Earl of Oxford to Baron Burghley; June 7, 1595.

PRO SP12/252/57,  ff. 108-9, Oxford to Burghley; 7 June 1595. [Click here for modernized spelling.]

My very good Lorde. yf I hade not hade allredie sufficient knowledge of Carmardens honestie, I wowld have the more wondred at thys impodent part of his to avoue before her Maiestie so manifest & intolerable vntruthes. But when I remember how earnest he was agaynst my Lord of Buchurst procedinges in thys matter, how he was the mane, which sett me one to move her Maiestie, and yowre Lordship. for ye Impositione of the Crowne vpon the hundred how he was the fyrst that assured me, that at the least in hys knowlege ye quantetye of Tyne came to xv hundred thowsande how he promised me to informe yowre Lordshipe faythfullye, and assure yow therofe: & that sythence that tyme he hathe rune a doble cowrse, wythe her Maiestie wythe yowre Lordship my self I doo the lesse regarde his trecherie and the more trust vnto the trwithe of myne actions, whiche I will answer to her Maiestie by yowre Lordship.

And for yat I goo about nowe to lay open his evill and corrupt seruice I will not for my owne particuler herafter move yowre Lordships furtherance, but yf I shall deferre any thinge in this actione, I will leaue the whole consideratione therof to her Maiestie. But as a principall councellor of hers and as one howledinge the place of her Thresorer of Englande, whoo dothe especiallye loke into her profit, I shall desyre yowre Lordshipe, that those matters which I alleage and bringe forthe to be iugged by yowe, that they be so ponderede that reasone be not opressed, with a vayne confidence in a lyght persone, nor truthe smothered vp rather by fals apparance, then assisted by indyfferent herynge, nor that her Maiesties former trustes, be now made the very instrumentes of her infenite losse.

It ys trwe I confes yat Carmarden avoues in parte, that is therbe sume slabes of Tyne, (for in that he cales them Blokes therin he speakethe ignorantlye,) which are but 50l 100l 150l 200l weyght.

But wheare as he sayethe her Maiestie is not payde in respect of there small quantetye, he showld have sayd for that, she hathe nothinge at all for suche slabes.

And herin ys the dectye, that vnder the culler of sume to have a slabe of Tyne for there howshowld provisione, or to send into france for wyne for there howses and suche leke cullers, that they not forfet them they have the Lyone stamped one them and suche slabes althowghe they mount to the number of a 100 or 200 thowsand weyght, are not put into the Custommers Bokes, wherby the quantite of Tyne cannot trwly appeare.

And wheras yt semes yowre Lordship hard him avoue this the reasone that her Maiestie is not payde, yowre Lordship I knowe can easly se that he dothe ere by the parte, to account the whoole. & this is a fowle abuse.

But for the Bookes which I affirme in Cornwale to be 13 hundred thowsand that they be commonly 300, 400, and sumtyme 500l weyght an Loode, addinge that her Maiestie weyghtes are more than the Marchantes, wherby I may well account one with an other 700l weyght I appeale and flye to yowre Lordships iustice and care of her Maiestie revenue that she be not abused by the so cunninge of suche a merchant, whoo dothe abuse her trust.

And therfore as well for her Maiestie as for my discharge I doo crave and exhort yowre lordship that yow wilbe content, and procure her Maiestie to appyont sume she knowes will prefer her profitt, before any respect ether to me or the other syde, to survey the Blokes of Tyne which are to be sene now in towne, as well in Alderman Someses warehouse, as in other places, and at thys present a shipfull nerly com in Laden with Blokes of Alderman Taylers, and then yf yowre Lordship shall finde more Blokes of 300l weyght and vpward then of slabes, I pray yow herafter in her Maiestys behalfe that the rest of myne informationes be the better harde.

for the sendinge downe of Myddeltone alone, a man wholly disposede to that partie agaynst which I informe, I doo not thinke my self indyfferently dealt withall, and thowghe not forme, but for her Maiesties better and more certeyne informatione, yt showld not be amis and not agaynst equite, that an other whome I wowld have named myght have bene sent with him, that this deuise myght have nad no suspect of corruptione.

But I shall desyre yowre lordship for her Maiesties better seruice, that wheras by delayinge of Tyme her Maiestye may chance to lease thys coygnage, and so in conclusione the benefite of the wholle yeare. That yowre Lordship wowld procure a letter to be sent downe, wherin order may be given that no Tyne be sowlde or bowght tyll Iulye which is the fyrst coynage.

And this is agreable with there owld custome, that no Tyne showld be bowght ore sowlde tyll all the Marchantes were come together, and by the breache of thys custome, many abuses crepe in whiche are neyther profitable to the Reame, nor to her Maiestye in especiall.

And for that I wowld procede to the profe of the exact number of Tyne I shall desyre yowre Lordship that I may appoynt the messanger and yat he may have frome her Maiestye equall authoritie with Middeltone, in hys service, which shall take away all ambiguite which may growe throwghe suspect of particall and vniust dealinge, hopinge that her Maiestie will have an equall regard, in her countenancinge the cause as well to them that studdie her profit as they which covet nothinge more then there owne this vij of Iune 1595

Yowre Lordships to Commande

(signed) Edward Oxenford

 

 

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