Calendar of State Papers Relating To English Affairs in the Archives of Venice, Volume 12, 1610-1613. Originally published by His Majesty's Stationery Office, London, 1905.
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'Venice: May 1611, 16-31', in Calendar of State Papers Relating To English Affairs in the Archives of Venice, Volume 12, 1610-1613, (London, 1905) pp. 148-160. British History Online https://www.british-history.ac.uk/cal-state-papers/venice/vol12/pp148-160 [accessed 19 April 2024]
May 1611, 16–31
| May 17. Original Despatch, Venetian Archives. | 231. Zorzi Giustinian, Venetian Ambassador in France, to the Doge and Senate. |
|---|---|
| M. de Vitry writes from England on the 4th that he finds in the King an intention to abide by all that his Ambassador promised; and so the Queen, strengthened on all sides, is quite satisfied, while those of the religion keep very quiet. | |
| Paris, 17th May, 1611. | |
| [Italian.] | |
| May 18. Original Despatch, Venetian Archives. | 232. Zorzi Giustinian, Venetian Ambassador in France, to the Doge and Senate. |
| Wednesday the 11th, the King returned to Paris, and the same day, a little later, the Queen. The day following the English Ambassador went to the Queen and congratulated her on her return. He then petitioned for the prohibition of a book written by Cocheo, Confessor to the Grand Duchess, in reply to the book published by the King of England. In favour of the Pope Cocheo advances doctrines prejudicial to the Sovreignty of Princes. The Queen promised to inform herself, and declared she was always ready to gratify the King of England. The matter was referred to the Chancellor, who ordered the prohibition of the book. In order to avoid the outcry that was raised by the prohibition of Cardinal Bellarmin's book, and also to show some regard to the Grand Duchess who had recommended it, the prohibition will be made not by decree of Parliament but by order of the Procurator General, which though not so public will have the same effect. The Ambassador pressed for arrest of the author, but was quieted. The Nuncio, though taking no overt steps, was nevertheless opposed. The members of the Parliament, who do not sleep, have instantly caused a book, against the teaching of this man, to be written; the book appeared under a feigned name and proves, on the confession of the Popes themselves, that they have no jurisdiction over this kingdom. The other day Gontier (Contieri), the Jesuit, in the course of a sermon broke into scandalous words against the Huguenots; and to humiliate them he said they were so few they would not furnish forth a collation. The first President was informed, and he reproved the preacher with sharp words. A man has been imprisoned for saying he felt tempted to kill the King and Queen. During his examination he confessed the truth, and said that a few days before one dressed as a monk had begged him to lend some money; he refused; then the monk implored him to advance some upon a ring he wore; he agreed, put the ring on his finger and from that day was tempted. It is thought to be madness. | |
| On the 4th M. de Mole, appointed Ambassador in Constantinople, took his leave. He will pass through Venice. | |
| Paris, 18th May, 1611. | |
| [Italian.] | |
| May 21. Collegio Secreta. Esposizioni, Principi. Venetian Archives. | 233. The English Ambassador came to the Cabinet and spoke as follows:— |
| Most Serene Prince, Your Illustrious and Excellent Lordships, I have more than once, both in my own person and by means of my Secretary, made petition in favour of that English merchant from whom the rabbit skins were taken. Having now heard what your Serenity was pleased to communicate to me yesterday through the Secretary, I determined to come here this morning to say what is necessary on the matter, so as to avoid giving you any further trouble in this business. | |
| First I must beg pardon for the disturbance I am causing you; then I must add that if the business follows the course of the laws of this Republic, to which I desire to conform myself, it will take a long time and be very costly and disastrous to the merchant; I therefore beg that on the payment of the customs dues the Englishman may be released from this trouble and his goods returned to him; I assure you I would take your consent for the highest favour and will always remain grateful. I am aware that I am asking this favour without sufficient merit, but favours are all the greater for being conferred on the undeserving. | |
| The Doge replied that in order to gratify the Ambassador the Government had enquired what could be done in the case of the Englishman. Although he had been absolved by the Sanitary Board there was another office called the Board of Export (Magistrato dell' Insida), which claimed jurisdiction in matters of contraband, in which it seems that the Englishman has done wrong; and that gave us occasion to send you yesterday, through your Secretary, the information you have received. Now, however, that your Lordship makes this new petition, that on the payment of the dues his goods should be restored to him, these gentlemen will not fail to give it the necessary attention, and to do all that can conveniently be done to satisfy your Lordship, whose excellent qualities we know in spite of your assertion that you have no merits. On this matter we can go no further. | |
