22 Dec.
(Latin.) |
470. The Queen Of England to the King.
Elizabeth, by the grace of God, &c., &c., to Don Philip by the
grace of God King of Spain, &c., &c., health and prosperity,
greeting. Three reasons have moved us to send the bearer of the
present, Thomas Wilkes, to your Serenity, which are as follows :—
The sorrow we feel for the calamities and miserable events which
have befallen your Serenity's Netherlands, the excessive and
terrible shedding of Christian blood, and our desire in all sincerity
to promote your honour and advantage. Each of these three
subjects, if properly treated, will tend to your greater glory and
benefit, whereas the neglect of them, either by evil council or
oversight, must result in great loss and evil consequence to your
Serenity's interests. As the destruction and desolation of dominions
hinders kings themselves from founding their power and glory on
the opulence of prosperous citizens, and the diminution of public
wealth strikes at the basis of the power of those who govern, so is
it unworthy of the regal office and dignity to judge harshly those
who love and strive for us. However badly good intentions may
be interpreted, such is the strength of calumny, we have nevertheless
decided to do our duty in this respect to your Serenity and at the
same time to satisfy our own conscience, as indeed we have also done,
to your Netherlands States openly in the sight of day, our object
being to endeavour to arouse in your breast the same compassion
for your subjects which has been aroused in ours, and to testify how
sincerely and straightforwardly we desire to act, in order that all
may be made clear and apparent to you, the bearer takes with
him a clear and simple statement of our intentions and designs, in
which, if there be any article which requires explanation or elucidation,
he will dwell more at length where necessary, he being a
secretary of our Council who has been present during the discussion
of every part of the document. We have therefore thought fit to avail
ourselves of his services in this embassy, in order that he may
return with all possible speed with your Serenity's answer. We
should have sent a more formal embassy if, as is usual with acute
diseases, such a rankling wound as this did not need a speedy means
of cure, and we beg very affectionately that all suspicions may be
banished from between us, if any such have been raised by the
arts of wicked men, with the object of destroying the close friendship
which we enjoyed in our earlier years, and that we may, on
the contrary, confirm and strengthen such friendship more and
more. If your Serenity does not fail in this, we will, on our part,
continue ever ready to take the same course.—In our Palace at
Hampton Court, 20th December 1577, Elizabeth. |
| 29 Dec. |
471. Antonio De Guaras to (Zayas?).
I have written to his Highness that this Queen and Council,
convinced that the world was all their own, and that rebellion and
heresy would succeed in the States, were of opinion that I was a
hindrance to their plans, because I kept my eyes on their evil
doings, the plan being to place the dukedom of Burgundy in their
hands, and exclude his Majesty from his royal patrimony, made up
their minds to seize me by force, as they did at midnight on the
20th of October. They assailed me unawares, searched my
dwelling, seizing all the papers they could find, and being surprised
that they did not discover what they desired, for four days
ransacked the house, in the hopes of finding letters from his
Majesty or the queen of Scotland, but as I was already suspicious,
I had taken care to place them in safety. They took me prisoner
and placed guards over me who were not to lose sight of me, and they
still continue to treat me in this way, no one being allowed to speak
to me, in order to convince the world of my criminality. Although
they have not said anything to me, the Queen and Council attribute
their action to the contents of certain letters of mine, which they
say they have in their possession, written to the Council of the
States of Flanders, which, I understand, were brought here by
Champigny in his instructions, as I saw them in his possession
when the Grand Commander sent him here. I am sure that he
delivered them to these people when he hatched his plots and plans
with them on the death of the Grand Commander, although they
have informed M. de Gate that they got them from Aldegonde.
They are copies of statements which I sent from here, and I do not
recollect that they contain anything more than an account of the
bad proceedings of these people, and of their continual dispatch of
soldiers, cannon, arms, munitions, victuals, and money to Orange
and the States, which they affirm to be false, and say they have
never sent any help at all to them, and that I am more than
wicked for having sent such reports. It is no wonder they deny it
to me, for they have solemnly sworn that it is false to M. de Gate,
and say they never thought of such a thing and that I am
deserving of punishment for my bad offices. They see, however (as
the treasurer told the other councillors), that I was in duty bound
to do as I did, and that the testimony against me in this respect is
not strong enough, so they are now carrying the case further and
are asserting that I was in close understanding with the earl of
Westmoreland and other English gentlemen, persuading them to
take up arms against this country. The Queen begged de Gate
to believe her when she assured him that this was the case, whereas
really it is simply an invention to conceal the outrage that they
have committed in arresting me and seizing my papers. I can
truly swear by my fidelity to the King that I never imagined such
wickedness, nor has Westmoreland, as I truly believe, ever heard
my name. I have never yet discussed any matter touching his
Majesty's service which I have not reported fully, and it will therefore
be seen by my letters how false this accusation is. I expect
that the two men who have been sent from here to his Majesty and
his Highness respectively, have been instructed to complain of me,
but I can refer to the Portuguese ambassador, who has heard from
a good source that they are very sorry for having taken me, and to
the French ambassador, who knows that Champigny is at the
bottom of it all, so that I should be prevented from giving an
account of his evil plots. They were also prompted to seize me in
the hope of finding letters from his Highness or the queen of Scotland,
as they are very suspicious of having his Highness for so near a
neighbour, and no doubt thought they might make use of my
detention to liberate Hawkins and Tayler, with their Englishmen,
who are in the galleys of the Holy Office, and for whose release
the two ambassadors I have mentioned will strive. They have
several times been about to release me, but have changed their
minds, and I am so closely watched by my guards that I am
writing this secretly and in great fear. I hope his Majesty and his
Highness will not abandon me.—From this, my prison in London,
Christmas Eve, 1577.
Postscript :—Since writing the above I have learned that the
Queen and Council intend to proceed against me as a private person,
and not as a public one, as I had no commission from his Majesty.
Such is the trouble I give them. I beg for deliverance.—29th
December 1577. |
