my Lord Le Hunsdon, and hundred armed pikes and tow ed with my Lord from Wark, the 17th of of April, entered into the realm of Scotland; and did burn and spoil all along the river of Rowle, and the water of Cale, and encamped that night at Gedworth. The next morning he marched to Fernhurst,* and overthrew it; and so burned and spoiled all along the river of Tiviot; and so to Hawick,+ and burned and spoiled it. The next day he overthrew the strong house of the Lord of Buccleuch, called Branxholm;+ and thence to Bedrowell, a house of Sir Andrew Trumble, and overthrew it; with divers other notable towers and houses all along those rivers aforenamed. The next night we retired to Gedworth, where we encamped again. The next morning we dislodged and burnt all the country along the river of Bowbank, and burnt and spoiled the whole country as we marched; and came back that night to Kelsey. The number of the towns and villages by estimation was above 500; the terror of the which caused the rest of the country to come and offer nation, but setting forth the necessity of punishing some particular offenders; and this was repeatedly read at the head of an army which was then employed in desolating the east and west borders. The circumstances which attended this invasion have escaped the notice of historians: even Camden, who lived at the time, makes no mention of so horrible and uncommon a spoil. * Fernihast, in Tiviotdale; a house belonging to the Kers, ancestors of the Marquis of Lothian. Scot. † A market town eight miles S. W. of Jedburgh. Branxholm, near Hawick, the ancient seat of the family of their submission to my Lord Lieutenant, with all the friendship and service they could do to him and to his; and so we retired ourselves back again for that time; so that we rested ourselves three or four days. The 27th day, my Lord Lieutenant being at Wark, accompanied with the whole bands. of footmen, and 1000 horse, with three battery pieces and two sacris, went to the siege of Hume,* where he planted his battery; where, within twelve hours after the battery was planted, the castle was surrendered to him simply, having within it 240 soldiers; so the soldiers departed out of it in their hose and doublets. Surely, my Lord, if I had had the charge with 50 soldiers, I would have thought me worthy to have been hung, drawn, and quartered, if I had delivered it within the month's siege. My Lord has appointed Mr. Wood his his band, and Mr. Pikeman his band, two of the bands of Berwick, to have the keeping of it; and so my Lord retired back again to Berwick, to refresh himself and his company. Item, the 4th day of May he sent out certain bands of horsemen, and also certain footmen, to march towards Fastcastle,+ which, immediately upon the horsemen's coming, yielded themselves simply; and there is also certain garrison appointed Hume Castle, situated about the centre of Berwickshire; the original seat of the Humes, from which they derived their surname. It was destroyed by the English during Cromwell's usurpation. † A strong fortress, which likewise belonged to the family of Hume. It stood on a little promontory a few miles north of Coldingham. there for the keeping of it. Assuredly my Lord, all the whole country here submit themselves to my Lord Haddington news that has here happened since our arrival here; and, as occasion shall happen, I shall advertise your Lordship from time to time as I can get convenient messengers. Thus, leaving to trouble your Lordship any further, I commit you to the Almighty, who ever preserve you in health and long life, with increase of great honour. From Berwick, this 5th of May. Your Lordship's at commandment for ever, ROBERT CONSTABLE. To the right honourable and his most especial good Lord, the Earl of Shrewsbury give this. In haste, haste, haste. No. LII. (Talbot Papers, Vol. P. fol. 577.) THE EARL OF SHREWSBURY Sir, BEING now almost a fortnight since I wrote, I have thought good to scribble these lines unto you to let you understand of my charge here; which, by God's grace, I shall look safely unto, according to the trust my Mistress has put me in. It is come to this Lady's knowledge that Hume Castle and sun * Indorsed by the Earl, "A Coppy of a lettar to Mr. Sekretare, of the 11th of Maye, 1570." dry other places in Scotland, should be raised by the Earl of Sussex; whereat she finds herself much grieved, and thinks it shall appear unto the world she makes small account thereof. She hath begun this Monday, being the 8th of May, to exercise her long bow again, with her folks, with troubled mind, as I think. She utters to me now that she is sorry that the Queen's Majesty uses her subjects so, to spoil their coming under trust, as she terms it; and therefore she fears she shall receive small comfort at the Queen's Majesty's hands, but will hope that other Princes will have care of her and her country. This is all she utters to me yet. I must now require money at the Queen's Majesty's hands for this Queen's diet, and that I may have some apressed, for otherwise I shall want needful provisions which are to be made beforehand. There will be near £ 500 due to me before Whitsunday; and therefore I desire you, because I would be loth to trouble you again before Michaelmas for any more money, that I might have £1000 with this that is due already, and I shall make shift for the rest till then. And thus, wishing to you as to myself, I cease to trouble you. No. LIII. (Talbot Papers, Vol. P. fol. 565.) TO THE COUNTESS OF SHREWSBURY. My most humble duty remembered unto your honourable good Lord. May it please the same to understand that I have sent you herein enclosed the articles of peace concluded and proclaimed through all France, in French, because they are not at this hour to be had in English (which are translated and in printing) and if the peace be kept, the Protestants be indifferently well. The great sitting is done at Norwich; and, as I do hear credibly, that Appleyard, Throgmorton, Redman, and another, are condemned to be hung, drawn, and quartered; and Hobart and two more are condemned to perpetual imprisonment, with the loss of all their goods and lands during their lives. The four condemned for high treason, and the other for reconcilement.* They were charged of these four points: the destruction of the Queen's person; the imprisonment of my Lord Keeper, my Lord of Leicester, and Secretary Cecil; the setting at liberty out of the Tower the Duke of Norfolk; and the banishment of all strangers; and it fell out in their examination that they would have imprisoned Sir Christopher Haydon and Sir William Butts, the Queen's Lieute Or misprison of treason. This conspiracy, as it was crushed in the beginning, is not much noticed by historians. Camden informs us that the design avowed by the rebels was to banish from the realm the wretched Netherlanders, who had fled hither to avoid the Duke of Alva's tyranny, but that their real intention was to set at liberty the Duke of Norfolk, who had been for some months a prisoner in the Tower. It appears, however, from this letter, that their plan extended to further and more important objects; and, as it was discovered immediately after the publication of the famous bull of Pius V., by which he absolved Elizabeth's subjects of their oath of allegiance, its consequences were the more to be dreaded. The parties named here were mostly private gentlemen of Norfolk. |