[fol. 65r] R honorable. I have byn yn Holland by the space of 23. dayes wher I mett with master Gyllpyn sectretorye to the natyon on wensdaye yn the whyttson weeke att the Hage, who that night toke his jorney in good dylygence towards Emdon by Harllem, as the surest waye to lede hym upwards into Germanye, whither his busynes addressed hym./
The same wensdaye cam Monsieur de Roke Ambassador to the K. of Navern to the Hage lykewise, with whom I sholld have byn acqwaynted, butt that I reffused the Erlle of Hollack supper for fere of excesse. The sayd Ambassador yntended to travayll to Utrechte to se the place, & to confferre of somwhatt with the LandRed, [ deleted: which] that might Tend to Monsieurs credite, & to assure them of frynds ynowgh for the supporting of their cawse & Lybertyes, which don he ment to com over to her majestie./
The K. of Portyngalles agent was att the Hage, with comissyon for shippeng from Monsieur & had theruppon warrant from the stats to make his choyse, so he agreed with the owners, who without mony will depart with nothyng, yett he chose .3. shippes owtt,which ar nott lyke to be redye in haste, nor that actyon from hence to have ani grett [ deleted: hellp] ^heatt^ I am still [ Marginalia (by Herle): On Martyn Drye of Zeland sholld be admirall of the Holland & Zeland shippes ynto portyngall /] of that oppynion for good resons to prolixe to troble your honor with, that the preparatyons yn frawnce, will prove vayne for the K. don Anthonio yett as Pedro d'ero assured me yesterdaye, I understand that a 170. saylles with 7000. sowdyours be allredy departed frawnce ^& be att Bell Ile^ towards the vyage, butt ytt may plese your honor to observe the seqwell, & to be advertised, that the K. of Sp: hath settled his governement very pesablye yn portyngall, provyded for deffence & offence, & Remaynes secure agaynst all ynvasyon that may be offred hym [ deleted: ether by sea or land.] /
Owtt of Holland shalbe sent on Gripheus Buis a Cyvylen to the sea to war & to the K. of Denmarke, yf he sholld persiste yn the new aggrevacyons that he ymposeth uppon their shippes & goods./
There is a secrett Contract passed bettwen Monsieur, & certayn frontyer Lords, that holld of the Bisshops of Colleyn & Lyege, & of the d. of Cleve, [ deleted: that] ^which Lords^ when tyme serves, will declare theme sellves with the Stats of these Contreys & with Monsieur, [ deleted: which is] ^trulye^ a wise provydens, [ Marginalia (by Herle): The Cownt of Muers Della marche &c. ] & serves ^to grett purpose^ to be well neyghbord, & to weken ^therbye^ their overmightye neyghbors that malyce this syde./ the B of Liege hath establysshed the [ ... ] in ^his contrey, which pre^ saygeth som grett Leage made on that behallf. wherin he discovers hym sellf firste./
Master Norrys with his Trowpes ar att the Last sett contented of som [fol. 65v] part of their paye, & do ymbarck them sellves att Skonhoven to com ynto flanders to the Camp, nott unloked for, Monsieur havyng repposed his Reffuge yn theme for the releeff of Owdenard, his other aydes beyng [ deleted: beyng] slowe that ar looked for owtt of frawnce./ Master Norrys hath a [ deleted: xiiij] xviij C footemen & a 350 [ Marginalia (by Herle): 1500. fotemen. 350. horsemen.] horse, yn those Trowpes that he brynges hitherwards, Trulye very gallant fellowes & well appoynted, & shall have yn all under hym ^when the Regyments be full^ 5000. englyssh footemen att Lest, [ deleted: recknyng the new Regyment withall] & herewith a vij C horse To whose governement, yf he adde exercise of Religion ^justyce^ & dissciplyne, (as I trust in his discretyon ^he^ will regard that principallye) no dowtt he shall do grett servyce to these stats, & qwycklye dissollve these pettye devysyons that ar among the Captaynes, to his credite more, than ani pryvate devyse cowd bryng hym unto./
