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| 5 Nov. |
71. Count De Feria to the Bishop of Aquila.
I write in great haste to catch the post, and have received three
letters from you since 14th instant. Yours of 30th ultimo just
handed to me.
I await reply from Spain by Juan Gallego about your affairs
before again pestering the King. His Majesty is teaching us that
way of proceeding in spite of us. I am still of opinion that the
Archduke should not come, but my opinion is now of small importance
as his father will not let him come. If Duke Adolph goes
thither the Queen will have no cause to find fault either as to his
good looks or his heresy. We expect Count Helfenstein hourly and
shall see what news he brings. I am urging what you write to the
Duchess (of Parma) and M. d'Arras about Ireland, which I think
you also ought to convey to the King, so that it may not be our
fault if so important an opportunity is missed. Madame will answer
as she thinks best about the horses and arms, but the King ordered
me to tell her not to grant any, and I have not spoken of the matter
since. I should not object to a horse or two being given, but really
I am of opinion that the time making presents is over. It has never
been of any use whilst the other mode of proceeding has. I see you
are now acting the bland and loving with that Medea. The Countess
is still sadly ailiug, but the boy is well. I cannot exaggerate my
anxiety about the license for the Countess' grandmother (fn. 1) and
Clarencis, (fn. 2) and I entreat you not to let the short time to
Christmas slip by without sending it as the good old ladies are
very anxious, as is my wife. In your letter you say nothing about
Clarencis' license which I desire as much as the other, and more
as she has entire care of the child and is wonderfully attentive.
Pray take the matter in hand.—Malines, 5th November 1559. |
| 9 Nov. |
72. The Same to the Same.
I wrote by last post and have since received letters from Spain,
but none from the King who holds these States in so small account
that he cares not whether they be lost or not. He left Valladolid
on the 9th October, and the Cortes and Councils were to sit in
Toledo on the 12th of this month. The duke of Infantazgo (fn. 3) and
Cardinal de Burgos (fn. 4) who came to receive the Queen were to be
on the French frontier on the same day and to convey her to
Guadalajara where the Princess of Portugal was to entertain her,
and the King was to go thither and marry her, and thence to
Toledo for the festivities. You will see by copies enclosed what
has happened in the autos of the Inquisition in Valladolid and
Seville. The Archbishop (fn. 5) was a prisoner in a house (fn. 6) with two
pages and Friar Antonio (fn. 7) to serve him. He had answered the
archbishop of Seville (fn. 8) and they were engaged in considering the
replies. They put Friar Juan in the prison of the Inquisition when
he arrived from here. We shall have full news by Juan Gallego.
The Princess of Salerno has died suddenly in Valladolid. I am
very anxious about Lady Dormer's license which we have requested.
As Christmas is drawing near I have decided to send a person
specially, and I ask you kindly to have the license given to him
as soon as possible as it is most important to me, more so than
you would think. To tell you the truth the want of it may cost
me over 20,000 ducats which this good old lady wishes to give to
her grand-daughter, and her son will prevent it if he can. Neither
I nor my wife want to lose what is our own, and you know how
ready those Councillors over there are to do a bad turn of this sort.
They are letting the time go on until Christmas is past, and if by
that time the license is not despatched they will declare all of Lady
Dormer's property forfeit. Even if she wished she could not go as
she has been, and is, very ill. Olavarria is going over for this, and
I do not send a more distinguished ambassador, because we place all
our hopes in you and he will do his writing with his tongue only.
Much as we desire this license we wish for that of Mistress Clarencis
no less and that knave Cecil, in order to lay his hands on her
goods, will certainly try some roguish trick, so both the Countess
who sends her regards to you, and I, beg you with all our hearts
to carry this matter with a high hand and send us these licenses.
I expect the French will be in such a hurry to open the ball there
that we shall have to dance whether we want or not. I hope to
God it may be so. The English ambassador in France told our
ambassador there that it would be better for England if war broke
out at once with the French, rather than wait until they (the French)
were stronger in Scotland, as it was evident that war would break
out as soon as they were.
