I am not att thys present to vse any superfluous circumstances
wherfore I hope yow will conceyve never the worse, and beare with the hast of
my matter.
Her Magestye hathe of latte by Sir Ihone Foscue and my lord chiefe
Iustice imployed my service for the gettinge her of monye wherwythe to supplye
a stoke to buye the Tyne yerelye in Cornwaale and Devonshyre.
I found owt sufficient and of the most able Marchantes, willinge
and redie with ther monye to lend yt to supplye her Magestye without any pennye
of Interreste, to pay her thys present yeare ten thowsande pound, every halfe
yere to witt fyve thowsand pounde.
I aduertised the lord chiefe Iustice.
Synthence I have hard nothinge tyll Thursday laste, when overnyght
I receyved from Sir Ihone Foscue, a letter that at thre of the cloke in the
afternone next day they were appoynted by her Magestye to bee wythe me about
this matter of the Tyne; at nonetyme I hadd a messenger from Sir Ihone Foscue,
that he hadd not found himselfe yat mornynge well, and therfore he wowld next
day be at the same howre with me, whiche was frydaye, yat ys yesterday. I
attended tyll syx aspectinge ther comminge. I sawe they came not, I mervelled,
and sent a man boothe to Sir Ihon Foscue to know how he dyd, and to my Lord
chiefe Iustice, yat yf yt were any matter concerninge her Magestyes seruice yf
there were any lett, that they cowld not come that they wowld signefie the
matter by letter. Sir Ihone wass syke and this day sent me word he takes
physike.
My lord chiefe Iustice, for that he was Ioignd to come with Sir
Ihon Foscue, will know her Magestyes plesure further, to morow at the Courte.
In the mean seasone I fynde they have reported nothinge of the
matter as they resolued to doo when they were with me, they have not aduertised
her Magestie that the monye wass to be hadd, but contrarye rather yf yt ^be^ true
that I doo here, that her Magestye hathe no monye in her cofers for this
purpose. to what end ys that when she hathe yt redie prepared by her
Marchantes. why showld yt be towld her whatt she wanted in her cooffers, and
nott whatt her Magestye myght have without any interrest, and the gayne of
seven thowsand pounde frome her Marchantes, and herafter a matter of fyften
thowsand pound a yeare proved as clere as the sune dothe shyne. for the
Quantetie of Tyne beinge supposed Ten hundred thowsand pounde, and that her
Maiestie shall buye yt for fowre markes the hundred, that ys 26l and a
Marke the thowsande, whoo dothe not see, that sellinge the same for 4s a
hundrede yat ys twoo and fortye pounde a thowsand weyght of Tyne, yat her
Maiestye gaynes fyftene thowsand pound a yeare, and thus the Marchantes to buye
yt of the Quiene have agreed with me.
Now yt moves me not a lyttell, that I showldbe thus sett a worke
for her Magestyes seruice, and when with my great labor I have effected yt, to
be thus mocked; yf they ment yt att the fyrst to overthwart yt why showld they
abuse me in her Magestyes name to deale with the Marchantes, and when I have
done yt, neyther to lett her Magestye vnderstand yt puttinge them in truste,
and sendinge them of porpose to assist me? but contrarie by there sylence to
neglect the tyme, and with impertinent matters of her Magestye wante of monye
in her cofers, to hyd from her the redines of the Marchantes to furnishe this
seruice?
I have wrott to her Magestye, hopinge she will not suffer me
imployinge my selfe in her seruice to be rewarded for my labor with a moke, nor
her selfe to be thus abused to have A matter of seven thowsand pound thys yeare
with a more assured profitte in the yeares followinge, (by negligence, dulnes,
or abuse (for one of thes yt must be) to be oversene and lost, espetiallye
puttinge her Magestye to no further cost or travell then to the tellinge yt
into her exchecker.
My desyre therfore vnto yow ys thys, that yow wilbe acknowne to ^her^
Maiestie that I have made yow pryvie that I have written vnto her, and for that
I feare in tyme Inowghe my letter showld not be redd, & that my hande ys to
troblesume for her Magestye, that I had desyred yow, to move her Magestye for
answer therofe, wherby yt may be she will make yow reed the letter and then she
shall not be ignorant how her seruice ys conveyed.
And for so muche as I fynde so many yat her Magestye hathe put in
truste in thys cause yet when yt comes to the poynt they giue her the slypte, I
wowld most ernestly desyre yow for owre owld aquaintance friendship and
affinite sake to ioyne with me in thys seruice, and to offer yowre help to me
in thys matter to her Magestye for I doo assure yow that yt will have an
acceptable end to her Magestye and yat counceler shall have no small advantage
over the other which have I cannot tell whatt to terme yt so slowly and dullye
or corrputlye abused frome tyme to tyme her Magestyes Intentiones towchinge
this matter.
And thus muche I assure yow, to incorage yow the more, that lett
her Maiestie call bake this countermande, which stoppethe the Preemptione, and
lett yt be declared as ytt wass of her Magestyes Resolutione, to take yt into
her handes. And the monye shalbe presentlye supplyed by the Marchantes. And her
Magestye shall have cause to giue yow thankes, and I shalbe gladd my travell shall
nott be so loste. Thus with my ernest desyre to yow to consider the cause
accordinge to the hast, and not accordinge to the disordered dispositione of my
letter, I will end and take my leave. for yf her Magestye dothe not presently
countermand thys last resolutione, procured from her by concealinge the
marchantes redines to furnishe her with monye, she ys leke to lease the
benifite of thys yeare, and herafter the whole cause.
On thinge I allso am to remember that ys where I have Named Alderman
Banninge to her Magestye whoo hathe bene very prompt and forward to bringe one the
reste of hys Compagnions to this service, for sume cause to desyre her Magestye
not to lett his name to be sene or knowne for sum respects in her Magestyes
seruice. I wrott of him only that her Magesty myght bothe know his diligence
and yat for my dealinge with the Marchantes he myght wyttnes herafter, how far
everythinge was proceded in before thys vnloked for countermande.
Yowre assured friende and lovinge brother.
(signed) Edward Oxenford
Addressed (in Oxford’s hand): To the ryght honorable and hys very
welbeloved friende, Sir Rober [sic] Cecill, her Magestyes principall secretarie
and Master of her Wardes. [seal]
Endorsed: Iune 1599;
Erle of Oxford to my Mr; concerning Tynne
Also at Virtual Grub Street:
- Shakespeare and Thomas North. April 5, 2021. “It might have been more of a surprise if North had not been advanced after one or another fashion.”
- On Shakespeare and Drinking Smoke. January 4, 2021. “The debate raged for some time: Had Shakespeare smoked pot? Tobacco? Both?”
- On the Question “Who knew Edward de Vere was Shakespeare?” December 14, 2020. “But was the word going around that his wife, the Countess of Oxford, conceived two children in his absence?”
- A 1572 Oxford Letter and the Player’s Speech in Hamlet. August 11, 2020. “The player’s speech has been a source of consternation among Shakespeare scholars for above 200 years. Why was Aeneas’ tale chosen as the subject?”
- Check out the English Renaissance Article Index for many more articles and reviews about this fascinating time and about the Shakespeare Authorship Question.
- Check out the Letters Index: Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford for many letters from this fascinating time, some related to the Shakespeare Authorship Question.
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