Letters: Earl of Oxford to Chancellor Egerton(?), likely 1598.

Huntington Library EL 2337, Oxford to Egerton; undated: "this afternoon" (2-3 years since request for farm). [Click here for modernized spelling.]

My very good Lord. yt ys now twoo or thre yeres since, that her Magestye was sowght vnto, for the farme of her Tyne by twoo sortes, of suters. the one sort weare manye, the other was only my selfe. They havinge giuine a very slyght estimatione therofe, and deuised many reasones to move her Magesty to passe yt, hadd wrowght yt so fare, that seminge to her Magestye that they hadd made a very hard bargen, gave her with muche adoo a thowsand Markes by yeare, and so her Magesty had yelded vnto yt. At which Instant I ignorant of there procedinges, chaunced to lyght vpon the same sute, and ernestly solicited her Magesty therfore; desiringe to be her farmor for threthowsand pounds a yeare. thes offers were so vnequall, as then her Magesty made a stey of her former deliberatione, further towld them she was offred by me so muche, 

and showed for more confirmatione my letter vnto them. They semed to answer that sure I mistoke yt in wrightinge, and for hast hadd mist the number of my syphers for I hadd wrytten yt 3000, and they thowghte I ment but 300. Whervpon her Magesty caused the Lord Thresorer to send vnto me, and wryght whyther I ment. I affirmed the 3000. Whervpon the matter then was steyed, and put to further consideratione. Thervpon I was fayne to loke more exactly into the nature of the sute, which I found, of Twoo natures. the one was a sute to her Magesty which ran vnder the name of Mr George Gyfford in the behalfe of the compagnie of Peuterers, and thys sute was called the lesser sute, which was in effect that there showldbe no Tyne caried owt of the Relame, but yat yt showld be cast into Bares or lyngates, by ye Pewterers, or els the Marchand showld pay one halfpennie to them for the pounde. Thys sute was so blemished and paynted owt so smale as yt was to be passed for Mr Gyfford at a very loo rate, of lyttell value, and fytt for suche a gentelman as he, yat had rune his fortune in her Magestyes court. But yowre lordshipe knowes better then I, how the Tyne ys her Magestyes Commodite, and how she ys to take custome therof. Thys yeare wherin thes occurrencies of sute hapned, was transported, Fyftene hundred thowsand pounde weyght of Tyne so far I affirme to yowre lordship, but by to morow at nyght (by that tyme I have had recorse to my notes and memories, I thinke I must affirme to yowre Lordship, not pounds but blokes. Blokes oᵹt to be 250l a peace. But now they cast few vnder 400l a peace & most 5, 6, and 700l. Now my lord then yow can well iuge, yf her Magesty grauntes this sute, that semed so smale what yt comes vnto, yf so many pounds ^weyght^ so many halpens, so many hapens pounds worthe. I am sure yt cannot be lesse then 6000l a yeare, but when yowre lordship shall consider of yt yow will fynde yt more, for this her Magestye showld have had nothinge. great Persones great shares a number of meaner persones, a hundred, two hundred thre hundred, fyftie pounds and suche sumes, all past sygned sealed and assured by the masters and wardens of the Pewterers, sene by my self and able to be proued, and was soo. Of great persones, a thowsand, and twoo, thowsand to one and as muche to an other. Now my lord how lyttell this sute ys, may appeare.

The other Nature of the sute which had bene passed as I sayd before for a thowsand Markes, to wright shortly to yowre Lordship at thys tyme, was browght to twenty thowsand pound a yeare rent to be giuene, but for yat I cowld not follow yt, and they that thowght to gett yt amonge themselues beinge more in number, in place, and authorite, when all there obiectiones were refelled and ther was nothinge to make but for her Magestyes profit then they, quenched the heat therof, sayd yt was no tyme for her Magesty to lay new impositiones one her subiects, and that yt was her Magestyes plesure to here no more therof. Whervpon I have surceased ever since, tyll lattly thes persones themselues have revyved the matter to her Magestye and thinkinge me to be so discoraged, yat I thowght nomore therofe, and yat her Magestysonee hade now forgotten all former contradictiones, they have vsed all myne answers to there obiectiones, for reasone to her Magesty to graunt thys sute vnto the compagnies of Pewterers. thes reasones whylst they were myne, cowld be by no meanes in her Magestyes behalfe, accepted. But now to serue there turne they have vsed them for very resonable, & forcible. Inso muche as I beinge informed that her Magesty had passed thys sute, I thowght yt good to know the truthe, & to put her Magesty in remembrance of what was past, hervpon I vnderstand frome her Magestye that yt ys true she hathe signed the same, but now vpon thys remembrance from me she hathe steyed the wrightinge.

Now I thowght my good lord the case standinge thus, that there was nothinge so fytt to be done, as to aquaynt yowre Lordship with the whoole cause, That yow beinge fully posessed therwythe, by the knowlege of her Magestyes ryght in lawe, the examminatione of whatt number of Tyne ys transported, may easly and perfetly discerne, what the weyght or lyghtnes of the matter importes. And for so muche as They have wrowght so coninglye that before ever I could hav knowlege therof they had gotten her Magestyes hand, the sudden cannot giue me oportunite to gather vp so many remembrances, as ys necessarie to vnfould a matter so full of obiections, deceytes, and fals apparences. But I hope sythe yt hathe pleased her Magesty to stay the wrightinge, by to morow at nyght, or next day, to giue yow so good heds, and general informationes of thes matters, that yf yow shall have cause to speake with her Magesty therin, that yow will thinke reasone, yat yt ys not fytt yat her Magesty showld so sodenly and without further aduisment, passe yt. Thus desyringe yowre Lordship to pardone my longe discours vrged by this matter, I leaue to troble yowre Lords[hip] any farther. this afternone. Yowre Lordships to Command.

(signed) Edward Oxenford

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