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Later Addition: Holland 1594/5 January 4

Endorsed: Holland. 4 January 1594 Instruccions for Master Bodley

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Later Addition: 4 Januarie 1594 Instruccions for Master Bodely.

First hir Majestie hath had just cawse thes manie yeares to have looked and expected a gratefull offer from the States, of some yearelie portions of the great sommes by hir Majestie expected, towardes the discharge of the debt, or at least wise to the deminucion thereof. But consideringe theire forgetfulnes thereof, as an Ar- gument of unthankefulnes, and the great burden by so manie yeares excessive expences to hir Majestie, and to hir Crowne & Realme, whereof noe Example ever can be remembred of such a Burden, /or/ of a tenthe part thereof to the Realme of England, or to anie other Realme in Christendome, in like Circumstances, for the yearelie quantetie of the monie for so manie yeares Continuacion and want of anie recompence: and for the wastinge of soe manie valliant people owt of theire naturall Cuntry by deathe, slawghter, maighmes, and sicknes: hir Majestie can noe longer endure the continuance of such an untollerable burden, to the Empairinge of the honnour and dignitie of hir Crowne, to the publicque offence and grevance of hir fol.3v
Subjectes, but doth nowe informe the States of this hir Majesties just greefe, and doth require them withowt delaie to enter into the Consideracion of soe weightie a Cawse and to devise sum speedie satisfaccion to hir Majestie that the worlde maie see theire due regard of thes so large and excessive Benefittes bestowed uppon them so many yeares, to theire most notable proffitt and savetie, in the preservacion of theire Cuntries, & theire people in theire Lives, possessions, and goodes, from most manifest Subjection, ruine, and Captivitie./

Besides there reasones, which cannot be denied, hir Majestie would have the States to Consider the proves of this Action howe the same beganne, and howe princelie hir Majesties intention appeared to be onelie to helpe the States and people, withowt anie proffitt to hir selfe, for whom the States beinge desperat of anie releef by there owne power did offer to hir Majestie the Soverainetie and direct dominion of theire Cuntrie, offeringe to become hir Subjectes, she not respectinge, anie increase of hir dominions /Territoryes/, (thowgh theare might have been good [[proffes]] made for a just title to sondrie theare dominions by [[succession]] of Blood in hir progenitors Kinges of England) did not accept of that offer of dominion and Soverainetie but [[upon]] fol.4r
Commiseracion of theire desperat Estate, and the present great manie forces provided, and readie at hand to besiege and take theire principall Towne of Anwerpe hir Majestie yelded to grawnt them the aide of 4000 foote- men and 400 horse, which beinge readie to be emploied for savetie of that towne, the said towne was sodenlie recovered by the Ennemie, partlie by rendicion by the Inhabitantes, partlie by force, which soe succeadinge did induce soe great a soddaine universall feare to the whole Cuntrie, and apparance to recover from them the rest of theire townes one after an other, as the States then newlie moved hir Majestie to have a further Commiseration of them: wheareuppon at theire most ernest newe request she increased hir first Aide from 4000 footemen to 5000 and from 400 horse to 1000 which nombers weare speedelie levied, and transported over the Seas altogether at hir Majesties charges, and to the great burden of hir people./. And for the Conduct and Government of thos nombers hir Majestie did make choise of the Erle of Leicester, a principall Noble man of the Realme and of hir Privie Counsell, accompanied with the flower of Noble and Valliant men of hir Realme: which Action beganne in the yeare of our Lord 1585 beinge nowe fol.4v
abowt tenne yeares since, and hath soe continued with losse of manie of hir noble and valliant Subjectes, and excessive expences, both of hir owne treasure, and of hir Subjectes, by continuall refresshinge and newe arminge of the former nombers, as theie did decaie & weare wasted./