We know nothing of what the Emperor says nor has Helfcnstein
arrived : we do not know even whether he has left his house. The
Countess still in poor health and I have the Antwerp physician here
who I hope to God will cure her. The boy very bunny. I believe
Monsignor d'Arras will send you copy of news from Rome. If he
does cot I will do so in future. The dispensation for my brother to
marry my neice was granted whereat, I am glad. (fn. 9) Only think if
they were to make Pacheco pope how he would gobble, (fn. 10) —Malines,
9th November 1559. |
12 Nov.
Simancas,
B.M. M.S.,
Add. 26,056a.
|
73. Bishop Quadra to the Duke of Alva.
He is struggling with the terrible fancies of the Queen, of which
the very heretics are ashamed.
Surprised at the steadfastness of the Catholics. Disturbances
were expected as they were really driven to desperation. Begs
for money to pay pensions and salaries, as not a man dares to
raise his voice in the service of the King, and he is making
enemies rather than friends as he cannot pay his way.—Loudon,
12th November 1559. |
| 13 Nov. |
74. Bishop Quadra to the King.
The matter of the Queen's marriage being in the position explained
to your Majesty in recent letters, a position which gave hopes of its
being brought about, I received certain news which forced me to
try to get a definite declaration from the Queen, whatever the result
might be, rather than the Archduke should be deceived when he
arrived here. What moved me to ascertain her wishes was that
I noticed Lord Robert was slackening in our business and favouring
the Swedish match, and that he had had words with his sister
because she was carrying the affair further than he desired, but
principally because I had heard from a certain person who is
accustomed to give me veracious news that Lord Robert has sent
to poison his wife. Certainly all the Queen has done with us and
with the Swede, and will do with the rest in the matter of her
marriage, is only keeping Lord Robert's enemies and the country
engaged with words until this wicked deed of killing his wife is
consummated. The same person told me some extraordinary things
about this intimacy, which I would never have believed, only that
now I find Lord Robert's enemies in the Council making no secret
of their evil opinion of it, so that in view of all these things, and
as Lady Sidney instead of coming to me as usual with encouragement
was alarmed, I thought I ought not to delay longer in
ascertaining the Queen's intentions. I therefore took every
opportunity of letting her know in the best way I could that it
would be better for her to be more open with us than hitherto,
as we believed the Archduke might be already on the road, and
that as she in that case was satisfied that her reasonable conditions
had been complied with, we on our part ought now to receive some
assurance in the matter. At first she began, as usual, with words
full of hope, but seeing that these did not satisfy me, she drew back
saying that she did not think of marrying, although she might alter
her mind when she had seen the Archduke. I said that this
intention did not justify her in giving leave for the Archduke to
come and see her, and she answered that what she intended was only
to see and know him now, for when she might feel inclined to marry.
I told her that that was the time to see him, as I did not expect
she would marry in such haste when she did make up her mind
as to lack time to inform the Princes who had to be consulted.
