Transcript

[fol. 205r] I Receved your L. lre on thursday in the mornyng, & yesterday in the after noone, Pawll Buis cam hither to me of his sellf, with whom after sondry confferencs of other things, I tolld him that it was hardly beleved that the flusshingers sholld be so used by the passengers of dover, as to caste their men over boord in that sort, & was rather lykely that the flusshingers dyd lye purposely in awaytt there for those shippes & the Lady, being in the sight of her majesties Castells of the Downs, which most towche the Q. majestie the nerer, to have so small respect used to her & to those to whom she had certainly given assurans, for their saffe conductyng over; which dyd allso give small favor to those, that had good desire to bestowe their travayll for the [redinegrating] of fryndship bettwen theme & the portingalles, whiles the facte thus remayned unsatisfyed, & the Lady & master Cobham withall their company still prysoners. further ytt dyd make som that were well affected towards theme, bothe sory & angrye with the insolencyes of the flusshingers, whom honor perswaded to chasten & were easely don, butt the respect of the comune cawse, dyd move rather their amendment, And yett by the fowll usage of our natyon, the tendernes that was ment to theme here, & their frutes demynisshed, som provoked justly with their private losses & som asshamed to deffend theme./

Wherunto he answerd he sayd, as was answerd by hym & his Colleges to the Cowncell in that behallf allredy, thatt they were nott com hither to have in charge ani other thing, than was sollicited by master hastings in holland from her majestie wherin they had humbly obeyed her sayd majestie in reffusing no travaill nor danger, in transportyng theme sellves hither, to perform the same of their parte, in the sharpest season of the yere; which was to present theme sellves, their lyves, goods & contrey, to her majesties soveraignty & protectyon, & to make her the grettest Prynce that had bin in England of mani yeres, A mater withall so lawfull, honorable, Religyous, & comodyous to be embraced, as non cowd be prefferred to yt, besyde the saffety [fol. 205v] & assurans Comytteng the easynes to enlarge her bownds further, that was in keping of it with small forcs & charges agaynst all men: The necessity & subjectyon that it brought asswell for open proffessed adversaryes unto, as her secrett by possessing that place, wherby she were mistres & comander of the whole seas, & of the grettest navye in christendom, wherof then her regard sholld be noles to prevent others of so dangerows a seatt unto her estate, than to be invested so justly in it her sellf. And of these things he sayd, & for her majesties hellp & assistens theryn, had they only to intreatt & of non other, having to that end long attended her majesties gracyous resolutyon & answer here, which ones had, they had [ deleted: Comissyon withall] dispatched their Comissyon withall./

Ytt greved theme nottwithstanding very muche, to here of these complaynts that were made dayly against the flusshingers, nott dowting butt when the prince & the Stats, to whom the redresse therof appertayned, sholld be infformed of their behavyour & spoyles, butt that a spedy & convenient order sholld be taken, to the lykeng of her majestie & satisfactyon of ether syde, wherunto bothe he & his companyes wolld be assistent, with all their travayll & diligens, to th'end that the intelligens & amitye bettwen theme & us, might be the surelye entertayned./

And to this end, had they allredy wrytten to the sayd prince & Stats in very ernest sort, uppon the Cowncelles mocyon last to theme, asswell for the delyvery of the Lady, as to be instructed of the maner of her taking: for sayth he, it was an embollding to the'nglissh men to caste the flusshingers over boord, to be within sight of those Castells, & a grett provocatyon to the other syde uppon this Injurye, to do as they dyd, though they had well knowen beffore hand that her majestie had given order for her transportyng (fury then in theme, giveng no place to reson) & yett the sayd Lady being thus taken, was & is a lawfull prysoner he sayd to her takers, & so were ani that appertayned ether to Th'embassador or his master, for that the K. of portingall had vj wekes beffore, proclaymed those of holland, Zeland, & Rochell, with all those that ether dyd adhere unto theme, or dyd mayntayne theme, for his open enmies [fol. 206r] & so to be taken of all his subjects, att the which proclamatyon som that dwell in this towne were present, that ar hable to avowche ytt: wherby Th'embassador may reppute it a grett grace of her majesties, to Receve his spowse by her mene agayn, butt for no respect borne att all to him, with whom they ar att a short poynt further, for ani further speche of fryndship or amitye to be had bettwen theme, seing his master hath concluded as he hath don./

