Simancas: August 1572 | British History Online

Calendar of State Papers, Spain (Simancas), Volume 2, 1568-1579. Originally published by Her Majesty's Stationery Office, London, 1894.

Citation:

'Simancas: August 1572', in Calendar of State Papers, Spain (Simancas), Volume 2, 1568-1579, ed. Martin A S Hume( London, 1894), British History Online https://prod.british-history.ac.uk/cal-state-papers/simancas/vol2/pp400-410 [accessed 27 November 2024].

August 1572



7 Aug. B. M. Cotton, Galba, C. IV. Original draft.	340. Letter of Intelligence from London (unsigned) to the Duke of Alba, Governor of the Netherlands. I wrote to your Excellency on the 21st by Tassis, and have since received, by Juan Medinal, your Excellency's letter of same date, by which I see that you had received all mine up to the 12th ultimo. I thank your Excellency for all your favours to me, and for the news of the glorious victory achieved by your forces, for which God be praised. I am greatly favoured by your Excellency's commands that I should continue to serve here, which I will do. I wrote in my last that Pelham, the Queen's Lieutenant of the Ordnance, who was ready with his troops to go to Flushing, had been ordered to stay his departure, but he afterwards sailed, and, from my connection at Court, I learn that some days afterwards Sir Ralph Sadler, a very important person, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and a Councillor, secretly followed him. I said in my last that he had gone to Rochester to see the stores embarked on the Queen's ships, but it seems he went on from there to Flushing to take possession of it for the Queen, and, at the same time, to consider with Pelham the best way of fortifying the place. If he finds that it can be strongly held he is to inform the Queen of it at once, but if the place cannot be well fortified, then Pelham will take the best means for gaining admission into Flanders, and, will ask your Excellency for a passport to go and see you for the purpose of discussing peace negotiations between this Queen and King. If he finds your Excellency willing to listen to him, he will inform you that so important a person as this Sir Ralph Sadler is near, and will come and treat with your Excellency together with him. Sadler takes letters of credence and full powers from the Queen to arrange a settlement and a re-opening of trade and the ports, with a resumption of former privileges, and to offer the appointment of a commission to deal with private claims. If they can settle this they will surrender to your Excellency the town of Flushing and other rebel places in their hands, making the excuse that the Queen had seized them in his Majesty's interests, and with the intention of delivering them to him. These are the tricks that they always play to conceal their own devilish designs, which they think nobody can see through. Since my last the following has happened in Scotland. M. de Croc, the French ambassador, had written a letter from the castle of Edinburgh, where he was with the duke of Chatelherault and others of that party, to the Earl Rothes, Chancellor of the kingdom. The letter was intercepted and fell into the hands of the earl of Morton, the Governor, and the earl of Mar, who are both the creatures of this Queen. They kept the letter very quiet, but shortly afterwards M. de Croc had occasion to leave the castle and visit them on business. They discussed the matters about which he came, and then, in consequence of his having communicated with the earl of Rothes, and the contents of the letter, they suddenly seized him and still detain him under arrest. He sent a gentleman, his son-in-law, hither, on his way to France, to inform the King of his position. The gentleman has now returned hither and left here for Scotland on the 17th ultimo, bearing very favourable letters from the Queen to the earls of Morton and Mar, asking them to release De Croc. As soon as he was gone, however, they sent a man post haste to Berwick instructing Lord Hunsdon to detain him until further orders, the intention being to keep him until an answer is sent about the matter arranged with Montmorenci. This is the way they manage all their affairs ; nothing but trickery and deception. On the 20th ultimo this Queen received news from her ambassador in France that he had been told by Birago, (fn. 1) the Keeper of the Seals (who was one of those who received presents from this Queen for bringing about the alliance), that the Emperor had written to the King strongly remonstrating with him for deserting the sacred league against a barbarous enemy, and for having joined a confederation of enemies of the holy church ; urging him very strongly to free himself from such people. These views are to be furthermore verbally pressed by a gentleman from the Emperor who is on his way to Spain, and the Nuncio is also to speak to the King on the part of his Holiness, whilst the Venetian ambassador is to take a similar step. This is greatly disturbing the