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SP 83/17/1 f. 1r - 3v. William Herle to Sir Francis Walsingham. 
Address Leaf:
[Endorsement by Herle:] The Copi of mi lre to Master secretory Wallsingham the first & second of september in andwarp. 1582.
Letter Text:

[fol. 1r] My ij former lres R. honorable of the 18. & 25. of this present, that com with [this] packett, I was fayn to kepe by me thus long, for deffawtt of suche a messenger as I might trust to comitt them unto. for no englysh post hath departed hence these 14. dayes. I thowght ones to have suppressed them, butt agayn consydring that they caryed a report (lyke a Dyarye) of suche matter as hath occurred of a grett while, I thowght theme worthy your perusyng, albeit they bare nott so fresshe a date, butt specially for that they conteyne the trew estate of these actyons, which ymports yow to know, & that things be delyverd directly without passion or desgyseng unto yow./

We ar muche trobled now with these hevy newes of don Anthonios diffeatt, which will worck bytter effects here, as your honor shall perceve shortlye, & is very materyall for her majestie to consyder of effectually./ We were in good hope that they were onlye devises forged owtt of Bernardyn de mendozas [shop] & others addicted to the spaynish factyon: Butt sithens that tyme, we have bin confirmed by lres of the 27. from Parys, & by others of fresshe date from Roan as allso by advertisments from London of the 26. that the matter is to trew. monsieur & the P. have sowght to cover it the best they cowd, by gyveng owtt the Q. mother had written that the victorye was don Anthonios, which relev [ed] the people muche here./

We thinck verelye that this wilbe an occasyon to discorayge the frenche K. from Actyon, & to leve us post alone, & then a generall [ deleted: allter] allteracion [will] follow, of the wekenes that we shall fynde our sellves in, wantyng [ ... ] cowntenance, unitye, & corayge./ The frenche K. allso, may make [ ... ] accord with the K. of Sp: under hand, layeng the fawtt of these other [proceedings] uppon his mother & brother, wherunto this absens of his, may serve for a [ ... ] & for a subject fytt to negociate [ deleted: closely] ^pryvately^ by./ from hence furth may monsieur & the Prynce (as it is lykelye) seke to fynde from her majestie the truthe of things, to drawe her still on, & to make their own proffitt./

For me I se, that att [ deleted: length] lengthe, unles it be this Town, with Holland & Zeland, there is small assurance to garde the rest substancially. And I do yntend by Gods grace mi sellf, uppon your honors answer had to this, to repayre homwards, or elles to travayll up into Switzerland, in case her majestie have nott occasyon to use me here, for the chargs ar to grett for me to bere alone, wherof the zele & travayll consydred that I yelld, there is no consyderacion hadd att all./ Ytt may be, that her majestie wolld have wisshed that ether I had byn more hable to have born owtt the chargs (which I wolld supplye with mi hart blood, yf that wolld serve) or that I had byn supplyed otherwise./ for I have the mene to know that, which others here canott arryve unto, nether can monsieur nor the P [ deleted: hyde] hyde it from me, Butt I content mi sellf humble with mi estate, being lothe to have her majestie born in hand otherwise than trulye, ether from hence or from ani other place. Whatt I know I know, which I utter in the abowndance of dutye & zele born to her [majesties] service & securytye./

