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SP 83/16/2 f. 2r - 5v. William Herle to Sir Francis Walsingham. 
Address Leaf:
[Superscription:] To the R. honorable Sir frawncs Wallsyngham Knight, her majesties principall Secretorye &c. gyve these with speede att the Cowrtt./
[Endorsement by Herle:] seconda./ The pryncesse of Orenge is to be buryed tomorow beyng the ix ^th^ of maye att our Lady churche./
[Endorsement by unknown hand:] 5. may. 1582. From Master William Hearle.
Letter Text:

[fol. 2r] My lre R. honorable, dated the 28. of Aprill, & ment to have byn sent by the post to your honor, was stayed by me uppon som occasyon tyll now, which this berer shall delyver yow & a booke therewith: Besekyng that thowgh ytt com Late, ye will nott yett despise the humble menyng I have, which is to do yow ani service I can with mi harte./

Synce the writeng of mi Last, the P. of Orenge hath shewed hym sellf att the Castell Churche, to the satisfactyon of many, & discontentment of others, of whom som were so obstynate, as wolld nott beleve the sayd P. to be lyveng, tyll their own sight had assured theme./ Villyers preched that wensday, & publyck prayers of thanckes gyveng, were had throwghowtt the Town for the sayd P. hellthe./

Butt this mornyng it hath plesed God, abowtt 4. of the clock to Laye another hevye crosse uppon the sayd P. by callyng owtt of the worlld the Pryncesse his wife: A Lady trulye muche bemoned, levyng vj lyttell dowghters behynde her which is lyke to worck som sorowfull effect of melancholye yn the P. thowgh he bere it owtt with an yncredible constancye, comfortyng others that com to condole with hym, yett his ynward affectyon is knowne, et separatis amicorum, clanculum mordet./ The Pryncesse of Pynoys, is allso in those weke Termes, as there is small hope of recoverye./

Hawttpeyn called Erlle of Barlemont, had an enterprise to have surprised [ Marginalia (by Herle): Venlowe] [ deleted: Utrecht] on maye daye, which was prevented by advertisments from hence, & he frustrated of his long purpose, that had byn a whole yere in handlyng: As trulye [ deleted: the] by the P. of Orengs mene, this syde hath grett yntellygens of the enmyes procedyngs./

Captayn Chattellett an Italyen, that had a brave cornett of Red cotes Italyens & Spaniards, under Verdugos Regyment, is com to Arnam in Gellderland, presentyng his service to Monsieur, for that he hath byn yll used by the sayd Verdugo, [fol. 2v] which offer beyng putt in consyderacion, the sayd Chattellett is sent for hither to be ynterrogated. And a 150. of Skynckes Rutters, ar com to the stats service in Gellderland./

Master Norrys with his Regyment is comanded to com hither to the Camp att Gawnt, butt he hath so small contentment offred hym. for his servics past, as he shall nott be well hable therewith to make his sowdyors marche, nor to have theme att comandement./ Monsieurs menyng is to putt in good garrison at Duseburgh & att the lyttell Scontz, that master norrys made, ^therebye^ to kepe the Istell att Brunckhurst: Allso to forteffye Stenwick with men & municyon, & a lyttell forte withall besyde Groyneng, & so is the whole contrey deffended by these places agaynst the Enmye, & he forced to make hed, where Monsieurs whole Camp shalbe./

The Stats generall ar dissollved this day, & Monsieur was yn the Chamber of fynances to Receve suche order as they had agreed uppon, for the contributyons mencyoned in mi former lres. Monsieur undertakyng to gyve the Stats credit .3. monethes all wayes beffore hand, towching the contribucion of the 300m. gyllders that ar all owed for the yntertaynment of the Armye, by which respite the sayd Stats, without yncomodity shalbe hable to furnissh the sayd som still, & the contry be grettlye eased./

The sayd Stats have agreed to shutt up the traffick of vittaylles comyng owtt of Holland to Gravellyng by saffeconducte, that the frenche K. beholldyng that they here have Reallye & effectuallye accomplisshed of their syde all condicyons, that were contracted with the sayd K. & his brother, they may theruppon dyrectly Urge the K. to close up lykewise the passaygs of Maziers & Callice, otherwise to charge hym with his own contract (the copye wherof I do send your honor here ynclosed./

