Reference: BL, MS Cotton Galba D VIII f.194r-196v
Citation: DCB/001/HTML/1068/008
Date: 19 August 1591
Note:
Copy of: 0331
lettertext
fol.194r
Later Addition: 1591 19 August To my L. Treasurer
Later Addition: Belgia: 1591: August
May it please your good L. I have used towardes Count Maurice those gratulatory complementes, which her Highnes hath required, by your L. lettre of the 25th of the last which Rxd at Arnham the 22 of this present, & there presented that letter which her Majesty writ unto him. Hee accepted it of mee very cheerfully as a singular token of her gratious favour, & so hee protested with his humblest thankes, & with the offer of his service in all occasyons whatsoever. Because his letter heerwith is an answere therunto, I refer my self to that which he himself hath signified. To the same effect, as your L. hath written in favor of Master Winter, both Sir Francis Vere, & I were in hand with the Count, the next daie after that the ennemy was defeated. And as he promised them very willingly so now again hee assured mee, that Master Winter shall have any one or two of those prisoners, as he himself wil desire & that none shalbee redeemed, till some order hath bin taken of his ransome. Alwaies provided, that consyderation may bee had, for contenting the Captaines, by whom these prisoners were taken. There are but 3 of them remayning. The rest are all delivered. But these are the chiefest, & yet I dout the Spaniardes will not give Master Winter for them all. Heer ys Alfonso d'avaolos bastard brother to the Marquis of Guasto who for ought wee can heare, hath but a pensyon of 1000li by the yeare, & his company of horse. Hee ys prisoner to one Captaine Kintscey. The second is Pedro Francesco de Nicelli, who is prisoner to Captaine Bax & Ball. We cannot understand that he hath any staie of Living, besides the benefit of the cornet, wherof he was captaine which was gard unto the Duke & happely some pay, for being general commander of the horsmen by provision. The third is Count Decio, who is prisoner to Sir John Pooly, be a younger brother of those countes of Italy& as it is thought & affirmed by him self hath nothing of his owne, but the bare entertaynment of a Lieutenant to Jeronimo Carraffa. The welthiest among them all was on Pradilio, who died in Arnham of his woundes. In effect I have told Master Winters servant that whatsoever usage with reason of those that are in custody may stand his Master in steed, for his speedier deliverance I do not dout but the Count will willingly yeld unto yt And I will signify as much to the prisoners them selves & get theyr lettres to Montdragon, to cause Master Winter to be better entreated. Wheras your L. doth require a description of the places, where any service is parfourmed, it is not possible many times, but by naming of such places as are adjoyning; which I thought I had alwaies set downe sufficiently For heer are many fortes in these countreys, aswell of the ennemy fol.194vLater Addition: Belgia: 1591: August
as of ours, & in Groningen espetially, that have bin made but of late, & are not expressed in any cart of that Countrey. And likewise for the platts of groundes & formes of fightes, of which your L. is desirous unles it were so that the Councel were present in the place of conflict it cannot be don very readely. for though the Councel of state bee often at the Campe, yet their usuall resydence, is at the next & safest towne; & there they are informed, how any action doth passe which is but sommarely, & by lettres on the suddain, which I do certifye presently in as ample sort as the Intelligence is given, And if I should attend the retourne of some Captaine, to describe every circumstance it would require a leisure time, & hinder her Highnes from speedy advertisement./ There are some men heer sometimes that do portrait such services, of which I will not faile to send you any that can be gotten of our latter exploites & for mine owne parte heerafter to use all endevours, for expressing all thinges more particularely. Moreover in any encounter or miltary action, that either on nation above other, or spetiall parsons above the rest, shall shew any valleur to be noted aparte I will not faile to report it, as theyr service shall merit. But in the late defeat of the Ennemies horse, the most of our troupes aswell of horsemen as footmen consisted of squadrons & devided companies, & no mans endevor was much more eminent then other. And as for leaders in the field & principall officers, there are scarcely any in the states Army, but such as Co. Maurice doth depute for the time. Onely Monsieur de Faima hath a parmanent office, being general of the Artillery & otherwise a gentleman of singular experience. Heer is also Monsieur de Grise commissary general of the vittuales. But no mans advise is more respected & followed then Sir Francis Veres, who is commonly used by the Count as Mareschall of the field, & doth content the countrey exceedingly, for his carefulnes in all thinges, aswell for direction as execution. Being come but newly to the Hage, where the councel of state is retourned againe, I have spoken with Matruit the states commissary upon whom Sir Edward Norreis doth rely for making answere in his behalf to all theyr imputations. I know the party very well to be a man of very good discretion, & I know his affection to our nation in generall, & to Sir Edward in particular, to be more then ordinary. for which I see not how the gouvernor could have sent a fitter for his purpose: albeit hee was sent for by the states of Zeland, upon occasyon of other buisines. It is parforce in thos affaires, that I must be plainer, tho' I would bee willingly, if her Majesty mighte be otherwise effectually served. The forsaid commissary hath bin one of the chiefest, that hath from time to time informed this Councel of those abuses of the Governor, being bound therunto by his office & other, & not concealing from the Governor his proceeding so roundly. Nevertheles though he delt [in that] order for discharge of his duty, I finde him very [ready to] fol.195rLater Addition: Belgia: 1591: August
