[fol. 112r] This mornyng R. honorable good L. I was prayed by Powll Buys of Holland, to com by x of the clock to hym: who uttryng mani things of his affectyon & dutye to your L. & to the L. Thresuror: And of his desire to do her majestie service (as Trewlye he is most honestlye enclyned that waye, & is of grett habilitye here to perfform yt./
He declared in breeff, that lokyng to the obligatyon that these Contreyes had to her majestie & to the necessitye of this present tyme, he had thought good to make a motyon to som principall person here, that a Leage might ^be^ Treated of, bettwen her majestie of England & these contreyes of Holland, Zeland, Friseland, & som of the marityme Townes, for the deffence of ether estate, & the assurance agaynst suche preparatyons, as might be made by sea, [by] ani of the Adversaryes of the Religyon & comune cawse, which might be suche a [Bullwarke] to meete with all the devises of the Enmyes, as bothe it wolld Terreffye & [conffownd &] breke their projects beffore they began./
The person that he had moved this unto, was of lyke oppynion, & that the platt owg [ht to be] substanciallye first layd, & then proceded yn, with that respect, that appertayned to so [ ... ] a cawse & suche a pryncesse as the Q. was, in good substance & seresye, with that contributyon & cawtyon that her majestie sholld ympose, which the sayd Paul Buis desired me to lett your L. & the L Thresuror understand of beffore hand, to prepare your wisdoms & favors to consyder whatt were necessarye to further the cowrse therof when tyme were. By the which he sayd that the States of these Contryes were ever lykely to fall into the hands of England, & to deppend entyerlye of her majestie without her charge, to whom they bere their trew & loyall affectyon, how soever things had their revolutyons./ further he was nott scrupolows he sayd, that her majestie were made acqwaynted with his pure yntentyon on this behallf, yf your LL. thowght mete in pryvate sorte, as of a thing yett undigested, to ymparte the same with her. yett of a matter that wilbe negociated with her, assone as it may be browght to maturytie & that with spede wherof he willed me that your LL. sholld take knowledge, for he wolld be redy to do ani thing he might for the service of England & his contry.
He signeffied further unto me, to be ymparted spedelye to her majestie by your LL. Thatt abowtt .5. wekes paste, the K. of denmarke dispatched secrettlye by shippe into Spayne, hys principall Cowncellor & Statthollder of Zegenburgh from Coppenhagen, Called Henryck Rantzowe, for matters (as may be conjectured) prejudicyall to the States of the Lowe Contreyes, & conseqwently to England./
The K. of denmarke hath ij vertewes in him that ar Remarquable. The on that he is changeable & heddye, & the other covetews & busy above mesure, which is the verey naturall disposityon of his mynister allso [ Marginalia (by Herle): Rantzowe] a parson well knowen to both yowr LL. by fame, & action./ ytt is lyke that in his retorne owtt of Spayne, that he may towche in England & the danissh shippes ar easelye observed & his person withall./
In Lusbon where the K. Cowrtt now is, it were a slyght matter to decipher him [& to com] a long with hym as a passenger./ He is of stature butt mene, nott muche here [& that most] now be whyte or grisell./
In examineng of som circumstancs with Paul Buys. I do fynde that the K. of [denmarke hath] grevouslye & newlye enhansed his Towll within the Sownd, which the hollanders, & [next] theme the hanze Townes, do stomack, & will not yelld unto. And herof it may be [that] the K. of denmarke desirows to rateffye & strengthen his doyngs by the K. of spayne, dothe [ deleted: desyer] by the waye of a double comoditye ^seke^ to reserve his unlawfull exactyons, & to employe his navye allso in his service. which wolld be as dangerows to her majestie & subjects to suffer, as harmefull to the hollanders & hanse Townes./ Beyng of most peryllows conseqwence, that the K. of Sp: sholld have ij suche furnisshed & hable navyes att hys commandement, as that of denmarke & Swethen, which latter is allredy to be employed in ani action of his, as may appere by the K. of Swethens own originall lre intercepted & extant [fol. 112v] after it had byn putt in cipher by the viceroye of Naples, & then retorned towards the K. of Swethen agayne. who as ye know, is an Apostate./
The Martinistes beyng lykewise joyned now every where, with the papists, will procure the K. of denmarke to chawnge som cowrse yn this next ymperyall dyett, towching the diffrens yn the Relygyon, & to be hevy to the Protestants & therby procure other to the lyke./
[ Marginalia (by Herle): This is ment by cetayn magistrats & gentilmen of gawnt papistes, that wold not swere to administer under the D. of Allenson, who theruppon [are ex] pullsed the Town & [charged] with conspiracye & deffectyon./] Thirdlye the sayd Paul Buys advertised me that there were certayn yn flawnders, whither Townes, or men (for he spake yn generall Termes) sowght menes to joyne themesellves with the mallcontents. Beyng a thinge muche noted withall, that the frenche K. doth staye so long from sendyng som persons of degree, to congratulate with Monsieur his new estate, which deffect, with other observatyons, doth Increse suspicyons & diffidencs, of som harme, that the State of these things ar to Receve by debilytye. & by the comixture & permissyon of ij Religions, having their mynds fixed towards England, as to a sacred Anchor./
The Enmye makes a Braverye, as thowgh he wolld beseege donkerck, which is the som of that which passed bettwen Pawlus Buys & me. Beseching your LL. that I might here from yow with spede, & namelye that I may be hable to yntertyane the sayd Buys with thankes from her majestie & your LL. who hath byd me say unto yow, that he will (to me alone) ympart all the secretts & actes that shalbe treated here yn Cowncell, or elles where [abrode] to the end that her majestie may be served therbye, comandyng hym sellf with all his harte & to your LL. good favor & Remembrance./ & so I humblye finisshe. Andwerpe the vij ^th^ of marche. 1581. Your L. most humblye. W. Herlleli.