Queen and her Councillors, who fear that the King's advisers may waver, and this distrust is one of the reasons why they are now ready to come to terms with his Majesty (Philip). On the 21st ultimo a Fleming called Casimbrot, Secretary of the town of Bruges and brother of a Secretary of the count of (Egmont?) who was beheaded, arrived at this Court with letters from the prince of Orange and the princes of Germany, as their envoy. The letters he brings are in answer to those sent by the Queen in June last by her gentleman Weston (?), who speaks German, as I wrote on the 30th June. The duke of Saxony writes very briefly, and refers to Casimbrot who will state everything verbally ; the Count Palatine and the marquis of Brandenburg say that they are ready with forces of foot and horse for the Netherlands whenever they hear that the queen of England and king of France will assail the States on the other side. Orange writes a long letter full of promises that Duke August, the Palatine, and Brandenburg will give great help towards the entrance into the Netherlands, begging her not to desist from the enterprise to which she has set her hand and to continue to strengthen the maritime provinces. He also thanks her warmly for her efficient aid to the Count de la Marque in taking and holding Brille. The gentleman (Casimbrot) was very well treated at Court, and when he asked for a prompt reply to take back to Germany, they told him to enjoy himself and make good cheer for they would soon give him an answer that would rejoice him. The rebel heretics here are making a collection for the support of Orange in the Netherlands and have their hearts quite fixed on it. On the 21st also there arrived here the Secretary of the French ambassador bringing a letter from the King in answer to that sent by the Queen by Montmorenci. He thanks her for her kindness and goodwill, but instructs the ambassador to inform her verbally of certain reasons why he cannot, at present, give a decided answer on the points discussed with Montmorenci and Foix on his behalf. I believe the reasons are the letters received by the King from the Pope and the Emperor, exhorting him not to join the confederation. He says that he must satisfy them first, but will afterwards fulfil his part. In the meanwhile, he begs her to exert her influence to get Croc released and to fulfil her treaty obligations in bringing about peace and concord in Scotland. Montmorenci, the Admiral, and Foix, write long letters to the Queen and Burleigh, saying what great things they hope to do, but they cannot, they say, do them until after the wedding of Navarre, when they think they will be able to get the King to agree to anything, as so many of their principal friends will be collected together. In the meanwhile they urge her to continue to assail the coasts of the Netherlands, whilst they concentrate forces on the land side, ready to help Ludovic. The man who calls himself Navarre has also written a letter to the Queen thanking her warmly for her generous help to Rochelle and to the rest of his party last year, and saying that he is going to do great things presently, and that all is going well. The great victory which God has sent to Don Fadrique your son was known here on the 26th ultimo. Their dismay here may be imagined, as all their hopes are founded on their being able to embarrass his Majesty and assail the Low countries by sea. They therefore refuse to believe it, or at least, try to make out that the victory is not half so great as it is. The rejoicing of the godly at it cannot be exaggerated. God be thanked. As soon as the news arrived here the Queen sent a gentleman in great haste to Flushing with letters for Sir Ralph Sadler and Pelham, recalling them immediately. They came at once and Sadler landed very secretly near Sandwich on the 30th ultimo. Pelham came back in disguise to Gravesend. He went to the Court but has now returned to this city. He reported that Flushing could not be defended, unless a fleet so powerful as to be able to resist that of your Excellency is sent. It is not known whether Pelham will return thither. On the 27th ultimo at midday a Secretary of the Count de la Marque arrived here and at once proceeded to the Court, fifty miles off, to beg for aid in men and victuals, as they had obtained possession of an entrance into Holland by which stores could be introduced. On the 27th ultimo a young French gentleman named M. de la Mole arrived from the French Court with letters from the King. He came post with great speed, and only took four days in coming from Paris to London. When he left Paris the news of the defeat near Mons was known, and I am told by my friends at Court that as soon as the King (of France) heard of it, he was closeted for over two hours with the duke of Montmorenci, and then sent this gentleman off. La Mole is very friendly with the Duke D'Alençon, and, as soon as he arrived, the French ambassador here announced that he had come to visit this Queen