II. PART had eloquently declared, they were referred to London, where there should speak with them Mr. Secretary Petre, Mr. Wotton, and sir Thomas Smith; whereby then was declared the griefs of our merchants, which came to the sum of 500007. and upwards; to which they gave little answer, but that they would make report when they came home, because they had yet no commission, but only to declare us the causes of things done. The first day of this month the emperor departed from Augusta towards Ulmes; and thanking the citizens for their stedfast sticking to him in these perilous times, he passed by them to Strasburgh, accompanied only with 4000 Spaniards, 5000 Italians, 12000 Almains, and 2000 horsemen, and thanking also them of Strasburg for their good-will they bore him, that they would not let the French king come into their town; he went to Weysenberg, and so to Spires, and came thither the 23d of this month. Of which the French king being advertised, summoned an army at Metz, and went thitherward himself; sent a pay of three months to marquess Albert, and the Rhinegrave and his band; also willing him to stop the emperor's passage into these LowCountries, and to fight with him. 27. The matter of the debatable was agreed upon, according to the last instructions. 26. Duke Maurice, with 4000 footmen, and 1000 horsemen, arrived at Vienna against the Turks. 21. Marquess Hans of Brandenburg, came with an army of 13000 footmen, and 1500 horsemen, to the emperor's army; and many Almain souldiers encreased his army wonderfully, for he refused none. October. 3. Because I had a pay of 480007. to be paid in December, and had as yet but 14000 beyond seas to pay it withal, the merchants did give me a loan of 40000l. to be paid by them the last of December, and to be repaied again by me the last of March. The manner of levying this loan was of the clothes, after the rate of 20s. a cloth, for they carried II. out at this shipping 40000 broad-clothes. This grant was BOOK confirmed the 4th day of this month, by a company assembled of 300 merchant-adventurers. 2. The bulwarks of earth and boards in Essex, which had a continual allowance of souldiers in them, were discharged, by which was saved presently 500l. and hereafter 700 or more. 4. The duke d'Alva, and the marquess of Marigna, set forth with a great part of the emperor's army, having all the Italians and Spaniards with them, towards Treves, where the marquess Albert had set ten ensigns of launce-knights to defend it, and tarried himself with the rest of his army at Landaw besides Spires. 6. Because sir Andrew Dudley, captain of Guisnes, had indebted himself very much by his service at Guisnes; also because it should seem injurious to the lord Willowby, that for the contention between him and sir Andrew Dudley, he should be put out of his office, therefore it was agreed, That the lord William Howard should be deputy of Calais, and the lord Gray captain of Guisnes. Also it was determined that sir Nicholas Sturley should be captain of the new fort at Barwick, and that Alex. Brett should be porter, and one Roksby should be marshal. 7. Upon report of letters written by Mr. Pickering, how that Stuckley had not declared to him, all the while of his being in France, no one word touching the communication afore-specified; and declared also how Mr. Pickering thought, and certainly advertised, that Stuckley never heard the French king speak no such word, nor never was in credit with him, or the constable, save once, when he became an interpreter between the constable and certain English pioneers, he was committed to the Tower of London. Also the French ambassador was advertised how he had committed him to prison, for that he untruly slandered the king our good brother, as other such runnagates do daily the same. This was told him, to make him suspect the English runnagates that be there. A like letter was sent again to Mr. Pickering. PART II. 8. Le seigneur de Villandry came in post from the French king with this message. First, That although Mr. Sidney's and Mr. Winter's matters were justly condemned; yet the French king, because they both were my servants, and one of them about me, was content gratuito to give Mr. Sidney his ship, and all the goods in her; and Mr. Winter his ship, and all his own goods. Which offer was refused, saying, We required nothing gratuito, but only justice and expedition. Also Villandry declared, That the king his master wished that an agreement were made between the ordinances and customs of England and France in marine affairs. To which was answered, that our ordinances were nothing but the civil law, and certain very old additions of the realm; That we thought it reason not to be bound to any other law than their old laws, which had been of long time continued, and no fault found with them. Also Villandry brought forth two new proclamations, which for things to come were very profitable for England, for which he had a letter of thanks to the king his master. He required also pardon and releasement of imprisonment for certain Frenchmen taken on the sea-coast. It was shewed him they were pirats: now some of them should by justice be punished, some by clemency pardoned; and with this dispatch he departed. 