Rome: October 1577 | British History Online

Calendar of State Papers Relating To English Affairs in the Vatican Archives, Volume 2, 1572-1578. Originally published by His Majesty's Stationery Office, London, 1926.

'Rome: October 1577', in Calendar of State Papers Relating To English Affairs in the Vatican Archives, Volume 2, 1572-1578, (London, 1926) pp. 336-346. British History Online https://www.british-history.ac.uk/cal-state-papers/vatican/vol2/pp336-346 [accessed 25 April 2024]

October 1577



1577. Vat. Arch. Nunt. di Francia, vol. x. p. 541.	663. [Antonio Maria] Salviati, [late] Bishop [of S. Papoul], Nuncio in France to [Ptolemy Galli,] Cardinal of Como. … “Young Lansac, who is at Br[o]uage, has arrested about 40 English ships that came to take salt aboard at the island of Retz [Ré]; this he did under the pretext that he had given them to understand in a friendly way that whoso had need of French salt should get it rather at Br[o]uage, which is under the King's obedience, than at Retz, which is in the power of the people of La Rochelle; and that the masters of the ships had answered him insolently. The English ambassador makes as much ado about it as if it were a breach of the ius gentium; and I believe that in the end the ships will be restored; albeit the persons will suffer, inasmuch as they will have wasted much time, and also been otherwise losers while they were in the hand of one more powerful than they.” 2 Oct., 1577. Poitiers. Italian.
Vat. Arch. Nunt. di Portog. vol. i. f. 23d.	664. Robert Fontana, Collector and Referendary to [Ptolemy Galli,] Cardinal of Como. … “James Geraldine (fn. 1), of Ireland, is trying to get a Breton ship for his passage to Ireland, whence he has letters from his friends urging his return; and as the ship was chartered for the carriage of victuals to the city of Galway in Ireland, where dwell the greatest heretics of that realm, he has been obliged to make use of the good offices of the ambassador of Castile to cause her to tarry, as he has done; wherefore I am in hope that he will get his passage. He thinks of sending some one to Madrid to promote his interests with the Catholic King.” 8 Oct., 1577. Lisbon. Italian.
Vat. Arch. Nunt. di Spagna, vol. xx. p. 69.	665. [Ptolemy Galli,] Cardinal of Como to [Philip Sega, Bishop of Ripa,] Nuncio in Spain. “In default of prompt decision by his Majesty in the English business we see no possibility of preventing Stucley from departing hence in despair; and God knows where he will go. On the other hand Geraldine is awaiting the succour which his Holiness promised him should be sent in September, or at the latest October of this year, in which hope he recently departed from Lisbon for Ireland, as Mgr. Caligari writes, purposing to do his best in that realm with the aid of the Catholics; but if some aid be not sent him as promised, besides the manifest peril in which all the Catholics in that realm will be left, and the great wrong that will be done them by not keeping the promise, the difficulty of the general enterprise will be greatly increased, because, anticipating those operations, the Queen will readily surmise that they have been concerted with his Majesty, which will cause her to be yet more wideawake, and to increase the strength and improve the discipline of her defensive forces. You must therefore not fail to urge his Majesty by all means to resolve upon this enterprise, which will also be the deliverance of all Flanders. I plainly perceive that the difficulties will be greatly increased by this peace of France, because the French, having nothing on their hands, will not readily reconcile themselves to a Spanish conquest of England, and perchance will also either directly or indirectly throw obstacles in the way of his Majesty's recovery of Flanders; but if his Majesty shall resolve to employ in earnest the forces that God has given him, I doubt not that with God's help he will be altogether triumphant; and therefore no pains should be spared to induce his Majesty to come to a decision before the French increase their strength.” 8 Oct., 1577. Rome. Italian. Draft for cipher.
