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Later Addition: 30 October 90

Endorsed: To Master Bodeley. from the 2 March 30 October 1590 not sent

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Trusty and welbeloved wee greate yowe well. Wee have recei- ved such letters from the States Generall, as in your lettres of the xxijth of the last Moneth to our Threasurer of England, yowe made mention: By which emongest other thinges theie declare that theie have taken advise with the Counsell of Estate theare, uppon the Contents of our former letters to them directed, and theareuppon have resolved to send a good great nom- bre of Horsemen and Footemen thorowgh the Countrie of Brabant, into the Countrie of Haynault, theare to seise uppon sum place of Importance and to proceade thearein withowt apparant danger, for such are therin proper wordes. And furthermore after thus much declared by theire lettre towardes the ende of the same theie signifie that if wee maie finde yt good to send readelie 3000 or 4000 Englishe to Ostend, to doe sum Exploite in Flanders, assone as theie shall understand thereof, theie will not forbeare to second us with horsemen and Footemen, as manie as shall be possible, and the State of the Countrie maie anie waies permitt: And according to this your self hath written to our said Threasurer, though yowe have not expressed the nomber as theie have done in theirs: But by the Copie of our lettre to them, which yowe shall receive, yowe shall perecive howe willinge wee are to further this Action, thowgh yt be greatlie to the trowble of our Cuntrie, and our Extraordinarie Charges, notwithstanding the great nombers that be in our soulde theare, which in our Opinion might have served this purpose to have been Emploied both with more speed, and lesse occasion for the Ennemie by knowledge thereof to seeke to withstand the same: And wee thinke if yowe had alledged so- much unto them, as wee thinke yowe might reasonablie have done fol.183v
theare owne forces joined with soe mannie of ours as might be theare spa- red, might have been better imploied for the purpose to have directed the Duke of Parma, then theare sendinge of Sir Francis Vere, soe farre into Cleveland with our forces for recoverie of a fewe fortes, which also theie seme willinge to deliver to the Duke of Cleve, or for soe great an Armye to have been emploied for the Recoverie of such howses as Hemant and Hele are But consideringe thes thinges are nowe alreadie past, which wee doe not Condemne as unprofitable to the States, thowgh not of such effect to divert the Duke of Parma, as to have bestowed thes Charges in Flanders, or Hainalt: wee forseeing that the divertinge of the Duke of Parma, or recoveringe sum place of strength in Flanders or Artoye, are of most effect to the weakeninge of the Ennemie: And that if wee showld nowe refuse or forbeare to send thes newe forces of ours to Ostend, as the States seme to like of, wee dowbt theie would by pretence thereof neglect the Execucion of that which theie have resolved: And therefore withowt respect to our present Charge, which dailie doth augment it self for this common Cawse: Wee have yelded to levie & send 3000 men by sea to Ostend, assone as wee possiblie maie: And so yowe shall make declaration thereof to them in our names. But yet wee doe secretlie lett yowe knowe that the levienge of thes men shall be heare geven owt for to passe to Bolein: And soe if by anie Common bruite the States shall understand thereof yowe maie lett them knowe it is done to kepe the Ennemie ignorant in Flanders of the purpose: And if the States can also Cawse theire preparations to Carrie sum other Intention than to passe to Flanders, untill the instance of the time shall otherwise require We thinke it might also serve to the like purpose, for the abusinge of the Ennemie: Althowgh wee dowbt greatlie howe this can be performed wher soe manie shall be of Counsell./ Wee have at this present called to remembrance, and perused your lettres, written to our Threasurer, both the xxijth of August of an Ouveture, made to yowe by a Fleminge, and a Platt of a Towne sent also at that time therewith, and of your further preventing with the same partie, uppon divers questions sent to yowe by our said Threasurer, wheareunto the foresaid partie made his awnswears: all which weare sent hither by yowe the xxth of September last, which wee also have fol.184r
seen and Considered: and remembringe thearewith that yowe wroate of Sir Francis Veres declaration unto yowe, what the Counte Maurice had informed him of his knowledge of the said purpose, and concerninge the said Towne described in your platt: Wee have thowght yt fitt at this time of the sending in thes our sorces to take secretlie the Advantage of that same offer, rather than of anie other there of service that wee can looke for: And thearefore w[thowt revealingethis matter to the States, or withowt anie open Communicacion thereof with the Counte Maurice, but rather indirectlie cawsinge Sir Francis Vere to feele the minde of the said Counte Maurice thearein, wee would have yowe presentlie, and withspeed to speake with the party that made yowe the first Ouvrture: and if he shall continue in the minde whearein he was to judge the fort feisible in such sort as he offred, them yowe shall Cawse him with all the speed possible he can to re- paire hither, devising sum other Errand to come his Journeie: And if yowe can get anie further knowledge of the Counte Maurice, for his Opinion, wee will that yowe sent the same to us in writinge by the said partie, soe as wee maie compare both together: and when he shall cum hither wee maie more plainelie understand all Circumstances necessarie, and soe proceade thearein, as wee shall finde Cawse: And in the meane season will require yowe by noe meanes to discover this matter, nether to the States generall, nor of Estate, nor to anie other./