Transcript

[fol. 173r] On thursday last, I dispatched a man of myne to your good L. with lres of the 20 & 21. of this moneth: where I have advertised at lardge the state of thinges here. Since which: the Princes wound shewes good apparaunce of amendment, but till the vij ^th^ day be past which determynes about one of the Clock this sunday and the ix ^th^ day allsoe, no full assurance canne be made, though his frendes be of opinion that the dainger is past./ The Prince is of that couradge, that it makes the cure easier in him, that wold be impossible in a weker person./ The state of his wond is this, that the blowe of the pistoll hath astonyed or contused the principall partes nere the wond, which before they be brought to theire feeling, cannot be without danger of Accydents, At the blowe the said P. did thincke that the whole howse had fallen uppon him, not ware that he was hurt, till the bludd ranne ticklinge downe, The paper that rammed in the bullett, was dryven farr into the wond accompanyed with great force and quantitie of powder, which spredd it self the ^more^ by howe muche the pece was overchardged, The powder burned his ruffes, and taynted the typpe of his eare, beinge dischardged so nere, for there was never sene suche an assuraunce, as of the wretch that did the deed./ The powder hath caused [ deleted: the] swellinge and inflammation, which [ Marginalia (by Herle): Eskar ] axeth his dissolvinge, and even nowe the escare or scurffe is seperated, and they beginne to comme to the depth of the wond, which is as bigge as a doller, at the place of the first entry. The dainger wilbe when they be come to the serchinge of the eskar, lest it be soe depe, as it cover some of the veynes, that may ^be^ hurt by the blowe, and then the yssewe of the blude ^may^ be suche as they be nott hable to stoppe, The P. contynewes still sylent, but wrytes what is to be donne, and sygned yesterday xvj lres and some comissyons, But the Councell of the States generall, will proceed in nothinge, till they doe see his full and perfecte convalescencye./ They have prepared shewes at Gaunt and Bruxells for receyvinge of Monsieur, which most stay allsoe his tyme./ Monsieur visitts the P. often./ and sent on fryday Roche de Brun into france with instructyons to the kynge of the State of things here, and what the persons deteined in pryson for the murther pretensed, have confessed which confessyons your L. shall allsoe receyve assone as they maye be [ deleted: receyved] ^recoverd^ . Monsieur takes this acte of the kinge of Spaynes to be don directlie against his person, and that yt may serve for a good caveat to all other princes, The said Monsieur affirminge that they shall proceede here by cryminall processe against the K. of Sp: and they dyvulge the Acte to the Imperyall dyett and to the kinges and princes of christendom./ [fol. 173v] To cutt off the practyses as muche as they may and intertainments by lres they have dismissed Taxis the postmaster, and [ Marginalia (by Herle): Doheyn] transfferred the use of the office to Doheyn, who is principall in Tytell before, To whome the lres shalbe brought coming and goinge, that he may vysitt them accordinge to his discretion, Yt is intended, that the K: of Spaines armoryes shalbe betten down not onelie here, but thorough owt the other provynces and Monsieurs erected in place of them with a further chardge, that none of thes Inhabitants shall retayn within theire howses any pryvat monument of the said Sp: K: arms. The masse is but weeklie haunted here, and the Papistes that do refuse to abjure kinge Phillippe, make shewe that they will forsake the [ Marginalia (by Herle): Peyse] Towne, [ deleted: but when] butt when they Peyse, whether to retyre for saffetye and trafficke, the matter is douptefull./ By lres yntercepted that cam from Gaspar Laniastri att Gravelling, yt appeares that he intendes to be at Calice shortelie, To meete, wherwith Monsieur hath sent his Provost with lres to Gordan, for his staye till he knowe the frenche kings pleasure therein, att whose handes, he lookes to have the said Laniastri deliverd [ deleted: and] to be brought hither./ Ytt is looked for here that the Cassyer and the priest (whoe is a Jacobyn fryer, conffessor to John Jawriguy) shalbe executed this weeke or the next at the furthest./ And yt is deciphred, that the d. of Allva hadd a great part in this fowle action, procuringe John destassanza his creature to be the maneger of the same./ Bernardin [ Marginalia (by Herle): Mendoza ] de mendoya is an other creature of his allsoe, Monsieur geves hope that the Swittzers, the french Lawnces and shott a foote, and the Reysters shalbe ready in the feeld within tenn weekes to serve here, and that allsoe the frenche K. his brother shall declare him self against the K: of Spayne: either of which is shrowdlie doupted of, and hath small apparaunce, Yett this night the P dellphine departes certenlie into fraunce, which is nowe hastened: for [ deleted: that] ^thatt^ The Castell of dulowe is taken by the enemye, and prepares as to morowe to have his Camp before Iper, to beseege ytt, wherein are neither hable soldyors nor Governor, nor they hable from hence to geve convenyent succor thereunto, which is a place of great ymportaunce./

[ Marginalia (by Herle): Montigni ] The negocyation from hence with Montigny and the mallcontents hath but slowe progresse, whoe nowe have a more ynsighte by this late president unto the nature ^& disposityon^ [of the] Sp: K: vindicatyve minde, [ deleted: than ever heretofore] and therefore for their owne securitie shold be the better [fol. 174r] enclyned to Monsieur, yf theire envy to the P of Orenges estate, and their owne ambition do nott hinder the same./