She answered that she wanted to act paradoxically in the matter,
and to get married before anyone in the world knew of it ; whereupon
I said, seeing it was useless to dispute any more, that if she
thought of doing it in that way there was no need that your
Majesty's servants should trouble her any more about it. She did
not like me to be undeceived already, as she well knows the danger
which may arise, and told me that she would think over what had
better be done. I asked her that communications on the matter
should be made to the Emperor's ambassador in my presence. The
next day they summoned us, and when we three were together I
saw she still wished to justify herself, so I determined to tell her
what I had hitherto withheld, namely, what Lady Sidney and her
brother and Treasurer Parry had told us, without mentioning their
names. I said that although no one would believe that so wise and
prudent a Princess would bring the Archduke over only to reject
him, yet we should not have dared to write to the Emperor as we
had if some of the principal persons of her Court had not assured
us that she would marry him when he came, and these persons had
informed us that they took this step by her orders, as she had
refrained from telling us herself from modesty ; and we therefore
wished for a more definite declaration from her than hitherto, now
that in all probability the Archduke was on his way. I thought
this would have excited her greatly, as was to be expected if it
were not true, or at least if it were true that she would have put
on some appearance of indignation. But this was not the case,
for without even asking who the persons referred to were, she
answered that some one had done this with good intentions, but
without any commission from her. We were rather aggrieved at
this, as we saw the trick had not been played by her alone, and we
ended by agreeing that we would advise the Emperor of what I
have said, in order that he should decide whether to send his son
on these conditions or not. She was very sorry to have to declare
herself on this matter. The Emperor's ambassador is despatching
a courier with this news, and he has been so scandalized at it all
that he wanted to write a very bad account to his master ; but I
have prevented it, and I believe what he will write will not shut
the door to the Emperor's wish if any better feature in the affair
should appear. I am obliged to complain of somebody in this
matter, and have complained of Lady Sidney only, although in
good truth she is no more to blame than I am, as I have said
privately. If your Majesty pleases to write about it to the Queen,
and the conversation should turn that way in the meanwhile, I will
tell the Emperor's ambassador what, in my opinion, should be done.
Paget came to me the other day and said that, so far as he understood,
the Queen was not entirely unfavourable, although she was still
resolved not to marry until she had seen her future husband. The
opinion of both the Council and herself was that no improvement
in the present state of things here could be expected except through
this marriage, and they were all favourable to it, but that I did
well to get an assurance from the Queen, and put an end to her
indecision. This is all that has happened, and I hope your Majesty
will not consider my action ill-timed or injudicious, as, so long as
the Queen's own words were confirmed by the assurance of her
friends, I thought I could not be wrong if I followed their advice,
but when I found Lady Sidney was doubtful and complained of the
Queen and her brother (Lord Robert), I thought best to put an end
to uncertainty. I also bore in mind that if the Emperor is not
resolved to send his son, this step of mine will be apposite, whereas
if he thinks of sending him it will still be well that he should know
how things stand here before he starts. In case he should have
already set out, in which event I do not know how it would look
for him to turn back again, I will describe the position here in order
that your Majesty may have the question considered from this point
of view and decide accordingly.
As I knew that the duke of Norfolk was the chief of Lord Robert's
enemies, who are all the principal people in the kingdom, and that
he had said that if Lord Robert did not abandon his present
pretensions and presumption he would not die in his bed, I got the
Ambassador to write to him, Norfolk, and also wrote myself, and we
sent a gentleman interpreter of ours to him with Lord Sidney (sic),
who is a kinsman of Robert's, and a great adherent of the Duke, with
instructions to give him an account of all that had happened in this
business, and the point to which we had brought it, in order
that we might obtain his countenance and advice. He replied very
graciously, and sent word that he should rejoice greatly if the affair
could be brought about and was of opinion that the Archduke should
come publicly and ostentatiously, in which case he (Norfolk) would
stake his right arm that he would give us the votes of all the
biggest and best in the land. He himself would come here to be
present at the reception of the Archduke, to whom he wished to speak
before he entered London, and asked us to endeavour to get him
appointed by the Queen to go to meet him. I think this hatred of
Lord Robert will continue, as the Duke and the rest of them cannot
put up with his being King. I am of opinion if the Archduke
comes and makes the acquaintance and obtains the goodwill of
these people, even if this marriage—of which I have now no hope
except by force—should fall through, and any disaster were to befall
the Queen, such as may be feared from her bad government, the
Archduke might be summoned to marry Lady Catherine to whom
the kingdom falls if this woman dies. If the Archduke sees her
(Catherine) he should so bear himself that she should understand
this design, which in my opinion may be beneficial and even
necessary.
