Reference: TNA, SP 84/28/78 f.76r-80v
Citation: DCB/001/HTML/0098/008
Date: 20 November 1588
Note: Draft instructions annotated bySir William Cecil, Lord Burghley.
Copy of: 1307
addressleaf
fol.80vLater Addition: Holland 1588 November
Endorsed: November 1588. Draught of Instructions for Master Bodley.
lettertext
fol.76r
Later Addition: [supr .]
Draught of Instructions for Master BodleyWhereas wee have thought meet for sondrie causes to call home our servant Henrie Killigrewe /for some tyme both for our own 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 choyse of you to suplie that place /for the tyme of or sayd servants absence/ with the assistance of our servant 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. 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 servaunt /Henry/ Killigrewe to deale in with the /sayd Generall/ States and others /and with the Counsell of estate and others/ of those Contries touching our service, and to knowe from him to, what points he hath not receaved aunsweare from them, to th'end you may the better deale /and procede/ with the said States to pro cure their speedie aunsweare to our satisfaction. fol.76v
And for that wee have committed divers thinges to our /trusty & welbeloved/ servant Sir John Norris his chardge to bee communicated unto the said States as may appeare by the Copie of his Instructions we thinck i[t] meet that such thinges as shall not by him bee finished for lac[k] of time, or for that the States generall 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 aunsweares in that behalf. A And whereas we have heretofore recommended unto the /said/ States generall Coronell Shinck and divers others (of both whose names and causes you shall receave particular information from our Secreatarie who /as wee are enformed/ in steed of favor have receaved from them verie hard measure, whereby they doe lay open unto the world their owne ingratitude towards us, to no small touch of our honor, to see us had in a kin[d] of contempt by those that are so infinitely bound unto us as they a[re] a matter so publickly knowen, as it nedeth no debating: Ou[r] pleasure fol.77r
pleasure therfore is that you shall deale most earnestly with them in moving them to yeald us better contentment hereafter in this behalf then heretofore they have done, aswell for their owne cre- ditt, whichreceaveth no small blemish by this unkind maner of dealing of theirs towards us, as also for our honor, who may in no sort endure to suffer such as have been, and are noted to stand well affected towards us, so injuriously handled as they are: espetially the parties by us recommended, having been men of best desert, and such of whose service they have most need, espetially Coronell Shinck being for valour, courage and conduct (accompanied besydes with an extraordinarie good fortune) one of the rare men of this our age.
And to thend the reparation that we require in this behalf may not bee delaied with some answeare in generall termes: we thinck it convenient that you should urge them to yeald their particule[r] answeare to such requests as have been heretofore recommended by us.
fol.77v
Amongest other things fitt to be remembred unto them, you shall lett them understand that we, hearing that the States generall do[e] oft times dissolve, and that the Counsell of Estate have their auth[o-] ritie so restrayned as they cannot upon such extraordinarie events as faull out in those Contries, full of perill & danger and require spedie resolution, yeld that timely remedie tha[t] were expedient: And therfore doe thinck yt most convenient (thenemie being so strong as he is in the field) that you d[oe] advise them in our name to continue their assemblies, or els t[o] enlarge the authoritie of the Councell of Estate. But before you deale herein we would have you particularly enforme yourself both by our servant Henrie Killigrew and other[s of] the Councell of Estate, that you shall learne by him to be me[n] 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. And fol.78r
And whereas wee have been given to understand aswell by letters from the L.Willoughbie unto us, as from our servant Henrie Killigrewe, that the last Instructions given by the States generall to the Counsell of estate; conteyne 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 servant /Robert/ Beale who have had the viewe and consideracion of them: our plea- sure therfore is that you shall deale with the States most earnestly for the spedie reformation and redresse thereof, in such sort as the contract passed between us and them be not anie way abridged or infrin- ged by them. And for that fol.78v
And for that we find that by reason of the licenses graunted by the States, and by other meanes under- hand used by the King of Spaines ministers, the s[aid] king /and his forces armados/ have heretofore been furnished from thence of gre[at] stoare both of cordage Graine and sondrie othe[r] provisions, without the which he had never been hab[le] to sett forth to the seas so huge an armie and so well stoared with all kind of necessaries, which as it since hath been proved he minded to have em- ployed against this our Realm had not god of hi[s] great goodnes broken his ambitious desseigne, so as yf he may nowe be kept from drawing like pro- visions of out of those Contries and other Contries (for the stay whereof wee have taken some order) he shall not in manie yeares been able to drawe together fol.79r
together so great forces of that strenghth as those were the last yere: You shall therfore deale most effectually with the said States to inhibit the transportation of anie like commodities into Spaine the same to be ordeaned with Great penaltes, and with severe punishment ageynst the offendors. addyng therto that if any such provisions shall be found in any shippe ether of those Contreys or of any other, that shall be come within the power of any of our own shippes or into any of our ports, we will tak the same shippes confiscat, as ayders of our oppen ennemyes
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