Cecil Papers: January 1588

Calendar of the Cecil Papers in Hatfield House: Volume 3, 1583-1589. Originally published by Her Majesty's Stationery Office, London, 1889.

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'Cecil Papers: January 1588', in Calendar of the Cecil Papers in Hatfield House: Volume 3, 1583-1589, (London, 1889) pp. 303-306. British History Online https://www.british-history.ac.uk/cal-cecil-papers/vol3/pp303-306 [accessed 25 April 2024]

January 1588

632. Robert Carvyle to Archibald Douglas.
1587/8, Jan. 14. These are to signefie unto you that I receyved ten or twelve dayes synce from Mr. Richarde Dowglas a goshawk, which in your name I delivered to my Lorde Governour, who very thanckfully receyved the same. It were good that when you write downe you showlde geve his Honour thancks for his willingnes in sendinge awaye your pacquetts. The 11th of this instant I receyved a pacquet from Mr. Richard Dowglas, which I delivered presently to my Lord, and he sent it awaye the same daye att twelve howers. I understand that you sent a pacquet into Scotland by James Foreman, which I thinke required no gret hast, for that he came in the 12th of this instant att nighte, and went awaye the 13th at iiij howers. I pray you have me in remembrance to Mr. Secretary agaynst my comyng upp.—Berwick, the 14th of January 1587.
¾ p.
633. Ipolloter Lynnet and Nicholas Haines to the Queen.
1587/8, Jan. 21. Petition for a lease in reversion of lands of the manor of Rainehurst, Kent, value 32l.Undated.
[Note by Dr. Valentine Dale that the Queen grants the petition.—21 January 1587.]
1 p.
634. Richard Douglas to Archibald Douglas.
1587/8, Jan. 24. His letters of 12 January were received on the 16th, and his Highness then commanded the Justice Clerk to write in reply, which he has not yet done. The King takes well of this answer given unto the Queen. Assures him that no one had any Commission to deal with Lord Hunsdon in any matters except such as pertained unto the Borders. His Majesty is absolutely obeyed throughout all this country, and if there be any miscontentment, it is only of such as are devoted to the Papistical religion, who are sorry that his Majesty utters hinself so far in their contrary. Alexander Home of Hutonhall, the Laird of Carmichael, and Mr. George Young are gone to treat with Lord Hunsdon upon Border matters. As to the preacher who falsely reflected upon his Majesty in the pulpit, his Highness will be content that he acknowledge his fault in the same place where he made the first offence. The part of the letter relating to France was little agreeable to his Majesty, who desires in heart good success to the King of Navarre and the rest of the Protestants in their action. The King has sent for the Earl of Huntly, and others of the faction, who, it is believed, shall be committed to ward. The Earl Marshal is fallen in feud with the Earl of Huntly; he has written for a licence to buy two horses out of England by reason of his feud.—Edinburgh, 24 January 1587.
[Lodge, II. 329–338. In extenso.]
Omitted by Lodge :—[P.S.] “Finding my brother occupied in writing to your lordship, I, having no matter of effect to write, I do remember my commendations of service, remaining your Lordship's to my power. The Lord be with you.—Samuel Cockburne.
635. David Garestburg (?) to Archibald Douglas.
1587/8, Jan. 25. Reports his arrival in Scotland within six days of departing, and his presentation to the King at Holyrood House, to whom he opened his mind, making the best report he could of him (A. Douglas) and Dr. Sesser, &c. Will keep the rest in memory till they meet, &c.—From Dy . . ., this 25th of January 1587.
¾ p.
636. Notes on the Instructions to —, touching the Treaty with Spain.
1587/8, January. Fo. 1o, p. 2, after the 4th line to be added :
The Queen's pleasure is, that you make your repair to Ostend, a town governed by Sir John Conway, her Majesty's servant, and maintained by her Majesty's forces, and therefore a convenient place for you to reside in; to which place after you shall be come, you shall give knowledge to the Duke of Parma, or to the King of Spain's Commissioners where you are, and require them to send one to you with their commission to be perused by you, and that you will send some convenient person to them with yours, so as before your meeting both you and they may be satisfied with the sufficiency of both.
After the 18th line to be added :
