Elizabeth: July 1585, 6-10 | British History Online

Calendar of State Papers Foreign: Elizabeth, Volume 19, August 1584-August 1585. Originally published by His Majesty's Stationery Office, London, 1916.

Citation:

'Elizabeth: July 1585, 6-10', in Calendar of State Papers Foreign: Elizabeth, Volume 19, August 1584-August 1585, ed. Sophie Crawford Lomas( London, 1916), British History Online https://prod.british-history.ac.uk/cal-state-papers/foreign/vol19/pp587-594 [accessed 25 November 2024].

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July 1585, 6–10



July 6.	Segur Pardeilhan to Walsingham.
	I am very sorry for your sickness. As I fear it may be long, I pray you to let the Queen understand that if when I was last in this country, she had not expressly ordered me to assure the King of Navarre of her perfect friendship, and of her great wish to let him feel the good effects thereof, she would not now be importuned by me; the King of Navarre would not have been deceived by me, and I should have better employed my pains by going to the King of Denmark and the Protestant princes, who certainly would not have abandoned the King of Navarre in this necessity. But I fear that her Majesty's example may cause them to grow cold; for she being the first in rank, honour and power, and having shown, at the birth of these last troubles in France. a holy and singular care for the King of Navarre and of our churches; having sent, of her own accord to the King of Denmark and other princes, to exhort them to aid us:—they will now know that after having waited two months for a small loan, I have been sent to them without having obtained anything. This causes me such great regret that I would willingly have broken my arm and given ten thousand crowns, not to have assured the King of Navarre of her Majesty's good will, as I did by her commandment. This being so, I humbly pray her Majesty to consider the above, the state in which that King finds himself, what he may do if he believes himself abandoned by her. from whom he expected more aid than from all the rest of the world. I also pray her not to take it in ill part if I do not accept the offer she makes me upon conditions, for I should do myself great wrong, not having need, thank God, of guide or of preceptor in Germany, and still less of guardian. May it please her therefore to declare her goodwill, and give me reason to depart more satisfied from her kingdom than I am at this time; for otherwise I shall have cause to declare that in England they wish to content their friends by good words without deeds. I trust that her Majesty will give me both, and that God, who never forsakes his own, will preserve the King of Navarre and his church, and will raise up the means for me to serve them. I have asked M. d'Angrogne to go to you and tell you that I am treated basely. I deserve better things.— London, 6 July, 1585.
	Add. Endd. Fr. 1 p. [France XIV. 39.]
July 7.	Segur-Pardeilhan to Walsingham.
	While they are consulting on what conditions the Queen may aid the King of Navarre, the evil is growing and time is being lost. I have been here two months and have gained nothing. May it please her Majesty to consider the state in which the King finds himself; the cause which he supports; and whether he deserves to be forsaken. Let her also bethink her if she ever aided the late Prince of Orange, Duke Casimir, the late Admiral or others whom she has succoured, with the conditions proposed to me ? Always they have had the free disposal of her liberality. The King of Navarre merits more than all those, is in more need, and has more means and desire to do her service than they had, and yet he is worse treated. May it please her therefore that what kindness she wishes to do him may be speedy and with honourable and usual conditions. If so, I can assure her that he will soon be succoured; but if her Majesty abandons this good Prince and our churches it is to be feared that God may withdraw his blessing from her and from her realm. Let her give freely to God the hundred thousand crowns that she is sending to Bremen; they will be well employed. I shall be very glad that any one whom she may please to send shall be witness of all that I do; I desire to be observed in my actions, for I wish to do well, but I fear to be crossed and that this delay may render useless the good done to us. It is not for me to prescribe the manner in which they are to aid us; I will accept all good and honourable conditions that the Queen by advice of her Council may give me.— London, 7 July, 1585.
	Add. Endd. Fr. 1 p. [France XIV. 40.]
July 8/18.	Mauvissière to Walsingham.
