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| 8 May. |
30. The King to the Count de Feria.
By your letter of 29th ultimo I have learnt the steps you have
taken with the Queen in conformity with our instructions to make
known to her the danger and peril in which she is placing herself
and her realm by wishing to alter the religion as she is doing. All
you said to her was so much to the point and in such good terms
that if she had not been obstinate and hardened in her opinion it
would have sufficed to persuade and convince her of her error.
Since however neither this nor other previous efforts have made her
recognize it and look out for herself and her interests, and I have
done my part in fulfilling what was due to the brotherhood and
friendship I have for the Queen in trying sincerely to remedy
the evil ; and seeing also the last reply given to you and the small
hope it gives of any satisfactory result (to my great sorrow) as
Parliament was so near closing, I think your departure will be
very opportune when the Parliament rises. As you point out, it
will be a great alarm to the heretics and will make the Catholics
understand that your long stay has been principally on account of
religious affairs, and the excuse of your being one of the persons
named to go as my hostages to France for the conclusion of peace
is a very good one so far as the Queen is concerned. (fn. 1) As soon
therefore as Parliament ends you can take leave of the Queen and
come here, delivering to her the letter I enclose you for the purpose,
and whose tenor you will see by the copy, assuring her from me
that if I can serve her in any way I shall be very glad if she will let
me know how by you. You will try to leave her in as good humour
as possible, managing this with your great tact and prudence as usual
better than you can be told from here. Do not fail however to
speak to her about religious affairs if you see it is of any avail.
When you go to take leave of the Queen you will take with you
the bishop of Aquila and present him to her saying (as I write to
her also) that I have appointed him to reside at her court as my
ambassador and am sure she will be pleased to treat with him as he
possesses so many good qualities, and beg her that on your departure
she will give him gracious audience whenever he desires it and entire
faith and credit in all he may propose or say on my behalf. You
will leave the Bishop well advised of all you may think necessary
and order him to continue and carry forward the affairs you had
commenced, giving us due advice of what he does in this respect and
other details of what occurs there as you have done, and I write him
to this effect by enclosed letter. A separate letter of credence only
will be sent to him for the first matter in which, after your departure
he may have to present himself to the Queen, as I think that
will suffice for the present. I will have a proper salary appointed
for him and will shortly resolve the other points concerning him,
and will send you advice in another letter.
As regards the marriage of the Queen with one of the archdukes
my cousins the person who was to be sent by the Emperor to
negotiate it has not arrived, but he cannot tarry much longer, and I
shall be glad for you to employ all the good offices you find possible
in order to leave the matter in a fair way. When you happily
arrive here I shall be pleased to have your opinion as to the points
to be considered in this business.
If in fact steps have not been taken to prevent the voyage of the
two ships which were being fitted out for the island of Madeira you
will again speak to the Queen and Council about them as you see
fit. If no conclusion is arrived at before your departure the Bishop
must take care to follow it up.
Respecting the insults offered there to our vassals and the confiscation
of their goods against the tenor of our safe-conducts we have
ordered Dr. Emery (Emereo), who has come about it to be heard and
the documents sent by you to be examined, and after deciding what
is to be done, the Bishop shall be duly advised as you will have
already left. In the meanwhile no harm can be done by keeping the
matter in hand and soliciting redress by every course which appears
desirable.
If Cardinal Pole's apology has not already been given to you,
which you say they were to seek in his trunk of papers, I shall be
pleased for you to get them to use diligence in finding it, and you can
bring it with you if it can be got before you leave, and if not the
Bishop must look after it.
In regard to your desire to know my will about your demeanour
towards the son of the constable of France and Monsieur de Noailles
I have only to say that I approve of what you had decided
to do, namely to send and receive them and invite them to your
lodgings as, for reasons you point out, it is very desirable that they
and others should see that you treat them as friends.
By your letter of 18th ultimo we see the details of the various
persons and servants of ours to whom you had paid their dues, which
was well done, and as regards to what you say about paying off all
the small folk and giving nothing more to the (paper torn) no use
I leave you to do as you think most advisable. You will order the
Chamberlain to be paid all that is owing of his wages and for the
sable cloak which he claims to receive every year, you will pay him
thirty pounds for each one he should have received, which was the
arrangement made with him.
