[fol. 208r] This mornyng I dispatched on hence with lres of myne to your L. & to the Erlle of Lecester, by the waye of Donkerck, synce which tyme there be lres com from Andwerpe to the magistrats of this Towne, which ymport that the P. of Orenge hath a vayne broken owtt uppon hym, on satterdaye att night, under the Escar of the wound, that puttes hym owtt of all hope of Longer lyfe, having the same night lost more than .30. owncs of blood, which hath grettlye amased & trobled all honest patryotts here, & is the occasyon, that I do (of zele & dutye borne to her majestie) send this messenger of purpose, with all the speede possible, to signeffye this hevye accydent to her majestie & your LL. that she & yow together, may consyder whatt is necessarye on that behallf the soner./ According to mi late lres I was infformed of this danger beforehand & was wellny assured by Gaspar the sturgyen, that he cowd nott escape with lyfe: which now proves to trew, to the grett hasard & confusyon of these contreyes, yf her majestie do nott applye her sacred hellpyng hand with speede./
The P. of Orenge canott passe above a weke att the furthest, as his Phisicyens & surgyens do now judge: And the Enmye is mightye, having yn the fylld 46. cornetts of Lawnces, 20. of Carabyns, & 15. of Rutters./ This Town trembles allredy, which hath in ytt 4. enseynes of Englysshmen, 5. of frenche, & 6. of Townesmen [ Marginalia (by Herle): a cornett of scotts & another of wallons very ill furnisshed & fylled] I have ynclosed heryn the copye verbatim, of the lre written from Andwarp, by a Cowncellor of this Town, to the Burghermasters & the rest of the magistrats here, of the state that the P. of Orenge ys yn, & of other circumstancs conteyned in the same, fytt for her majestie & your LL. to peruse & understand, with the Reqwest added therunto, that the sayd P. made by his own hand writeng (thowgh written very ymperffectlye) to St. Alldegond, to dele with the Stats effectuallye & ernestlye, for submitteng theme sellves to Monsieurs governement & soverayntye in all thyngs agaynst the comune Enmye, whattsoever Gods plesure sholld be to dispose of hym (the sayd Prynce) towching this lyfe, which with Termes of ether syde was hard & answerd./
I wolld nott allter the sayd lre owtt of his own [ deleted: pop] propper langayge of flemissh, to the end that her majestie & your LL. might beholld propperly yn the nature of the cawse, whatt is written abowtt the same./ Master [fol. 208v] Nicasyus will easelye torne the same into Englyssh./
The States generall & monsieur, have alltred nothyng yn the Cowncell of the State, towching the displacyng or awgmentyng the persons of the sayd Cowncell, butt have left it yn the degree it was, saving that yf ani fownd them sellves unhable or unwilleng to serve longer yn the sayd Cowncell, that those sholld be disposed with, & som other suffycyent persons elected to supplye their place./ Butt your L. shall conseve more amply of this matter, by the artycles I sent you this mornyng, exhibited by Monsieur att the generall proposytyon./ Butt yf the P. dye farewell all Cowncell & Resolutyon yn these parts: And Monsieur must caste abowtt to shape a new cowrse, asswell how to be assisted, as to provyde conveynentlye for his own securitye./
The sayd Monsieur hath had som fyttes of an Agew, which proceedes yn mi oppynion, nott withowt the effect of melancholye, wherwith his mynde is possessed, yn this dowttfull estate of things./ The chevallier Brytton is com owtt of frawnce unto hym./
Fyve Cornetts of horse, that laye att Eklowe of the frenche & other natyons, with certayn ensygnes of footemen, ar passed over the [Schelld] above Andwerpe, by comandement, to do som secrett exploytt in Brabant agaynst the Enmye./
The cheffest thing (next the advertisment of the state [ deleted: of] that the P. of Orenge is yn) is that I humblye & ernestlye for her majesties service, do recomend unto her & your LL. the offer agayn, that Paul Buys made abowt the devotyon that is borne by Holland & Zeland to her majestie & of the interest & assurance that her majestie & State may have therby, which requires som convenyent & speedye answer to the same, beyng assured in secrett by the sayd Paul Buys on wensdaye att mi comyng from Andwerpe, that bothe these Contreyes with the Townes & navye therof, sholld Rewenge theme sellves under whatt degree that her majestie plesed, which he will nott have spoken of, butt to your LL. & to her majestie by mi onlye negociatyon heryn./ And seyng that your LL. do know the ymportance of these placs, the strengthe & wellthe of theme, with the necessitye of the present tyme & occasyons, which consernes England cheefflye to loke unto, it is a mene to brydell the K. of Sp: by theme: & to cownterpeyse the frenche, yf they sholld exceede lymites, by the frenche K. ynterposytyon in the [fol. 209r] Actyon: And her majestie (under pardon I humblye speke ytt) may dele with those ij provyncs without offence to Monsieur, or hyndrance of Leage with Sp: seyng that the sayd ij provynces have in a sorte, reserved them sellves within the compasse of the pacifficatyon of Gawnt, standyng therfore yn a certayn maner uppon theme sellves./ The K. of Denmarke sholld herewith be stayed from procedyng over hastylye with Sp: & her majestie sholld have the keye in her own hands to open & shutt, & to assure her sellf & her frynds, from the forcs & practises that ar a foote, yn these dangerows seasons. for the K. of Sp: will sett up his rest this yere, to anoye these contreyes, their well willers & Adherents. which I humblye do laye beffore your LL. & do praye a present answer to this mi lre, with the dispatche of this berer & of hym that I sent with mi former lres of the 20. & 21. of the last moneth wherwith in all dutye I fynisshe the ij ^d^ of Aprill. 1582. Bruges. Your L. most Bownden, W. Herllely.
