enemy, we have given order (as meet is, our honour and surety so requiring) to have a convenient sort put in perfect readiness and preparation to attend upon our own person,* as well for the defence and surety thereof, as to resist such attempts as may be by any foreign enemy, or otherwise, made against us and our realm; and, knowing your fidelity and good will to serve us, have appointed you to be one, amongst others, that shall attend upon us; therefore requiring and charging you, not only to put yourself in order accordingly, but also to cause your tenants, servants, and others within your rules and offices, to furnish yourself with ten horsemen, and 100 footmen, well appointed; of the which footmen onefourth part to be harquebusiers or archers; one other fourth part pikes; and the rest bills; and which the said numbers of men, horse, and furniture, well in order, to be ready to attend upon us, or elsewhere by our appointment, upon one day's warning, at any time after the 25th day of August next coming; and, in the mean time, until you shall be so called to serve us, remain in full readiness and order to serve under those who have charge in that county; and hereof fail you not.

Given under our signet, at our manor of Rich

* Some historians inform us that Mary intended to take the field in person against the Scots about this time, and that a plan was in agitation to establish a new kind of body guard, selected from her subjects of most approved loyalty, to attend her upon that occasion. This letter seems to confirm their report, not only by its particular terms, but because addressed by the Queen herself, instead of the Lord Lieutenant of the County.

mond, the last of July, the fourth and fifth years of our reigns.

To our trusty and well-beloved Sir Edward Dymocke, Knight.

No. XXXIX.

(Talbot Papers, Vol. D. fol. 66.)

LORD WHARTON

TO THE EARL OF SHREWSBURY.

It may please your Lordship to be advertised that I am informed by intelligence out of Scotland that there came a sloop lately in at Leith from the French King, with French testous,* and other provisions. The intelligence says that the ships of Aberdeen have lately taken five English ships, one of them above 200, + besides eight taken before. The Dowager has sent for the ship above 200, to have her. They have prepared more ships of war at Leith, Aberdeen, Dundee, and others on their coast. The ship which was Wallace's and Copsmith's is rigged at Leith to go forth for the war. The intelligence says that those little vessels called sloops pass between France and Scotland with letters, ordnance, munition, money, and others their necessaries, both by the East seas and West seas, by the shore, like fishermen.

The power of the French and Scots are so great, and near to Berwick, that the weak power and inhabitants cannot use the bounds to any com

Testons, for the pay of the French troops. A teston was a silver coin, worth about eighteen pence.

+ Two hundred tons' burthen.

modity; whereby grows great hurt, and like to be to this town, without speedy remedy with power to repulse their force. The Earl of Huntley came the 1st of September, at night, to Langton, from the Dowager at Dunbar. She says she will visit Aymouth again shortly.

*

The Scots nightly and daily make incursions, and prepare so to do, to destroy the houses and corn, and thereby leave the fortresses, towers, and holds, destitute. There has been great damage done, whereby the borders are much wasted; I think your Lordship is advertised of the same from time to time; and now their corns ready to be gotten, are in great danger to be destroyed. By all intelligence that I can learn they are about a great enterprise, to be done hastily with the light of this moon. And Almighty God send unto your Lordship as prosperous success as your Lordship's own noble heart can desire.

At the King's and Queen's Majesties' castle of Berwick, the 4th of August, 1557.

Your Lordship's at command,

THOMAS WHARTON.

To the right honourable and my singular good Lord the Earl of Shrewsbury, Lord Lieutenant in the North.

*

Aymouth, or Eyemouth, a market-town on the coast, five miles N. of Berwick, to oppose which it was at that time strongly fortified.

No. XL.

(Talbot Papers, Vol. D. fol. 72.)

HENRY PERCY

TO THE EARL OF SHREWSBURY.

Right Honourable and much singular good Lord, My humble duty remembered, with like thanks for your Lordship's and my Lord of Westmoreland's much favoured letters, which I received this 6th of August instant; whereby I perceive both your Lordships to accept my repair to this country of Northumberland in such good part as I have cause to rejoice thereof, and, further, to be desirous to know the occurrences from time to time happening in these parts. It may please your good Lordship to understand that, upon my repair to Alnwick the last of July past, sundry gentlemen of this country, with many other honest men of the same, repaired thither unto me; with whom I continually travelled until Wednesday night last, in such sort as we were suffered to take very small rest either by night or day, but by the more part of nights and days, on horseback, attended the invasion of the enemy and, for the better resistance thereof, placed myself and my company nigh to the frontiers, as at Eslington, and other places thereabout. And yesterday, being the 5th of this instant, about five o'clock in the morning, the Lord James, and Lord Robert, the late Scottish King's bastard

* James hath been lately spoken of. Robert was afterwards created Earl of Orkney, and obtained a grant of those islands and Shetland, which reverted to the Crown upon the attainder of his son Patrick, who was beheaded in 1614.

sons, the Lord Hume, and others of Scotland, with all the power they could make in three days' assembly of men from Edinburgh hitherwards, and with certain pieces of ordnance, did invade on the East March of this realm, minding, as I learned by credible intelligence, to have attempted to win the castle of Ford, and have burnt sundry towns thereabouts, called the ten towns of Glendale; which their purpose, upon my repair towards them, with a good number of gentlemen, and others of this country, they did quite alter and change; and after they had burnt a house or two in the town of Fenton, where was taken, and wounded to death, as is supposed, one of their best borderers and guides, Richard Davison, did, with great haste, and more fear (as by plucking off and leaving a great number of white crosses, and the small spoil or prey of cattle by them seized, did appear) depart home into Scotland before we could in order come to them: * which considered (by the discreet advice of the gentlemen, whose good conformity and forwardness in service I cannot but of good cause much earnestly commend unto your Lordship, whom I shall much humbly beseech, further, to commend and advance the same, upon this my just report, as may tend to their more encouragment of service hereafter) I did enterprise to invade the country of the Mars, † in Scotland, where

Some historians, upon misinformation, tell us that the Scots in this incursion traversed the East Marches with a great train of artillery, and burnt several places.

Merse. That part of the ancient Berwickshire which lies south of the Tweed was so called after the final settlement of the English in Berwick under Edward II.