You will also pay what is owing of the rent of the house where
my mules were kept according to the statement sent herewith signed
by Diego Maldonado.
Postscript : (In the handwriting of Philip II.) About dismissing
the small folk and paying them off, do as you say. Do not give
any more to the principal people, and when you arrive we will
see what is advisable to be done. For any good they are at
present I do not see any reason for giving them pensions or anything
else.
Signed : I the King.—Brussels, 8th May 1559. |
| 10 May |
31. Count de Feria to the King.
On the 29th ultimo I wrote to your Majesty and have not received
any letter from your Majesty since.
The news here is that Parliament closed the day before yesterday,
Monday, and the Queen having confirmed what had been adopted,
which I wrote to your Majesty, she now remains governess of the
Anglican church. The Bishops and others who are considered
Catholics are as firm as on the first day, and the bishop of Ely has
honoured himself in the sight of God and the world, for the Catholics
did not hold him in high esteem, and the heretics tried to gain him
over by presents, but he determined to remain a good Catholic and
an honest man. It is a great pity to see what is going on here.
From Easter they will begin to say all the service everywhere
in English, and they have already commenced to do so in the
Queen's chapel. They tell me that everything is worse even than
in the time of king Edward. Lord Chamberlain Howard spoke in
Parliament very differently from what he gave signs of when the
Queen first succeeded. All was to the effect that it was right that
the Queen's wish should be complied with as they were all her
subjects, and she could very well be head of the church, as king
Henry and king Edward had been.
I am told, although I am not very certain, that the bishop of
Ely replied to him that this was not at all what he had heard him
say before your Majesty's Commissioners and those of the king of
France. In short, what can be said here to your Majesty is only
that this country after thirty years of a government such as your
Majesty knows, has fallen into the hands of a woman who is a
daughter of the devil and the greatest scoundrels and heretics in
the land. She is losing the regard of the people and the nobles, and
in future will lose it still more now that they have brought the
question of religion to an end. They make difficulties about giving
licence to Catholics who want to leave the country. In the presence
of the Queen the acting chancellor (fn. 2) told the Bishops that none of
them were to go their houses without permission. They leave themselves
in the hands of God. They are excellent men, and have borne
themselves bravely and piously. I am much surprised to see the
harmony and understanding that exist amongst the godly who up
to the present have shown no signs of wavering, and this makes me
think that if there is to be a struggle it will be more hellish than
ever. The saying of the service in English and the abolition of the
Mass passed by three votes in the upper house, although the
Bishops and some of the principal men opposed it strongly ; it is all
roguery and injustice. The Catholics are in a great majority in
the country and if the leading men in it were not of so small account
things would have turned out differently. It is quite impossible
that the present state of affairs can last.
I have not heard that anything more has been done on the other
side about the marriage of the Archduke and not even what your
Majesty had arranged in the business. I want the matter pressed
so as to make this woman show her hand. Sometimes I think she
might consent to it, and at other times that she will not marry
and has some other design. Pickering arrived here on the night of
Ascension Day and has been much visited by the Queen's favourites.
She saw him secretly two days after his arrival, and yesterday he
came to the palace publicly and remained with her four or five
hours. In London they are giving 25 to 100 that he will be king.
They tell me Lord Robert is not so friendly with him as he was,
and I believe that on the first day that the Queen saw him
secretly Lord Robert did not know of it, as he had gone hunting
at Windsor. If these things were not of such great importance
and so lamentable some of them would be very ridiculous.
They are now making fewer presents to the Swedish ambassador,
and he is still very constant in giving great gifts to the Queen
and her adherents, in order to try and forward the marriage with
his master.
The Lord Chamberlain left for France yesterday, and Lord Strange
and another lad called Lord Ferrars (Feris) still go with him,
notwithstanding what the Queen told me on the matter, as I wroto
to your Majesty on the 29th instant. No more truth is to be found
here. They tell me that Wotton is to go with him as well, but I
do not know for certain.