| The Ambassador replied: Most Serene Prince, no more can I go further; and you may be assured that I was moved by pity, as it was a question of the ruin of this poor merchant if he had to lose his goods, no less for the loss of the merchandize than for the loss of credit with his correspondents. I know that it has been affirmed that these rabbits' skins are worth from five to six thousand ducats; but I have it from the Englishman himself that they do not reach one thousand five hundred. | |
| [Italian.] | |
| May 25. Original Despatch, Venetian Archives. | 234. Antonio Foscarini and Marc' Antonio Correr, Venetian Ambassadors in England, to the Doge and Senate. |
| Last Sunday week on the orders of the King the Viscount Cranborne, son of the Earl of Salisbury, Thomas Howard, son of the Great Chamberlain, General Cecil, Sir Henry Wotton and various other gentlemen of quality visited this house. We entered the royal carriages, which took us down to the river Thames, where we found the royal barges, which took us to Greenwich, five miles off, where the King lay with a numerous Court, crowded with the greatest personages in the kingdom. After the Guard Chamber and the Presence Chamber we found the King's Chamber, in which he was sitting under a baldacchino, with the Princess of the royal house, surrounded by all the great lords—the rest of the Chamber being filled with other nobility. On our appearance the King rose and advanced three or four paces to the edge of the dais. We made humble obeisance to his Majesty and at the third reverence I, Correr, assured him that nothing gave your Serenity greater pleasure than to show signs of affection and regard for his Majesty; that the Republic, in its desire never to leave this post a moment vacant, had appointed the illustrious Chevalier Foscarini as my successor. | |
| The King seemed pleased at the speech, to which the Princes, Lord Salisbury and the others paid close attention. The King replied with his wonted kindness, then I, Foscarini, discharged the mission entrusted me by your Excellencies, using phrases suited to reply to his Majesty, who withdrew towards his chair, which gave us room to address the Prince of Wales. | |
| There was then read by a person kneeling, a noble patent granted to the Illustrious Correr by his Majesty, permitting him to augment his arms by one of the essential charges on the shield of this kingdom; then the King rose and with great abundance of affection he knighted Correr and presented him with his own sword, which he wore at his side, an honour all the greater in that it is unusual at this Court. We then caused all our suites to kiss the King's hand; and with that we took our leaves. We must not omit to report that we have had formal confirmation of the satisfaction displayed by the King. | |
| We also sought audience of the Queen, and when the date was fixed she sent her barges for us and received us at Greenwich surrounded by a number of ladies. We made our compliments and she caused us to be seated and discoursed with us for three-quarters of an hour. We returned to London in the same barges and went to wait on the Prince at his Palace; I, Foscarini, presented your Serenity's letters, as I had done to the King and the Queen. The same took place at the Duke of York's, and we seemed to perceive, and were afterwards told, that he would have been glad to receive letters from your Serenity. This son is greatly beloved by the King and Queen and promises, as does the Prince of Wales, to turn out excellently. The same day we saw the Lords of the Council and we did not fail to attest the high esteem in which your Serenity held this Government, and the affection you felt for all the nations under his Majesty's rule, with which it seems that the Venetians have a special conformity of nature and temperament. I, Correr, thanked them for the readiness to further your Serenity's interests, which I had ever found in them, and declared that for myself I took my departure quite satisfied. I, Foscarini, declared myself ready to obey your Serenity's orders on all occasions to study the interests of his Majesty, which are identical with those of the Republic. Lord Salisbury, after saying a few words in English to the other Lords, replied very fully to each of us. He showed great regard for the Republic, and dwelt on the reasons why the two States ought to maintain friendly relations. He wound up by saying that if questions about commerce sometimes arose, this could not change the good understanding. Saturday next I, Correr, am to take leave of the Queen; she would not allow me to at the first audience, and in the early part of next week I return to the feet of your Serenity. | |
| London, 25th May, 1611. | |
| [Italian.] | |
| May 25. Original Despatch, Venetian Archives. | 235. Antonio Foscarini and Marc' Antonio Correr, Venetian Ambassadors in England, to the Doge and Senate. |