Vat. Arch. Nunt. di Spagna, vol. xi. p. 45.	666. [Philip] Sega, [Bishop of Ripa,] Nuncio in Spain to [Ptolemy Galli,] Cardinal of Como. “By my letter of the 23rd of last month I told you of my conference with the Archbishop of Toledo, and the discovery which I had made of his earnest desire for the sanction of the English enterprise. I now inform you that at his suggestion I wrote that same day to his Majesty strongly commending the enterprise to him, and pressing for a decision; which letter Escovedo followed up with his Discourse. His Majesty bade him read it to him paragraph by paragraph, and talked at large with him, and kept the Discourse but announced no decision. And as it happened that Don John had despatched by way of the Duke of Savoy a courier, who arrived about that time with advices of the disastrous course of affairs in Flanders, and the said Duke had written urging his Majesty to resume the offensive against those peoples, adding that it would not suffice to do so by land alone, but the operations should be concurrent by two forces, one on sea, the other on land, the King showed the letter to Escovedo, and was particularly anxious to learn anew and in detail his opinion as to the feasibility of the scheme. And when Escovedo explained to him that it was not possible to attempt the Flanders enterprise by sea save under cover of the projected operations against England, the King was silent save that shortly afterwards, when the ambassador of Savoy went to the Escurial, he told him not to send the courier back, because he purposed to send by him a despatch to Don John, and also to write to the Duke [of Savoy] to learn his opinion on a matter that weighed on his mind, and that he would give him the despatch in two or three days. On the following day he sent Escovedo's Discourse to the Archbishop [of Toledo] together with the Duke of Savoy's letter, that he might have his opinion in regard thereto. He also sent him my letter, and wrote to him with his own hand authorizing him to tell me that I was no less diligent in mentioning this business than the Bishop of Padua had been, and that the Pope might be sure that this business was lodged in his mind, and that he attended to it with great assiduity, but that, as it was a serious matter, it behoved him to ponder it very carefully. “The archbishop apprised me of everything, showed me his Majesty's letter, told me what he purposed to write to him, and advised me how to reply so as to give way in nothing, but to incite him the more, and make it plain to him that this enterprise needed only resolution, because we had indeed no option, but were constrained of necessity thereto, adding that I should do well to pile the case up under the pretext of orders from the Pope to elicit a definite answer; and that if, as was alleged, peace was made between the Most Christian King and his rebels, this was no time to wait till we should be prevented by the French at the expense of Flanders. “Following this advice, I failed not to write on the 2nd inst. as did also, with vigour, his Most Reverend Lordship; but to this hour neither he nor I have received any answer as to these matters, though the advices that have come from Flanders have been ever worse; and in particular to the effect that the Prince of Orange has entered Antwerp, and is declared the States' Captain General, the said States being now more rabid and united than ever, albeit the French peace (fn. 2) is confirmed; which peace, though we are still without the capitulation, it is held for certain, cannot be very good; and this evening the archbishop has told me that it irks his Majesty greatly that the peace is certified; and from his neglect to answer our letters, the archbishop is convinced that he will shortly return. Meanwhile neither has the courier yet been despatched, nor, as the ambassador tells me, is there any intention of despatching him soon. In short I see no sign of any decision being taken, as if it were in our discretion to move or not to move; and yet it is manifest that we are within an ace of drowning. And I, marking such slackness to combat such manifestly impending disaster, know not what to say, save that it is brought upon us by our sins. However, at last order has been given for the return of the Spaniards from Lombardy to rejoin Don John, and a small sum of money has been sent him. It is resolved that his Highness be superseded; when, I know not, for his successor is not yet nominated, by reason of the scarcity of qualified persons; for it seems that his Majesty would like to send a man of the Blood pursuant to the capitulation of peace, and it also seems that no proper person is to be found, though Escovedo tells me that things point to the Prince of Parma; and it is apparent that his Majesty is dissatisfied with Don John, deeming that his straits were not such as fully to justify his retreat to Namur, the consequences of which have been so ruinous and disastrous; but in truth the poor gentleman, though perhaps he might have postponed his retreat for a while, did nothing so unwonted in retreating as to render him responsible for all these fresh rebellions and disasters; which indeed were premeditated by the Prince of Orange and the greater part of the nobles and the Estates, who awaited but some colourable pretext to evade the articles of the peace, as I think I wrote you more than once from Flanders, and in particular when I discussed what might be hoped from the Prince of Orange. Enough that his Majesty is a prey to discontent—to which on this side the loss of La Goletta contributes—and by consequence, knowing how his Highness aims at the sovereignty of England, and that it was his Highness that set him upon that enterprise, the King is becoming captious and more gloomy in regard of it, as I am expressly informed by the archbishop, who is disposed to think that the Pope should write a letter for his Majesty's eye alone, exhorting him with vehemence for the same reasons as heretofore, but without any reference to Don John's interests, and also in view of the emergencies by which we are just now confronted, to have done with thinking and discussing, and to come to a decision once and for all upon what must needs be done for the weal of Christendom and the preservation of his Majesty's States and reputation. And he has promised to write by to-night's ordinary to his Majesty that my sole complaint to him has been that the more pressing is the necessity, and the more urgent the request at the Pope's instance for a definite answer, the more conspicuous is the lack of decision. “The day before yesterday Dr. Sander, an Englishman who is here at Court, gave me a sheet of the same tenor as the enclosure touching a miracle that has occurred in England. I exhorted him to send a copy thereof to his Majesty and therewith to write him a powerful letter, and so he did. God grant that so many ways may converge at last on something.” 12 Oct., 1577. [Madrid.] Decipher. Italian.