The son of the Constable did not leave Paris when I wrote to
your Majesty, as has since appeared. There are to come with him
a knight of the order, who has been governor of Metz, (fn. 3) and
M. Noailles to remain as ambassador.
The fleet with cloth and other goods which leaves here for
Flanders has already sailed. I am assured that it carries 30,000
cloths more than ever went before. There are altogether 85,000
or 90,000 cloths, besides other goods. I have already written to
your Majesty what I think on this matter, and since your Majesty
has shown so much liberality and goodness to these people and so
little has come of it, as we have seen, it is only waste of time to
pursue further the same course, unless to lose more by it.
Your Majesty's archers came to-day with the enclosed claim. I
beg your Majesty to say what answer is to be given to them.
I forgot to write to your Majesty that on St. George's Day they
gave the Order to four gentlemen, and two vacancies remain to be
filled up. Those who received it were the duke of Norfolk, the
marquis of Northampton, who had it before he was attainted, the
earl of Rutland, and Lord Robert. Bedford was much aggrieved that
they did not give it to him. He is not such a favourite as was
thought. The secretary (Cecil) Bacon, the treasurer of the household,
and Lord Robert rule everything.
It is to be supposed that when the Pope knows what has
happened he will proceed against the Queen and people here,
and it would be of great importance for him to be informed that
in the time of Henry VIII. the whole Parliament consented without
any contradiction whatever, except from the bishop of Rochester
(Rofense) and Thomas More, whereas now not a single ecclesiastic
has agreed to what the Queen has done and of the laymen in the
lower chamber, and in the upper some opposed on the question of
schism, and a great many opposed the heresies.
It is very important that the Pope should except the Catholics
from excommunication, both to confirm and uphold them, and
also because it is not just that the godly should suffer from the
faults of the wicked, and your Majesty owes them this diligence
with the rest.
I will try to get a copy of the bull that was pronounced against
king Henry and his kingdom, as, in it no one was excepted, and it
will be a great consolation for the Catholics now to know that they
are excepted. It is true that, legally, they say they would not be
comprised, but everybody does not know this. The heretics will be
greatly annoyed at it.
Document endorsed : "Copy of letter written to his Majesty
10th May 1859 from the Count de Feria." |
10 May.
Simancas,
B.M. MS.,
Add., 26,056.
|
32. The Bishop of Aquila to the Duke of Alba.
By the Count's letter to the King you will see the state of things
here which is the most miserable that can be conceived. At eight
o'clock on Monday the Queen went to Parliamentiand exactly confirmed
what they had adopted as they read it from a book. She only left
open for consideration the clause where she is to take the title of
head of the Church and for the present only assumes the style of
"Governor." This is said to have been done on the ground that
she may marry and her husband might then take the title. It is
only a question of words as "governor" and "head" after all mean
the same thing.
Yesterday they took the sacrament away from the palace chapel
and some sort of mass was performed in English, as they are doing
in many parish churches. The Bishops are ordered not to leave
London without the Queen's consent. They say the oath will at
once be proffered to them which they will not take, and that
they will thereupon be all deprived at one blow, and the new
Bishops put in their seats. The decree is to the effect that any person
who shall oppose the doctrine prescribed by the Queen shall lose
his patrimonial property (salaries and ecclesiastical revenues being
confiscated for a refusal to take the oath) for the first offence, and
the second offence is punishable by death. An infinite number of
people would leave the country if they would let them, which they
will not, and I am not sure whether they are wise in this.
The earl of Sussex pronounced an harangue in the upper house
exhorting the Queen to uphold this law, and saying how vain would
be all their efforts if the new enactment were not kept inviolate.
One of the members of the lower house compared the Queen to
Moses, saying that she had been sent by God to lead the people out
of bondage.
The heretics of our own times have never been such spoilt children
of the devil as these are, and the persecutors of the early church were
surely not impious enough to dare to pass such unjust acts as these.
To force a man to do a thing whether he likes it or not has at all
events some form, however unjust, but to force him to see a thing
in the same light as the King sees it is absurd, and has no form either
just or unjust ; and yet such is the ignorance here that they pass such
a thing as this. Religion here now is simply a question of policy,
and in a hundred thousand ways they let us see that they neither
love nor fear us.—London, 10th May 1559. |
| 24 May. |
33. From the Bishop of Aquila (fn. 4) to the King.
I received your Majesty's letter of the 8th instant, ordering me to
remain here for your Majesty's service, following the instructions
to be given to me by the count de Feria. The latter took me to the
Queen, who received me graciously, and promised to hear willingly
whatever I had to say on your Majesty's behalf, and I will take care,
as your Majesty orders me, to advise you fully of all that happens
here.
