Rome: December 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: December 1577', in Calendar of State Papers Relating To English Affairs in the Vatican Archives, Volume 2, 1572-1578, (London, 1926) pp. 355-360. British History Online https://www.british-history.ac.uk/cal-state-papers/vatican/vol2/pp355-360 [accessed 25 April 2024]

December 1577



1577 Vat. Arch. Nunt. Germ. vol. lxxiv. p. 377.	700. John [Delfino,] Bishop of Torcello, Nuncio in Germany to [Ptolemy Galli,] Cardinal of Como. … “The partisans of the Estates affirm that Prince Matthias has sworn to the articles which last week I sent you, and has entered Antwerp, and that the succour of 1,400 foot that Don John was sending to the garrison of Namur had been defeated by the besiegers of that city, and that the captain had been taken prisoner and publicly beheaded; so that they were in hopes of speedily capturing Namur, as they had already captured the other camp at Ruremont [Roermond], where they say that likewise Polweiler, a colonel of German troops, who was in command of that place for the King, is a prisoner in their hands. “All the matters aforesaid, or great part of them, are denied by the Spaniards, who magnify mightily what hope they have of repairing the loss, affirming that the Queen of England has made an accord with the Catholic King, and that the Duke of Aerschot with the other lords was not as yet set at liberty, and that among the Estates there are very great differences of opinion.” 7 Dec., 1577. Vienna. Italian.
Vat. Arch. Nunt. di Francia, vol. x. pp. 583–6.	701. Antonio Maria Salviati, [late] Bishop of S. Papoul, Nuncio in France to the Same. “Seeing that the days are now so short that very frequently letters are much behindhand when they arrive at Lyon, I have resolved not to be behindhand in apprising you of the receipt of your letter of the 28th of last month. And as soon as I have spoken, as requested, to the King and the Queens touching the Pope's decision as to the promotion to the cardinalate of the brother (fn. 1) of the Queen Regnant, I will tell you all that passed. I shall do the like as soon as I have presented the brief to the Chancellor, as to which I have already spoken to the Receiver of the Religion of Malta, who is much obliged, and kisses the Pope's most holy feet. As to presenting the said brief he desires another conversation with me, in order that after discussing the affair, which is of importance, we may see our way to negotiate it with all possible convenience. The said Receiver is a Burgundian gentleman, and his name is Dieu. And though at times he desires some offices to be done that have in them a spice of the fortiter, nevertheless his action is always grounded on reasons so good and so proper to the occasion that for my part it is a pleasure to me to do him a favour. “I wish it were even so in the case of the Scotsman, Mgr. of Rosches [Ross], who for the most part has in his hands matters of a kind to expose himself and others to ridicule. And permit me to say that in the memorial that you sent me of late, he solicits procurement for him of the deanery of Torsi [Tours] vacant by the death of Mgr. de Morvilliers; which was conferred before his death; nor would it be in the power of a hundred kings to revoke such a grant, even though the reasons which Mgr. of Rosches [Ross] alleges in his favour were sound. He alleges that there is a reservation there by the Queen of Scotland because for her dowry (fn. 2) she had certain revenues in Touraine. Which reservation, I feel sure, though I have not seen it, cannot but have flaws without end. But let us suppose that it is good, and that secular Princes may invest it with some colour of right, and how that may be you know; nevertheless it would not suffice to enable Mgr. of Rosches [Ross] to have the deanery that he craves; because Monsieur, who is now in possession of Touraine by virtue of another authority than that which the Queen of Scotland had, for he has it in appanage, and not in dowry, has been compelled to get letters from the King for the assurance of the person to whom he had given the said deanery; this being required by the Chapter of S. Martin of Torsi [Tours], who have proved that the disposal of that deanery belongs wholly to the King, and that there is no one else that has any sort of pretension thereto. “The said Mgr. of Rosches [Ross] never hears of a benefice being void in France but he writes putting in a claim to it for himself, as if the disposal of such things might be pending for a century, and they were not in most cases promised so long before they fall vacant, that the King's hands are, as it were, tied, and he gives none of them.” 8 Dec., 1577. Paris. Italian.