Vat. Arch. Nunt. di Spagna, vol. xi. p. 43.	667. Enclosure:—Giving account of a sudden outbreak of pestilence attended by considerable mortality at Oxford in July, 1577, and dignified by the name of a miracle. (fn. 3) Latin. Copy.
Ibid. vol. xx. p. 77.	668. [Ptolemy Galli,] Cardinal of Como to [Philip Sega, Bishop of Ripa,] Nuncio in Spain. “This peace of France, which is but too well certified, and the untoward course of events in Flanders of which you write, and of which the accounts we receive tally with yours, seem not only to increase the difficulty of the English enterprise, as I wrote to you of late, but even to preclude all possibility of attempting it for the present with any hope of success; for we may be pretty sure that the French, though they should abstain from harassing Flanders, as God grant they may, will at any rate not suffer the Spaniards so to bridle France as they would do if they made themselves masters of that island. And thus, though the Pope pressed the project at first so urgently, he now deems that, even if his Majesty were bent upon its accomplishment, he ought, perchance, for the common good in the present condition of things, to dissuade his Majesty from undertaking it; since this would be but in a manner to legitimate their cause, if, as is only too probable, the French should be minded to break the peace with Spain, as the King could give out that for reasons of State he had good ground to oppose his Catholic Majesty, whereas now that they have no pretext for harassing him, it would be a manifest injustice, and would concentrate upon France the enmity of all Christendom. The Pope, therefore, bids you press his Majesty no further in regard to the matter, so long as things remain as they are, but allow him to decide as God shall inspire him. So there is no need to do any further office with the Archbishop of Toledo, or to enter again with his Majesty on the question of the 100,000 crowns. “As to Geraldine, (fn. 4) though we do not think that he is likely to do much without his Majesty's support, yet he might, perhaps, harass the Queen enough to cause a diversion of her forces thitherward; and therefore it would perhaps not be a bad thing to let Stucley also go, that he might simultaneously harass her in another part. Whereby we should reap this, if no other advantage, that in a great measure that woman would be deprived of the means of furnishing the Prince of Orange with so much money as she now does, being compelled to defend that island. You must therefore broach this matter to his Majesty, and reply as soon as possible, because, if we do not give Stucley leave to go, he will be off of his own accord some morning, for it is not possible to amuse him any longer, and perhaps it would be well to let him go, and give him some aid.” 15 Oct., 1577. Rome. Italian. Draft for cipher.
