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| 27 Dec. |
610. Bernardino De Mendoza to the King.
The Queen received an express post on the 2nd, from the Magistrates
of Nuremburg, and from her agent in that place, advising
her to make ready, as they were sure that your Majesty's fleet was
being armed for the purpose of coming to this country. She, at
once, sent to ask them to tell her by what means they had learned
this, and on the same day, after nine at night, she sent to me by
the earl of Sussex to say that, although there might be no matters
which obliged her to see me, yet she would be glad to do so. I
had been purposely holding off from her for some time, without
requesting audience, because I was told she wished to see me, and
I thought that, as she was so close with the French, it would be
best to make her jealous by raising the idea that it did not concern
us to take any notice of the marriage, of which attitude of ours
she had, and still has, very great mistrust. I went to see her the
next day, being informed beforehand of the letter she had received,
which, as I understood, was the reason she summoned me, and she
confirmed this by her conversation. She began with many caresses
and endearments, and complaints that she had not seen me for so
long, after which all her talk was directed towards discovering from
me particulars of the fleet. She repeated the various news and
discourses she heard about it, trying to find out whether I knew
anything, to all of which I replied as commanded, and, so far as I
could judge, she was more distrustful about it at the end of the
interview than she was before. I am told that the advices received
from Italy by certain Genoese residents here confirmed the
news from Nuremburg, and the Queen has therefore ordered the
Governors of Provinces and the Marches to be at their posts in
four days, and to exercise much vigilance to prevent disturbance.
Although the excuse for this step is the news about the fleet,
many people believe that it is caused by fears about the marriage.
I had been assured that she sent a verbal message by Simier to
Alençon, to say that, although the conditions might be looked upon
in France as a little hard, he was not to be distressed about that,
as she would remedy it. I suspect this was for the purpose of
undermining what she heard the opposing councillors had said, to
the effect that they should be very much surprised if the French
accepted the conditions which they had sent. I got her to converse
upon the subject, and she referred to it so tenderly as to make it
clear how ardently she desired it.
The Portuguese ambassador has arrived here, and saw the Queen
on the 29th. All the talk was of how glad she was to learn that
your Majesty had agreed with his King, (fn. 1) since there were no
preparations for defence in Portugal, and if your Majesty should
wish to take the country by force they could not help it. This is
the means which, since Wotton's return, she and her Council have
adopted, as they have failed in the other suggestions they made to
the king of Portugal to listen to the desires of England and France.
They think that by this means they can the better move the
Portuguese themselves, saying that they do not hinder only because
they are not able. The ambassador replied that the arrangement
was founded on justice, and he did not believe, therefore, that your
Majesty, being so Christian a Prince, would need to appeal to
arms.
News has arrived here that Don Antonio had fled from Portugal,
and as soon as the Queen heard it she publicly said that she would
be glad to receive him in her country to entertain him and give
him what help she could, which was listened to by the fickle
Portuguese who were here, and who have written it to Portugal.
Morton insisted in the Scotch Parliament that they should
confirm the decrees published against the House of Hamilton, and
as soon as the Queen knew this, she sent a person to dissuade the
King from it, as she learned that it would cause disturbances in the
country and that the French might aid the Hamiltons. The
business was therefore settled in the following way : the property
of the Hamiltons is to be confiscated until they have cleared themselves
of the murders laid to their charge, without the matters
being made a crime of high treason. By this means, the Queen
and Morton get their way, as they keep the Hamiltons oppressed,
and yet with hopes of recovering their estates without taking up
arms or being driven to desperation. The queen of Scotland has
been given more liberty than she had recently. I have not been
able to learn whether this is by order of this Queen or at the
pleasure of the earl of Shrewsbury, although some consider it very
strange at the present juncture.—London, 27th December 1579. |
| 28 Dec. |
611. Bernardino De Mendoza to the King.
I handed your Majesty's letter of 11th April, about the seizures,
to the Queen on the 10th of May, and she, in conformity therewith
and in fulfilment of the treaty of Bristol, ordered a commission to
be issued, that your Majesty's subjects might claim their property,
which by fraud and deceit had been concealed. The issue of this
commission was delayed from day to day for two months, until the
vacations, so that nothing could be done until the middle of
October. I lodged a request with the commissioners that they
should hear my claims, which they did, acknowledging your
Majesty as Plaintiff, and I then demanded that the offenders should
be brought up. They summoned them and gave them copies of
my charges, which, in due course, were replied to, and the case
proceeded with. When the decision was to be given, the commissioners
informed my lawyers that they were not to present any
more documents, since the property could not be claimed by your
Majesty but only by the owners. I therefore addressed the Council,
saying I was astonished, after they had seen your Majesty's letter,
and the Queen had issued the commission and the commissioners
had heard my claim, by virtue of such appointment, that when
sentence had to be delivered this answer should be given. I
desired to know if the agreement of Bristol was valid or not.
They replied in general that they knew nothing of the commission,
nor when it was issued, but they would make inquiries and give a
reply. They did so a month afterwards, and, after recapitulating
many of the pros and cons of the case, they said that the goods
could not be demanded in your Majesty's name. To this I replied
that your Majesty had made the agreement with the Queen ;
property on both sides having been seized from your respective
subjects, and no particular owner was mentioned. It was therefore
clear that, if any fraud or deceit had been practised, it was only to
the prejudice of the parties to the agreement. Even if this were not
so, they well knew that "Gentiam princeps maritus, Rex publievœ
Pater subditorum suorum," and also, "Quod interes principiis
ne subditi perdam bona sua," and your Majesty had ordered me
to deal with this business in answer to the complaints of your
subjects, out of consideration for them, to prevent their having to
come here, losing their time and money, to claim their property
which had been concealed. I said that this would have happened
was proved from the fact that they had delayed the matter with me
for eight months, and I should like to know how a private person
would have got on, since they were so tardy even with me, a minister.