Vat. Arch. Nunt. di Savoia, vol. vi. p. 246.	702. Ottavio Santa Croce, Bishop of Cervia, Nuncio at the Court of Turin to [Ptolemy Galli,] Cardinal of Como. … “I have intelligence from France that there are in circulation some new manuals of heresy and precedents, ancient and modern, for exciting sedition, very pernicious writings. I fail not to keep people on the alert to prevent their coming into these parts. They also write that some French ships having been arrested by the English, reprisals have been made by the arrest of all the English ships that were in the ports of Normandy; so merchants in England have sent to learn what is likely to be the upshot, for rather than that this should become a casus belli between the two realms, perhaps an accommodation would be reached.” (fn. 3) 11 Dec., 1577. Turin. Italian.
Vat. Lib. Urb. Lat. 1045. f. 526.	703. News Letter. … “The Most Christian King was sending in aid of Don John some 6,000 Frenchmen; and to oppose them as many were being sent by the Queen of England to the Estates, which on the 9th had accepted for their Governor General the Archduke Matthias, and sent many gentlemen to bring him from Antwerp to Brussels to swear the Articles with all speed, all the Estates having been proclaimed by Don John enemies and rebels to the Catholic King, as on the other hand Don John had been proclaimed an enemy by the Estates.” 11 and 12 Dec., 1577. Flanders. Italian. Copy.
Vat. Arch. Nunt. di Spagna, vol. xi. p. 102.	704. [Philip Sega, Bishop of Ripa,] Nuncio in Spain to [Ptolemy Galli,] Cardinal of Como. “The Archbishop of Toledo takes very ill this retrogression (fn. 4) on the part of the Pope, and could wish that his Holiness would not only not abandon the enterprise, but would write to his Majesty, exhorting him to attempt it, and assuring him that as it would be done in his Holiness' name, it is not to be supposed that the French would be in a hurry to move; besides which the good disposition evinced by the Most Christian King towards his Catholic Majesty in the affairs of Flanders should make it easy to negotiate some lasting league between them by the mediation of his Holiness, who would hold that realm [of England] in sequestration until some accord should be established between the two kings.” 13 Dec., 1577. Madrid. Decipher. Italian.
Vat. Arch. Nunt. di Francia, vol. xi. f. 287.	705. [Ptolemy Galli,] Cardinal of Como to [Antonio Maria] Salviati, [late] Bishop [of S. Papoul], Nuncio in France. “In discussing the business of Scotland with the Cardinal of Guise and the ambassador you have shown great prudence, keeping within the limits defined by his Holiness, who knows that he is doing more than his part in pledging himself to the said payment, but is quite determined that the money shall not be disbursed until the service is done, that he may not afterwards be craving to know the result of the expenditure. You are therefore to adhere to the offer made, and the answer given to them; and when you have bound yourself in the terms of his Holiness' order, advise me thereof and you shall be relieved in good form.” 16 Dec., 1577. Rome. Italian. Draft for cipher.
Vat. Lib. Urb. Lat. 1046. f. 7.	706. News Letter. … “Fifteen ensigns of Scotsmen have arrived in the States, and five more are expected with 500 horse sent by the Queen of England. All that the Estates need now is union among themselves and money.” 17 Dec., 1577. Antwerp. Italian. Copy.
Ibid. 1045. f. 530.	707. News Letter. “Although a new policy is announced from Spain, to wit, an armistice preliminary to the establishment of peace in these provinces, nevertheless no result thereof is visible; nay, there is still an obstinate adhesion to the last resolution taken by the Estates in the Council of Brussels to continue the war against Don John and his adherents, since the arrival of the reinforcements of Scottish infantry sent by the Queen of England, which troops have been sent to the siege of Rarmond [Roermond], a place of importance by reason of the victuals which otherwise the Catholic army might receive thence. (fn. 5) “Don John is at Luxemburg, the garrison of which place has taken Nieucastel between Liège and Namur, and found there artillery and victuals, of which there is extreme dearth. “The Archduke Matthias has caused some resentment by a letter written with his own hand to Don John, whom he calls a perturber of the peace of his lord the King. “They say that the Queen of England since the election by the Estates of the Archduke Matthias has promised to cease fomenting, as she has hitherto been used to do, opposition to Spain.” 18 Dec., 1577. Antwerp. Italian. Copy.