| After concluding the audiences we have reported we went to visit the Earl of Salisbury, with whom we had had long conversations the two preceding days, once in the Council and once at a chance meeting in the Royal Gardens. We now said that in obedience to special instructions from your Serenity we desired to give him this proof of the singular esteem in which he was held. Lord Salisbury expressed his satisfaction and entered on an intimate conversation about the government of the Republic. He then discussed the question of Cleves and the accord between the Duke of Saxony and the Margrave of Brandenburg, declaring that he had no fear of war. Neuburg was coming soon to England about this accord, and about his claim to administer the Palatinate; but he is not supported enough to enable him to upset the peace. He then discussed the position of the Emperor, whom Mathias holds in his power, and to whom belongs now a mere shadow of respect. Spain gives her whole support to the King of Hungary, and Salisbury approved of this as it meant the total exclusion of Leopold. The affairs of the King of Denmark are a cause of anxiety here. That Sovreign has joined his army and all representations have proved fruitless, so that war may be looked for soon; this he attributed to the vigour and vivacity of that monarch. The King of Poland is making himself master of Muscovy, and thanks to his claims on Sweden he may possibly draw to the side of Denmark. He asked for news from France and reviewed the general state of that kingdom, showing that he feared that the peace might be broken. He desired information about the Prince de Joinville's request. When we said we had no recent information on the point, he said it had been recently handled; and he asked our view as to the issue. He wanted to know whether a definite reply was to be expected, or whether it was to be gathered from the difficulties and delays, though he considered that the difficulties had been modified by the death of Henry IV. We assured him of your Serenity's good will towards the Prince; we dwelt on the difficulties which Republics more than absolute governments experience in coming to a resolution, and we endeavoured to persuade him that every deliberation would be directed to satisfying the King of Great Britain. The Earl replied that the King was much interested on behalf of the Prince. He then drew a letter from his pocket and showed that he was informed on the subject of the recent votes, and named several senators who had handled the business and asked for information about them. | |
| At this point Suriano, my secretary, approached me, Correr, and told me that one of the Clerks of the Council had informed him that he had orders to treat with me for the enlargement, for a few weeks, of the prisoners who were sureties for the plundered cargo of the ship “Soderina”; they would deposit a bail that they would return to prison. The Lords of the Council were prepared to grant them leave in the certainty that I would not withhold my assent, in order to release them from the rigorous orders which had been applied to extract the three thousand ducats about which I have already written. I deemed it necessary to touch on the matter to Lord Salisbury, so I said I would never refuse anything which was desired by these gentlemen, but it seemed to me strange that, after so long a resistance, such expenses and difficulties, they should talk of bail that they would return to prison; if a month were not enough I would grant a year, if he would give sureties for the payment of the debt. Lord Salisbury was not satisfied; he said he had done so much in this case that he did not expect to be called on to pledge his word over a question of a little time. As he showed some annoyance, a thing that frequently happens in this matter, wherein he desires to preserve the affection of all these merchants, we sought to give him complete satisfaction by offering three months, the utmost he wished for. No steps have been taken as yet, owing to some difference as to the nature of the bail they are to offer. Meantime his Excellency has sent orders to recover from the hands of another debtor of these prisoners about 1,500 ducats, though it will not be so easy to get them owing to certain highly complicated counter-claims between them. We will not fail to do what we can for the interested parties, though it is extremely difficult owing to the almost violence done to the Council by the outcries of these people. | |
| Six ships are on the point of sailing for Virginia with three hundred soldiers and one hundred and fourteen kine for breeding and as many pigs. Sir Thomas Gates (Getz) goes out with them as lieutenant to Lord de la Warr. He carries sealed orders to de la Warr; he is to open them if de la Warr dies. They are omitting nothing to further that Colony, incited by the hopes they have recently conceived, as the soil is found to be very well adapted for vines and grain, more so than they thought, now that they have penetrated further inland. | |
| Lady Arabella has obtained leave through the Countess of Shrewsbury, her aunt, to stay where she is for another twenty days, and for Lady Shrewsbury to visit her, which she was not allowed to do in the past. | |
