[fol. 255r] By the last post R. honorable, I sent yow a booke of the genealogyes of the Pryncs of these Contreyes, with their matches, armoryes, & portraytures: which for the humble & lovyng mynde that it cam from, I hope your honor will take in good parte./ Therwith I wrytt a few lynes to yntreatt yow even for equitye sake, & for the respect ye might bere to mi poore estate, that yow wolld be plesed to decyde the difference bettwen master Wade & me, & to resume it to your honorable hands, that he might be satisfyed according to mi habilitye, & I discharged in good sort towards hym: which charitabell beneffite, I will never forgett, where mi service & dutye may acknowlege the same./ In the sayd lre, I signeffyed, that yf your honor wolld gyve me leve further, to write to yow from hence, of suche matter as occurres, (thowgh ye be advertised from the verey fowntayn of things) I might haplye gyve som private contentment to yow theryn, more than eche man dothe, which I wolld reppute a favor, yf ye vowchesaved to lyke of that poore service, that were in mi power to present yow. And therfore for the occasyons now offred, I am bolld to prevent your answer on that behallf, & to advertys yow of this that followes./
The P. of Orenge on monday mornyng, had a Tent taken owtt of his wound, which was misseng by the space of xij dayes beffore, & had brought the phisycyens & surgions in to grett perplexitye, how to be resollved where the sayd Tent was becom. Butt it trobled the P. more, for that he ferd a new eruptyon of blood, uppon the fyndeng of the sayd Tent, or elles an yncisyon when the wound sholld be closed up, & the Tent nott first discoverd./ The phisicyens & surgyens before, that nature had this rejected the Tent, perswaded the P. in regard of the long tyme, synce the puttyng of it yn, that of necessitye the same must be yssued owtt with the fluxe of blood, or swallowed into his body; which now by Gods benefite is otherwise, & therfore an assurance made that the vayne is closed, & that (even by the very miracle of God, & no scyens of man) they may hope for perfect hellthe to follow./ Yett they kepe hym from mete, mynistreng onlye whatt may sustayne nature, lest ani accydent sholld happen, of fever, Catharre, or other yn [fol. 255v] convenyence, that might undo all, beffore his wound & state of body were well conffirmed./ Cornelius Cellsus, doth nott assure any of these wounds to be without mortall danger, for the space of 40. dayes after the hurte: Butt in the P. person, ytt requires a longer tyme of consyderacyon & to procede lesurely yn the cure of the same, withall the respect & discretyon, that phisyck may minister./ Though as it is sayd before, God only hath byn the worckman herof, & no ynfferyor creature nor mene, which they all do conffesse./ yett the cheeff comendacion is given to Skon Thomas a surgyen of this Towne, who had prepared Red copper dissollved ynto powder by vitryoll & other corrisyve matter, which uppon long Tents, toke first holld of the vayne to glew the same: wherof it comes that the sayd powder is well thought of by the phisycyens, & the rather for that in Tasting of the same uppon the Tong & otherwise, ytt apperes so corrected, as it ys without acrimonye./ I am promised by skon Thomas to have the propper receytt therof./ Doctor Josephus michell, had the charge to kepe the P. from weesyng & cowghing, duryng this cure, which as it was nott the lest part to be yntertayned by reson of contynuall distillatyons ynto his throte, & of meysures that dyd & do abownd in the hed: so dyd he very carefully qwitt hym sellf on that behallf./ They do yett holld one finger still uppon the vayne, night & daye, that no sodeyn accident may accede to destroye their cure so far advawnced./ This beyng the trew estate that the P. fyndes hym sellf yn att this present, which I wolld nott leve your honor unadvertised att large./
ytt is fered, that thowgh the P. do recover hellth, he shall yett hardly have the vigor of mynde & sences that he had beffore, which I do putt yow in mynde of (as a Cowncellor of your nerenes to her majesties secrettest affayres) to observe: thatt in having to do herafter with hym, yo [w] mesure his judgement with his actyons, lest the on fayleng & ye do reppose uppon oppynion rather than cawse in the rest, which deceved a nomber by an error nott corrigyble, yn the person of the late Admirall Chatillion, when his sencs faylled hym in the latter dayes, & was dyrected by mynisters./
The Cowncell of fynances is establysshed & sworn on wensday last, whose names be yncluded./
[fol. 256r] The privy Cowncell was discharged synce the 25. of februarye, butt now they ar in hand to make a new electyon of persons, for the erectyng of the sayd Cowncell./
