[fol. 178r] R. honorable good L. it may plese yow to understand, that being desired by master Thomas George, I dyd on fryday last accompany him to Ware, to Receve there the Sweden Ambassadors, & from thens cam with theme to Alldermane harts howse their lodging [ deleted: appointed] by Londonstone yesternight./
The principall of theme is on Grave Piersons son, a yong man who hath had som bringing up in Germany, butt otherwise in mi oppynion, a very symple fellow, asswell for langaige as matter, as your L. shall well perceve, when things com to negotiating & censure./ He allso is an Erlle, [ deleted: him sellf in Sweden] by this K. Johns creatyon, beryng the Titell of a possessyon [ deleted: of his] , envyroned with water as an Iland, called Wyssenburgh; & hath maryed therby in Germany, a dowghter of duke Ottos of Luneburgh, her majesties Pensioner, [ deleted: dwelling] att Harbrow neer Hamburgh./
The second in comissyon (butt cheeff in actyon & trust) is Andrew Skythe a scott; who 20. yeers past arryved in Sweden, & then following the part & service of the K. that now is, was advanced by him (when Erick was depryved) to the cheef of his howse & Cowncell, gyveng him possessyons: & withall a basse dowghter of his in mariage, to be the more assured of him. And lastly to honor him further, he proclaymed throwghowt the Realm the trust he had committed to him, & made him knight./ And lyke as the charge of matters of warre, is comitted whollye to on Pons della Garde a frencheman, who hath maryed another basse dowghter of the kings: so is the governement of the Cowrt, & of cyvyle cawses as whollye Skythes. Which argues small choyse of naturall Swedens to be att home, when strangers ar prefferred to those principall degres./ which wer dangerows, yf ether the sayd swedens were of corayge [fol. 178v] or ani enmye nere theme, that had conynge & purse to use practis & corruptyon, [ deleted: towards suche] as they theme sellves can bere witttnesse by ij allredy, Carolus de morny the frencheman, & Andrew dores the dane./ besyde others of late tyme./ ytt is sayd that Skythe was on of the Scottish Q. gard, & uppon som accydent of necessitye browght over into Sweden./ he retaynes yett (by that I cowd lerne of others) an ernest disposycion towards the Scottish Q. which he covers nottwithstanding warilye./ On of his servants a scottish man hath experyens of our things here, whom he useth cheeffly in his busynes, & was sent before to London to prepare for the Ambassadors, & hath conversatyon with many, / butt yf he repayre allso to Archeballd douglasse, somwhatt more may be presumed therof./ The sayd Skythe is a person of yndyfferent comlynes & stature, & of yeres abowtt [ deleted: xvj] 46. / of Langayge & discowrse grosse, butt in his own conseytt, subtyll & pregnant. He spekes besyde his own tong & the Swedissh, the frenche, the Italyen, & Latten butt nott promptly./ he is a scott in nature, full of woords & yett ignorante & mene in knowlege of the state of their own things, or their neighbors adjoyneng ether by experyens or historye./ he very yndiscretely in his discowrses exalltes his K. & contry with vayn ostentacion, above mesure of truthe or modestye, & therwith spekes malyciouslye & with small reverence, of other nacyons & kings & sickes nott to gyrde att the K of denmarck covertly, now their best neighbor./
The third person of the Ambassayge, semes to be the hablest & qwickest of theme. [ deleted: all] he is a Sweden borne, secretorye to the K. mary a creature of Skythes, & prefferred to this jorny by him./ he hath byn bred up much in Italye, & well acywaynted with machiavelles workes, which he discowrsed of privately with me by waye [fol. 179r] of intertaynment, to shew the sensyblenes of his spirite./ he spekes the Italyen tong best of his compani, & knowes the frenche & dutche allso./ he hath byn employed of late, by his K. with the d.of ferrara, by the space of more than a yere, allso with the Pope & other prynces of Italye. Wherof your wisdom is to judge the rest, butt he comends the d. of ferrara above all others for [ deleted: wisdom &] Temperancy & that he is nye scye of Italye & of the peace therof./ ytt may be that som parcell of his negociacion that waye, Tended abowtt the portyon that Q. Bonas yssew claymes owtt of the duchye of Burg, butt this is mi conjecture./ Ones the secretorye is well affected (as may appere by glawncs) to the K. of Spayne, & in Religyon yndyfferent, mary muche moved nottwithstanding, agaynst Jacobus Andreas, that disturber of Germany att this present.