[fol. 1v] On wensday last, Monsieur & the Cowrtt was loked for here, but the night before, abowtt ix of the clock he was advertised that the Enmyes Armye was a foote & wolld before day be to surprise our Camp, which [ deleted: laye ^laye^ ] ^laye^ dispersed bettwen Gawnt & Owdenard. Wheruppon the Coronelles, Captaynes, & officers were sent owt of the Town, to their severall charge, who retyred their people [ deleted: with] & baggayge with grett diligens towards the gate of Gawnt that ledes to Allost./ By .5. of the clock that wensdaye mornyng, was the Enmye in sighte, who consisted (by report of 4m. horse, & of assmani choyse footemen: the mutyned sowdyours of our natyon serving for a vangard d'enfantz perduz, [ deleted: to their foote battayll] well furnisshed with musketts, & they were those that with most corayge & skyll, dyd most anoye, our syde./ The conflyct began by vj of the clock, & contynewed tyll after 10. And then within a small intermission, thatt was renewed with a hott charge & mayntayned till after 4. of the clock./ The d. & the P. beyng all this while on the walles, to beholld bothe Armyes & their Actyons, & by their presens to encorayge their syde the more, having 10. Canons uppon the qwarter of the Town that discharged contynuallye towards the Enmye./ Surelye master Norrys behaved him sellf most valyantlye & assuredlye that daye, contyneweing bettwen the hed of our pykes & the enmyes shott, duryng the whole charge, in whose presens valew & directyon, consisted the conservacion of the whole./ The frenchemen ran awaye most fyllthilye, castyng their ensygnes from theme, wheratt monsieur & the Prynce behollders therof, tare their here for the dishonor that they semed to Receve therby, And yf the Englysshmen had nott shewed an Invincible corayge & constancye, the whole Camp had byn cutt in peeces, for ther was nott a horseman (butt Roger Williams who offred to charge with his cornett, butt was forbydden) that stoke to them that daye, The Rutters were desirows to have don somwhatt, yf the frenche Lawncs wolld have seconded theme. Som of the principall cowrtyers in the afternoone, as La Bar, St. Luck, Bretton & others, detestyng the vylenes of their own natyon, & for their own assurance, dyd putt theme sellves among our pykes agaynst the Enmye./ The Retraytt of our pykes & shott, was on of the rarest & notablest [ deleted: things] ^services^ that ever was sene ^with so few men^ which was ^don^ with the face still towards the enmye by the space of 4. englyssh miles long, in suche a manlyke order, as the very enmyes dyd comend theme, whose horsemen yn good nomber beyng gored with our pykes, & so easylye repullsed, as they were made respectyve how to presse nere theme. yett poore wretches, they had nott a peece of bred all that daye, nor the night following provyded for theme. Butt now they ar in the Land of Waest to reffresshe theme, having byn minstred on mondaye was senyght, & the horsemen were payd a moneths paye, on the satterdaye following, after the rate of the valuacion of the money in flanders, which is a vj ^th^ parte lost by the sayd valuacion, Thus the poore men ar taxed of every syde, & yett the footemen ar unpayd as yett, who shall marche over to [ ... ] in Brabant./ [ deleted: Sins] Synce the Camp att Remenye, when your honor was [fol. 2r] in these parts the lyke dayes service, so honorably performed was n [ever] sene till now, nether yett hable to be performed by ani other natyon. There were slayn of our englyssh men bettwen 60. & 80./ The frenche ran into dyches for fere, & [ deleted: there] were drowned, Of the Enmyes it is sayd that above vj C. were slayn. They manassed our men, that they wolld retorne & pay [ deleted: for] them ^for^ all./ ytt is knowen that on of the howse of farnesia a grett personaige, & nere of kyn to the P of Parma was kylled, & with him a Coronell of foote men, & .5. captaynes of [ deleted: foote] horsemen, besyde 120. brave horses that were left dead on the fylld, which were napolitain & spaynish horses./ The P. of Parma gave the englysshmen that served him that daye 200. [crowns] for a Reward, & doth so make of theme, as it allures our englyssh of this syde to fast from us./ Captain Sutton on of master Northes Regyment was slayn, & a gentyllman of captain Gaynsfords; a propper yong fellow, on of Sir John Kyllegrewes sones. There were hurt of name Captayn Cromwell, & yong Captayn Morys who is a servant of the Erlle of lecesters, & as rare a man for his vallew, as ani was that daye in the fylld. Captain Asshfelld a servant of the Erlle of Warwyckes dyd very valyantlye, & slew ij brave fellowes with his own hands./

