But (1) I have disregarded ‘unintelligent’ or faulty marks of contraction, occurring in words in which no letter is omitted. (2) I have not italicized uncontracted letters inserted above the line. For example: the name ‘Thomas’ is almost always written ‘Thom^{ a}s’ in the original: I have transcribed it ‘Thomas’ and not ‘Thom_a_s.’ On the other hand, the word ‘your’ is usually written ‘yo^r’ in the manuscript: in this case I have taken the superior ‘r’ as a contracted form of ‘ur,’ and so have transcribed it ‘yo_ur_.’ (3) In the originals the same script form is used for ‘I’ and ‘J’; I have followed the modern use. (4) The bracket [ ] signifies that the words or letters enclosed would have been in the manuscript had it not been injured. The bracket ‹ › signifies that the word or words enclosed have been inserted by me to complete the sense. The parenthesis ( ) signifies that the enclosure is bracketed in the original. (5) Sentences and words crossed out or underlined in the manuscript have been set below, except when evident mistakes of the writer. The letters ‘_c.o._’ signify that the passage against which they are written was crossed out or underlined in the original.
In dating letters, I have followed the modern use, and have taken the first of January and not the twenty-fifth of March as the beginning of the year. I have used the bracket ‹ › in the headings to indicate that the name or date enclosed has not been given in the letter itself, but has been found from external or internal evidence. Letters which bear no indication of the day and month in which they were written are placed at the end of the year to which they apparently belong. The abbreviations ‘R.O.’ and ‘B.M.’ refer to the Public Record Office and British Museum respectively throughout the collection.
A letter of friendship, containing an account of the proceedings of the Parliament of 1523, in which Cromwell sat. News concerning Creke’s friends in England.
Maister Creke as hertelye as I can I co_m_mende me and in the same wise thanke yow [for your] gentill and louyng l_ette_res to me at sundrye tymys Sent and wher as I accordinglye haue not in lyke wise remembrid and rescribid it hath bene for that I haue not hade anything to wryt of to yo_ur_ adu_au_ncement. Whom I assure yow yf it were in my lytyll power I coulde be well contentyd to p_re_ferre as ferre as any on_e_ man lyuyng. But at this p_re_sent I being at Sum layser entending to remembre and also remunerate the olde acquayntaunc_es_ and to renew o_ur_ not forgoten Sundrye co_m_munycacions Supposing ye desyre to know the new_es_ curraunt in thes p_ar_tyes for it is said that new_es_ refresshith the spy[rit] of lyffe, wherfor ye shall vnderstonde that by long tyme I amongist other haue Indured a p_ar_lyament which contenwid by the space of xvij hole wek_es_ wher we co_m_munyd of warre pease Stryffe contencyon debatte murmure grudge Riches pouerte penurye trowth falshode Justyce equyte discayte opprescyon Magnanymyte actyuyte force attempraunce Treason murder Felonye consyli ... and also how a co_m_mune welth myght be ediffyed and a[lso] contenewid w_i_t_h_in o_ur_ Realme. Howbeyt in conclusyon we haue d[one] as o_ur_ p_re_d_e_c_e_ssors haue been wont to doo that ys to say, as well as we myght and lefte wher we begann. ye shall also vnderstond the Duke of Suthffolke Furnysshyd w_i_t_h_ a gret armye goyth ou_er_ in all goodlye hast [whit]her I know not, when I know I shall aduertyse yow. Whe haue in o_ur_ p_ar_lyament grauntyd vnto the King_es_ highnes a right large Subsydye, the lyke wherof was neuer grauntyd in this realme. all yo_ur_ frend_es_ to my knowlage be in good helth and specially thay that ye wott of: ye know what I meane. I thinke it best to wryt in parables becaus[e] I am In dowt. Maister Vawhan Fareth well and so doth Maister Munkcaste[r]. Maister Woodall is merye w_i_t_h_owt a wyffe and co_m_mendyth hym to yow: and so ys also Nych_ol_as longmede which hath payd Will_ia_m Wilfforde. And thus as well f[are] ye as I woolde do my Self At london the xvij daye of August by yo_ur_ Frende to all his possible power