Pawll Buis who departs tomorow, first into Zeland & then into Holland, with order to se the premisses executed, doth comend him humblye to your honor, to the L. Thresuror, & to the Erlle of Lecester, assuryng that in all occasyons, that may ymport service or respect to the Q. of England, that bothe he & the whole estate of Holland [fol. 3r] & Zelland, shall syncerelye frame theme sellves to be att her majesties directyon, which he desired me to signeffye partyclerlye to your honor, that her majestie might understand the good devotyon that is born her./

The Stats have decreed to send presently an ambassayge, with sufficyent ynstructyons to the Erlle of Emden & to the sea townes allso to sondrye pryncs of the Empire that be of most importance to treatt of a Leage deffensyve & offensyve, to be had with these provyncs, & with the sea parts therof, with space to comprise yn the sayd Leage, whatt conffederats ether syde shall call into theme./ The copye of the Stats lres on this behallf to the sea costs, & to the other pryncs that ar to be treated with, & the Instructyons they send to negociate uppon, I shall have assone as the Secretorye of Estate hath order, to delyver the origynalles to those that ar to be employed theryn./

Don Anthonios affayres here, for shippeng, procede slowlye, & without ayde of mony (wherof there is small mene or hope to be furnisshed) the travayll hither unto is lost. for the Owners & maryners, will nott be refferred to the Ile of Tercera for their payment, butt wilbe satisfyed & assured before their departure, havyng sene that don Anthonios credite is small in the sayd Terceras: for of Late ij shippes ar arryved thens into Zeland rychelye Laden, yett without ware or credite that might appertayne to serve don Anthonios torne.// Here be 3. of the sayd don Anthonios Agents. Soza Piedow d'en & Christovallett, who surelye have small skyll of those humours, & les menes to advance their own furtherrance & credite: contented as it semes to be led on, with strong Imaginatyons, agaynst bothe reson & possibilytye./ Butt yn the mene tyme they spend largely, which is the frute of all that is don. Besyde, that their master in france, is assmuche abused of the other syde, ye desyrows belyke to be consumed suche is his credulytye, & in the end shall carye nether shipp nor ayde thens, for Strozzi & Brisack ar ynstruments of another edge, which consernes her majestie & Rochell to loke well unto./

The yong Prynce, heyre to the duke of Tuscanye, is dede, which is of [fol. 3v] no small conseqwens, in regard of the ynheritance of that estate, which will hardlye be ynvested yn the yssew of this woman, whose hand they saye hath hollpen the sayd yong gentillman onwards./

Coronell Steward hath had a Towgh worck in hand with his Regyment, that hath complayned of hym, & is lastlye comitted to his own Lodgyng for betyng on Spense, a captayn of his [ deleted: sayd Regyment] with a cudgell, who therfore framed a cryminall actyon agaynst hym, for the Battrye, as thowgh it were yn nature of an Assassinate, butt [ deleted: no waye] ^no waye^ Justlye: for Steward accompanyed onlye with his Boye, mett the sayd Spense well weponed in the highe strete, & there to his face used the cudgell, the other offryng no deffence butt his heeles./ ytt is lyke that Coronell Steward shalbe discharged, & the scotts reduced that be here, under Trayll & Preston, which will hasten the sayd Stewards jorney into scotland after that he hath first visited Battenburgh./

Here is agrett Brute, which is grownded uppon advertisments com to Monsieur, that England is in Armes agaynst the Q. The papists growen strong, The Q: perplexed with force & difficultye: The Erlles of Lecester & Sussex banded yn grett Trowpes on against another: Bothe of theme comanded to their howses, master Hatton & the Erlle of Sussex becom spaynissh, your sellf in fere to fall with the Erlle of Lecester, Grett Leges made among the nobilitye & those partyclerlye named: Thatt the tyme is com that the Q. most know her sellf to be butt a woman, & to have nede of a hed to govern thyngs: wheruppon Monsieur wissheth hym sellf there to ayd her majestie. / fynally that the passaygs & ports of England be shutt up, garded with officers, who serche every man to the solles of the shewes for lres & papers of conspiracye & Rebellyon: of all which the stats generall have byn ynfformed partyclerlye by the frenche, ye even sytteng in Cowncell, which as I gesse is to alyenate their mindes & good oppynion from England, & to torne their cowrse by synister degrees another waye./ To conffirme this brute the more, we have had no poste these xvij dayes that is com over./