Of the P. dellphin, & the new frenche supplyes, there is now nomore speche /

In Gellderland, the scotts (that Coronell Steward left in [Battemburgh] his wyves Town & Castell) have betrayed the same to the Enmye, & [ ... ] with the sayd Enmye, who hath taken another place of ymportance in that [ ... ] uppon the mose called Ernem: nott ^grett^ Arnham uppon the Isell./ The Scottish K. growes stowtt./ He shewes it here allredy./

Monsieur is looked for this night, of whose trayn a good nomber is allredy arryved. He dares nott comitt him sellf to com along by land, butt hath taken the waye of Dermond, & from thens comes down the Ryver./

They of the Imperiall dyett, have nott as yett concluded the first artycle. or proposityon, for the fre Townes will condiscend to no contributyon, beffore their greeffes be remedyed./ The Spaynish Ambassador had awdyens there, & was placed in the seatt of the d. of Brabant, perswading so aptlye, & promiseng so Largelye, as it was thowght that the cawse sholld have prevaylld with the Ecclesiasticall sort furtherd, & dyd second him in whattsoever he proposed./ Butt an honest wise doctor, Reversed All their platt & credit, synce which tyme, the sayd Ecclesiasticall persons (as discontented) have retyred theme sellves from the dyett, whom the d. of Bavyer hath followed

The Q. majesties lres were very gracyowslye used & Receved by the Emperor, butt the effect dyd nott answer the words. for the vycechancellor of the Empire cowd nott be made understand, under whatt Prynce, the Baron of Anhollt was seated, & therfore cowd dyrect no lres of comandement to the Prynce [of] the soyll, for order to be taken on that behalf, And to saye playnly, the [fol. 2v] messenger master Gyllpin, a very honest well qwallefyed man, is dallyed with, & les regarded than his place requireth./ The sayd dyett hath decreed to send Ambassadors to Monsieur & to the P. of Parma, that they shold abstayn from anoyeng the Conffines of Th'empire, & have appoynted that the Critzes or Cyrcles of the sayd Confynes, sholld levye men to deffend their sellves, att the chargs of the nobiltytye & Comunes within the sayd Crytzes./

The deputye of the merchants is yesternight gon to flushing to take order for things there, for a generall departure from hens, yncase they do nott dele better with their privylege here, than they do./

Herewith is a copye of her majesties lre written to the P. of Orenge, to admonyssh him & the Stats of their dutye towards Monsieur & the generall [ Marginalia (by Herle): [On] the other syde this lre is shewed as a testymony to the worlld that the Q. majestie is a party against the K. of Sp: & procedes by mani degres overtlye & openlye to oppose her sellf to his right, & to the actyon that he wolld maintain it by.] cawse, which lre is interpreted by our dull Stats, to be craved by Monsieur on his behallf, to qwycken theme up by som extraordinary favor & mene./ And so as on weryd with the consyderacion of the miserable state of things here, I fynissh. Andwerpe. the first of september. 1582./ Your honors most assured to dispose & comande W. Herlleli.

