Simancas: March 1586

Calendar of State Papers, Spain (Simancas), Volume 3, 1580-1586. Originally published by Her Majesty's Stationery Office, London, 1896.

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'Simancas: March 1586', in Calendar of State Papers, Spain (Simancas), Volume 3, 1580-1586, (London, 1896) pp. 569-573. British History Online https://www.british-history.ac.uk/cal-state-papers/simancas/vol3/pp569-573 [accessed 26 April 2024]

March 1586

6 March.
Paris Archives, R. 1564. 56.		 428. Bernardino De Mendoza to the King.
In answer to the king of France's message by Captain Pardin to Don Antonio, the latter has sent Custodio Leiton with letters for the King and his mother begging them to pardon him for disobeying their wishes as to his coming hither, as he considered things in this country were hardly settled enough to afford him due security. His intention was, however, always to depend upon France. He, Leiton, has also approached the Queen-mother to know what help Don Antonio may expect from here, as the queen of England is very much inclined to help him with resources and ships, and he was anxious to know what he might look for from France. The Queen-mother replied that, as regards his coming at present, he did well to defer it, as they were on the eve of a general peace, and if this were effected she could assure him that her son and herself would aid him in a way that would prove that he had not depended upon them in vain. She dwelt at great length upon this point, as did also the King and Joyeuse.
Don Antonio's eldest son has gone to Flanders with six men, under the pretext of having fled from his father, to go to the earl of Leicester. The truth is that his father ordered him to go, and the queen of England joined in the order. Leiton says the Queen is not spending a groat at sea, but keeps on the alert to see whether your Majesty arms. She has an arrangement with the king of Denmark to aid her if your Majesty threatens her.
Leicester has ordered that no men in Holland and Zeeland are to take the field, but are to remain on the defensive and hold their own. Leiton reports that Don Antonio and his people have been very comfortable hitherto, as the Queen caresses and makes much of him, giving him 1,000 or 2,000 crowns at a time. At Christmas-tide she presented his sons with a great quantity of silk and cloth of gold.—Paris, 6th March 1586.
6 March.
Paris Archives, K. 1564. 51.		 429. Bernardino De Mendoza to the King.
Antony Pointz, an English Catholic gentleman, and the brother of a very wealthy Catholic who recently died, was constantly in communication with me when I was in England, as was his brother, although less so than Antony, as the latter had been a soldier under Colonel Julian Romero in Flanders. The earl of Leicester carried him to Holland with him to serve in the war, and whilst he was there the queen of England ordered him to return to England, as she desired to send him hither (to France) under the pretence of his being a religious refugee ; in order that he should ask me for letters of favour for your Majesty and request some assignment from Flanders, which would enable him to go to your Majesty's court and discover about the fleet which your Majesty was preparing, and whether it was coming to invade Ireland, Scotland, or England this year. He was to gain all the information he could on this and other points, and was promised that if he were dexterous in the business, and succeeded in deceiving me, he should not only have a company of 300 men of those who are to be in Flushing, which had already been given to him, but further extraordinary favour should be shown him. He undertook the commission, and the Queen gave him warrants for 300 crowns for the cost of the journey, 100 in England and 200 payable in Lyons, which he has shown me. He informed me of all that had passed, and said his only wish was to serve God and your Majesty, and, as he had been known to me for so long, he begged me to write to your Majesty his intention and he would go to Spain. In order that I might be doubly assured, he said we might send someone with him from the frontier to the Court, where he might be given such information as your Majesty desired to have sent to England. By this means, and with a false letter which your Majesty could give him to the prince of Parma, he might appear to carry out the queen of England's orders, and after a short stay in Flanders could go over to England, where he would give such information as your Majesty wished. He would then return to Zeeland, the prince of Parma having communicated with him as to the service he might render there. He has frankly placed all this before me ; he is a Catholic, like his brother, as I was assured by a Jesuit whom he harboured for six months in his house, and who administered the sacraments to them whilst I was in England. He has on other occasions proved himself to be a man of spirit and resolution, and I doubt not, if he return to Zeeland, he will perform some signal service to God and your Majesty, because he points out to me very sensibly that until the Queen and the English grow sick of the war, and a larger number of (English) Catholics shall have gone over to Holland in the hope that there they may enjoy freedom of conscience, and so serve your Majesty there as to lead you to bring their own country to the Catholic religion, nothing serious can be attempted. I will give him a letter for your Majesty, as not only do I see no objection to this, as he is desirous of being accompanied through Spain, but that it will be a great service to send him and let him carry out his plan. It is very beneficial for your Majesty to have such men in Holland, and they should not only be welcomed but sought. He tells me he does not desire anything until his service is rendered, and is quite sure your Majesty will not let him starve. It will be well for your Majesty to order a grant to be given to encourage him in his desires. He is a man of 34 or 36 years of age, of good disposition, lean, and well built, with a fair beard, and he has between his eyebrows a slight scar at the root of the nose. The little finger of his left hand is contracted. (fn. 1)
Postscript.—As Pointz has to go to Lyons to receive the 200 crowns, I have thought best not to give him the letter to your Majesty, but rather a passport and an order, so that on his arrival in Biscay he may present himself to Garcia de Arce, or, if he goes to Barcelona, to the Viceroy.—Paris, 6th March 1586.
6 March.
Paris Archives, K. 1564. 58.		 430. Bernardino De Mendoza to the King.
The only news from England is that the fitting out of ships is still going forward, and that Englishmen continue to flock over to Zeeland, where, they say, great quantites of them were dying of a flux of blood. The earl of Leicester had assumed the superintendence of the clergy there, and had made himself head of the Church, as the Queen did in England. The Queen is said to be annoyed at his going so far as this, seeing that heretics generally will be displeased at it.
I understand that the earl of Leicester is suspicious of St. Aldegonde and other Ministers who have been with the rebels from the first, and it is even asserted here that he has imprisoned them, but of this I am not sure.
The Queen had made three new members of the Council of State (Privy Council), namely, Cobham, warden of the Cinque Ports, Lord Buckhurst, and the archbishop of Canterbury. The king of France has news that the queen of England will not allow the ambassador sent by him to Scotland (to communicate) with the French ambassador in England. (fn. 2) When Pinart read the despatch to him, the former said that this was not the way to preserve peace with France. (fn. 3) Some people think that these words were serious, but they were not, as Pinart is more devoted to the queen of England than any other Minister in France.
They have martyred in England two priests who had been exiled and had returned to labour in that vineyard. They suffered with holy firmness. God be praised for thus giving them strength and spirit to return, for there are more priests in England now than ever there were.—Paris, 6th March 1586.
30 March.
Paris Archives, K. 1564. 65.		 431. Bernardino De Mendoza to the King.
Letters from England dated 12th, advise that the Queen had sent Master Heneage of her chamber, to Holland to see the earl of Leicester. Some people thought the object was to reprehend him for certain things, others that it was to inform him that Lord Grey was going over with troops, and to arrange for Leicester's return. (fn. 4)
Four of the Queen's ships fully armed were at the mouth of the Thames. The others were said to be still in course of preparation, but it is asserted that only four of them were seaworthy, all the rest being old and rotten. Some new vessels were therefore being built with all speed at a port at the mouth of the Thames in Kent, at Plymouth, and other places. The Queen has also some armed merchant ships, but with no intention at present of undertaking any particular voyage, they being simply ready awaiting the Queen's orders. Nine thousand mariners also had been notified all over the country to hold themselves in readiness in case of need. Some of the ships are constantly sallying under letters of marque to plunder, as the Queen is quite ready to grant such letters against your Majesty's subjects.
She was sending Master Randolph, her master of the posts, on a mission to Scotland to press the King to allow the 5,000 men to go to Holland, whose going over to aid the States has been under discussion for some time past. It may be supposed that the French ambassador there (i.e. Scotland) will not help forward this design as he began to oppose the raising of these men as soon as he arrived there.
A Scotch ship whilst passing Greenwich fired a salute, and the Queen happened to ask where she had come from. She was told that the vessel had just arrived from Spain, whereupon she ordered the master to be summoned and asked him from what port he had sailed, and what news he brought. He said he had come from Lisbon, and that your Majesty was preparing a great naval force. He had seen especially 27 galleons in Lisbon, which were not ships but floating fortresses. The Queen enquired what was the reported purpose of this armament, and he replied that some people said it was for Rochelle, others for Flanders, and others for England. When the Queen heard this she turned to Secretary Walsingham, who was present, and said a few words to him which the shipmaster did not understand ; after which she threw a slipper at Walsingham and hit him in the face, which is not a very extraordinary thing for her to do, as she is constantly behaving in such a rude manner as this.—Paris, 30th March 1586.

