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The following letter from Sir William Kingston, Constable of the Tower, to Cromwell is from a manuscript ravaged by the Ashburnham House fire of October 1731—the ellipses denote missing text, or text damaged beyond recognition.
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Sir William Kingston to Secretary Cromwell, upon Anne Boleyn's committal to the Tower.
[British Library MS. Cotton, Otho C. x. fol. 225.]
Thys ys to advertyse you apon my Lord of Norfolk and the Kyngs Counsell
depart . . . from the Towre I went before the Quene in to hyr lodgyng,
& . . . 1 sayd unto me M. Kyngston shall I go in to adungyn. Now Madam
y . . 2 shall go into your logyng that you lay in at your Coronacion. It ys to
gu . .3 for me, she sayd, Jesu have mercy on me: and kneled downe wepyng
a . . . . . pace, and in the same sorow
fell in to agret lawyng,4 and she hathe done . .5 mony tymes syns. And then
she desyred me to move the Kyngs Hynes that she . . . 6 have the sacarment
in the closet by hyr chambr, that she my . . . . .
for mercy, for I am as clere from the company of man, as for
s . . . . . . . .
am clere from you, and am the Kyngs trew wedded wyf; and then sh . . . . . .
M. Kyngston do you know wher for I am here, and I sayd nay, and
then . . . . . when saw you the Kyng and I sayd
I saw hym not syns I saw . . . . . .
the Tylte yerde7 and then M. K. I pray you to tell me wher my . . . .
ford8 ys, and I told hyr I saw hym afore dyner in the cort. O . . . . . .
my swet brod'er. I sayd I left hym at York place, and so I dyd I . . . . . . . d
she that I shuld be accused with iij men and I can say . . . . .
nay withyowt I shuld oppen my body and ther with opynd . . . . . . .
res Hast thow accused me thow ar in the towre with me, & . . . . . . . .
I dy to gether and Marke thou art here to9 O my mother . . . . .
for sorow and meche lamented my lady of Worcet'10 for by ca . . . . dyd not store in hyr body,
and my wyf sayd what shuld . . . . . . . . .
sayd for the sorow she toke for me: and then she sayd M. K . . . . . .
with yowt justs;11 & I sayd the porest sugett the
Kyng . . . . . . . . . . .
ther with she lawed.12 All thys sayings was yester ny & thys moryng dyd talke with mestrys
Cofy13 . . . . . . . res14
dyd say on Sunday last unto the Quenes amn . . . . . .
ere for the Quene that she was a gud woman . . . . . .
Cofyn, Madam why shuld ther be hony seche maters . . . . . .
sayd she I bad hym do so for I asked hym why he . . . . . . .
hys maryage and he made ansur he wold tary . . . . . . . .
loke for ded mens showys, for yf owth can . . . . . . .
you wold loke to have mo; and he sayd yf he . . . . . . . . .
he wold hys hed war of, and then she sayd . . . . . . . .
and ther with thay fell yowt bot . . . . . . . . on Wysson
monday twysday last . . . . . . r that Nores cam mode
u . . . . . . . . age and
further . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Wher I was commaunded to charge the gentelwemen that y gyf thaye atende apon the Quene that ys to say thay shuld have now commynycaseon with hyr in lese15 my wyf
ware present, and so I dyd hit, notwithstaundyng it canot be: for my lady Bolen16 and mestrys Cofyn lyes on the Quenes palet, and I and my wyf at the dore with
yowt17 so at18 thay most nedes talke at19 be without; bot I have every thyng told me by mestrys Cofyn that she thynks met20 for
mee to knowe, and tother ij gentelwemen lyes with yowt me and as I may knowe . . . Kyngs plesur in the premysses I shall
folow. From the Towre this mo . . . . .
Sr syns the makyng of thys letter the Quene spake of West21 . . . . . .
had spoke to hym by cause he dyd love hyr kynswoma . . . . . . . .
he sayd he loved not hys wyf and he made anser to hyr . . . . . .
loved won in hyr howse bettr then them bothe . . . . . . that it
ys your self and then she defyed hym.
WILLṀ KYNG . . .
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