[ Marginalia (by Herle): post scriptum the ij ^d^ of september 1582 ]
[Postscript:] Monsieur & the P. cam nott yesternight (as they were looked for) butt this daye. Owr Camp passeth over the water to morow, above on the Ryver by the Tollhowse at Bomen & to St. Barnards. we canott make in all the worlld of hable men above 4m. footemen & 17 C. horse. ^for^ of our englyssh sowdyours there be more than vj C. [ deleted: hurte &] syck & hurte. The rest ar marvaylows poore & discontented, & do depart daylye, affirmeng openlye that they will serve the Enmye, they be so yll yntreated here./ Abowtt 70. departed this Town yesternight, who intend to furnissh in England a gretter nomber, & then to Repayre with theme to the enmye. There be gentyllmen & olld sowdyours among these 70. whose names I will send, yf it plese yow, & the placs where they will gather their company in England./ The new sowdyours att this last conflyct [ deleted: shewed] dyd their parts notably agaynst the Enmye, in which dayes service Coronell Morgan, as lyventenant generall to master Norrys, shewed him sellf very diligent & carefull [ deleted: & to have] ^& is worthy the comendacion that he^ led our men with grett valew & sufficyencye. Captain huddye [ deleted: allso] [ deleted: &] a servant of the Erlle of Lecesters, with captayn havers of Barwyck dyd notable service that daye. who charged the enmye with their footmen [ Marginalia (by Herle): so rowghlye] as they had the kylleng of a good nomber. The shott of the musketts as they flew over our men bett into the Town so as they kylled & hurt ^som^ within the Towne [ deleted: the wall] uppon the walles constrayneng monsieur & the Prynce to take a howse [ deleted: upp] ^on the walle^ & to loke owtt att Lowpes. An englysshman monsieurs Trompettor was hurt with ij Bulletts in the [ deleted: hart] ^mowth^ hard by monsieur, so was du vrayes [fol. 3r] Comis, La scala, shott on the insyde of the [ deleted: syde] thye. The frenche cowrtyers yn the mornyng, thowght it to be som may game, & Rid owtt unarmed to beholld the matter, butt were sone dryven in with shame, Among which mallvisior Premier maistre d'hostre [ deleted: to Monsieur] was so far forward, as he was hurt uppon the fatt neck with a Curtlace for som of the Enmyes horse wer passed [ deleted: Owre poore hurte] owr Battell of pykes, who haveng the vangard that daye, were fayn to supply bothe vangard & Reregard for ani frenche that abyd it, nether were ani of the 4. marshalles of the Camp the whole daye to do their office, among us, only La Pierre the second marshall att [the] approche of the Enmye, yn the mornyng, desired master norrys to take the [Comandement] of things uppon him, departyng him sellf, wher his affayres or suretye led him./

Owr poore men that were hurt in the Battayll, were browght into Gawnt & placed in howses with promis [ deleted: of payement for theme] ^to pay for their sayd lodgyngs^ butt anon after (nottwithstanding their former service) they were most inhumaynlye, drawen owtt by the heeles by the gawntrys, & cast on the dunghill. Monsieur gave [ Marginalia (by Herle): 5 [crowns]] everye hurt man of his own natyon, 15. gilldernes, to mayntayne him yn the hospitall or elles where, butt to owrs nott a peny./ Bi this menes our people ar discoraiged & the new Companyes (albeit they have servd here these .3. moneths) shall nott have a moneths paye with the rest, & yett they had no allowance of Transport mony att their comyng over, no qwarter assigned theme, wher they sholld be intertayned till they [were] mustred, which will cawse Captayn havers & others to withdrawe [them] alltogether. & yf the Enmye will he may be furnisshed of a good [nomber] of these that be here. The P. of Parma doth nott lett to saye, that he [shall] have a Regyment of 4m. englysshmen before it be long. He doth admire the pacyens & vallew that he hath fownd in our natyon./ Ytt semes that the P. ^of Orenge^ , & the rest be werye of us, or elles they be of weke judgement & les thanckfullnes. ye shall fynde this trew for I speke playnly./ The wyne allso rules now muche among us. They of Gawnt will Receve no garison there, butt the ix Ensignes that were [ deleted: there] beffore. The enmye as it is thowght, will retorn to the Land of Waest, & then may constrayn theme of Gawnt to som allteracion./ The P. of Parma hath sent a M. footemen of new to Lyre, & 4. Cornetts more of horsemen./ And so ones more I humbly take mi leve. W. H.
[Postscript:] Master Norys gave to the sowdyors after the skirmissh all the money in his purse which was a 17. [ deleted: gilldernes] pistoletts.

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