[ Marginalia (by Herle): Du Vray ] As yett nether duvray nor Newffville are arryved here/ There is an oration dispersed among the Mallcontents to yntertayne them in courage and duty the more to the K. of Spayne: sett forth in french in the name of the L. Chauncellor of England, as a speech of his debates in Councell, whether yt were necessarie for her majestie to geve ayde to this side or no./ A thinge penned by Monsieur Doway, projected by d'assonvill, and authorized by the P. of Parma, printed and sold in Tornay though named to come from Colleyn, wherein the K. of Sp: forcs, frends & money are so magneffied and the Q. of England so abbassed as yt towcheth her in honor (in my humble oppinyon) to take knowledge of yt asswell for the invectyon, as for the grosse and lyenge Termes that yt doth con ^tayne^ ./ I am perswaded that master Secretary Walsingham hath the booke, otherwyse I wold send your L. one onlye coppy that I have./ Villers is brought nowe in favor with Monsieur by the P. meanes, and du Plessys mediation./

[ Marginalia (by Herle): 2 manicules]

This morninge my good and familyar frend Gwyciardin the wryter of the description of this Country cam to me havinge bene by the space of ij dayes deteyned imediatlie before in the Towne howse, and examyned whether he helld any correspondency with on Bandino a florentyne in Parrys, a man of good accompte but yll affected to this estate by sundry offices that he hadd donne against yt. Whereunto Gwyciardin answered that as on florentyn to an other, lres hadd passed betwene them, but in matters of State never any thinge, whereunto they made a second demaund whether he hadd wrytten to the said Bandino, that by the practice of the Q. of England, hadd with the P of Orange, and the States of this Country, agreinge all three in on, that Monsieur was brought over hither to mocke and skorne the frenche K. and plainlie withall, to breake even Monsieurs neck, and to Ruyne him, whereunto Gwyciardinie did protest that he was Innocent hereof, bothe in writinge and thought commendinge her Majestie to be the worthiest and admirablest Princesse in vertue and integritie, that ever was, And for the P of Orange and the States of this Country that he hadd geven sufficyent Testimony of his well deservinge towardes them./

[fol. 174v] The next day they repayred to him again, prainge him by the mowthe of ij Burgemasters and iiij Skepens that he wold not Interpret yll, that he was thus Interrogated and staied, yt was to doe their Country servyce for suche purpose and speches as they hadd ministred the qwestion of to him hadd passed betwene some men and hadd ben wrytten allsoe abroad, prayenge him to doe the best offices he cold to the States generall to the P. and to Monsieur (whome they named last) they holdinge the same good opinion of her majestie that he did, which advertisment the said Gwicyardin delyvered unto me as a secret of ymportaunce that conserned the Q. to consyder of./ for yt semes, that they joyned the other ij in the article of his examinacon with the Q to cover the gelowsye that they have conceyved of the Quenes Majestie in this action Allsoe to clere the P. of Orenge who is Judged that he wrought by St Alldegond in England to bring over the D. whatsoever countermyne he shold be dryven to use for the same, Monsieur allsoe takes it very hardelie that the Interteinment of England waxeth soe could towardes him./ for though he have receyved lres from her majestie by Bruineas, and twyse by the post sythens, he loked to have hadd specyall message and tokens to have passed betwene her majestie and him in some other sorte, which nowe perplexeth him that he is soe small accommpted of, In soe muche that one of the P Councell, said to one of good reputacon, that albeyt the Q. of England wold shake of Monsieur, and abandon her distressed frends, when they loked most for comfort and accomplishement, yet that yt was no pollicye to doe yt sodenlie and all at ones to him that she hadd interteyned soe notablie, and to the conntrye that depended of her, and in whose good successe her assuraunce stode. And this my L. dothe breed dailie more angwissh and offence in them, for there estate standes uppon extreame Termes, howe to be hable to provyde money to erecte an army and dryves them to many hard constructyons and devises./

[fol. 175r] Wherunto this advertisement followinge may sewe for some application, that there is Intended a negotiation to be hadd shortelie from hence, with a forien Prince for the which a person was named to be employed therein, but that he was thought unfytte, in that he was over favourable to the Q. of England and her causes, which partie was advertised hereof desiringe me to have one in readynes to send especiallie over to her Majestie when he shold geve me knowledge further of this negotiation Since which tyme yt is appoynted that Govyll shall go over with lres and credence secrettlie into Scotland in the company of Coronell Steward who (of my life) is whollie french as I canne be hable to prove when occasion sewes / for Govyll he is growen to a sodden fashion of sylens and sadnes and in malice he hates our nation as much as may be. Coronell Steward by this occasion shall have a paye of a rownde some of his old debtes, promisinge therewith to bringe over some supplyes to fill upp the old bandes here, This next weeke he travaileth into [ deleted: Scottland] ^Holland^ to see his Lady of Battemburgh and from thens comes to Camshire, whence he and Govill shall take shippinge into Scottland / He told me that he loked for lres from Master Secretarie Wallsingham by the next post, and further that he hard that the Earl of Arren was come to the K: at Edenburgh well accompanied and followed, Dobegnye being then at dalkith, of whose quarrell with Arren the K; hadd [ deleted: taken] undertaken the decisyon and reconsylement./ He asked me further whether any Ambassador, was sent of late into Scottland owt of England, which I cold not resolve him in, wherewith verie humblye I take my leave./ Andwerpe this xxv ^th^ of marche 1582. Your L. most humble