Att mi [ deleted: comyng owtt] Retorne owtt of Holland hither, which was on mondaye Last, I fownd ij lres for me, the on from the Erlle of Lecester & the other from your honor, bothe so tenderlye wrytten, with suche honorable Respect to mi poore cawses [ deleted: there] , as I thynk mi sellf bownd to ether of yow, whiles brethe & memorye remaynes, And trulye sir as ye shall fynde me towards yow a creature, that with his hart doth love & honor yow, so a thanckfull & assured person to be comanded in whatt soever ye shall ympose [ deleted: unto me] & yf ye vowchesave to ymploye me in [ deleted: somwhatt] ani cawse that shall lyke yow, I will render Testymony of mi obedyens, with the truthe & dylygens that appertaynes. Thanckyng your honor most humblye, for your favor promised me towards the endyng mi cawse with master Wade to whom I will yndevor mi sellf as his good frynd, nott onlye to satisfye hym, to mi uttermost power, butt be thanckfull for the regard that he shall use to mi ^present^ povertye, yn which the ympedyment hath consisted, that he was nott answerd beffore this, assuryng your honor that I have settled mi sellf here to attend som occasyon, that may be offred to do mi contry servyce, & theryn to be att your devotyon, accordyng to the place ye holld, with all the dutye that ani is hable to yelld, To the achevyng wherof I have as small menes as may be, havyng consigned mi pensyon yn England to the mayntenance & bryngyng up of 4. lyttell ynffants, childern to a sister of myne decessed, besyde which I have non other lyveng nor ayde, butt I will constantlye bere ytt owtt, & by my paynfull yn devor make mi sellf hable to do som whatt. The rest which her majestie gave [fol. 66r] me for the answeryng of mi detts, is yn the disposicyon of the feffyes, who can do nothyng as yett, till her majestie have sygned mi byll of new to the use of the Contry, that hath bowght her grawnt of the feffyes, and herof it deppends, that nether I cowd make satisfactyon to master Wade, nor putt hym in assurance of that which [ deleted: was] ^yn^ reson I sholld have don, att the ynstant of our agrement. Butt mi L. of Lecester by his last lre, hath shewed me that the byll for her majesties signature, is delyverd hym by master Osburne, & that he will nott fayll to dispatche ytt, with the first comoditye that is offred./ which I humblye comend to bothe your favors./
ytt plesed your honor yn the lre ye wrytt me, to will that I sholld ynforme mi sellf, wherof that brute rysse, that we were yn cyvyll dissencion yn England, & to whatt effect the same was so bruted & from whom it proceded To which purpose I have sett down in wryteng certayn secret collectyons of mi observyng from the Last of Aprill to the xvj of maye, which I hope shall satisfye your honor, & discover that which your wisdom shalbe better hable to judge of than I ether to conceve or expresse, which writeng as it consernes som mistreyes yn dede, [ deleted: therfore I mene] ^so mene I ^ to send the same with an assured messenger [ deleted: sonday] this ^next^ weeke, comendyng it to your own honorable secresye. And yf ye vowchesave (for yncrese of my poore credite here, which by mi propper ynsdustrye I had made som whatt) [ deleted: to take occasyon] to wryte ^ani thyng^ to the prynce, to Du plessys, to St alldegond (who now is absent) or to Vylliers, [ deleted: of ani matter] ^it were mi humble desire^ that I might have the delyvryng [ deleted: of] & the sollicyteng ^therof^ yn master Gyllpynes absens, [ deleted: ytt] ^which^ were a favor that wolld gyve me cowntenace & menes, to do yow som good service yndede./ [ deleted: which I] refferreng ^the same^ to your honorable consyderacyon, & to the syncere affectyon I bere yow. Yn the rest sir, I have don her majestie & do daylye som ^good^ offics, that may expresse me for faythfull & trew service, beyng yn good Termes with Monsieur, who useth me well, & hath confferred often with me att good lengthe of sondrye cawses, yett I have byn shott att here owtt of England by ^som^ [ Marginalia (by Herle): wherof Marchemonte was made an ynstrument] newes, [ deleted: & by marche mont ] who is now as far owtt of grace with Monsieur as Cymiers, & is lyke uppon his retorne hither to have his pasport for all together, within this moneth./ Your honor most have an eye to Backevylle for I am advertised from good place, that he bothe hath the will & ^the^ mene to practis with us, ^& doth in good ernest procede to undermyne us^ wherof I will ynforme yow more by mi next for there is a platt Layed to sturre up devisyon yn England, & to wyn som ynterest yn the scottissh K. that her majestie may be constrayned to favor som syde the more & to have nede of theme./