	When I have the pleasure of seeing you, I would rather speak to you of the peace that you know has been made and published than write of it. The Huguenots look to their affairs, as they have need. All those of Calais have gone to mass. There is much talk of going to besiege La Rochelle. My government has been taken amongst the first. The King returning from Corbeil to confer with the Queen his mother and the Cardinal of Bourbon and Guise, will pass Villeroy and remain there three days. I believe that my successor will be despatched thence, to relieve me. I pray you keep me in her Majesty's good graces and your own. It is held for certain at Calais that the Prince of Condé is in Germany, and that they desire to marry him. Astrologers have put marriage and war in the seventh house, and consider them as in the same predicament, yet may God perpetually marry the Queen to all her subjects and never let them disunite from her obedience. Some say that the King of Navarre, having but small forces, will accommodate himself as well as he can to this peace, others not. Time will show us more, and wake those who sleep. Wherever I am, I shall be yours. I send the bearer, who is here about M. de Joyeuse's ship, and desires to go with whomever you shall send to receive it.— London, 18 July, 1585.
	Postscript.—I pray you to send to me or to hasten the favour which her Majesty will show to M. de Scoris, for it concerns the whole welfare of his father, and that he may not be under the displeasure of her and her Council. I urge this from pity, having known him to be an affectionate servant and subject to his princess, and never having heard him speak of state affairs.
	Add. Endd. Fr. 2 pp. [Ibid. XIV. 41]
July 8/18.	News from Divers Parts.
	Prague, July 16.—The nuncio here will shortly be succeeded by the Bishop of Gaetta, although nobody but himself has yet been advised thereof. He is preparing to depart, to the sorrow of all, and the rather that his successor is a Spaniard; a nation little loved in these countries.
	The fear of the plague at Vienna is subsiding; but in Silesia it is increasing very much. It is believed that the Augustine will remain Bishop of Vratislaw [Breslau], with 60,000 thalers income; he having been a poor student.
	Cologne, July 18.—The post from Antwerp has been stopped by the Malcontents, who increase round that city every day, so that none can go in and out, But by letters of the 12th from the Prince's camp we understand that since his men made themselves masters of Burgerhout, of M. Stral's house, and of Berchem, they had taken the fort of Contecroy and other small places near to Antwerp and Malines, and that all the corn still out in the country was cut down by the Malcontents and carried away, notwithstanding a guard of five hundred foot and a cornet of horse, who, seeing that they could not resist the enemy's forces took to flight, with a loss of twenty men. Whereupon the Grand Council, with consent of all, on the 9th instant sent to his Highness's camp at Beveren, M. de St. Aldegonde, the old burgomaster, M. de Schoonhoven (Sconhoffen), M. Merode and M. Andrew van Hessel, syndic, who were met by M. de Noircarmes with two hundred Spaniards, dressed in velvet, and a coach trimmed with crimson velvet for the said ambassadors. That evening they were sumptuously banqueted by some chief men of the camp, and the following day, after his Highness had heard mass, he went into the open field, where he took his seat on a chair covered with, black velvet, and with 2,000 soldiers round him, summoned the deputies, who fell on their knees, but his Highness bid them rise, giving audience to M. Aldegonde for the space of an hour, to whom amongst other things he mentioned his having composed and printed writings against the Catholic King; leaving aside the Calvinist religion, of which he made no mention whatever; and afterwards conducted him to his lodging, using him very kindly.
	On the 11th Aldegonde had private audience and was dismissed with orders to return shortly with a final resolution to surrender. Meanwhile the other deputies were taken to the palisade, and shown their own great ship called La fin de Ja guerre. It is hoped that the city will obtain better conditions than was expected. M. de Montigny and M. de la Motte being gone with their army towards Malines, after some resistance took a fort half a mile from that city, cutting in pieces the garrison; and wishing to make themselves masters of another fort, were repelled from it, when they decided to cut off the passage of the river, as they did; and next evening their soldiers took three vessels going from Antwerp to Malines with artillery, munition and many noble ladies and demoiselles, to escape into that city, which seeing in what terms those of Antwerp found themselves, and that all the places round about were taken, sent M. de Famars (Fauma) to treat for an accord with the said Montigny, and having obtained it on the same terms as did Brussels, on the 13th sent out the soldiers, giving up the city to the Malcontents.