The ambassador Throgmorton came from France two days ago
very busy, and they are making much of him, so that we should
think he comes on various affairs of state, but the real reason for his
journey is to hurry the sending of arms to the Isle of Wight, and to
urge forward the fitting out of the fleet. The Queen has taken
Count Mansfelt and another Colonel who is in Denmark into her
service, and I understand she thinks of providing herself in this way
with the troops she requires. If she finds herself very much pressed
she will rather marry the son of the king of Sweden, who is a
heretic and offers her many millions, than the Archduke. The
kinsman of the Swedish King has left to fetch the King's son whom
the Queen says she wishes to see before making up her mind, and
they have told them the same as they told us. I have just heard
that Lady Sidney is discouraged about the Queen, and she sends to
say to me that even though she be in the Tower she will not cease
to proclaim what is going on, and that her worst enemy is her
brother.
I also understand that these people are trying very hard to satisfy
the king of France and avoid a rupture. I think he will be satisfied
if this marriage is not effected at present, Your Majesty understands
better than I the dangers which threaten England from the French
and the evils which may befall your Majesty by dissensions here.
With regard to Ireland I have done what your Majesty has ordered
through the bishop of Arras, but as the answer came late I understand
they have sent to your Majesty direct. The man they have here
has told me twice that they must have recourse to the French if
your Majesty does not protect them. I have tried to keep this
man satisfied and shall no doubt hear from him what is done here
in the business, which information I will convey to the duchess of
Parma.
Postscript : The son of the king of Sweden went to-day to visit the
Queen, and being tired of waiting in an antechamber he went away
to his house without saying a word to anybody. I think he is
undeceived now after scattering large sums of money amongst these
people and showing himself off to the Queen.—Endorsed 13th
November 1559. |
| 18 Nov. |
75. Bishop Quadra to the King.
On the 13th instant I informed your Majesty what had passed
with the Queen in the matter of getting her to declare herself
about the marriage, and the undecided answer she gave us and how
I had shown myself aggrieved against Lady Sidney although I know
that, far from being to blame, she is glad I should take this step, as
she says she will make known to the Queen and everybody what
has occurred if she is asked. I have since learnt that the coming
of the ambassador Throgmorton has resulted after much altercation
in the Queen and Council deciding to give overt help to the Scots
in casting out the French and to deliver the country to the earl of
Arran, and although this is not entirely public yet, I understand
that it is decided, and Throgmorton told the duke of Norfolk so
some days ago. The question of the Queen's marriage is still
pepding, as she shows the same indecision in marrying the earl
of Arran as with the rest, but she and they confess that if he gets
the kingdom the match is the most desirable for the union of the
island and the consequent advantages. Some believe, and I amongst
them from what I see going on in her house, that she is not in
earnest, but only wants to amuse the crowd with the hope of the
match in order to save the life of Lord Robert, who is very vigilant
and suspicious, as he has again been warned that there is a plot to
kill him, which I quite believe, for not a man in the realm can suffer
the idea of his being king. The Queen has simultaneously taken
another step of great importance towards carrying out her designs,
namely, in commencing this war, as she thinks your Majesty and
the French will probably take up arms, which is exactly what these
people want and have been expecting for a year, and, as I understand,
have tried to bring about by telling the French ambassador that
your Majesty was again in treaty for the Queen's hand and meant
to abandon their King's sister, who they thought would never enter
Spain. That now being beyond doubt they have adopted the other
course of commencing war with the object I have mentioned and
are sure when your Majesty sees them in a fix that you must help
them. They thus venture to put themselves into manifest peril,
beginning war without forces with the sole object of setting their
neighbours by the ears and extricating themselves from the extremity
in which they are. They think they will then be able to do as they
like both as regards religion and their marriages and appetites as
well as in the other things they usually do when their neighbours
have need of them. I do not know how to act, and in order not to err
I adopt the plan of staying at home and signifying displeasure both
about the war and the marriage. The duke of Norfolk came here
yesterday, who tells me he has begun to oppose the war openly and
to urge the match with the Archduke on the ground that since the
end aimed at, namely, the defence of the country, can by attained
much more easily by this means there is no reason to go to war
I encouraged him and gave him to understand that his view was in
conformity with your Majesty's wishes and those of all who have
at heart the interests of the Queen and the countiy. I do not know
how this business will end, but I have thought best to inform your
Majesty and the duchess of Parma at once of what has happened,
and that they are publicly sending arms to Scotland. The captains
who were here have gone thither and considerable numbers of troops,
and it is said also that the Queen's ships are ready.
