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| Oct. 4. Original Despatch, Venetian Archives. |
105. Tomaso Contarini, Venetian Ambassador in Spain, to the Doge and Senate. |
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As long as the Court lay at Burgos the city seemed full enough; but now that it is gone the place is desert. For it used to be inhabited by merchants who trade with England, Flanders, and
France, but owing to the wars, that traffic is cut oft' and the population has fallen in numbers and in wealth. |
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Burgos, 4th October 1592. |
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[Italian.] |
| Oct. 8. Original Despatch, Venetian Archives. |
106. Giovanni Mocenigo, Venetian Ambassador in France, to the Doge and Senate. |
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The English who are coming to join the King will soon be here. His Majesty sends them to this place because he cannot help doing so. He is, as a ride, averse from using foreign arms, and when compelled to do so, he usually keeps those troops near his own person, both in order to prevent them from becoming masters of any strong place and also to check the usual violence of foreign soldiery. |
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Chartres, 8th October 1592. |
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[Italian; deciphered.] |
| Oct. 10. Original Despatch, Venetian Archives. |
107. Leonardo Donato, Venetian Ambassador in Rome, to the Doge and Senate. |
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The Queen of England is said to have persuaded the King of Navarre to declare himself a Catholic urging upon him that it was unnecessary to lose a great kingdom merely because he took one view and not another on religious questions. |
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Rome, 10th October 1592. |
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[Italian.] |
| Oct. 18. Original Despatch, Venetian Archives. |
108. Giovanni Mocenigo, Venetian Ambassador in France, to the Doge and Senate. |
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The Queen of England having recently sent reinforcements to Count Maurice to enable him to harry Friesland, the Duke of Parma has concentrated troops there, and these operations will delay his return to France. This has led the King to disband a large number of his troops. |
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Chartres, 18th October 1592. |
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[Italian; deciphered.] |
| Oct. 28. Original Despatch, Venetian Archives. |
109. The Ambassadors in Rome to the Doge and Senate. |
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His Holiness said that he had heard a rumour to which he would refer, though he thought it was most probably mere gossip of the people, because if it were true it was a matter of great importance. It was declared that the English were about to found an exchange house in Venice with the consent of the Republic. We replied that we had no knowledge of any such intention, and that we thought the report was pure gossip, for, as a matter of fact, there were very few English in Venice, and the majority of these had come there on purpose to enjoy the Catholic religion. The trade with England was completely abandoned, because the English were pirates who robbed the merchantmen that went to traffic in
their ports; and the Venetian merchants had quite given up that commercial route which in itself was long and dangerous. |
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The Pope referred to the rumour that the Republic would send an Ambassador to England, and we replied that if such an idea ever passed through your Serenity's mind it was merely suggested by the great scarcity of grain in these late years, and that the Republic would only take such a step under the gravest necessity. A proof of this assertion was furnished by the fact that although the Secretary Ottobon went to Dantzig for grain he did not set foot in England. |
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The Pope replied that the Republic should take care to avoid giving rise to any suspicion in such an affair; especially as the Queen of England was doing all she could to harass the King of Spain. |
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Rome, 28th October 1592. |
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[Italian.] |
| Oct. 31. Original Despatch, Venetian Archives. |
110. Matheo Zane, Venetian Ambassador in Constantinople, to the Doge and Senate. |
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The Agents for the King of Navarre have been informed that M. de Lancome will not be set at liberty till an Ambassador arrives from France. |
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Dalle Vigne di Pera, 31st October 1592. |
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[Italian; deciphered.] |
