The Council writes to Sir Fulke Greville

and others approving of the addition of divers citizens of Coventry to the commission for mustering horse within the county of the city.

Oatlands,3
Sept. 20, 1584.

TROOPS, 1584.

1 A Coppie of the Counsells Letters for the mustering horses.2

After our right hartie Comendacions: We have receceivid (sic) your Lettre of the xijth of this present, & for answer therevnto have thought good to signifie vnto you that we Like verie well that in the vewing & mustering of the horsemen within the Citie & Countie of Coventre Hen. Breres, nowe maior, Ric. Smythe, Raffe Bowne & Ric. Barker, Aldermen, sholde ioyne with you, And so by vertue of her maties Comission, directed vnto vs in that behalfe, depute & aucthorize bothe you & them Joyntly to procede in the said service according to the Instruccions heretofore sent vnto you. And so requier you to make your certificat accordingly, whereof we praye you that there be no default, and so bydd you farewell. ffrom Otelandes, the xxth of September, 1584.

To our very Lovinge frendes Sir ffulk Grevill, 5 knight, Geo. Digby, and Edw. Bowghton,7 Esquires.

The Certificate of the Muster of horses for the Citie & Countie of Coventre taken at Coventre the second daye of October, Anno 1584.

1 leaf 423, back.

2 The organization of the militia was promoted in Elizabethan times by the periodic holding of musters about every three years, carried on through the medium of commissions addressed to the nobility and gentry of every county. See Dom. State Papers (1547-80), pp. xiii. xiv. The certificates transmitted from the Warwickshire commissioners to the Privy Council form the most complete specimen of their kind.

3 În Surrey, one mile N. W. of Walton-on-Thames. Hen. VIII. built a palace here.

4 George Talbot, sixth Earl of Shrewsbury.

Fulke Greville, first Lord Broke, 1554-1628.

6 Of the Coleshill Digbys, and father of John, Earl of Bristol.
7 Of Causton, near Rugby. He is said to have built this mansion

from materials obtained from the White Friars, Coventry.

1 Member for Coventry in the Parliaments of 1586, 1587, 1588, 1601 and 1604.

2 Member in 1586, 1587, 1592 and 1601.

3 See above, p. 815. For the suit in the Star Chamber between the Mayor and Community of Coventry on the one hand, and Arthur and Edm. Gregory on the other, see Star Chamber Proceedings (P.R.O.), Ble. 59, no. 13. 23 Eliz.; Ble. 48, no. 7. 24 Eliz.; Ble. 69, no. 30. 25 Eliz. Only the Interrogatories and Depositions have been found; the Bill and Answer are apparently missing (Mr. E. F. Kirk). The Gregorys were accused of forgery of a Court roll, counterfeiting of hands, falsifying an ancient Register-Book, forging of blanks and divers other misdemeanours; but the charge was dismissed on the ground of insufficient proof, a misdemeanour of Arthur not being within the power of the Star-chamber to deal with. Edm. Gregory was allowed and paid his costs (Corp. MSS. A 79, fol. **77).

4 For Jul. Nethyrmyll see p. 634. * See pp. 815, 818.

C. LEET ВК.

31

The mayor
and his
brethren
inforin the
Council
that they
have taken
the muster of
horsemen;

and apologise humbly for the lack of sufficient riders,

owing to want of practice on the part of the citizens.

Oct. 9, 1584.

1 The Copie of the Lettre of answer to the Lordes of

the Counsell.

Our duties most humblie Remembred: Whereas we received your honorable Letters dated the xxth of September Last past, whereby you deputed vs to take the view and muster of horsemen in the Countie of the Cittie of Coventre, yt maye please your honors to be advertised that we have performed the said service accordingly, and have here-enclosed sent a certificat of suche persons as were there Charged, and of their seuerall charges, which were verie well furnished in all poyntes, saving that the Citizens of Coventre wanted sufficient Ryders for their horses by reason their servantes have rather byn brought vpp in following their occupacions then in Ryding of horses, which want we humblye desier your Lordshipes to pardon, The rather for that this is the first tyme that they have bene so Charged and the warning so shorte as they could not well be provided of men to serve for that purpose. We have likewise taken notes of the names and furniture of the Ryders with the Coullors, Stature, markes and furniture of their horses. And so most humbly take our Leave. At Coventre the ixth daye October Anno 1584.

