Reference: TNA, SP 84/28/75 f.73r-75v
Citation: DCB/001/HTML/0097/008
Date: 20 November 1588
Note: The paragraphs are clearly divided and numbered in the left-hand margin.
Copy of: 1307
addressleaf
fol.75vEndorsed: Low Countreyes Mr Bodleyes Instrucons
Later Addition: Holland See 1588 November
lettertext
fol.73r
Later Addition: [Vid.Lib.H]
Sign Manual: Elizabeth R
1 whereas we have thought meet to call home our servant Henrie Killegrewe both for our owne service and for his owne causes who presently supplyeth the place of a Councellor for us in the Councell of Estate in the united Provinces of the Lowe Contries agreable to the contract made on our part with the States General, wee have therfore made espetiall choise of you to supplie that place with the assistance of our servaunt George Gilpin who is to serve in place of an Interpreter (for that as wee are enformed they use the Flemish tongue in the treating and debating of causes amongest them selves)2 Our pleasure therfore is that at your coming thether you shall instruct your self in such matters as have heretofore been committed unto our said servant Henrie Killegrewe to deale in with the said general States and with the Councell of estate and others of those Contries touching our sarvice, and to knowe from him to what points he hath not receaved aunsweare from them to thend you may the better deale and proceed with the States to procure their speedie aunsweare to our satisfaction.
3 And for that wee have committed divers thinges to our trustie & welbeloved servant Sir John Norris his chardge to bee communicated unto the said States as may appeare by the Copie of his Instructions, wee thinck yt meet that such thinges as shall not bee by him finished for lack of time, or for that he shall not find the States generall assembled at the time of his repaire thether or continuance there, that you doe sollicitt the same and send unto us their anusweares in that behalf./
4 And whereas we have heretofore recommended unto the said States generall Corounel Shinck and divers others (of both whose names and causes ye shall receave particular information from our Secreatarie) who as wee are enformed in steed of favour fol.73v
have receaved from them verie hard measure wherb[y] they doe lay open unto word ther owne ingratitude toward us to no small touch our hono, to see us had in a kind of contemp[t] by those that are so infinitely bound unto us as they are, a matter so publickly knowen, as it needeth no debating, Ou[r] pleasure therfore is that you shall deale most earnestly with them in moving them to yeald us better contentmen[t] hereafter in this behalf then heretofore they have done aswell for their owne creditt, which receaveth no small blemish by this unkind maner of dealing of theirs towards us, as also for our honour who may in no sort endure to suffer such as have been and are noted to stand wel affected towards us, so injuriously handled as they are espetially the parties by us recomended having been men of best desert, and such of whose service they have most need nammely Coronell Schinck being for valour, courage and conduict (accompanied besides with an extraordinarie good fortune) one of the rare men of this our age, And to the end the reparation that we[e] require in this behalf may not bee delaied with some aunsweare in generall termes Wee thinck yt convenient that you should urge them to yeald their particular aunsweare to such requests as have been hertofore recommended by us.
5 Amongest other thinges fytt to be remembred unto them, you shall lett them understand that wee, hearing that the States general doe oft times dissolve and that the Counsell of State hav[e] their authoritie so restreyned as they cannot upon such extraordy[nary] events as fall out in those Contries, full of perill and daunger, and require speedie resolution, yeld that timely re- medie that where expedient, doe thincke yt most convenient (thenemie being so strong as he is in the field) that you doe advise them in our name to continue their assemblies, or els to enlarge the authoritie of the Councell of Estate, But befor[e] you deale herein wee would have you particularly enform[e] your self both by our servant Henrie Killegrewe and others of the Councell of Estat[e] fol.74r
of Estate that you shall learne by him to bee men of best judgement and best affected to the good of those Contries, what were fitt in particulareties to be urged in our name in that behalf, to thend you may proceed therein with the better effect.
6 And whereas we have been given to understand aswell by letters from the L. Willoughbie unto us, as from our servant Henrie Killegrewe that the last Instructions given by the States generall to the Counsell of Estate, conteine sondrie points that are directly repugnant to the contract which they have made with us, as is plainely sett downe both by doctor Clerke and our servaunt Robert Beale, who have had th[e] viewe and considracion of them: Our pleasure therfore is that you shall deale with the States most earnestly for the speedie reformation and redresse thereof in such sort as the Contract passed between us and them bee not anie way abridged or infringed by them.
