| 1575.
29 March
B. M.
Add. 26,056b. |
409. Antonio De Guaras to Zayas.
[Extract.]
The Queen was walking a long way from the palace of Richmond
(where she is staying) surrounded by her courtiers and nobles when
she caught sight of me from afar and stopped and called me by
name, telling me I was welcome. I took the opportunity of speaking
to her about the cannon, which I wished to buy and send to
Flanders for his Majesty's service, and she said Leicester would
discuss the matter with me, it being her wish to please his Majesty
in all things. When I heard this reasonable reply, I, walking
always behind the Queen and she talking to me, the rest of the
company being quite apart, I thought I would give her the
memorial of which I sent a translation. We thereupon talked of
many things, and amongst others, she said she greatly wished she
knew Spanish well, as although she understood it perfectly, and
read it, she did not at all times venture to speak it. I replied that
everyone said she spoke it perfectly, as she did French, Italian, and
Latin, and it would be a compliment to our nation if she spoke it.
She said for that reason she would try to learn it thoroughly and
was royally gracious, asking after the King's health and so on.
During much of the time she dwelt upon the constant complaints
that were made by her subjects respecting the imprisonment of
Englishmen in Spain by the Inquisition. She spoke about the
matter rather warmly and, off her guard, said "I promise ye that
my father would not have put up with it, and if the matter is not
amended I shall be obliged to order the arrest of some of the king
of Spain's subjects and treat them in the same way." She was very
gracious afterwards and spoke about Collins of Gravesend, who was
captured in the Indies in one of Hawkins' ships, and is now in
prison in Spain ; giving me the enclosed memorial about him. I
said I would do my best for him, whereupon she replied : "You
understand full well, old wine, old bread, and old friends should be
valued, and if only for the sake of showing these Frenchmen who
are wrangling as to whether our friendship is firm or not, there is
good reason to prove outwardly the kindly feeling which inwardly
exists." I returned the compliment as well as I could and expressed
my devotion to her service, when she answered : "You
say you desire to serve me, will you tell me the truth? I am told
by a Scotsman that you have received a token of friendship, in the
form of a painted lion, from a certain Scotch prisoner of mine,"
whom she did not otherwise name. As I have never received any
such token from the queen of Scotland I was able to say with truth
that I had not, whereupon she said, since I assured her of this, she
would believe me.—London, 29th March 1575.
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