Transcript

[fol. 29r] Right honorable, by mi last lres of the 15. of marche, I enformed your honors of mi being at Segemburg in pursuite of mi principall charge, where remayneng under colowre of marchandize suche space, as the noyse therof, & mi abode with all above ordinarye, might avoyd ani oppinion of further pretence than of traffick, holding this for the metest mene & preparacion to the rest: then following th'occasion of tyme & place with Henrick Rantzow, to whom I was verey gratefull, & in suche degre of familyaritye, as I coud consume few howres owt of his compani. On day uppon cause of talke mynistred to that purpose, I fell as it were incidentlye in discourse of frawnce to what penurye these long warres had brought it, that there was no parte of theyr state which had not felt the grevous smart therof: the King above the rest to be so exhausted as neither penny nor pawn remayned more t'employe, wherof the Bankers at Lyons were perfect inough, having transported the grettest substance of their money to Andwerpe, foreseing perhappes som violent danger they might sustain by keping it there. This respect & others to have bred I affirmed, suche plenty of money at Andwerpe as men were required to receve their detts presently, which were not otherwise due in 10. monethes or 12, nor som in 14 & 18 monethes after: & for thinterest that it was scarsely worth .5. in the C, which might be well declared by the takers, of which sort few or none were, but of the contrary parte every man coveited to be. Though warres be terrible I proceded & have a nombre of calamityes annexed unto theme, yett this experience doth argue that they be mani tymes necessarye, aswell to ponisshe the wycked, as to humble the prowd, wherin having wrought their effect, they grow consequentlye as by degrees through povertye & penurye, to peaces & tranquillytye agayn, wherin we now lyve & of which I have this estymation that having multeplyed in so short a space, to suche abowndance & chepe of coyne, I dowt not att all (yf it contynew) to se in any tyme the restauracion of that golden world, which was ones in Saturnes age before. Wherat he smileng somwhat, wisshed to lyve that daye, confessing with all that to be true, which I had sayd of the great store of money, & of the base price it bare presentlye at Andwerpe, from whence he was [fol. 29v] he was then but newly comen. I use right Honorable, this tedious circumstance of words, to th'end no pece or order of my procedings with him, & other of the holsten gentylmen in so weighty affaires shold be had from your honors, consydering I might herafter be charged to have used other termes, than mi lres had signefyed, therfore mi mening may merite pardon & be taken in good parte. And to returne again to henryck, with whom contynueng mi former purpose, I lastly to provoke him further sayd merilye, it was no world for suche money masters as he was & other of the holsten nobylytye, no surely he answerd now is it your turne to praye for the contynuance therof, & not owres, and here pawsing a while at last replyed this. I had conceved good hope that through your mene no small som shold have ben employed to th'use of your englyssh nacion, whom dowtles I have desired allwayes to serve, as I somtymes dyd whiles Somersett yett ruled, & this wynter falling to the self reckning again by Jochim Rantzow & Clawes van der wisses information, who having had sondri tymes conference with yow therof aswell by mowthe as by lre, that stayed me & the rest from ani other contract so long, that the fast of the Epiphani approched very nere, which is the due terme, when our revenewes com yn, & when we delyver our money to interest for the yere following than seing that fyrst hope vain, it caused me to provide otherwise for mi self, wherin Duke Adolphus was a good ayde, by whose help & certain other menes that I fownd, I destributed my portion, for no