[fol. 271r] May it plese your honor to understand, that on sondaye in the after noone, arryved att this Cowrtt the Cownt of Rocheferrallt, whose comyng rejoysed Monsieur wonderfullye, & his offer to bryng ij C [ deleted: horsemen] gentillmen well horsed to his service, with their Trayne & a certayn nomber of footemen./
On mondaye mornyng abowtt x. of the clock, advertisments cam that Coronell Temple, accompanyed with Thyant, & La Gard, had gotten the town of Allost, by scalade, & by intelligens had with som of the Towne./ The garyson of Albaneses were abrode with a convoye, in whose absens this was executed, which is to be ascribed to chawnce rather than conductyon: for the son was an howr highe, before they cam to the walles, & they had overshott their tyme assigned more than 3. howres, so as the deffence of 25. men, had repullsed theme, beyng a Town ympregnable, asswell for the new fortiffycatyons, as the scyte of the place./
The Governor muckeron & his new spowse were taken, & above 500. preests, that were retyred thither for saffetye, & with theme ij fatt abbotts./
yt was a prise of synguler ymportance, for the state of the whole contrye, & of as grett & losse to the enmye. By which menes, Bruxelles, dermond, macklyng, villfford, & Gawnt (of that syde) ar all assured./
Ytt is dowttfull whatt the enmye will do / ether persiste to beseege Owdenarde, (who hath no small beneffite by these .3. dayes rayne that is fallen) or remove to som other place./ Monsieur, who dyd even Langwissh for Owdenard & Gawnt, is now well revyved, & the passayge is free from hens to Bruxelles, & the whole land of waes & of Allost assured, which conteyne above 300. good vyllaygs./
Provysyon of vyttaylles & munityon (with marvaylows speede, lest the enmye sholld prevent theme) was made from hens to Allost by the Ryver schelld to Dermond, & from thens by the Tender into Allost, which provysyons ar saffelye entred as yesterdaye, & a m. sowdyors placed in garyson./
The frenche, Englissh, & Scotts that were att Ecklowe, do marche this daye towards Gawnt, to yncamp bettwen the Towne & the enmye, that they maye take advantayge of the occasyons presented & kepe Gawnt in order./
Temple hath another enterprise in hand, which is thowght to be ether Lovayn or Bollduck, in which latter place there be above 3000. preests retrayted together. Master Norrys is departed towards his charge & most bryng the same to serve in these parts, yett the matter is reffered to the Land Rade or contry Cowncell of Gellders & the Provyncs abowtt, whither they will retayn hym longer there, who ar thowght will nott be scrupolows in dischargyng him, so small affectyon do they bere to sowdyors./ Butt by this mene som french man, or rather the Cownt of Hollock, (that shalbe the princs son yn Lawe) is to be placed there. for our grettnes & strength [ deleted: will] in this contry wilbe [fol. 271v] daylye diminisshed. The Enmye hath beffore Owdenard 14. or 15.m footemen olld sowdyors, among which be Pollwiller, fronsberg, & fowrckers Regyments, that have byn these xij yeres in paye. There be .3 m. horsemen by the polle, with grett store of artyllerye, havyng made a brydge over the water of schelld, & do holld their sentinell as far as Eke & Landhute, which ar within a small lege & a hallf of Gawnt./ They do nott as yett batter the Town, butt they had gatherd the peysants to mownt their Canon./ Her within is a paper of the governors of the provyncs & Townes, that do holld att this present, ether of the spaynissh or frenche syde, which I thowght nott unffytt for your L.
Du Bee is departed from hence towards her majestie yesternight, wherewith prayeng humblye your honors good cowntenance here, for good servyce in deede that I will do yow, I fynisshe. Andwerpe the 25. of [ deleted: marche] Aprill. in haste. 1582 Here is allso a paper of the Cowncell of estate establysshed att Utrecht for the provyncs beyond the mase./ Your honors most humbly assured. W. Herlleli.
