Transcript

[fol. 180r] Departing mi right honorable good Lord, from Reding, on wensday in the after noone, the next daye I was here, butt then was the B of London gon to his howse att fullham, in which mene tyme I inqwired owtt the state of thinges, & fownd that Marck Car, Myngs, & certain other had bin examined & dismissed, yett bownd on for another to be furthcomyng till the Cowrt shold com hither, in whom they fownd small matter for that they knew nott whatt they shold oppose them withall butt the yonger Alexander Hamellton uppon the first staye of these other, fled sodenly away in the Company of on Mowllyns, & is retyred into Glowcester shire to on master wyckes his howse a grett Papist, where I [ deleted: so far] have so nere inqwired of hym, as that I know hym to be there, This Mowlyns is an englishman verey stowtt in Papistry, & studyes the Lawes ether in new In or Lyons [ deleted: yn] In; he cam owtt of frawnce of late & was warned he sayth by certayn jesuytes bothe of the troble there (wherby he cam away in tyme) & of troble that is like to be here & in Scottland, & is partaker of ani sedicyon that is towards us, or knowen by the Scotts & theruppon hath led Hamellton to be after the maner of a Scolemaster till thinges be in better tune, ye with suche a party they remayne, as bi his perversnes doth troble the whole Contrey & by his sedycyows mynde wold turne the state up so downe, therfore most necessary to have his howse serched aswell for them as for wrytengs, which may bryng som farther matter to light, as surely on thing is diligently to be observed, that a grett fight ar scattred abrode of scotts & frenchemen in the Contrey, who ar retyned by the like men, even to sowe whatt poyson they can, & to espye owtt the secretts of the state, Butt for Mowllyns & Hamellton (they being apprehended) must secke [fol. 180v] for wittnesses against the other scotts, which is matter of importance, suche as they canott denye, & then for their own knowlege, there is more also to be gatherd of them that way, which as it reqwires spede, so for that I know bothe these partyes well, I present ani servyce that I may do for their apprehensyon, for it most be som that knowes them, that most do the dede, & likewise most use grett discretyon therin, Butt for the other Scotts, seing the Bishop absent. I delte so far with the Recorder (though he be non of this Comision) as that they be stayed again & seperated from eche other, nott in prison butt in their own [ deleted: howses] lodgings, for so semed it good to the Recorder & to sir Peter Carew, who nottwithstanding do nott perceve me to be the instructor of these thyngs.‡ [ Marginalia (by Herle): ‡ as surely your L. shall finde me in all mi procedinges bothe diligent & [ deleted: faithfull] secrett, which be the prefferers of an humble fayth the more] Then have I talked att large with the Bishop of London according to your L. Comandment, fynding hym verey carefull to advance this servyce, & to have me kept from being noted therof; He likewise allowes of the matters that I have to charge them with, wherin I promis to bring in a sufficyent gentillman to prove unto their faces that suche words & demonstratyons have passed them, as I have instructed your L. of, mary we most nedes have Hamellton & Mowllyns produced allso for they most confirme the same, & that will wyn a full overture of that which is required, besyde that the sayd Hamellton & Mowllyns ar men of their own faction & may be made to discover whatt they know in other thyngs, wheruppon I advised the Bishop, that [ deleted: in this actyon with the Scotts] (if he fownd [ deleted: them] the Scotts obstinate) to charge them that Hamellton & Mowllyns shold be wittnesses against them, whom they ^might say to have^ allredy [ deleted: had] in Pryson, [ deleted: to bryng them] & this wold be if the more terror to them, [ deleted: & this] ^which^ [ deleted: dyd] the Bishop well liked of, as further therbe from honest frenchemen, to whom marck Ker disclosed som part of his secretts, butt they ar to be reserved for gretter service, Butt the Bishop & I concluded that I shold frame [fol. 181r] certayn artycles owtt, as grownds wheruppon they might procede, which he wold copye with his own hand, wisheng me to bring those to hym to morow to his place besyde Powlles, for then he menes to be there, & this is the relatyon that I can make for asmuche as is don hitherto. Now for seres & john Hamellton, I use all diligens to fynde them owtt, & there is som hope given that they may be hard of, for they affirme certaynly that they were here of late, & that in verey secrett maner, butt it is grett pyttye that Chambers is so escaped, for in hym rested a whole masse of Treson & practis, which Th'embassadors men to cover, have given owtt since he departed, that he was a Phisicyen; And [ deleted: Now] for the other Hamellton, which