This is to let you Honner kno', as how I have been emploied in a bisness
I would have been excused from, if so be I could, for it is to gitt
evidense from a young man, who has of late com'd out to be my cuzzen
by my grandmother's side; and but lately come to live in these partes,
about a very vile thing, as younge master calls it, relating to your
Honner. God forbid I should call it so without your leafe. It is not for
so plane a man as I be, to tacks my betters. It is consarning one Miss
Batirton, of Notingam; a very pretty crature, belike.
Your Honner got her away, it seems, by a false letter to her, macking
believe as how her she-cuzzen, that she derely loved, was coming to see
her; and was tacken ill upon the rode: and so Miss Batirton set out in
a shase, and one sarvant, to fet her cuzzen from the inne where she laid
sick, as she thote: and the sarvant was tricked, and braute back the
shase; but Miss Batirton was not harde of for a month, or so. And
when it came to passe, that her frends founde her out and would have
prossekutid your Honner, your Honner was gone abroad: and so she was
broute to bed, as one may say, before your Honner's return: and she got
colde in her lyin-inn, and lanquitched, and soon died: and the child is
living; but your Honner never troubles your Honner's hedd about it
in the least. And this, and some other matters, of verry bad reporte,
'Squier Solmes was to tell my young lady of, if so be she would have
harde him speke, before we lost her sweet company, as I may say, from
heere.*
* See Vol.II. Letters XV. and XVI.
Your Honner helped me to many ugly stories to tell against you Honner to
my younge master, and younge mistriss; but did not tell me about this.
I most humbelly beseche your Honner to be good and kinde and fethful to
my deerest younge lady, now you have her; or I shall brake my harte for
having done some dedes that have helped to bringe things to this passe.
Pray youre dere, good Honner, be just! Prayey do!--As God shall love ye!
prayey do!--I cannot write no more for this pressent, for verry fear and
grief--
But now I am cumm'd to my writing agen, will your Honner be pleased to
tell me, if as how there be any danger to your Honner's life from this
bisness; for my cuzzen is actile hier'd to go down to Miss Batirton's
frendes to see if they will stir in it: for you must kno' your Honner,
as how he lived in the Batirton family at the time, and could be a good
evidense, and all that.
I hope it was not so verry bad as Titus says it was; for he ses as
how there was a rape in the case betwixt you at furste, and plese your
Honner; and my cuzzen Titus is a very honist younge man as ever brocke
bred. This is his carackter; and this made me willinger to owne him for
my relation, when we came to talck.
If there should be danger of your Honner's life, I hope your Honner will
not be hanged like as one of us common men; only have your hedd cut off,
or so: and yet it is pit such a hedd should be lossed: but if as how
it should be prossekutid to that furr, which God forbid, be plesed
natheless to thinck of youre fethful Joseph Leman, before your hedd be
condemned; for after condemnation, as I have been told, all will be the
king's or the shreeve's.
I thote as how it was best to acquent you Honner of this; and for you
to let me kno' if I could do any think to sarve your Honner, and prevent
mischief with my cuzzen Titus, on his coming back from Nottingam, before
he mackes his reporte.
I have gin him a hint already: for what, as I sed to him, cuzzen Titus,
signifies stirring up the coles and macking of strife, to make rich
gentilfolkes live at varience, and to be cutting of throtes, and
such-like?
Very trewe, sed little Titus. And this, and plese your Honner, gis
me hopes of him, if so be your Honner gis me direction; sen', as God
kno'es, I have a poor, a verry poor invenshon; only a willing mind to
prevent mischief, that is the chief of my aim, and always was, I bless
my God!--Els I could have made much mischief in my time; as indeed
any sarvant may. Your Honner nathaless praises my invenshon every
now-and-then: Alas! and plese your Honner, what invenshon should such a
plane man as I have?--But when your Honner sets me agoing by your fine
invenshon, I can do well enuff. And I am sure I have a hearty good will
to deserve your Honner's faver, if I mought.
Two days, as I may say, off and on, have I been writing this long
letter. And yet I have not sed all I would say. For, be it knone unto
your Honner, as how I do not like that Captain Singleton, which I told
you of in my last two letters. He is always laying his hedd and my young
master's hedd together; and I suspect much if so be some mischief is not
going on between them: and still the more, as because my eldest younge
lady seemes to be joined to them sometimes.
Last week my younge master sed before my fase, My harte's blood boils
over, Capten Singleton, for revenge upon this--and he called your Honner
by a name it is not for such a won as me to say what.--Capten Singleton
whispred my younge master, being I was by. So young master sed, You may
say any thing before Joseph; for, althoff he looks so seelie, he has as
good a harte, and as good a hedd, as any sarvante in the world need to
have. My conscience touched me just then. But why shoulde it? when all I
do is to prevent mischeff; and seeing your Honner has so much patience,
which younge master has not; so am not affeard of telling your Honner
any thing whatsomever.
And furthermore, I have such a desire to desarve your Honner's bounty
to me, as mackes me let nothing pass I can tell you of, to prevent harm:
and too, besides, your Honner's goodness about the Blew Bore; which I
have so good an accounte of!--I am sure I shall be bounden to bless your
Honner the longest day I have to live.
And then the Blew Bore is not all neither: sen', and please your Honner,
the pretty Sowe (God forgive me for gesting in so serus a matter) runs
in my hedd likewise. I believe I shall love her mayhap more than your
Honner would have me; for she begins to be kind and good-humered, and
listens, and plese your Honour, licke as if she was among beans, when I
talke about the Blew Bore, and all that.
Prayey, your Honner, forgive the gesting of a poor plane man. We common
fokes have our joys, and plese your Honner, lick as our betters have;
and if we be sometimes snubbed, we can find our underlings to snub them
agen; and if not, we can get a wife mayhap, and snub her: so are masters
some how or other oursells.
But how I try your Honner's patience!--Sarvants will shew their joyful
hartes, tho' off but in partinens, when encourag'd.
Be plesed from the prems's to let me kno' if as how I can be put upon
any sarvice to sarve your Honner, and to sarve my deerest younge lady;
which God grant! for I begin to be affearde for her, hearing what peple
talck--to be sure your Honner will not do her no harme, as a man may
say. But I kno' your Honner must be good to so wonderous a younge lady.
How can you help it?--But here my conscience smites me, that, but for
some of my stories, which your Honner taute me, my old master, and my
old lady, and the two old 'squires, would not have been able to be half
so hardhearted as they be, for all my younge master and younge mistress
sayes.
And here is the sad thing; they cannot come to clere up matters with my
deerest young lady, because, as your Honner has ordered it, they have
these stories as if bribed by me out of your Honner's sarvant; which
must not be known for fere you should kill'n and me too, and blacken the
briber!--Ah! your Honner! I doubte as tha I am a very vild fellow, (Lord
bless my soil, I pray God!) and did not intend it.
But if my deerest younge lady should come to harm, and plese your
Honner, the horsepond at the Blew Bore--but Lord preserve us all from
all bad mischeff, and all bad endes, I pray the Lord!--For tho'ff you
Honner is kinde to me in worldly pelf, yet what shall a man get to loos
his soul, as holy Skrittuer says, and plese your Honner?
But natheless I am in hope of reppentence hereafter, being but a younge
man, if I do wrong thro' ignorens: your Honner being a grate man, and a
grave wit; and I a poor crature, not worthy notice; and your Honner able
to answer for all. But, howsomever, I am
Your Honner's fetheful sarvant in all dewtie, JOSEPH LEMAN.