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1 Oct.
Paris Archives,
K. 1563. 125. |
409. Bernardino De Mendoza to the King.
[Extract.]
I have only time to say now that yesterday letters arrived from
the French ambassador in England, reporting that on the 18th
ultimo Don Antonio embarked with Drake at Plymouth, and set
sail with 35 good ships and 7,000 or 8,000 men with the object of
effecting a landing in Portugal. Immediately after this news
arrived here, it was sent to the Queen-mother ; the King having
gone to the Bois de Vincennes, and she summoned Marshal de Biron
at once, with the Abbé Guadagni in order to discuss the matter
with them. She ordered Guadagni to speak to Custodio Leiton,
who represents Don Antonio here, and ask him what news he had
from his master, to see whether he knew anything about it, and if
he did not, Guadagni was instructed to tell him. Guadagni found
that Leiton was ignorant of the event, and told him, recommending
him at the same time to go and see the Queen-mother. He did so
and she complained greatly to him of Don Antonio's having
concealed this voyage from her, which, she said, was a poor return
for the favours she had extended to him. Leiton excused him by
saying that it had been suddenly decided upon, whereupon she said
that, on the contrary, she considered it had been settled long ago,
when she call to mind the message that Don Antonio had sent her
from the castle of Lusignan, warning the King and her not to be
surprised if he sought help elsewhere since he could not get the help
he expected from them. She therefore concluded that this plan
was arranged some time since, and then went on at great length
complaining that Don Antonio had kept them in the dark about it,
ending by saying that, since the thing was done, she hoped God
would prosper it, and that it would have all the good fortune in
Portugal that she desired. If such were the case, she could assure
him that the King, her son, would make such a demonstration in his
favour that Don Antonio would recognise the goodwill the King
had ever borne him. She sent Leiton to speak with the English
ambassador, to discover whether he had any news of the expedition,
but he found he knew nothing of the matter, whereupon he told
him what the Queen-(mother) had heard from her ambassador,
and he seemed much pleased at it. He signified, however, that of
the number of ships and men, which, it was said, Drake and Don
Antonio had, the Queen could not have provided more than seven
or eight ships, as the rest of her vessels could not be spared away
from the English coast, and the number of men also appeared to
him to be very large. He asked Leiton whether the navigation of
the Straits of Magellan was very long and difficult, but as Leiton
did not know much about it, he gave the best answer he could. He
then wished to know whether Don Antonio would be well received
if he landed in India, and whether he would be welcomed in
Portugal. Leiton was anxious to be free from all this questioning,
and told him, at last, that he knew nothing about these points, but
if the news was true he would very shortly have advices. I have
not heard of his receiving any yet, and the Italian Cosmé Rogier,
(Ruggiero?) who was sent by the French King to England with
despatches for Don Antonio, has not yet returned, although he wrote
from London on the 18th ultimo, saying he was leaving soon. This
seems to cast some doubt upon the truth of the news.
I have received letters from London, dated 19th, saying that
Drake was proceeding with the fitting out of the number of ships I
previously mentioned, and that probably 3,000 or 4,000 men would
go in them, soldiers and sailors together, although it was not considered
probable that they would be ready to leave before the end
of the month. Philip Sidney had been sent by the Queen to receive
Don Antonio, and Somerset House was being put in readiness for
his residence. Although the letters from the French ambassador
are of later date (21st ultimo), I have thought well to send the
news to your Majesty at once, and the moment confirmation reaches
me I will send a special courier. The Queen-mother has made the
intelligence public, and whilst she was at dinner asked a heretic
what he thought of it, to which he replied that the queen of
England was determined to lose like a man, and not like a woman.—
Paris, 1st October 1585. |
8 Oct.
Paris Archives,
K. 1563. 129. |
410. Bernardino De Mendoza to the King.
Since they arrested Pedro de Zubiaur in England I have
endeavoured by every possible means to open up a correspondence
which would enable me to give prompt information of events there,
but they so constantly open letters in the ports that no foreigner
will dare to undertake the task of writing, whilst the Englishmen
of my acquaintance to whose reports credit could be given are for
the most part in prison. I tried to send a Frenchman in the
character of a member of the household of the ambassador from
this King to the queen of England, but I could not manage it, as
Secretary Villeroy insisted upon constituting the embassy entirely
himself. I am still persevering in the same direction, however,
because although it is easy enough to introduce men into the
country, and for them to inquire into and inspect any warlike
preparations that may be made, there is no assured way of
conveying the intelligence either verbally or by letter. Letters
from the ports to London can only be sent with great risk, and the
person who makes the inquiries could not bring the information
himself in time to be useful, as the ports are all so strictly closed.
Some person must therefore be fixed in London who is able to
receive news from the ports, and has means of sending the
intelligence he obtains in the French ambassador's packets, which
are the only ones allowed to pass intact. I shall manage it in
time, but in the meanwhile have to depend upon what I can glean
from the news sent by the French ambassador to the King and
that current in the house of the English ambassador here.—Paris,
8th October 1585. |
8 Oct.
Paris Archives,
K. 1563. 130. |
411. Bernardino De Mendoza to the King.
Gives an account of the great discomposure of the Queen-mother
at the news of Don Antonio's departure with Drake's fleet
for Portugal, and cites several instances of the sudden change of
tone towards Don Antonio's representative on the part of the
courtiers, in anticipation of the probable success of the expedition.