With regard to present events and state of affairs in this country,
the count will be able to inform your Majesty direct, and I have
now only humbly to salute your Majesty in gratitude for deigning
to make use of my services. Here and elsewhere I will employ my
best efforts to succeed in fulfilling my instructions with the care,
fidelity, and diligence which I am bound to display in your
Majesty's service.—London, 24th May 1559. |
29 May.
Simancas,
B.M. M.S.,
Add. 26,056a.
|
34. The Bishop of Aquila to Count de Feria.
The Emperor's ambassador came to this house, and was so determined
to stay that there was no resisting him, and the countess (of
Feria) was good enough to lodge him in the rooms that I occupied.
He hears more masses than his master. He and I had audience
to-day as I thought better we should go together. He was dismissed
very blankly at first, but the business was set on foot again, and
with at least some hope that they will think of it. They will not
hear Ferdinand's name mentioned. They have no doubt heard that
he is not of their way of thinking. They say Charles has a head
bigger than that of the earl of Bedford.
The Queen says that she has taken a vow to marry no man whom
she has not seen, and will not trust portrait painters and a thousand
other things of the usual sort. They are very anxious to please us,
and say that if it were not for the impediment of relationship the
other affair would have been brought off. I answer them fittingly,
and we are quite harmonious. It is now decided that a committee
of the Council is to discuss the matter with us. This ambassador
does exactly as he is told, neither more nor less, and he is quite
a good fellow, but this must surely be the first negotiation he ever
conducted in his life. The Queen sent Hunsdon, her cousin, to see
him to-day, and they make much of him. We shall see how it
will end.—London, 29th May 1559. |
| 30 May. |
35. The Bishop of Aquila to the King.
The Count de Feria has left here, and Montmorency who arrived
on the same day, Tuesday, went to visit the Queen next day. On
Thursday, Corpus Christi, he went to the palace to take the
oath from the Queen. The latter seated herself near the altar and
ordered Montmorency and the others to sit by her. Several prayers
and psalms were said in English and the terms were then read
although the Queen ordered many of them to be passed over as she
said she was well informed about them. When they were finished
she and Montmorency rose and advanced to the altar, where he took
a bible which was resting on it and asked the Queen whether she
was willing to swear the observance of these terms as the King his
master was to do that very day before her ambassadors. She
answered with both her hands resting on the book that she would
do so. and a great deal more in proof of her friendship with his
King. They dined and supped there that day, and the usual rejoicings
took place, and on the following day they went to worship. On
this day three of the hostages arrived, the fourth, who was the
Provost of Paris, having been wounded in a quarrel with his father-in-law,
as Cecil told me. making a joke of it I do not know why.
On the following Saturday after dinner Montmorency took them to
the palace, where the Queen received them in the first chamber and
they took the usual oath. Yesterday, Sunday, those who had to
leave departed, the ambassador Noailles and the three hostages
remaining behind. I do not think they went very well pleased, and
are less so now as I hear they went rather beyond the bounds on both
sides and there were some squabbles amongst the servants in the palace,
but of no great importance. The Catholics here murmur greatly
that Montmorency should have been present at the solemnity and
ceremonies with which the oath was presented, since, if the oath
were not to be taken with the formalities of the Catholic church it
might have been administered in a room without any religious
solemnities at all. If they had done so and he had given more
thought to religion he would not have lost anything here in my
opinion, but they have conducted themselves in a very boyish
manner.
On Friday morning Baron Rabenstayn, the Emperor's ambassador,
arrived here and came to lodge in this house, which belongs to the
count de Feria, where all honour and good treatment are shown him.
He besought an audience through Challoner and the lords of the
Council and I solicited audience for myself to accompany him and
give him what aid I could as your Majesty commands in your letter
of 17th instant. We were received on Sunday at one and found the
Queen very fine in her presence-chamber looking on at the dancing.
