1

CXIX.

2
3    M^r Edmondes. Vntill this very day wee haue not heard one
4worde of yo^w since your departure, w^ch kept vs in douptfulnes of your
5safetie till by your letter bearing date the xix^th of this moneth her
6may^tie receaved full and ample satisfaccon for as much as concerned
7your owne proceadinge only that w^ch yo^w wrytt concerning the Truce,
8or Peace, did not so clearely make mencion of the partyculer point,
9whether her may^tie should be by the agreament betwene them comprehended
10in the same or noe, as by a letter from Mo^r Villeroy it
11appeareth, wherin he wrote to Mo^r ffontaine w^th theis wordes. Yo^w
12maie let the Queene knowe, (for I speake it not by hearesay) that her
13may^tie is comprehended by the assent of the Spaniard into the Treatie,
14and therefore yo^w shall do well in y^e next to wryte what yo^w heare,
15althoughe I doupt not before the arryvall of this, but wee shall heare
16more by the personne that the kinge sendes hither. The present
17occasion of this dispatche is shortly this. This very day advertysement
18is come to the Queene of the ffleet of Spaine w^ch is issued from
19fferoll and the Groyne the viij^th of this moneth beinge 120 sayle w^th
2010000 souldyers 2000 Maryners and many Mylls for Corne, many
21woemen, 300 horse and many Materyalls for ffortificacon~s. That this
22is no ffable yo^w may advertyse the king, that a small man of warre of
23England being at sea fell into their company in y^e night in a storme,
24and seing one of their small shippes in distres to the Leewarde, bare
25vp w^th her, fought w^th her, and tooke her; but after he had possessed
26her, and thought to beare for Ingland, some of the ffleet chased her,
27and so she was forced to let her goe, but tooke out seaven men of her,
28the Cap^en, the master, and others, whose examinacon~s being taken at
29Plymmothe, was sent vp this day, and contayneth what before I
30spoke of, and that their Rendes vous was to come for ffalmoth.
31This being certaine that at sea thay were mett, and it appearing
32fully, that but for the east wyndes w^ch haue blowen straynably, they
33had ben at their Place of descent, hath given her may^tie iust cause
34to looke about her, having nowe no ffleet in readynes to fight w^th

page 304

35them at Sea, but o... OBLITERATED trust to the land defence, And
36therefore she lytle doupteth ... OBLITERATED king wyll in any sort
37myslyke the sodden revocacon~ of the Troupes of Pycardy to serve
38herselfe. ffor this is of all certentye, ether it is for Irelande or
39Englande, yf for Englande, then are wee to doupt the taking in of the
40Army of the Lowe Contreys to be transported, w^ch (as it falleth out)
41need not feare ffraunce if the Truce be made as all the world sayes it is,
42and as shrewd circumstances discover: ffor wee see the Car^all hath lost
43Amyens, followes not Count Mawryce, but keepes his fforces togeither
44and nowe soddenly drawes them downe to the sea syde. This her
45may^tie Requires yo^w to lay feelinglie before the king, as Reasones
46sufficient to dispence w^th her Revocacon~, the Erle of Essex having most
47of her ma^tes Cap^ens in y^e voyag, and theie being fitt to be imployed in
48this kingedome, if he should attempt y^e Ile of Wight or any Place nere
49the harte of the kingdome. This being all at this tyme w^ch my leasure
50will permytt me to wryte exspecting howerly to heare of their arryvall
51if the storme haue not forced them to their owne coast againe. And so
52I commytt yo^w to God. ffrom y^e Cort at Whithall the xxvj^th of Oct. at
53xj^en in y^e night.
54
57
60

page 320

61

CXXV.

62
63    M^r. Edmondes: It is no highe tyme That I do certifie yo^w of the
64receipt of all yo^r packetts (whereof I receaved iiij^or dated in October
65and Nouember and two in december) And that her may^tie is very well
66satisfied w^th yo^r proceadinges.
67    What Mons^r de Maisse had to propounde yo^w knowe well enoughe
68and therefore I need not touche it: But in short this yo^w shall knowe.
69That the States refuse Treatye, desire the Queene to stoppe her eares
70to it, and doe send to Roane deputies to meet the king or his ministers
71whom they hope also to overcome w^th infaylible argum^tes, and to
72moue him to contynue in a warre, rather than to make peace; Her
73May^tie therefore being desirous to heare howe thinges are carryed there,
74and to see howe the kinge digesteth this their refusall will send over
75also some deputies, to ioyne in Conferrence w^th the kinges Mynisters
76and theirs, to the intent that as they are all in a Bande of Confederacy,
77so they may ioyntly resolue ether to giue eare to Treatye, or to provyde

page 321

78for warres contynuance, and then each other open, what one party will
79have of an other and howe they are able to performe it, or to hold it
80out W^th this Resolucion Th'embassadour is lyke to come away, w^ch is
81the sowndest and most necessary; ffor to treat w^th Spaine before this
82Conferrence, were not in good proporcion, but because he hath not yet
83had this aunswere giuen him, yo^w may make vse of it only as yo^r
84discrecion shall serve yo^w. Other thinges for the present I haue not
85worthy yo^r knowledge but do rest assuredly.
86
89
93