	Those of Antwerp, having learned that the soldiers of his Highness meant to burn all the windmills round their city, sent to implore him not to do so, although they had no more corn to grind. The commissioners of Antwerp have returned to Holland from England without having done anything with that Queen, who exhorted them to reconcile themselves with Spain, as she did also to the provinces of Holland and Zeeland, promising to use her interest with his Catholic Majesty in their favour; upon which the chief men of those two provinces had re-assembled at the Hague to settle what they should do.
	The soldiers of the new Bishop are gone to besiege Neuss, below which they have made two entrenchments, hoping very shortly to retake it.
	France.—Letters of the 15th of last month from Lyons say that not only was peace not established, but was despaired of; it being seen that by such an agreement the House of Guise would rise to so great a height of grandeur, that in equal degree there must decline Montpensier, Epernon and Joyeuse, well beloved of his Majesty.
	Italian. 2 pp. [Newsletters XCV. 23.]
July 9/19.	Clervant to Walsingham.
	From this gentleman you will learn the state of France and of our affairs, the remedy for which, after God, is in the Queen's hands and on her depends our safety, which has need of speedy succour, for it is harder to build up again a fallen house than to prop it, and more costly. I pray you to consider that a small or uncertain aid, if it depends upon the liberality of many, will be also a very slow one. Aid us then liberally, and the help of the rest will then enable us to continue. The forces of the enemy are great, and they are preparing greater, but their designs may surpass their power, God helping us, whose name they use for satiating the ambition of twenty-two princes of their house, so greedy that they do not consider the mouthful of France enough to satisfy them; which nevertheless may choke them by God's aid.—Paris, 19 July.
	Postscript.—The enemy is trying to obtain the aid of Gaspart Schomberg to ruin our affairs in Germany, alleging that we shall be obliged to accept their religion, in which case he would not aid us. This is in order to make a division, in imitation of the father of a family and the sheaf of arrows.
	Signed. Add. Endd. Fr. 1 p. [France XIV. 42.]
July 10/20.	Edward Prynn Corea to Walsingham.
	After being long at sea, I arrived at Rosco in Brittany, where I made myself out to be an Englishman who had run away out of England for religion, and so was the better entertained. They were preparing to defend themselves from a great army, which, as they heard, was being made in England, but I persuaded them from that. From thence I went to Vannes, where I thought to meet with the King [Antonio] my master. At my coming there, I met four gentlemen, Portugals, who had run away from Bovoesa, a castle of Madam la Granache, from the Frenchmen sent thither by the Duke of Mercœur to take the King prisoner, but he had gone three days before. There came a Spaniard with these Frenchmen, who “in the King of Castile's name did scrape a great stir and caused more than thirty gentlemen to go for Portugal, putting them in great fear. . . . M. de Botelyo, who was in the castle with the King's youngest son, counterfeited himself very sick,” and therefore was left, with the King's son, a prisoner in Madame la Granache's hands, by whose means they were put in safety and are at La Rochelle with the King, as we understand by his letters, though in Brittany I heard that he was at Paris, which caused me to come hither. I am presently taking post horse to go to him.
	My lord ambassador (“in boyseter”) stood my very good friend both in helping me to good company and lending me money, “otherwise I could not advise what I should a done.” I pray you thank him for it.
	I shall return with what expedition I can for England, and touching my business will do as I am bound both to England and to my King, and if in this journey there be anything worthy (“owrdye”) of advertisement, I will not neglect (“elect”) it.— Paris, 20 July, 1585.
	Add. Endd. 2 pp. [France XIV. 43.]
July 10/20.	News from Italy.
	Rome, July 13.—The air and pleasant situation of Monte Cavallo are much liked by his Holiness, who is constantly there; he gives audience to all, and is clearing the Campagna of bandits. On Saturday, a very severe bull was published for their extermination, and since then, a general proclamation against all who shall aid them.
	That same day Cardinal Altemps went to visit Donna Camilla Peretta, the Pope's sister, and the little Cardinal his nephew; and the Bishop of Ancona set out in a coach for Tivoli, to be advanced to the order of subdeacon, with dispensation to be ordained extra tempora.