accompany his complaintes with his best construction & to do any good office, to make a quiet composition betweene the states & the Governor. But his travell therin cannot greatly steed the [governor]. For the states are parswaded that all his letters & offers to her Majesty, & to them are but meere excuses & cuning devises, tending to no other but to winne a litel time; which bringes a great deal of gaine in those exactions, & profites that hee reapeth continually by usurpation upon the countrey. for at this very present they have intelligence from Ostend, that those of Bridges have presented him with 12 silver cuppes which he hath receaved for the confirmation of theyr entercowrse. And this is certified hether, with an other long list of neer accusations. I cannot say upon certainty, that every thing is trew, that hath bin heer to fore, or is now imputed unto him (albeit I cannot yet in any thing convince the informers of a wrong report) but of this I am assured that the greatest pointes of importance are very manifest & trew of those that were comprised in this Councels lettre to her Highnes. More over there is a fresher accusation, then any of theyr former that is newly sent hether from the States of Zeland, to the general states, but not imparted as yet to the Councel of State, for which I cannot yet certifie, what is written in particular, but in general I heare, that the states of Zeland understanding that one Peeter Cortiken Greffier du Franc, which is one of the 4 members of Flandres had spetiall accesse & conference in secret with the governor of Ostend, & from him had recowrse to the D. of Parma going often in & out with great offence to all the Countrey, to know what practise was in hand, laid wait for the said Cortiken tooke him prisoner upon the waie, & brought him to Midelbourgh where they finde by his confession, that his treaty with the Governor was to contrive a peace between her Majesty & the ennemy, the Governor undertaking to parsuade with her Highnes, & the Greffier promising to worke the Duke there unto, & this they saie hee hath declared with very spetiall circumstance, which when it comes unto my handes I will send unto your L. Howsoever this matter hath bin handled by the Governor, I see it doth distempar this people not a litell. All that I do feare is least the troublesome fire of theyr wonted Jalousies & diffidences, which was never quenched thorowly, albeit now of late it was not much to bee parceaved will kindle now a freshe, & cause her Majesties servauntes that are heer in these countreys to become more unprofitable then they might be otherwise. For I am almoste out of hope that they will ever keep any parfect correspondence with those they dare not trust. I know this matter ere be long wilbee bitterly proposed, & what answere I should make I am altogether doutfull fol.195vLater Addition: Belgia: 1591: August
being ignorant as I am, how the governor hath proceeded & with what intelligence from home. But for mee, there shalbee nothing heer omitted, wherby any over sight, therewith hee may be charged, may be either colourd, or excused, or construed to e best for many important causes as of late I have written in a letter to your L. so now againe I am to signify, that for the good conduction of these affaires of her Highnes, there is nothing more expedient, then that such as are heer of her Majesties ministers, should imparte their dealing in some degree with him that is heer as her Highnes Councellor, for in all such occasyons, as are offred now it is commonly to mee that they addresse theyr first complaintes & what credit I can have to seem to know nothing, or to heare that I would not & yet be fored to excuse it, I leave to your L. to consider, where I certified your L. that the states of Zeland were resolved to take some course among themselves, to redresse those disorders committed by the governor I do learne by Matruit, that they were once determined (though hee know not at this present how they are disposed, to prohibit the cariage of any vittailes to Ostende without the payeng of licence mony, which is onely paid for vittailes to the ennemy, And that in regard, that the Governor him self doth traffique & send those vittailes to the ennemy that come out of Zeland. As your L. doth signify the states of Zeland have bin earnestly bent, to decay the contributions of the countrey of Flandres But it is ordayned by the general states that they shalbee continued with sufficient provisoes to meet with all inconveniences that those of Zeland can pretend. In that your L. doth suppose that Holland & Zeland are but coldly inclined, to extend theyr bondes in Flandres I can assure you that the enterprise intended upon the Land of Waes wherof I made mention in my Last from Arnham, is at the spetiall motion of those of Zeland, And they would willingly of them selves that the provinces would concurr to assaile the ennemy in those quarters But they of Frise, Gelders & Overissel, & likewise Utrecht, have bin alwaies very vehement in opposing against yt, refusing flatly to send any forces so farr from theyr Provinces, wherby the ennemy might be moved to take them unprovided. for though they know that in Flanders, the losse of any place of good acchount might annoy the ennemy very mightely, yet they think on the other side that the assurance of theyr state, & the custody of that which they have in possession is more to be respected, then the adding more unto yt by taking from the Ennemy. Now that Deventer & Zutphen are recovered againe, if Nieumegen might be gotten, the most parte of these contreys shold stand in good security & ther could be no excuse for not employeng theyr forces to the joining of other places. The Ennemy wee do heare is still in those partes which I mentioned laste unto you, but the brute is very constant of his going for France, which is also confirmed by lettres from Brussels from wherin they write that the states have condisce[nded] to raise 2 regimentes upon theyr owne propar charges, to defend the [contrey] in the absence of the Duke. Count Maurice hath lettres this [day that] fol.196rLater Addition: Belgia 1591 19 August To my L. Treasurer
Later Addition: Belgia: 1591: August
the Duke is gon to Namurs, & that the Princes of Germany have taken such order in theyr severall territories, as his levies of horse will hardly get unto him. Sir Francis Vere is appointed with some 10 or 11 cornetes of horse to marche towardes Linghen by the County of Benthem to spoile the countrey people, & as avantages are offered, to deal with those troupes of the ennemy that lie scattered in those quarters. There be divers difficultyes moved in the enterprise of Hulst, which require good information before the action bee attempted, To that effect there are men employed & wee expect every houre what word they will bring, which I will signify to your L. with the first opportunity & so I take my humble leave. Hage. August 19 1591.href="http://www.livesandletters.ac.uk/cell/Bodley/transcript.php?fname=xml//1591//DCB_1068.xml"