from the Duke, as it is not wished that it shall be known that he comes from the King. That was the reason they chose such a lad for the mission. It is all an invention of Montmorenci's. On the 28th, at eleven o'clock at night, Lord Burleigh came very secretly with only his private attendants to speak with this Monsieur, and when all folks were asleep he and the ambassador and La Mole walked up and down a chamber for an hour and a half. Burleigh entered into his, La Mole's, mission, and could not conceal his satisfaction, as he is at the bottom of all the opposition to his Majesty (Philip). La Mole remained in the city until the 1st instant when he went to Court with the ambassador. On Sunday the 3rd he was taken to the palace very secretly at night when all the people had retired, and was introduced into a private chamber where he conferred with the Queen in the presence only of the earl of Leicester, the ambassador, and Secretary Smith (who was in France). Burleigh was not present, being absent from Court, and only one lady-in-waiting was with the Queen. La Mole gave the Queen an autograph letter of credence from the King, the rest of the letters being written by Montmorenci, and when the Queen had read it, she was full of graciousness and caresses, and he then proceeded to state his mission. He said that the King could not openly declare himself in the matter of Flanders as she desired, for many reasons, and that the best and most desirable way of gaining their ends would be to proceed in the same way as heretofore ; as otherwise it would provoke a league of the Pope, the king of Spain, the Venetians and others, against which he could not defend himself. He was against any rash action. The king of Portugal had a large force of 12,000 or 15,000 men, and he was assured that the duke of Savoy was fully armed, and all this must be considered before any bold step was taken. But if any prince declared himself against this country he (the king of France) would at once side with this Queen. On Monday the 4th M. de la Mole went very bravely to the palace, and was received in state by the Queen and all the lords, as an envoy who had come to salute her from Alençon, with all the usual tricks and ceremonies of the French and these people. He is still at Court being feasted and made much of. (fn. 2) With him comes a gentleman from the admiral of France, bringing letters from him and Montmorenci explaining and excusing the King from openly declaring himself in the matter of Flanders, but they say they are raising 8,000 more foot and 2,000 horse to trouble your Excellency and endeavour to help Count Ludovic, and sustain him until the Prince of Orange could enter the Low Country. They would await him until the 15th instant, with 12,000 infantry and 4,000 horse, and the Palatine and the marquis of Brandenburg, would go towards Mons; and urged the importance of Orange going to the Low Countries at once, and munitions and men being sent from here. I have been unable to get any further news, as the Court is so far off, and the person of confidence there who brought me this advice had great trouble in doing so. I will report all I can discover. I learn that, of the proceeds of the goods taken at Flushing, Ludovic gave the admiral of France 150,000 (crowns ?) to help pay the troops, and 100,000 to Orange. I wrote that seven of the Queen's ships were ready for sea at Gravesend, and that private ships were also ready in other ports awaiting orders. They are still in suspense, but a few days ago 600 more men were sent to Flushing. News has arrived here that the English had landed on the isle of Tregus for the purpose of taking it, as I said they would do in mine of the 21st, but your Excellency's forces attacked them to so good a purpose as to kill 400 of them and put the rest to flight, which has greatly grieved people here. No doubt your Excellency will have heard ere this that the poor earl of Northumberland had been surrendered in Scotland to the officers of this Queen and brought to Berwick. He has been examined there by Lord Hunsdon, the governor, and they are trying to make him confess the names of his accomplices. He replied that, for his own part, if they considered that he had offended against the laws, he was willing to submit himself to the punishment, but he was not the man, nor did he come of a race, that accused others, and it would ill become him to do so. They have brought the poor gentleman to York, where it is said they will cut off his head. It is reported from Scotland that the brother of the earl of Huntly and other friends of the queen of Scotland have had three encounters with their enemies, in each of which they were victorious, killing and capturing many of the other side. A bad piece of news for these people. I send this by a special messenger to Paris, to the care of the ambassador there, Don Diego de Z(uñiga), as the way by Dover and Calais is inconvenient at present.—London, 7th August 1572. Note.—Much damaged by fire.
