No. II
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 :
By other of our letters we have
commended to your Reverence our beloved Sir VV. West on, Turcoplerius,
and the whole Order of Jerusalem in our kingdom; but 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 Re- Terence,
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 goodwill. 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 mutters 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 West on 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
First day of August, 1524,
Your good friend,
HENRY REX.