Lady Sidney's husband came yesterday to tell me that the Queen
was sending two ambassadors, one to your Majesty and the other to
the Emperor. He, Sidney, is to go to the Emperor. He wished to
make me believe that he still thought the match with the Archduke
would be brought about. My own opinion is that the Queen is
only sending these ambassadors out of compliment, and to counteract
the reports she thinks we have sent to your Majesty, and the
Emperor and in futherance of her design of arousing the suspicions
of the French that the match will yet be concluded, which they
certainly fear very much. The sending of these ambassadors is
very opportune for her to show that the negotiations are still on
foot and near conclusion and Throgmorton says that he will shortly
return to France, probably to brag and threaten about the marriage
in view of the despatch of the ambassadors of which I will give
notice to Monsignor de Chantonnay. I do not wish to omit saying
that if the Archduke has left Vienna, I should see no objection to
his taking a turn in this country if this would not injure us with
the French by arousing their suspicion that the business was settled.
I am moved to this by seeing the inclination towards his name
shown by the majority of the people and the ruin which, as I think
daily threatens the Queen. She would be succeeded by Lady
Catherine, who would be very much more desirable than this one, as
I have already written.
|
On separate sheet attached to the foregoing :—
Since writing the above letter I have heard that the French have
captured a sum of money that the Queen was sending to the Scots
in a letter from Cecil. This is the first open rupture. The Queen
has summoned the duke of Norfolk to make him general of the
frontier. I do not know whether they will thus cause him to slacken
in the other affair, or whether he may think he can do more in the
position than without it. I understand that after he had spoken
to several of the Council about the Archduke's match, Throgmorton
came and asked him what conditions were offered by the Emperor
to the Queen for the conclusion of the affair, and the Duke sent
word to me. I answered that when the Queen had made up her
mind we would then treat of terms, which, however, in peace or
war, would be very advantageous to the Queen, although we did
not know them in detail as the Queen had never allowed the matter
to proceed so far. I believe Throgmorton wants to be able to tell
something to the French that shall not arouse their suspicion.—
London, 18th November 1559. |
| — Nov. |
76. Count de Feria to the Bishop of Aquila.
The license to hand, many thanks. The Queen has no right
to complain of my wife for having spoken about her for really she
has been most reticent and has never said a word. I believe I am
the culprit for saying what I know to be true, and the Queen will
repent of having behaved as she has to me before a year is over. I
do not understand why the Queen should complain after treating
the Countess as discourteously as she has, and by God I will say as
much to her ambassador, who came yesterday and sent word to me
that he bad instructions from his mistress to visit the Duchess, but
that as he heard she was not well he would do so another day.
License has been given to Granado to take out four horses. He
tried hard for six, but I thought even four too many, and if it had not
been that you wrote recommending it, he would not have got them,
as the King, who knew what Granado had come for, sent to me at
Ghent to tell Madame not to give him a license for any. I am glad
the Queen has undeceived us in time, although I never believed her,
for now the Emperor will not let his son come until after all is
settled, and I think he is right. Even though the negotiations
may be renewed your Lordship should not again treat on this point
as you will hear from Count Helfenstein's instructions. The French
game is to stop this marriage. I believe it must end in war. I go
to Spain as soon as my wife is fit.—Without date. |
27 Nov.
Simancas,
B.M., M.S.,
Add. 26,056a.
|
77. Bishop Quadra to the Duchess of Parma.
The duke of Norfolk spoke out so plainly to Lord Robert the
other day that they separated abruptly, and Robert told him he was
neither a good Englishman nor a loyal subject who advised the
Queen to marry a foreigner. Things are very strained between
them, and the Duke has gone home in dudgeon and refused the
command in chief on the frontier.
The war is unpopular and the Archduke's marriage desired.—
London, 27th November 1559. |