19 Aug. B. M. Cotton, Galba, C. IV. Original draft.	341. Letter of Intelligence from London (unsigned) to the Duke of Alba. I wrote fully on the 7th instant, sending the letter, with others for his Majesty's Court, to the ambassador Zuniga in Paris by a special messenger vid Rye and Dieppe, the road by Dover not being convenient. I send this by a safe man addressed to the care of Tassis. I have now to report that the sending of men to the Netherlands has somewhat quieted down, and I have not heard of any going since my last. It is true that, as the Court is now 90 miles off, it is difficult to get intelligence of what is going on, but still ships are leaving constantly from the ports at the mouth of the river and from Dover with stores, ammunition, and anything else they like to send. M. de la Mole and the resident French ambassador are at Court, taking part in the grand feasts and entertainments there, and it is said that they will stay until they receive a reply from their King to a messenger sent post to him on the 10th instant, and also to Montmorenci and the Admiral. At the same time the Queen also sent a gentleman of Burleigh's to her ambassador in Paris, with letters from Burleigh and Leicester to Montmorenci and the Admiral. On the 12th instant the son-in-law of De Croc passed through here from Scotland on his way to France. He reports that his father-in-law had been released, and that the Catholics and their opponents had come to terms. He would not give particulars,but it does not matter, as we shall soon know. Many special messengers have been posting through here lately from France, with despatches for the Court ; one of them is the steward of the French ambassador, and the others are sent by the English ambassador there. I have two gentlemen, very great Catholics, who keep me well posted as to what is going on, and they left this city for the Court some days ago. They will remain there until they learn the reply from France, when they will bring it to me for the information of your Excellency. In the meanwhile, your Excellency may be assured that the design of the English is to support Mons to hold out through the winter and assist the coast places, to the end that Orange may there establish his winter quarters, and join with the 8,000 foot and 2,000 horse which Montmorenci says he has ready for the purpose.—London, 19th August 1572. Note.—Much damaged by fire.
21 Aug. B. M. Add. 26,056b.	342. Document headed : News from London to Guerau De Spes. The late misfortunes of the queen of Scots arise from the following causes :— 1. The negligence of Ridolfi, who at the beginning of his voyage in Flanders in April 1571 told all his secrets and instructions to Charles Baily, a Fleming, who was a young fellow, and not of the quality fit to be entrusted with such great affairs. 2. The said Charles, having arrived in England, and being put to torture, declared to the Queen's Council all he knew, and more. 3. In consequence of this confession the bishop of Ross was at once imprisoned in the month of May 1571, and has been frequently accused of being the author of all the proposed enterprises. 4. At the same time an ambassador who was in Antwerp discovered Ridolfi's plot, and his instructions, all of which he conveyed to the duke of Florence, who gave a full account thereof to the queen of England. This was declared by the queen of England's lawyer at the trial of the Duke before the peers, so it is undoubtedly true. 5. The duke of Norfolk was betrayed by his own servants, especially by two secretaries, who kept his ciphers which he had ordered to be burnt, but they were handed to the Council instead, and thus all the writings deciphered. The Duke himself when he was first taken to the Tower in September 1571 wrote secretly to one of his secretaries, called Master Bannister, asking him to direct the secretaries and servants to burn all his letters, which were in a trunk at his house, and to urge the bishop of Ross to do the same. This letter was taken and produced at the trial against the Duke.
21 Aug. B. M. Add. 26,056b.	The Council never had any letter of the bishop of Ross', or of his mistress, and the Bishop was accused on the following points :— 1. For promoting the rebellion in the North. 2. For having solicited the Duke and fifteen other noblemen to stay the Parliament held in 1571, and to imprison the Queen of England. 3. For having pressed the Duke and other nobles to seize the Tower of London. For having promoted Ridolfi's plot with the intention of bringing a large foreign fleet to England, and introducing the Catholic religion, liberate the queen of Scots, raise her to the throne, and marry her to the duke of Norfolk. The Duke and his servants confessed that the Bishop had proposed these things to him, but that the Duke refused his consent thereto. Master Barker, the Duke's secretary, confessed that he had been to the Spanish ambassador to declare to him the Duke's willingness to put the enterprise into execution, and that he had handed him two letters from the Pope to the duke of Norfolk. For this reason the Duke tried to avoid the suspicion of being a Catholic by denouncing the Pope, both at his trial and on the scaffold. Before and since the Duke's death the question of executing the queen of Scotland and the bishop of Ross has several times been considered, but it has been prevented chiefly by the Christian King. It was recently decided to hand the Bishop over to Morton and other enemies, in return for the surrender of the earl of Northumberland, who was sold to England for 2,000l., and beheaded at York. The English Parliament has recently been sitting for the principal purpose of passing a law to exclude the queen of Scots from the succession, but the nobles refused their consent, as also did the queen of England herself. The Parliament is therefore prorogued until November. There is a league of smoke between the queen of England and the king of France, it is said with the object of marrying the Queen to the youngest brother of the King, but everybody knows that the Queen will never marry, so that our friends think the league will not last long. Nothing is said in this treaty about the release of the queen of Scots, and it is therefore believed she will remain a prisoner in England, but certain conditions are made with the object of pacifying Scotland, without mentioning the Queen. There is to be a truce for two months there. The queen of Scotland's enemies have told the King of France that she has broken old alliances with the French, and made a fresh league with the king of Spain, this having been principally the work of the bishop of Ross. The queen of Scots has assured the Christian King that this is all false and an invention of her enemies to alienate him from her. The bishop of Ross has been taken from the Tower of London and placed in the care of the bishop of Winchester, pending the Queen's decision as to what is to be done with him. He has been made to pay a large sum of money for his keep in the Tower, and, on this excuse, they have taken all his property, jewels, and even his long gowns, which he wore when he was taken. He is treated like a subject, but is very glad to get off so lightly.
