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Endorsed: To Master Secretary October 10. 89
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Later Addition: Belgia 1589 10 October To Master Secretary
It may please your H. the messenger that I sent to Embden about the motion of Groenighen is newly retourned & hath brought mee that answere whereof I send your honor the coppy heerinclozed as also of mine owne unto him, & of the other which I writt at large & without suparscription to be indorsed to any such of the Towne, or otherwise as hee should fynde most expedient whereof in my former lettres I have written to your Honor. The messenger taking Frise his waie hath had some conference with the president of Aisma who signified unto him that hee had written of this matter long since unto yow & to Monsieur Sonoye from whom I do not dout but yow have had as ample informacion, as is requesyt. The minister of Embden a man knowen to Master Gilpin & commonly reputed a parson of good judgement hath also written very effectually to the same effect as the Burghermaster & affirmeth that the interprise for certaine is both easy & assured, requiring nothing so much as secrecy & speed. I doo commonly see there in this country very soone parswaded to build great assurance uppon slender likelihods, howbeit in this cause I finde a generall concurrence of all theyr opinions with whom I have conferred albeit hetherto I have not imparted any parte of my dealing with any of the Counsell or of the States attending alwaies yf it be a matter that hir Majesty will embrace such furder direction as your honor shall send. After the departure of those deputies that ar sent from hence ynto Fraunce, the generall states sent theyr Secretary to communicat privately theyr Instructions unto mee. wherin they have vouchsafed to acquaint mee furder then in theyr other actions heertofor, which I do interpret as doon for that they wold seeme, at least in shew to affect a good correspondence. Because I see but littell matter of principall consyderacion I wold not be so curious as to crave a coppy, but being mindefull of the principall points I thought to imparte them to your H. In their fyrst accesse to the King they ar willed after many complementes of thankes for his infinite travailles in defence of the common cause with the daily danger of his owne parson to congratulate his fortunate conjunction with the late King & his Lawfull succession since to the Crowne & to wishe him therein all continuance of prosperity they ar also to relate the present state of theyr affaires & to recommend them to the K to request a good acceptation of that which they have lately accorded upon the proposition of Monsieur de la Thuillerie & to offer what furder assistance theyr feeble state will affoord, acknowledging the [weale] & good of these contreys to defend chiefly upon the happy event of the Ks affayres. They shall also make report of that which they have negotiated in Germany with the princes of the Empire to induce them to restrict alliance & association against the holy league.In theyr second audience for which they ar to make petition in regard of theyr par[ticular] causes they shalbe come [suters] that theyr contracts made heertofor between the inhabitantes of France & these contreys fol.144v
touching the entercourse of traffique may be held still for good & confirmed namely the priviledges graunted by Louis the XI to the inhabitantes of Braband Flanders Holland & Zeland & all arrestes & edictes published to the contrary to bee repealed. They are furder to give up a note unto the King of certain unjust reprisales that have bin graunted forth against the inhabitantes of these countreys. Are also to sollicit that the shippes of Brabant Flanders & the Malcontentes elswhere may not be suffred to harbor within any of theyr portes & havens of the Townes in the Ks obeisance.
They shall declare with as great efficacy as they can both to the K & the nobility with him how impossible it is for him if the K of Spaine should gett the upper hand in these contreys to continuew quiet in his kingdome.
These articles were somewhat more amply sett dowen & there were more in nomber but rather importing matter of cowrse then of moment. Righte nowe I receaved advertisement from Sir Francis Drake Vere & the like is signifyed by the Count [Oversteyn] to the Counsell of the 5th of this moneth our forces marching towardes Berch with victuall & being come within a League of the Towen were by the Ennemy who had newly renforced his troupes with fresh [succours] from the quarters about Huesden being as yt was [.] [.] about 3000 charged in the reregard going out of a streight passage. Howbeit Sir Francis Vere with the English companies under his conduct which were in that place shewed so much vallew in making resistance as the common brute doth commend them exceedingly & hee him self waiteth that for the space of an hour [together] they fought most fiercely at hard blowes drawe the ennemy back 4 times, put them at last to flight 7 killed 600 upon the plate being Spaniardes & Albanois of the bravest among them & brought awaie 12 ensignes and 250 horses. There were but few prisoners taken & it was not yet knowen what principall parsons were slayne among them neither is it certifyed whatt losse of men we sustayned it is onely signifyed that 43 english ar brought hurt into Arnham. After the conflict they continued one theyr marche towardes the Towne of Berch victualled yt made an honorable retrayt into Rees while they were in fight those of Berch issued forth & tooke one of the Ennemies sconses before the Towne where they killed the most of the souldiers & forced the rest to drowen them selves in the river & in the Bogges, whereuppon the Ennemy was marvailously freighted & abandoned all the sconses thereabout. This day we had also letters of the Count Newenars decease upon the accident wherof I certifyed your H in my last. And so for this tyme I take my humble leave. October 10. 89 from the Haghe.