She kept us there a long while and then entered her room, and I
presented your Majesty's letter and asked her agreeably with what
had previously been said on your Majesty's behalf, to consider
how suitable in all respects would be her marriage with a son of
the Emperor, with which object the ambassador came, and I begged
her to hear him and decide the matter with the prudence and wisdom
which God had given her, and which were so great that I had no doubt
she would easily discern how advisable such a match would be. I
did not name the archduke, because, as I suspected, she would reply
excluding both of them, I did not wish to give her an opportunity
of doing so. She at once began, as I feared, to talk about not
wishing to marry and wanted to reply in that sense, but I cut short
the colloquy by saying that I did not seek an answer and only
begged of her to hear the ambassador and reply to him when she
thought proper. I then stood aside a little and left her alone with
the German. Whilst he was with her I took Cecil apart and talked to
him about this business and others to see what he would say. I
understood from him, although not by his words, that the Queen
would refuse the match with one of the Emperor's sons, thinking
that the archduke Ferdinand would be proposed, as he is only one
that these people have any knowledge of and they have quite made
up their minds that he would upset their heresy. He then began
to relate the various offers of marriage that had been made, and
wanted to draw me out about some of them, such as that of the duke
de Nemours and those of Englishmen. I told him my dispassionate
judgment of them, and it ended in his wanting to satisfy me about
your Majesty's offer. He said that if had not been for the impediment
of affinity the Queen would have married your Majesty, but
the matter involved religious questions such as the dispensory power
of the Pope, which it would be fruitless now to discuss as the offer
had fallen through. I purposely avoided answering him although
really I was glad to have the opportunity of talking over these
matters with him to dissipate the suspicion which I think he and
his friends have that they have incurred your Majesty's anger by their
change of religion. I therefore answered him without any reproach
or complaint, and only said that what had been done in the kingdom
certainly seemed to me very grave, severe and ill-timed, but that I
hoped in God, and, if He would some day give us a council of bishops
(Concilio) or a good Pope who would reform the customs of the
clergy, and the abuses of the court of Rome, which apparently had
scandalized the provinces, all the evil would be remedied and God
would not allow so noble and christian a nation as this to be
separated in faith from the rest of Christendom to its grave peril.
With regard to your Majesty's marriage I said that God had ordered
all for the best in this great and weighty matter, and I then turned
the conversation again to the marriages. He told me the Queen had
been informed that the Archduke had a head larger than that of the
earl of Bedford, and was unfit to govern, and other things showing
rather more openly than hitherto a desire that the Queen should
marry. The ambassador here ended his interview with the Queen,
quite despairing of the business, but dismissed with great complements
and polite phrases. When I saw this I returned to her and asked
her pardon, but said your Majesty's earnest desire to see this marriage
brought about made me bold, as I had good reason to be, and I begged
her to consider that in a matter of this gravity touching the welfare
and tranquillity of their kingdoms and those of their neighbours kings
and queens could not always follow their own desires to the prejudice
of those of their subjects without doing great wrong and grievous
sin, and therefore she should not consult her own inclination about
her marriage but should look at the ruin that would come to her
country by her doing so. I said that when she had resolved how
to act in this case she should treat of her intention frankly and
sincerely with the Emperor in order that no cause of offence should
be given to him. She knew, I said, how honestly and kindly the
worthy Germans negotiated and should, in order to come to a proper
decision, truly inform herself of what it behoved her to know, as I
heard that they had represented the archduke to her as a young
monster and the contrary of what he is, for although both brothers
were comely, this one who was offered to her now was the younger
and more likely to please her than the other who had been spoken of
before. I thought best to speak in this way as I had understood in
my talk with Cecil that it was Ferdinand they dreaded, and I wanted
to see how she would answer about the other one and so to clear
the ground and find out whether all this means a desire not to marry
at all or simply to avoid a Catholic husband which in my opinion is
the principal object of the Queen and her associates in heresy. She
was all attention at this and asked me of whom I was speaking. I
told her the younger brother and not Ferdinand, of whom the
Emperor thought he could not avail himself for this purpose, whereas
Charles possessed extremely good and fitting qualities which I
recounted at length. She was a long while demurring and doubting
and telling me she was sure I was mistaken as they had spoken toher
only of Ferdinand. When she was quite satisfied about this by
your Majesty's letter (whereat, as I thought, she was pleased) she
went back again to her nonsense and said she would rather be a nuo
than marry without knowing with whom and on the faith of portrait
painters. We continued at this for some time wasting words and at
last she said she was resolved not to marry except to a man of worth
whom she had seen and spoken to, and she asked me whether I
thought the archduke Charles would come to this country that she
might see him. I said that I could well believe that he would do so
willingly, young man as he was, but I thought his father would not
consent to it, not on account of the danger of which there was none,
but for his own dignity's sake, and that of the business itself. She
repeated this several times. I do not know whether she is jesting,
which is quite possible, but I really believe she would like to arrange
for this visit in disguise. I turned it to a joke and said we had
better discuss the substance of the business which was after all the
"yes" or "no" as to her own wishes, and that with regard to her
satisfaction with the individual, I would undertake that he would
not displease her, and that the archduke had everything to gain by
showing himself.
