lettertext
fol.176r
Later Addition: [[To my L.]] Tresurer
May yt please your good Lp. For answere to your Lettre of the 3d of this present, I can signifie no more of the States preparation, then I have donne already. They have alwayes complyned, and so they do yet, that they are not made acquainted with hir Highnes resolutions knowing nothinge yet for certaine of the troupes that shalbe sent, of the number of hir shipps, of the tyme and place of their meetinge, or other needfull particularities: Neverthelesse in regarde of their desire to seconde that service, and that they may not be blamed for any backwardnes here, they have already ordained (as I wryt unto your Lp the 7 of this month) that of 10 of their best and greatest shippes, eyther all, or some parte shall repayre unto the Downes, assoone as they are armed; but yet I am perswaded, unlesse the certainty be greater of her Majesties proceedings then yet appeareth unto them, they will but temporise at home, and (as I may conjecture) will not willingly by the first that shall sett their shippes to sea. Master Caron (as I am privately informed) hath donne them to witt, that 14 of hir shippes are dispatched towards Plimmouth, but yet for ought I can perceave they are very lyttle stirred with that advertisement from him, dowbting (as I do suspecte) that it is but given owt, to tolle them faster forwarde, which perhaps they thincke the rather, because nothinge is wrytten of those shippes unto me; Although I had yowr lettre by their Agents conveyance, and it was dated as lately as his. It was my sute unto your Lp in all my former lettres, that for the better parfourmance of my charge, and to satisfy the States in that which they requyre, I might have knowne expresly and directly aswell what forces hir Highnes intended for hir part to fournish to this voyage as what she doth expect should be donne by them here; or in case that nothinge were determined, to insinuate yet somwhat whereby I might be hable to inter- tayne them here the whyle. Howbeyt your Lp knoweth that from the time that I parted from home till this tyme I had never any aunsweare to any point that I proposed. Onely by your lettre of the 7 of July, I was injoyned to recommende unto the States, those particular demands which were dl Master Caron but yt was not signifyed to me what those demaunds might importe: Uppon occasion whereof I am humbly to beseech yow, that in these affayres of hir Majesty I may alwayes be instructed boath precisely and by wrytinge, to what effect I shall negotiate, and that I may not be referred to knowe my message of them with whom I should negotiate. For to be playne in this case, they do very much mar- vayle, and speake of yt often, to see me left so longe here without any information especially in these matters that are of such consequence, and for which I was sent expresly unto them. They tell me also rowndly, that considering I am present, yt is not their order, to take onely notice of such messages from their Agent, and uppon this reporte to deale with their Provinces , but they must be recommended, as desyred from hir Majesty by hir lettres unto them or by me that am her servant and purposely imployed. And in effect yt wilbe hard for hir Highnes to be served as she woulde be yf there be no more care of hir Ministers credit. I will not amplifie this poynt, because your Lp in your wisdome doth knowe what is meete, and will pardonne me a litle yf I speake with some plainenes when I feele my selfe encombred wth the burden of my service for want of dew information. They have ddl unto me a transcript of hir Majestyes demaundes in which I doe not dowbt but they deale withall sincerity in delivering me the right demands, but yet I have reason to be scrupulous how farre I should give credit to that which they exhibit, where things are not specifyed to me in my lettres: For I see very now that in these demaundes, conferring some poynts with your Lps lettre there is apparant variance: For where your Lp doth certify that there were twelve shipps at the least required of them fol.176v