| London, 25 May, 1611. | |
| [Italian.] | |
| May 25. Original Despatch, Venetian Archives. | 236. Antonio Foscarini and Marc' Antonio Correr, Venetian Ambassadors in England, to the Doge and Senate. |
| On Sunday we were to go to Kew, a place eight miles away on the road to Windsor, in order to have audience of the Princess; Murray, acting for the Master of the Ceremonies who is in bed, said something to us about an invitation, hinting that the King would be glad if we would be present privately at the festival for the creation of the Duke of York, the King's son, the Earl of Arundel and Viscount Rochester as Knights of the Garter. The same hints were given us several times on different days, and it seemed to us that we ought to accept the favour. Accordingly we first visited the Princess, who received us, made us be seated, and engaged us in gracious discourse; then we went on to Hampton Court, which we found adorned with a large part of the royal tapestries of silk and gold, and some gentlemen of the Court who did the honours. The next day we sent on our gentlemen and our train towards Windsor and we followed in a single carriage. We were met by Murray, who took us to see the ceremony from the King's closet. Soon after came Lord Wotton and his wife as by chance to keep us company, and almost at the same moment Sir Henry Wotton, his brother, late Ambassador to your Serenity, especially appointed by the King to attend us, as he did. His Majesty appeared two hours before mid-day. There preceded him a band of Almoners, clad in crimson and purple cloaks down to their feet, as is the custom of the Order; then came twelve heralds in velvet embroidered with the royal arms; lastly all the Knights of the Order and some officers of the Crown, in full dress. A little in front of the King came the Prince, on whose left walked the Lord High Admiral, both in the same robes as were all the other Knights and the King himself. His Majesty took his seat on a lofty throne approached by ten steps and placed under a rich baldacchino; he then signed first to the Prince, and then to the other Knights to be seated, which they were, in the stalls of the Choir of the Royal Chapel all alike. The altar was richly adorned with cloth of gold, with a cross and some fine effigies of our Saviour and the Saints. The Prince then first of all bore to the altar the standard of France and Navarre, then the sword of the late King and his helmet circled with the royal crown; all this because Henry IV. King of France was a Knight of the Garter. The Prince performed this duty with most perfect grace, showing in his countenance his sorrow and pain at the loss of so great a King. The same was done with the insignia, sword, and helmet of the late Duke of Wirtemberg, and of two other Knights who had died since the last investitures. Then appeared the Duke of York attended by many nobles and a great number of instruments of all kinds, which had also served at the king's entry into the Chapel. The oath was administered to him, he was robed and his insignia raised to a lofty position; he then took his seat below all the other Knights as the last enrolled. The same ceremony was observed with the Earl of Arundel and Viscount Rochester, but with less sumptuousness, though they too appeared with a rich and numerous following. That done the clergy, robed in rich copes and purple cottas began to chaunt certain prayers and hymns in English, then the Epistle, the Gospel, and the Creed; then other prayers and psalms to a great music of organs and wind instruments, and a multitude of voices that made a harmony worthy the ears of a mighty monarch. Then his Majesty departed, preceded by a vast number of nobles and great Lords and all those who had attended him at his entry into the chapel. When he was come into the Great Hall he took his seat under a lofty baldacchino and was served right sumptuously. He did eat alone waited on by many officers of the Crown and all those of the Royal Household. All the Knights eat together at a great table on the King's right on the floor of the Hall. On the other side were sideboards loaded with silver gilt. The Prince sat in the highest place among the Knights and the Duke of York in the lowest. The banquet was sumptuous and lasted from five to six hours. Lord Wotton, who is Majordomo Major, assured us the cost to the King of that day's banquet was twenty four thousand crowns of gold. There were not wanting concerts of voices or instruments, nor aught else that one could look for at the sumptuous board of the greatest Sovreign. We were entertained along with all the gentlemen in our company in the rooms of the Great Chamberlain, waited on by the royal servants, and though we were incogniti we could not have been more highly honoured had we been in our robes as Ambassadors of your Excellencies. The King sent to say that if we desired it he would be glad to see us, but knowing that these were merely words of courtesy and that at a moment of such ceremony it would be an abuse of his favours, as the banquet lasted on into the night, we presented our thanks for the honours shown us, and accompanied by Wotton and Murray to our carriages we set out on our return. We must not conceal from your Serenity that these favours were known and highly esteemed here, and that those Ambassadors of some great Sovreigns have shown that they appreciated their value and may have reported thereon. I, Foscarini, have received the despatches of the 29th of last month. I thank you for your benignity in allowing me to keep the plate that was given me in France in the King's name, which along with my poor substance and my very life I am prepared to spend in the service of your Serenity. | |