ytt plesed monsieur to aske me whatt I thowght of the premisses, I sayd playnlye that they were Toyes, of no credite nor lykelyhood: And that [fol. 34r] owr State was so composed, nott of 4. forckers, butt of good government & provisyon agaynst all events. that it was ympossible to [ deleted: have] have ani dangerows conspiracye begon, that had nott furthwith the effect of an untymelye byrth./ The lyke in Larger woords I tolld on of his Cowncell, who threttned us that we sholld have cyvyll warres, wherof the seedes were cast, & had taken roote yn the brests of most resolute & noble person, occasyoned of .3. thyngs. first for Lack of a husbond to the Q. accordyng to her worthynes./ Next for lack of establyssheng an heyre apparant to succede: which they determyne to be onlye the scottissh K. by his right./ Thirdlye the hatefullnes of the Tryumvirate of England, that secluded ani other from awthoritye, & beneffite by her majestie but theme sellves, which wolld occasyon a free parlyament beffore it were long, to debate freelye of these poynts in the face of the whole Reallm./

And these sir, be the discowrses & platts, that ar att this present most ryfe here, even with the best sort of men: which among other effectes hath dampned the speche of the Thresure sent over to Monsieur, butt the same had required more convenyent [ deleted: Termes] & gratefull Termes, yf allgates their error were to be sallved by suppressyon & by yndirect Termes./ Englyssh, the master that browght ytt ^over^ , & that yntertayned La fogiera in his Cabben yn the lest degrees he cowd, had no gretter reward (as our mercheants affirme here) than vj. frenche crownes./

The B. of Rosses genelogye & his booke withall in Latten of the scotissh tytell to the Crown of England, hath byn grettlye axed for & solld att this franckfords mart, which of mi knowlege I dare affirme, for I provyded my sellf there of som few bookes, & had trew advertisment hereof. wherwith I humblye fynissheng, do comend master Wades cawse & myne to your honorable decysyon, which I do pray yow to do somwhatt yn, for charitye sake./ Andwerpe the v ^th^ of maye. 1582./ Your honors most assured to use & comande. W. Herlleli.

vertatur folium./

[Postscript:] [fol. 4v] [ Marginalia (by Herle): Post Scriptum. the .8. of maye. 1582./] Uppon sondaye there were lres yntercepted that cam to the P. of Parma from the Cowntt of Mansfellt governor of Luxemburgh, declaryng that his sowdyors, & namelye his sones new Regyment, were in grett dissorder for want of paye, lyveng yn the mene season uppon the contrey man in all lycentyousnes, without dissciplyne or obedyens, & redy to comitt som ynsolent part that might overthrowe the K. service whollye in these parts, yf present supplye were nott minisstred: Beyng necessary now to have all [ deleted: these] ^their^ Trowpes yn redynes, for that the Duke of Allensons swyttzers were marched forwards to their Rendez vous, uppon the Rossne, where the Reysters that were levyed for his service allso, under the Ledyng of the Cownt Ullrich of Mansfellt, sholld meete to the nomber of xv C. horse, passyng by metze, & then makyng theme sellves waye by force throwghe Luxemburgh, which were easye (to the P. of Parmas apparent danger) yf those dissorders were nott first provyded for./ On Satterday night, xv. cornetts of the P. of Parmas Trowpes leyng beffore Owdenard were sent towards Namures. In lyke maner Verdugos forcs a foote & a horse back, ar marched owtt of Gellderland thither wards, to joyne with the Governor of Luxembugh yn stopping the passayge to the Swittzers & Rutters, or elles to fighte with theme beffore monsieur might releve them with other companyes./ Owdenard is nott lyke to be battred att all, yett the enmyes Camp is still beffore ytt,/ The ordynance is unbarcked agayn that was shipped for the Battrye att Turney, & ^with it^ an ynffinite nomber of new canvas Bagges that were [ Marginalia (by Herle): [ deleted: to com with the sayd ordynance] ] made to fyll up with erthe & sand./ Those of the Town of Owdenard ar of that corayge now that they have written to Gawnt, that they be hable to kepe the place these vj monethes agaynst the enmye, beyng provyded of all thyngs necessarye, & resolute withall to abyde the seege. wherwith ones more I humblye take mi leve./

Backeville is appoynted (yf som other occasyon allter it nott) to be resydent yn England yn marche mownts place. of whom it was [ deleted: ferd] ^fered^ uppon this brute owtt of England, that he sholld be noted for a [ deleted: sower] sower of devysyon there ^& therfore revoked yn tyme.^ / This daye the poste is arrived with lres of very olld date./ Your honors most humblye. W. Herlleli.

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