[fol. 66v] I desyred master doytye to advertys your honor of som parte of these thyngs followyng, which lest he hath nott don, I will sett theme down mi sellf./ First, that the havyng of Bowchayn faylled, for that Nozelles yntent, by his own ymperfectyons, was discoverd & resisted, beffore the matter was com to a Ripenes, & he constrayned to forsake his charge by flyeng to Cambray levyng the reputacion of a droncken Scotte behynde hym./
Thatt the Cownt dellalang dyd nott somuche dye of the hurt Receved by his horse (which was [ deleted: slyghte] slyghte) as of an apprehensyon, beyng discoverd that he had Treated with Monsieur here, wherbye he sholld have delyverd up the charge he had yn Haynallt, & have Revollted uppon the fyrst opportunitye; Butt beyng prevented by the P. of Parmas foresyght, & threttned by his lres [ deleted: to be ponysshed of this ynffidelitye] , the same brake his harte, & was the occasyon of his deth. Of which secrett Treatye with hym & others, from hens, I have mencyoned somwhatt heretoffore./
The vicownt of Gawnt, exerciseng the state of Lyventenant generall att this present under the P. of Parma, is [ Marginalia (by Herle): sayd to be] apprehended & sent prisoner to the castell of Torney: which [ deleted: hath made] ^wold make^ a grett staye of things of the on syde, & muche alltre owr cowrse here, bylldeng uppon som event unloked [for] [ Marginalia (by Herle): This report of the vicownt of gawnt is fownd to be untrew] which faylleng, [ deleted: may] might Ruyne the Rest. And as far as I can perceve Monsieurs Reffuge for the Relevyng of Owdenard [ deleted: sodenlye] ^uppon the sodeyn^ deppends of the englyssh forcs that be with master Norrys: for of the frenche Trowpes that were sayd to be att Cambraye, there is as yett no certayne assurance marye Byron is uppon the frontyers with the Bands of the men [ deleted: of] att Armes of frawnce, whose disposityon is not to give fartherance to these cawses. The dutche Rutters appere nott nether & so thyngs do ron yn Lengthe./ ytt sholld seme that the P. of Parma ys assured of somwhatt, for he yn all securitye hath intrenched his Armye beffore Owdenard of ij sydes, as nether sally [ deleted: of] ^from^ the Towne can offend hym, nor [ deleted: without owr people] without endomayge hym, without preciptacion of our syde./
He hath chosen the Ravellyng beffore the gate, wherunto the Castell serves for a flancker, there to make his Battrye, which he hath beten yn suche sort, as whatt with the Rubbyssh that is fallen ynto the diche, & a Trenche Rowlled ynto the same from his Campward, he made som mere passayge over, but nott sufficyent, yett he assallted the Breche with grett furye, & was no les furyowlsye Reppullsed. Butt he persists his Battrye, by the which he will prevayll, yf breeff ayde com nott. The [fol. 67r] Town is not so stored of munycyon, as was voyced, nor theyr habilytye so grett to deffend, Butt yf the place be lost, Monsieurs Reputacion & the Pryncs wilbe shrowdlye demynisshed, & the whole Contrey suffer wrack. ytt was a hard provynce that Monsieur undertoke to advance .3. monethes paye beffore hand of his own mony, which amontheth to 900 M. gylldernes wherof yf he misse the States will retayn their portyons, [ deleted: for theyr provyncs] & the fayres be Reduced to grett difficultye./
