Transcript

[fol. 117r] Uppon sonday Last R. honorable dyd the P. of Parma give a Terrible assallte to the Town of Owdenard, nott without grett slawghter of ether syde: for those of the sayd Town, lost above a C. & the gate withall that hytherunto they had so well dyffended, wherby they were dryven to kepe within the new fortifficatyons, made beffore the sayd Gate, weryed with watche & travayll, & sone beten with grett ordynance, that contynuallye discharged uppon theme./

The daye followyng, the sayd P. offred the Town a parlye, which on Tewsdaye had som eare gyven unto ytt, yett nott suche as the Governor wolld consent that they sholld procede yn./

The wensdaye abowtt the howre of .5. yn the evenyng, dyd aryse so vehement a storme, & Tempest (which allso we had here) of thonder, lyghtnyng, wynde, hayll, & Rayne: The daye therewith beyng changed as it were ynto night, & the hayll stones were of the compasse of englysh shyllengs, yn proportyon flatt, yett thyck & hollowed on the on syde: In which Boystrows storme, hope of the Enmyes that were within the Ravellyng & gate, beffore the new Trenches of the Town, entred that parte whiles the gardes were with drawen to give place to the storme, & uppon this opportunitie ministred (the harkebusurye [ Marginalia (by Herle): & grett ordynance standyng theme within] [ deleted: standyng them] yn small steede) becam masters therof, beffore they cowd be Repullsed./ Yett with a vallew, that sure ys worthy perpetuall comendacion, the Burgesses & Town sowdyors, contynued yn that place fightyng the whole night, & part of the next mornyng tyll overcom with werynes & fresshe supplyes of the enmyes, that wan uppon theme by Inchemele, they were forced to Retyre to the Inner parts of the Town, devyded from the Rest by the Ryver, & the Brawnches therof, whose Brydges they had broken down beffore, to assure theyr Town [ deleted: devyded] from Irruptyon: Butt beyng thus reduced to the place of their last Reffuge: without more hope of Releeff, they began to consyder of their State & danger, & compelled their Governor Du Burgh (whom elles they wolld have slayne) to harcken to a Treatye, by the which uppon certayn condycions, nott yett knowen, the Town was delyverd up the same thursdaye. And theruppon a Bravado made beffore our Camp att Gawntt, by the Enmyes horsemen & footemen, who offred prowdlye to have entred the Camp, which bred suche a confusyon within Gawnt, & suche a devysyon withall, as yf our camp had nott byn neere, som grett dissorder wolld have followed, which yett is nott well assured, yn respect of the mutynows & disalltred nomber, that is within it of ynhabitants.

All the Pyoners that cowd be had owtt of the Land of Waest, & the placs nere therunto, were sent for to forteffye our Camp spedylye./

[fol. 117v] This Town is becom so passyonate for the Losse of Owdenard, as it openlye exclaymes of the frenche & of Monsieur, uttryng playnlye that they fynde nothyng butt Tresons & deceytts in theme. The P. of Orenge is charged allso with ynsufficyencye & want of good dealyng./ which is a shrewd presayge of the allteracions & Revolltes that may follow, & of the decaye of the menes how to furnysshe mony withall./ And att this present, bothe our frynds be discorayged, & the Stats do waver in their Resolutyons: As allso Gellderland lyke to becom Mallcontente, who denye to paye ani more excise on import./

Brugs doth seme to have som englyssh Ensignes put in garrison within their Town lest they be surprised or beseeged: wherunto Coronell Morgans Companyes ar lyke to be employed. Cottons Ensygne & dullons ar sent to Dyest, & the warre of our syde induced to be deffensyve./

The frenche K. as he hath drawen things in lengthe, & yett nott perfformed the shuttyng up of the passaygs of Maziers & Calyce hitherunto: so may he be redy uppon this ylle luck (beholldyng Italye, Spayn, & Germany &c, to be Banded agaynst us) to abandon us for alltogether, which is the frute of Conyvencyes, & of that Cowncell, which he reteynes as most secrett to hym sellf./

The Cownt of mansfellt departed from hens towards his Trowpes on thursdaye, to whom Monsieur hath promised on monethes paye att their arryvall. They be now butt a M. horse of servyce, vij C frenche horse, & xv C frenche shott. fervackes beyng sayd to be as yett att Mantz./

ytt was delyberated here, that those Trowpes sholld nott passe from marqwis & Arlewx, throw Arthois to Menyng, as was first yntended, butt playn weste to Awxy uppon the Ryver Awthz, & from thens by a grett [wyndles] to mattrell, & by Bullerroys & the Contry of Oye to Gravellyng, where on thursdaye att the mornyng Ebbe, they were to com over that passayge to Donkerck. Butt ytt shalbe easye for the P. of Parma to be att the sea sands beffore theme, whom yf he dyffeatt, he withall cutts of the hope of our Camp & disseignes for this yere, with an ynevytable losse to these contryes & to the Repputacion of the governement./

