Reference: TNA, SP 84/38/93 f.93r-94v
Citation: DCB/001/HTML/0251/008
Date: 22 July 1590
Note: No address leaf.
Copies: 0950
addressleaf
fol.94vEndorsed: 22. July. Draught of her Majestes lettree to Master Wilkes & Master Bodley. concerning the iij capains of Camphyrye.
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fol.93r
Trustie and welbeloved wee greate yow well. Yow shall understand that heare hath been, three Capteins which hearetofore have served in Camphire named Jois vanden Eind Carselis Palant, and Pierre de Costere, whoe have informed us that notwithstandinge theie have by the space of xviijtie yeares or theareabout served as Capteines, and borne Armies under the Prince of Orenge, /o in defence of those Contries/ and that of late yeares theie served with their Companies in the garrison of Camphire, to the Contentacion of the Comte Maurice, and the States generall, and for that when the Er owr late Cousin the Erle of Leicester, was Gouvernor Generall of those Provinces theie wear /by hym as lefully/ Commaunded /he might doo they thought he might do/ not to depart with theire Companies owt of the said towne, which he did order for the savetie of the /same/ said towne against the Common Ennemy. /yet nevertheless/ uppon that pretext, and uppon summ other Demonstrations of their goodwill towardes /us and/ owr service, theie weare by the States generall commaunded to relinquish their service /refused to be contynued, in ther charges, and war as/ [.] /it appeared reproved for servyng of us/ though wee had receaved the whole Contrie into owr Proteccion wheareupponn wee /havyng gret reason to [.] this [.] of [.]/ caused ye to be signified to the States generall by the L. Willowghby owr Lieutenant, and, fol.93v
Henry Killegrewe owr Counsellor theare, that wee had great cause to mislike the /such/ unkind proceadinges of the sayd States against them, havinge noe other matter wherwith theie might be charged, but that upponn the Commaundment of the Erle of Leicester that was Gouvernor Generall of all the Provinces, theie did /promise/ either by oathe or otherwise to be serviceable to us, not thearebie having anie mea- ning either on owr part to drawe them from the service of the publique Cawse of the Cuntrie, neither did theie refuse to doe service in /for/ the defence of the towne as [.] anie Commonn Ennemey: and upponn thes Consi derations /the states semed well content at our motion for ther favor wheruppn/ the[.] followed an Accord by certaine Articles betwixt the Comte Maurice, and the States on the one partie, and the said Capteines on the other, by which the Comte Ma sayd Capteines weare restored, as yt appeareth by the Articles of the Accord to the favor of the States & the Comte Maurice, and to theire places of service, with remission or rather oblivon of all thinges that had passed to have moved offence, whearewith wee fownd owr selfe vearie well satisfied and accepted the same fol.94r
thankefullie on /for/ the sayd Capteines behalf and theire Companies: But notwithstanding this Accord the Capteines doe /now/ informe us, that contrarie to the same, & to the promise of the sayd Comte Maurice under his hand writing, the sayd Capteines are /by the sayd states and Cont/ depreved of theire Companies, and theire paimentes uppon theire Accomptes refused; which being trewe, wee have great Cawse to thinke owr selves from being towched in reputacion: And therefore wee knowing anie further matter wheare- uppon to Judge, but by the informacion of thes Capteines. Wee have grawnted /to/ them [.] declare /that we will cause/ the state of their Cawses /to be declared/ to the States generall, and to require a redresse therof. And for this purpose wee doe by this presentes will and require yowe to take all such informacions as the sayd Capteines bringing thes owr lettres unto yowe shall geve yowe, and make /wherby yow may se/ the grownd of therin Com- plaint thus made unto us, /to be/ apparantly unto yowe /trew/, And afterwardes, with as Convenient sped as yowe maye yowe shall /in our name expressly/ require, the States generall to receive yowr Informacion, as recommended from us, and move them to observe the Accord /and all the articles/ that hath been made betwixt fol.94v
them, and the Comte Maurice with the sayd Capteines, uppon the solicitacion of the L. Willowghby, and owr [Couns[ellor]] Killegrewe, which yowe maie alledge they cannot violate withowt prejudice to owr honnor: w[.] /and therefor/ will wishe them to have more [.] regard /therof/ than /of any/ particuler proffitt, or other displesure towardes the sayd Capteines, having been men of good service against whome the worst theie can /cold/ alledge is /was/ that they by Commaundment of theire owne Generall the Erle of Leicester did as all honest Capteines owght to have done, promise to either by othe or otherwise /to kepe that town saffe and also/ to serve us, to whome the whole Cuntrie was committed in proteccion, so as whatsoever might be construed to be serviceable to us, [c.] /ought not/ by anie reason be compted but profitable /also/ to the whole Cuntrie, and to the states generall: and so yowe maie affirme, that wee doe precisely accept the services of all persons that is /ar/ or can be done to us in the Cuntries, owght to be in reason adjudged to be to the service and Benefitt of the whole estate of thes Provinces being in owr proteccion: for if anie other Construccon be made against anie that have offred or shall offer to serve us thear, /whylest we have the protection of those countres,/ wee shall have Cawse to thinke all owr fauces & charge bestowed uppon them to be ungratefullye received by them./.
Later Addition: Holland 22 July 1590.
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