Reference: BL, MS Cotton Galba D X f.156r-v
Citation: DCB/001/HTML/0039/008
Date: 24 June 1594
Note:
Copy of: 0445
lettertext
fol.156r
Maye it please your good L. having nothing to negotiat till I heare from your L: which I have not done as yet since I came out of Englande, I am humbly to beseeche you, yf you thinke it soe meete to lette me knowe as soone as maye be to what effecte I shall addresse my further dealing with the States. They have taken suche order for supplie of the garrisons, as it is not to be doubted, but that the enemies forces beyng presently dispersed, they are very well provyded; and yet theyr meaning is further as occasion shall requyre, to see them furnished as fully as they have been at any tyme. I have allsoe ear- nestly sollicited to knowe an aunswer about the shipping, which the Provinceswill sende to the enterpryse of Brittanie: wherein I doe perceyve by pryvate communication with some of theyr Deputies, that they have full commission sent unto them to take what order they thincke meete. But for as muche as my selfe am utterly ignorant both of the number of shippes that the her Majestie will arme, and of the tyme that is assigned of theyr putting to sea, and of other besydes very necessarye pointes to be knowne to them heere, before they can resolve I am forced to forbeare from dealing further with them, till her Highnes further pleasure be notified unto me. From the Campe before Groeninghen we are thus advertysed. That the 13th day of this monneth, the Bourghers made offer to capitulat with Co: Maurice, requesting hym to send his Deputies unto them: which he promised to doe, soe that they would send hym hostages, till the Deputies returned, whereunto where they had yeelded the Co: sent his trompette to conduct the hostages unto hym. But whyle the trompette was within, the soldiers of Verdugo which laye entren- ched in the suburbes, and were as is thought 700 in number, by the practise of Jesuits, and with the assistance of certaine mari- ners, and suche others of the towne, as dislyked to Capitulate, had a gate sette open to them, by which they entred unwares to the Contrarie fashon, put many to the Sword that were in consultation advaunced theyr ensignes about the walles of the Towne, and commit- ted besydes dyvers insolent actes. This was done the 15 of this pre- sent, but was unknowne to our armie, till a Bourgher that escaped and lepte over the walles, came to tell yt Co: Maurice, wheruppon the nexte daye after he sent them a Drumme, to requyre his trom- pette and to knowe their resolution. In the tyme of theyr parley, it was accorded on both sydes, that the great Artillerie should not playe, which was a singular furtherance to the finishing of our workes, fol.156v
Endorsed: [To my] L. Tresure[][r] June 24 1594
having pearced by that meanes into 4 severall places of theyr d[yke] which nowe they labor to fill up. The 17 daye at night the tr[om-] pette beyng returned Co: Maurice was certefyed that the Bour[ghers] had prevayled againste the souldiers of Verdugo, and [had] driven them agayne into theyr trenches in the suburbes, wh[ich] is called there the Schuytendiep: And presently upon it they re[nued] theyr further sute, by a letter to the Co: requesting hym ag[aine] to capitulate with them: whereunto he condescended, but [re-] fusing to be bownde as he had been before, not to use h[is] great Artillerie: which he perceaved by some prisoners [did] more terrifie the Bourghers, with theyr firie Bullets, then a[ny] other force or practise of the armie. They requyred in ly[ke] manner that although they should conferre, and agree u[pon new] conditions, they might yet be permitted to take 14 dayes r[espite] to see what succor would come to them, which they seemed [to de-] maunde, because Co: Maurice once before had seemed [to ] make them suche an offer. Howbeyt by his lettre of the [19] he replyed unto them, that thinges were nowe in another es[tate] and sith that before they rejected his offer, he would not [grant] soe muche agayne, but in the worde of Prince he would [assure] them that there was no succor towardes, using speeches [of] persuasion to drawe them to compownde without further [delay.] Howe this lettre is accepted we doe not understand: bu[t every] man supposeth, and theyr manner of proceeding doth ins[inuate] no lesse, but that they purpose to surrender.Having had the sight of an Abstract of the Emperors proposi[tion] in the Diet of Ratisbone, I thought that yf your L. ha[d not] seene it before, I should not doe amisse to imparte yt u[nto you] for which I send it heere inclosed. And soe I take [my] humble leave. From the Hage. June 24 15[94] Your L. most humbly Tho. Bodley
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