Letter ID: 1381
Reference: BL, Harleian 287 fol.222r-v
Citation: DCB/001/HTML/1381/000
Date: 14 August 1594
Note:
Copy of: 0461

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fol.223v

Later Addition: Sir Thomas Bodleyes lettere to the Lord Tresorore touchinge the States preperaton to Ayd hir Majestie in the Jurneye of Breste in Bryttanye 14 Auguste 1594. 36 Elizabeth.


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fol.222r

Later Addition: Sir Thomas Bodley to the Lord Tresorore concernyng the beseegyng of Breste in Bryttany./.

May it please your good lordshipe / For Answere to your lette of the 3 of this presente I Can sygnefy No more of the states R preparacion then I have done alredy theye have alwayes Complayned, and so they doe yet that they are Not made acquain- ted with hir Highnes Resolucyones. Knowinge Nothinge yet in Certen of the Troupes that shalbe sente of the Nomber of hir shipes, of the tyme and place of theyre meetinge or other Nedfull partycularytyes, Neverthelese of their desyre to second that service and that they maye Not be blamed for any backwardnes hear they have alredy ordayned as I write unto your lordshipe the 7th of this monthe that yf 10 of their beste and greateste shipes, either all or some parte shall Repaire unto the Dounes assoone as they are Armed, but yet I am parswaded unlesse the Certenly bee greater of hir Majesties proceedynges then yet appeareth unto them they will but temporyse at home (and and I maye Conjecture will Not willyngly be the fyrste that shall sette their shipes to sea Master Caron as I am privatly informed) hath done them to weitte that 14 of hir Majesties Shipes arre dispached towardes Plymothe, but yet for oughte I can parceav they are very lytle styrred with that advertysmente from him doublynge as I doe suspecte that it is but geven awaye out to towle them faster forward which parhaps they thinke the Rather bycause Nothinge is writtene of thos shipes unto me, althoughe I had your letteres by yo their Agentes Cone Convayance and was dated as lately as his, I was my suite unto your lordshipe in all my former letteres that for the better parformance of my Charge and to satysfy the States in that which they Required I myghte have knoledge Expresly and directelye aswell what forces hir highnes intended for hir parte to furneshe to this voyage as what shee dothe Expecte shold be done by them heare or in Case that Nothinge weare determyned to insyn- uate yet somwhat whearby I myghte be able to intertayne them heare the whill, howbeite your lordshipe knowethe that from the tyme that I parted from hom tylle this tyme I had Never any Answer to any poynte that I proposed, onely by your lordshipe of the 7th of July, I was injoyned to Recomend unto the States thos partycler demaundes which weare delyvered Master Carron but it was Not sygnefyed to me, what thos demaundes myghte importe, uppon occa- syone whearof I am hombly to beseeche yow that in theis affaires of hir Majestie I maye alwayes be Instructed, bothe presysely and by writynge too, what effecte I shall Negotyate and that I maye Not be referred to knowe my message of them with whom I maye Negotyate, For to be playne in this Case they doe very muche marvelle and speake of it oftene to see me lefte solonge heare without any informacion espessyally in thes matteres that are of suche Consequence and for which I was sente Expresly unto them, they tell me also Roundly that Consyderinge I am presente yt is Not their order to take onely Notyce of suche messages from their Agente and uppon his Reporte to dealle with their provincesbut they must be Recomended as desyred from hir Majestie by hir letteres unto them, or by me that am hir servante & purposly imployed, And in effecte that will be harde for hir hignes to be served as shee wold be yf thear be No more Care of hir mynesteres Creddyte I will Not, I will Not amplefye this poynte bycause your lordshipe in your wisdome dothe knowe what is meete and will pardone me a lytle yf I speake with some playnenes when I feele my selfe Incombered with the burden of my service for wante of due Informacion, they have delyvered unto me a transcripte of hir Majesties demaundes in which I doe Not doubte but theye deall with all Cinceretye in delyveryng me the Righte demaundes but yet I have Reason to be Scrupelos howe farre I should geve Credit to that which they exhibite whear wheare thinges are Not spessefyed to me in my letteres, for I see very Nowe that in this demaundes Conferryng some poyntes with your lordshipes lettere theare is appary apparante varyance For wheare your lordshipe dothe Certefy that theare weare 12 shipes at leaste Required of them thear are but x sette doune in writynge and lyke wise for the fol.222v
for the place of their Randevous it is to them assygned to be at Dovere or the Downes, whear your lordshipe declarethe that they are looked for at portesmouthe, I have sent yow hear inclosed a Coppye of thos demaundes as I Receaved them heare of them, moreover I was in som doubte as I write unto your lordshipe whether they stoode stylle in foarce, because ther followed a presente Counterm- ande, which thoughe yow shewe to have byne frustrate by hir highnes approbacion of Master Carons dillygence in makynge his Dispache uppon the fyrste motyon yet that was moare then I was Informed or then the States at that tyme wold seeme to understand, what their answer was heare to every poynte aparte, I advertysed your lordshipe the 21 of the laste and I did it as beco- methe with a faithefull relacion beinge redy uppon my perrill to Justefy every word with the testemony of the States. And wheare your lordshipe alledgethe, that they had written to Master Caron the 29 of July of their Redynes at that tyme to send awaye their Shipes without makyng any mencion of any doubte or Delaye, I have for myne owne discharge expostulated with them, for Answ- eringe me in one soarte and their Agente in an other, but they Cleered the mattere presently, declaringe unto me that their manere was to dealle honestely and Not doublely and so they had in that mattere, shewinge mee for my bettere satysfactyon the Coppy of their lettere sente to Master Carron the 29 of July which I have Caused to be Translated and send it heare unto your lordshipe, whearin Master Carron did Explycate their meanynge thear is No suche promyse made that they will send their succores out of hand and so it will appeare by the Issue of their dealynge, And as touching thos doubtes, which they moved unto me uppon hir Highenes demaundes they weare onely suche as passed by waye of Communycacion betweene them & me, And weare Not happelye sette doune in that lettere to their Agente because they wear not accepted as Authentycall demaundes, Master Carrone Not knowinge whether at that tyme that he writte his lettere Nor in a good tyme after as he hathe signefyed synce but that the Countermaund had stoode, I have moved them for 30 Laste of pouder as your lodshipe desyred to have, but the deputyes of Holland who are Cheefe in this actyon being absente from the Haghe, the Reste put of their Aunswere tyll all Come to gether, I doe wonder verye muche, that the takynge of Groenyngen Came so latly to your knolledge, for the agreemente was made the 11 of July whearof the Newes Comynge hether the 14th which was assoone as was possyble Master Gylpen and I dispached prese- ntly a poste by whom he write unto your lordshipe and I to Sir Robarte Cecille havinge otherwyse then occasyon to send him a lettere of the States in answere to one that was sente hether from hir Majestie and Consygned by him to be delyvered by me, whearwith as also with that accorrance of groenengen I did assure my selfe that he wold acquainte your lordshipe, The poste by whom our letteres wear sente to thend hee myghte prevente all other messengeres, albeit the wynd was very Con- trarye hired purposly a passage for yarmothe, and was the fyrste as he affyrmethe, and I doe otherwise understand that brought the tydynges into England, and by him it was undoubtedlye that my lord of Essex myghte knowe the Certenty, and Not before unlese that som bodye by presumptyone had written the Newse befoare it was true, And thus I take my humble leave from the Haghe Auguste 14th 1594.