The olld Cowncell of estate, was conffirmed & sworn of new, on Tewsdaye the 27. of marche, without allteracion of persons, savyng that yf any by reson of sycknes or ayge, wolld be excused, that others sholld be chosen to supplye the charge. Here is lykewise a lyste of their names./
Yett do they intend to chuse a vij persons more, with a gryffier & Ussher, to be attendant & resyant contynuallye beyond the mose, to determyne afffayres there, as a Cowncell of Estate, appendent of this gretter Cowncell, of whom they shall Relye./
Ytt is determined that Monsieur shall have furthwith delivered into his hands & [ deleted: possessyon] disposytion, al the domaynes appertayneng to the Soverayntye of these Contreys, & in possessyon of the provyncs united, to place in theme his own officers, so they be naturalls of the sayd provyncs, who shall administer the Revenewes & proffitts therof, towards the discharge of monsieurs Cowrtt, officers, Trayne, & expencs, wherof he shall sett down a full proportyon of all thyngs that is reqwisite, & be answerd the surplusayge (whattsoever is more than the domaynes do ryse unto) owtt of suche menes as the Stats generall, shall appoynt to that use. yn nature & certaintye of a Rent of Assise./
Next the Stats have accorded to his Allteze from the first of this present moneth 250m gylldernes monethlye, to be allowed hym, for the mayntenance of the warres from hencefurth, & he with the same som to discharge theme from all further expencs, towchyng the sayd warres./ To which effect they do consigne into his posessyon & handlyng, Les droitz de convoi, & Licent de toutes marchandizes & deevres, entrant & sortant des Provinces Unies./ Lyke wise they assigne unto ym, Les droits de [Cons] imprions pardera, a scavoir de vin, cervoise, bledz, [cher] son, seel, Turbes, Bois, savon, &c. And in case that these [Gabelles] nott arryve to answer the som above sayd of 250m gylldernes [monethly] the sayd Estats generall do promis to fernyssh the rest [of the] contributyon./
Besyde this the sayd Estats, have grawnted to his Allteze [in redy] [fol. 255v] mony, for the addresssyng of an Armye the som of 350m gylldernes to be payd to hym & his officers, beffore the end of this moneth of Aprill, wherof ^do^ Brabant furnissheth 70m gylldernes. flanders 130.m gylldernes, & the rest is devyded bettwen Zeland, Holland, Utrecht, Gellders, Ovrissell, & fryse, to answer their parts as they ar qwotized. Monsieur della Vall is departed on wensdaye towards frawnce, for the levyeng of trowpes & so be others daylye ^departyng^ butt ytt wilbe .3. monethes beffore they be here to do service./
His Alteze hath proposed further to the Estats, that it is most necessary they do allow a 300.m gylldernes to be payd within vj moneths followyng by eqwall portyons, from the begyneng of Aprill forward, & with the sayd som the olld detts due to the Coronelles & Captaynes to be compownded & stalld, To the end they may be made the more hable [ deleted: to serve] & willeng to serve, & the Contry be discharged of a huge clayme & burden, which motyon of his Allteze the sayd Estats have thowght to be very necessary & convenyent, & be ynclyned to satisfye the same./
Those of Holland & Zeland, do concurre yn the premisses with the rest, very forwardlye, & have sent home for a new comissyon to awthorise the deputes here, to conffirme all thyngs that passeth. And [ deleted: they of Holland & Zeland] accordyng to the pacifficatyon of Gawnt, ar made hable to decyde & conclude all controversyes & processes now att home, asswell tryumvall as cyvill, withowt appellatyon more to Machlyne, which hath conffirmed their devotion muche, to Monsieur & the Estats./
Lastlye the sayd Estats have determined to erecte a ^new^ chamber of Aydes to furnissh all these former contributyons, & whatt shall further be necessary for daylye accydents & occasyons that may occurre. Monsieur havyng promised to bestowe yerely 200.m [crowns] of his own revenew to ease the Estats, & the expens that may aryse by the contynuance of the sayd warres./
The thing next of most difficultye to determyne, hath byn the othe that ys to be gyven to the Burgesses & inhabitants of this Towne, which is consevd & mynuted yn the forme that your honor shall se ynclosed, & copyed yn frenche herewithin./ Yett to suche as do traffyck into Spayne, the [fol. 256br] sayd othe for good respect, is qwalleffied, that they shall onlye swere loyalty to Monsieur, & nott abjure the K. of Sp: ytt is a thyng deepelye to be loked ynto, that there ar fownd (as Monsieurs observers do testeffye) above 30.m [sondry] persons that have byn att his Churche att masse syns the permissyon therof & that of a vjxx. m. sowlles that they do callculate to be within this Town, more than the hallf be papists & suche withall as for their wellthe & parentaige do carye the very pullse of the Burse & traffick with theme./
