My verry good Lords, may yt please the same. John Annyas Irysman, and a prysoner towe yeres at the Tower, in great my serie, noe clodes at all excepte towe shurtes Master Lyftenant gave me, neverthelesse, I have a gyfte, even pacience yn afflyxion: the cause of my faultes (a conspiracy with Jacques to murder the Queen,) was a cartaing opinyon yn Relygion; and be perusiuge the Beble noweayere, I ame fully satysfied, and reformed. To mack amendes for me faultes paste, beholde my Lordes, I am content to venter my lyffe to doe her Majestie great sarvice, and worthie to be comended. Which is to dyscover playnly all those in England which shoulde tack parte with the Spanysse Kinge againste her Majestie.
Yf it shall please your honnours to have bannysse me publicklye out of thes realme with dysgrace, so that yt may be knowen ther manyfestly, then I writ a letter to the Conde de Fontis that yn all hast his Excellencie should send me a warant that I might saflly, withouth any let, stay or molestation to me parson, for anny cause whatsomever, but to come and goe saff, to confer secreatlye with hes Excellencie, for great sarvyce for the Kynge: then I would showe howe I hawe sarved the Kynge along tyme, and howe I hawe bene prysoner towe yeres, and howe I hawe brocken outh, and nowe banyssed for the Catholick cause, and howe I hawe proveded, of my one frendes and contremen yt I dare trust as myself, six marriners, talle fellowes, sarwyng yn the Queene's shyppes, and howe I hawe good experience yn mackyng of firewoorckes; myself yn marryner is apparell, with these sixe with a smal pennas would fire and burne towentie of the Queene's best shyppes be night, escape oureselves easlye, &c. &c.; and for the great zeale toher Magesties sarvice, and fervent desyr to mack mendes for my faultes past, to get credit, I wyll assure thes my offer; and for securitie, an please your honnours, I hawe to brederen, of one father and mother, the one maryed—yf they be alyve I knowe not! thes eight yeres I never harde from them—the unmaryed I wyll put hem hostadge: that yn ma ther shallbe noe fault. Beholde my Lordes, not for lowe to hawe lybertie I mack thes offer, but for to mack amendes for my faultes! I hawe dyscovered to Mr. Lyftenant howe I myght escape, and goe unknowen to my keper, verye easlye; and please your honnors thes sarvice must be done yn the longe nightes, for manny resons and ynconvenyences should happen. Yf thes sarvice please yor honnors not, my humble request is to hawe clodes to put of the wenter; and yf yor honnors wyll showe ma favoure, that I may goe to church, I shall mack meanes to relyve my vantes myself. The wyll of God be done! for to her magestie and to yor honnors it is geven to comand, and to me to be pacient and obedient, and I shall pray &cc.46