Transcript

[fol. 27r] Belgia 1587 16 September

I have Receved from your Excellencie of late 2. lres, th'one of the nineteth & the other of [the] 22. of Awgust, which as they ar written to on so mene as I am, in the myddes [t] of your weightye affaires & incredible travaylles, so am I the more bownded to your Excellencie for the honorable remembrance ye vowchsave to have of me. Since mi last, sir John norrys hath byn convented before the L. Thresuror & master Secretory att Ottlands, to answer to further matter that cam agaynst him, from that syde the sea, allso the awditor Howte was present to charge him with things of accompte, to which latter parte he toke respite, promiseng by writ to satisfye assmuche as conserned him, with whom the late Tresuror was att Cowrt to assiste him. To the first parte, he toke it that he allredy had Answerd asmuche as the same conserned, & that this replye deppended of the former, butt he & his frinds do seeke ^to^ extemate the cawse whatt they maye, as though it towched him not directly, & yf it dyd, yett nott of that weight as sholld call him so far into qwestion for the same, Butt with this his mother who is a most ernest sollicitor for him att the Cowrtt, sekes to have it knowen, that she & her chillderne ar assmuche devoted to yowr Excellencie as ani creatures may be, & desire syncerely to do your honor & service, which cowrse procedes from the direction of som that ar nere the Sterne, & indeede to mi wonder, I se sondry of theme caryed away, with extraordynary favor towards sir John norys & that syde, Among which he hath possessed the most parte of the Women of the Cowrtt, besyde som other of your own frinds, that ether of policy or company follow the swaye [ deleted: of the rest] , or ar perswaded by symplicity to beleve a more sincere menyng & cleernes, than there is ani juste occasyon why, for truly I take theme Awthors of all these disorders in the Low Contryes, & to be the very grownds of the allteracion that followed./ for it is inexcusable in the L. of Buckhurst that when he was advised before his goyng hence to that syde, by your Excellencie who were faythfull & meete men to be dellt with there, & who to be eschewed, he nott withstandyng contrary both to his knowlege & promis, dyd qwyte otherwise, sowyng devisyon & diffidence amongest theme, to erect a new platt & project of his owne, which yll seedes in my oppynion, canott be denyed to be his, [ deleted: which were sturred & labored] nor the rest avoyde their assistence & invention to serve them up to on sellf purpose./ Abowtt the begyneng of the Last weeke, a Cowncellor of som reckning towards the evenyng of the daye, syngled him sellf into the Brakes the parck from his company with a crossebowe, as though he went a Tufftyng, w [here] [fol. 27v] he mett with sir John norrys, beng presumed that he browght him that night privately to her majesties speche. for the mornyng following norrys was [ deleted: nott] ^sene^ erly, nott far from the parck pale homewards./ Sir Wallter Rawley, ether of his yll nature, or of emulation to the Erlle of Essex, for that he doth good offices with her majestie for your Excellencie favors norrys all that he may, laboryng most ernestly for him, & cowrtes him up & down the Contry, which in few placs butt [ deleted: England] with us in England, wolld have so easy a passinge./ The L. of Honsdon is yett ungon to Burwick, butt prepared him sellf as this daye to departe. The L. Chancellor to my semyng, waxeth colld towards these cawses. master secretory is retyred to his howse for fisick, & the L. Thresuror to Thiballdes. I am afrayd that our advantaigs & good happes will all dissollve from hencefurth, for her majestie is so lothe to spend ani more, as I thinck she will suffer the Rutters to retorne owtt of Lovveyne home, for deffawte of that which sholld be purformed towards them, & so conseqwentlye the Actyons of the Lowe Contryes, by lyke consyderacion, shalbe slacked nott mayntayned, wherfore with mi harte I wisshe your Excellencie with your honor & saffetye att home, to save things here, seing the foreyn canott be advanced. She hath alledged that the Crowne of England after this cowrse is nott hable to sustayne the burden of that, which is reqwired, Butt the small order & provisyon in the begyneng, hath begott a nomber of errors, & conseqwently of Ruyne, & yett there is mony ynowgh to supplye all, & the tyme is nott so far paste, butt that opportunity will serve to redresse all, yf the menes be ernestly followed & embraced./ The Erlle of derby is loked for here tomorow, yett the speeche of peace lyes asleepe for a while./ The K. of navarre hath dissented the whole Camp of d. joyows in his absence, chassyng the remnant to the Hage in Towryne, where they be beseeged & canott well resiste, The P. of Condy & the Vicownt of Thowryne ar with their forces joyned with the K. of navarre. The Rutters in Loryne have overthrowen La Chastre the french K. Lyvetenant there, & driven him into Nanceye./

Towching myne own busynes, whattsoever is promised me, is unperfermed, & now bothe mi hope & paciens ar clene slayne, wheruppon I have moved her majestie for leve to serve where I can in the worlld, beyng in hope to obtayne it, wher with I most humbly fynisshe in haste, prayeng your Excellencie in mi L. of Warwicks name to be good & favorable to this berer, John Crooke./ Temple Barre the v ^th^ september. 1587. your Excellencies most humbly & truly W. Herllely.