Reference: TNA, SP 84/48/185 f.185r-188v
Citation: DCB/001/HTML/0441/008
Date: 03 May 1594
Note: A lacuna is left in the postscript concerning the number of pounds to be given to Bodley. There are two florilegia on the address leaf.
Copy of: 0030
addressleaf
fol.188vLater Addition: Holland 1594 [1589] May 3
Addressed: 1594 3 May Memorial of Instructions for Master Bodleigh sent to the States Generall.
lettertext
fol.185r
An Instruccion for Thomas Bodeleie, being sent to the States /and consell of estate/, and the Comte Maurice, for thes thinges heare after following./.
Yowe shall use all expedicion to deliver owr lettres to the Generall Estates, or in theire absence to the Counsell of Estate, wheareby wee have require them to geve yowe Aw- dience, and to yelde unto to such Requestes as yowe shall make unto them on owr behalf: for the reasons followinge./.
Yowe shall declare unto them that the Spaniardes which are in Bretaegne have of late taken and fortefied a spetiall place in the Haven of Brest, wheareby if they shall not be speedelie empeached theie shall be Commaunders of that Haven, beinge the most principall place wheareby they [In margin: Brest.]
shall become Lordes and Commaunders of all the trade by Sea westward either towardes Bourdeaux, Rochell, Spayne, or other places /westward/ whatsoever, and theareby shall also empeache and intercept all manner of Merchantes passing from the [Est] towardes the west as all men of knowledg and understanding of the situacion of that haven /beyng on of the best havens in [.] and so/ neare to the streight betwixt England & France maye vearie well Consider, and finde most necessary to be in the beginning with speed withstood: for which cawse yowe shall lett them knowe that wee have cawsed the said fortificacions so begann by the Spaniards to be vewed, and the meanes also discovered howe with convenient force by sea & with men to enter uppon the land, the same Enterprise of fol.185v
the Spaniard maie be (if it be taken in hand speede[ly] either defeated, or made frustrate for which purpose wee [[.]] determined to send certaine shippinge thither, with a nomber [[of]] men to attempt this serrvice, and for the more Expedicion besides some good nombers otherwise levied and provided within owr Realme, wee require the States to yeld sum succor also /accordyng as is by speciall contract covenanted on ther parte/ by shippinge on theire part to Accompanie owrs, bicawse [.] /the spanyardes have allredy armed certen shippes and do use them [.]/ [In margin: our costes of England and the partes of france towardes the [lowetes] end of england wher they have allredy taken some of our subjectes shippes and besyde tht we understand that ther by report]
understand by report that the Spaniardes doe meane to bring into that Haven, sum newe forces of shippinge, which they are preparinge newelie in Spaine, wholie to possesse the said Harborough, beinge hable to harborowe [.] & hold above a thowsand shippes of the greatest burden, and the greater nomber of shippinge that they will yeld unto us, they shall not onelie thearein greatlie Content us, but further that which shall be profitable for them, and theire generall state which cannot be but damnefied and endangered, considering the maintenance of the state of thes Cuntries consisteth uppon the free trade of Navigacion unto the west partes thorowgh owr Narrowe Seas: And this Aide of theirs, wee require to be speedelie geven, and to be sent towardes /portesmouth or/ Plimmowth, or sum other westerlye portes of owr Realme, wheare they shall have knowledge howe to meete with owr Navye, which wee have ordered speedelie to repaire towardes the sayd haven of Brest:/ Secondly yowe shall lett them knowe that wee requier to have such forces of owr subjectes as be theare in owr pay to be speedelye browght from fol.186r
thence to the Sea side to be shipped there and browght to joine with other owr forces levied and putt in order to goe by Sea towardes the said pt port of Brest, for Conduccion of whome, wee have sent Sir Thomas Baskerville Knight to take the Generall charge of the said nombers, and to bring them from thence by Sea, to whome wee require the states to geve all reasonable Commission for the safe passadge of him, and the said Companies from the places wheare he shall finde them unto the sea side /and that he maie have their power to take up [& hire] sufficient shipping in Zeland and may be sufficient for the transportacion of the sayd nombers uppon resonable [hyre] of the [same]/ ./ And thowgh wee did readelie yeld of late at the request of the States authoritie to cawse to be levied a thowsand five Hundred soldiers within owr Realme, which weare sent over thither by Sir Francis Veer, and did also direct to be sent thither to theire service under the Comte Maurice other nombers, which before have serrved in Normandy and summ also owt of Flusshinge and Brill & other places, Yet wee did at the same time yeld thes succors to them uppon Condicion /and not other wise/ that if yt showld happen that wee showld have Cawse geven us by any Accedents followinge to have the use and serrvice of thes owr people theie showld uppon owr request retorne /from thence/ to owr serrvice in anie place that wee showld commaund them: And therefore althowgh wee doe imagin they will be loathe to forbeare the serrvice of thes men at this fol.186v
