This daye shall Monsieur have the answeare of the Magistrates & comune cowncell of this Towne, towching the churche reqwyred for the exercyse of the masse, they are somuche pressed unto ytt, as they ar resollved among theme sellves to grawnt ytt, wheryn the Prince & St Alldegond ar the principall perswaders and urgers, & the magistrate with grett displeasure & Regrett of mynde ar constrayned unto ytt, which in the end will brede dissorder. Butt thoughe they have masse, mattens, christenyng, & buriall, yett shall they be excluded as I here, the preching. They desire our Lady churche, butt ytt is denyed, & ytt semes that St Michells shalbe permytted to that use, which is verie nere unto monsieur & to the wall of the Towne. ytt is proposed that the papistes that will enjoye the beneffyte of this masse shalbe fyrst registred & sworne to abjure theyr allegyance for ever to the K. of Spayne. [ Marginalia (by Herle): & to swere unto monsieur of new.] which will hallter theme shrowdlye & be of grett moment, for other cawses. For they have sett up as your L. knowes, Monsieurs armes att the gattes & afore the Towne howsse in Tables of wood tyed on with cordes, which cutt of with a penknive dothe discover K. Phillip armoryes under neathe entyre, and fayre engraved in stone, which hath som gretter misterie. The magistrates of the Towne would further that the papistes this privileged with their masse, sholld thence further be dissarmed, & not admytted to watche, warde, or make the Rownd, butt to the charge for the mayntenance therof onlye. There be 4. sortes in this towne, the protestants, mart [i] nistes, papistes, and Anabapists, wherof the papistes & martynistes ar strayttlye colleged, & ys to be forsene & provyded for in this next ymperyall dyett [ Marginalia (by Herle): & the Jewes all so have their assembles within their own howses ]
The Burrowghe master of this Towne, my verey good frind, sent me worde yesterday that he behelld verey well, that to theyr highe greife & discontentment, they should be constrayned, to con [ deleted: dissend] sent a churche to the papistes alledging that in grauntyng therunto, they did fyrst directlye against their conscyens, nexte against the ministers that did preche owtt of the worde of God for the abolyssheng of that Idolatrye. Thirdlie, they dyd against theyr credyte wth forreyne natyons, to Revoke that they had ones so constantlye establysshed. [ ... ] agaynste the will of theyr neyghbors, that were protestants & christ [ians] [ ... ] [fol. 189v]hereby & fynallye agaynst that contentment of the whole people. of the other side, in not grawntyng hereunto, they should breke their othe swoorne to Monsieur, towching the Religyows vrede. Next monsieur woulld departe, & they therby be abandoned of all prynces & ayde for ever. Thirdlye the charge of the warre, sholld fall whollye uppon theme, of this towne. The yndignatyon of K. Phillip converted against theme cheefflye. They sholld be deprived of the traffycke, seperated from theyr neyghbors, & lastlye cutt of from the ayde that ys presumed of owt of frawnce, Butt to conclude, he sayd, that other in grawntyng or denyeng, they sholld have the ymplacable yll will of the people to pursew theme./
The P. of Orenge owtwardlie urgeth this exercyse, where he ys thowght to myslyke of ytt [ deleted: grettly] to him sellf, butt that he by the errors which may procede hereof, may worck his advantayge, & torne the blame againste the provokers of the matter, ytt is on good mene to Tolle yn the mallcontents to theyr syde, & to justeffye the princs yntentyon, for the mayntayneng of the Religyows frede, that his adversaryes have non occasyon to objecte the breche therof unto him, as they have don the same of the pacyfficatyon of Gawntt. The Prince is muche noted here of duplycytye & conyng, & therfore hardely beloved butt mayntaynes his credyte by force of devyces, havyng these 4. years made more warre with his pen than his pyke./
I sawe this daye lres owt of Frawnce, wrytten to princypall persons here, from those that be of grett credyte & callyng, which were ymparted wth me. the substance was, that the frenche K. his mother, & cowncell, were playnlye resollved to kepe downe the grettnes of monsieur, & to cutt [wey] betwen him & the aydes that he myght loke for owt of frawnce, lyke as [ Marginalia (by Herle): manicule] they had crossed him allso in England, wherby is concluded that all will resollve into fame, yf the arme & purse of England do nott hellpe. The Spaynishe pensyoners ar myghty in Frawnce, theyr practyses be not few here & the end ys that they wolld convert the whole burden & envye uppon her majestie.
On Sonday Brunes: Monsieurs man arrived here with lres from her majestie, who sett furthe muche of her majesties solytarynes & contrystation, synce monsieurs departure thens, yet as Allfferont sayes, & som nere unto Monsieur, he determynes not to com any more into England./
Synce master norrys comyng hyther, Verdugo cam downe to the castell of Brunckhurst with iijm footemen & viij C horsse, & hath entred a freshe Companye into the Castell with the provision of xvi wag [ ... ] [fol. 190r] of vyttaylles & munityon: owr men had retyred theyr ba [...] er into theyr fortte, havyng had yntelligens of verdugos approche befforehand betwen whom was som skyrmyshe, wheryn the enmye lost a xvj men & departed. Theyr forte is hable to kepe the Ryver free, notwithstandyng the Castel, which was the cawse of the beseegyng of the sayd castell, wheratt was lost vaynlye abowtt vijxx of the best men they had.
Backevyll hath obteyned lycens of Monsieur to arme xij shippes agaynst the K. of Spayne, & to anoye the Indyes, yf he be hable to furnysshe hym sellf owtt./ allso the Portyngall Ambassador had good wordes gyven hym by Monsieur yesterdaye, that he shall have assistens of shippeng, & other thyngs to content hym. Wherwth most humbly I take my leve. the vij ^th^ of marche Andwarpe. 1581 W. Herlleli.