7 And for that wee find that by reason of the licenses graunted by the States and by other meanes underhand used by the King of Spaines ministers, the said kingh and his Armadas have heretofore been furnished from thence of great stoare both of Cordage, graine and sondrie other provisions, without the which he had never been able to sett forth to the seas so huge an armie and so well stoared with all kind of necessaries/ which (as since yt hath been proved) he minded to have employed against this our Realm, that not god of his great goodnes broke[n] his ambitious desseigne, so as yf he may nowe bee kept from drawing like provisions out of these Contries and other Contries (for the stay whereof wee have taken some order) he shall not in manie yeares bee able to drawe togethe[r] so great forces of that strenght as those were the last yeare You shall therfore deale most effectually with the said States to inhibite the transportation of anie like commodities into Spaine, the same to bee ordeyned with great penalties and wit[h] severe punishment against the offendors adding ther to that yf anie such provisions shalbe found in anie shipp eyther of those fol.74v
Contries or of anie other, that shall come within the power of anie of our owne shippes or into anie of our ports, we will take the same shippes confiscate, as ayders of our open enemies.
8 Being enformed that neyther the States generall nor the Counsell of warre in these Contries doe acquaint the L. Willoughbye with such resolucions as they take in martyall affayres nor with the disposing of their forces for the withstanding of thenemie, wee thinck yt therfor[e] verie convenient that you should at your arrivall there enfor[me] your selfe thoroughly at the L. Willoughbies hands, howe and in what sort they doe carie them selves towards him aswel[l] in imparting unto him their proceeding in martiall causes as also with the matters of pollecie tending to the good government of those Contries: And in case upon conference with him you shall find that they doe not make him acquainted with their proceeding in matters of government as well in martiall causes as atherwise, in such ample sort as was agreed on in the Contract that passed between us and thos[e] Contries, then our pleasure is that you shall take som[e] particular notes from him wherein they fayle to observ[e] the said Contract, to thend you may in our name charge the sa[id] States Generall therewithall, and require of them better observation thereof in time to come and that our Generall the L Willougby bee from time to time made acquainted with their martiall affayres and to bee present at the debating of the same, to thend he may both give his advice and assent to such thinges as he shall find meet for the good of these Contries to bee put in execution./
9 And whereas wee have been enformed that the L Willougbie hath both at sondrie times past and shall dayly have occasion to disburse good sommes of money for the enterteyning of intelligences out of thenemies Contri[e] to the end to bee enformed of his proceedings, a matter verie necessarie and behovefull for the guiding and administring of manie matters of great importaunce tending aswell to the annoyaunce of thenemie fol.75r
as for the avoyding of some daungerous attempts against the said Contries, and for the which the States Generall did yeald an allowance to our late Cousen the Erle of Leycester in the time of his gouvernment, by an increase of his monethly enterteinement for that purpose, Our pleasure is that you should move the States to make also some competent allowaunce to the said L. Willoughbie for the said matter of intelligence as in reason they ought, and not to expect that the same should be allowed by us, considering that it is no wey employed to our behoufe but only for the service and good of those Contries, And wee thinck yt also meet that upon some just occasion to be taken by you at your discretion you should lett them understand as by way of your owne opinion, but not so directed by us, that you thinck wee could like well that they should use some gratuitie eyther by yearely allowaunce or otherwise to him, towards his great charges which he susteyneth in their service, and by way of thankfulnes towards a nobleman, consuming his patrimonie, hazarding his lyfe, and absenting him self from his frends and Contrie so long a time for their cause./
10 And whereas some overture hath heretofore been made unto us by Master Ortell upon direction receaved from some of the States Generall who carrie greatest sway among them, that wee would bee pleased for that they nowe find great fault with the weakenes of the bands both horsemen and footemen serving in our pay to yeald unto them a somme of money farr inferior to the charges wee are nowe at in lieu of the said assystance: wee can bee content that you shall deale with such persons as he shall nominate unto you, in such sort as fo to you in discretion shalbe thought meet, and to see what the said offer wilbe, and howe probably they can make yt appeare unto you that they shalbe able with the said somme of money to put them selves in as sufficient strenght as having the forces they nowe have from us by vertue of the contract, And of your proceeding therein you shall advertise us, to thend we may thereupon give unto you such further direction as by us shalbe thought meete
Francis Walsyngham
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