Your LLordshipes most humblie to Comand
Hen. Breres, maior,

ANOTHER MUSTER, 1590.

1 Elizabeth R.

Trustie & wel-beloved, we greet you well: Whereas we have thought it meet to be perfectlie informed of the strengthe & forces of this our Realme, And therefore have given Comaundement to our privie Counsell to write their Lettres vnto our Lieutenantes of the seuerall Counties to muster as well the horsmen as fotemen that have ben reduced into bandes and companies within the Counties vndur their lieutenantes nowe before the winter dothe approche; and to send hither perfect Certificattes & muster Roles of the nomber of the said fotemen & horsmen by the middest of October next ensuing to be shewed vnto vs. These shal-be to will & aucthorice you, or any two of you, by vertue of theise our Lettres to take the vewe & musters of the horsmen & fotemen within the Countie of Warrwick and them to put in good araye for our servis by all suche meane & by suche direccions as you shall receave by Lettres vndur the handes of any syx of our privie Counsell. And we do Likewise by thes presents authorice you & the maiour of the Cittie of Coventre to take the vieu & muster of all those hable men that are within the said Cittie & liberties thereof, as well horsmen as fotemen in some convenient place within the Liberties of the said Cittie. And these our lettres shal-be your sufficient warrant for your procedinges in that behalfe.

Given vndur our signet at our Castle of Wyndsor the xvjth daye of September in the the xxxijth yere of our Raign.

To our trustie and wel-beloved
Sir ffoulk Grevile, Sir Tho.
Lucie 2 & Sir Joh. Harrington,
knightes.

1 leaf 424, back. See for the original the correspondence volumes Corp. MSS. A. 79, leaf 76.

2 See Mrs. Stopes' Warwickshire Contemporaries of Shakespeare, pp. 23-41.

3 John, first Lord Harrington, sometime recorder of Coventry and tutor to Elizabeth, afterwards Queen of Bohemia.

The queen
directs Sir
Fulke Gre-
ville
and others

to muster horse and foot

within the shire of Warwick,

and the county of the city of Coventry.

Sept. 16, 1590. The king, James I, being informed

that the citizens refuse to kneel when receiving the Sacrament, but sit or stand during its celebration, having charged the bishop to bring about conformity in this matter,

admonishes the archdeacon of his dislike of this laxity,

KING JAMES AND THE SACRAMENT, 1611.

1 James R.

Trusty and well-beloued, we greet you well. We haue beene informed of a thing continued among you in that our Cytie of Couentry whereof we intend a presente reformacion according to that which is by law established in this our Churche of England, and Commaunded and, as we take yt, in all places els of this our Kingdom observed, as we ourself in our person doe carefully perform yt, although we doubt not but that yow and the whole world are assured that we detest both Idolatry and Supersticion as much as any whosoeuer.

The said disorder noted with you is that you refuse to receiue the blessed Sacraments of the body and blood of Christ kneeling, but receiue it for the most parte standing or sitting. We haue hereof giuen especiall Charge to our servant, the Bishop of that diocese, to see this abuse reformed; Yet of our princly favor towardes you, and for that we find in our said servant, your Bishop, a desire to affect this by good means and gentle persuasions rather then by legall proceedinges against any, we haue thought good first to signifie our pleasure and to admonish you of our dislike hereof, presuming that the same shall so worke with you that there shall not need any other means to draw you to that which duty and piety doe binde you to.

We therefore hereby signifie vnto you that we hould yt an vnsufferable disorder in a well settled Church and State that any perticuler society or Cytie professedly and publickly (especially in a religious accion) should doe the contrary of that which the ordinances of that Church and State doe Commaund, and that we are resolued by noe means to giue so much as the least way to any pretence of prescription or indulgence heretofore afforded to patronize such an enormity, but doe require of you both by your example and by all such authority as any way is Committed vnto you, and otherwise that you