Transcript

[fol. 164r] I have mi right honorable good L. Receved this mornyng ij lres of on date, from Andwarp & Bruxelles, that zuryck sea is revyttaylled, which hath struken a grett dump into the Cowncell att Bruxelles, & moved verey muche the rest of the Catholiqwes there, for herby their projects ar qwyte alltred, & their credyte & forces grettlye shaken. The attempt was by the pryncs people gyven on sonday last, havyng armed certain vessells for this purpose, which with a good wynde approching to their bullwarkes, had gotten the advantaige to be under the shott of the grett ordynance of Th'enmye, & then from the toppes of their shippes, (which they had made grett & large purposely, deffenced with corck [ Marginalia (by Herle): Rerck] & other matter agayn the musqwett shott) they with bases & small peces ^ [ deleted: from their sayd shippes] ^ bett theme from their platt formes & from the use of their owne ordynans, wherby they had the opportunity to breke the grett cheynes & to send whatt they wolld into the Towne./

The matter of Muyden & dymer dyke, is of grett ymportance, for yf your L. vowchesave to loke ones more into your charte of holland, yow shall fynde that by cutting the sayd dyke, that the zuder sea shalbe browght into the contry & so conseqwently in to the harlames meere, [ deleted: wher] by which mene the princs navye that is in north holland, & is far superyor to ani sea forcs that the K. of spayne hath to yncownter with theme, may seclude Amsterdam & harlem from all ayde & vyttayll, & so easely becom masters of theme, for the K. hath noway to releve theme, yf this [ deleted: ad] advantaige be well preserved./

Yff it might plese your L. to consyder somwhatt further of the lre that I shewed you that powell Buis & ortell wrytt me, there might be somwhatt entertayned to the good servyce of her majestie & to the taking awaye of the stomack that owr adversaryes have, & for the generall staye of all spoyles that otherwise might anoye us & all our neygbors, wherwith most humbly I take my leve. from Redcrosse strete in haste the 18. of maye 1576 your L. most humbly