|
|
| 3 June. |
132. Bishop Quadra to the King.
On the 5th May I advised your Majesty of the decision arrived at
here about the sending the representatives to the Concilio, and I sent
copy of a letter I had written to M. Robert by which your Majesty
will see, in detail, all that has passed in this business. He has since
tried to appease me, but with arguments of little weight. Cecil also
came to excuse himself and tried hard to make me believe that if it had
not been for the Irish events caused, they say, by a papal Nuncio
who is still there amongst the rebels and has published certain
addresses from the Pope, the Queen would have been pleased to receive
the Abbeé Martinengo and to have made some arrangement about
the Concilio. I have made clear to both of them that so far as your
Majesty is concerned I have no reason to be aggrieved ; they having
been the originators of the negotiations were at liberty to discontinue
them as they alone had begun them. I nevertheless laid the blame
on Cecil rather more and complained of his want of sincerity, and
the heat with which he has taken up the religious question which
he himself confessed he did not understand. I thought best to treat
the matter in this way as it will be easy afterwards to appear more
aggrieved if your Majesty wishes it.
Cecil asked me to speak to the Queen urging her to marry, but
I excused myself by saying that I did not feel I had sufficient
authority to persuade her in so important a matter, and thus withdrew
without declaring myself. In conformity with your Majesty's
orders I am endeavouring to let the Catholics know all that passes
and your Majesty's desire to help them, which they wish you to do
by other means. They have pressed me much in this particular
lately as your Majesty may deign to hear personally from Pedro
de Oviedo, a servant of mine who left here on the 21st ultimo by
sea, to whom I have told something of this without mentioning
names. I have endeavoured hard to understand thoroughly this
recent negotiation with me, and I have come to the conclusion that
the foundation of it was to prevent the Queen of Scots from
marrying into your Majesty's family, as they knew that with that
claim, and the Catholic party with you as well as your Majesty's own
forces, a great change could suddenly be brought about here. To
check this and get time to provide against emergency they thought
necessary to make a great show of wishing to amend their ways as
regards religion, and subject themselves to the devotion and protection
of your Majesty, from which intention the Queen herself probably
was not averse, particularly if she saw herself driven in a corner by
this business of the Queen of Scots and by the other people in
Germany and France, and above all, if Vendome and his heretics
were less powerful in their country than at present.
This was the reason why they proposed this business of Robert's
to me shortly after the death of the king of France, thinking to
befool me with it for a long time, but they have not succeeded, as
the coming of the Nuncio has forced their hand. Whilst this has
been going on they have been pushing their affairs hotly in Germany
and scheming in Scotland for the Queen not to marry a foreigner,
which was the object of M. James' (fn. 1) visit to France, and finally with
the intention which I stated at the time, they sent the earl of Bedford
to ally them with Vendome and the other French heretics. I have
no doubt this has now been effected because, in addition to many
other signs I have seen, the French ambassador himself signified it
to me very clearly, and as he is a strong partisan of the Guises he
could not keep silent about it. When they thought their business
was secure they were emboldened to declare themselves which
however, as I have said, they did not expect would be so soon.
With the object of preventing any disturbance in the county this
summer which could give an excuse for the interference of their
neighbours they have thought fit to apprehend all the Catholics they
could lay hands on, and so to make sure of them. Any cause,
however small, has sufficed for their imprisonment and even in cases
where nothing is proved against them but hearing mass, the
punishment for which on the first occasion is only a fine of 200
ducats, they have shut them up where no one can see them, and refuse
to punish them according to the law as they are determined to keep
them fast. They have used great efforts to find out whether I was
doing anything against the Queen so as to be able to complain to
your Majesty and make it an excuse for arousing the indignation
of those in Germany, but up to the present they have found nothing
of what they sought. During Loughborough's examination they
asked him if he had been in favour of Queen Mary of blessed memory
appointing your Majesty as her successor ; as if that were a crime,
and they have put questions of this sort to all of them. As they can
discover nothing and fear I may do them a bad turn, and as they
want to make people think that a good understanding exists between
your Majesty and the Queen, they have now agreed to write to your
Majesty the excuses and promises contained in the letter herewith
enclosed, which the Queen ordered to be handed to me in the
presence chamber before a great many people and herself at the same
time expressed much friendship and affection for your Majesty and
our lady the Queen. These artifices, however, would be of little
avail if the people here were such as they ought to be and if she did
not avail herself of force as she does.—London, 3rd June 1561. |
—
Spanish MS.
Brussels
Archives.
B.M.
