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SP 12/139/ [ ] f. 55r - 58v. William Herle to Lord Burghley. Burghley has added the word 'becons' in supralinear form above a sentence by Herle. 
Address Leaf:
[Superscription:] To the Right honorable mi very good L. the Lord hyghe Thresuror of England &c. give these
[Endorsement by Herle:] [ ... ] the fee farm
Letter Text:
[fol. 55r] Maye it plese your L. to understand that on satterday last there cam unto mi hands certayn Artycles written to me owtt of Holland, which were yntercepted att the Bryll, abowtt a fellow, that pretended to take passayge towards the Northe of England, who being strayttlye examined & threttned with the Rack, conffessed hym sellf to be a spanyard, whose conffessyon, I am promised to have by the next poste, having in the mene tyme written to myne olld frynds Pawll Buis & Ortell, to be advertised of the truth of things./ Ones whither it be a stratageme [ Marginalia (by Herle): idest P [Auriacj] ] of the princs, to move her majestie therby to favor his cawses the more, & to be tyed to hym by a certayn necessitye (these things beyng beleved) or whither they be symply trew, I thowghte it mi parte to send your L. a copye of the Artycles as I Receved theme, translated owtt of french (butt I am made beleve that the originall was in spaynissh) to the end that yf ye have Receved theme before, your L. may be the more conffirmed in seyng theme agayn./ I am the more provoked in dutye, to make this knowen to your L. for that it threttens danger to our Soverayne & State, & hath a grownd yn it to sowe devysyon & gelowsye among us, which may be spred into sondrye hands & heddes that be dangerows: Butt cheefflye for that it conteynes suche matter as I have hard of late in more partyculer Termes, by monsieur du Vraye, who sekyng me owtt cam hither of his own motyon [ deleted: to me] remayneng with me .3. howres, discowrsing very francklye of a nomber of things./ assuryng me that his master was offred the dowghter of Spayne, in advancement [ deleted: wher] of ^which mariayge^ the pope wold dispense with the nernes of blood, give hym the Cownty of Avignon erected into a kyngdom, with 300m. [crowns] in redy mony, & make hym Gonfalonier of the churche & of the holye leage. The frenche K. sholld make hym Lyvetenant ^generall^ [fol. 55v] throwghowtt all frawnce. The frenche [ deleted: protest] Catholickes sholld holld hym for their onlye Protector & sholld awgment his Estate./ The K .of Sp: wolld give hym with [ deleted: the mariayge] ^his dowghter^ the xvij provyncs of Belgia, erected lykewise into a kyngdom, & supplye hym with an Armye to conqwer the Guises, which neded nott du vraye sayd, for that the P. of orenge with his parte, wolld accord to Receve hym peceably so the K. of Sp: dyd part with his interest, which me thowght [ deleted: was] contrary [ deleted: sellf] for the Guises [ deleted: them selves] so conffydentlye to comitt their estate & lyves to the Gonffalonyer of the Church. He proceded, that yf we dyd nott prevent this maryayge of Sp: The frenche K. wolld be drawen into the Leage, with the rest of the Kings & Pryncs that deffended of hym, the protestants sholld go to wrack in france, the Guses in the Lowe contryes exposed to [ deleted: pray, the] praye, the Germaynes Tereffyed, & England leffte naked & conffused. The D. of Gwise sholld be sent over with an Armye into Scottland, [ deleted: &] with sondry other captaynes & Leders to be trayners of the people there. [ Marginalia (by Herle): Ireland sholld be ynvaded by part of the Sp: forcs & the rest disscend yn England] The Catholycks & factyows sort in England, sholld be sturred to commotyon & be discharged of their Allegians to her majestie. And she sommond ^(manu armata)^ to retorne to the union of Awncyent Churche, & to deliver expresslye & furthwith the scottissh Q. ^or elles &^ ./ Of the other syde, yf her majestie dyd procede in the mariayge with monsieur, the frenche K. wolld be wholly owres, the grett Leage sholld be made frustrate, the K. of Naverne sholld be employed with a [ deleted: grett] power towards fontrabye, to dyvert & devyde the Spaynissh forcs, portyngall sholld be releved, the protestants in frawnce assured, the Low contryes yellded to monsieur by the p. of O. & the rest expullsed. Scottland sholld be wholly att the Englyssh devotion [fol. 56r] conspiracyes & factyons cutt of, asswell att home, as abrode, Religion strengthend thowghowt christendom, And the D. of Savoye [ deleted: sholld be] constrayned to agre to this, or elles (will he nill he) to be qwyett. Thus her majesties kyngdom sholld be of all sydes Bien Bornee & made hable to offend & conqwer, which speches for that he sayd, that he had delyverd theme in the same Termes att large ^to her majestie^ with other further matter which I reserve to declare unto yow by mowthe) [ deleted: to her majestie] . I forbere to speke of theme, till thys occasyon of the Artycles yncluded [ deleted: ^is ready^ were wer] ^was of now^ presented ^to me^ . Mary when the sayd du Vraye (who still proffesseth him sellf to be mi sworn brother, & offred me grett kyndnes & credite), told me that he was [ deleted: appoynted] a Comissyoner from his master, to treatt with the Popes Nuncio, the Sp: Ambassador, & on that the frenche K. had [ deleted: appoynted] joyned with theme, to here the condycyons that were offred, & to understand asswell the comodityes that sholld ensue of the sayd Sp: mariayge, to his master, as the secretts thatt subsysted [ deleted: therin] , I cowd nott butt marvayll I sayd, that he being a known protestant & on that prefferred his Religion beffore [ deleted: his] ^Any wordly^ duty (for so he had made me often beleve) [ Marginalia (by Herle): & was in hand to translate att [ deleted: this] that present the confessyon of the Churche of England into frenche] sholld be yntromitted into [ deleted: this trust of ] the Popes secretts, unles they wholld have ytt [ deleted: a matter spred abrode for a [rumor] ] as a polycye [ deleted: that they wolld conynglye] lett slyppe into the worlld, to worke som further advantayge by, wheratt certaynly he changed cowntenance, & dyd butt badly satisfye me in his answer, thowgh I semed to take it for very suffycyent./ He [ deleted: lest a] ^confirmed the olld [ ... ] ^ [ciphre] [ deleted: with me] I had, desireng ^me^ to write unto hym, & to dyrect mi lres to monsieur marchemont the D. of A. agent in Parys, & he wolld advertis me francklye of all things agayne, which surelye may torne to som comoditye, yf her majestie & your L. thynck mete that I sholld holld correspondencye with hym, having Receved a very kynde lre from hym the daye he departed hence, reqwestyng that he [fol. 56v] might here from me, which sholld nott [Respecte] me./ He arrived att Paris on satterdaye was [ deleted: se] ^fort^ nyght, & departed thence towards his master the mondaye following, sendyng me comendacions by Awgustye the Greke, who was sent over by the Lygier here to the K. & to monsieur./ The sayd greke was with me, on frydaye & this mornyng allso, & declared that he was browght ^in^ hym sellf, to delyver his lres to the .K. by the secretorye Pynart. The K. in redyng his lres, sware a grett othe, (smileng) to Villeqwies that was present, Les Anglois se morquent de nous. The duke he sayd, had retorned his pattent to the K. of his lyvetenancye, for that it conteyned nott the superyntendencye over the fynances, as well ^& aptlye^ as [ deleted: his brother] ^the kings^ had it, [ deleted: in the Raygne of his brother] ^under his brother^ Charlles./ He sayd that the K. yntended to send l'awbespin hither, shortlye in messayge./ This mornyng he sayd, that the Ambassador was cowntermanded by her majestie from the awdyens he sholld have had, [ deleted: till she were redy, to send for hym] att the Cowrt till her sayd majestie were redy to send for hym, which he takes to be a contynuance of the Accustomed delayes & the rather for that master Stafford is appoynted now to go into frawnce, whose comyng wilbe to small purpose, for that they do expecte a Resolutyon, & not yntertaynment beyng redy of their syde to send over hither to conferre all things treated of, asswell for leage as Allyance which these strange delyngs will grettlye discredite, bothe in oppinion & substance./

