Transcript

[fol. 208r] Belgia 1582 25. Marche: A

On Thursday last, I dispatched a man of myne to your good L. wth lres of the 20. & 21. of this moneth: wheryn I have advertised att large the state of things here. Synce which, the Pryncs wound shewes [ deleted: good] good apparance of amendment, butt till the vij ^th^ daye be past (which determynes abowtt on of the clock this sonday) & the ix ^th^ daye allso, no full assurance can be made, thowghe his frynds be of oppynion that the danger is paste./ The Prynce is of that corayge, that it makes the care easyer in hym, that wolld be ympossible yn a weker person./ The State of his wound is this, that the blowe of the pistoll hath astonyed or contused the principall parts nere the wound, which beffore they be browght to their feelyng, canott be without danger of Accydents. Att the blow the sayd P. dyd thynck that the whole howse had fallen uppon him nott ware that he was hurt, till the blood cam trycklyng down. The paper that Ramed yn the Bullett, was dryven far ynto the wound, accompanyed with grett force & qwantyty of the powder, which spred it self the more, by howmuche the peece was overcharged. The powder burned his Ruffes, & Taynted the Typpe of his eare beyng disharged so nere, for ther was never sene suche an assurance, as of the wretche that dyd the deede./ The powder hath cawsed the swellyng & inflamatyon, which axeth his dissolvyng, & even now the Escar or scurff is separated, & they begyn to com to the depthe of the wound, which is as byg as a doller, att the place of the first entrye. [ Marginalia (by Herle): The danger wilbe when they be com to the serching of the escar lest it be so deepe as it cover som of the veynes that may hart by the blowe & then the yssew of the blood be suche as they be nott hable to stoppe/] / The P. contynewes still scylent, butt wrytes whatt is to be don, & signed yesterday xvj lres & som commissyons. Butt the Cowncell of the Stats generall, will proce [de] yn nothyng, till they do se his full & present convalescencye./

They have prepared shewes att Gawnt & Bruxelles, for Recevyng of Monsieur, which most staye allso his tyme./ Monsieur visites the P. often./ & sent on frydaye Roche de Brun into frawnce with instructyons to the K .of the state of things here, & whatt the persons deteyned in prison for the murther pretended, have conffessed./ which conffessyons your L. shall allso [ deleted: Receve] Receve, assone as they may be recoverd./ Monsieur takes this acte of the K. of Sp: to be don dyrectlye agaynst his person, & that it may serve for a good caveat to all other princes, [ deleted: to bewar of the Spanish: ynfamows practises] , The sayd Monsieur, affirming that they shall procede here, by cryminall [fol. 208v]processe agaynst the K. of Sp: & then divullge the Acte to the Imperyall dyett, & the Kyngs & princes of christendom./

To cutt of practises assmuche as they may, & yntertaynments by lres, they have dismissed Taxis the postemaster, & transferred the use of that office to doheyn, [ Marginalia (by Herle): doheyn] who [ deleted: was] ys principall in Tytell beffore. To whom the lres shalbe browght comyng & goyng, that he may visite theme accordng to his discretyon./

Ytt is yntended that the K. of Sp: armoryes, shalbe beten down nott only here, butt throwghowtt, [ Marginalia (by Herle): the other provinces] & Monsieurs erected in place of theme, with a further charge that non of these inhabitants shall retayne within their howses, ani pryvate monument of the sayd Sp: K. armes. The masse is butt wekely hawnted here, & the papists that do reffuse to abjure K. Phillip, make shew that they will forsake the Towne, butt when they [ ... ] whither to Retyre for saffetye & trafficke. the matter is dowttfull./