Two things (among others) I might gyther owtt of these Secretoryes speches (though obscurely) of their intencyons here. The one, owr Trafficke desired att the narve, & that the place sholld be stored with wares reqwisite for a Staple (which the K. of Sweden canot parforme) besyde the apparencye therby to us, of leasyng our certayn Trade to st nicholas, & of offendyng polland & Prussia./
The other is, that it were a fitt mariage bettween the K. of Scots & his masters dowghter, a lady of eqwall yeres with the K. / wherof he spake very dayntyly by way of devise, & nott as a thing intended, nether wolld the manifolld ympedyments (he sayd) & contrary humors of the tyme favor it./ for mi part, in humble duty & zele I wysshe it, as a matche that wolld bringe lesse qwarrell & charge with it to this Iland, & more assurance for the Religion. wissheng further as humbly, that her majestie were asswell ryd of the Scottish Q. hens, who abrode (in these yeres & defformitye of hers) cowd [fol. 179v] do small harme, butt to her sellf & them that norish her, & here never cesseth to putt things in combustyon, of whom our practisers & Papists deppend & hope, & have subject still to worke uppon./
Ytt semes that the K. of Sweden is even weeryed & Tyred with this long warres with the Russe & feres the seqwell, being syngled as he is, to mayntayne his cawse & conqwests above, agaynst so mightye & new an enmye. of the other syde the difficultye to have the assurance of a good peace well mayntayned by the Russe, is suche, as he holldes the woollff by the eers./
The Secretorye to me, accuseth dymock whye the xijm li was ^nott^ payd to the merchants, & excuseth the Lady Cecylyas lres of marck agaynst our nacyon as a thing nott well conseved by the K. in the begyneng, nor afterwards well digested towards her./
he answered me, beyng [ deleted: answerd] demanded the state of their silver & copper mynes, how they prosperd in so colld a contry, that towching the syllver [ deleted: was] , they were worne whollye awaye, Butt the copper workes asswell in goodnes as quantytye, cowd nott be eqwalled in all Ewrope./
These Ambassadors departed from the K. att upsall the 24. of July, & cowd nott be ymbarked att Elsburgh within the ryver of newles by reson of contrary wyndes, before st Nicholles eve. In the mene while the Q. of Swethen decessed, & they with the shipp called the Angell of vj C Tone & a Booyer laden with horses arryved att Tynmowthe, abowtt the x ^th^ of october. their horses com over land, & their shippes to Harwiche, where they shall winter./ [ Marginalia (by Herle): & Receve the Ambassadors agayne] There is a brother of the cheef comissyoners in the company, & another yong swethen gentillman, the rest be servants to the nomber of 17./
By the way from Ware, master Gorge browght theme to se your L. howse & garden, which vyew contented them marvaylowslye, & att [fol. 180r] Tottnam, a coche mett theme sent from mi L. of Lecester, the more easely to bryng theme to London: Butt att Shordiche his L. had appoynted 3. horses allso rychly furnisshed to ryde on throw the Cyttye, a matter that grettly plesed theme. for these northerly fellow [s] have grett overweenynge, & be caryed awaye with the outward shewe wholly./ Master Gorge & I wolld have had [ deleted: theme] (Honoris gracia) eche of theme [ Marginalia (by Herle): to have [been] ] bettwen ij englyssh gentillmen in rydeng throw the cyttye, for there were a vij of her [majesties] servants [ deleted: there] of good sorte, butt they (to be the better knowen belyke, or elles comparyng our Cowrthers with their Smotzwynes of Sweden) wolld needes ryde all .3. together./ We browght them in throwgh Bisshopsgate to London halle, & then along by the Exchange to the stockes, & from thens throwgh Walbroke to his lodgyng, where havyng sene theme severally placed in chambers so well prepared, & so well Receved of the Allderman as they never wer [ deleted: lyke] before in any pryvate howse, we left them Imediatelye to their own disposycion, [ Marginalia (by Herle): for that night] which lytell discowrse & observacyon I thowght mete humbly to present your L. with / prayeng pardon for my Tedyowsnes & for mi censure in the premisses, which I have only don to your sellf, wherwith I take mi leve./ certaynlye Allderman harte deserves thancks for his willyngnes to serve her majestie wherof ytt might plese your L. to lett him understand when opportunitye [ deleted: serves] is offred that I have nott byn unmyndefull [ deleted: of] to remember the same accordyngly / mi lodging the 27. of October. 1583. / your L. most humblye. W Herllly.
