begonne by Mr. Weston and so I entring into it and others by his cariage delivering us some reasonable reasons for th' entring into that acc'on. I will not forgett to putt him and the rest of owr Company in mynd to deale frendly and kindly with yo'r selfe, Mr. Mohun & Mr. Edgecome, whose company I desier as greatly, as the gaine that shall come thereof. Mr. Weston writeth me of yo'r kinde dealinge w'th him and also desireth me to pay you xlli, or to such as you doe appoynt for the same. Now you beinge here, I will deliver the same unto yo'r selfe, w'th thanks for your pleasuring of him. I am also yeld you my hartie thanks for the greate favour and frendshipp you have shewed unto my frend and servaunte Ulricke, who I assure you is a verie honest and skilfull man, and one that I doe much credit for his honesty and his trusty and true dealings. I doe send him by you xli, w'ch I pray you deliver him. I am well assured that Mr. Weston will send him money, for that I have caused a frend of myne to send him twoe hundred pounds in Wales,* parte thereof I am suer he will send to Ulricke. Thus I end with my hartie comendac❜ons to yo'r selfe. Yo'r lovinge frend, THOMAS SMYTH. III. MR. THOMAS SMYTH TO ULRICK FROSSE. 17 JUNE, 1584. To my lovinge servante, Ulricke Frosse, overseer of ye mineral woorkes at Perin Sands, &c., in Cornwall. (Receaved the 21th July, 1584.) Ulrick, yow shall understande yt Mr. Weston iş latelye com * Probably at Neath, 7 hether, w'th whome I & ye rest of [my company] have sundry times co'ferred towchinge ye p'ceadings & hoped succes of o'r Cornish mynerals. He putteth us in hope of very greate benefite to arise unto us by ye same, havinge set doune a pamphlet ther' of accordinglye where [he trus]teth (God permittinge) to make better than an h'ndreth tonns waighte of p'fecte copper yerely & the same sett of charges not to stande us in xxvli the tonne w'ch is xxvs. the C. weight. The Partners do greatly like of his [confidential] offers, albeit in very deede I muste stande somwhat doubtfull how the same will fall oute, & yt by sondrye resons, who [managed the] northern mynes* geve us experience at w'ch place I can not lerne was ev'r made in one yere above 1300 of copper . . . but lxv. tonn weighte and most yers far les, althoughe o'r copper mine there is reported to yelde plentith What the charges of o'r owre gettinge and makinge into copper will draw to, I muste suspende my judgmente until I shall hereafter understande the same, by p'ces of time & accompt: yet it is not to be thoughte that o'r owers can be gotten alwaies after one rate, nether in price nor in quantetye, & no doubte many charges will grow about them extraordinary unlooked for. Thus muche have I thoughte good to signifie unto yow w'ch I will yow keep to y'r selfe, onlye make my good frinde Mr. Carnsewe previe therunto desiringe his opinion & advice in the same; and (besids yo'r generall letter w'ch yow ar' to write to S'r W. Winter, † S'r Lionell Ducket & me, of ye state and p'ceadings of these mines, I praye yow fayle not to adv'tice me p'ticulerly & directely) what owrs yow have gotten in all to ye date of y'r next letter, at what mines with ye charges and so nier as yow can ges what * Probably pointing to Keswick Cum. † Winter and Duckett were orig. shareholders in the Mines Royal, seę list of them, Post, standeth yow in ye gettinge of a tonn waight of copper owrs, what goodness yow do thinke ye owrs be in ther co'tent of mettall, also ye likelehode of o'r sev'all copp' mines & what the quantetyes of those owers may yerly be gotten, the same beinge supplied w'th sufficient nomber of miners & thinges thereto necessarye, & generally write me yo'r beste knoledge of ye p'ceadinges, with ye state & likely succes of all yo'r woorkes; w'ch like adv'ticements I thought to have receaved from yow ye laste terme, but had not one letter, wherof I mervailed, the rather co'sideringe Mr. Weston was appoynted then to be here, when it had bin well donn that ye Partners might have understoode the state of there mines for the better & open dealinge w'th him in those causes: nevertheles upon ye good co'fidence they repose in his honeste care & cunninge, we have made a new supply & assesment every parte aunsweringe I [100] w'ch w'th suche others as he and his frindes in ye