By lres yntercepted that cam from Gasper Laniastri att Gravelling, ytt apperes that he yntends to be att Calyce shortlye, To meete wherwith, Monsieur hath sent his provost with lres to Gordan for his staye, till he know the frenche K. plesure theryn, att whose hands he lookes to have the sayd Laniastri delyverd & be browght hither./ Ytt is looked for here that the Cassyer & the preest (who is a Jacobyn freer conffesser to John Jawriguy) shalbe executed this weeke, or the next, att the furthest./ And it is deciphred that the d. of Allva, had a grett parte yn this fowll actyon, procuryng John de Alonza his creature, to be the maneger of the same./ Bernardin de mendoza is another creature [ Marginalia (by Herle): of his allso.] Monsieur gyves hope that the Swittzers, the frenche Lawnces & sh [ott] a foote, & the Reysters shalbe redy yn the filld within .10. weekes to serve here & that allso the frenche K. his brother shall declare hym self agaynst the K. of Sp: ether of which is shrowdly dowted of, & hath small apparence . yett this night the P. dellphine departes certaynly into frawnce, which is the more hastened for that the castell of Dulow is taken by the enmye, & prepares as to morow to have his Camp beffore Iper, [ deleted: which] to beseege ytt, wheryn ar nether hable sowdyors nor Government nor they hable from hens to gyve convenyent succor therunto which is a place of grett ymportance.

[fol. 209r] The negociatyon from hens with montignye & the Mallcontents, hath butt slowe progresse, who now have a more ynsyght [ Marginalia (by Herle): by this late presydent] ynto the sp: K. vyndicative mynde, then ever heretoffore, & therfore for their own security sholld be the better enclyned to Monsieur, yf their envye to the P. of Orenges estate, & their owne ambicyon [ deleted: do nott dyd nott hynder] do nott hynder the same/ As yett nether Du Vraye, nor Neweffville ar arryved here./

[ Marginalia (by Herle): manicule]

There is an oracyon dispersed among the mallcontents, to yntertayne theme in corayge & dutye the more to the K. of Sp: sett furthe yn frenche yn the name of the L. Chancellor of England, as a speche of his debated yn Cowncell, whither it were necessarye for her majestie to gyve ayde to this syde or no. / A thing pened by Monsieur Dowaye, projected by d'assonvill, & awthorised by the P. of Parma, prynted & solld in Tornaye, though named to com from Colleyn, wheryn the K. of Sp: forcs, frynds, & mony, ar s [o] magneffyed, & the Q. of England so abbussed, as it towcheth her in honor (in mi humble oppynion) to take knowlege of ytt, asswell for the inventyon, as for the grosse & lyeng Termes that ytt doth coteyn. I am perswaded that master Secretory wallsyngham hath the booke, otherwise I wolld send your L. on onlye copye that I have. Villiers is browght now in favor withh Monsieur, by the P. menes, & Du Plessys mediatyon./

[ Marginalia (by Herle): manicule] [ Marginalia (by unknown hand): manicule]