	On Sunday the senator of Rome had audience of the Pope to make report to him of the examination of Duke Altemps, which audience lasted two hours. [Arrest of various persons.]
	Monday morning a private consistory was held in Campidoglio, where his Holiness demanded, besides the tax of a farthing (gabella del quattrino), 100,000 crowns to maintain the city in plenty; that no baron or private person of the church was to sell corn for more than seven crowns the rubbio, and that any having more left than he needs shall be obliged to sell half of it to the Camera for the said price. Next morning there was a public Consistory for the same cause. On Monday, the former Treasurer was examined, in the presence of the Commissary of the Camera; Pinelli, clerk of the Camera; M. Panico, fiscal of Rome, and M. Bernardo Cotta, judge, together with the notary. It is said that Signor Pauolo Mattei and his partners have taken the farm to supply the city with abundance of corn at seven crowns the rubbio. And that M. Fiesco, who had departed to be nuncio in Savoy, has returned, but the cause not known.
	On Monday evening began the forty hours of prayer in Sta Maria in Transtevere for the health of Cardinal Riario, who is still dangerously ill. That night there arrived here Don Michel Bonelli, brother of Cardinal Alessandrino, as ambassador of the Duke of Savoy to announce his marriage to the Pope, and congratulate his Holiness on his pontificate. Some say also to treat of a matter of importance.
	Wednesday.—Punishment of Signor Giacomo Catalani and his sons, with other persons, including merchants and “Zingari,” by racking and otherwise, for having resisted the court, or not gone to its assistance in the dispute in the Piazza Giudica. That day Duke Altemps was examined and next day was brought before the father of the lady, but what resolution was taken is not known. On Thursday, the secretary of his Holiness was sent to Cardinal Altemps and was then with Cardinal de Medici, leaving him very cheerfully.
	This morning five heads of bandits have been put on the bridge, killed in the wood of Monte Cavallo by Virgilio Orsini's people.
	Letters from Florence announce the arrival of the Prince of Sulmone, (fn. 1) who has invested the Grand Duke with the Golden Fleece in the Cathedral church.
	It is said that the 100,000 crowns which the Pope demands from the Roman people will serve to purchase so much corn that when brought here it will be seven crowns the rubbio; and the Pope will give it for five; and the people of Bologna are to pay another 100,000 crowns.
	Venice, 20 July.—A courier from the King of Spain has arrived in Milan with orders to the Duke of Terranuova to send to invite the Duke and Duchess of Savoy to stay at Alessandria on their way to Turin, and if they accept, to go in person to receive them and to treat them as he would the King himself, accompanying them to Turin with all the horsemen of that State, and with as many of the nobles as possible; and if they do not accept, to go to Turin without the horsemen to visit them and to make the same compliments. The beginning of the King's letter is as follows:— I believe you will already have learned that the Duke of Savoy and his wife, my children, have started for Italy, whom I love as my own bowels, therefore send to Nice, &c. Upon which orders, his Excellency sent his son, Don Cesare to Nice, and advertised all the feudatory and the cavalry to be prepared to appear in noble and honourable fashion, having had apparel made for himself and all his family but without livery.
	About Milan there are many bandits, who have committed a thousand villanies, not only by robbing all whom they could find, but also by most insolent outrages upon gentlewomen whom they get into their hands.
	On Sunday, Fiamma, Bishop of “Chiozza” departed this life, leaving three sons and many debts, besides having wronged the monastery of La Carita of a large sum of money. Zerlino aspires to his dignity and also Fra Lauro dai Crociferi. On Wednesday there was a procession to Santa Marina attended by the College and Vice-doge; and that same day there arrived at Santo Spirito Monsignor Costa, the new Nuncio. It is said that the Pope has granted 200,000 crowns of tithe to this Signoria, upon the clergy.
	The Archduke Charles has published a proclamation, offering a reward of two thousand crowns to whoever will bring him the head of Germanico Savorignano, or a thousand to any bringing certain news of having killed him, besides the liberation of any bandit whom he chooses. It is said that Count Ottavio Avogadro is making preparations to go to the war in Flanders.
	Italian. 3¼ pp. [Newsletters LXXII. 20.]