man willinglye doth retain by him ani som of importance, aswell for the respect of proffitt, as also for the danger that might ensue by mani casueltyes: but touching the rest of the nobylytye how they sped with theyr parts I know not. Of this (for coloure sake) I semed not a lyttell to rejoyce his good chance & pollycye, in exposing his money, the rather if it were don with proffitt: declaring in deed that the last somer bothe talke & lres had passed betwixt Jochim Rantzow, Clawes van de wisse & me, to suche effect as was before mencyoned in which behalf I had not fayled according to promis t'attempt our merchants mynds, fyndeng theme not hollye unwilleng therunto, but then wynter approching on, & I called home for [fol. 30r] for other busynes the tyme wold not permitt me to use myne owne dysposition in plesuring theme, for lack of answer in so long a werye & unapt a season, yett arriveng savelye at Amsterdam, to have certefyed theme with the fyrst of the state of all things, & wherunto they might trust by a specyall messenger an englisshman, who departing thence the 10 ^th^ of november laste in a ditmarshe vessell, was never hard of to this present howre, & I not understanding the mishap, long tyme attended th'answer from theme in vayne, which might declare me to have satisfyed what soever promis or dylygence might crave. He [r] at he wondred gretlye. Well sir sayd I, because ye ar com in mentyon of this thing, ye shall understand that in good will & affection towards the holsten gentylmen, I am most assuredlye the self same now, that I was then or at ani tyme before, resentyng mi simple servyce if it may benefyte theme, to travaill in theyr cause at al howres, & for that words without works be frutles, I dowt not to attempt furthwith the merchants once againe for .3. or 400000. dallers, gyveng good hope that they uppon resonable condicions shall receve the same som presentlye, wherby the comyng of the Ephiani is not to be attended, to theyre gretter gayne, half a yere or more being saved. Behold there mi service redy, if theyr money be as redy to be employed to the best behove, wherin they most not hang long in determynacion, for I have not long to tary in these parts, but most peradventure being comanded make a vyage shortlye as far as venice. well I render sayd he most harty thanks in their name & myne owne, for your singuler affection & gentyll proffer made, wherof I wyll signefye to theme with all spede the substance as nere as I can, requireng if the hast of your other busynes may so permitt it, that ye will com to som mete place of comunication with theme, bothe t'onderstand the qualytye that remaynes, & the condycyons of their bargain, wherby the marchants may be throwlye satisfyed by your lres of the same. And herunto is offered a verey comodious towne, in the myddes of the land called Regensburg, where the hole nobylytye most assemble the 30, of marche to establyssh certain new lawes among the ditmarshes in the name of the iij princs, & to redresse other som [fol. 30v] som & to abolissh mani of th'old quite awaye. This being the very issue which I desired, made yett no cowntenance, but remayned long without speking ani word, then lastly loking up with som better [ deleted: cowntenance] semblance, declared mi self for his sake content to gratefye the request, & to differe myne owne busynes tyll som more opportunitye, adding merylye withall that for the thanks he gave me in his name & theyrs, those shold not suffyse t'excuse him, for as I was already half a holst by good wyll, so on daye I might propose to becom on hollye by habytacion, & then wold not styck to crave gretter things, where he shewing muche contentation of mynde, renewed his thanks that in so long respite, I had gyven him space to devise mene for mi satisfaction, but herin to fere muche lest I wold gyve him cause also, to forgett yt, & so embracing me we departed.