Now ^ones more most humbly^ for these holland artycles mi L. there ar many things [ deleted: spred] ^spred^ yn this Towne to the same effect, [ deleted: as advertisments ^likewise^ ] owtt of Spayne namelye synce on is com thens [ deleted: that] ^that^ hath byn att the cowrtt for som reason [ deleted: whose [matter] on John frampton] that hath browght [ deleted: some matters] ^as is repported) grett^ secrettly to light, whose writengs on John frampton dyd translate here owtt of the Spaynissh tong into the englyssh./ I was offred to be made acqwaynted with the parti [fol. 57r] cularityes of theme, reservyng butt on secrett, which non sholld know butt her majesties sellf./ There is on Bancks that dwelles in St Katherin collmons parissh by Allgate, who is [ deleted: grett] ^conversant^ with the sp: ambassador, & is used [ deleted: pryvatelye] in sondrye things by the sayd Ambassador./ He is allso of cowncell with John frampton in all things, so as it is very lykelye, that whatt he hathe lerned of the sayd frampton, he makes the Ambassador privy unto. There is repported that the Spaniards will land in millford haven which [ deleted: place of] (for mi calleng) I know aswell as ani dothe, [ Marginalia (by Herle): being the onlye place to anoye England with a grett navye & to land easelye wher they will, unresisted, for thereabowtts is a [ deleted: solitary corner] more solitude without people [ deleted: for] or place of deffence to make hed ] The comunes [ deleted: people] allso of penbroke shire, ar no ^men^ but very wretches, toylled with husbondrye & of small force, butt Carmarden & Cardigan, the shires adjoyneng, ar full of lustye & warlyck [ deleted: personaigs, butt] , ^persons, yett^ yll provyded [ deleted: for] in Armor & furniture, which of my knowlege I do humblye, & in all dutye advertis your L. [ Marginalia (by Burghely?): ^becons^ ] The Becons more over ar [ deleted: unprovyded &] ^un^ loked to, which your wisdom may [ deleted: pardon me] (in pardoning the zele, that I do remember the same with) consyder or remember the rather./

