Simancas: December 1576 | 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: December 1576', 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/pp534-538 [accessed 30 November 2024].

December 1576



3 Dec.	452. Antonio De Guaras to (Zayas?). The last report I sent on the 26th ultimo by the English ambassador, and I subsequently learnt of the arrival of Don Juan of Austria at Luxemburg. I have written to his Highness to-day, but, as it is my first letter, I send it in this form in order that he may be informed of the state of things here. I enclose copy herewith. Isardo Capelo writes me the favour that your worship has done me about my house, and that my man Sancho de Leive was assisting in my business. God grant that I may be able to repay your goodness some day.—London, 3rd December.
	453. Antonio De Guaras to Zayas. I wrote to-day by way of Paris, enclosing copy of the letter I had written to Don Juan of Austria, and I send another copy by sea though St. Sebastian saying as follows : I have written to the governors of the city an account of affairs here, and I trust that they will have forwarded to your Highness the letters I sent on the 20th and 27th of October, giving an account of the approaches made towards me (i.e., about the proposed intercession of the Queen) by the people here. Dr. Wilson, the Queen's ambassador, I believe, bore instructions to the same effect, and I believe that the sending of the ambassador from here to Spain was likewise principally with a similar object. The Queen will send a gentlemen of her Court named Sir Harry Lee to welcome your Highness. All the English merchants are warned by the Court to withdraw their property from Antwerp in consequence of rumours of some fresh trouble. This is not groundless, because the councillors of this Queen are trying their hardest to bring it about by offers of money and forces to assure and assist the States, in order that they may come to no agreement with his Majesty. To this end they are resolute (although they speak fairly to us) in their attempts to have Gravelines, Dunkirk, Neuport, Ostend, and the Sluys handed over to Orange in order that the Queen may have all that coast at her command when convenient, in case his Majesty should refuse her intercession to settle affairs in the States. She desires to do this in such a way that the Spaniards and the rest of the King's forces shall be obliged to leave the country and, although she professes a desire to satisfy the King, if her terms are not agreed to or her intercessions refused, she will openly employ her forces in favour of the States. I am assured that this is her determination. If his Majesty deigns to accept her offices he will do so, but if he refuses, it is certainly to be feared that she will cast aside the mask, as both she and her Council desire to expel the Spaniards from Flanders more than do the Flemings themselves, in order to be rid of such neighbours as we are. She and her friends are surprised at recent events in Antwerp, and are in fear that London itself may be assailed some day in a similar manner. (fn. 1) —London, 3rd December 1576.
	454. Memorandum of Points submitted by the English ambassador, John Smith, to his Majesty, headed, "A short statement of the Memoranda which I have this day banded to your Majesty on behalf of my mistress, the queen of England, begging your Majesty, as I do, to be pleased to order redress to be provided." (I beg also that your Majesty will be pleased to note in the margin against each clause your Majesty's resolution.) 1. Memorandum respecting the Inquisition of Seville which has interfered with the title and royal style of my mistress, the queen of England, and the other points contained in the memorandum. (fn. 2) 2. Respecting the shameful and unworthy insult committed by the prior of Cambre near Corunna, against the person of my lady the Queen and her royal state ; with other things contained in this memorandum. (fn. 3) 3. Respecting the liberation of eight Englishmen who are prisoners condemned to the galleys and perpetual imprisonment by the Holy Office in Seville. 4. Respecting the promises made by the duke of Alba in your Majesty's name to the ambassador, Sir Henry Cobham, respecting the decree of the general Inquisition in Spain as regards the subjects of my mistress the Queen. 5. That permission should be given to a certain subject of my Queen to take his wife and son to England. 6. That the English ambassadors with their households should be allowed to live in this Court in conformity with the laws of their country, on condition that they do so privately in their own house. 7. Respecting the injuries committed on the subjects of my mistress the Queen in the recent sacking at Antwerp. 8. Respecting the injuries and vexations to which English merchants trading on the coast of Biscay and elsewhere in this country are subjected.