This henryck Rantzow for welth & authoritye is cheeff of that sort, & a great cowncellor to the King of Denmarke, which observacon moved me princypally to seke thither before ani other place, knowing their inclynacions to be muche ruled by him, wherby on way I avoyded all note of desire that might seme in me, for contryveng ani bargain: & anotherwaye driveng him to becom a suter to me, that for comunication sake in this behalf I shold resort to Regensberg, where if contrariwise I had visited their howses partyclerlye, no mete shadow had bene left for mi pretence, nor good waye to compasse the purpose of mi enstructions, which charge me not to presse it, or shew to have ani suche entent but by incydent occasion, therfore resting uppon this first devise, I putt it in execution as your honors have hard.

On further comoditye I receve by this familyer accesse unto henryck, that nothing don either openlye or privelye in the cowrt of Denmarke, but I have the knowledge therof by his mene, opening to me on mondaye last under great secresye, what the frenche king iij dayes before had written to his master, the Som wherof conteyned ernest request.

Begynneng that for the ancyent amitye which ever was betwixt the howse of Denmarke & frawnce, he dowted not to have him his frend alwayes in all his juste affayres, wherfore the bolder to communicate the same now presentlye with him, whom he reputed to be the very Image of his verteous father, & the follower [fol. 31r] follower of his steppes in affection towards the frenche nation proceding further in comendacion of his good parts in extolling his gloriows victori obteyned against the insolent rebelles of dytmarshe, omitteng an ceremoniall glose which might sownd to his praise: fynally th'end of this circumstance tended to this, that consydering what ayd he might gyve him in reducing the rebelles of Scotland to due obedience, for th'opposition of his contrey & theirs, for the short cutt betwixt, & for the comodity of shippes which he had, that he wold not resist he trusted, to gratefye him in so juste a quarrell, wherof he of th'other parte, for th'accustomed liberalytye of his predecessors contynuallye towards Denmarke, wold not be [ deleted: unmynde] unmyndefull or ingratefull, alledging the som of his request to be but a thowsand horsemen of that contrey, with convenient nombre of shippes for their transport to the first part of Scotland, for the charge & necessytye of whose viage him self to supplye that abowndantly with ample reward to enriche, according to his qualytye, promising to refere unto the king th'orcades, which were somtymes a juste portion of his patrymony & unjustly deteyned by long contynuance, sithens the mariage of a certain doughter of Denmarke into Scotland, for whose dowri (amounting to 30000) they were first pledged. when this with large proffers he thought him suffyciently trayned, he used further vehement persuasions concerning our nacion, whom he sayd to be of theyr owne nature marvailous ambycious & gredy of domynion, desirous also t'enlarge the lymites & bownds of theyr kingdom, which kinde of men how muche were they to be suspected, if the hole monarchie of Brittaine shold ones com into theyr hands, as they gave no few signifycations to desire it & compasse the same by evident presumpcions, yett under the shadow of so honest & juste a cause as to protect that Scotts from the frenche tyranye, whom he avowed to use suche justyce & temperancye in all theyr governements as no free comune welth of ani sort might use more: wherfore t'appere of this how vain a rumor that were, & what th'englysshe indevors well ment & pretended herin, who obtaineng ones Scotland, wold cast the foundacion of gretter things in theyr hed & coud not then be more quieted, than the nature of man ys wont who the more it possedeth, the more it desireth, and lastly becomes altogether insatiable. Do yow think saith he? that [fol. 31v] that in suche a vicynitye your jurisdictions shold be free from their injuries, no dowtles, for th'old rancor of danes & englisshmen, which was never yett utterlye extinguisshed, wold breke owt again, that hath hitherto for lack of occasion ben rather differed than determyned, wherfore I have proposed to provide for these beginnengs using your princelye ayd in so comen a case as concernes us bothe, knowing that ye neither mistrust mi juste tytell, nor th'ancyent amitye of the frenche kings, nor be ignorant withall how necessari our neighborhed shold be, for the tricion of eithers borders & domynions, which be consideracons of suche waight, as can suffer no delaye in th'execution of theme seing the case depends muche uppon celeritye./

To this no answer hath ben yett made, but henryck affirmes playnlye that the kings inclynacion is in no wyse to gratefye him herin, yett if ani thing be concluded I shall understand it, nott fayleng to signefye the same with all spede unto your honors. I require the same further to kepe this secrete, specyallye the Awthors name, who conjured me therunto or he wold make any narracion therof. My next lres shall follow the forme of this Alphabett, for the more secresye if they shold be intercepted by the waye: having further entended for the more assurance also, of sure recepites to send the copie herof verbatim to master Secretorye by a specyall messenger hired for the same, as far as Anwerpe & thence to be conveyed by master Greshams order, praieng god to understand shortly, of theyr good delyverye.

Hitherto all things remaine in good quiett here, with hope they may long so contynew. the sowdyours & captaynes aswell of horsemen as footemen, ar dispersed in great nombre throwout the contreye tering & blaspheming God that they shold not be employed fylling all placs with tumults & robbries, for lack of entertainmente, not sparing to curse the princs who suffer theme to lyve in suche idelnes & penurye without sold or waigs.

