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| April 1. |
16. Christopher Hatton to the Masters of Requests. It is Her
Highness' pleasure that before the end of this term, you should
hear the whole controversy now depending in your Court between
William and Adrian Stokes, and if possible determine it; but if
otherwise, dispose of the profits of the parsonage to some person who
shall be answerable for them, but not to Adrian. I entreat you
both to look upon the case with careful and just eyes; we request
but our right, let us have that for God's sake. |
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P.S.—Her Majesty commands that this witnesses be heard with
expedition, as the charge for their attendance is too great for this
poor man to bear. [¾ page.] |
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Endorsed, "This letter to be carefully kept, touching both the
Mr. Stokes." |
April 28.
Antwerp. |
17. John Lee, prisoner, to Lord Burghley. Thanks for your
letter, but your expectation of my release, notwithstanding your conference with Antony Guarras, is unanswered; for the Duke of Alva
is so incensed against me, that neither Lady Hungerford nor Guarras'
persuasions avail. I have been examined on matter found from my
own writings, viz., my often conferences with the Earl of W[estmoreland] and Mr. Norton, and my correspondence with you. I hear
they will lay to my charge the conveying away of Story, and prove
it by the confession of the doers thereof. I will complain of no one,
though some men's folly has been the cause of my long troubles,
which can only be redressed by your dealing once more with Guarras
on my behalf. Mr. Prideaux, sent on my behalf by Lady Hungerford,
finds the cause grievous; I fear he cannot help me. They can only
charge me by the false assertions of others, which make nothing
against me in law. I am detained through the persuasion of my
contraries, not for my private demeanor, but chiefly for serving you,
whom they account their mortal enemy. Pray let not my unnatural
countrymen bathe their hands in my innocent blood. It grieves me,
considering the late agreement between the Queen and the King,
that I should be detained through persuasion of her undutiful
subjects. |
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P.S., May 5,—Give credit to the bearer, for whose going I stayed
my former letter, desiring to see the full end of their endeavours.
[2 pages.] Annexing, |
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17. I. Examination of John Lee before Cornelius Boonen, counsellor of Brabant, and Giles Martin, secretary of Antwerp,
appointed by the governor of Antwerp. He says he is an
Englishman, 38 years old; has lived five years at the sign
of the Golden Stag, Meyers Straet. Undertook a journey
to Jerusalem for profit, and expending several hundred
pounds, returned to England, and appointed procurators
to get in the monies owing on account of his journey.
Was there three or four weeks; but on account of a controversy with his wife's relatives, went to Antwerp, and
lived there three years, on money sent him by his procurators, Paul Pope, public notary of London, and his
brother Edmund Lee. |
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That he was never proscribed from England, having
done nothing to deserve it. |
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That a little book found among his goods, called "Fons
vitce," &c. came to him with a large one called "A defence
of the apology of the Church," which he had a month
before his captivity from an Englishman, but had read
but a little of them, to see if the authors, Harding and
Jewel, were agreed, wishing to learn no depraved doctrine,
being always a Catholic; did not know the books were
prohibited; never saw a place pointed out in the little
one, inveighing against the blasphemies of popery. |
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That Elinor Peltham is a sister of the Earl of Westmoreland who fled from England for taking arms
against the Queen, married a sister of the Duke of Norfolk,
and has another sister married to Lord Scrope. Elinor
Pelham writes to him that he may induce her brother,
now at Louvaine, to submit to the Queen. The Lord
whom she names in her letters is her brother, and the perverse counsellors are those who hinder his obtaining the
favour she seeks from the Queen. The reason why she
wishes him to lie hid is the death of the eldest son of his
brother. This letter was written 11 July 1571. |
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He says the letter of 12 April 1572 shown him is a copy
of a letter which he, Lee, wrote to Anne Lady Hungerford,
sister of the Duchess of Feria, now at Ghent, with whom he
is familiar, as she and his parents are neighbours in
England. That of S Dec. 1571 is from Thos. Brune, an
English merchant, living in the Minories, about obtaining
a licence for the export of cloth. |
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He says the letter of 19 June, no year, shown him, was
written by him in the name of Fras. Norton, an Englishman living with the Earl of Westmoreland in Louvaine,
to the Earl of Leicester, and was sent to the Earl. The
L. B. therein means Lord Burghley; the mention of the
Duke of Alva means that the ambassador of the King in
England had written to the Duke to beware of Fras.
Norton, as being suspected, and that Norton wrote that
the only ground of suspicion was his desire for the
Queen's favour. |
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That another letter to the Earl of Leicester and Lord
Burghley, composed by him in the name of Fras. Norton,
was written because the Earl had written to Norton that
he could gain no favour for him from the Queen, unless
Norton declared why he had taken arms against her, and
this letter was to explain the reasons. |
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He says the undated letter signed J. C. was for John
Cock, alias Preston, detained captive in England, about a
licence for export of cloth. |
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That other letters undated were to Lord Burghley, who
had written to him to send him news from those regions.
Has not Lord Burghley's letter, because it contained leave
for the Earl of Westmoreland to receive from his friends
money for his necessities; therefore he had sent it to the
Earl's sister; Elinor Pelham, to arrange for money to be
paid him in Belgium. The clause about "what he has in
his mind to do," means that he knew not what the Earl of
Westmoreland meant to do as to Lord Burghley's proposal that he should become the Queen's suppliant. |
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Lord Seaton is a Scottish nobleman, who had received
the Countess of Northumberland when she fled into Scot
land. The reason of his bitterness is that he understands
Lord Burghley is the cause why the English fugitives are
not received into favour by the Queen; that an Englishman, named Mather, had undertaken to kill Burghley and
others of the Queen's Councillors, and had gone over; but
his intention was discovered, and he was taken and delivered to punishment. |
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He says that the letters speaking of the students at
Louvaine as dejected at the ruin of the Duke of Norfolk
were ill translated. That the sense was that they were
astonished at his death, he being so great a man, and it
was imputed to Burghley and other councillors, whereas
Burghley had shown himself clement towards the fugitives. |
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That he wrote to Burghley, although commerce with
England was prohibited, because there was no war, and
told him only things that were well known in England.
He interpreted the ciphers in which his letters were written. |
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That another datcless letter was from Norton to the
Earl of Leicester, for restoration to his country. |
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Being questioned about a little book in his name, entreating the Duke of Alva for leave to import cloth into those
regions, he says that for religion's sake he left England and
went to Scotland, though at first he said he was not a fungitive from England. These do not hang together, considering that he had influence with Leicester and Burghley, who
had great influence with the Queen. He says that a servant
of Secretary Courteville, whose name he knows not, Sarcker,
an Englishman, and Dr. Story promised him money to
obtain them a licence to export cloth and wool; but when
he saw the little book in that form, he would not allow it
to be sent, and the business remained unfinished. He says
he has no familiarity with Leicester and Burghley, except
that he has written to them sometimes, when requested by
Lady Elinor Pelham. Being told that it was unlikely he
should write to such unless he had known them before, he
declared he had no previous knowledge. [10½ pages,
Latin.] 6/16 April 1573. |
| April 16. |
18. "A note of munitions received out of the Tower of London"
[for Guernsey ?], viz., 50 corslets, 50 morions, 30 calivers, and
materials for fireworks. [¾ page.] |
| April 16. |
19. Similar paper with note of gunpowder received, 1578. [1 page.] |
