|
|
668. E. Douglas to Archibald Douglas. |
|
1588, May [17]. |
The bearer, John Sutherland, returning from Flanders through England to this country, hard by Carlisle, was spoiled by the mayor and inhabitants of that town for lack of a safe-conduct, and detained prisoner until Lord Scrope set him at liberty. Requests his favour in assisting the poor man to recover his goods, seeing the takers of them are responsible.—G[lasgow] (?), — May 1588. |
|
Modern endorsement :—17 May. |
|
¾ p.
|
|
669. P. Denais to Sir Francis Walsingham. |
|
1588, May 20. |
Being charged by his master Duke John Casimir with matters which much concern the Duke's welfare, trusts he will not take it ill if he uses his utmost efforts, and causes Walsingham more trouble than he could wish. The occasion of the present letter is, that having understood yesterday by the remarks of her Majesty, that she would have to furnish plenty of money, according to writer's
request, but that she did not care to lose money for nothing, as happened to her in this last French journey, he [Denais] thought it his duty to point out to her the reasons, notwithstanding the discontent caused by the expedition, she ought, for her own profit, to help his master. Prays Walsingham to advise this, which he [Walsingham] knows not only to be equitable but also expedient. |
|
If her Majesty should adhere to her first resolution, asks to be informed as soon as possible, so that writer may return to his master and relieve his suspense; in order to provide for his affairs henceforward by such means as she knows of.—London, 20 May 1588. |
|
French. 2 pp.
|
|
670. Eichard Fenys to Lord Burghley. |
|
1588, May 23. |
Mr. Alye beinge willed to demawnde of me divers things towchinge the estate of Mr. Ewter, in the behalf of my L. of Lester, afterwardes tolde me that your L. in the beginnynge of the terme moved him that, if he departed withe his warde he would then leave her unto me, for that your L. had hard that I offered him well for her. Sithence in the end of the terme he himself had moved your L. that, forasmuch as I sought him not therein, it would please your L. to give him leave elsewhere to dispose of her, insomuch as he being, as he saith, offered viij hundred pounds for her, is to lett another have the sight of her, and that att his owne howse this next terme, if before the beginynge therof I doe not agree withe him att that price. Therefore, first, my good L., I assure you I never offered him any thinge in my life for her, only thus I said to him, that if she were any body's daughter in England but my wife, I would thinke her dearly bought at 400li at the uttermost, saying notwithstanding that sithence her mother was now withe childe and ix or x weekes quicke, if he would forbeare to send for her until she were delivered, I would bear part of his losse of 60li, the which he had disbursed, if in that interim it should happen she should die. But, my L., without any thought, God is my wittness, either to dissemble or irsinuate, I humbly advertise you that as I desire in this world nothing more than by good deserte to assure unto me the faithe and affection of her whom it hathe pleased God now to appoint to have an equal care with me of the maintenance of such poor estate as we live in, wherein she hath well discharged the opinion of that vertue and discreatness the wch hath been formerlye had of her, yett by the grace of God, so far shall it ever be from me by unseemly practise or dishonest devise to differ from myselfe as that (although there may be no greater grief unto me then to bring danger to my wife, and loss to that we bothe hope to have comfort of) yet will I endure all crosses rather than by double dealing and indirect course seek at all to prevent the greatest mischief. Nevertheless, if it may please your L. by entreaty to procure Mr. Alye to suffer the mother quietly to enjoy the comfort of her daughter until she shall bring forth that she goeth withal, I must acknowledge myself as ever most bounden, but happily his hope being by the opportunity of the mother being with childe to advance his benefit the more, his importunity is the greater. But in all honesty I am bound never to deal doubly with any, if therefore unto your L. I should forget the best part of my duty, without your L. good liking and allowance first had in the premises, the which I neither seek for, or would willingly otherwise accept of, butt withe such thankesgeving first yielded as the greteness of your L. favor and the continuance thereof in the same degree may justly chalendge from me, then lett me never receave further favor, or good
opinion be held of me, only craving that by your favor I may retein the comforte of the mother untill the time of her deliverance, after wch time, if it woulde pleas Sr Thomas Sitcill to buye her, I could be willing to contribute, if she myscarry, towardes his loss, otherwais if it myght pleas him by your L. allowance butt to use his name in buying of her, in such sort as her friends nryght procure her advawncement, and yett in no sorte to the abuse of your L., I would for the mothers comfort impair my estate rather then that the mother shoulde be deprived of her comforte, and the daughter disparaged by her matche, and yet by transmutation suche myght be the favor of your L. as that within a small tract of time the wardship of some one, bestowed for the better advancement of that my wife may bring forth, may not only as well content her but fully satisfye therefore myselfe, and then Sir Thomas Sicill stande possessed thereof to his own use. And so most humbly craving pardon, etc., this 23rd of May. |
|
Endorsed :—“23 May 1588.—Mr. Rich. Fynes.” |
|
2 pp.