had master Walsinghams pasport & testymony for hym, it is certayn that he hath abused master Walsingham therin, & that it was only a fynesse of the scottish Q. to note hym for a Protestante, who otherwise wold serve her turne of ether Protestant or devyll if she cowd. There is on Dowglas in Pryson comitted by the Bishop who is a preest & hath changed his habite, having x li a yere pensyon of the Lord Vaws, which preest lyves verey gentillmanlike in this towne, resortyng [ deleted: verey] familyerly to the frenche ambassador & is favored of a grett nomber of Papists, of whom if I can understand ani more particuler matter, I will advertys the Bishop with spede. Moreover I wold humbly wishe your L. to loke unto Colburne the Scott better, for that he is a desgised fellow & understands som true & certayn particularityes of actyons that ar to be don aswell here as in Scottland, which words [ deleted: that he] spoken to Aske the goldsmith may prove, & those [ deleted: ar the] ^words ar the sayd Aske^ redy to avowche to his face, Butt where he hath used the like words in the Cowrt, those are more generall than these, & even his own behavyor & bashfullnes may bewray hym, if he be observed, but there be here that do laye to his charge that he receved 400. [crowns] of the king att his departure, besyde that there rests a gretter mistery in his dooble Pasport, than he well can [fol. 181v] excuse. Allso for the B. of Rosse, he hath rayled att your L. & sir Walter Mylldmay as though contrary to your assurance, ye had reveled suche secretts as he under trust had comitted unto you, calling it a betrayeng, & therfore that he is bownd no longer to ani promis or devotyon that he hath professed, & certainly he hath sent lres of late into Scottland, nether wants he mani menes to practis & wryte from the place where he is, which I thought mi parte to instruct your L. of. Butt further there is on principall matter that ought presently to be provyded for, & that is of ij Scotts that ar coming over, bothe of the frenche kinges garde, & do bring with them a grett som of money, who to colowr them selves the better here, will procure on Marchand a scott who is of the Religion to com over with them, & therby to sett hym att saffetye, & they to be estemed honest men therby, wherfore if it might plese your L. to give spedy order along the Coste, for the arrivall of this men, they ar surely to com thither furthwith, wisheng that all other of the Ports had taken so good a waye for discernyng of men that com over as Rye doth, butt the same care were as nedefull to be used owttward as inward./ Here is on Dante [ Marginalia (by Herle): Dante ] a frencheman apprehended yesternight, who pretending Religion is fownd to be an advertiser, having wrytten lres to Captayn Gicoigne of Deepe, of the setting owtt of our navye wherin thougth he have erred for th'yntent [ deleted: that it is for] , yett is his malyce & faculty discoverd therby. There is allso a frenche Denizen dwelling in croked lane, a man that hath bin a long conytnuer here, & of grett experience , who doth advertys over verey dangerows thinges, & he is so sowre a Papist withall, as he wold ^adventure A [murder] ^ [ deleted: do ani thing] to offend this tyme & government, wherin I mene to dele with the Bp. of London, that accordyng to the man & cawse he may consyder of it. Butt ther [ deleted: be] wilbe a good order from hencefurth taken in the frenche churche for these new men that com over, for calling them to the Comunyon all, [fol. 182r] their Conscyens shalbe tryed on way, & their lerning by examinatyon another way, which will discover under whatt Pastor they were, whence they cam, & whatt they ar, discernyng straight the good from the bad, which will dismaye bothe Th'embassador & ani Cownterfete that he may introduce to an ill end, Beseching your L. for God sake to loke specially to the Italyens, as men of all other most dangerows in ani Reallm, butt here hable to do most harme as the season is, & seing that they are discoverd in their own humors, which wholly tendes to mischeeff, so is the care more necessary in reppressing that they do or wolld do, before the harme rones further, yett therbe som good Italyens who wold advise the Q. majestie to loke well abowtt her & to serche the fidelity of her own trayne, lest the mischeeff be nerer than is loked for, marvayleng that she is mani tymes so sclenderly accopanied when she rydes abrode, which is observed aswell bi her majesties [ deleted: foes] ^foes^ as her frynds, & that she gives verey ^easi^ accesse unto her, which is an opportunity for som gretter harme, & in this securenes to mar all, before ani remedy can be agreed uppon, which words procede of a further knowledge, when as Italyens will pronownce so far, But for Giraldo the mongrell Italyen, it is more than tyme that he were hence. having pretended long