This mornyng my good & familyer frynd Gwyciardyn, the write [r] of the descriptyon of this contry cam to me, havyng byn by the space of ij dayes detayned ymedyately beffore in the Town howse & examyned, whither he helld ani correspondencye [ deleted: or no,] with on Bandino a florentyne in Parys, a man of good accompte, butt yll affected to this estate, by sondry offices that he had don agaynst it. wherunto Gwiciardin answerd, that as on floretyne to another, lres had passed bettwen theme, butt in matters of state never ani thyng./ wherunto they made a second demande, whither he had written to the sayd Bandino, that by the practis of the Q. of England, had with the P. of Orenge & the States of this contrey agreyng all .3. in on, that Monsieur was browght over hither, to worck & skeme the frenche K. & playnlye withall to breke [ deleted: down] even Monsieurs neck, & to Ruyne hym./ Wheratt Gwiciardyne dyd [fol. 209v]protest that he was Innocent herof, bothe in wryteng & thowght, commendyng her majestie to be the worthyest & the admirallest Pryncesse yn vertew & yntegtrytye that ever was. And for the P. of Orenge, & the States of this contry, that he had gyven sufficyent Testymonye of his well deservyng towards theme./ The next daye they reppayred to hym agayn, prayeng hym by the mowth of ij Burgmasters & .4. [Skepens] that he wolld not ynterprete yll that he was thus ynterrogated & sayd ytt was to do their contrey service, for suche purposes [ Marginalia (by Herle): speches as they had mynistred the qwestyon of hym] had passed bettwen som men, & had byn wrytten of allso abrode. prayeng hym to do the best offices he cowd to the States generall, to the P. & to Monsieur, (whom they named last) they holldyng the same ^good^ oppynion of her majestie that he dyd, which advertisment the sayd Gwiciardyn deliverd unto me as a secret of ymportance, [ deleted: which] ^that^ conserned the Q. to consyder of/ for ytt semes that they joyned the other ij in the artycle of his examinatyon, with the Q. to cover the gelowsye that they have conseved of the Q. majestie in this action, allso to clere the P. of Orenge, who is judged that he wrought by St Alldegond in England, to bryng over the D. whattsoever cowntermyne he shold be dryven to use for the same Monsieur allso takes ytt verye hardlye, that the intertaynment of England waxeth so colld towards hym, for thowgh he have Receved lres from her majestie by Bruneas, & twise by the poste sithens, he looked to have had speciall [ deleted: speciall] messayge & tokens to have passed bettwen her majestie & hym, [ Marginalia (by Herle): in som other sorte, which now perplexeth him that he is so smallye accompted of] yn somuche as on of the P. Cowncell sayd to on of good repputacion, that [ deleted: the] albeyt the Q. of England wolld shake of Monsieur, & abbandon her distressed frynds when they most looked for comfort & accomplisshment, yett that it was no pollicye to do it [ deleted: so] sodenlye & all at ones [ deleted: And this is certayne] to hym, that she had yntertayned so notablye, & to the contry that deppended of her, & in whose good successe, her assurance stoode. And this mi L. dothe breede daylye more angwisshe & offence in theme: for their estate stands uppon extreme Termes, how to be hable to provyde money to erect an army & dryves theme to mani hard constructyons & devises./

[ Marginalia (by Herle): manicule]

Wherunto this advertisment followyng, may serve for som applycatyon, That ther is yntended a negociatyon to be had shortlye from hence with a foreyn Prynce, for the which a person was named to be employed theryn, butt that he was thowght unffytt, ^in^ [ deleted: for] that he was over favorable to the Q. of England & her cawses. which partye was advertised herof, desyring me to[fol. 210r] Belgia 1582 25 March

have on yn redynes to send especiallye over to her majestie when he s [hall] give me knowlege. [ Marginalia (by Herle): further of this negotiation.] / Synce which tyme itt is appoynted that [Go] vill shall go over with lres & credence secrettlye into Scottland, [in] the company of Coronell Steward, who (of mi lyfe) is whollye frenche as I can be hable to prove when occasyon serve. For Govyll he [ deleted: ys] ys growne to a sodeyn fasshyon of scylens & sadnes, & in malyce he hates our natyon assmuche as may be./ Corone [ll] Steward by this occasyon shall have [ Marginalia (by Herle): manicule] a paye of a Rownd som of his olld detts, promiseng therwith to bryng over som supplyers to fill up the olld Bands here. This next weke he travaylles into Gellderland, to se his Lady of Battemburgh, & from thens comes to Camshire, whens he & Govyll shall take shippeng into Scottland./ He tolld me that he looked for lres from master Secretory Wallsyngham by the next post, & further that he hard that the Erlle of Armen was com to the K. att Edenburgh well accompanied & followed, dobigny beng then att Dalkith [ Marginalia (by Herle): Dalkythe] of whose qwarrel with Arren, the K. ha [d] undertaken the decisyon & reconsilement./ He axed me further [ deleted: whither] , whither ani Ambassador was sent of late into Scottland owtt of England, which I cowd nott resollve him yn./ Wherwith very humbly I take mi leve./ Andwerpe the 25. of marche. 1582. Your L. most humblye W. Herlleli.