But you shall give them notice that upon the Duke of Parma's first motion to hearken to a treaty of peace, and his offer that Commissioners for the King should meet with such as her Majesty should send into any part of the Low Countries, to that end you are come to Ostend, a place near to divers good towns of the King's in Flanders, as Nieuport, Bruges, and others, and there at Ostend you will be ready to treat with the said Commissioners upon the matter of peace; and shall also require them, by such a discreet person as you shall make choice of, to consider that you are come out of England a country, thanked be God! fruitful of victuals to live on, and that Ostend and all the country adjacent is by reason of the long wars very incommodious to reside any long time in, for which cause you shall move them to pass over all delays of time, and to name a day and time certain, as short as may be, for their coming to Ostend, whither they may safely come by force of her Majesty's safe-conduct sent to them; to which place if they show themselves unwilling, you may maintain by good reasons the conveniency thereof, because they may from Bruges or Nieuport come so in a forenoon as they may return before night; and if they should press you to come to any place of theirs from Ostend, it may be well alleged that you have no commodity of horse or other carriage to carry you or any part of your train from the seaside of Ostend, whereupon you shall so persist, &c.
Fo. 6, p. 2, after the beginning of the 14th line :
You may say that, if you should enter into particularities of the unkind parts that have proceeded from the King of Spain and his ministers towards her Majesty, you should spend great time not convenient as the present state of things is, but certainly you may affirm that it is not unknown to the King of Spain himself how desirous her Majesty was at the beginning of her reign to have lived in all good and strict friendship, for the which she sent Ambassadors to the King into Spain for no other purpose but to have the leagues formerly betwixt their fathers confirmed, which was by the King refused, but you will rather, as you have determined, stay only upon three notorious grounds of the King of Spain's not only of unkindness but of capital injury. And if the Commissioners shall seek to interrupt this your manner of proceeding, by brevity you are to note to them those three grounds, and if they shall contrariwise say that the Queen's proceeding hath been more injurious to the King of Spain than his towards her, you shall then say—if they will think it meet to enter into the particular discourse thereof, what you thought better to be forborne, both for sparing of time, and to avoid contention that must needs follow amongst yourselves in defence of both your Sovereigns—that you will yield thereto, protesting that it is against your wills to stir up old quarrels, and that you have a collection made ready for you in writing, containing very particularly a great number of unkind and unfriendly actions of the King of Spain, and his ministers, with a note also of her Majesty's friendly parts and actions to have stayed the King from such injuries. And so you shall by that writing, which is not inserted here because of the length, inform yourselves, and declaring of the same make it manifest that the King of Spain and his ministers gave the first occasions of the breach of the ancient amity.
To be added to the middle of the 3rd line of article 14 :
You may at the first answer that as far forth as the former treaty betwixt our two fathers, King Henry VIII. and the Emperor Charles, did extend, which was for all the kingdoms, dominions, and possessions by them enjoyed, whereof Portugal there was none, we are content to ratify and confirm the same, so as we shall never give aid or favour to any person to the offence or prejudice of those possessions that did any wise come and descend from the Emperor Charles to the King of Spain now being. And if that will not so content them, you may also add that in common reason Don Antonio, publishing his claim as a competitor to the Crown of Portugal, cannot be comprehended within the term of a rebel, and so it appeared that he was so thought of by the French King and his mother, when they gave him open aid by an army by sea, when he thought to have recovered possession thereof. And so you shall by this and the like reasons procure that in this treaty no mention be made of Don Antonio.
To be added at the end of the 19th article :
And though you shall not prevail to have our subjects to be free from the Inquisition, as we do desire, for anything done upon the land, yet you shall do your best to procure that there be no search made in any of our ships by the authority of the Inquisition, but that our subjects remaining on shipboard may be permitted to use their trade of merchandise in lawful manner, paying all duties to the King or to any other having interest in any customs, and not to be molested in their said ships by colour of the Inquisition, considering their ships are to them as their dwelling-houses brought out of England, to be preserved in the King's protection during the time they shall be in any the King's ports.
Endorsed :—“January, 1587.” (All but the last two paragraphs Burghley's holograph.)
6 pp.
637. John Hawkins and James Bellamy to the Queen.
1587/8. Petition for a lease in reversion, for their services as Yeomen of the Queen's Chamber.
Endorsed :—January 1587.
[Note by Dr. V. Dale that the Queen grants a lease of 20l.]
1 p.