Vat. Arch. Nunt. di Spagna, vol. xi. p. 53.	669. [Philip Sega, Bishop of Ripa,] Nuncio in Spain to [Ptolemy Galli,] Cardinal of Como. “On my return from Alcalá we were at it again, the archbishop and I, about the affairs of England; and the archbishop gave me a bit of further information, to wit, that he believes that his Majesty is all but determined upon the [English] enterprise; wherefore it would be much to the purpose that his Holiness should stimulate him with a special letter, as I write in the other cipher. Grounds so strong as that I am almost disposed to believe that this may be true have been coming to my knowledge for some days past. Of this I shall be able to make sure at the first conference; but here in certain sorts of business they make it a rule to let intelligence reach the ears of his Holiness rather through the ambassador than by means of what is communicated by the nuncio in writing; and this resolution, if by good luck it should be taken, might be of this nature… “Yesterday there arrived a courier from Flanders, who left Marche [en Famenne] on the 5th of October, and brings tidings that his Highness withdrew from Namur to Marche on 3 Oct., leaving the fortress of Namur in a very defensible condition; and that on the following day the Viscount of Ghent with a strong force appeared and threatened it, but was compelled by the garrison to retreat with the loss of 14 men, and that during the combat the Viscount and his men cried, ‘At the Papists, at the Papists’; also that his Highness had received intelligence of the rout by the Germans of Berges [Bergen-op-Zoom] of some companies of Walloons of the terzo of M. de Sampagni [Champagny], and that the dead numbered 600; that the Prince of Orange had entered Brussels in triumph accompanied by the Duke of Ariscot [Aerschot] and the Abbot of St. Gertrude's; that his Highness was now being joined by the Spaniards sent by the Governor of Milan by order of his Majesty, and it is hoped that they may yet do something of importance before the winter. (fn. 5) Meanwhile they are sending hence aid in money, but hitherto, though they have the means, very slowly. I hope, however, that his Majesty will now wake up, marking, as he does, the sorry plight of affairs, and the league offensive and defensive that has just been concluded between the States and the Queen of England by means of the Prince of Orange. He will now be able to judge whether it be a time to deliberate or to decide upon that [the English] enterprise; failing which, it is hardly possible to hope for success in the war of Flanders, so that, if his Majesty is resolved on the latter, he must needs resolve also on the former; nor shall I fail on his return to ply him energetically, the more so that Escovedo this morning gives me good hope, while from the course which events have taken I see that the Pope's good intention evinced in the briefs to those Electors and Princes will not be of much avail in the present circumstances; still I shall not fail to communicate it to his Majesty, that he may understand the willingness of his Holiness.” 18 Oct., 1577. Madrid. Decipher. Italian.
Vat. Arch. Nunt. di Venet. vol. xviii. f. 269.	670. News Letter. “It is understood that the Queen had caused an edict to be made that no ships and other vessels in the ports of that realm might sail without her leave; and that, having learned that 25 English vessels had been detained by the French in the harbour of La Rochelle, she had retaliated by ordering the detention of 15 merchantmen that had put into that island under stress of weather; also that the said Queen had let it be understood that if the French should move in aid of the Catholic King in Flanders, she in her turn would not fail to accord the States all manner of favour; that the pest in that city continued to spread apace, and there were dying thereof between sixty and seventy persons every day.” 19 Oct., 1577. London. Italian. Copy.
Vat. Lib. Urb. Lat. 1045. f. 488.	671. News Letter. … “By letters from Flanders it is understood that, the Estates having sent M. de Bossu (fn. 6) to Don John of Austria with a capitulation, his Highness was so incensed by their exorbitant demands that he said to him: ‘I have a mind to have you cut in pieces for presuming to come to me with so villainous a writing’; whereto Bossu by way of defence replied that it is customary for ambassadors to be treated with respect by Emperors and Kings, and that it behoved his Highness to follow the example of his forefathers; and Don John waxing yet more wroth, Bossu started up and fled forthwith; and on his return the Estates published an edict denouncing as rebels all such as should not take up arms for the liberty of the country and the public weal, and refuse obedience to his Highness; who had quitted Namur on learning that the said Estates had mustered 40,000 fighting men; the fortresses of Mariamburg [Marienbourg] and Cambrai having surrendered to the said Estates; who have sent to England the Marquis of Havré to negotiate a league with that Queen, who has lent them 200,000 crowns, which are already remitted to Germany; that the said Don John has but about 12,000 fighting men, most of whom are infected; and that he is countenanced by the house of Berlaymont, which consists of five brothers with a numerous following, the head of the house being the Count of Hierge, Archbishop of Cambrai, who has four brothers, whose houses are to be destroyed and goods confiscated by order of the Estates.” (fn. 7) 23 Oct., 1577. Rome. Italian. Copy.
Vat. Arch. Nunt. di Venet. vol. xviii. f. 257d.	672. News Letter. “The Queen [of England] has sent to the King of France desiring to know the reason why he keeps M. de Guise with a considerable number of cavalry and infantry on the frontiers of Flanders, craving of his Majesty their withdrawal, and the maintenance of the ancient friendship with her; otherwise she gives him to understand that she has made a league with the States of Flanders, and has taken into her service the Palatine Casimir and the Landgrave of Tussia [sic Hesse] with a considerable number of soldiers, both foot and horse. It is believed that she is quite able to cope with his Majesty in case of need; and she has already caused some French ships to be arrested in English waters; and the King of France has retaliated: which will occasion another war between these two potentates.” 25 Oct., 1577. England. Italian. Copy.
