth not goo more court- like. I never reproved her for bestowing to mych of apparelle, or any thing that shulde advaunce her service, or be convenient for her estate. I myself I thinke shulde rather be noted to goo to sumptuously then otherwise, and therefor, as it is true, so men shulde judge that I shulde rather be content she sholde doo so. Th'other is keaping of house. At Eaton, where 1 have one, whosoever comcth, whither 1 be there or not, shall knowe whither I kepe house or not. At London, wheare I can get no house, it is harde for me to kepe an house. I am sure I have made asmoche labour and paide aswell to have an house as any man in London, who soever is the other. And I thinke your grace doo not suppose that I am so madde, or that I love myself so litle, that now and then it wolde [not] be pleasure to me, when I mighte steale a leasure, to eate a morselle of meate, dressed after my phantasy, in myne owne house ; or that I had not rather (if I might) lie somtyme at myne ease, then alwaies pent up in one chambre. 3 Though other men have good fortunes to have chambres in the Savoy, other men wolde as gladly have had such romes there as they if they could have gote it. For me, it is twelve monthes agoo sith I bargayned with Mr. Sadler 1 " for CC markes for the lease of his house in the Chanon rowe ; and, making alle the meanes I can, and alle the shifte and a i.e. his chamber at Court. b Sir Ralph Sadler, master of the wardrobe.