| London, 25 May, 1611. | |
| [Italian.] | |
| May 26. Senato, Secreta. Despatches from Zante. Venetian Archives. | 237. Michiel Priuli, Governor in Zante, to the Doge and Senate. |
| Cannot raise the two thousand dollars required for the liberation of Zuane Pasqualigo. Thought of authorizing the English Consul to pay, but would in that case himself remain the debitor. | |
| Zante, 26th May, 1611. | |
| [Italian.] | |
| May 26. Collegio, Secreta, Esposizioni Principi, Venetian Archives. | 238. The English Ambassador came to the Cabinet and spoke as follows:— |
| My desire to serve you, Most Serene Prince and Illustrious and Excellent Lords, leads me to embrace every opportunity of presenting myself before you as I do this morning, to communicate some news that has come to my knowledge, and which I consider worthy of your notice. I have received this week various packets of letters from our Northern Counties wherein they talk of a rupture between the crowns of Denmark and Sweden, which will lead to a bloody and considerable war. Though the sound of these arms will be far away from here, I know that the news will be a surprise and will claim attention in these times of peace. The King of Denmark has by herald declared war on the King of Sweden, on the grounds which appear in this paper which I have translated as best I could into Italian and brought here for your Serenity. I daresay that your Serenity has already received this news, but I thought it my duty to convey it to you. | |
| The Ambassador then presented the paper which was as follows:— | |
| Complains that the treaty of Stettin is not being observed, and Norway is being treated as a part of the Swedish realm; this can only mean that friendly relations are broken off. We and our royal Council have resolved on war; and have sent a herald on purpose to declare it, so that we may be justified before God, the Emperor and all other Monarchs, Princes, Electors, Signories and Republics. | |
| Given at Copenhagen, 4th April. | |
| The Ambassador then proceeded to communicate what he had received about Savoy in a recent despatch from England, though he has no doubt but that the news is already known. The Ambassador of Savoy at the English Court (Ruffia) has dealt with two subjects; the first to justify the Duke for arming on the grounds of the preservation of his State, the second was to treat for an alliance and, in particular, to propose two marriages, one of the Prince of Piedmont to the Princess of England, the other of a daughter of Savoy to the Prince of Wales. On the first head his Majesty did not fail to recommend peace. As to the Prince he was still young and of a lively spirit, and it seems desirable that he should be allowed to display his own bent in this matter; as to the Princess there was a point of the highest moment that would have to be conceded, that was she must be allowed the exercise of her own religion. And so the Ambassador in face of these important considerations does not see how the Princess can cross the mountains nor the Princess of Savoy the sea. His Majesty courted and honoured the Ambassador, who went away satisfied. | |
| The Doge replied that although they already had notice of the disagreement between Denmark and Sweden they had hoped that an accord might be reached, and the open rupture avoided; such a rupture would be all the less welcome as it might involve his Majesty, whom the Republic so dearly loved; it is still to be hoped that he will find some way to settle the dispute. | |
| Gives thanks for the news about the negotiations of Savoy at the English Court. Glad to see that the Duke of Savoy has accepted his Majesty's prudent exhortations to peace and has begun to disarm. As to the marriages the Doge praises the King's forethought in grasping all the considerations of the case, especially as the Prince is young and of a lively disposition. Sends thanks to his Majesty for these communications by the Ambassador. The Ambassador said that the King would certainly endeavour to preserve the peace between Denmark and Sweden. The ordinary despatch from England brings news that the Ambassador Correr will shortly leave to return home and the English Ambassador pays a tribute to his qualities; Correr will carry away with him the entire love of his Majesty and of all the Court. The Doge said he rejoiced to hear it and he hoped Foscarini would do the same. The Ambassador returns thanks for having been allowed to enter the Maggior Consiglio. He had taken with him an English Baron who had been four years in Italy but not in Venice; both were much struck at the sight of the Republic all assembled. The Baron had also seen the armoury of the Ten and the arsenal. | |