Hopes are now held out that active help will be given by the
Queen-mother to Don Antonio ... I am informed that
letters have been seen in the possession of the English ambassador
here, dated 13th October, N.S. (although they were headed
according to the old style, 23rd ultimo), which came by special
post sent to him by a son of the Lord Treasurer, who writes saying
that as his father is in great travail of mind and body in consequence
of his wife being in a dying state, and he himself suffering
badly with the gout, he has ordered him to write in his stead.
The only news he sent was that Don Antonio was in the county of
Devonshire (which adjoins Cornwall) in a house belonging to
Drake, with Philip Sidney. The latter had not, as was reported,
been sent by the Queen from Court to receive Don Antonio, but
had left in despair to embark on Drake's fleet in consequence of
the Queen's having refused him the governorship of Flushing, for
which he had asked, if the States would agree to it and she took
them under her protection. He said Drake had about 30 ships
and 4,000 men, soldiers and sailors together, and that Don Antonio
had written to the Queen, saying that, in order to bear company
with Philip Sidney he wished to embark on the fleet, whereat she
scoffed greatly, as did also her ambassador in conversation with a
friend of his who told me of it. From this it may be concluded
that the going of Don Antonio in the fleet was not with the
Queen's connivance. This view is also confirmed by the interview
which Custodio Leiton had with the English ambassador here,
when he went to ask him whether he had news of the going of
Don Antonio. The ambassador replied that he had no letters,
which was intended to keep people here in the mistaken belief that
Don Antonio had sailed, as there could be no question of trying to
conceal the matter in order to prevent your Majesty from making
due preparations, the news having been already made public,
besides which Drake cannot even yet be ready to sail. Sampson
is of opinion that if Don Antonio goes with him Drake will most
likely go to the coast of Brazil, and, as the season is already late to
encounter your Majesty's fleets, it is more possible that they will
endeavour to plunder some place and sack as much as they can,
rather than try to establish themselves firmly ashore, the English
people being unable to suffer hardships except at sea.—Paris, 8th
October 1585. |
9 Oct.
Paris Archives,
K. 1563. 130. |
412. Bernardino De Mendoza to the King.
[Extract.]
Begs for more money on account of need for obtaining intelligence
from all parts of France, the country being so disturbed ; and now
that Don Antonio is in England news from there is worth more
than its weight in gold.
Lord Paget, his brother Charles, Arundel, and Thomas Throgmorton
constantly beg me to pay them the pensions that your
Majesty granted them, it being now nearly a year since Tassis
conveyed your Majesty's message to them, and the amount due
now reaches 3,240 crowns. I understand that Lord Paget, being
dissatisfied with my reply, and with the hopes I hold out to him
that your Majesty's grant will be duly fulfilled, has decided to go
from Rome, where he has passed this summer, to salute your
Majesty personally.—Paris, 9th October 1585.
Note.—A letter from Don Bernardino to Idiaquez accompanies
the above request for the remittance of money, saying that if he
draws money from merchants the exchange costs him 3 per cent.
whereas if he receives cash from Spain he makes a profit of 8 per
cent. "as they do." He therefore begs permission to import from
Spain 3,000 crowns, to be spent in the King's service. |
17 Oct.
Paris Archives,
K. 1563. 138. |
413. Bernardino De Mendoza to the King.
This merchant's post is going at such an undue hour that I have
only time to say that Don Antonio was still in England, and was
going to London, although Cosmé Rogier who took despatches from
the King and Queen of France to him has not yet returned. The
French ambassador wrote on the 4th, excusing himself for sending
on the 23rd the false news (of Don Antonio's departure with
Drake's fleet from England).
Drake weighed anchor in Plymouth at nightfall on the 27th
September, and all the next day and at dawn the day after was
still in sight from the land, becalmed. The day following he
arrived at Falmouth in Cornwall, and up to the end of the month
he had fine weather, but with many calms. Since then there have
been furious westerly gales blowing, which will certainly have
driven him back to the English coast, unless he made for Ireland,
which is the most likely, as very many of the sailors and others
who were with him had been pressed on board, and if he put into
an English port they would desert. It was asserted here as a
positive fact that he had returned, and I have delayed sending a
report to your Majesty until I could ascertain the truth. Up to
the present, however, there is no certain news, except that there
has been a strong gale blowing dead against his course, and this
has also prevented letters coming from England.
I send your Majesty herewith an exact account of the ships
Drake has, and the stores, munitions, and men on board of them,
which report was furnished to me by a trustworthy Frenchman
who had ocular evidence of the facts he relates. I sent him to
England for this purpose months ago, and he made friends with
Drake himself, and arranged to go in the fleet. He gave him the
slip, but could not come hither (all the ports being rigidly closed)
until M. de la Mauvissière crossed over on his return from his
embassy in England. I feared the man was dead or a prisoner,
and I consequently did not venture to tell your Majesty I had sent
him. The reports from England received by this King (of France)
are similar in effect to that which I send, but not so full in detail.
—Paris, 17th October 1585. |