Vat. Lib. Urb. Lat. 1045. f. 476.	673. News Letter. … “The Queen of England will lend the States 600,000 caroli; giving them, pursuant to the league now concluded, 5,000 foot and 1,000 horse paid for six months.” 26 Oct., 1577. Venice. Italian. Copy.
Ibid. f. 495.	674. News Letter. … “A courier from Augsburg has just arrived bringing letters from Antwerp of the 8th, by which it is understood that Breda had surrendered to the States, and also that Amsterdam had imprisoned the captains and submitted to the States. The negotiations for peace ended in smoke immediately upon the arrival of the Prince of Orange in Brussels. The army of the States had reached Namur, Don John had retreated on Luxemburg, and in two days' time a league between the Queen of England and the States was to be proclaimed.” 26 Oct., 1577. Venice. Italian. Copy.
Vat. Arch. Nunt. di Portog. vol. i. f. 25d.	675. Robert Fontana, Collector and Referendary to [Ptolemy Galli,] Cardinal of Como. … Postscript.—“The Irishman James Geraldine, (fn. 8) having got the ship stayed, has asked for culverins, sakers, arquebuses, powder, soldiers and so many other things, without saying whether he will pay for them or no, to equip the ship for combat, that I doubt it will be some time before he sails.” 26 Oct., 1577. Lisbon. Italian.
Vat. Arch. Nunt. di Spagna, vol. xiv. f. 399.	676. Nicholas Sander to Cardinal, Commendone. Craving the Cardinal's interest with the Pope to procure him relief from pecuniary embarrassment, his receipts from his yearly allowance of 300 aurei from the archiepiscopal see of Toledo having ceased after the first eight months, while his difficulties are increased by the failure of the Cardinal of Como to answer his appeal to him on the subject, and the death of Mgr. Ormanetto. 26 Oct., 1577. Madrid. Latin.
Ibid. vol. xi. p. 60.	677. News Letter. … “Don John is in the neighbourhood of Luxemburg, where, it is said, he is awaiting troops from Italy, to wit, the Spaniards who are returning; of which little account is made here; and even should they come, the people have spirit enough to resist, were they ten times as many. Against which emergency they are forearming themselves might and main, being promised men and money by the Queen of England, for which they are to give hostages, of whom one is said to be the Marquis of Havré; and they count upon the like aid from France, whither they have sent Baron d'Obegni [Aubigny (fn. 9) ] to the Duke of Alençon, who is on the frontier at La Fère with the Queen of Navarre; though it has been said that he was sent to induce the King of France to recall the troops that the Duke of Guise is giving to Don John. It is also said that the P[rince of Orange] has sent to Zealand to have the merchandise shipped for Spain unshipped. How much better would be a good peace! God grant it us!” 27 Oct., 1577. Brussels. Italian. Copy. Forwarded apparently by the Bishop of Ripa from Madrid to Rome.
Ibid. vol. xx. p. 87.	678. [Ptolemy Galli,] Cardinal of Como to [Philip Sega, Bishop of Ripa,] Nuncio in Spain. “As the Pope deems that, whatever view the Catholic King may take of these startling events in Flanders, it cannot but be a great advantage that the Queen of England should be harassed in Ireland, so as to be the less able to afford help to his Majesty's enemies in Flanders; therefore his Holiness has determined by all means to despatch Stucley, providing him with a good ship, with men, arms, munitions, victuals and moneys for some months; that he may join James Geraldine, (fn. 10) and they in concert may do all the mischief they may to that wicked woman. And the expedition will start in a very few days, Stucley having already gone to Naples to find the ship. “And if, besides, his Majesty should see fit secretly to reinforce Geraldine by way of Portugal, that would indeed be a great help. And it will all be by way of serving his Majesty, for it should be apparent that the Pope has no other interest in the matter than the service of God and the common advantage. And this you can tell his Majesty; and above all take care that what is to be done be done speedily.” 27 Oct., 577. Rome. Italian. Draft for cipher.