But leving theme I will returne to mi princypall cause, for the furtherance wherof I repaired to Regensburg the last of marche where gyveng place the fyrst & second daye to the ditmarshe affayres, the third daye I had conference with theme touching myne, to whom (they standing the the myddes of the howse rownd about me) making a breeff repetycion, what talke by [fol. 32r] by incydent occasion had growen betwixt henryck Rantzow & me of theyr affayres, which for mi singuler affection towards theme to have wrought this effect, that I offred mi self to be a mene to the merchants of London for the taking up, uppon resonable condycions, that surplus of moneye which remayned in theyr hands undelyvered at the Epiphani, though it might rise to the som of 2. or 300000. dallers, having good hope bothe for compassing of the same, & for th'assuraunce to obtain the Cytye of Londons bond, which I lefte to their consyderacions of how great importance it was, & what comoditye might ensue by this acquaintance to theyr trade. On waye they might delyver perhappes to an corporacion yerelye that som, which now was devided among so mani parts, to th'avoydeng of suche a nombre of oblygacions & bonds, as were then used, & reducing theme to on onlye. Anotherwaye theyr cares & sollycytacion shold be the les for seking suche, to whom they might expose theyr money, wherin now & at other seasons besyde, for the state of ^the^ tyme & place, they were not a lyttell occopied, & driven for the most parte to comitt the most portion to th'use of Hambrow & Lubick whose good willes they had often [experimented] therfore to be muche dred, lest on daye if quarrell arisse, they wold convert that money to the hurte of th'owners, which though theyr wisdoms were well hable bothe to forest & remedye, yett mi good will t'enforce me to use this libertye & franknes of speche with theme, having sett at henrycks mocion all impedyments of myne owne busynes a parte, to resort onlye to Regenberg therby to declare the consent of mi wyll with mi word, which if it coud plesure theme by ani mene, I dyd eftsones present it to theme, & therwith stayeng I recoyled somwhat back to give theme more libertye to dygest the words I had proponed. To the which after som delyberacion, being answerd with a marvailous long circumstance, that having orderly knowen by henryck Ranztow that which had passed betwixt us at Segemberg, & was now presentlye confyrmed before theme by myne owne mowthe, the parts wherof recyteng again from poynt to poynt, & th'occasion also, wheruppon stayeng verey long, th'effect fynally was the [n] that they were muche bownd to me for mi good will, the contynuance wherof they most ernestlye required, being marvailous sorye that no suche som of importance now remayned, as might be a mene towards th'acquaintance, which of all other they gretlie desired [fol. 32v] desired: the causes were these that when th'oppinion of mi bargain this last wynter had fayled theme (which they then ascribed to the latenes of the yere, but now to'nderstand otherwise of the true stori therof) every man to have provided for him self as he best coud. Som pece to have ben exposed to th'use of the Livelanders, who had latelye lost to the Russe the strong castel of Marrienburg, by th'infydelytye of theme within. And som other pece to Hamburgh & Lubyck, whom (according to my advice) theye thought not mete to be rasshlye trusted of muche, without good assurance. for the rest it was disposed within the land, noting hereby Duke Adolphus & sertain of his gentylmen which to shewe the more gorgiousnes in England, had taken up large somes. This to hinder their present purpose they affirmed, but yett not so hollye as I shold take it for a resolute answer, for the which they required to be gyven theme iij or iiij wekes respite, to vew in that season what quantytye coud be gathered together, & therof to make report unto me imedyately, shewing further to have now the lack of ij gentylmen that were absent with the Duke, named Bartram Sested & Benedict von Annevild, men not of the simplest sort. They told me also of mi great frends deth Clawes van der wisse who was on of theyr iij princypalles, with whose childerne they had presently muche troble for the devision of theyr portions. This was the conclusyon & substance of all that was debated among us wherwith though not verey well plesed, yett desguiseng mi affections I shewed mi self content to tarye theyr answer at Hambrow, or elles to leve there sufycyent order for the same at myne hosts howse, yf in the mene season my other busynes shold call me awaye. I do not think that they shalbe hable as the season now shapes to bring together muche above a .100000. dallers, no though theyre desire take place, & that for the resons abovesayd. What shall I therfore saye unto this strange case? Fortune of all other attempts may seme to envye it most. for fyrst the rare & inexpected chance of warre gave impediment to the same. Next the Lamentable happe of that poore man, which being sent into Holst, was drowned in the waye. And lastly the forwardnes of the yere, whan I arrived now here. But if the thing were ones pursued in due season no dowt the desyred successe wold then follow, as I dare promis on mi perill to conclude the bargain for Christmas next, with these condycions following, so I may have suffycyent authoritye in that behallf by your honors next lres, wherof notwithstanding they here shalbe in no wise priveye. first [fol. 33r]