Vat. Arch. Nunt. di Portog, vol. i. ff. 33–4.	708. Robert Fontana, [Collector and Referendary] to [Ptolemy Galli,] Cardinal of Como. “Herewith will be the duplicate of my letter of 29 Nov.; (fn. 6) and, as touching James Geraldine, (fn. 7) it will be about a fortnight since Bishop Cornelius [Ryan] of Killaloe went to Madrid to discuss his business with his Catholic Majesty…. “Of late the Canons Regular of S. Augustine placed on an altar in their church of S. Vincent a crucifix, very small but very ornate, and caused the curate of the said church to publish the enclosed indulgences; and by consequence there come many to have masses said at the said altar for the deliverance of souls from Purgatory pursuant to the said indulgences. And as they have told me that one of their fathers, Don Philip by name, brought from Rome the said crucifix and a summary of these indulgences, but concession or other warrant for them they have none; I warned them that in my opinion they were not justified in this practice without some other basis; whereupon they earnestly besought me to procure an authentic transumpt of the brief of the said indulgences obtained by Sir Thomas [Stucley] named therein, as they say; and though I believe that there is nothing more than the Pope's mere word to the said Sir Thomas, yet for the satisfaction of the said fathers, who are very worthy people, I have written to Signor Giovanni Paolo Castellino to bestir himself to discover the said brief or bull, if such there be; and as he must needs crave your favour to procure the said transumpt, I pray you to accord it him; and I also earnestly entreat you in any event to let me know his Holiness' mind as to the use of these and the like indulgences, that care may be taken to prevent their abuse.” 18 Dec., 1577. Lisbon. Italian.
Ibid. f. 35.	709. Grace and Indulgences Granted by our Lord Pope Gregory XIII. to the Crucifixes which he Blessed at the Instance of an English Knight, Sir Thomas Estocley [Stucley], on 13 June, 1575. Italian. Copy. Cf. p. 208 supra.
Vat. Arch. Nunt. di Spagna, vol. xi. p. 104.	710. [Philip Sega, Bishop of Ripa,] Nuncio in Spain to [Ptolemy Galli,] Cardinal of Como. “We are busy here despatching troops to Flanders, and already many of the chief captains that had returned here have been sent, though the matter has not yet been published. Count Annibale d'Altemps hopes soon to be sent, and with an honourable command. And all this is being done notwithstanding that it is understood that the Archduke Matthias and the Estates were on the point of sending ambassadors to his Majesty craving his confirmation of Matthias as Governor on the terms arranged by them. “It was resolved to send Don Bernardino de Mendoza to England to protest against the Queen's lending aid to the Estates in opposition to his Majesty. But it seems that in view of some ambassador coming hither from her, this has been given up. So I am informed by Antonio Perez, not, however, of set purpose or by command, but incidentally. He has also told me that they are busy preparing a despatch containing his Majesty's resolutions for the Pope's information, and that before it goes I shall be apprised of everything by his Majesty's order. There are those that say that, if his Majesty discover some new way of patching up an accord, attention will be given to it, but I know not whether to believe it or no.” 18 Dec., 1577. Madrid. Decipher. Italian.
Ibid. vol. xx. p. 107.	711. Ptolemy Galli, Cardinal of Como to [Philip Sega, Bishop of Ripa,] Nuncio in Spain. “Stucley has not yet departed, but before many days have gone by he will, please God, set sail, and in time to be able to join Geraldine (fn. 8) before February. I have several times written to you bidding you to press his Majesty no more as to the English enterprise; and I now reiterate the same instruction. It must be left to him in such troublous times to make up his mind as God shall inspire him; and we are not responsible for the result, having done on our part the office that was incumbent on us. “When you write aught that bears upon this business, for the love of God take care to write wholly in cipher. This I say because yours of the 14th, though it does not mention the business outright, yet refers to it in such terms that with little trouble it might be penetrated by any ordinary understanding; and though, without recourse to conjecture, the copy of Geraldine's letter, which you have sent, speaks so plainly that anybody might have come to know it.” 20 Dec., 1577. Rome. Italian. Draft for cipher.