30 Aug. B. M. Cotton, Galba, C. IV. Original draft.	343. Letter of Intelligence (unsigned) from London to the Duke of Alba, Governor of the Netherlands. I wrote to your Excellency on the 19th instant, and since then the following has happened. On the night of the 19th, Casimbrot, who was here from the prince of Orange, left here on his return to Holland, taking with him four ministers of their sect to preach and teach their doctrines there. Mark de la Palma is the manager of these things. Casimbrot is going to give an account of his mission to Orange, and takes with him bills of exchange for 30,000 pounds sterling, advanced by the Queen through the English merchants in Hamburg, to help Orange to pay his troops. They tell him he must establish his winter quarters shortly at ..., and further help will not be lacking from here and France. On the 20th an English captain named ... left this river with 150 Englishmen to join the rest, whilst from Southampton and the Isle of Wight four ships with men and stores recently left for the same parts. On the 21st an English gentleman and another from Flushing arrived at Court, which is still out of London, and had great conferences with the Council. They were despatched at once, and, from what I can understand, they were promised that a large force of men shall be sent thither, which is another proof of the design I have already mentioned to seize and hold Flushing, so as to be on a better footing for negotiating with his Majesty. An English captain also arrived at Court from Flushing on the 23rd, having passed through Antwerp first. On the 22nd M. de la Mole and the French ambassador took leave of the Court, where there have been very grand doings, and La Mole left here on his return to France on the 28th. My two gentlemen have not yet arrived from Court to inform me what was decided. On the 22nd they cut off the head of the poor earl of Northumberland at Berwick, and the head was brought to the city of York, where it has been publicly exposed. On the scaffold he said he died in the Catholic faith, and, that if he had a thousand lives he would sacrifice them all for its sake ; that this sect was bad and false, and other things of the same sort. I have reported to your Excellency that, in addition to selling the goods seized belonging to subjects of his Catholic Majesty, they have secretly sold the wools at any valuation they like to put upon them ; Spinola getting hold of them on his own terms. This is nothing less than barefaced robbery. Spinola is going to send the wool to Rouen, as he has a pledge from Montmorenci that it shall not be embargoed by the owners. Spinola in this transaction has been joined by certain Spaniards who had little thought of their duty to God and their King. If your Excellency wishes it, this wicked iniquity might be stopped by the action of the (Spanish) ambassador in France. Another business on a par with this has been set afoot by some Spaniards here, who have petitioned the Queen to grant the recovery of certain merchandise detained here, on the pretext that it has been concealed and secretly stolen from subjects of his Majesty, from whom these Spaniards assert they hold powers of attorney, which is quite untrue. The Queen has granted their request, and has appointed a commission of four person to carry out the recovery. The value will be very large. I send a copy of the appointment of the commission, but the whole business is simply plunder and robbery of everything they can lay their hands on, and to divide it between them. They have already stolen much in similar ways, which might have been recovered if an agreement had been arrived at. On the 28th the news arrived here (but not the particulars) of the destruction committed on the Huguenots in Paris. This affair has dismayed and grieved the sectarians here, and the Court is quite astounded to see how entirely different from their expectations events have turned out in respect to their new league, and the designs they founded on it, one of which was the sending of troops to Flanders. Great events are expected to spring from the occurrence, and I will communicate what I hear.—London, 30th August 1572. Note.—Much damaged by fire.