Finally it was settled that she should call the German back again
and tell him that at my prayer she was pleased to depute some of
her Council to hear his proposal and to give her their advice,
although she was resolved not to trust painters, but was determined
to see and know the man who was to be her husband. We thereupon
left ; the German very well pleased that the affair had been
set on foot again after he had been, as he thought dismissed. On
Monday at three we were summoned and were listened to by the
earls of Pembroke, and Bedford, the Admiral, treasurer Parry,
Bacon and Cecil. The ambassador spoke to them according to his
instructions, and they answered that they would refer and discuss
the matter with the Queen, showing pleasure at the proposal. I told
them afterwards also that I thought they should know before
discussing it how great would be the satisfaction of your Majesty if
the marriage could be brought about, both on account of the Queen's
own happiness and the welfare of her subjects, and also in the
interest of the lasting alliance and union between your Majesty
and her which this marriage would tend to perpetuate. They
answered me very civilly at great length and appeared to give much
importance to this aspect of the question, more indeed than to any
other, and we then left on their assurance that they would inform
us of the Queen's pleasure later on. We shall see what she answers,
and I will send a courier at once.
It seems to me that this ambassador has instructions to take no
notice of religious matters and is willing to let them do as they like.
The evil of this is not in saying it, but in doing it, and on this I
need not enlarge, but only advise your Majesty of it.
He tells me that some of these people have asked him whether it is
true that certain differences exist between your Majesty and the
Emperor, and he has told them that it is not. If he had said it was
true I do not think he would have lost anything by it.
Pickering entertains largely and is very extravagant. (fn. 5) He himself
always dines apart with music playing. He asked after the ambassador
on the day he arrived, and said the Queen would laugh at him, and
all the rest of them as he (Pickering) knew she meant to die a
maid.
Robert is as highly favoured as usual. The Swedish ambassador
was summoned the other day by the Queen who told him she wished
to show her gratitude to his master who had sought her in the day
of her simplicity, and asked him to tell her whether his ambassadors
were coming as she was being pressed with other marriages. They
are constantly getting presents out of him in this way.
On Sunday last they had a procession of the holy sacrament in
Canterbury, in which there were 3,000 people and many worthy
people of the country round.
Whilst I was writing this letter a German here called Dr. Martin
came to speak to the ambassador, sent by the earl of Bedford
and others of the Council to say that they were very well
pleased with the proposal he made yesterday, but they will not
remain so if the name of archduke Ferdinand is mentioned as they
know he is very bad and a persecutor of those who follow the gospel.
The ambassador says he answered that if he was to tell the truth
he could not deny what they said, and for that reason the Emperor
had thought that Charles would be more suitable in this country as
he was more peaceable and docile and would be more easily directed
by the Emperor in matters tending to the welfare of the kingdom.
I told him (the ambassador) that he had answered wisely because
these wicked ones have to be answered according to their wickedness.
The Swedish ambassadors are expected here very shortly. After I
had written thus far this afternoon the Queen sent for this German
ambassador and he went alone, which I thought was best as she
might want, as she did, to speak to him about religion. He says
she plied him with a thousand silly stories. She said one thing,
however, that I think was meant for a hint, although he did not understand
it. It was that one of her fools told her that it was current in
London that the gentleman who acted as the ambassador's chamberlain
was really the archduke Charles who had come thus in order to see
the Queen. In my opinion this only meant that the archduke might
come in this fashion to see and be seen which she hinted to me
last Sunday. She does not want the ambassador to leave, but to
write to the Emperor and await the reply which he has promised to
do ; she writing as well. With regard to the coming of other
ambassadors she said she could not promise to settle anything, but
would be willing to discuss with them any matter he wished.