| [Italian.] | |
| May 28. Original Despatch, Venetian Archives. | 239. Simon Contarini, Venetian Ambasador in Constantinople, to the Doge and Senate. |
| Persons arrived from Poland tell me that the King of Poland is annoyed at this attempt to expel the Prince of Moldavia in favour of the Prince Radolo who is living in the house of the English Ambassador here, and has written to the King of England to beg him not to encourage such schemes through his Ambassador in Constantinople. | |
| Dalle Vigne di Pera, 28th May, 1611. | |
| [Italian; deciphered.] | |
| May 28. Original Despatch, Venetian Archives. | 240. Simon Contarini, Venetian Ambassador in Constantinople, to the Doge and Senate. |
| Reports that a Friar of the Minorites has become a Lutheran. He preaches on Sundays and Feastdays in the house of the English Ambassador. At first I am positively assured that he preached against the Blessed Virgin and the Sacrifice of the Mass; but as one abyss leads to another, and perhaps to punish him, the Blessed God disposed him to a life of such abominable looseness that his money ran out, though he had good store of it, collected among the English merchants, and he made up his mind to betray a gentleman of the English Ambassador's household, denouncing him to the Turks as a spy in the pay of Spain. He bargained with the Subasi of Pera that the half of the money found on the young man, which might be about three hundred sequins, should be his. The friar also arranged with the Subasi—to whom the youth was unknown—that under cloak of friendship he would take him to walk in a certain quarter and would make a sign with his handkerchief so that he might easily be seized. The plan was put in execution. The Ambassador was deeply enraged, and arrested the friar and imprisoned him in his house, while through the Capudan Pasha he obtained the liberation of the youth. When I heard this I thought it well to send my Secretary at once to the Ambassador to point out the perverse nature of this man and to remark that the Ambassador would have done well at the first to have believed me and to have handed him over to me, though there was still time, and I begged him to do so now. My Secretary performed his task very well and the Ambassador said he intended to send the friar to me to be put in a galley for life. The next evening he did send the friar along with the minutes of the trial and sentence. I am implored by the Fathers here to remove from their midst this shameful person. I have already put him on board in chains and sent him to the Governor General of Candia for good custody. And as ills never come singly and evil example is catching, the Dominican friar who serves your Serenity here took to dissolute ways, and when the Vicar of S. Peter's wished, for his good, to change his convent, he flew into a rage and became a Turk along with a little slave of his, to the scandal and grief of these other poor clerics. It would be well that his Holiness should tell the Superiors of the Orders to send here only friars of proved virtue. | |
| Dalle Vigne di Pera, 28th May, 1611. | |
| [Italian; deciphered.] | |
| Enclosed in preceding despatch. | 241. Sentence pronounced by Sir Thomas Glover, Ambassador in ordinary of the King of Great Britain, against Vincenzo Marini of Madaloni, in the Diocese of Caserta, Kingdom of Naples, about thirty-eight years old, originally priest in the order of Conventual Minorites of S. Francis. He had already been tried by his Superiors for having had dealings with Turkish women and other crimes. He was sent back to his monastery with letters from the Ambassador. When he found that they intended to punish him, he left the monastery, and threw himself at the Ambassador's feet, begging to be received and made his preacher, declaring that he had preached against Pope and Papists. The Ambassador suspected his motives and warned him to be careful what he was about, but as he insisted he was accepted and named preacher to the Embassy. A subscription was raised for him among the merchants; this was handed to him at once; but the same evening he played at cards with the suite, standing up the whole night. The Ambassador reproved him and forbade him to play cards. He promised to obey, but continued in secret. He took to drink; and his religious convictions were suspect. A watch was set on him, and to some Papists he declared that if the Pope would send him a pardon he would return to the Church. The Papists told him to make a confession of errors in writing; he promised to do so, but would not write it with his own hand; he only signed it in a feigned hand. Moreover he pillaged the larder, and when the cook refused to cook the meat he took it to the house of a harlot. Exhortations were of no avail. His money ran out. He then bethought him to entice a young Italian, born of a Spanish father, who had arrived under the English flag, and to make him pass for a spy. He arranged the treachery with the Subasi and his men and the poor youth was seized. The Ambassador recovered him. |
