Papers of the Winthrop Family, Volume 1Note: you've followed an index reference to a note that, due to changes between the print and digital editions, may no longer be on page 241. Please look at all notes at the end of the document or documents on page 241.
1619-12-11
Most deare and louing brother for so I ame bound and make bould to caule you hauing receiued such manifest tokenes of your vnfained loue unto me which I neuer haue deserued the least part shewed from youe to me makes me bound and Indebted in loue and thanckfullnes that I neuer can cum forth of your debt nether can I expres the thanckfullnes which in my hart I doe desire to doe, But good brother lett me Intreat you to acsept these pore lynes as a token to relat that thankefullnes which I would Express if I could for your sweet Cristian lettars Hath wrought such cumfort to my pore weake mind that thay are to me as wyne giuen to a werye fainting man that doth so cheare and refresh his sperites that he is as one ouer cume with Joy So good brother hauing bine so long sicklye makes me or anye other more heauie in the pirforming of anye good dutyes 240as also it makes ous more forgetfull of those sweet promises and cumforts which the lord hath writen for ous in his holy word and thar fore we had ned to be stured vp by our good Cristian frinds who it hath plesed the lord to minister the like cumfort to them for in ded those are most of god beloued that sufer Aflictions and it is good for the children of god to haue Aflictions for in the time of thar destreses thay will seeke the lord diligentley as the lord spake of the children of Isrell for then when thay war afflicted thay would seke the lord diligently so we in Aflictions will runn unto the lord and will seke to find our owne wantes and striue to gett faith to laye howld one the merittes of our blesed lord and sauor Jesus Christ by whome we haue the full remision of all our sinnes because he tooke awaye the gillt and punishment by his death and pasion taking a waye the holle curse of the lawe which was the first and second death from ous both by his death and pasion and by his parfitt obediance being Imputed unto ous and now hath mad ous Ayeres with him to be with him in his Emortall Kingdom he being the price whar with we war bought and now in him are all the tresures of knowlege and wisdome ar hidd: Colo. 23: blesed be god which hath blesed ous with all sperituall blesings In Jesus Crist: Ephesians: I: 3 verse and now of his fullnes we receiu grace for grace so that all the blesings of god whether spirituall or temporall are giuen ous of god our father for the sake of his blesed sonn Jesus Christ and throwe him whether it be prosperytie or Afflictions all is sanctyfied unto ous throw him for in him all our aflictions proseed from god as from a most louing god and so as fatherly chastisments and tharfore Paule: Phi: 3: 10: seing the exsolint priueliges that came to the children of god by the suffrings of Christ made him to acount all thing lose and to Judg them to be dung that he maight knowe him and the vertue of his resurrection with the feliship of his Affl
good brother my mother remembreth hir best loue unto my good Sister and to your sellfe giuing you many thanckes for all your great loue to me she shall be with my selfe most exseding glad to se you both heare as your ocasions bring you any thing neare ous but if I war able I would rid many miles to se my good sister your wife.
“Rachell Huntley was the widow of Thomas Huntley, a merchant of London, who died in 1613, leaving a large estate. Her will was proved Oct. 5, 1620; and in it she left ’to Mr. John Wintrope thirty shillings to make him a ringe.’ Her maiden name was Pake, or Peke; and one of her sisters married Nicholas Crispe, whose brother was Sheriff of London in 1625. We can trace no relationship between her and Winthrop.” 5
Collections
, I. 74, note. “1607, April 9. Mr. Thomas Huntley, mercht., of St. Bennetts Sherhogg, and Rachel Pake, of Bromfeild, co. Essex.” The Reiester Booke of Saynte De’nis Backchurch (London) (H. S., Reg.
, III), 16.
W. 4. 28; 5
Collections
, I. 74–76.
1620
Amen.
Finis
Eldest son of Sir Henry Mildmay and Amy (Gurdon) Mildmay, born December 25, 1619 (infra, p. 243), and married Mary Mildmay, a great-granddaughter of Sir Thomas Mildmay of Moulsham, co. Essex, and Lady Frances Radcliffe, daughter of Henry Radcliffe, second Earl of Sussex. Muskett, 47;
D. N. B.
, XLVII. 136; Visitations of Essex, I. 453. The lines are preserved, written in Adam Winthrop’s own hand in a miscellany of poetry of the time, now in the British Museum, MS. Harleian 1598, fos. II b–13, and were first printed in 3
Collections
, x. 152–154. They appear also in
L. and L.
, I. 29–30, with the note: “An original draught has enabled us to make some corrections in these verses, which are written by their author in long lines, as here printed.” This original draft cannot now be found. We have therefore reprinted the text given in the
L. and L.
, noting the important variations in the Harleian copy, of which we have a photograph. The Harleian copy is written in short lines, arranged in four-line stanzas.
MS. Harleian ‘mourne.’
MS. Harleian ‘many happie.’
MS. Harleian ‘his.’
MS. Harleian ‘He unto you doe giue.’
Heading supplied from MS. Harleian.
MS. Harleian ‘More meete it were for me to rest And silent still to stande.’
MS. Harleian ‘In any worldlie thinge.’
MS. Harleian ‘But euermore methinks I heare My fatall bell to ringe.’
MS. Harleian ‘That god had giuen to hir a sonne Who is my nephew deere.’
MS. Harleian ‘then.’
MS. Harleian ‘loveing.’
MS. Harleian ‘alsoe.’