With respect to the Archduke's coming here, which is her usual
topic, he (the ambassador) tells me she says he had better not give
his master so much trouble in order to see so ugly a lady as she, and
when he asked her whether she wished him to write this she told
him certainly not on her account as she did not mean to marry.
This good man, however, who is not the most crafty person in the world,
says he thinks she is willing. After spending a good while
on this chat she turned to the subject of the Emperor and his sons,
and said she heard that the Emperor was a virtuous, just and worthy
prince, and that Maximilian was a noble and christian gentleman and
a lover of the true religion. She heard that Ferdinand was only fit
to pray to God for his father and brothers as he was so strong a
Catholic, which she laughed at, but that she knew nothing about
Charles, and then she waited to hear what the ambassador would
answer. He says he replied that the archduke Charles was a very
worthy gentleman and an obedient son, and he therefore had never
departed from the path in which his father had put him, but he nevertheless
was a man of knowledge and would be able to govern his
subjects well. I see the ambassador is somewhat embarrassed at this
point, as indeed I am myself to hear his account of the conversation.
For my part I believe he opened out a good deal more than he tells me,
and, as I have said twice, in affairs of this description I do not condemn
words but only intentions and acts as great good may be done, and
if it fail to be done great harm may come of it. This ambassador
up to the present is very straightforward with me and does not
depart from the course he is advised to pursue. I do not know
whether when Bedford sees him to-morrow he will advise him to
avoid my company. I have warned him that he may do so. He
appears to be very pleased with the way things have gone up to the
present and with the good offices of your Majesty to his master to
whom he will write in three or four days.
Although what your Majesty has often heard from the Count de
Feria in respect to the marriage is no doubt highly probable, yet I
cannot help thinking that, so clearly is the need for her to marry
being daily more understood by herself and her advisers, notwithstanding
her disinclination to say yes, I need not despair of her
listening to the proposal, at all events until other ambassadors
arrive to engage the attention of her advisers, for afterwards she
will not scruple to serve them in the same way she is serving this
one. The whole business for these people is to avoid any engagement
that will upset their wickedness. I believe that when once they are
satisfied about this they will not be averse to Charles. I am not
sure about her for I do not understand her. Amongst other qualities
which she says her husband must possess is that he should not sit
at home all day amongst the cinders, but should in time of peace
keep himself employed in warlike exercises.—London, 30th May 1559. |
36. From the Same to the Same.
By the Emperor's servant Martin Danda I informed your Majesty
on the 6th instant of the news here up to that date. Since then it is
said that the disturbances in Scotland between the Catholics and the
heretics have somewhat calmed down owing to the Regent's (fn. 6) having
punished some of the rioters, and having stayed some days in the
town of St. John (Perth) making inquiries, and also in consequence
of the capture or flight of the preacher Knox who had been the
cause of the rising. These heretics here say nobody has been
punished, but that tranquillity has been obtained by a general pardon
from the Queen by accord of all parties. However that may be,
these people are sorry it has turned out as it has and the Catholics
pleased, as they think that what has happened there has been
favourable to religion, and that the king of France is not so neutral
as they make him out to be here, and he therefore has not lost
anything in the esteem of the Catholics on that account. There
has been a great rumour here this week that the Scots would not
agree to the conditions made by this Queen with the king of France
as regards the demolition of the frontier fortresses, and that the
Queen Regent had answered the English Commissioners that as the
English had changed their religion they need not think they were
going to trust them or destroy the frontier fortresses, and the Queen
Regent suspected that the disturbances had been fomented by the
heretics here.
Although I have used all diligence I do not know whether I have
found out the truth. The members of the Council here declare that
in consequence of the tumults having taken place at the time the
Scotch Commissioners were to meet to ratify the peace with the
English the former could not attend, but that they have now advice
that they have met again and peace will be concluded without fail.
