Your Honnour by Patricke Crosbye was fully advertised of all the affayres of this province untill the date of the lettres he carried, since which tyme more then the restrayninge of Florence McCarthie, who is now her Majestie's prisoner, nothinge hath happened. The treasons which in his breast he hathe of longe tyme caried agaynst her Majestie and the state, was sufficientlye discovered by his entringe into action of rebellion, havinge latelye before receved extraordinarie favours, att his last beinge in England, and the continuance of his treasons doth evidentlye appeare by his practisinge with Tirone, and Mounster men, when he was uppon protection; in all which tyme he never left sollicitinge as well to bringe northern aydes to rayse new tumults, as to stirre and provoke the provincialls to relapse, which may appeare manifestlye to be trew by the coppies of sundry lettres and examinations which I have sent unto you, and more fullye by further proofe which I am able to produce agaynst him.
The reasons which persuaded me all this longe tyme to smoother his faullts, was because he was uppon protection, and yett still woulld have lett them runne on, yf necessitie had not urdged me to lay holld of him. To wynne tyme uppon me he pretended to goe into England, and tothatt end I did procure him lardge benevolences bothe in Carbrie and Desmond; but perceved no suche intention in him, allso whereas his pardon hath bene under the seale ever since the 7th of Aprill last, by the which he was enioyned by a tyme prefixed to put in assurance for his further loyallty, at the tyme that I committed him there was but 14 dayes to come, unexpired; and that very day of his commitment he was takinge his iorney into Desmond, so as allmost there was no possibillitie for him to retourn to put in his suerties by the limitation of the proviso in his pardon, which tyme beinge elapsed then he must be newlye protected, and so live unsecured. Upon this quarrell of not puttinge in of suerties according to the proviso, and proovinge unto him that the tyme must of necessity elapse, and makinge knowne unto him that he hathe dealt falselye and trayterouslye since, and in the tyme of his protections, I did comitt him; att the iustnes whereof himsellfe hathe nothinge to replie, and all men are sufficientlye satisfied with his restraynt; havinge caused the generallitie of his treasons with Spayne, Tirone, and att home, to be divulged. The next day after his restraynt he was a petitioner unto me that he might have the benefitt of Her Majesties pardon, unto the which, because the tyme in the Proviso was nott fullye expired I did condyscend, beinge in iustice nott to be denied unto him. His faullt he acknowledges in nott putting in suerties with more celeritie, and patientlye endures his restraynt, because he finds his guilltinesse of his offences to lie open unto me, and yett is not debarred from the saftie of his life.
With James Fitz Thomas I do purpose to send him into England; and then have I sent you two Erles of there owne makinge, and the most powerfull rebells that ever lyved in Mounster. By the takinge of them I do thinke that Mounster with a reasonable garrison will be assured from revollt within itsellfe, and allso freed from Ullster Bounaughts to molest itt; and am allso of opinion thatt when itt shall be bruited in Spayne thatt these grandes are her Majesties prisoners, thatt itt will devert there purposes, yf they had any, to invade Mounster, for uppon them two, and in especiall uppon Florence, the Spaniards did gronde there hopes in the rest of Irland. Least itt may be thought thatt I did neglect part of my dutie in not soner apprehendinge Florence, having intelligence of his practices in the tymes of his protections, I beseche your Honnour to call to mynd thatt in my former lettres I have acquaynted you thatt his fashion was, evermore before he woulld come unto me to send for a new protection, without any proviso inserted in itt to be answerable for any breache of his former protection, so as every protection was a sufficient savvegard to free him from any offence of an ellder date; for except unto him onelye I never renewed any man's protection since my cominge into Munster, but thatt the partie stood allwayes answereable for all offences comitted from the date of his first protection; a course never helld in Irland but by mysellfe; and by that course I am sure a hundred rebells have bene hanged within this six moneths, by takinge the advantadge of the breache of those protections. Unto some others itt will be thought I have dealt to soone with him; because untill he hathe pleaded his pardon he is nott subiect to restraynt, not havinge broaken his last protection: I coulld have bene content to have forborne him a little longer, but I was sure yf he had gone out of the towne, and the dayes of his puttinge in of sureties expired, thatt he woulld by neu protections, tryfle out the tyme untill the cominge of Spaniards, and yf they came nott, thatt then himselfe would go into Spayne, so as I was enforced ether to loase him, or ells to take the advantadge of the quarrell I did, which I am sure nether discontents, nor dislikes any man here; the worlld beinge fullye possessed thatt his trayterlye practices in the tyme of his protections dothe merritt no favour, and therefore they holld my proceedinge with him to be very just! and favourable beyond, his merrit! in gevinge him the benefitt of her Majesties pardon, whereby his life is secured. James Fitz Thomas is arraygned, and adiudged; I woulld have sent him and Florence this passadge, but I hope every day to heare out of England to know Her Majestie's pleasure; but yf the winde do settle in the west, I will send them presentlye unto Her Majestie; beinge the best presents thatt Mounster affordes. James Mc Thomas, to redeeme his owne lyfe, promises, by his brother John and Pierce Lacye, to gett me Tirone alyve or dead. I have putt him in confident hope thatt uppon thatt service done, thatt the Queene will be gratious unto him; and that I may have the bettre ground to move them to performe the same, I do beseche you thatt I may have a lettre from her Majestie unto me to assure them thatt uppon accomplishinge the service uppon Tirone thatt James Mc Thomas shall be sure to lyve, and be sett at libertie! and thatt his brother John, and Pierce Laceye shall be likewise pardoned. I am promised for £100 to gett Bishoppe Craghe; and for the like sum the Knight of the Valley: ere itt be longe I hope to send you the one or bothe: likewise I am profered, for money, to have Mc William's head in Connaught; but being out of my government I know nott hou to deale in itt. Here is no money; I beseche your Honnour to mediatt for it; So humblye rest, &c.
Now will be a good time for Nicholas Browne to come into Desmond; and he will be a good stay in that wyllde country whether he have a chardge or no; for those parts are very quiet. I have payed the White Knight £400, which uppon my credditt I procured.
Cork