Venice: September 1591

Calendar of State Papers Relating To English Affairs in the Archives of Venice, Volume 8, 1581-1591. Originally published by Her Majesty's Stationery Office, London, 1894.

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'Venice: September 1591', in Calendar of State Papers Relating To English Affairs in the Archives of Venice, Volume 8, 1581-1591, (London, 1894) pp. 554-558. British History Online https://www.british-history.ac.uk/cal-state-papers/venice/vol8/pp554-558 [accessed 20 April 2024]

September 1591

Sept. 2. Minutes of the Senate, Venetian Archives. 1090. Motion made to write as follows to the Queen of England:—
We beg you in virtue of our ancient friendship and alliance to give orders that upon no pretext whatever are our ships which trade from Portugal to Venice with pepper, spices, &c. to be molested by any vessel under your orders.
And further that the Secretary to the Spanish Ambassador be informed of the above letter.
—55 —75 —81 —81.
—4.
—14 —27 —22 —21.
[Italian.]
Sept. 2. Minutes of the Senate, Venetian Archives. 1091. Motion made:—
That in order to gratify his Catholic Majesty upon the subject of the safety of the pepper ships, an Ambassador to the Queen of England be elected by ballot; the person elected may not decline to serve, under the penalties attached to such refusal. He must leave within eight days, and use all possible speed on his journey.
He is to receive two hundred golden ducats in gold per month, and of these he need present no account.
He shall receive three hundred ducats for his outfit, and his Secretary one hundred as usual.
—71 —83 —82 —83.
[Italian.]
Sept. 2. Minutes of the Senate, Venetian Archives. 1092. Motion made as above.
—39.
[Italian.]
Sept. 5. Minutes of the Senate, Venetian Archives. 1093. Motion made to write to the Queen of England in same tenor as was proposed on 2nd September, and that the Secretary to the Spanish Ambassador be informed thereof.
—76 —78.
—4.
—18 —18.
[Italian.]
Sept. 5. Minutes of the Senate, Venetian Archives. 1094. Motion made to elect an Ambassador to go to England to treat with the Queen for the safety of the pepper ships and for the purchase of corn in England of which our State is in the greatest need. He shall receive two hundred ducats a month in gold and three hundred for outfit; and his Secretary one hundred as usual.
—95 —97.
[Italian.]
Sept. 6. Minutes of the Senate, Venetian Archives. 1095. Motion made to write to the Queen of England in the same terms as were proposed on September 2nd and 5th, and that the Secretary to the Spanish Ambassador be in forme I thereof.
—78 —91 —95 + 98.
[Italian.]
Sept. 6. Minutes of the Senate, Venetian Archives. 1096. Motion made to elect an Ambassador to the Queen of England, in the same terms as the previous motions to that effect.
—63 —68 —69 —67.
—2.
—49 —32 —27 —25.
[Italian.]
Sept. 14. Original Despatch, Venetian Archives. 1097. Giovanni Mocenigo, Venetian Ambassador in France, to the Doge and Senate.
From England the Earl of Essex (Usses) has gone to Noyon. He is the Queen's great favourite, and has two hundred horse with him. He brings with him not merely assurances of the Queens good will towards the King but also a coach of great value and some fine horses. The English troops are all at Dieppe, waiting the King's orders. Public opinion holds that they will be employed to attack Rouen.
Chartres (Sciartres), 14th September 1591.
[Italian; deciphered.]
Sept. 19. Origioal Despatch, Venetian Archives. 1098. Giovanni Mocenigo, Venetian Ambassador in France, to the Doge and Senate.
I have informed your Serenity of the presence of four thousand English at Dieppe. It is thought that they will be employed on the siege of Rouen, to which the Queen is particularly inclined for reasons of her own. The King has sent an Agent to persuade the Queen to allow him to employ her troops wherever he likes. But on this point it is certain that the Queen will not gratify his Majesty completely: her Agent here points out that Rouen would be in every respect a more desirable undertaking than Paris. In both Rouen and Paris there reigns the greatest confusion, especially in Paris. This Council does not wish to publish the declarations made by the Parliaments of Tours, Caen, and Châlons against the Pontifical Bulls.