Footnotes

  • 1. In a letter from Leicester to Walsingham, 17th March (Leycester Correspondence), he thus complains that Pointz should have been sent to Spain :— "Touching Pointes of whome you wryte I am sory he is sent any other waye. I delivered him an hundred poundes and he promised me to have gone into the enemyes campe. ... Perhaps you will not very plainly understand whome I meane ; hit ys Anto. Poyntz whome I sent over to gyve you knoledge how I had imployed him to the enemyes camp, a matter of most nede for me and I marvelled that I hard (heard) not from him within these iiij days. My nephew Phillip told me he received a letter from him that you had sent him into Spayn, whereof I am hartyly sorry, having greatly disapoyntd me, having not one to suply that place nowe and a great tyme lost also, that you dyd not at first gyve me knoledge of yt." To this Walsingham replied on the 1st April :— "Touching the party that is gon to Spayne whome your lordship wyshed rather to have ben imployed amongst the malcontentes, yt grewe of himselfe uppon a conceypt that being recommended by the kyng of Spayn unto the prince of Parma he shall be better able to serve your lordship's torne."
  • 2. As an instance of the care with which Philip read the despatches, the decipherer had omitted the above words in brackets, and the King has put a marginal note pointing out the omission.
  • 3. The king of France, writing to his ambassador in Scotland, Baron d'Esneval, 9th March, instructs him to address the Queen's ambassador (Randolph) when he should arrive in Scotland,— "Comme de vous mesmes, vous plaindre à luy du peu de moyen que vous avez de m'escripre par la voye d'Angleterre, et à mon ambassadeur y résidant, combien que la royne d'Angleterre l'ait tousjours eu et l'ait encores en mon royaume. Ce que j'ay faict dire en semblable a son ambassadeur residant ici et escript au sieur de Chateauneuf en faire instance envers la royne d'Angleterre et ses ministres principaux."—Lettres d'Esneval in Chéruel's "Marie Stuart et Catharine de Medici."
  • 4. A copy of Sir Thomas Heneage's instructions and the correspondence relative to his mission will be found in the "Leycester Correspondence" (Camden Society).
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