contrye ar to answere for, dothe make ye supplye hetherto of those woorkes to amount to xxiiij cli, & this I thinke to be a sufficient stoke to maintayne those woorkes thoroughly w'thout farder charging us hereafter; but that we shall now looke after a while to renewer in o'r owre & reape a yerly p'fit, and thus muche ye said Mr. Weston hath firmly p'mised us. Roberte Denham, this berer, is sent now doune to yow w'th ye Companies generall letter & instructions w'ch I shall se folowed with co'venient speede, furderinge the same, & let him se & fully surveigh ye mines, makinge him [acquainted] at large of yo'r p'ceadings therein to thende he maye bringe us up a p'fecte reporte therof accordinge to ye instructions delivered him in charge w'th suche lead owrs as he is appoynted to sende up well and surely packed, and to be directed to me at my house. Mr. Weston himselfe purposeth to be w'th yow (God p'mittinge) aboute the ende of this moneth by whom yow shall understande furder, & so I do co'mit yow to God: fro' my house in Fannchurch Street in London, this xvij of June, 1584. Your master and frinde, THOMAS SMYTH. I woulde yow shoulde not imparte the state of o'r Mines by yo'r letters into the north, hence forthe. IV. MR. THOMAS SMYTH TO ULRICK FROSSE. 7 JULY, 1584. To my lovinge servaunt, Ulricke Frosse, ov'seer of ye mineral woorkes at Trewoorth, near unto Perin Sandes, in Cornwall. (receaved the 21th of July, 1584.) I wrat yow my laste let'r to have binn sent yow by R. Denham w'ch now yow shall receave herewith, because Denham goeth w'th Mr. Weston thorough Wales, & so will both of them be w'th you [soon] (God p'mittinge). I have wreeten yow in my said letters of o'r agreement heere w'th ye said Mr. [Denham] & yt we have furnished him accordinge to his requeste, havinge receaved his p'mise to be no farder charged hereafter, but hopinge shortly & from time to time to receave o'r [moneys] backe agayne & a dayly benifite, w'ch ye Lord God graunte to succede accordingelye, I told you in my laste y't he accompteth to make p'fecte roughe copper for xxvli the ton waighte, and he p'mised indeed to make it for xvli, hopinge (by H. Hering's former reports made) to get the owrs for xvs the tonne, whereof iiij. tonnes will make one tonne of copper but nevertheles if he can make it for xxli the tonne no faulte wilbe founde. The feare o'r Partners have is, that we shall not gett owrs in any great quantetye to raise worthy co'moditye, for by yo'r late let'r of ye 17 [of June see ante., p. 5.] receaved by this berer, Mr. Carnsew, it appereth y't yow have not above 50 tonns gotten in all, w'th ye w'ch yow have to gett 20 tonns more before Michelmas next. Well now, y't Mr. Weston goeth doune to yow himselfe he will take farder order to have the mines well applied, w'ch is o'r desier & expectation at his own handes, thinkinge he will bringe H. Heringe w'th him once agayne into Cornwell, in hope y't he will better .. Ilye his busines & w'th more quietnes & better agrement betweene yow & him then hath binn. In the w'ch causes Mr. Weston (w'th ye advice of Mr. Carnsew) will take order, and also for transporting ye copper owres to o'r new Meltinge House at Neath in Wales, w'ch house I understande is ready; and we have taken order here yt agaynste he shalbe ready to make Copper he shall have from Keswike one of o'r cop'er makers, w'th an under melter, & ye Douch carpenter for a time to serve and ready him in these causes. And in meane time till his cominge to yow, to ye end yo'r workinge of copper owers shoulde not fayle I have entreated Mr. Carnsew by my let'r to lend yow 20 li, w'ch mony, if Mr. Weston do not p'sently awenswere him at his now cominge into ye countrye, I will then se him thankfully repayed my selfe, beinge loath at anye hande the woorke should fayle for want of reasonable supplye. Wherfore let them be well applied, & accordinge to my former let'r adv'tice me directly of the p'ceadinge of these workes & what quantities of owers yow get from time to time. It is thought good that about Michelmas next Yow shall go lye at Neth, to take charge of o'r Melting House & things there, a place more for yo'r quietness then Cornwall is, as yow shall understande farder hereafter, and also by Mr. Weston. I pray yow be more diligent in writinge to me then yow |