Dame Elizabeth de la Pole to Sir Robert Plumpton

193 Dame Elizabeth de la Pole to Sir Robert Plumpton, 10 July [1504] (No.
         108, p. 64)

Right worshipfull & my full singuler good master, in the most humble &
lowly manner ?at I can or may, I humbly recomend me vnto your
good mastership & vnto my good lady your wyfe, desiryng hartely to
here of your welfare, & also of your good speed in your weighty &
great matters, which I haue prayed for, & shall doe dayly. Sir, I
receyved a letter from you, which bare dayt the viij day of June, & in
?at letter you wrote to me ?at it was my sone Germyne mynd & yours,
with other his frynds, ?at I should occupie still at Rudburne,¹ as I haue
done in tymes, as long as we can agre, upon condition ?at I wold be
as kynd to my sayd son Germyne as he intendeth to be to me. I pray
Jesus ?at I may find him kynd to me, for it is my full entent & purpose
to be kynd and lovyng vnto him & his, whersoever I come. But thus
the [p. 65] matter is now: ?at I haue taken another house within the
Freres at Derby, which is but of a smale charge, and ther I intend to
dispose myselfe to serue God dilygently & kepe a narrow house & but
few of meany; for I haue such discomforth of my son Thomas
vnfortunate matters ?at it is tyme for me to get me into a litle corner, &
so wyll I doe. I will besech you and him to take no displeasure with
me for my departing, for it wilbe no otherwyse: my hart is so sett.

     Moreover, as touching the costodie of all such evidence as I haue now
in my keeping concernyng thenherytance of my sayd son Germayne, a
gentleman of your acquantance, Master Henry Arden,² hath bene in
hand with me for them, & I haue <shewed> him whensoever & to
whom it shalbe thought by you most convenyent tyme of the delyverance
of them, I wylbe redy to delyver them, for I wilbe glad to be discharged
of them; for I will flitt at this next Michelmas, as I am full mynded, or
sonner, with Gods grace. I pray you contynew my gud master, & owe
me neuer the worse will therfor, for it ryseth on my owne mynd to
give ouer gret tuggs of husbandry which I had, & take me to lesse
charge; & with Gods grace I shalbe as kynde to him & to my daughter,
his wyfe, as euer I was in my life, as well for them, as with them, With
the grace of Jesu, who euer preserve you. Wrytten at Rodburne, in
hast, the xth day of July

     By your poore sister & trew beadwoman     Elizabeth Pole^a
No Endorsement

     ^a Appended: Copied ?e 8th of Aprill 1613.

     ¹ German de la Pole attained his majority in 1504, 138; App. III.

     ² Henry Ardern, 196n.

LETTER CLV.

(No address.)

    Right worshipfull and my singuler good master, in the most
humble and lowly maner that I can or may, I humbly recomend
me unto your good mastership, and unto my good lady you wyfe,
desiryng hartely to here of your welfaire, and also of your
good speed in your weighty and great matters, which I have
prayed for, and shall doe dayly. Sir, I receyved a letter from you,
which bare dayt the viii day of June, and in that letter ye wrote
to me, that it was my sone Germyne mynd, and yours, with other
his frynds, that I shoud occupie still att Rudburne, as I have
done in tymes, as long as we can agre; upon condition that I
wold be as kynd to my sayd son Germyne, as he intendeth to be
to me. I pray Jesus that I may find him kynd to me, for it is my
full entent and purpose to be kynd and lovyng unto him and his,
whersoever I come. But thus the matter is now, that I have
taken another house within the Freres at Derby, which is but of a
smale charge, and ther I entend to dispose myselfe to serve God
dilygently, and kepe a narrow house and but few of meany; for I
have such discomforth of my son Thomas unfortunate matters,
that it is tyme for me to get me into a litle cornner, and so wyll I
doe. I will besech you and him to take no displeasure with me
for my departing, for it wilbe no otherwyse; my hart is so sett.
Moreover, as touching the custodie of all such evidence, as I have
now in my keeping, concernyng thenherytance of my sayd son
Germyne, a gentleman of your acquantance, Mr. Herry Arden,
hath bene in hand with me for them, and I have shewed him,
whensoever and to whom it shall be thought by you most conve-
nyen tyme of the delyverance of them, I wylbe redy to delyver
them, for I will be gald to be discharged of them; for I will flitt
at this next Mighelmas, as I am full mynded, or sonner, with
Gods grace. I pray you contynew my gud master, and owe me
never the worse will therfor; for it ryseth on my owne mynd to
give over grett tuggs of husbandry which I had, and take me to
lesse charge. And with Gods grace I shalbe as kynd to him, and
to my daughter, his wyfe, as ever I was in my life, as well from
them, as with them. With the grace of Jesu, who ever preserve
you. Wrytten at Rodburne in hast, the xth day of July.
                          By your poore sister and trew beadwomam,
          (10 July 1504.)                                        ELIZABETH POLE.a

    a Dame Elizabeth Pole had numerous offspring by Ralph Pole or de la Pole, her
husband, who died 31 May, 7 Hen. VII. 1492. Her eldest son John married Jane
daughter of John Fitzherbert, of Etwall.com. Derb.esq. but both died in the lifetime of
Ralph Pole. (See Letter CVIII.) Their son German was heir to his grandfather, and
the custody of his lands during his minority had been granted to Elizabeth Pole, widow,
and Thomas Pole, which latter was a merchant of London. This letter will therefore
have been written after he attained his majority in 1504, when it became a question
whether his grandmother was to continue still to occupy the family mansion at Rad-
burn. Elizabeth Pole in this letter calls her grandson, son, and his wife, daughter,
instead of nephew and niece, or simply, cousin, as in her former letter; but it is
evident from her subscribing herself "sister," that she here writes in loco parentis,
and uses the expressions of affinity suitable in this regard.