Reference: TNA, SP 84/39/117 f.117r-118v
Citation: DCB/001/HTML/0263/008
Date: 07 October 1590
Note:
Copies: 0268
addressleaf
fol.118vLater Addition: 7 October 1590. United Provinces
Endorsed: 7 October 1590. Memorial of hir Majesties Lettres to Master Bodeley/
lettertext
fol.117r
Trutie and welbeloved wee greate youe well. Wee have recevid such lettres from the States generall, as in your lettres of the xxijth of the last moneth to our Treasurer of England, youe made mention: By which emongest other thing theie declare that they have taken advise which the Counsell of Estate theare uppon the Contentes of our former forsayd lettre to them directed, and theareuppon have resolved, to send a good great nombre of horsemen and footemen into /thorough/ the Cuntrie of Brabant into the Cuntrie of Haynault, theare to seeke uppon sum place of Importance, and to proceade therein without apparant danger: /for such ar ther proper wordes/ And furthermore after thus much declared by theire lettre, towardes the ende of the same, they signifie, that if wee maie find yt good to send readely 3000 or 4000 Englishe to Ostend to doe sume Exploit in Flanders assone as theie shall understand theareof, they will not for- beare to second us, with horsemen and footemen as many as shall be possible, and the state of the Countrie maye anie waies permitt. And according to this your self hath written to our /sayd/ Treasurer of England, thowgh youe have not expressed the nomber, as theie have done in theirs: But by the Copie of our lettre to them, which yowe shall receive, youe shall perceive howe willinge wee are to further this Action thowgh yt be greatlie to the trouble of our Cuntrie, and our extraordinarie charges: notwithstanding the great nombres that be in our soulde theare, which in our opinion might have served this purpose, to have been emploied both with more speed and lesse occasion for the Ennemie /by knolledg heere] therof/ to seeke to [defence] /withstand/ the same fol.117v
And wee thinke if youe /had/ alledged so much unto them, as wee thinke youe might reasonablie have done, theare owne forces joined with so manie of ours as might be theare spared, might have been better emploied for the purpose to have directed the D. of Parma. Then theare sending of Sir Francis Vere soe farre into Cleveland with our forces for recoverie of a fewe fortes, /which also they seme willyng to delyver to the D of clev/ or for soe great an Armie to have been emploied for the recoverye of such howses as Hemert and Hel are: But considering thes thinges are nowe /all redy/ past, which wee do not Condemne as unprofitable to the States though not of /such/ effect to divert the D. of Parma, as to have bestowed thes Charges in Flanders or Hainalt, wee forseeing that the divertinge of the D. of Parma, or [.] recovering summ places of strength in Flanders or Artoys are of most effect to the weakeninge of the Ennemie: and that if he /wee/ should /nowe refuse or/ forbeare never] to send thes newe forces of ours to Ostend as the States seme to like of, will dowbt theie would by pretence thereof neglect the Execution of that which theie have resolved: And therefore withowt respect to our present Charge, which dailie doth augment it self for this common Cawse: Wee have yelded to levie & send 3000 men by Sea to Ostend, assone as wee possiblye may And so youe shall make declaration theareof to them in our name But yet wee doe secretlie lett yowe knowe that the levienge of thes men shall be heare geven owt for to passe to Bolein and soe if by anie common bruite the States shall understand /there of/ youe maie lett them knowe, it is done to keape the Ennemy fol.118r
ignorant in Flanders of the purpose: And if the States can also cawse theire preparations to carrie sume other intencion than to passe to Flanders, untill the /instance of the/ time shall otherwise require: Wee thinke yt might also serve to the like purpose, for the abusing of the Ennemie: Although wee dowbt greatlie howe thes can be performed where so mannie shall be of Counsell./ Wee have at this present called to remembrance and perused your lettre written to our Threasurer, bothe the xxiijth of August of an Ouverture made to yowe /and a platt of/ by a Fleminge, and of your /and a plat of a towne/ /sent also at that tyme therwith, and of your/ further proceadinge with the same partye, uppon divers questions sent to yowe by our said Threasurer, wheareunto the foresayd partie made his awnsweare: all which weare sent /hyther/ by yowe the xxth of September last: /which we also have sene and considered/ and remembringe also therat that yowe wrote of Sir Francis Veres declaration unto yowe, what the Comte Maurice, had informed him of hs [rite] knowlege of the said purpose, as concerninge the sayd Towne, described in yowr platt: Wee have thowght yt fitt at this time of the sending of ths owr forces to take /secretly/ the advantage of that same offer rather than of anie other pece of service that wee canne looke for: And therefore withowt revealing this matter to the States, or withowt anie open communicacion therof with the Comte Maurice, but rather indirectly cawsing Sir Francis Vere to feele the minde of the sayd Comte Maurice thereof f.118v
wee would have yowe presentlie and with speed, to speake with the party that made yowe the self Ouverture: and if he shall continue in the minde wherein he was to judge the fact faisible in such sort as he offre, then yowe shall cawse him with all the speed possible to repaire hether, devising somme other errand to come his Journey: And if yowe canne gett anie further knowledge of the Comte Maurice, for his opinion, wee will that yowe send the same to us /in wrytyng/ by the sayd partie, with whome /so as we may compare both the togither and/ when he shall comme hither, wee maye more plainelie have Coference /understand all circumstances necessary/, and so proceade thearein as wee shall finde cawse: And in the meane seasone wee require yowe by noe meanes to discover this matter nether to the States generall, nor Counsell of Estate nor to any other.
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