Reference: TNA, SP 84/43/142 f.142r-143v
Citation: DCB/001/HTML/0350/008
Date: 29 October 1591
Note:
Copies: 1087
addressleaf
fol.143vAddressed: To the right honorable my very singular good Lord the L. Burghley Lord Highe Treasurer of England.
Endorsed: 29 October 1591. Master Bodeleie to my L. Gouvernor of Ostend.
Later Addition: 29 October 91
lettertext
fol.142r
May it please your good L. I am informed from my frindes out of England, that I have purchased displeasure aswell of your L. as of some other of the LL. of her Majesties Councel: which doth growe, as they suspect, through the Governor of Ostend. Because I knowe it not assuredly, but onely by report, I knowe not howe to frame my stile unto your L. But if I have bin so unhappy, as to incurre your displeasure, about the Governors affaires, I trust by your letters to be certified of the cause, and mine answear required: which is all that I will crave withall sumbission of your L. Whatsoever I have written of those maters of Ostend, it hath bin onely to your L. and not any thing to others, which God is witnes to my thought, I did for the best, and with a curious endevor, to salve the credit of the Governor, and yet to take some good order for the indemnitie of the Contrey. Howe I may have erred in the maner of my writing I can not conjecture, but for the maters ad- ertised, yow shall not finde me to vary from any point of any letter, that I have written heeretofore. And if I adde more unto them, provoked thereunto by the unkindnes and practises of the Governor and his frindes, (who doe injure me also otherwise, as I am adver- tised) the blame must be their owne, that will force me of a frinde, to become an accuser. fol.142v
I will not trouble your L. with a multitude of wordes in a mater of this qualitie, till I knowe in some certaintie for what occasion I am touched. But yet I beseeche yow of your ever accustomed, and honorable favor to suspend your judgement against me, till yow heare in what sort I can answear for my self. For if I be founde to have written any thing of Levitie, or malice, or not upon suche grownde, as all the LL. without excepti- on shall have cause to approove, I will offer satisfaction to the uttermost point of shame, that the plaintifes can require. And with this my offer in that behalf, if your L. will vouchesafe to acquaint the rest of the LL. if yow thinke is so fitte, I will repute it for a singular addition to those other great good turnes, for which I am bounde unto your L. And so I take my humble leave. At the Hage. October 29 1591. Your L. most humbly bounden Tho. Bodley
href="http://www.livesandletters.ac.uk/cell/Bodley/transcript.php?fname=xml//1591//DCB_0350.xml"