inowgh a cownterfete [ deleted: messinge] benefyte for this Realme, who was within this lyttell whyle mett muffled towards Romford I will not saye towards master Peters howse butt the people that he hath in his howse, & the brode words that they use, may presume a farther matter then this is. Then for Jutio his man, is certaynly another Ridolphi, sent from Rome by the Pope & Cardinall Ridolphi to florence, there to receve further instructyons, & from thens to Chappin vitelli in the Lowe Contreys, who preffered hym to Giralldo as master of his howshold, to cover the cawse of his being therby, for otherwise he wold thynck grett [fol. 182v] scorne to serve hym, havyng of his own besyde the Popes intertaynment 400. [crowns] a yere, & Chapin Vitellis words were to Giraldo, that he shold have more nede of that man (menyng Jutio) than he [ deleted: shold have] of hym. The third Italyen is Cavalcant, & in degre the worst of all, for if according to scripture a man canott serve ij masters faythfully, muche les can he serve the Pope, the frenche King, & the Q. Majestie of England ^at ones^ , being so contrary in [ deleted: hym] them selves & having liveng bi them all: with this his Religion is so knowen, as he conformes with his other masters muche more than with this, & now he deffends [ deleted: with grett] the frenche kings perfidye & monstreows tyrany with suche ernestnes, as though he were his Champion; he condempnes all those that ar slayne in frawnce, he cryes owtt uppon the treson of all the Protestants, & will not understand that ani thing is ille intended against the Q. majestie. finally he & Acerbo Vellutelliz, be the Ambassadors cheeff & derest instruments, to perswade what soever may serve the tyme, till ^they^ may have their practises brought to a full maturity as they wold: further there is a dutcheman here called Doctor Peynye, a man feed owtt of the Q. mothers chamber, & who proffessing Phisick & specially to be sene in the simples hath a good scope (under pretence to seke owtt materiall things) to range abrode where he will, & to discover bothe Contrey, Townes, Havens, & coste syde, & whatt further incovniencs may procede by hym, ether ^this way or^ by poyson or ani ^other^ ylle practys. I humbly refferre unto your L. To conclude the Ambassador since his retorne from the Cowrt, hath given owt, that he hath complayned to the Q. majestie of certayn frenchemen that have spoken dishonorable words of the king his majestie, desireng justyce to be used uppon them, as in right appertaynes, adding that if ether they or the Q. majestie dyd thinck it strange that the frenche king shold execute justly his own subjects, that they shold remember that here were [fol. 183r] hanged up in the North of late a v or vj C, which dyd nott displese [ deleted: hym] the king his master att all, & if there ^were^ objected som breche of promys unto hym: or if [ deleted: it] rather that it shold seme that ^his master^ had fayled in somwhatt then fayled in dede, they shold allso understand, that thinges were promised here mani tymes that were nott performed, Butt withall [ deleted: he added that he had bin] this ambassador wished, that wheras he had perswaded men to retorne to their Contrey again, which if ani had don uppon his word (yett nott his worde butt the kinges) that they shold now forbere to do so, whyle thinges were in this [ deleted: heatt] ^heatt^ in frawnce, [ deleted: & staye till a] for he wold be sory that ani shold miscary that were allredy gon, or by their going, ^to sone^ to enter into danger before a qwyett pacifficatyon, ^^ & these be the thinges that he spredes abrode, ‡ [ Marginalia (by Herle): ‡ besyde he is grettlye aferd that master Walsingham shold be suffred to com over, whyles he contynued here ] wherof your L. may consyder as the cawse deserves, desireng your L. ^herewith^ most humbly to tender John wright, who lyes verey miserably in prison uppon the Cold grownd, & in extreme penurye, & seing that he was delyverd by the Cowncelles order uppon suretyes & yett offers other suretyes withall, the hardnes is grett that John smith presumes to use to ^on of^ her majesties subjects, who for his zele to her preservatyon, hath opend this muche & offers to trye it so far as his life may extend, which deserves the more favor, being [ deleted: so nere] the Q. majesties case ^so nere^ as it is, & for presydent sake it is necessary that so pore a man shold not wholly be cast away, [ deleted: being] ^who is^ like to dye there if he be nott delyvered furthe ‡ [ Marginalia (by Herle): ‡ wherin master willson promised to sollycite your L. at the Cowrt, at the importynate & miserable sute of this wretched fellows wife] & so most humbly taking mi leve, I pray to God contynually for your happi & honorable contynuance. From London in haste this sonday night att midnight. 28. septembris 1572 your L. most humbly