|
|
671. Richard Douglas to Archibald Douglas. |
|
1588, May 26. |
When I had thought and determined almost with myself to have left off any dealing with his Majesty for a time, until some better occasion had intervened, and when some more good both for advancement of his service and for your purpose might have been wrought by my labours, specially seeing my brother sufficient to have dealt in whatsoever you would have directed during his abode here, behold against my will and half forced by him I am compelled to enter where he left off. The causes moving him to change his first course I leave to himself. For my own part, since the receipt of your letter bearing date 27 of April, I have been in the north parts, in appearance to visit some of my friends, but in truth to learn the intention and purposes of the nobleman and his faction who sought you so earnestly and offered me so fair, and to cause your answer contained in that letter, at least a part thereof, to be made known to him. I perceive for lack of good handling their purposes almost all gone back, and all their grounds failed them, by their own unjust dealing, so that, except by the coming of foreign forces they take new courage, they shall do nothing, and all their enterprises shall go in the air. Always the nobleman remains well satisfied with you, and if ever hereafter she shall fall in credit (as there is great appearance, if the gentlewoman whom he should marry come home, for whom for the same cause he has sent) he promises to let you have the proof of his honest friendship, but the rest of the matter I remit to this other letter sent from your friend P., who had longer conference and more large instructions. |
|
At my coming again to Court, where I left my brother minded to have delivered your letter to his Majesty and conferred with his Highness upon the heads concerning his service contained in your other letters,, I found that for some causes moving him, which I commit to his. own discourse, he had neither done the one nor the other; but desired me to take the burden upon me, in respect that it could not. conveniently be discharged by him, which lest I should have slipped any opportunity to do you service I could not refuse. Upon the next day thereafter, the 22nd of this month, I went to his Majesty, where, after some excuse of my absence in the North for some my own particular affairs, I first delivered him your letter, desiring his Highness to excuse the old date thereof, both because it came with M. du Moulins, who journeyed but slowly, (and this I said to excuse my brother's long
keeping of it beside him) and then by reason of my absence. After his Majesty had perused it, I began to deduce to him particularly the inconvenients fallen out to the hindrance of his service by the inhonest dealing used against you in sending back of your letters, and I forgot nothing of that which you set down at length in your letters. Thereafter I complained that the Lord Hunsdon, upon the report as he alledged of some of his Highness's servants, had given it out that his Majesty had disavowed you to be his servant; and thereupon I entered to discuss upon the form of your proceedings in doing his Majesty service since the death of the Queen, his mother, and how that whatsoever you had propounded to the Queen or her councillors since that time, you had done it as of yourself, and not as having any command from his Majesty, but yet you would be sorry for all your good services to be disavowed to be his servant, which you always would esteem your greatest honour, and so I concluded that by this kind of proceeding you were driven to great uncertainty, whether you should continue in advancing of his Majesty's service there as you had done heretofore, or else abstain altogether, and therefore I desired in your name that his Highness would certify you whither you should leave off from dealing in his service, or, if it were his pleasure you should continue, that his Majesty would prescribe the form and order that you should use in your proceeding, for, for your part, you would never believe, whatsoever should be said in the contrary, that his Majesty was . . . . of the inhonest dealing used against you, in your letters having so good a proof of his princely and Christian nature, and that in your defence against all your unfriends. To this his Majesty answered that, as I had heard before of him, so he knew nothing of the inhonest dealing against you, and there protested he had never done me the wrong to send back any letters he had received from me, and that all those whom he had examined thereupon had denied it to him, but in time coming he promised to render unto me all such letters as I should deliver him from you. And as for disavowing you for his servant, he assured me that he had never uttered such words to no man, far less had he commanded it to be spoken to the Lord Hunsdon; only this, when Lord Hunsdon sent in by Carmichael to know if you were his Ambassador, and if his will were that your packets should go, he answered that suppose you were not his Ambassador, as he would have none there after so many injuries, yet he would not have your packets stayed. Last, he affirmed that for all that could speak to him in the contrary, he would be served by you, and commanded you to continue therein, seeing you knew sufficiently the end whereat he shot, the form and fashion he referred to you, which he should authorize at convenient time. Hereupon I pressed to have letten his Majesty understand the remedies set down by you, but his Highness desired me to stay and await some more convenient time, for he was very busy, the commotion of the nobility and barons kept him from any leisure to speak or think of other affairs. From that time till the hour of his departure on the 25th, I waited still for further conference, &c.—Edinburgh, this 26 of May 1588. |
|
P.S.—His Majesty is very desirous to understand the state of other countries by your letters, but principally of France and Spain. Your last advertisements came to him in good time, while he was in suspense of the certainty of the late accident in France, whereof he is very earnest to learn the effect it has wrought. M. de Moulins has his service recommended to you, your lordship is beholden to him for his good report. |
|
2½ pp.
|
|
672. Thomas Hemingway and Anthony Bartlett, Yeomen of the Queen's Confectionery, to the Queen. |
|
1588, May. |
Two petitions referring to leases in reversion of the parsonage of Fordham, Cambridge, and of the mansion house of the parsonage of Bradborne, Derby. |
|
Endorsed :—May 1588. |
|
2 pp.
|