The B of Leege, is rydden in poste to Germany, & the P. of Parma hath ij M. footemen & vj C horse Burgonyons com to hym within these ij dayes./

His Italyen & Spaynissh forcs be yn their marche hitherwards, so ar their certayn Regyments of horse men & footemen owtt of Germanye, with pyoners from Bohemia./

Owr assemblye of the Estats generall procedes on slowlye, & att this ynstant with small devotyon to do good. Those of Holland & Zeland ar com butt the rest of the Contreyes beyond the mose ar nott./

[fol. 118r] Monsieur was muche amased yesterday mornyng att his goyng to Masse, when the newes were browght hym of Owdenard, wherwith he lefte Masse & ^all^ & went sodenlye to confferre with the P. att the Castell./

The olld & new Bands of the frenche yn our Camp, were lyke to have byn yn Armes among theme sellves, abowtt difference of Religyon./

Master northes companyes att St. Barnards ar yn mutynye, & have reffused to marche with the Rest ynto the Camp. His lyvetenant Salisbury is arryved here this after noone owtt of England havyng browght over sowdyors./

The Italyen lres do contynue that the K. of Sp: hath made Marcantonio Colona Governor of the State of Myllayn, John Andura d'rza, viceroy of Naples, & another Italyen vyceroy of Scycyll, wherby may be gathered with whatt favor & conffydens, the sayd K. settes to holld Italye yn, of which natyon, sondry grett personaygs do com down volontarrilye to these warres, yn honor of the sayd K. & yn respect of Relygon & justyce of the cawse./

The dyett Imperyall shall now have his cowrse & Plessis is stayed tyll the 14. of this moneth, beyng judged that now the sayd dyett, [ deleted: shall beholld] when ytt shall beholld K . phillips forcs here yn the fylld, his Right & power joyned together, that they will the easelyer judge of his syde, yn the sayd dyett./

Du Vraye, is by Qwinsyes newes discharged into frawnce, to serve there from hencefurthe as superyntendent over the dukes Apenaygs which hath trobled hym very muche, & is to departe on Tewsdaye next.

On thyng may happen to troble this victorye, yn the K. of Sp: armye, which hath hapned often, that is mutynye for lack of paye & [ deleted: mutynye] bootye. On Goodryche Comissarye of the scottissh K garde, cam hither a vj dayes synce, with lres of Credens to Monsieur, [ deleted: wryteng hym d. of Brabant he] caryeng superscriptyon to the D. of Brabant, his messaige was Congratulatorye, with mani good speches of affectyon & fryndship, & desyreng [ Marginalia (by Herle): that his master might] be yn perffect good yntelligence with [ deleted: hym] ^Monsieur^ , as his awncestors had ever byn with the howse of valoys, butt now by a dooble respect./

Partyclerlye he spake yn favor of Coronell Steward, so charged by the K. towching the differens had bettwen Steward & the Captaynes, his Regyment, & withall for Stewards leve & dispatche to com over ynto scottland./ whatt other thyng, that the sayd Goodryche may have treted privately of, ether from the K. or dobignye, or for makyng of provysyons of munityon here, I shalbe hable to understand, & will advertys the same accordynglye./

fyndeng som matter to presume of, for that on George Hackett, factor for the scottissh k. & Conserge of that natyon is com owtt of Zeland with Good ryche hither, & hath byn sene confferryng with som principall doers yn municyon./ Bothe Steward & Goodryche have byn fownd to complayne that the K. their master is very hardlye dellt with by England, & so were the principall [fol. 188v] mynisters of his Cowncell./ Which wolld force the sayd K. to make other princs judges ^then^ of, & to grownd his own estate better./ In conclusyon, ytt is evydent [ deleted: to se] that dobignye dothe nooryssh yn the K. the worst humors that may be towards her majestie & sturres up others to the lyke, stryveng yndeede to com to matter of executyon. The d. of Gwise & all that howse, ar presentlye assembled together yn Normandye, for speciall consullatacion. They sent a messenger within these 3. weekes into Scottland verey privatelye./ Roger Aston is here yn company with Goodryche, havyng wrytten a lre to mi L. of Lecester from Leystock, where they towched in their jorney hitherwards./ Coronell Steward departs towards Battemburgh [ deleted: this] to morrow./ Wherwith for this tyme I very humblye take mi leve./ Andwerpe the vij ^th^ of Julye. 1582./ your honors, yn dutye & devotyon assured. W. Herlleli.