Simancas: August 1574 | British History Online

Calendar of State Papers, Spain (Simancas), Volume 2, 1568-1579. Originally published by Her Majesty's Stationery Office, London, 1894.

'Simancas: August 1574', in Calendar of State Papers, Spain (Simancas), Volume 2, 1568-1579, (London, 1894) pp. 483-484. British History Online https://www.british-history.ac.uk/cal-state-papers/simancas/vol2/pp483-484 [accessed 24 April 2024]

August 1574



Aug. B. M. Add. 26,056b. Transcript.	400. Substance of Letters from Antonio De Guaras. [Extract.] Captains Pool and Haselby, two persons who in the time of the duke of Alba had offered to deliver Orange alive or dead and awaited there (i.e. in England) some person to treat with them about it, had conferred in Flanders with Don Bernardino de Mendoza, and Haselby who is the right hand of Chester, the colonel of the English there, had tried to sound him as to the way in which so notable a service would be received. Chester was offended with Orange for something he had done and he (Guaras) hoped some good would come of it. He had heard that in return for 900,000l. to be paid within three years, which had been promised to the Queen by John Combe and others, they had been authorised to coin false money of many nations, pieces of eight, dobloons and thalers, and a regular signed patent had been given to them to allow them to export the base coin without hindrance. One of the ships has already gone with a quantity of it to Sorlingas (Scilly?) with orders to the captain there to let them do as they like. It is an expedient to provide money for Orange. On the 27th July Burleigh was at the Tower with Orange's agent, to whom he had delivered 20,000l. in complement of the 60,000l. promised. Bingham had come back from Orange very sad, as he would not admit him to his service, saying that he did not want Englishmen. He is a good honest efficient person and was resolved to go and ship on his Majesty's fleet. Victuals were being openly sent to Holland and Zealand by all ships that go over. Sends copy of the letter the queen of Scotland had written in answer to the letter he sent her by order of Don Bernardino, and of the fresh letter he had written to her. He says, when he handed this letter to a person of position to be conveyed to the Queen, he had told him (Guaras) that he knew that the Queen in conversation with one of her ladies, had said that our late lady queen Elizabeth (now in glory) had written to her, saying how glad she would be for a marriage to be arranged between the eldest Infanta and the prince of Scotland, seeing the close friendship and kinship between the two Queens. (fn. 1) She herself desired nothing better, and the lady had replied that if the public voice could be believed (and it was said to be the voice of the Gods) she herself (the Queen) would marry Don Juan of Austria, whom she praised highly. The Queen replied that she had placed her cause in the hands of God and his Majesty. He (Guaras) gives reasons why this (marriage) would be beneficial to God's service, and says that, if his Majesty would agree to it, the Queen would have no other will than his, and he understands that she would be very glad for her son the Prince to be taken to Spain. There was an easy way of managing this and, for releasing the mother, as she has more friends there than the queen of England herself, and persons of high quality would undertake it.—London, August 1574.
20 Aug. B. M. Cotton, Galba, C. v. Original.	401. Bernardino De Mendoza to the Earl of Leicester. The unquiet in which I have continued since I left England has been the reason why I have not sent you earlier the copy which I now enclose, the same as you sent me by Hernando de Sandoval. I have given his Excellency an account of it and also of the other particulars, and he is very well satisfied with your good intention and method of procedure in affairs, in which you are so well versed, being, as you are also thoroughly conversant with the feeling of people in England. Signed, Bernardino de Mendoza.—Antwerp, 20th August 1574.