11. Horne dean of Durham, declared a secret conspiracy of the earl of Westmoreland, the year of the apprehension of the duke of Somerset, how he would have taken out treasure at Midleham, and would have robbed his mother, and sold 2007. land; and to please the people, would have made a proclamation for the bringing up of the coin, because he saw them grudg at the fall. He was commanded to keep this matter close. 6. Mr. Morison, ambassador with the emperor, declared to the emperor the matter of the Turks before specified: whose answer was, He thanked us for our gentle offer, and would cause the regent to send a man for the same purpose, to know our further meaning in that behalf. 11. Mr. Pickering declared to the French king, being II. then at Rhemes, Stuckley's matter of confession, and the BOOK cause of his imprisonment: who after protestation made of his own good meaning in the amity, and of Stuckley's ingratitude toward him, his lewdness and ill-demeanour, thanked us much for this so gentile an uttering of the matter, that we would not be led with false bruits and tales. The bishop Tonstal of Durham was deprived of his bishoprick. In this month monsieur de Rue, Martin Rossen, and an army of Flemings, while the French had assembled his men of war in Lorrain, had sent the constable to the army, which lay four leagues from Verdun, the duke de Guise with 7000 men to Metz, and the mareschal St. Andrew at Verdeun, razed and spoiled, between the river of Some and Osse, many towns, as Noyon, Roy, Chamy; and villages, Nelle, Follambray, a new built house of the king's, &c. insomuch that the French king sent the admiral of France to help the duke of Vendosme against that army. There was at this time a great plague that reigned in sundry parts of France, of which many men died. 20. A man of the earl of Tyrone's was committed to the Tower, because he had made an untrue suggestion and complaint against the deputy and the whole council of Ireland. Also he had bruited certain ill bruits in Ireland, how the duke of Northumberland, and the earl of Pembrook were fallen out, and one against another in the field. 17. The Flemings, and the Englishmen that took their parts, assaulted by night Hamletue; the Englishmen were on the walls, and some of the Flemings also; but by the cowardise of a great part of the Flemings, the enterprize was lost, and many men slain. The number of the Flemings were 4000, the number of the men within Hamletue 400. The captain of this enterprise was monsieur de Vandeville captain of Gravelin. 6. Monsieur de Boissey entred Treves with a Flemish army, to the number of 12000 footmen, and 2500 horsemen, Burgunions, without any resistance, because the en II. PART signs there left by marquess Albert were departed; and thereupon the duke d'Alva, and the marquess of Marion, marched toward Metz; the emperor himself, and the marquess Hans of Brandenburg, having with him the rest of his army, the ninth day of this month departed from Landaw towards Metz. Monsieur de Boissey's army also joined with him at a place called Swayburg, or Deuxpont. 23. It was agreed, that because the state of Ireland could not be known without the deputy's presence, that he should, in this dead time of the year, leave the governance of the realm to the council there for the time, and bring with him the whole state of the realm, whereby such order might be taken, as the superfluous charge might be avoided, and also the realm kept in quietness, and the revenue of the realm better and more profitably gathered. 25. Whereas one George Paris an Irishman, who had bin a practiser between the earl of Desmond and other Irish lords, and the French king, did now, being weary of that matter, practise means to come home, and to have his old lands in Ireland again. His pardon was granted him, and a letter written to him from my council, in which he was promised to be considered and holpen. There fell in this month a great contention among the Scots, for the Kers slew the lord of Balcleugh, in a fray in Edinburgh; and as soon as they had done, they associated to them the lord Home and all his kin: but the governour thereupon summoned an army to go against them; but at length, because the dowager of Scotland favoured the Kers and Homes, and so did all the French faction, the French king having also sent for 5000 Scotch footmen, and 500 horsemen, for his aid in these wars, the governour agreed that 5000 footmen under the leading of the earl of Cassils; and 500 light-horsemen, of which the Kers and the Homes should be captains, and go with such haste into France, that they might be in such place as the French king would appoint them to serve in, by Christmass, or Candlemass at the furthest. And thus he trusted to be well rid of his most mortal enemies. |