| The Subasi had at first suspected the friar and asked him to name the business upon which the spy had come; the friar said it was about the son of the Viceroy of Sicily. (fn. 1) The Subasi said that was nonsense; the friar insisted that the youth was a great necromancer, but that he (the friar) could counteract the spirits. It was decided that the friar was to entice the youth to the tomb of Castun Pasha and was to wipe his face with a handkerchief the Subasi gave him; at that sign they were to seize the youth, as the spirits would be powerless. The friar also told the Subasi that the English Embassy was full of slaves and renegade refugees and that when this business was done he would help to capture them; that he would place in the Subasi's hands other English and foreign spies lodged in the Embassy. For all these deeds the friar was put in irons and an enquiry opened as to his conduct. It was found that on a certain night he had gone out of the house with other renegade Neapolitans, his compatriots, and had taken a caique and attacked a Jew's house in Bisitas and stolen twelve thousand sequins. He also made a wax image wanting an arm and tied a piece of cloth round its brow for no other purpose than to confirm a woman of his in Chios to wait till he married her. | |
| In view of all this the friar deserved not one but a thousand deaths. He was ordered to be tried for the treachery to the youth. He confessed that he had accused him of being a spy, as he hated the youth for being a Spaniard. The household of the Embassy and the English merchants were summoned and before them all the friar confirmed his confession. They unanimously agreed that there was no need for a further examination but condemned him as traitor, betrayer and transgressor of the Evangelical religion. They then came to sentence. To be strangled as a traitor to the Embassy Palace and being hung up with an iron at his foot as is usual with such criminals; but wishing to use clemency, he was condemned to the galley, as an oar, in the bread of bitterness, for the rest of his life; and for this purpose he is to be sent to the house of the Ambassador of the Venetian Republic, who will send him to Candia; and should there be any difficulty about this in passing the Castles he is to be strangled either in the Embassy or on board ship. Mitigation of the sentence reserved for the King of Great Britain and the Ambassador. | |
|
Tho. Glover, English Orator. | |
| In the Vineyards of Pera, 1st December, o.s., 1610. | |
| Read in the Palace of Thomas Glover, English orator, in the presence of William Percy, Edmund Nidem, Sampson Niport, Roger Bedrick (Betrici) and almost all the English merchants. Copy of original in the Ambassador's chancery. | |
|
Hieronymus Meulus, Secretary. | |
| [Italian and Latin.] | |
| Enclosed in preceding despatch. | 242. Copy of the Memorandum presented by Vincenzo Marini of Madaloni to the Ambassador on the 11th December, 1610, o.s., present all the Merchants and the Prince Stephan of Moldavia. |
| A full confession of the charges in Marini's own hand. | |
| [Italian.] | |
| May 29. Senato, Secreta. Despatches from Savoy. Venetian Archives. | 243. Gregorio Barbarigo, Venetian Ambassador in Savoy, to the Doge and Senate. |
| His Highness is talking of sending the Count di Ruffia again to England; but one cannot be sure of this. | |
| Turin, 29th May, 1611. | |
| [Italian.] | |
| May 30. Original Despatch, Venetian Archives. | 244. Zorzi Giustinian, Venetian Ambassador in France, to the Doge and Senate. |
| The Ambassador had an interview with the Queen on the subject of the Prince de Joinville taking service with the Republic. He was also visited by M. de la Fonte, just returned from Venice, who told him that the Prince and all the Royal family were much hurt that the Prince's offer, had not been accepted. The Ambassador also saw Joinville and explained that the Republic would gladly accept his services when occasion offered, to prove their regard for the recommendations of the Queen and of the King of Great Britain. | |
| Paris, 30th May, 1611. | |
| [Italian.] | |
| May 31. Original Despatch, Venetian Archives. | 245. Zorzi Giustinian, Venetian Ambassador in France, to the Doge and Senate. |
| The same day that I had audience of the Queen the Nuncio was received before me and so was M. de Jacob. The Nuncio spoke about the book written by the Grand Duchess' Confessor in order to insure that it should not be prohibited by Act of Parliament, which was promised him. | |
| Paris, 31st May, 1611. | |
| [Italian.] | |
| May 31. Senato, Secreta. Dispatches from Zante. Venetian Archives. | 246. Letter from Edward Colston to Michiel Priuli, Governor of Zante. |
| Announces that he has sent an agent to Lepanto to treat for the liberation of Zuane Pasqualigo and other Christians, as he could not go in person. This agent is quite capable. Is at the Governor's disposal if he chooses to give orders. | |
| Da Petraso, the last day of May, 1611. | |
| [Italian.] | |