The Holinshed Texts (1587, Volume 6, p. 1158)

The next daie following,Lord William Howard gen|tle and fauou|rable to ladie Elisabeth. hir grace entred Hamp|ton court on the back [...]side, into the princes lodging, the doores being shut to hir: and she garded with sol|diors, as before, laie there a fortnight at the least, yer euer anie had recourse vnto hir. At length came the lord William Howard, who maruellous honoura|blie vsed hir grace. Wherat she tooke much comfort, & requested him to be a meane that she might speake with some of the councell. To whome (not long after) came the bishop of Winchester, the lord of Arundell, the lord of S [...]rewesburie, and secretarie Peter, who with great humilitie humbled themselues vnto hir grace. She againe likewise saluting them, said: My lords (quoth she) I am glad to sée you for me thinke I haue béene kept a great while from you desolatelie alone. Wherefore I would desire you to be a meane to the king and quéenes maiesties, that I maie be deliuered from prison, wherein I haue beene kept a long space, as to you my lords it is not vnknowne.

When she had spoken, Stephan Gardiner the bi|shop of Winchester kneeled downe [...] requested that she would submit hir selfe to the quéenes grace,

Ladie Elisa|beth requested by Winchester to submit hir selfe to the quéenes mer|cie.

Ladie Elisa|beth standeth to be tried by the law.

and in so dooing he had no doubt but that hir maiestie would be good vnto hir. She making answer that ra|ther than she would so doo, she would lie in prison all the daies of hir life, adding that she craued no mer|cie at hir maiesties hand, but rather desired the law, if euer she did offend hir maiestie in thought, word, or déed. And besides this, in yéelding (quoth she) I should speake against my selfe, and confesse my selfe to be an offendor, which neuer was towards hir ma|iestie: by occasion whereof the king and the quéene might euer hereafter conceiue of me an ill opinion: and therefore I saie my lords, it were better for me to lie in prison for the truth, than to be abroad and su|spected of my prince. And so they departed, promising to declare hir message to the quéene.

On the next daie the bishop of Winchester came againe vnto hir grace, and knéeling downe,

Talke againe betweene Winchester & ladie Elisa|beth.

Ladie Elisa|beth denied to confesse anie fault doone to the quéene.

decla|red that the quéene maruelled that she would so stout|lie vse hir selfe, not confessing to haue offended: so that it should séeme the quéenes maiestie wrongful|lie to haue imprisoned hir grace. Naie (quoth the la|die Elisabeth) it pleaseth hir to punish me as she thin|keth good. Well quoth Gardiner, hir maiestie willeth me to tell you, that you must tell an other tale yer that you be set libertie. Hir grace answered, that she had as léefe be in prison with honestie and truth, as to be abroad suspected of hir maiestie: and this that I haue said, I will (said she) stand vnto, for I will ne|uer béelie my selfe. Winchester againe knéeled down and said: Then your grace hath the vantage of me and other the lords for your long and wrong impri|sonment. What vantage I haue (quoth she) you know, taking God to record I seeke no vantage at your hands for your so dealing with me, but God forgiue you and me also. With that the rest kneeled, desiring hir grace that all might be forgotten, and so departed, she being fast locked vp againe. A seauen nights after, the quéene sent for hir grace at ten of the clocke in the night to speake with hir:Ladie Elisa|beth sent for to the quéene. Ladie Elisa|beth brought to the quéenes bedchamber. for she had not séene hir in two yeares before. Yet for all that she was amazed at the sudden sending for, thinking it had béene woorse than afterwards it prooued, and desired hir gentlemen and gentlewomen to praie for hir, for that she could not tell whether euer she should sée them againe or no.