Here is on John Stamp (mi L.) browght in uppon frydaye last uppon an Actyon of dett of ij Cli. his dwelling is att Northmowllson in Barckshire, besyde wallingsond, The man hath byn of grett wellthe, [ deleted: is] & is sodenlye fall [en] into decaye. He hath begon to utter a matter unto me of certayn factyons within his conty, & of sondry correspondencies that is tyed therunto ^from other places^ , which shewes a further roote, than he yett will uppon this begyneng utter, butt I hope to gett it, for ytt sholld appere to savor of a conspiracye, & of som hable persons that dryve it, butt I fere that he wilbe delyverd tomorow or on wensdaye, & then the occasyon is taken awaye, [fol. 57v]unles it may plese your L, in respect of the service that may result to her majestie ^therof^ to wryte ,3. lynes to mi good frynd master Recorder, that he reppayre unto me, & that whatt we shall fynde conveynent to be don, [ deleted: yn that shalbe ymparted to hym by me] in a certayn cawse that is to be confferred of bettwen us, that he be redy to assiste it, by menes wherof, we may staye hym (yf nede be) by som ^discrete^ mene [ deleted: of the sayd Recorder] till we se the yssue that is looked for, which shalbe accomplished before satterdaye next, without detryment [ deleted: allso] to the partye. for unles he be discharged of his actyon beffore satterday no comandement shalbe entred agaynst hym, & yf the comandement be uppon hym for so short a tyme, his chargs shall nott be grett, nor he [ deleted: shall] incurre therby ani further subjectyon. [ deleted: to Actyon] . Ones more to speke of these holland Artycles, I do humbly assure your L. that I have comunicated them with non, butt with your L. onlye./

Ytt may plese your good L. to pardon this long scribled lre, & to vowchesave to remember mi humble sute to her majestie for the feefarme havyng by mi last lre ynstructed yow of all that I was hable, which may serve as an humble Remembrancer to your L. ^to sollicite mi cawse ones for all from hencefurth^ concludyng that yf it be nott granted att xx s. a yere, her majesties gyffte will not stede me. I am so tyred with this malencholye straytt place & contagiows, & with the necessitye that I am in, (havyng nott had xij d in mi purse these vij dayes, & have spent synce my detaynment above 55 li.) as I am even werye of mi lyfe, yett I have hired this messenger to bryng mi lre to your L. of purpose, & to bryng suche answer back, as shall plese yow to [ deleted: send] ^send^ me./ yf ye wryte to master Recorder, [ deleted: give] your L. will vowchesave to give me that cowntenance in speche, that he shall nott thynck me wholly [fol. 58r] disgraced by my ymprisonment./ Wherwith most humbly I do take mi leve, the xiij of June. 1580. your L. with his hart & pra [yer] W. Herl [lely]

[Postscript:] yf your L. do lyke mi cowrse that I have taken, with powll Buis in holland & with ortell, I will contynew ytt./

I most humbly do thanck your L. for the thancks ye gave to master osburne on mi behallf./

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