Abr. Fl. ex IS pag. 1106. A prest to the queene.¶A prest was granted to the quéene by the citizens of London, of twentie thousand pounds, which was leuied of the companies: for the which summe to be paied againe, the quéene bound certeine lands, & also allowed for interest of the monie twelue pounds of euerie hundred for a yeare. Also this yeare within a mile of Notingham, was a maruellous tempest of thunder,A woon|derfull tem|pest of thun|der woonder|full indéed. which as it came through two townes, beat downe all the houses and churches, the bels were cast to the out side of the churchyards, and some webs of lead foure hundred foot into the field, writhen like a paire of gloues. The riuer of Trent running be|twéene the two townes, the water with the mud in the botome was carried a quarter of a mile, and cast against the trées, the trées were pulled vp by the roots and cast twelue score off. Also a child was taken forth of a mans hands two speares length hie, and carried a hundred foot off, and then let fall, where|with his arme was broken, & so he died. Fiue or six men thereabout were slaine, and neither flesh nor skinne perished; there fell some hailestones that were fifteene inches about,A great death of old people through vehe|ment quar|ter [...] agues. &c. This yeare in haruest time the quartane agues continued in like maner, or more vebementlie, than they had doone the last yeare past, where through died manie old people, and speciallie priests, so that a great number of parishes were vnserued, and no curats to be gotten: and much corne was lost in the field for lacke of worke|men & laborers. Wherevpon insued a great scarsitie; so that in the beginning of sir Thomas Leighs ma|ioraltie, corne rose to fourtéene shillings the quarter, and wood waxed scant in London, and was sold for thirtéene and foureteene shillings the thousand of billets, and coles at ten pence the sacke, by reason of the great death and sicknesse the last summer for lacke of helpe and carriage.] ¶And here before we passe the yeare 1558, it were a fowle ouersight, not to make mention of a memorable discourse touching the ladie Katharine late dutchesse of Suffolke, [...] The old [...] of Stephan Gardiner [...] of [...]nchester against the [...] of [...]. a per|sonage of honor, and worthie of commemoration in chronicles for hir godlinesse to hir high praise: where manie a malefactor is recorded for their outragious wickednesse to their immortall shame. Concerning the said ladie therefore thus writeth master Fox.

Stephan Gardiner bishop of Winchester, sur|mising the ladie Katharine baronesse of Willough|bie and Cresbie, and duchesse Dowager of Suffolke, to be one of his ancient enimies, because he knew he had deserued no better of hir, deuised in the hol [...]e time of the first Lent in quéen Maries reigne, a holie practise of reuenge, first by touching hir in the per|son of hir husband maister Richard Bertie esquier, for whome he sent an attachment (hauing the great scale at his deuotion) to the shiriffe of Lincolnshire, with a speciall letter,Maister Richard Bertie hus|band to the dut|chesse, atta|ched by the bishop of Winchester. comanding most strictlie the same shiriffe to attach the said Richard immediatlie, and without baile to bring him vp to London to his great lordship. Maister Bertie hir husband being cleare in conscience, and frée from offense towards the quéene, could not coniecture anie cause of this strange processe, vnlesse it were some quarrell for religion, which he thought could not be so sore as the processe pretended.

The shiriffe, notwithstanding the commande|ment, aduentured onelie to take the bond of maister Bertie, with two suerties in a thousand pounds for his appéerance, to be made before the bishop on good fridaie following:Master Ber|tie appeareth before bishop Gardiner. at which daie maister Berti [...] ap|péered, the bishop then lieng at his house by [...]aint Marie Oueries. Of whose presence when the bishop vnderstood by a gentleman of his chamber, in a great rage he came out of his gallerie into his dining chamber, where he found a prease of suters, saieng he would not that daie heare anie: but came foorth onelie to know of maister Bertie, how he being a subiect durst so arrogantlie set at light two former processes of the quéenes. Maister Bertie answered, that albeit my lords words might séeme to the rest somewhat sharpe towards him,Ta [...]ke be|twéene bishop Gardiner and maister Bertie. yet he conceiued great comfort of them. For whereas he before thought it extremitie to be attached, hauing vsed no obstinacie or contumacie: now he gathered of those words, that my lord ment not otherwise but to haue vsed some ordinarie processe; albeit indeed none came to his hands. Yea Marie, quoth the bishop, I haue sent you two Sub poenas, to appéere immediatlie, and I am sure you receiued them: for I committed the trust of them to no worsse man but to maister so|licitor, and I shall make you an example to all Lin|colnshire for your obstinacie. Maister Bertie deni|eng the receipt of anie, humblie praied his lordship to suspend his displesure and the punishment, till he had good triall thereof: and then (if it pleased him) to dou|ble the paine for the fault, if anie were. Well (quoth the bishop) I haue appointed my selfe this daie (ac|cording to the holinesse of the same) for deuotion,The deuotion of bishop Gardiner to good fridaie. and I will not further trouble me with you: but I inioine you in a thousand pounds, not to depart without leaue, and to be here againe to morrow at seauen of the clocke.