21.1. A letter of the lord protectors to the councell at London.
A letter of the lord protectors to the councell at London.
Compare 1577 edition: 1 2 The protec|tors letter to the lords._MY lords we commend vs heartilie vnto you. And wheras the kings maiestie was informed that you were assembled in such sort as you doo, and now remaine, and was aduised by vs and such other of his councell as were then here about his person, to send master secretarie Peter vnto you with such a message, as whereby might haue insued the suertie of his maie|sties person, with the preseruation of his realme and subiects, and the quiet both of vs and your selues, as master secretarie can well declare to you: his maie|stie and we of his councell here doo not a little mar|uell, that you staie still with you the said master se|cretarie, & haue not as it were vouchsafed to send an|swer to his maiestie, neither by him nor yet by anie other. And for our selues we doo much more maruell and are sorie, as both we and you haue good cause to be, to see the maner of your dooings bent with force of violence, to bring the kings maiestie & vs to these extremities.
Compare 1577 edition: 1 2 No word hi|therto sent from the lords to the lord protector what they re|quired of him to doo.Which as we intend, if you will take no other waie but violence, to defend (as nature and allegiance dooth bind vs) to extremitie of death, and to put all to Gods hand, who giueth victorie as it pleaseth him: so if that anie reasonable conditions & offers would take place (as hitherto none hath béene signified vn|to vs from you, nor we doo not vnderstand, what you doo require or séeke, or what you doo meane) and that you doo séeke no hurt to the kings maiesties person, as touching all other priuat matters, to auoid the ef|fusion of christian bloud, and to preserue the kings maiesties person, his realme and subiects, you shall find vs agréeable vnto anie reasonable conditions that you will require. For we doo estéeme the kings wealth and tranquillitie of the realme more than all other worldlie things, yea than our owne life. Thus praieng you to send vs your determinate answer herein by master secretarie Peter, or if you will not let him go, by this bearer, we beséech God to giue both you and vs grace to determinate this matter, as maie be to Gods honor, the preseruation of the king, and the quiet of vs all: which maie be, if the fault be not in you. And so we bid you most hartilie farewell. From the kings maiesties castell of Windsor the seuenth of October, 1549.
Your lordships louing friend Edward Summerset.
Compare 1577 edition: 1 2 3 After the receipt of these letters,The lords continue in their intended purpose a|gainst the lord protector. the lords séeming not greatlie to regard the offers conteined therein, persisted in their intended purpose; and continuing still in London conferred with the maior of London and his brethren, first willing them to cause a good and substantiall watch by night, and a good ward by daie to be kept for the safegard of the citie, and the ports and gates thereof: which was consented vnto, and the companie. [...] London in their turnes war|ned to watch and [...] accordinglie. Then the said lords and councellors demanded of the lord maior and his brethren fiue hundred men to aid them, to fetch the lord protector out of Windsor from the king. But therevnto the maior answered, that he could grant no aid without the assent of the common councell of the citie: whervpon the next daie a common councell was summoned to the Guildhall in London. But in this meane time the said lords of the councell as|sembled themselues at the lord maiors house in Lon|don, who was then sir Henrie Amcotes fishmonger, and Iohn Yorke and Richard Turke shiriffes of the said citie. And there the said councell agréed and pub|lished foorthwith a proclamation against the lord pro|tector,A proclamati|on published against the lord protec|tor. the effect of which proclamation was as fol|loweth.
Compare 1577 edition: 1 1 That the lord protector, by his malicious and euill gouernement, was the occasion of all the sedi|tion that of late hath happened within the realme.