t since we honour the foresaid Sir W. Weston with a peculiar affection,
we have judged him worthy that we should render him more agreeable and more
acceptable to your Reverence, by this our renewed recommendation; and we
trust that you will have it the more easily in your power to satisfy this
our desire, because, on account of the trust which you yourself placed in
him, you appointed him special envoy to ourselves in behalf of the affairs
of his Order, and showed that you honoured him with equal good will. We
therefore most earnestly entreat your Reverence not to be backward in
receiving him on his return with all possible offices of love, and to serve
him especially in those matters which regard his office of Turcoplerius,
and his Mastership. Moreover, if any honours in the gift and disposal of
your Reverence fall due to you, with firm confidence we beg of you to
vouchsafe to appoint and promote the foresaid Sir William Weston to the
same, which favour will be so pleasing and acceptable to us, that when
occasion offers we will endeavour to return it not only to your Reverence,
but also to your whole Order. And may every happiness attend you.

From our Palace at Windsor,
First day of August, 1524,
Your good friend,
HENRY REX.

No. III.

Henry by the grace of God, King of England and France, Defender of the
Faith, and Lord of Ireland, to the Rev. Father in Christ, Philip
Villiers de L'Isle Adam, Grand Master of the Order of Jerusalem.

Our most dear friend--Greeting:

Ambrosius Layton, our subject, and brother of the same Order, has delivered
to us your Reverence's letter, and from it we very well understand the
matters concerning the said Order, which your Reverence had committed to
his charge to be delivered to us; but we have delayed to return an answer,
and we still delay, because we have understood that a general Chapter of
your whole Order will be held in a short time, to which we doubt not that
the more prudent and experienced of the brethren of the Order will come,
and we trust that, by the general wish and counsel of all of you, a place
may be selected for this illustrious Order which may be best suited for the
imperial support and advancement of the Republic, and for the assailing of
the infidels. When therefore your Reverence shall have made us acquainted
with the place selected for the said Chapter, you shall find us no less
prompt and ready than any