Simancas: January 1584 | British History Online

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

Citation:

'Simancas: January 1584', in Calendar of State Papers, Spain (Simancas), Volume 3, 1580-1586, ed. Martin A S Hume( London, 1896), British History Online https://prod.british-history.ac.uk/cal-state-papers/simancas/vol3/pp512-517 [accessed 27 November 2024].

January 1584



1584. 18 Jan.	365. Bernardino De Mendoza to the King. On the 7th I reported the arrival here of the man who came from Alençon with letters for the Queen. He has now gone with the replies, and answers have also been sent to Orange and the rebels, but I am unable to learn their purport, or anything that is not publicly talked about at the street corners, as all my channels of information have been stopped through these arrests. Not only do people avoid converse with me, but persons of all conditions dare not even look at my servants, and the councillors are publicly using expressions from which it may be inferred that the Queen will order me to leave the country, as I advised your Majesty in my last. I am confirmed in this belief by their having arrested an English gentleman who was deep in the confidence of the queen of Scotland, and through whom she used to send some of her secret despatches to me. They say he has declared the names of the persons who communicated with her. (fn. 1) —London, 18th January 1584.
26 Jan.	366. Bernardino De Mendoza to the King. On the 18th I reported what these councillors were saying, and on the following day the Queen sent word to me by Beal, one of her secretaries, that she had ordered some of the councillors to convey an important communication to me, and they would therefore expect me at three o'clock at the house of the Lord Chancellor. I replied that, if they wished to see me in their capacity of individual ministers they might come to my house to seek me, as I went to theirs when I wished to see them ; but if they were in Council I would, as was my duty, wait upon them and hear what they had to say, but if I opened my ears I should not close my mouth, but would give such answer as the nature of the case and the service of my master demanded. I gave this reply as I foresaw that their intention was to tell me to leave the country, and I wished to do so in a way compatible with your Majesty's dignity. They answered that they wished to see me as a Council, and not as individuals, and I consequently went to the Lord Chancellor's house at the hour assigned. I found there, besides the Lord Chancellor, the earl of Leicester, Lord Howard, whom they have now made Lord Chamberlain, Lord Hunsdon, and Secretary Walsingham. They came with many bows to meet me at the first chamber, and after we had entered a small room, Secretary Walsingham said that, as he spoke Italian more readily than the others, he would be interpreter of what they had to tell me in the Queen's name. This was that Her Majesty was much displeased with me on account of the efforts I had made to disturb her country, and my holding communication with the queen of Scotland, as had been confessed by a certain More, who was now a prisoner, and who declared that he had delivered letters to me from her. He also alleged that I was trying to get her out of the country, in connivance with the duke of Guise, and was in communication with the French, with Throgmorton and his brother, and with the earl of Northumberland. For these reasons it was the Queen's will that I should leave the country, without fail, in fifteen days. I replied that I was surprised that the Queen had summoned them and me for so small a matter as this. I said that what they had told me were simply dreams, and although their allegations were hardly worthy of an answer, I would tell them that I was not so foolish, if I had had communication with the queen of Scotland (which untrue statement they had squeezed out of More on the rack) as to deprive her of her rights to the throne of England, and of her 50,000 crowns dowry from France, whilst saddling your Majesty with an expenditure of 100,000 crowns a year for her maintenance. As for Throgmorton, I said, he was very young, and certainly not a man whose position and gifts, were such as to lead any sane man to think that I would discuss a matter of any importance with him. He occasionally came to see me for the purpose of asking me for letters of favour for a brother of his in the Netherlands whom I did not know (which is true). But I had never even spoken to the earl of Northumberland. I have been always most cautious in affairs of this sort, and have been careful to discuss particulars with no one but the queen of Scotland, unless she instructed confidants of her own to communicate things to me. I said I was much surprised that they should seek to fix these charges upon me supported only by a general statement without detailed information. If I wished to get the queen of Scotland away, let them tell me how I meant to do it, from what port she was to go, with what ships and men, how many times I had spoken to More about it, and where : all of which points must be considered before they gave credit to their imaginings. I pointed out how far different even were the things with which they charged me, from the acts of the Queen and her Ministers to your Majesty's prejudice, dwelling fully upon this point as I went to the interview forearmed. With regard to my leaving the country, I said that I was not fond of staying in another person's house as an unwelcome guest, in any case, and they know how earnestly I desired to leave England. I would therefore comply with the Queen's desire the moment she sent a despatch to that effect to your Majesty. I said this to discover whether what they said was mere brag or not. They rose from their chairs and said that this would not be done, I must leave at once, and they explained their past acts with impertinences that I dare not repeat to your Majesty. The least of them was that I ought to be very thankful that the Queen had not ordered me to be punished for what I had done, and that I had injured your Majesty. I lost my temper at this, and told them that the Queen had nothing to do with that, nor had anyone in the world but your Majesty, to whom alone I was responsible, and they had better say no more upon that subject unless theywere prepared to fight. I said I laughed at the idea of the Queen punishing me, and should be overjoyed to go away the moment she sent me a passport. I said that, as she was a lady there was nothing strange at her being the least thankful to those who desired to serve her, as I had done, but as I had apparently failed to please her as a minister of peace she would in future force me to try to satisfy her in war. These words of mine have been since ruminated over a good deal here, and they have been christened "harsh" and "hasty," but they say that I boldly declared that I answered on my own account personally, without appearing to pledge your Majesty. I was forced into speaking as I did and taking my