and bold letters, if neither at my humble suit, nor for regard of the promise made to the Emperor, your Highness will suffer and bear with me as you have done, till your Majesty may be a judge herein yourself, and right understand their proceedings (of which your goodness yet I despair not) otherwise rather than offend God and my conscience, I offer my body at your will, and death shall be more welcome than life with a troubled conscience. “Most humbly beseeching your Majesty to pardon my slowness in answering your letters, for my old disease would not suffer me to write any sooner. And thus I pray Almighty God to keep your Majesty in all virtue and honour, with good health and long life to his pleasure. “From my poor house at Copped Hall, the xix of August. “Your Majesty’s most humble sister, “MARYE.”[279] On the 24th, the officers of Mary’s household appeared duly before the Lords, and in the words of the minutes of the Privy Council, “declared unto their Lordships that upon Saturday the 15th of this present, they arrived at Copped-hall somewhat before night, by reason whereof they did not the same night execute their charge committed to them at Hampton Court, the 14th of this present. The Sunday following, being the 16th of this present, because they understood that her Grace received the Sacrament, for so they termed it, they did abstain to deliver their letters before noon, considering that the same would trouble and disquiet her so as after dinner, taking commodity to deliver their letters, after that her Grace had read them, they made offer to her to declare what charge they had received of the Lords to execute, praying her Grace to be contented to hear the same. Whereunto her Grace made answer, that she knew right well that their commission was agreeing with such matter as was contained in her letters, and that therefore they need not to rehearse the same, howbeit they pressing her Grace, she was finally content to hear them. And when they had said, she seemed to be marvellously offended with them, and charged them that they should not declare that same they had in charge to say, neither to her chaplains nor family, which if they did, besides that they should not take her hereafter for their mistress, she would immediately depart out of the house. Upon this, the said Rochester, Inglesfeld (_sic_) and Walgrave said to the Lords that forasmuch as she oftentimes altered her colour, and seemed to be passioned and unquiet, they forbare to trouble her any further, fearing that the troubling of her might perchance bring her to her old disease, and besought her to consider the matter with herself, and pause thereupon against Wednesday next, when they would wait on her Grace, and know her further pleasure; which they said they did, hoping to have found her then, upon more ripe deliberation,