I said the owners, moreover, could not claim their goods specifically,
as they had all been bulked here, the packages undone, and the marks
lost. They replied that this was all very well, but they had no
security that the owners themselves would not come and claim the
property delivered to me, and it was necessary that I should have
special power in addition to your Majesty's letter. Your Majesty
will pray send me instructions. (fn. 2)
What I understand is that they are seeking to delay as much as
they can, because of the impossibility of bringing to book those
who are interested, namely, the principal councillors. Leicester
and Hatton started the matter and assured me that justice should
be done, but as they are now in disgrace, especially Leicester, the
rest of them are terribly hard upon them. They think, moreover,
that I might unite all the claims which have been ascertained
during the delay and might continue to produce fresh ones.
Seeing, however, how cautiously they proceeded I ordered only
two clear and distinct demands to be made until I saw their mode
of proceeding. This is the ordinary mode of never telling the
truth, for the same men who told me, when I delivered your
Majesty's letter, that the commission should be issued, afterwards
said they knew nothing about it, besides which the commissioners
twice contradicted themselves before the Council, and I proved
them to have lied by their own documents. The design of them
all is to make profit in any possible way, and when they say they
will do justice it is only with this object. I presented proofs that
Knollys, a kinsman of the Queen, had taken a Spanish ship and
put his plunder in one of the Queen's castles, where he sold it, and
they told me that when this was established, they would have the
property returned to the merchants ; and yet afterwards they said
it was necessary to prove the facts again, with the sole object of
frightening away the witnesses, and making this an excuse for
keeping the property. As the councillors themselves are the
principal supporters of the pirates they have anticipated the
arrival of Drake by appointing men in every port in England to
assist him in concealing his booty, if he arrive safely with it.—
London, 28th December 1579. |
612. Bernardino De Mendoza to the King.
As soon as the prince of Condé came to La Fère, (fn. 3) in Picardy, he
informed the Queen of it, and her ambassador in France, Paulet,
arrived at the same time. He is not only a heretic, as I have said
before, but a terrible Puritan ; who, although he publicly said that
the king of France and his brother were so disagreed that he
thought they would break with each other, secretly impressed
upon the councillors, and particularly upon Walsingham, how
advantageous it was to have brought Condé there to embarrass your
Majesty, and to have again encouraged the war in the Netherlands
by means of the troops who went to the aid of La Noue and the
succour of Ghent, which, he said, would give plenty to do to the
people of Hainault and Artois, even though the States were to help
them, and De la Motte would soon have less reason for satisfaction.
The councillors were particular in their inquiries, in the presence
of Paulet, from some Englishmen whom they had brought over,
from serving at Gravelines. They were especially anxious to learn
whether the river which divides that place from France could be
forded, and if boats were necessary, what sort they should be, and
whether they could be found there or would have to be sent ; with
other questions of the same sort. From this it may be gathered
that they had designs in that part and I have sent a special post
to De la Motte to inform him thereof.
Besides the ships I advised, there have recently left the west
coast for the Levant, ships with great quantities of planks, and
another, called the "Providence," of two hundred tons, which goes
direct to the Isle of Chios carrying bell-metal and tin to the value of
twenty thousand crowns.
A ship has left Zealand for Portugal with four thousand gun
flints and some powder. And several other ships are going to the
same place with powder shipped by Flemings. I have not been
able to discover whether these munitions are for the King or for a
private person.
The Portuguese ambassador is negotiating with the Queen and
ministers respecting the confirmation of the agreement entered into
three years ago, which expired on the 15th ultimo. The principal
point of it is that the English are prohibited from voyaging to the
Mina. I do not hear that he is authorised to treat on any other
matter, but he has letters ordering him not to see Don Antonio if
he comes hither, and to ask the Queen not to receive him.
The Scotch Parliament ended without giving to M. D'Aubigny
the earldom of Lennox, but they conferred an abbey upon him
which belonged to the Hamiltons, and was the richest in the
country.
The number of Catholics, thank God, is daily increasing here,
owing to the college and seminary for Englishmen which your
Majesty ordered to be supported in Douai, whence there has come
in the last year (and from the college of Rome) a hundred Englishmen
who have been ordained there, (fn. 4) by which means a great
number of people are being converted, generally persons who have
never heard the truth preached before. These priests go about
disguised as laymen, and although they are young men, their good
life, fervency, and zeal in the work, are admirable. They exercise
their duties with great good sense and discretion, in order not to
give the heretics a chance to impede them. God's grace is clearly
witnessed in the way they are led on by His hand in this ministry ;
and in the joy and fortitude with which they offer themselves for
martyrdom, whenever they are called upon to suffer it for the
Lord's sake. Some have suffered thus with invincible firmness and
ineffable content, following in the footsteps of so many of their
predecessors. Of the old ones very few now remain, and they are
imprisoned strictly. This was a cause for the great decay of
religion, as there was no one to teach it, and none professed it,
excepting those who had special grace given to them to persevere
in it out of pure zeal. This is being remedied by means of those
who have recently come hither, who pray continually for your
Majesty ; recognizing that God has been pleased to make you His
principal instrument in this great work. During the last three
months they have converted five of these (Protestant) preachers,
which conversion they believe will bear rich fruit, as they (the
converts) have begged to be sent where they may study and
confirm themselves in the faith, in order to return hither and preach
it. God give them grace to do so.—London, 28th December 1579. |