30 Dec.	455. Antonio De Guaras to Zayas. I enclose copy of the last letters, dated the 3rd instant, which I wrote to Don Juan of Austria, and I have now to report that Dr. Wilson has sent hither several of his servants, one after the other, with despatches, and lately sent two men, named Rogers and Herll, cautious and zealous heretics, all to persuade the Queen that, if she will help the States secretly, at present, with troops and stores, and afterwards send aid openly, they will deliver to her all the coast of Flanders. They tell her that she will be acting in the common interest to resist his Majesty's forces and expel the Spaniards from the States, in which she will be supported by all. To confirm this, the traitor Zweveghem arrived here to-day and they have sent to France a similar man, such as D'Aubigny. The Council has been considering the matter all this week, and Rogers has been despatched to Dr. Wilson with letters instructing him to hold out hopes to the States that the Queen will consent. The principal people in London have been summoned by the Queen and Council, in order that this determination may be communicated to them, and the matter is already so public that it is spoken of openly by the councillors themselves, in order that the public may be favourably impressed with it. The earl of Sussex, Lord Steward, publicly declared that if the Queen would give him leave he would go over with such a force as to turn the Spaniards out of the States, and they are talking of sending the Governor of the Isle of Wight, one Horsey, to the Count Palatine, to induce him to continue the alliance which his late father had with the Queen, there being some suspicion that he may be unfavourable to it, as he is a Lutheran and not a Calvinist, as these people are, and unfriendly with his brother Casimir. The traitor Taffin, of whom I have written, is forwarding Orange's affairs, and the latter has sent to Brussels (since the conclusion and printing of the agreement between them) ten standards. After mass at the Cathedral last Sunday the congregation sang the heretical hymns of Geneva, and it is clear now that rebellion and heresy go hand in hand. Those who understand it say that great and public help will be sent, and three hundred soldiers, Walloons and English, leave here to-morrow for Ghent. Every week ships loaded with victuals leave for Zealand, and they are now collecting great quantities of wheat and food on the Queen's behalf for the enterprise. The fears they have of a close friendship between the king of France and his Majesty have made the Council apprehensive lest forces may be sent from France to Scotland, which those who understand the matter say would be a means of preventing these people from helping the States. Since it is publicly stated in Court to incense people against us, there is no harm in my writing freely that they say that Don Juan of Austria has come to the States, not only with the intention of conquering them, but also to marry the queen of Scotland and change religion and Government here. In this connection it is openly asserted that, at the place where she is imprisoned there has been seen in the firmament an appearance of which all the province bears witness, namely, a pillar upon which are fighting a lion and a dragon, with the letters clearly discernible N. (M.?), Q. E., (fn. 4) and many of the people of the place have been examined in the matter. The Queen has sent to the earl of Westmoreland, telling him to ask for pardon and she will give it to him and restore him to his rank and estates.—London, 13th December 1576.
30 Dec.	456. Document labelled "Answer that may be given to the English Ambassador respecting the points referred to the Council of the General Inquisition, marked A, B, C, and D." A. As regards Simon Bourman, who wishes to take his wife and son to England, and says that the Inquisition of Seville will not allow him to do so, no answer can be given until we learn the reason of the prohibition. This will be shortly, as inquiries were made by letter some time ago. B. As regards the monies detained by the Inquisition of Seville from William Bond, because the queen of England, amongst her titles, assumes that of Defender of the Faith, orders have been given that they shall be restored to him immediately, and that in future no detentions shall be made on this account. C. As regards the three points which are alleged to have been promised by the duke of Alba to Henry Cobham regarding the treatment of the Queen's subjects in this country, the following decision has been adopted : 1st. That they shall not be molested or interfered with for, nor shall any account whatever be taken of, excesses committed outside of these realms. 2nd. When they come hither they must duly reverence the holy sacrament of the Eucharist, and must salute it when they meet it in the streets. This applies only to Englishmen temporarily here ; those who reside in this country permanently must, in all things, conform as if they were the subjects of his Majesty, and any Englishmen, either temporarily or permanently here, who exceed or offend in any point of faith for which the Holy Office may proceed against them, shall only suffer sequestration of their own goods, but any property belonging to others in their possession shall be exempt, on sufficient proof being given of its ownership. D. Respecting the seven Englishmen who are prisoners of the Inquisition in Seville, orders have been given that four of them shall be set at liberty, and, as regards the other eight, of whom seven have been sentenced, four to four years of the galleys to be followed by perpetual imprisonment, and the other three to perpetual imprisonment at once, no alteration can be made. Great clemency has been extended to them, considering their offences, but if the Holy Office, in course of time, sees that they are repentant of their errors, due grace and mercy shall be extended to them. With regard to the other man, whose trial has not yet been concluded, all possible consideration shall be shown him. As regards to the sloop called the "Andrew," embargoed in the Bay of Cadiz on the 28th of February 1575, the master and Randalson (?), supercargo, of which, together with the agent of Bernard Fil and John Foxall, merchants of London, were imprisoned by order of the inquisitors of Seville, the following are the facts : The vessel and the two hundred and twenty-six cahices (fn. 5) of salt and other property on board of her, belonged to the said merchants, the salt having been bought on account of them for the price of thirty-five reals per cahiz, and, considering that salt is a perishable article and was depreciating daily, it was decided by a decree of the justices of Cadiz to sell it at public auction, the factor of the merchants having been duly apprized thereof, and the sale was made to Ortimo de Libino for 103½ reals per cahiz, the proceeds being handed to the sequestrator of the goods until the ownership of the ship and cargo by the said merchants should be proved. On the 30th of May of the same year the factor was liberated, and the sequestrator delivered to him the sloop and the proceeds of the sale of the salt ; giving an account to the notary of the Inquisition in Cadiz, and deducting the costs incurred in the care of the ship and merchandise and the maintenance of the prisoners. The owners of the ship and cargo have no reason, therefore, to complain or to make any claim for injury, which they say has been caused by the detention and sale, as it is clear that, not only was the sloop delivered to them two years ago, but they have made a very large profit upon the sale of the salt, for which they paid thirty-five reals per cahiz, whereas it was sold for a hundred and three reals and a half.