departure at once by the behaviour of these people, and I must now get away from here with all my servants, and even the people outside who have helped me, as I cannot leave them on the horns of the bull, and I send my servant Hans Oberholtzer to give an account to your Majesty, and to say that I am leaving this country in three days as safely as I can, having sent to ask the Queen for a ship to convey me to Calais, unless the eight Flushing ships now in the Straits of Dover impede me. Otherwise I shall go to Rouen and there await the return of Hans (Oberholtzer) with your Majesty's instructions. As every course before me is a dangerous one, I have determined not to adopt any without your Majesty's orders, leaving here as your Minister, and not trusting myself into English hands to carry me straight to Spain, as public indignation is very great against me. This feeling is increased by the statement they have set afloat, to the effect that I am being expelled for having plotted to kill the Queen, which was asserted by one of their ministers preaching in the Court itself before all the councillors. This will show how, with these fibs and fictions, they lead the people astray. The same night that I saw the Council they quietly took the earl of Northumberland to the Tower. The councillors told me that the Queen would write to your Majesty respecting her action, and complaining greatly of me, and they are already bellowing about sending on this errand Wotton, who went on an embassy to Portugal in the time of the late king Henry (of Portugal) and had an interview with your Majesty at the Escorial on his way back. (fn. 2) Two Huguenot gentlemen have come from Alençon with letters for the Queen, asking for money, which put her very much out of temper. She said that now, less than ever, could she give them money or forces, as she was in so much fear of your Majesty. The king of France, seeing the jealousy which my frequent intercourse with the French ambassador aroused in the Queen, whereby she was led to countenance less warmly the claims of Alençon, has written to his ambassador, ordering him not only to maintain his friendship with me, but to feast and entertain me constantly, in a way that the Queen shall hear of it. This he has done with great care, and exhibits sorrow at my going.—London, 26th January 1554. Postscript to Don Juan de Idiaquez, the King's secretary. Secretary Walsingham has replied to me in the Queen's name that, in view of my proceedings here, she could not give me a ship. I can see they are going to try and play me some trick. I cannot blame myself for this, except for having come to England at all. You may assure his Majesty that I will do all that is humanly possible to get away safely.
30 Jan.	367. Bernardino De Mendoza to the King. After the accompanying letter was written, the people here kept my servant waiting six days for a passport, on the pretext that, in accordance with the fresh orders, it had to be signed by three councillors. He got a passport so signed, but was detained at Dover for three days longer and was told that fresh orders had arrived that no one was to pass without a permit signed by six councillors. He was then obliged to come back and give me an account of what had happened, of which I sent a statement to the Council. They assure me that, with the new passport they now give him, he will be allowed to go, but I feel no confidence in it until I know he has crossed the sea ; nor can I say anything decided about these people's behaviour, as they change from one moment to another, but I suspect that this detention of my servant, whilst they allowed another who was with him to go over to M. de la Motte to ask him to arm a ship to escort me across, was caused by their desire that he should not arrive at your Majesty's court so soon as a man they are sending thither, a different person from the man they first mentioned for the errand, as he is a person of low rank who acts as secretary to Walsingham, and is called Wade. (fn. 3) As I signified to Don Juan de Idiaquez for your Majesty's information, they recently refused to give me a ship, as they said, in consequence of my proceedings here in trying to disturb the country, and that the Queen, consequently, could not treat me as a friend. I replied that, since she had not learned to know me in all this time, I could not avoid telling her that Don Bernardino de Mendoza was not born to disturb countries but to conquer them. On the following day they asserted that it would be well to detain me here until a reply was received from Spain, and now they are again saying they will give me a passport. I am pressing for it, but the changes are so constant that nothing can be depended upon until it is actually done. They have arrested an English cook who has been in my service for the last six years, and after having examined him as to the people who came to my house, and many other things, they let him go, saying that they did not know whether he was my servant or not. All their behaviour is on a par with this, and if God had not made your Majesty so clement and God-fearing a prince, no vassal of yours, surely, would undertake to serve you in England, seeing the way in which the English treat us, for so powerful an empire as that which God has granted to your Majesty cannot meekly endure such ill-treatment as this for any earthly reward.—London, 30th January 1584.
30 Jan.	368. Bernardino De Mendoza to Juan De Idiaquez. My despatches, and the bearer verbally, will inform you that I am on the way. Whichever road across I may take, I shall direct my steps to Rouen, which I judge to be the best port and least costly, whence I may decide to go to Spain either overland or by sea. I pray you not to allow this servant of mine to be delayed, but send him off at once with directions as to what I am to do, or I shall sink under it altogether, my departure having been so sudden, and it having been necessary not only to bring away my own household, but all the outside people who helped me in any way, rather than leave them on the horns of the bull, which would be most inhuman. The hostelries in France too make you pay, particularly anyone accompanied by such a swarm of people as I have with me. The prince of Parma has not paid me, and if a Flemish merchant and loyal subject of His Majesty, who is with me, had not assisted me, I could hardly have got away so quickly as was desirable in the King's interests. The insolence of these people has brought me to a state in which my only desire to live is for the purpose of revenging myself upon them, and I pray that God may let it be soon and will give me grace to be His instrument of vengeance, even though I have to walk barefooted to the other side of the world to beg for it. I am sure His Majesty will give such an answer as their insolence merits to the man whom they are sending. To justify themselves Walsingham is saying that the Queen has secret news that His Majesty was ill-pleased with my services in England.—London, 30th January 1584.