Letter ID: 1167
Reference: BL, MS Cotton Galba D IX f.262r-v
Citation: DCB/001/HTML/1167/000
Date: 24 August 1592
Note:
lettertext
fol.262r
Later Addition: [[To Master Bo]]dly
Sir. Yesterdaie being the xxiijth of this moneth your lettres of the xvth came hither in awnsweare of hir Majesties lettres and the LLs: of the first and second of this moneth, which by your Computacion came not unto yowe before the xth: and by di refusall of the Counsell of Estate beinge at Swole, you weare forced to cumm to the Haghe, and from thence have written your letters which weare longe looked for as I thinke by my lettres written the daie before yowe might perceive howe much I was greved, and also how hir Majestie was discontented with not hearinge from thence abowt a matter of soe great importance, as the same was and yet is at this daie growinge more and more to extremitie, wherof I am ashamed to see the States theare so careles: and thowgh I perceive by your owne letters, and by other letters from Sir Francis Veere: that you both have used manie Argumentes to perswade the Counsell of Estate to allowe of hir Majesties demandes with which reasons and Argumentes I see them little moved, yet the Chiefest reason owght to be to deliver them absolutelie accordinge to hir Majesties determinacion, withowt qua- relinge as thowgh the Contracct showlde be broken, which on their partes hath been often committed: And consideringe the aide hir Majestie hath geven them, was originallie to withstand the tirannie of the K. of Spayne, the owght to suffer hir Majestie to interpreate his intention accordinge to trewthe, that by noe waies or meanes the K. of Spaynes tirannie maie be more readelie impeached, than by aide to be geven to the Frenche K. against whome the K. of Spayne doth bende his forces more violentlie at this instant, than against either thos Cuntries or this Realme: and if he shall prevaile against the Frenche K. yt is neither the power of England, nor of all the Lowe Cuntries withowt sum miraculous worke of God, that shall defend either them theare, or us heare: But I thinke I neade not to enlarge thes reasons to yowe being a man of understanding, and yet I cannot forbeare the utterance of them, whilest I am trowbled to see thes delaies used./ Hir Majestie hath seen your lettres, and liketh your manner of dealinge with the States, but yet she findeth nowe direct awnsweare geven unto yowe, which she saith yowe owght soe to have pressed, as you might have sent before you dispatched awaie your lres, for you saie that after yowe had delivered the pointes of your Instruccions, they said but little theareto, but required sum time to signifie their awnswere which had been fitt perempterelie to have been demaunded of them before yowe had sent awaie your lettres./ fol.262v
I thinke yt vearie strange that either your self showld conceive [.] Scruple or the States anie Cavillacion as thowgh hir Majestie had requ[ired] this aide with a Condicion for so yowe doe report the wordes of hir lettre that it showld be grawnted if the Armie of the States maie be commod[i] ouslie dissolved, and the forces of hir Majestie, which have served in the Armie convenientlie retorned, then the Frenche K. showld have the us[e] of thos succors: A Construcion in mine opinion farre wrested wheare the wordes of hir Majesties lettres make mention of the dissolving of the Armie from Stenwick, and of the retorne of hir forces from Stenwick also, withowt referring yt soe generallie as yowe seeme to take yt from a total dissolucion of their Armie, which resteth in their mindes theare to continue as longe as theie list: and soe hir promise to the Frenche K. altogether uncertaine, wheareas in hir owne letters to the States she doth plainelie write that whilest hir Armie was at Stenwick she ment not to have hir forces with drawen untill that siege weare rais[ed] But then to be had to serve the K. according to hir promise which is expressed in hir letter: and thearefore I thinke yowe conceived that scruple without good grownd, but what Cavillacion semes theie will use to make del[aie] hir Majestie hath presentlie written perempterelie to the States to have hir forces to serve hir in Fraunce: And thowgh at the comminge of this lettre there shall [per]case alledge that theie have sent their awnsweare to Monsieur Caron, to disswade hir Majestie from hir purpose, yet hir pleisure is, and soe she expresseth it in hir lettre that noe such messsage shall divert hir: and so at the writinge heareof hir Majestie understandinge that Caron had [.] sum letters from thence, which maie tend to such a purpose, yet she hath commaunded mee expreslye to send awaie thes lettres withowt a expectacion what he shall report, and so I doe, praieng yowe to pers[uade] yor self that noe message browght by him will alter hir Majesties purpose and the rather for that at this vearie instant, the Frenche K. and his [.] [.] in Britaigne have sent spetiall messingers hither to hasten the Coun[cil.] Wee have had [fewe] newes browght hither vearie uncertainelie, yet av[.] be trewe that Verdugo showld have been latelie intrapped and taken by [Count] Maurices horsemen, and that Mondragon having intended to have surpr[ise] Breda, having secretly conveied into the towne 300 or 400 soldiers [in the] habitt of Pesants his purpose was disapointed, and the men taken in [.] and slaine. Of this later I had lettres from Master Burneham, and [.] by a flieing report, but at this time, I thinke neither of them trewe I do send yow the Copy of hir Majesties lettres to the states, as I gave [.] for the lyke of the former but in a multitud of direction [.] must usually fall a syde from Grenwych the 24 of [[July]] Your assured loving frend William Burghley