To the Right Honourable my singular good Lord and kinsman CHARLES
HOWARD, Knight of the Garter, Baron, and Councillor, and of the Admirals
of England the most renowned; and to the Right Honourable SIR ROBERT
CECIL, KNIGHT, Councillor in her Highness' Privy Councils.



For your Honours' many honourable and friendly parts, I have hitherto
only returned promises; and now, for answer of both your adventures,
I have sent you a bundle of papers, which I have divided between your
Lordship and Sir Robert Cecil, in these two respects chiefly; first, for
that it is reason that wasteful factors, when they have consumed such
stocks as they had in trust, do yield some colour for the same in their
account; secondly, for that I am assured that whatsoever shall be done,
or written, by me, shall need a double protection and defence. The trial
that I had of both your loves, when I was left of all, but of malice and
revenge, makes me still presume that you will be pleased (knowing
what little power I had to perform aught, and the great advantage of
forewarned enemies) to answer that out of knowledge, which others shall
but object out of malice. In my more happy times as I did especially
honour you both, so I found that your loves sought me out in the darkest
shadow of adversity, and the same affection which accompanied my better
fortune soared not away from me in my many miseries; all which though I
cannot requite, yet I shall ever acknowledge; and the great debt which I
have no power to pay, I can do no more for a time but confess to be
due. It is true that as my errors were great, so they have yielded very
grievous effects; and if aught might have been deserved in former times,
to have counterpoised any part of offences, the fruit thereof, as it