And besides thes excessive and inestimable charges yt is manifest to the world howe hir Majesties aide to thes Cuntries provoked the K. of Spaine to make open warre against hir Majestie and hir dominions both by land and Sea, a good occa- sion for the Quenes Majestie to have revoked hir forces which weare emploied in thos Lowe Cuntries in maintenaunce of the people thereof whome he declared to be his Rebells: but yet nevertheles hir Majestie continuinge hir Commiseracion of thos Cuntries, vearie like to be ruined by the K. of Spaine, as intendinge to make a Conquest of them, and to bringe them into Captivitie, did still not onelie persist in hir former aide in thos Lowe Cuntries from yeare to yeare, but did also mainteine mightie /great/ Armies by Sea and land to withstand the Armies of the K. of Spaine, yea with which she did overthrowe his most memorable prowde Navie in the yere 1588 not yealdinge by his threatininges /any his prowd atempts/ to withdrawe [[her]] Succors from the Lowe Cuntries./ fol.5r
Nowe it is to be seen what benefitt hath growen by this hir Majesties Actions to the United Provinces, and what losse to hir Majestie hir Crowne & Subjectes, and by comparinge theareof together, it followeth necessarelie for hir Majestie to be eased of this continuall burden, aswell by remboursinge hir Majesties Charges, with reasonable portions yearelie, untill the whole maie be acquitted, as by moderacion of charges to followe

The state of the United Provinces, and the people thereof is manifestlie nowe knowen to florishe in more wealthe then ever was before theire trowbles, so as theire greatest Cuntries of trade for merchandizes as both the Hollandes, Zeland, & Utricht, are free from anie noise of warre from the Ennemie, the like maie be also said almost for Frezeland Zutphen, and the open trade into Spaine, and free Commerce with Anwerpe./ Soe as comparinge theare present state with ther former when hir Majestie beganne to helpe them, It maie be trewelie /more properly/ said /that/ theie doe nowe /rather/ enjoie peace and are [free from] /quietnes Peace then that they ar in any gr/ /great/ warre: & for proof hereof, it is seen openlie that theie have had sum prosperitie against theire Ennemies the Spaniardes and other the stronge forces of the K. of Spaine, and the K. forces /to be/ become so weake by losse of great townes and Cuntries, that theie doe of late sitt downe before noe towne, but theie carry yt, nor are besieged in anie place which they doe not relieve: nor the Ennemie attempt anie thinge of which theie faile not, so as /by this their great prosperity good Fortune it is sayd tht/ the Archduke Ernestus Gouvernor for the K. of Spaine pretendeth to have ample authoritie to offer to all the United Provinces anie Conditions of peace that theie can reasonablie aske and to that ende he hath sent ministers with Commission to treate with fol.5v
them theareuppon: And besides the Spanishe Counsellors with the Emperor doe sollicite the Emperor, and some of the Princes Elector to send sum great Princes towardes the Cuntries with offers of removing of all forreine forces owt of the Lowe Cuntries: And thowgh the States in theire wisedome are dowbtfull with what minde thes large /trecherous deceavable/ offers are made by the Counsell of Spaine, and with what [.] the said /with what infinite danger [or]/ offers /rather assured confusion to follow these projects/ maie be accepted, and thearefore [.] /we know ar farr from thoght to/ incline to aventure the same: yet hearebie it is most manifest that theare state is full from theire former dangers, and that theie have not such neade to maintaine the like great nombers of men of warre, neither of theire owne, nor of Auxiliarie, as in former yeares theie weare forced to doe/ And to this maie be added also an other most manifest argument of theire prosperitie and securitie, in that they have nowe /hereofore acomodated the french K with 3000 men in Normandy under the conduct of the Count Philip and now also/have nowe[In margin: heretofore acomodatedthe french K with 3000 men in Normandy underthe conduct of the Count Philip and now also]
of late sent to the aide of the Frenche Kinge as farre as Metz, the nomber of 3000 foote and [.] hundred horse, besides the Conduccion of them thorowgh the hart of the Ennemies Cuntries with 1400 forse, and [.] foote, wheareof sum weare hir Majesties forces. And of late also theie sent by Sea /wherby it may be well concluded that/ into [Bretaigne] certaine good shippes of warre with [.] men /seing you they have bene content to strain them self to help others it may can not/ against the Spaniardes. be denied withowt [.] /to be an Argument of great/ /shew of neglect to hir Majesty If for her they/ do not provide satisfation by /without/ whose only favour and continued prin- cely support they have been had never bene able to have prote- cted them selfs from utter ruin subsisted Thes forreine Actions owt of theire Cuntries are manifest prooves of theire prosperitie and securitie from the Ennemie: But on the other side, if a recitall showld be made howe by the helpinge of them to this prosperitie, the Q. Majesties state, hir Realme, hir treasure, and hir people have been damnefied, the same might percase please the Common Ennemie, yea percase /and happily/ in the sight of the wisemen of the world, hir Majestie and hir Counsell might be Censured to have been greatly [.] seen /wanted due providence./ Therefour withowt perticuler recitall for avoidinge of such Censure, onelie the States that are compounded of wise men fol.6r
can Consider how inestimable the charges are that have been bestowed in this hir Majesties defence which hath continued thes tenne yeares, longer than anie warre in mans memorie hath continued betwixt anie Kinges Christian, in France, Spaine, Italie, Germanie, or elsewheare in Chrisendome: Besides thes charges a great nomber of hir people serrviceable have been wasted, great masses of hir owne princelie treasure which she had providentlie preserrved for defence of hir Realme, hir people almost yearelie burdened with subsidies, the Armor, weapon, and municion of hir Realme Kingdome spent & wasted, hir Subjectes besides theire subsedies in sondrie Cuntries sore charged, with levienge, arminge, Cloathinge & Conducting of all the Soldiers both horsemen and footemen that have passed into those Lowe Cuntries, besides the ordinary wages of hir Majestie for the same soldiers./

