Transcript

[fol. 189r] Instructions for William Herle . 16: Aug: 1563:

Where you have another Instruction signed by us concerning the manner of your proceeding in procuring the expedition & surety for recovery of all our armour & munition remaining at Hambourgh Bream & those maritime parts our pleasure is that therein you shall do the endeavor as time shall serve you But our speciall charge to you is to procure a bargain for the borrowing of a masse of money to the summ of 80 or 100000 pounds sterling & to pay for the interest therof for the space of one year not above six in the hundred but rather to pay but 4 or 5. for the hund: And if you cannot obtain so great a summ yet if ye can obtain a summ above 600 or 80000 [ll] upon such a reasonable interest we shall allow of your service & if you cannot obtain the interest under six for the hundred then you may stay concluding for any bargain. And if the interest be not above 7 in the hund. then to suspend the conclusion thereof in suche sort as we may within two moneths accept it or refuse it & these of ether to certify us by lettersor els to returne your self. For the manner of proceeding herein ye shal use the best policy that you may not to appear that your coming is for that purpose untill you have found good towardness in the matter & then for the authority to make such a bargain you may at your discretion shew your comission signed & sealed by us for the time & place of delivery we desire to have the money if it could be possible by the end of august at antwerp if not to have it in January next at Antwerp. If that cannot be but we must needs receive the money there in Hamburgh or in Holsacia then is the bargain to be made conditionall that the interest shall not beginn but from the day that we shall have it in our shipps And therin the Bargain must be considerd that either we must have it deliverd before the end of September or els not before Aprill because the transportation by sea in winter is dangerous [fol. 189v] You shall for assurance of repayment offer the same bonds that all other the merchants of Antwerp & Augsburg have which is a bonde of ours under the great seal of England & the bond of the city of London under the Common seal both which you may covenant to deliver unto them unto such time as ye shall accorde to receive the money.

Finally you shall use all your cunning to make your interest easy & to make the bargain so conditionall as that we have power upon knowledge from you to accept or refuse wherein we mean certainly to use good expedition./