Simancas: April 1574 | 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: April 1574', 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/pp476-478 [accessed 27 November 2024].

April 1574



5 April. B. M. Cotton, Galba, C. V. Original draft.	393. Letter of Intelligence from London (unsigned) to the Grand Commander of Castile (Don Luis De Requesens y Zuñiga), Governor of the Netherlands. On the 8th ultimo I sent my first letter to your Excellency through Antonio de Tassis, postmaster of Antwerp, and wrote again on the 15th and 22nd, reporting what had happened to that date. I have now to say that these people are determined to get the Sluys, and are again sending men thither to ... as there are traitors to be found everywhere, especially amongst the bad people in the States. From what I see, and from the rejoicing of the English, I should say very few of them (i.e., the Flemings) there can be trusted. They (the English) are helping Orange very much there, in the hope of getting Amsterdam into their hands, so that, having the ports, they may prevent any fleet from Spain from finding an entrance. They are apprehensive about this, as they know if a fleet came what would be the consequences to them. I am told by a trustworthy person that differences are beginning to break out in the Council here, and I myself see signs of it. God grant that it may lead to the punishment of these people. The Queen gave an answer to the Chevalier Giraldi on the 30th ultimo about the Portuguese agreement, resolutely refusing him the conditions he demanded respecting Barbary, although conceding that certain Portuguese goods might be imported into England under her license, but that all goods coming without the license might be embargoed. This will show their bad spirit. Irish affairs are getting daily more disturbed. It is said that the earl of Ormond will leave the Court to go to his country with other gentlemen, by land, whilst troops, munitions, and stores will be sent from here by sea. It is greatly feared that the good people will have to give in for want of help, which would be a ruinous thing. French affairs are giving rise to great suspicion here as to the intentions of the King towards this Queen, in consequence of the help and favour she has given to Montgomeri at Guernsey, from whence he entered Normandy to try and raise it. The Queen herself swears she knows nothing about it, and it is said the King is willing once more to make terms with his rebels, which is exactly what they would like, as it would allow them to carry out their designs to get him into their hands and place their own faction in power all over France. The Queen-Mother recently sent here certain trunks of dresses and other things for the queen of Scotland, and the ambassador asked for license for them to be sent, which was refused him. They are talking of taking the Queen out of the care of the earl of Shrewsbury, and placing her in the power of the earl of Bedford, her enemy. There is a suspicion that they may wish to carry out with her what was spoken of before. It is wonderful that these things should go on, and they ought to be known to all princes. The channel is full of pirates, some from Flushing and some English, and no ship will escape them, unless a remedy be devised. It is said that 15 well-fitted ships have sailed from Zealand with the intention of running down the coast of Spain to the Azores, and there await the flotillas from the Indies, to which they will do great damage. The seas are so wide that the princes cannot attend to everything. Yesterday was Palm Sunday, and at midday the officers of justice from the Court entered the house of Lady Morley, the wife of Lord Morley, who recently went over to Flanders. They found her hearing mass, and seized the priest, all dressed in his vestments as he was. They took the image of Our Lady from the altar and carried it on the shoulder of a sergeant before the priest, whom they took through the streets to the Lord Mayor's house amidst a great outery from the populace. They took the good lady prisoner too, with her maiden daughter, her second son, and her daughter-in-law, who are still detained in some of the aldermen's houses. They simultaneously did the same at the houses of two other ladies who are also in custody, as are all those who were present at mass with them. These are grievous events, and touch the heart of those who witness them and hear the blasphemy that accompanies them. God send a remedy.—5th April 1574.
19 April. B. M. Cotton, Galba, C. v. Original draft.	394. Letter of Intelligence from London (unsigned) to the Grand Commander of Castile (Don Luis De Requesens y Zuniga), Governor of the Netherlands. I wrote on the 5th instant, with a letter for Spain, and have little fresh to report to-day, except that I am informed that within three or four days ... soldiers will leave this city as quickly as possible for Holland. These are the 3,000 men I mentioned before as having been secretly got together. They are also beginning to make great preparations for equipping the Queen's ships in consequence of the intense alarm aroused here by the powerful fleet they say is coming from Spain with large forces of horse and foot, which are reported to be sent by his Majesty to the States from Italy, Germany, &c, to take down the pride of their allies. News has arrived here of the events in Paris, of which important signs have not been wanting previously, both in the coming of persons hither from France and the treating with Orange's commissioners in this city. I will endeavour to discover what is going on and report. (fn. 1) I do not continue to send to your Excellency the important advices which I learnt from .. (my friends here?), as I am ashamed to meet any of them now, being unable to fulfil my part towards them, as I used to do. I have been discredited with them by Antonio de Guaras, who lives here, and in whom envy has proved stronger than his desire to serve God and his King. He saw how many letters I received from the duke of Alba, Don Ruy Gomez de Silva, and Secretary Zayas, in answer to my important advices to them, and as some of them came through his care, he kept back one from the duke of Alba, which he still retains ; and, not content with this, in order to effect his wicked designs he, .. with a Frenchman named Giraldi, who was an enemy of his Majesty, went to the ambassador, Don Guerau de Spes, and told him everything he could think of to prejudice me with him, swearing it was all true, in order to ruin me and expel me from the country. I was soon informed by a person who knew, that Giraldi had sent to inform my King of it, and I at once dispatched a man by post to Secretary Zayas, telling him everything. Your Excellency may see the clauses of the letters enclosed. ... In Portugal, for this reason, they will not even listen to me, much less pay me what is due, amounting to three years' allowance, besides 1,200 ducats which I have had to spend in his Majesty's service during the last two years, in the form of gifts to the people who supplied me with the information which I sent to the duke of Alba, Don Diego de Zuñiga and others. No one else could have done it for 3,000 ducats. I am thus in such a position now that I cannot refrain from letting your Excellency know, and begging you to provide me with funds to repay me for the sum I have spent, so that I may be able to continue, until I know whether they are going to remit me anything from Portugal. Think how grievous it is for a man so zealous and desirous of serving his Majesty as I am to be in such dire straits, and pray send me aid promptly.— 19th April 1574. Note.—This letter, like the rest of the series, is much damaged by fire.
April. B. M. Add. 26,056b.	395. Document headed "Substance of Guaras' Letters." Bingham is still persisting is doing the service he offers. He and all his officers are Catholics, which inspires confidence in them. One of the officers he was taking with him was a elose friend of Guaras, who knew him to be a serviceable man, and he had offered Guaras to take Rotterdam. Guaras did not enter into this, in order not to embarrass the original design. Bingham will try to gain over Walter Morgan who has already been paid 1,000 crowns to take 500 soldiers to Holland or Zealand, and it is believed that he will sail with them in six weeks.