They try all they can to make light of the danger, but I have good
reason to know that suspicion existed here, even on the part of the
Queen, and still exists ; that these were merely delays and excuses
to avoid doing what had been promised. They were already
beginning to say in the Council that even if these fortresses were
not demolished peace should still be concluded notwithstanding and
alleging that it was of small importance as soon as the fortification
of Berwick is finished and they despatched a courier to their
ambassador in France on the subject. It is incredible the fear these
people are in of the French on the Scotch border, and if they were
not so confident of the impotence of the French king to make war
upon them for many years to come owing to the many heretics
they say there are in France, who they hope would harass him,
they would certainly give themselves up for lost as they well know
their own weakness, and the many adherents the Frenchman would
have here as the legitimate heir and defender of religion. They
have just begun to carry out the law against the Bishops, and have
in fact deprived the bishop and dean of London, casting them out of
their church, changing the services and doing away with the holy
sacrament, which was done last Sunday the 11th instant. It appears
now that they find a difficulty in giving legal form to this deprivation,
as the doctors here say the Bishops cannot be deprived for
disobeying this law, whose adoption and promulgation they have
always opposed and resisted, alleging that it cannot be enforced
according to the custom of the realm as it is made in opposition of
the whole ecclesiastical body. They would not take this into
consideration, as they ought to have done, before the Queen confirmed
the Acts of Parliament, and it is thus clear that what they
are now doing is through fear of disturbance in the country and of
putting weapons in the hands of their enemies. I am assured that
the majority of the Council are not pleased that this religious
question has been carried so far and great division and confusion
reign amongst them. The judges of England, as they are called,
who have come here for the terms have refused to swear and have
gone to their homes as they have not dared to press them about it.
The same thing will happen to many others, and it is thought they
will not dare to press anyone as they had intended. They say
Bacon has begged the Queen to give the seal to someone else as he
fears to hold it, but notwithstanding all this the Queen and her
partizans are more steadfast than ever, and more determined to
carry out this undertaking. The number and constancy of the
Catholics however frighten them, because they see that they have
not been able to gain over a single man of them either with promises,
threats, or by any other means. They have offered the
archbishop of York all his revenue, and will not administer the oath
to him on condition that he consents to the appointment of heretic
vicar-general, but neither he nor others to whom similar offers have
been made have consented. This confused state of things still exists,
and I do not know how it will be settled as there are difficulties in
depriving them (the bishops) and if they do not deprive them no one
will execute the Queen's command nor change the religion of their
churches as they are Catholic ministers.
The French ambassador has refused to let the subjects of his king
pay the duties newly imposed, but only those which were paid
formerly before the war broke out, nor will he consent that those
who go backward or forward between France and Scotland shall be
called upon to show what money they carry or be searched, or that
they should pay anything for the passport they obtain. These
people here feel these matters keenly, but put up with them all, and
pretend to make light of them, so as not to attract the notice of their
neighbours, and on the other hand they are grieved to hear from
Italy that if it were not for your Majesty the Pope would proceed
against the Queen. It is wonderful how maliciously they stand
aloof from any of your Majesty's affairs, and how they put the worst
construction upon everything that is done for them.
The emperor's ambassador is very delighted and is in high favour
with the Queen in appearance. She makes her intimates think that
she is favourable to the archduke's affair, and her women all believe
such to be the case, as do the people at large, but there is really no
more in it than there was the first day, and I believe for my part
that she is astutely taking advantage of the general opinion to
reassure somewhat the Catholics who desire the match and to
satisfy others who want to see her married and are scandalised at
her doings.
She has told the ambassador how earnestly your Majesty has
endeavoured to bring about this marriage with the archduke.
She has just given 12,000l. to Lord Robert as an aid towards his
expenses.
The cloistered clergy here (religiosos) have all license to go and
have already begun to depart. They are being given alms for the
purpose in your Majesty's name. There has arrived here from
Geneva a physician of Toledo, a great heretic. I do not know what
sort of man he is only that he has come here to live, and was to go
to-day to the palace to speak with the Queen. He says he has
come to know God. The Flemish heretics are multiplying greatly.
Whole families are coming with women and children, and their own
preachers who are those that principally spread their wickedness.
I do not know whether it would be advisable to take some steps
in Flanders to let them know that they, at all events, are being
looked after.—London, 19th June 1559. |