addressleaf
fol.232vAddressed: To our trusty and wellbelovid Thomas Bodley esquier, [C]ounseylor in the Counsell of [S]tate of the united Provinces [in] the Lowe Countryes/
Endorsed: 18 May 89 from hir Majestye
lettertext
fol.231r
Later Addition: Belgia 1589 18 May To Master Bodly
By the Queene:Sign Manual: Elizabeth R
Trusty and welbelovid we greete you well. We have receavid at this instant twoo lres, the one from the Counsell of State of those Countryes, of the xvijth & the other from the States of Zealand, of the xvjth of this monith, By both which, they give us to understand of a dangerous division allready begone, & lyke to follow more dangerous in the town of Berghen, in that our servant Sir Thomas Morgan being gouvernor there is not obeyed as he ought to be, by sondry our Captains of the same Town, being in our paye, in such sorte as they write, That if present remedy be not had heerof by our autoritie, the same Town may be in lyke danger as Gertrudenberghe hath bene. Forwhich purpose they require us most humbly that with all haste, we wolde send expresse comman- dement & charge to all our captains there, & the people under them, that eyther they shall becom obedient to him as gouvernor of the Town, or els to be retyred to som other place: wherunto they adde som feare to be suspected that the Ennemy understanding of this division will attempte to corrupte som companyes there, finding the discontentement thus begon betwext them & their governor, Wherupon we have resolvid for the remedy therof, in this sorte as following, And have given knowledge of this our pleasure to Ortel the Agent heere of those Countryes. We will that you shall presently upon the receipte of these our lettres let the Counsell of Estate understand upon the knowledge by their lettres of this disorder in the Town of Berghen, that we doo will you to repaire speedily to the said town of Berghen, and that som one of that Counsell of Estate or other minister may accompany you to see thexecution of our commandement in this manner following:/You shall, having lettres of Credit from us unto Morgan, and the same to be shewed allso to the captens there, let both the governor & all the captens & their companyes know that our /plesur &/ straight commandement is, they all shall be obedient unto Sir Thomas Morgan, as to the governor of that Town placed by our direction, & as governor for us of all the bandes within that Town, without respect of any other former direction whatsoever, although therby we meane not to withdrawe the autoritie of our generall governor of our forces there, but that whylest they shall be in that Town, they shall obey the governor of the Town where they are in garrison. Which may stand very well with the superior autoritie of the governor generall, whan there shall be any cause to use their service out of the Town. And for assurance of this their obedience to Morgan, as to the governor, You shall in our name cause them all to give their oth. And yf you fol.231v
Yf you shall fynde any of them unwilling so to doo, you shall discharge the same out of paye, and with the advise of the governor, you shall make choyce of som other capten to govern that band. And yf the company of any such company captains shall allso be unwilling ther to, you shall take order that they may be remoovid from thence to Flysshing, and in their place, you shall procure from our servant Erington, to whom w[e] doo sende our letters for that purpose, to have the like nomber brought from Flusshing in the[ir] place, foreseing beforehand that before you notifie your purpose of remooving or displacing eyther of any captens or bandes, you doo cause the new captens ot nombers that shall supply the place to be brought first to Berghen without giving knowledge to the parso[n] that shall be discharged, of your intention, Untill you have a supply ready. And in this matter you shall consider if any of these that are to be remoovid, are to be suspected to have had any intelligence with the Ennemy, the same shall be for the tyme dissembled, untill they may be discharged out of the Town. And after their comming to Flissing, yf they may be proovid to be faulty, they shall be allso remoovid from the[re] wherof you shall give knowledge to Erington. You shall in like sorte diligently inquire whither the mislyking of the captens hath growen of any misusage of Morgan, which you shall redresse by som good advise & direction to both parti[es] and establish them in good Amitie, the one to govern our peeple with reason & good usage & the other to obey as becommith all men in garrison to their governor & head. You shall allso /from us/ privately admonish Morgan of his rash usage of himself in publishing /as a matter that greatly offends us/ a lettre of ours to the Lord Willoughby this last /yeere/ written for the placing of him there, Wherin we did in som parte write as occasion than moovid us somwhat sharply to the Lor[d] Willoughby our Governor generall, about som matter concerning the displacing of Sir William Reade, Of which matter the L. Willoughby hath complaynid to us, and not without good cause, And upon that misusage of him towardes the L. Willoughby, H we conceave there hath growen som parte of this difference & mislyking from the captens (who depended upon the L. Willoughbyes favor,) towardes the sayd Morgan. Which yf you shall perceave so to have bene, the matter will be the more easy to be remedyed, yf you shall persuade Morgan to acknowledge his faulte by writing to the L. Willoughby for his favor therin. which we think he will doo, because we heare he hath written lettres fol.232r
lettres to the same intent, to som of our Counsell heere, offring to doo any reasonable thing to recover his L. favour.
If there be any of our peeple that are com to that town, that were in Gertrudenburghe in whom you & Sir Thomas Morgan shall think parsons doubtfull to contynue thence you shall allso cause them to be remoovid. And these our lettres shall be your sufficient warrant and discharge in this behalfe. Given under our Signett at our Palace of Westminster the xviijth daye of May 1589 in the one and thirtith yeere of our Raigne/