Barrow's Letter to [attorney-General Thomas Egerton, March 27, 1593]

This letter is in Harley MSS. 6849, f. 214 recto. It may be dated a day after Egerton’s letter of March 26 and after Barrow’s first letter of March 26. Egerton had the second letter on March 27, and sent a copy to Lord Burghley that same afternoon or evening. In the first sentence Barrow says his “moste humble and submiss [ive] desire unto your Worship was and is, that…your Worship would vouchaffe to be a meanes to hir moost excellent Majestie, that a christian and peceable disputacion by the Scriptures might be vouchaffed unto some few of us.” The use of the words “was and is” places this letter after that of March 26. Egerton mentions a “disputacion” in his letter of March 28, but may intend a conference, and Barrow uses the words “disputacion” and “conference” as though they were synonymous. The request for a conference in Barrow’s letter of March 26 was granted, and the meeting was held March 29 or 30. The request for a public disputation in Barrow’s letter of March. 27 was refused, perhaps by Archbishop Whitgift himself, if we may consider him the author of “Reasons against Publike Disputacion with [Henry] Barow.”