Letters of B/>. Ridley.—Bothal Cattle.

403

the natural! league of tuny tyc, your tender

lone which you were sayde euer to beare to-

wardes me aboue the rest of your brethren,

doth bynde me to loue. My mynde was to

have acknowledged this youre louyng affec-

tion, and to haue acquyted it wyth dedes,

and not wyth words alone. Youre daughter

Elizabeth I byd farewell, whom I loue for

the meeke and gentle spirit that God hath

geuen her, which is a precious thyng in the

syght of God.

"Farewell, my beloued syster of Un-

thancke, wyth all your chyldren, my ne-

phewes and nices. Synce the departure of

my brother Hughe, my mynde was to haue

beene unto them in the steade of theyr fa-

ther : but the Lord god must and will be

theyr father, if they wil loue hym and feare

him, and lyue in the trade of his law.

" Farewell, my well-beloued and worship-

full cosyns Maister Nicholas Ridley, of Wyl-

limountswick and your wyfe, and I thanke

you for all youre kyndnesse showed both to

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me, and also to all youre own kynsefolke

and myne. Good cosyn, at God hath sette

you in that oure stocke and kyndred, not for

any respecte of youre personne, but of hys

aboundaunte grace and goodness, to be as it

were the Bellweather to order and conducte

the reaste, and hathe also endued you wyth

his manyfold gyftes of grace, bothe heaucnly

and worldly aboue others : so I praye you,

good cosiu (as my truste and hope is in you),

continue and increase in the mayntenance of

truthe, honestye, righteousnesse, and all

true godlinesse, and to the uttermost of

your power, to wythstande falsehode, vn-

truthe, unryghteousness, and all vngodly-

nesse, whych is forbid and condemned by

the word and lawes of God.

"Farewell, my yong cosin Rate Whit-

field. Oh! your tyme was verye short wyth

me; my mynde was to haue done you good,

and yet you caught in that little time a losse,

but I truste it shall be recompensed as it

•hall please Almighty God.

" Farewell, al my whole kyndred and coun-

treymen ! farewell, in Christ altogether.

The Lorde, which is the searcher of secrets,

knoweth that accordyng to my hearte's de-

sire, my hope was of late that I should haue

come among you, and to haue brought with

me aboundaunce of Christes blessed Gospel j

accordyng to the duetye of that office and

ministerye, wherevnto among you I was

chosen, named, and appointed by the mouth

of our late pearless Prince King Edward,

and so also denounced openly in hys court

by his priuye counsayle."—Letters of the

Martyrs, fo. 80—82. London, Day, 1564.

The families of Ridley of Blagdon,

and of Parkend in Northumberland,

are descended from the antient line of

the Ridleys of Willymoteswick.

ARCHJEUS.

BOTHAL CASTLE, c'o. NORTHUM-

BERLAND.

With an Engraving.