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Calendar of the Manuscripts of the Marquis of Bath is in Tudor Books.
The Confession of Queen Katherine Howard.
[1541, November.] — "I [Queen Catherine Howard of England (age 18)] your grace's most sorrowful subject and most vyle wretche in the world not worthy to make any recomendacions unto your moste excellent majestye do oonely make my most humble submyssion and confession of my fawtz. And where no cawse of mercye is gyven uppon my partie yet of your most accustomed mercy extended unto all other men undeserved most humbly of my haundes and kneez do desire oon sparcle therof to be extended unto me although of all other creaturez most unwourthy eyther to be called your wyif or subject. My sorowe I can by no wrytyng expresse neverthelesse I trust your most benygn nature will have some respect unto my youthe my ignorans my fraylnez my humble confession of my fawte and playne declaracion of the same referryng me holly unto your graces pitie and mercy. Fyrste at the flateryng and feire perswacions of Mannoke beyng but a yong gyrle suffred hym at soundjy tymez to handle and towche the secrett partz of my body whiche neyther became me with honesty to permytt nor hym to requyre. Also Frauncez Derame by many persuasions procured me to his vicious purpose and obteyned first to lye uppon my bedde with his doblett and hose and after within the bedde and fynally he lay with me nakyd and used me in suche sorte as a man doith his wyf! many and sondry tymez but howe often I knowe not and our company ended almost a yere before the Kynges majestye was maried to my lady Anne of Oleve and contynued not past oon quarter of a yere or litle above. No we the holl trouythe beyng declared unto your majestye I most humble beseche the same to considre the subtyll persuasions of young men and the ignorans and fraylnez of young women. I was so desierous to be taken unto your gracez favour and so blynded with the desier of wordly glorie that T cowde not nor had grace to considre how grett a fawte it was to conceyle my former fawtz from your majestic consideryng that T entended ever duryng my lyff to be feithfull and true unto your majestic after, and neverthlesse the sorowe of my oflensez was ever before myn eyez consideryng the infynyte goodnez of your majestye towardes me from tyme to tyme ever encressyng and not dymynysshyng. No we I referre the judgement of all myn offensez with my lyft and dethe holly unto your most benygne and mercyfull grace to be considered by no justice of your majestiez lawez but onely by your infynyte goodnez pytie compassion and mercye without the whiche I knowledge myselfE worthy of most extreme punnysshement." — Kateryn Howard. Copy, on the same sheet as the Examination following.
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Examination of Queen Katherine.
1541, November 12. Hampton. — "The Quene (age 18) saith that my lady Rocheford (age 36) hath sondry tymez made instans to her to speke with Culpeper (age 27) declaryng hym to beare her good wyll and favour, wheruppon she did at the last graunte he shuld speke with her, my lady of Rocheford affyrmyng that he desiered nothyng elles but to speke with her and that vshe durst swere uppon a booke he ment nothyng but honestye. And so he spake with hir in a litle galery at the steyer hedd at Lyncoln when it was late in the nyght about x or xj of the clok an hower and more, a nother tyme in her bedde chamber at Pomfrett and a nother tyme in my lady Rocheford chamber at York.
"Item she seith that she wold ever sey to my lady Rocheford when she moved her for hym ' alas madam this wol be spyed oon day and then we be all ondone,' wheronto my lady Rocheford wold sey ' feare not madam lett me alone I warraunt yowe.'
"Item she seith that when Culpeper was talkyng with hir my lady Rocheford wold many tymez, beyng ever by, sytt sumwhatt farre of or turn hyr bak and she wold sey to her 'For Goddes sake madam even nere us.'
*' Item she saith syns the counsell cam she hath advysed hir sondry tymez in no wyse to disclose this matter sayeng ' they wold speke feire to yowe and use all weyes with yowe but and if yowe confesse yowe undo both your selfE and others. And for my parte,' seyd my lady Rocheford, ' I woll never confesse it to be tome withe wylde horsez.'
"Item she confesseth that she gaff hym oonez a cappe with aglettz and a chayne and my lady Rocheford toke a crampe ryng from her and sent hym and after had a nother of hyr to matche it and that my lady Rocheford prayed hir she myght bye sumwhat to send hym and of hir owne choyse bought a payer of brayselettz to send hym when he sent serten fesauntz.
"Item this day she badd the queue hold her own for Culpepir was yesterday mery a hawkyng and I seyd to her that I marveylled she was not examined seyeng ' it wold out, what hold your own I warraunt yowe, be yowe afrayd.'
As for thacte she denyeth uppon hir othe, or towchyng eny bare of her but hir haunde.
"Item she seyth that my lady Rocheford wold at eevery lodgyng serche the bak doores & tell hir of them if there were eny, onasked; and sithens the progresse she told her that when she came to Grenewiche she knewe an old kechyn wherin she myght well speke with hym.
"Item she sayth that my lady Rocheford told her also that she thought Paston beare hir favour but he never spake with her.
"Item she seyth that lately, but the tyme she remembreth not, my lady Rocheford spake of Culpeper wheronto the queue auns^vred ' alas madam woll this never have ende. I pray yowe, byd hym desier no more to troble me or send to me,' wher uppon she told me after that she had don my message his aunswer was that he besought me to send hym no such word for he wold take no suche aunsw^er but styll sent to me as he myght have a messanger at whiche tyme she called hym lytle sweete foole.
"Item hir grace seith that when she toke hir rightz last she gave hir warnyng to troble hir no more with suche light matters wheronto she aunswered 'yet must yow gyff men leave to looke for they woll looke uppon yowe.'"
Signed: — T. Cantuariensis; T. Norfolk; W. Southampton; Robt. Sussex; E. Hertford; J. Russell; Ste. Winton; Antone Browne; Antony Wyngfeld; Thomas Wriothesley; Rafe Sadleyr. The document is in a court hand, including the queen's signature, hut the signatures of the lords are all autograph.
Endorsed in Cecil's hand.: — "Confession of Q. Cathar. Howard; anno xxxiij H. 8, afor the Kinges counsell at Hampton Court."
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