rious wars in which he was engaged,
and his wife frequently accompanied him. On such occasions the boys
were left at some castle or other, under the care of persons employed
to take charge of their education. They used to write letters to their
father from time to time, and it is curious that these letters are the
earliest examples of letters from children to parents which have been
preserved in history. Two of the boys were at one time under the
charge of a man named Richard Croft, and the boys thought that he was
too strict with them. One of the letters, which has been preserved,
was written to complain of this strictness, or, as the boy expressed
it, "the odieux rule and demeaning" of their tutor, and also to ask
for some "fyne bonnets," which the writer wished to have sent for
himself and for his little brother. There is another long letter
extant which was written at nearly the same time. This letter was
written, or at least signed, by two of the boys, Edward and Edmund,
and was addressed to their father on the occasion of some of his
victories. But, though signed by the boys' names, I suspect, from the
lofty language in which it is expressed, and from the many high-flown
expressions of duty which it contains, that it was really written
_for_ the boys by their mother or by one of their teachers. Of this,
however, the reader can judge for himself on perusing the letter. In
this copy the spelling is modernized so as to make it more
intelligible, but the language is transcribed exactly from the
original.

"Right high and mighty prince, our most worshipful and
greatly redoubted lord and father:

"In as lowly a wise as any sons can or may, we recommend us
unto your good lordship, and please it to your highness to
wit, that we have received your worshipful letters yesterday
by your servant William Clinton, bearing date at York, the
29th day of May.[A]

"By the which William, and by the relation of John Milewater,
we conceive your worshipful and victorious speed against your
enemies, to their great shame, and to us the most
comfortable things that we desire to hear. Whereof we thank
Almighty God of his gifts, beseeching him heartily to give
you that good and cotidian[B] fortune hereafter to know your
enemies, and to have the victory over them.

"And if it please your highness to know of our welfare, at
the making of this letter we were in good health of