30 Aug.	344. Antonio De Guaras to the Duke of Alba. On the 21st instant I wrote to your Excellency by an express courier, enclosing letters which the Queen had ordered to be handed to me, which 1 trust will have been received, but enclose copy herewith. I have received no letters from your Excellency since then, and have only to say that the Queen is hunting, eighty or ninety miles off, the Court being still in London. It was said that she was dangerously ill for one or two nights but is now recovered. Two days since the French ambassadors arrived here and M. de la Mole took leave of the Queen. It is understood that he has not been able to carry through his negotiation for help and money against Flanders ; the conversation has rather turned upon their surprise at the loss suffered by the Huguenots near Mons. Two posts from Paris arrived here yesterday, one of them from the English ambassador there and the other from the king of France to his ambassador here. When they disembarked at Rye, the English post, acting under legal authority, took the letters away from the French post, and with both packets went to the Queen. No news has yet come from the Court as to what they contain, but people who are flying from France bring the intelligence that an incredible event has happened in Paris. If what they say is true, eight thousand Huguenots have been put to death, the whole faction, together with the man they call the king of Navarre, the Prince of Condé, and the Admiral of France, as well as all the principal persons met together for the marriage feast of Navarre. Your Excellency will have full information, but people here are panic-stricken as if they believed it, and, if it be true, the Queen and Council will be equally alarmed. God grant that it may be true and that these rebel heretics have met with this bad end. Since then there is no intelligence of English soldiers going over to Flanders, and this last news will give them something else to think about. The Court is awaiting the reply of his Majesty and your Excellency to their offer to recall the English. It is publicly asserted here that the Earl of Northumberland has been executed, and so I am informed from the Court. As may be supposed, if this news from Paris be true, the league between these people and the French will come to nothing, as people were already murmuring that they could not trust Frenchmen, nor would they establish the wool staple in Calais and Rouen as had been agreed upon. It is understood that the queen of Scotland is well in health, although closely guarded. She has been, however, very ill. It is said that a truce has been agreed upon in Scotland for two months. As I wrote to your Excellency the sale of the wools was simply an excuse for committing a shameful robbery. The purchasers, Spinola and his companions, intend to ship them for Rouen. Our ambassador in France might try to get them seized in the interests of the owners, as having been dishonestly bought and sold. A more notorious robbery still is being planned as regards the goods seized here belonging to his Majesty's subjects which are not in the inventory. The value is over a million and, without authority from the owners and at the artful request of some rogues here, the Queen has ill-advisedly granted the appointment of a commission on the subject, and between the commissioners and these dishonest men, the whole of the property will be dissipated. It may well be considered that if ever we begin to arrange a concord again, the dishonest sale of the wools and the bad proceedings as regards the rest of the merchandise will greatly stand in our way, unless some remedy is provided. Although not much public discussion exists on the matter, a very great deal of private anxiety exists amongst people here respecting a new sect, which, for the last eight years has been strongly and impertinently opposing the prevailing religious sect in the country. It is believed that in time they will give rise to bitter dissensions amongst them, and I send enclosed a printed book which has been brought out by these new sectarians, that your Excellency may be informed of the infernal propositions which it contains. (fn. 3) There are many adherents of this new sect, and they are supported by persons of high position. It is, however, the will of God that the wicked should confound the wicked and error should defeat error. Five or six English ships are being fitted out here, and it is said that two more will sail from Bristol loaded with cloth and other merchandise for Galicia and Andalucia. They are especially going to trade in the isles of Bayona, ignoring the fact that his Majesty has prohibited it. It is to be supposed that measures will be taken to prevent them. After I left the Court I heard that the Council had sent three couriers, one after the other, to Flushing and Brille, and it has been since asserted that their Englishmen have gone to Tregus, as they say here. I have since heard that, whilst the Queen was hunting in company with her principal Councillors, the said post from France reached her, and she read the letters at once, whereupon she immediately abandoned her hunting and returned to her palace, so distressed at the news that all the Court was downcast, although no further details have arrived here.—London, 30th August 1572.