• i ^a^ . first the som shalbe 50 or 60 [3 cipher symbols] at lest.
• ij ^a^ . Next, the same to be at the Quenes Gracs plesure. how long she will kepe it, giveng the yerely [1 cipher symbol] unles urgent necessitye do enforce the contrary, wherof her Grace to have allwayes suffycient warning before hand.
• iij ^a^ . further that the Cytyes bond onlye, shall serve for th'assurance of suche som, as is taken up, no mencyon being made at all of the Quenes highnes herin.
• iiij ^a^ . for the [1 cipher symbol] to be in and hope t'accord for 40 in the [1 cipher symbol] & les, & not to pay the same or th'end of every yere, if it maye so please yowr honors.
• v ^a^ . That a generall bond among all the gentylmen shall suffise for the hole Some.
• vj ^a^ . Hambrow to be the place for the receyt of the [1 cipher symbol] from whence is an easye navigacion of ij dayes to Orwell water, whither (if the desire be lyked) it may be brought in Hambrow bottomes in savetye, without dread of warre, or knowledge what they carye in theme, as the case may be handled.
• vij ^a^ . Not mistrusting to gett Andwerpe of theme for the place of the repayment.
• viij ^a^ . And to condicion to paye theme in that fynesse of substance, which shalbe receved, as if [1 cipher symbol] be the payment, the repayment to be made in the lyke.
• ix ^a^ . Touching th'assurance & seling of the bonds in England, som on of sufficient authoritye may be sent thither for theyr parte, to behold the doing therof, with whom som other may be returned for the delyverye of the writengs here, the [1 cipher symbol] ones receved, but herin yowr wisdoms can better provide what is necessarye than I can ones Imagine.
• x ^a^ . for the receyt of the [1 cipher symbol] it shall not be necessary to send master Gressham hither, only Richard Clough, & on more of his servants that is skilfull, shalbe suffycyent to ayd the partye that shalbe here [fol. 33v] at that present, to th'avoydeng of muche brute & charge that by his coming wold ryse.
• xj ^a^ . Lastlye there remain ij consyderacons mete to be thought of, th'one is that in the mene season somuche Bullyon may be provided from Noremberg, as the som of [1 cipher symbol] may be employed in, yf ye wyll which advice if it be followed, then most suche shippeng necessarilye follow for the same as the vj ^th^ artycle conteynes. The other is that our coyne in England being unredressed at that terme, th'exchange of the flemmisshe money, wilbe then equall with owr currant moneye of England, or rather far better, wherby her highnes using th'exchange from Andwerpe, shalbe a good gayner that waye, wherfore I thought mete to putt your honors in mynde herof.

But now to conclude if so long a ^delaye in this^ bargain, as tyll Christmas, do somwhat displese, yett that makes it not ani waye unseasonable, the circumstancs well consydered, wherin as I do not presume to'understand the gretnes of her Majesties affayres: so yett for [ deleted: the good] the good zele that so simple a subject maye bere his Soveraigne I am bold to ad this mi further judgemente, that master Gresshams bargain serving now well for the fyrst turne: so this mi bargain may com in good season for the second, wherwith concluding I beseche your honors for your wonted humanitye of pardon, of in so long a processe through ignorancye, I have used any undecent termes or behavior. Only mi studye is to follow the truthe of mi procedings, & to expresse the successe of all things according to veritye, whose mening I dowt not but ye will interprete to the best, & I in recompense therof will praye to god contynuallye, for the preservacion of your honorable estates, wissheng mi education in my fyrst yeres to have ben better, that better frute of mi service might have ben now hoped for by your honors. But whatt witt & lack of experience canot yeld in that behalf, will & work shall not fayle to supplye as knowith God, At Hambrow the vij ^th^ of Aprill. 1560. where I arrived from Regensburg yesterdaye. Your honors most humble & affectionate servitor W. Herlleli.