SPANISH HOPES l^TH SEPT. King and his councillors by all means possible, and maintains Cardinal Allen and Stanley with accounts There is not a man executed in England for religion who is not known there, and sermons openly preached in his praise, with bitter inveighing against the cruelty of our present governors i6th September THE GREAT CARRACK The sailors are making great pillagings of the spoil of the Great Carrack Sir Robert Cecil and Mr Thomas Middleton are sent down in haste to take charge of the matter, being instructed to inquire into the proceedings of Sir Ferdinand Gorges and the other Commissioners, to cause all lading to be viewed and entered in registers and especially to search out all precious things, and also to hire sufficient ships to bring the goods into the Thames Sir Walter Ralegh, in the charge of Mr Blunt, is also despatched from the Tower to join them on the Commission ijth September THAME FAIR PUT OFF Thame fair that is usually held on Michaelmas day is post- poned for 15 days lest the Londoners resorting thither should spread the plague, to the danger of the Queen who proposes at that time to visit Lord Norns at Ricott on her progress igth September THE SPREAD or THE PLAGUE The plague is now reported at East Greenwich Sir John Hawkins is to take special measures to prevent it from spreading to Deptford and Lewisham, lest the Queen's service should be hindered, also to cause the making of starch at a house in Deptford Strand to cease because of the number of dogs used therein which, being a noisome kind of cattle, especially at this contagious time, are very apt to draw on the infection 20tb September GREENE'S * GROAT'S-WORTH or WIT ' Chettle hath sent to the press Greene's Groats-worth of Wtt> bought with a million of repentance, collected out of certain papers that Greene left at his death In the forepart of the book are displayed the adventures of one Roberto, a scholar, that despis- ing the wealth heaped by his dying father, a miser and an usurer, was left but a groat The money thus passing to has younger brother Lucanio, Roberto practised to fleece him with the help 168