time, bicaws of theire purpose by the defence of Couverden to recover the towne of Groninghen, a matter cannot denie but maie be benefitiall unto them, yet nothinge comparable in commonn benefitt to the defeating of this purpose of the Spaniard for the possessinge of Brest: And the matter towchinge us soe neare as yt doth wee cannot forbeare to seeke to have the Aide of owr owne People, nor beinge bye nature principally /as naturall subjectes/ bownd to serrve us before anie others: Wheareuppon yowe shall ernestlye require them that they will geve order to all such that be owr naturall borne Subjectes /now and ther servyng in bandes/ maie be licensed to retorne under the charge of the said Sir Thomas Baskerville: And if they shall object that the xvC which weare newly levied by Sir Francis Veere, are in theire paie, and have been levied at theire charges, yet yowe shall saye that wee thinke, consideringe the great debtes they doe owe us, and that they never did yeld us anie benefitt in monie or otherwise towardes the recompence of owr excessive charges thes manie yeres, they may forbeare that charge, and if otherwise they will not freelye yeld yt unto us, as summ token of theire good will wee shall be content, that such sommes of monye as have been defraied by them of theire levie, and theire wages theare maie be accompted as a portion of that debt which they owe us, wheareof wee shall acquite fol.187r
them. And bicawse wee thinke they will bee hardlie induced heareunto, /for these xvC levyed at ther charges/ wee are contented that upponn the peremptory refusall hereof. for the yeldinge to us of the serrvice of thes 1500. soe newlye levied. Yowe shall precisely require of them that the rest of owr Companies /beyng footemen/ that were from Ostend and other places towardes theire serrvice, beinge in owr pay maie be retorned: addinge that yowe will advertize us of such reasons as they shall alledge for the Staie of the others, givinge them summ hope that if they will geve summ Aide of Shippinge, /accordyng to the contract/ and geve expe- dicion for the retorninge of owr said nombers, beinge nowe in their serrvice and in owr paie, Wee maye bee the better contented with theire manner of Awnsweres But in noe wise yowe shall Accept of them any Arguments or Awnsweares for the delaie of the sendinge awaie of thes owr men /tht ar in our paye, wheras we do not meane to have any of our horsemen, to be revoked from thence./ [In margin: And if it shall soe happen tht they will as heretofore they have [[.]] and in termes not to commaund the comminge awaie of our People by theire Comon but shall yeld to suffer them, than you shall geve Sir Francis Veere Know- ledge of our Pleisure for the reduction of them from thence, as yowe shall prescribe unto him, for which purpose yowe shall have our letter to him to follow your direction]
Item. Bicawse wee take yt that thes owr people are at this present in the field towardes Freeseland under the Commaundment of Comte Maurice, as generall of the Armie of the States, Yowe shall have owr letters also of Creditt unto him, /to/ whome yowe shal
either by yowr letters, or by yowr self, if conveniently yowe maye repaire to the Campe, impart thes former fol.187v
reasons heare before expressed, to be shewed to the States for the havinge of the serrvice of owr people from thence to this serrvice above expressed: And if yowe shall finde it difficult to have the serrvice of the 1500. newelye levied under the charge of Sir Francis Veere, then yowe shall lett the said Sir Francis understand that wee are contented that he shall continue theare with them, and that he shall use all the expedicion he cann, to retorne from thence under the charge of Sir Thomas Baskerville all the rest of the Companies that are in owr paie: And for the charges of theire reduccion from thence and theire embarquinge wee have geven order howe Sir Thomas Baskerville shall be furnished with monie for the same purpose And assone as yowe have obtained this owr request consideringe wee understand that yowe have cawse for yowr owne privatt busines to retorne hither, wee are content yowe shall so doe, not dowbting but yowe will employe yowr self to the uttermost to obtaine asmuch of the [.] owr requestes as possiblye yowe maye/. If our forces which we require to be retorned ar so far passed into Frizeland, as a long tyme shall be passed before they can be retorned and brought to flushyng to be ther embarqued, than we have determyned tht Sir Thomas baskervile fyndyng the same to requere long/er tyme/ tyme to bryng them from frezeland, than our service shall requere, shall by vertew of our lettres to the Governors of flushyng the [Brile and] ostend,receave of so manny companyes as shall mak [M C] men, which he shall withall the spede tht he may cause to be fol.188r
shipped at flushyng and ostend and to bryng them to portesmouth. For supply wherof we will, tht Sir Francis Vere shall send from fresseland or the camp so manny of owr forces as ar in our paye under hym to the sayd nombre of iM iC to serve us in the sayd towns of brill flushyng brill and ostend and the residew of owr sayd forces [w] in our paye Sir Francis veare shall with also and this our determination yow shall /impart to the states/ if yow fynd lykhood tht the nombres can not be brought with such spede as the serves requireth, and procure the same to be executed, of which our purposs we have by our lettres we have by [.] our lettres to Sir Francis vere certefyed Sir francis vere, to whom yow shall send the same
Postscript: a prive seale for Master Bodeley to have pownd for his charges beyng sent to the states of the Low Contreys
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