There is som jarre att this present bettwen the Stats of flanders & Brabant, uppon that poynt of Brabants pryvylege, where non is to be admytted to be officers in Brabant, butt naturall Brabanders, which those of flanders wolld ether cutt of, or elles exclude theme from beryng of office owtt of their own juristicyon./ Ytt semes that Monsieur is nott displesed with this pyke, & hath Receved their supplycatyon of flanders to delyberate therof, yn the Cowncel of Estats./
Owr merchants have procured [ deleted: sondry] Testymonyes here, to answer the objectyons of the hans stedes att the Imperiall dyett. wheryn (as Gwiciardin & som other frynd of myne hath informed me) their advocate hath nott so sett down their Resons & justifficatyon, as the cawse requires, & ymports./
Here is arryved a fleett of 22. grett shippes, charged with ryche marchandise owtt of Lisbon & Andolozia, & on vessell from the Maderas, repportyng that the place is yn the devotyon ^still^ of the K. of Sp: & nowaye revollted./
The enmye after the easye wyneng of Lentz is com into flanders, first to Bell & Poperyng, wherof was fered that he wolld beseege Iper, & ^lykewise^ stoppe the passayge owtt of frawnce, bettwen Gravellyng & donkerck. butt now the sayd Enmye is beffore Owdenarde, which hath cawsed sondrye hastye expedicyons from hence: for ytt ymports./
The P. of Parma (after that Skynck was taken by those of Gellder) sent for Verdugo into flanders, where he yet is, Butt his [Lyvetenant] monceawx is com beffore Stenwyck in fryseland with xliij [enseygnes of] footemen, vij cornetts of horsemen, & xvj peces of [Battrye to besege] the place./ There is appoynted xvc Raysters to assiste [Verdugo this somer] [ Marginalia (by Herle): Lowenburch ] yn Gellders, of whom the d. of Saxony of Lowenburg [uppon the Elb] hath the ledyng. on Regyment ^more^ of allmayn footemen with [certayn bandes] of spaniards & Italyens [ deleted: that] shalbe employed that waye [allso]
[fol. 256bv] There be ij Regyments of allmayn footemen more, that ar to joyne with the P. of Parma, & 3.m Rysters, which Eryck of Bronswyck is to have the charge of Master norrys is yett here, whose people hath had a conflyct with the Boores besyde [Daventrye] , abowtt their qwarters & savegards, wheryn sondrye Boores & others ar slayne./ Master norrys departs on monday to his charge.
The B. of Lyege hath written to his Allteze, that wheras he is ynformed that the passayge of Maziers sholld be shutt up ytt might plese hym to consyder, that his contry hath used newtralitye all this while, & that therfore he sholld regarde nott to provoke his frynds./
The Archebisshop of Mentz is decessed, so is the pallsgraves wife, & him sellf so syck, as he is hardlye hable to recover ytt. The Imperyall dyett is differred./
The K. of Denmarke makes grett preparatyon of shippyng & sowdyors./
There be bettwen iiij & v m. Bohemian pyoners comyng hither for the service of the K. of Sp: wherby your honor may gesse whatt the P. of Parma yntends to do, [ deleted: beyng] as he is master of the fyelld.
Don Anthonios preparatyons in frawnce, ar fered to be more for Rochell, than Portingall, which oppynion is awgmented by the K. of Navernes retraytt into Gasconye, when he was sollicyted to have com forwards./
Her majestie is wisshed from very good place to have a carefull eye into scotland for that there is somwhatt a Brewyng that waye./
Coronell Steward is trobled by his Regyment here, who have exhibited supplycatyons agaynst hym & mene to be discharged of his governement & to be assured of their mony Receved by hym, which hinders his jorny into scottland, & perplexeth hym otherwise. [ deleted: som suppose it a [mutinye] between his captaynes & him] We say playnlye here, & so do som lres of credite owtt of frawnce that the K. will nott meddell with his brothers actyons, nor with these contreys of this syde The P. of Orengs wound was made nothyng to the frenche K. by the report from hence, to the end he sholld not be discorayged to joyne with his brother./ ytt is well conffirmed that the K. of Sp: hath money att Gene in redynes & yn Venyce, to make his sowdyors marche & that daylye grett Trowpes do arryve ynto Luxenburgh./ Wherwith very humbly I fynissh, beseeching yow to vowchesave to comande me or employe in somwhatt, which I will obeye in good dutye & affectyon. the 21. of Aprill. Andwerpe. 1582. Your honors very humbly. W. Herllely.