Mary the sayd pawll Buys entreats your L. agayne, thatt there may be a due regard of eqwitye had to their syde in lyke maner, lest it may exasperate more in a small space, for lack of that cownterpoyse, than they be hable to refforme in a grett while after, thincking it verey strange that .4. of their shippes of warre, having more than iij.C men aboord, sholld be stayd in the east contrey, to their extreme charges these xiiij or xvj dayes, without cawse whye, & long beffore this chance happned, which is to brede inconvenyence, he alledgeth, yf they be nott relessed the soner: for men of warre provoked, be hardly brydelled att the seas, & nott her majesties own navye can be so wholly att comandement, butt that dissorders unprovoked, ar mani tymes comytted by theme. which they fynde to muche in their own people; for those of [ deleted: holland &] Zeland, do detayne from those of holland, by juste accompte made iij C M. li of their propper goods & shipping, synce the giveng up of myddelburgh, which is nott spoken he sayeth, to dele so with her majesties subjects, butt to shewe that they ar fayne to tollerate many things for the tyme & cawse sake, with those that be under their own subjectyon./

So desires he in lyke maner, that a consyderatyon may be had here, of these complaynts that be made agaynst the flusshingers, to examyne dulye whither they be fyrst trew, before they be thought worthy to be charged with theme, for som attribute the spoyles comytted by pyrates to theme (with whom the sea swarmes) som other aggravate their losses, to amend their credite, & som ar malycyously practised [fol. 206v] for this season to make complaynts without cawse, only to allter the Q. majesties affectyon towards theme, which they ar hable to prove in all .3. therfore to provyde an yndifferent remedy & mene, to mete with these frawds & spoylers of bothe sydes ytt may plese her majestie to appoint on or ij suffycyent dyscrete persons to be resydent for her in holland & Zeland, whose chargs those contreys shall bere, for the desire they have to the sincere conservatyon of bothe partyes in good proceding & lykeng with other: And they to have agayne on or ij lykewise for theme here, withowt ani burden to her majestie by discretyon & yndustrye of which persons on bothe sydes, all complaynts & spoyles to be rypely examyned, debated, & determyned, & accordyngly restytutyon to be made, & exemplayre correctyon withall. which may encoraige their good frynds here, rather than make them asshamed, to deffend theme & their cawses as they deserve./

Butt this was nott the principall poynt he sayd, that he cam presently to me for, though he desired that your L. sholld partyclerly understand, whatt speche had passed in the former matter bettwen us, from degre unto degre, butt it was to praye ernestly for the good will that I had allwayes borne to theyr Contrey & cawse, to wryte unto your L. that yow wolld vowchesave in respect of the place & credite that ye had with her majestie & for the estymatyon that all these have yow yn, which have ones tasted your wisdom, rowndnes, & syncere delyng by negocyating with yow, to procure theme after so long a consumptyon of their tyme & occasyons here, som dyrect & absolute answer from her majestie in wryteng, grownded uppon that, that master hastings was sent to theme for, & their comyng over uppon the same, according to his instructyons & perswasyon unto theme, that being thus dispatched att lengthe, they may have somwhatt to justeffye their doings & abode, when they retorne, which he & his company will Receve in place of a grett benefite to have this favor shewed theme, with the spede & secresye that may be, by your L. mene./ To which [ deleted: effect] effect, he [fol. 207r] wold have attended uppon your L. him sellf, saving he wolld [ deleted: have] avoyd the spaynissh Ambassadors eyes & observatyons of hym, which otherwise ar fyxed to nere uppon him & his company, & nott alonely uppon their buysnes somuch as uppon their Lives, a practis being made to kylle theme, & mony bothe Receved & delyverd to that end allredy by certaine Italiens, sed sperat matum Consilium fere Consultori pessimum./

After this, in maner of a fryndly & moornefull complaynt he proceded, that his affectyon to her majestie & this Estate, wolld cost him verey dere, feryng to lese nott only his credite & reputacion when he retorned, butt his lyfe allso, having sondry agaynst him that were affected otherwise, which perswaded before hand, that they sholld be fed here with prolongatyons & delayes, & in the end conclude nothing att all, using for a maxime that our custome was to direct our determynatyons by temporizeng & by the event of things, & nott as the cawse required in necessity & consultacion; which difficultyes he cutt of by his credite, & by undertaking to com over hither, & now ar dayly objected to him by his own Companions, to his gretter greeff. Butt that which towcheth nerest, he seeth that by their Treaty here, that his whole Contrey & natyon is brought into an Immortall hatred, never to be reconsiled with the K. of Spaygne, for he as the vyndicativest prynce a lyve, will never forgett that they have offred to renownce his Soverainty for ever, to obeye the Q. majestie of England, & kepes in [ deleted: store that] store that her majestie wolld intertayne this maner of proceding, to compelle him to her condicyons & prescriptyons./

