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| Feb. 6. Original Letter, Venetian Archives. |
649. Diogene Franceschini to Giovanni Francesco Morosini, Venetian Ambassador in France. |
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The letter of your Excellency, dated the 16th ult., has given to all of us who are faithful subjects of the Signory great hope that the mischievous license granted to Acerbo Velutelli, to the manifest prejudice of our nation and of the English people, will be revoked and annulled; and in order that your Excellency may know what has taken place, and that you may be informed what our wishes and desires are, we have judged it expedient to relate to you the facts of the case from the commencement. |
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When, in the month of November last, the privilege was accorded to Velutelli, he forthwith commenced proceedings against us by obtaining an order that currants and oils were not to be unloaded without his authority, and we therefore presented a petition to her Majesty's Council praying that, as heretofore, we might land our merchandise freely, and the authorities of the city of London likewise complained that this license and privilege was a violation of their laws and patents, and endeavoured to procure its withdrawal; and to ensure a hearing we attended the Council, who, after long debate, conceded that vessels now on the voyage should be exempted, but that no other vessels were to unload without the knowledge of the Council. |
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Seeing that the Earl of Leicester, one of the principal nobles of this realm, who is in great favour with the Queen and who had favoured the project and obtained the privilege, opposed our application, we were again compelled to represent the facts set forth in the petition, of which I enclose copy; and these being founded on reason, the Council adhered to their decision that the vessels were
to be discharged as determined. And now the “Dolfina” and the “Barbara” having both been wrecked, the one on the coast of Galicia and the other near Cape Finisterre, we have nothing to add upon this first point except that the Earl of Leicester has brought us bad luck, for he was accustomed to express his wish that God might procure these vessels to be lost. |
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Upon the second point we pray your Excellency to exert yourself so that this license may not remain in force, and it would aid the result greatly if you would speak to the English Ambassador, who is so friendly to our nation, to write in strong terms to the Lord High Treasurer, who is favourable to our cause, asking him to speak with her Majesty for the public advantage; and we would request you to send the letter here to us, together with copies, so that we may know the contents and at the same time be enabled to write to the Earl of Leicester to propitiate him, and make him look upon our case with a favourable eye, and then all would go well, because, though at present both his Lordship and Mr. Walsingham are much opposed to us, everyone would be gratified if these noblemen could be appeased. |
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The city has presented and will repeat remonstrances, and next Sunday we shall all go to beseech her Majesty to grant the revocation of the patent, and the matter will be spoken of in Parliament; and, in order that you may have greater facilities for the negotiation, we on the day of the prorogation, together with the representatives of this nation, presented the letter of the Senate and of your Excellency to her Majesty, and made a brief speech in support of our commercial relations. Her Majesty most graciously listened to us, and said that she would never take any course which might prejudice the Republic of Venice. Since then we have had no further answer, as the Court has come to London this day for the opening of Parliament on Wednesday next. We have been greatly assisted in our difficulties by the authority and favour of a gentleman from the city of Urbino, namely, Signor Ginlio Borgarussi, who has a son a doctor of laws in Venice. |
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This Signor Giulio is physician to her Majesty, and by virtue of his office belongs to her chamber, and is highly esteemed by all the Lords of the Court. He, moved by the justice of our cause, and being himself a man of great ability and courage, has supported our petition with so much efficacy and goodwill that we feel under great obligation to him and to his prudence, and therefore pray your Excellency to thank him most sincerely for the admirable representations which he has made to her Majesty and the Lords of the Council, and to the citizens, in favour of all of us and our Republic, and for the danger he has incurred of losing the favour of the Earl of Leicester by his conduct in this matter. I will add that whilst we have been combined together with other parties, we indulge in the hope that we have not done anything likely to prejudice our case, and if your Excellency would deign to give us your advice for the future, we shall do our best with the help of God to follow it. |
Your most affectionate servant,
Diogene Franceschini. |
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London, 6th February 1575–6. |
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[Italian.] |
| Feb. 22. Original Despatch, Venetian Archives. |
650. Giovanni Francesco Morosini, Venetian Ambassador in France, to the Signory. |
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Mons. de La Porte and Mons. de La Mothe Fénelon (della Motta), who were accredited by his Majesty and by Monsieur to the Queen of England, returned from England yesterday, and I bear that they have brought back an unfavourable reply, because, so far as the proposal for the marriage with Monsieur is concerned, the Queen answered that she would never take him so long as the affairs of this kingdom were in their present disordered state, and if she did make up her mind to marry, she would espouse the brother of the King of France and not one of the King's outlaws (as Monsieur was at present), as such a marriage would not be in accordance with her dignity. But first, however, she demanded that peace should be made, and then she would willingly consider this proposition, and as the above named Ambassadors had acquainted her with the ready willingness of the King, and other particulars concerning the position of Monsieur, she said confidentially that to satisfy herself thoroughly upon all points she would send a gentleman to his Majesty and Monsieur the better to ascertain their views, and also to take part in negotiations for peace if it were necessary to do so. Consequently this gentleman is expected to arrive within two days from this date. His most Christian Majesty, however, believes that this gentleman will be sent rather for an evil purpose than otherwise, such, for instance, as to uphold the interests of the false religion rather than for any desire the Queen may have for peace, and still less for any purpose with regard to the above-mentioned marriage. |
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Contemporaneously with the arrival of the above-named gentleman from England, I have received the enclosed letters and documents, which I forward to your Serenity from the agent, De' Regazoni, who resides in London, and from these your Serenity will understand that what the English Ambassador resident here has lately told me concerning the privilege granted to Acerbo Velutelli turns out not to be true; nevertheless I immediately visited the Ambassador and showed him what had been written to me, and entreated him to do all that was asked by those letters. The Ambassador excused himself for having held out expectations which were not realised, upon the ground that he had acted upon what had been written to him and that his correspondent had mistaken the partial suspension of the privilege in favour of the ships which were upon the voyage for its total suspension; but the Ambassador nevertheless hoped that by the intercession of your Serenity that which had not yet been done would ultimately be accomplished, and he begs you to write to the Lord High Treasurer in the terms which have been suggested, and to send me the letters to forward them to the hands of our agents, so that they themselves may present them. The Ambassador further excused himself saying that he was not competent for this negociation, for it really might seem as if he must pick a quarrel with the Earl of Leicester; but he again yesterday informed me that if your Serenity would send a representative to England you would obtain all that was asked; and he more openly said that upon the arrival of the gentleman who is expected here within three days, and who is on familiar terms
and a great favourite with the Earl of Leicester, I ought to make efficacious representations to him, which he, the Ambassador, would assist, in order to induce the Earl to desist from favouring the privilege, and that if I succeeded in doing this I might be well assured that the privilege would be immediately revoked. I will not fail to exert myself in this matter to the best of my ability, and to advise both your Serenity and the agents and parties in London of the result. |
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Paris, 22nd February 1576. |
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[Italian.] |