The lres of Italye comyng hitherward, were yntercepted the Last weke abowtt Ruremond yett it is constantlye affirmed by other advertysments, that a xij C horse owtt of the kyngdom of Naples, & xvj C owtt of Lombardye, with x M. footemene ar marchyng downwards towards this servyce, & that the K. of Sp: will sett up his Rest here this yere. The Leders be Prospero Colona, Baptista de monte, & others./
Monsieur Bellyvue is departed hence, Levyng beyde hym a hepe full of promises & fayre words, grownded all together uppon conivencyes butt otherwise uppon small substance./ He made difficultye for the passayge of the Rutters throw Pycardy, the same beyng stayed by the K. comandement./ He promised that the K. sholld contribute 50 m. [crowns] monethlye towards the warres, & that the passaygs of Calyce & Maziers sholld be nomore open to the Enmyes, which is thowght to holld no grett synceritye, for all his assurance./ He urged extremelye the Relygyowse Vrede, & to have assmani churches for the exercise of the Catholyck Religyon, as the Protestants had, wherof your honor may gesse whatt the frenche pretend yn the end./ Yow shall se of mi worde, a horrible conffusyon when the frenche navye is assmbled here, & som mischeeff breke owtt, that may nott be wrytten of./ The P. [ Marginalia (by Herle): of Orenge] & Bellivue had most secrett & Longe negociatyon together, which is nott a whytt lyked of here./ They harp styll of the mariayge with her majestie & of ayde owtt of England, beyng a thyng verey fresshly gyven owtt, that Monsieur will urge the Q. to a resolutyon towching the mariayge & presse her with her promis Belyvue havyng lefte ynstrucyons behynde hym (as it is callculated) how to procede theryn./
The d. of Gwise besyde the late provysyons of powder & munityon that he sent ynto Scottland, doth send more owtt of Normandye & provydes Armes of all sorts for the same contry./ ytt is yn tyme [fol. 67v] to be provyded for. for be yow assured sir, that dobignye will leve nothyng undon, that may warrant his own estate agaynst England, or [ deleted: nott obey] ^give credite^ the d. of Gwise desseignes ^in scotland^ that hath som gretter enterprise in hand, as I writt to your honor & to mi L. of Lecester somwhatt herof beffore./
Here hath byn a hott brute that Gyneva was beseeged, & that the frenche K. dyd concurre yn that actyon: wheratt on of the principall Magistrats of This Town [ Marginalia (by Herle): Sanfort] sayd openlye, whatt the devyll do we then with his brother here to betraye our cawses, whom rather we will dismisse with a passeporte tomorow next, & be ryd of hym withowt drede of ynward danger.
[ Marginalia (by Herle): manicule]The P. of Orenge is subject to Catharres & melancholye of late, allso to passyons, otherwise than his wytt was wont to be enclyned unto, The former vygor apperes nott to be yn hym, beyng dyrected whollye by those that ar nere hym./ I speke playnlye & Trulye./
St Alldegond is gon ynto Zelland to recreate hym sellf, thowgh a very yll ayre for a Tysyck, which hath prevaylled muche uppon hym, & is thowght to thretten his lyfe./ Wherwith R. honorable [ deleted: master Secretorye] I do humbly take mi leve./ I have taken a howse here, which costs me after the rate of 200. gylldernes by the yere, so as I will from hence furth be resyant [ deleted: here] ^yn this Town^ yf it may plese your L. to dyrect ani comandement unto me, that I may serve yow yn [ Marginalia (by Herle): [ deleted: which I desyre to do most humblye] ] even with mi harte & hand I desire to ^obey yow^ Coronell Morgan fyndes the Prynce of Orenge very favorable unto hym havyng by his mene a prest of vj m. gylldernes grawnted hym & a qwarter for the assemblyng of his new Enseynes, besyde that the sayd Prynce is yn hand to dissollve [ deleted: other] ^the new^ Bands, & doth mislyke the devisyon that is among our men, & namelye those that have oppposed theme sellves to the former Regyments. Butt when master Norrys comes, I will do som good office, thowgh part of theme be unworthye of ytt. / Andwerpe the iij of June. 1582./ Your honors most humbly. W. Herlle li.