Chartres (Sciartres), 19th September 1591.
[Italian; deciphered.]
Sept. 20. Minutes of the Senate, Venetian Archives. 1099. Motion made to write to the Queen of England as follows:—
Our noble Giovanni Nani, relying on the ancient friendship and freedom of commerce between your subjects and ours, has sent a cargo of muscats to England; and we beg your Majesty's favour for the master of the ship; and above all that he may be allowed to invest the value of that cargo of muscats in so much grain for the needs of this city; for which courtesy we shall always be ready to return in kind.
+ 133 —1 — 2.
[Italian.]
Sept. 21. Original Despatch, Venetian Archives. 1100. Lorenzo Bernardo, Venetian Ambassador in Constantinople, to the Doge and Senate.
His Magnificence told me that as yet he had sent more than ten spies into Christendom; he wished to know if the Crown of France came to the King of Navarre by blood; what the relative forces of Navarre and Maine were; what size of fleet the King of Spain had when he attached England.
Dalle Vigne di Pera, 21st September 1591.
[Italian; deciphered.]
Sept. 21. Original Despatch, Venetian Archives. 1101. Lorenzo Bernardo, Venetian Ambassador in Constantinople, to the Doge and Senate.
David Passi has come back from Rhodes. His face shows the terror he has gone through. I imagine, if he has any brains at all, he will leave affairs of State alone for the future. A renegade is going to France, with the answer to the King of Navarre, promising him a fleet for next year.
Dalle Vigne di Pera, 21st September 1591.
[Italian; deciphered.]
Sept. 21. Original Despatch, Venetian Archives. 1102. Giovanni Mocenigo, Venetian Ambassador in France, to the Doge and Senate.
This war is weighing heavily on the nation and on private individuals, and there are rumours that a peace will be attempted, by means of many matrimonial alliances which should bring together the members of the opposite parties. Nor will this prove difficult, for everyone is tired of seeing their substance, their houses, their honour in the hands of strangers. And if money stops from Spain, as it probably will, for the King of Spain must attend to his defences against the Turk, then the Princes of the League will be the first to arrange an accord.
Chartres (Sciartres), 21st September 1591.
[Italian; deciphered.]
Sept. 22. Original Despatch, Venetian Archives. 1103. Tomaso Contarini, Venetian Ambassador in Spain, to the Doge and Senate.
Persons have arrived here from Brittany to ask for powder, pikes, corslets on behalf of the Duke of Mercure. Their demands have been referred to the Council of War, which has replied that there is no possibility of supplying them with weapons from Spain, but that a certain quantity of ammunition will be sent to them. These people say that in Brittany the opposing forces are so equal that when drawn up face to face neither ventured to engage.
It seems that they intend to give to M. de Lansac some ships and galleys, with Spanish captains, however, to allow him to carry out a proposal he has made to seize a port for his Majesty on the seaboard of France.
Madrid, 22nd September 1591.
[Italian; deciphered.]
Sept. 22. Original Despatch, Venetian Archives. 1104. Tomaso Contarini, Venetian Ambassador in Spain, to the Doge and Senate.
News from Lisbon that the ship “Stella,” which left that port for Gibraltar, engaged two English ships off Cape St. Vincent, and seriously damaged the enemy. She suffered some damage herself and put into Cadiz. The East India fleet is so much behind time that it is conjectured either that it never sailed or else is lost. For this reason the price of goods has gone up.
The head of the English Buccaneers has been reinforced by some of the Queen's ships, and sought to engage the Catholic Armada which had put out from Ferrol to go to the Azores.
Madrid, 22nd September 1591.
[Italian.]
Sept. 28. Original Despatch, Venetian Archives. 1105. Giovanni Mocenigo, Venetian Ambassador in France, to the Doge and Senate.
Nothing certain can be known as yet as to his Majesty's designs. I shall be better able to inform your Serenity when I see what the King does with his English and French forces.
Chartres (Sciartres), 28th September 1591.
[Italian; deciphered.]