Agayn sayth the sayd Pawll Buis, that he hath sondry tymes since his comyng over hither, given good hope of ayd & assistence to the prince & the Stats of his Contrey, wheruppon they [fol. 207v] have stayed & suspended all their enterprises, surprises, & disseignes, which by these prolongatyons ar ether made vayne or unproffitable, or elles to their dissavantaige discoverd & prevented: the whole blame wherof, was to be layd only he sayd to his charge & rebuke, in making hym sellf so conffydent./

Wheruppon he toke occasyon to reppete, uppon whatt good words he had grownded & conffirmed an assured hope, after his comyng ones over, to conclude all things to the advancement of the comune cawse, & to the honor & proffytt of her majestie as he most affectyonately & humbly desired, & therby conseqwently was bolld to advertys theme over therof as he dyd & to byd theme to deppend assuredly of her majestie & her ayd, which was this./

First that her majestie of a singuler zele as she shewed towards theme in the begyneng, sayd that she was glad of their comyng in tyme, for all respects of suche opportunitye, as non cowd be desired better, for even then her Ambassador she had had was arrived owtt of Spaygne, & wolld be att the Cowrt within ij or iij dayes following, by whom she sholld be insctucted fully of the State of all things, & therfore the better directed to procede with theme: of whose cawse she was well satisfied allredy she sayd, that it was juste & honorable, & worthy the embracing, & that she wolld dele therin, for nether she wayd nor cared for the K. of Spaygne in that behallf att all, that she wolld putt the matter in delyberatyon to her Cowncell, that using their advise & judgement therin, she might with the better conscyens & grownd, conclude of that which was to be executed assuryng theme in the word of a prince to dele breefflye & sincerely with theme, according to the moment of the cawse & tyme, addyng Alas, that she sholld do theme more domaige otherwise by prolonging of theme, than she cowd do theme good, yf that good were differred. And to this end she sayd, [fol. 208r] had she sent on to the Comendader in the Lowe Contreyes (for that to send into Spaygne was to long a circumstance) to be the better resollved in her affayres, & att the same instant, Ne inetura faceret temporio, sed potius tempuri occurient, dispatched that honest gentillman to theme (poynteng to master hastings) to be instructed of their estate, & to comunicate her mynde further with theme, wherwith they departed from her majestie the contentedest men in the world./

Then proceded we sayd he, to dele with the Cowncell in these affayres, with whom the fyrst Acte was, to perswade theme of the grownd & justyce of our cawse, of the grettnes & comodyty that sholld ensue therby to her majestie of the necessity that might move her to embrace it, of the facility in keping of it, of the frynds & traffyck that it wolld procure, & of the brydell that ytt wolld be to all her adversaryes, as was alledged ones beffore, answeryng all other dowtts & objectyons that might be made, [ deleted: that] so that no party to our semyng he sayd was unsatisfyed./

To the which the second Acte was added, & that was that the Cowncell as men now that had well lyked the fyrst parte, dysscended then to interrogate of the estate & condycyon in particler of their things att home, wherin they symply answer theme agayne to all demands, openyng theme sellves entyerlye for their strengthe, munytyon, Revenew, chargs, fortifficatyons, Traffick, navy, maryners, sowdyours, Townes, & for theire disseignes, Intelligencs, attempts, & surprises abrode, leving nothing undiscoverd that might ether expresse the trew confydens conseved of her majestie & their honors, or their integrity towards theme in this playnesse./

Which after som pawse, bred further qwestyon he sayd, for then difficulty was made of the grettnes of the charge that this mayntenance wolld contynually axe, & therfore semed an ympossibility to be browght to a sownd perffectyon. Wherunto for remedy[fol. 208v] a new offer was made of their syde, that yf her majestie wolld within the space of on yere or a lyttell more, lend theme in on som or sondry the valew of a CM.li (higher they wolld nott presse her) the same sholld supplye theyr nede, suffise their their deffence, brydell her majesties enmyes, & she without her chargs be possessed of the contrey ether as a pledge for her mony, or redy to be entyerly hers./