One other remarkeable inconvenience and publicque detriment hath for manie yeares past accompanied this charge, which is that for the yearelie paiment of hir Armie theare in thos Cuntries the Coine of this Realme, both of silver and gold whearewith the Realme did abownd, hath been theare spent withowt hope of anie retorne./

And thowgh theare be manie perticuler Cawses for hir Majestie /other Arguments to fortefy this hir Majesties demaund both in re respectfullygard of hir owne/ to Complaine of as beinge not gratefullie /indomnity by their helping them, and of the great and infinite [.] addition/ used for hir multi- tude of benefittes: yet theare is one spetiale [occasion] of unkindnes verie late hapned, which also doth sem to continue by theire Actions, wheareof hir Majestie hath howrelie expected reparacion, which is the continuance of an Extraordinary nomber of hir people of 1500 this late sommer permitted lately happened for which her Majesty every day expected to have recea- ved some speedy demonstration of their readines to requite her former favours [now] that by her Meanes that Towne of Gr [In margin: to them of honour wealth and safety derived originally from her even when they were [[li]]ke to be precipitated into the pitt of destruction yet such is her Majesties unwillingnes to use comemoration rather /to men so grave and wise as for the most part she knoweth them to be/ more then to [som] /preocupate/ some adverse conceipts /conceipt of spirits/ who happily wyll do may be less sensible of the trewth of hir answer proceedings wyth them, as she will not longer styck uppon this subject then without by putting [[them in mind]] of one late great good which she /hath/ procured them and for which the rather (because she expected some satisfaction]

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[In margin: it was tacitis verbis intimated unto her that if such success might befall them they shold then be inabled to lett her freends fynd parforme such parts of gratuity as the Reason of her Majesties urgent Occasions might necessarily chalenge at their handes wherein you shall /they ar to/ be remembred that when the Towne of Groninghen was unrecovered they made a most ernest sute for 1500 men to be levied in England only for that service and then to be returned,]
to be [levied] in England, uppon manie vehement Requestes made from the States there, onelie to have served for the recoverie of Groninghen, and then to have retorned: To which Request beinge reiterated oftentimes to hir Majestie, she was unwillinge to have yelded in respect of the former wastinge of hir people in thos Cuntries to the generall greef of hir Subjectes: But that in the ende to tempt hir theareto, It was declared that withowt that helpe from hir Majestie the besieging of Groning cowld not be attempted with anie certaine hope, and that the recoverie of Groning, would make an ende of theire warre in thos Provinces beyond the Rhin, & recover to the States obedeance so large Cuntries of great wealthe and hable to contribute such yearelie revenue to the States as /theyr Meanes Ability wold be much more able to [.]/ thearebie her Majestie might not dowbt but to [reduce] rem- boursement of good portions of hir excessive sommes of monie emploied for them: /more Increased then by any other Meanes whatsoever/ And besides /the rather for/ that it was affirmed by the winninge of Groninghen, the Ennemie showld be expelled owt of all Freseland. And uppon /which/ thes Arguments often /Intercession of theirs her/ repea- ted to hir Majestie, she [In margin: her Majesty out of /meer/ afection /good will/ to them forgetting any her present occasion was content to crowne the rest of her work now in the End with assenting to their desire and for that purpose]
gave authoritie to Sir Francis Veere, whome the States had appointed for that purpose, to levie heare in hir Realme the said nomber of 1500 soldiers, which weare by him transported and Conducted to Groninghen, to which place also for the furtherance of that intended service hir Majestie was contented that hir Gouvernors of Flusshinge & Brill showld sent owt of thos two townes certaine Bandes of the ordinarie appointed for the preservacion thereof, wherewith hir Majestie hath been the better contented, Consideringe the fol.7r
service of hir people hath effected the winninge of that towne to the honor of the Assailantes, and the notable reporache of the Ennemies, beinge vearie stronge in armes to have fowght with the States whole Armie, and to have saved the towne and Cuntrie. /where now by recovering of this Place/ But nowe notwithstan- dinge this notable good fortune to them by the helpe of hir people: she hath great Cawse of offence, and in some respect of Repentance for the yeldinge of the service of the said 1500 men, for when her Majestie did looke pre- sentlie to have had promizes observed both in retorninge of the said men into England after the winninge of the Towne, and in expectacion also of some offers for the remboursement of some porcion of monie percell of hir former great charges, she hath not since hard anie thinge of the matter, so as yt appeareth that all the former offers weare but to service theire present necessities: And thowgh some pretence was made for the staie of the retorne of hir people presentlie, as was promized, for that it was alledged that a great nomber of them by theire longe beinge at the siege weare becom unhable to remove bicawse of theire sicknes and hurtes and therefore it was awnsweared that theie showld be dispersed into sondrie townes of garrisons theare to recover theire strength and healthe and soe to retorne: yet hearein hir Majestie hath been manifestlie inju- red, for when she expected dailie theire retorne, theie have been emploied by the Commaundment of the States in other continuall dangerous serrvices withowt hir Majesties license or allowance, and thearebie she dowbteth some great nomber of