Vat. Arch. Nunt. di Venet. vol. xviii. f. 257d.	679. News Letter. … “The Queen of England has already sent a considerable sum of money to States; and daily there go Scottish soldiers to the service and aid of the States, the said Queen promising that she will spare neither money nor men.” 29 Oct., 1577. Augsburg. Italian. Copy.
Vat. Arch. Nunt. di Spagna, vol. xi. p. 63.	680. [Philip Sega, Bishop of Ripa,] Nuncio in Spain to [Ptolemy Galli,] Cardinal of Como. “I told his Majesty of the briefs written by the Pope to the Princes of Germany, and he was gratified to mark his Holiness' promptitude, albeit, matters having now been brought to the verge of open rupture, he is disposed to believe that they will be of little use. I emphasized the necessity of deciding on the English enterprise, harping thereon again and again to see if I could draw from him a firm decision; all in vain, however; for though his Majesty approved all that I said to him as to the present state of the business, of which he has bidden me write him a detailed account, I still failed to draw from him a definite decision. Nay, as his Excellency James [Fitzmaurice Fitzgerald] had written to Mgr. Canobio, offering to place himself at his Majesty's disposal, in whatever capacity he might choose, for the enterprise of Flanders, and had directed the said Mgr. Canobio to communicate this his desire to me, I took occasion thereof to say that, as you had more than once written me that in case of need his Holiness would co-operate in the English enterprise with 4,000 or 5,000 foot, I should deem it much to the purpose that, having that excellent opportunity afforded by the proffer to be made by Canobio in the name of his Excellency James [Fitzmaurice Fitzgerald], his Majesty should so manage the business as that it should be commonly reported that the Pope was putting his hand to the enterprise of Flanders, because it would be in many ways advantageous. For in the first place, if the French had a mind to attack Flanders, they would perhaps hesitate on learning this move on the Pope's part; which, besides abating in some measure the insolence of the heretics, would perhaps embolden the many Catholics that are in those Provinces, and encourage Don John and his soldiers, and bridle, for one, the Duke of Cleve, who is likely to be instigated by the heretics to some insurrection under pretext of the recovery of Gelderland. And, secondly, this rumour would serve the Pope as a very convenient cloak under which he might the more readily address himself to mustering so many troops for the English enterprise without exciting the Queen's suspicion that he was arming against her. And I expressly assured his Majesty that his Excellency James [Fitzmaurice Fitzgerald] was not apprised of this English business; and I told him that his Holiness would be able to assemble the troops in some place on the sea coast to embark them under pretext of a purpose to disembark them at Savona, thence to march through Piedmont and afterwards through Savoy, Burgundy and Lorraine, so as to escape the pest in Lombardy, a most plausible pretext for the embarcation of the troops, obviating suspicion of any other design. “His Majesty heard me with attention, commended what I had said, and bade me commit it to writing for him. But nevertheless he gave me no firm decision. However, I am not without hope of success, seeing that all his chief ministers are so powerfully impressed that his Majesty lends a willing ear to what they say to him concerning the matter.” 29 Oct. 1577. Madrid. Decipher. Italian.
Vat. Arch. Nunt. di Spagna, vol. xx. p. 91.	681. [Ptolemy Galli, Cardinal of Como] to [Philip] Sega, [Bishop of Ripa,] Nuncio in Spain. Commending to him the bearer Lord Edward (sic) Dacre, an English baron exiled for the faith, and heavily in debt, who goes from Rome to Spain to endeavour to recover arrears of a pension payable to him by order of the Catholic King, and to get assurance of more punctual payment thereof for the future. 29 Oct., 1577. Rome. Italian. Draft.
Ibid. vol. xi. p. 67.	682. James Geraldine [Fitzmaurice Fitzgerald] to the Same. Acknowledging receipt of his letter of 23 Sept. bidding him delay no longer to sail for Ireland; to which he replies that he has but just been able to hire a ship, in which he is to sail in about a week's time; begging the nuncio to use his influence with his Catholic Majesty that aid may be sent after him to Ireland as soon as possible, and at the latest before February; and commending to his charity Cornelius [Ryan], Bishop of Killaloe, who, while making for Ireland, was despoiled by pirates of La Rochelle, and whom he now appoints to represent him at Madrid, and solicit for him the desired aid. Signed, Jac^s. Dessmonie de Geraldis. 30 Oct., 1577. Lisbon. Latin. Copy.