after my humble dutye remembred to your sellfe and to my mother and Grandmother my loue to my brotheres and sisters and to the rest of my cindred respectively and frendes and acquantance—Thes are to let you vnderstand that I did wright to you be by captine Powell but least that you haue not reseyued my leter, I thought good to laye hould of an oppertunytye profered to me by a Plimmythe shipe tuchinge here to sertyfye you of my hellthe and wellfare so fare as time will giue me leue I blesse god that I was at scee aboue 3 mounthes and had not one houres sickenes nor science the time I was landed to this presente houre I ame here on this Iland of the weest Indyes called the Barbathes setled for a plantatyon for tobackow one which Iland here is but 3 score of christyanes and fortye slaues of negeres and Indyenes. and here I doe purpoes and if it please god to stay 3 yeres for the disscriptyon of the Iland I will leaue it till you doe reseiue my lettres by the captane Poowell in which letteres I haue wright to yow abought much bysynesse for the sendinge of me sume men ouer and clothes and othere thinges and in the meane time afore you doe reseiue these letteres and If you here of a ship that toucheyes here then that you woold send me ouer sum 2 or 3 men that they be bound to searue me in the west indyes sum 3 yere or 5 which you 362doe thincke good to binde them for and get them as resonable as you can promysinge them not aboue 10 pound a yere and a chest of conveniensie for clothese and sum linnynge clothes for my sellefe for shurte and stokinges for them and 30 payre of strong 3 solle shoes with alls and wax and thered and 5 thousand of sparow billes a dosen of kniues and a rundlyet of a good bute of 10 galyones and sume other thinge that you doe thincke I haue nede of and send me those thinges allso with all sped you can I wright for by my letteres by captine Powell and within this hallfe yeere I hope to send you 500 or a Thousand wayght of tobackow thus craving your prayres I rest as in haste Your obedyente sonne,

The humble petition of Brampton Gourdon;

Humblie sheweth vnto your honour That whereas one John Brent of Cossington in the Countie of Somerset Esquire did about foureteene yeares since die seised of diverse landes within the said Countie and elsewhere leauinge his sonne and heire within the age of twentie one yeares and whereas after the death of the said John Brent an Inquisicon was taken within the said Countie whereby it was found that some of the said landes weare holden of the Kinges Majestie in Cheife by knightes seruice and his Majestie therevpon intituled to the Custodie and wardship of the body and landes of the said heire, and for that Elizabeth Brent2 mother of the said ward then was and yet is a popish recusant Convict: and therefore disabled to haue the custodie and education of her said sonne wherevpon the custodie and tuition of the said ward and his estate was committed to one Richard Worth3 gent brother of the said Elizabeth for his better education, but soe it is may it please your honor that the said Richard worth hath euer since the custodie soe to him committed suffered the said Elizabeth to haue the sole educacon of the said ward, and thereby the said ward through the con­363tinuall practise and industrie of his said mother wholie inclined vnto the popish religion and hath for all the said tyme refused to repaire to his or anie other parish Church and to conforme himselfe to the religion of the Church of England, to the eiuell example of others and manifest hurt of the said ward:

May it therefore please your honour to grant vnto your supliant the Custodie and wardship of the said sonne and heire of John Brent, and he shall see that the said ward be brought vp accordinge to the religion of the Church of England, and your petitioner shall praye.