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the same are wasted contrarie to hir Majesties purpose, & the States promize, whereof she hath present Cawse to Complaine, and requireth reparacion thereof as farreforth as the Case presentlie maie yeld, not forgettinge also the performance of that which was promized upon the recovery of the /whole/ Cuntrie of Freezeland, /hath bene recovered/ for the reemboursement of some portion of the debt due unto hir Majestie, which she hath cawse to expect, for that the whole Cuntrie of Freezeland as heareby reduced to the use of the States & abandoned by the Ennemie./. of all which on maye as hir Majesty is most [In margin: gladd for their good whom she hath ever so tenderly conseved as her ancient confe- derates so if she shall now fynd her self requited as honour and civility wold requier without parsisting uppon cavills of [contract] words or [note] construction when withall [gives] freedome and harty dealing her Majesty hath proceeded with them surrly her Majesty hath willed is fully purposed [never] to be wanting to them hereafter in any thing that can be reasonably required at her handes but like a Prince of constancey and verteu will never be slow to help to protect them against what force of Tyrany soever of any that shall seek to opress them.]
And nowe this Comparison well waied betwixt the present prosperitie of the United Provinces, and the detriment to the State of England by the excessive expences for thos Cuntries, It cannot be /enie/ with anie reason misliked, nor with anie aunsweare rejected, but that hir Majestie hath most manifest Cawse to require present remboursement of some convenient portion towardes the satisfaccion of hir Majestie and hir Subjectes: And soe she requireth the States to entere into the Consideracion of thes former reasons, and to waie them both with wisedome and humanitie, and theareuppon to determine howe & whom, & with what portion respectinge the immeasurable sommes by hir expended, hir Majestie shall have satisfaccion.

And bicawse the Sommes expended are soe great and so various from the beginninge, hir Majesties thinketh yt vearye reasonable and most necessarye, that theare maie be A Conference had betwixt hir Majesties officers and ministers, & theirs of the United Provinces, to understand the /particuler/ state of Everie yeares expence by yt self: and for that purpose hir fol.8r
Majestie requireth that some of the States Counsell and some of hir Majesties maie meete in London to conferre heareuppon, so as the trewthe of the Expences, and the /par ticuler Accomptes and/ debt of the States maie appeare: and yet in the meane season sum present portion to be presentlie awnsweared /of which her Majesty thinketh there need no dowbt be made, thogh /howsoever/ for the direct Accomptes they may be more exquisitly made /cast up/ here, uppon further conference their may be further occasion consideration /computation/ Further you it may be concluded that as her Majesty is most gladd of all their good and happy Fortunes meerly/