Butt this nott being well digested, they were refferred over further to the parlyament he sayd: for the cawses being so weighty & generall, ytt was her majesties plesure that they sholld be debated there, to have the generall consent of the Reallm therunto, & their generall aydes withall, which wolld forteffye the actyon throwly: which parlyament having contynued so long, & being redy to dissolve, hath yett passed hitherunto without ani motyon att all of their case./

And no another cowrse is proponed unto theme agayne, that her majestie will dele for theme by way of peace & reconsilement, butt whatt assurans can this peace or reconsilement have, he demandes, that canot be contracted with ani heretyck (as they & others be hollden unles ytt be don to deceve & intrappe theme, which the discowrse delyverd to your L. by him, conteyneng the maner how to make a peace with the hollanders in shewe, & in effecte to oppresse theme unawares, doth suffycyently testeffye & conffirme. And yett this nottwithstanding, they ar redy to obeye her majestie in this cowrse for peace, so she do assure theme (the matter taking no place) that she will Receve theme into her protectyon, & that in the mene season she vowchesave to ayde theme with the Lone of 30.Mli as she dyd unto the prince of Condye, to kepe theme uppon theyr advantaige, that duryng this Treaty of peace, they be nott unfurnisshed to mete with the enterprises & surprises of their enmyes, as they were att the last tyme of their treaty with theme./

Or yf her majestie had rather dele another waye, that wheras there be certain merchants here that offer to furnissh theme, whatt in mony & clothes to the valew of 25. or 30 M.li her majestie might [fol. 209r] satsifye theme with som secrett suretyes of her appoyntment, which wolld content theme well, & the matter might passe in the more scylens therby./

He wissheng humbly that her majestie wolld do somwhatt by on of these menes, to conserve therby her repputacion with those of holland & Zeland, that it might serve yett as a cownterpeyse (yf she pretended no further) to prevent the malyce of her enmyes, when tyme were: wherin she had to regard the devotyon & oppynion allso of those contreyes towards her, which presented to her theme sellves & all besyde, A matter in ani gratitude nott to be contempned, having cost theme being pore men in this jorney hither he sayth, besyde their losse of tyme & other occasyons consumed therby, whatt with entertayneng master hastyngs there & conductyon hither with vesselles of warre, with their other chargs above iijM.li sterlyng./ Butt they accompte all things well employed, so they be well taken, as they have humbly ment & do mene, wherof he desires your L. to be partyclerly advertised by me, to whom under secresye he comyttes this trust & charge, & that yow will vowchesave to make som breeff answer to those parts agayne, that be mete to Receve answer./

Concluding with this admonityon to your L. that though her majestie have a very wise & vigilant Cowncell, that can & doth consyder of menes humors & factyons exactly when they com hither, & therby can fynde owtt their practises & synister behavyours, whiles they pretend the contrary: yett ^thatt^ it may plese your L. to take this light att his hands, to have a good regard to Champignye & his doings here, who bredes as grett a monster haply, to the prejudice of her majestie & her estate now, as ever dyd Chappin Vitelli while he negociated in these parts. for the scottissh factyon lyves & hath her favorers to many, & many & dangerows be the parts that may be played uppon the playn song of don John d'awstria, all which have their tyme to be hatched: Butt if her majestie wolld [fol. 209v] consyder the state of flanders now (specially west flanders who hath above LxM. contrey men in Armes to deffend them selves from the Insolencyes of the Spanyards) & the Intelligence that they have with mani other placs, namely Owdenard, Gant, Deepe, & Ipres that have declared theme selves of that mynde openly, besyde the dethe of the Comendader as it is voyced, she might with on good cowntenance have theme all att her devotyon, & give suche lawes to her spaynissh enmye, as wolld cutt of all his malycyows practises & devises att ones, for molestyng of her ani more by advancing that bosom serpent the scottissh Q. or ani of his bastard Race with her./ Which speche of his I have faythfully in substance delyverd over to your L. in this wryteng, prayeng pardon for the Raggednes of mi hand & my tedyowsnes, which ye may ympute to mi sycknes. And so very humbly I take mi leve. from Redcrosse strete the [ deleted: xij ^th^ ] xi ^th^ of marche 1575./ Your L. most humblye/ W. Herlleli.