Add. 28,173a. |
133. The transcript of the aforegoing letter in the Brussels
Archives has the following additional paragraphs at the
end :—
What they are doing here now is to make themselves strong in
Ireland, the earl of Sussex has gone thither with 3,000 men
and a great quantity of artillery and stores. They announce that
it is for the purpose of punishing the Grand O'Neal and other
leaders of those savages who will not consent to the religion being
changed, but as that matter is not worth the expense the Queen is
being put to, especially now that the earl of Kildare and other Irish
lords under suspicion have been brought here, it is more likely that
these preparations are being made in the fear that if a fleet should
be sent from Spain to Ireland the passage to Scotland would be
open to it, and thence the entry into England easy. It is to be
concluded that this idea is not only founded on the marriage of
the Scotch Queen, but also upon a prophecy that is very current
amongst these Catholics to the effect that the ruin and destruction
of this line of kings of England is to commence in Ireland. They
sent out three ships lately on the pretence of seeking the pirates
that infest the Channel, but they really went to Ireland to overhaul
the ships that arrived at that island, and in the meanwhile the
robbers have returned and commit their depredations every day,
whilst the only excuse these people can give me is that the pirates
are Scotsmen and they cannot come across them.
The marriage affair is being pushed forward with all diligence,
and some people think it will soon be brought about, and the duke of
Norfolk will put up with it. It is quite possible, and that this state
of affairs may continue so long as no one quarrels with these people,
but it seems incredible to me that they can hold out, considering
how badly this affair is looked upon. Great sorrow has been caused
here by your Majesty's orders that no foreign ships should be loaded
in your kingdom (Spain), and I am given to understand that the
loss to them in freight alone on the goods they have to bring from
Spain will be 150,000 ducats a year. When the subject was being
discussed by some members of the Council in the presence of some
French gentlemen (hostages) in the presence chamber, the earl of
Bedford said that they would use the money in fitting out ships
to take those that came from Spain in the Channel, as it will be
licit for them to provide themselves with what they need. If they
do not carry out this threat it is certain that they use it, and it is
as much talked about in London as if it were to be really undertaken
to-morrow. |
| 30 June. |
134. Bishop Quadra to the King.
On the 3rd instant I gave your Majesty an account of affairs here
since the decision of the Queen about the visit of the Nuncio, and
the news now is that Walgrave and his wife and Warton (fn. 2) and some
more of the Catholics, recently arrested, have been sentenced to the
penalty provided by the statute for hearing mass. Although the
sentence was pronounced at Westminster with all the solemnity
usual in cases of treason, nothing was found against them but the
hearing of mass. They also degraded five or six clergymen as
wizards and necromancers, in whose possession were found calculations
of the nativity of the Queen and Lord Robert, and I know
not what other curiosities of the sort, but all of small importance
except in the hands of those who were glad to jeer at them.
On the day of St. John the Queen ordered me to be invited to a
feast given by Lord Robert, and, touching these sentences, I asked
her Majesty whether her councillors and secretaries were not nearly
tired of mocking Catholics, and if they had done any great service
to the State in the efforts they had made to discover plots. She
replied that the secretary was certainly not to blame, and the others
might say as they pleased, but it could not be denied that your
Majesty had done good to all and harm to none in the country, and
much more to the same effect. I still showed that I was offended
and dissatisfied at her Council in general, and advised her to take
care what she did, and not to surrender herself to men so fanatical
as these, and especially in what concerned religion, directly or
indirectly, because if she did she would never succeed in pacifying
her kingdom. I said much to the same effect which she listened
to with her usual patience and with many thanks. In the afternoon
we went on board a vessel from which we were to see the rejoicings,
and she, Robert, and I being alone on the gallery, they began joking,
which she likes to do much better than talking about business.
They went so far with their jokes that Lord Robert told her, that,
if she liked, I could be the minister to perform the act of marriage,
and she, nothing loth to hear it, said she was not sure whether I
knew enough English. I let them jest for a time, but at last spoke
to them in earnest and told them that if they listened to me they
could extricate themselves from the tyranny of the councillors who
had taken possession of the Queen and her affairs, and could restore
to the country the peace and unity it so much needed by re-instating
religion. If they did this they could effect the marriage they spoke
of, and I should be glad, in such case, to be the minister to perform
it, and they might punish severely those who did not like it, as they
could do anything with your Majesty on their side. As things were
now I did not think the Queen would be able to marry except when
and whom Cecil and his friends might please. I enlarged on this
point somewhat because I see that, unless Robert and the Queen
are estranged from this gang of heretics that surround them, they
will continue as heretofore ; and if God ordain that they should fall
out with them I should consider it an easy thing to do everything
else we desire. I think of persevering in this course because, if I
keep away from the Queen and discontinue these conversations, it
will only leave a clear field to the heretics and play their game ;
whilst, by keeping in with her, I not only maintain her friendliness
to your Majesty, but have still some hope of persuading her, especially
if these heretics do anything to offend her. I know they are furious
at my having the Queen's ear and keeping friendly with Lord Robert,
and in case your Majesty should think that this course might in
some way prejudice the Catholics, I beg your Majesty to be reassured
in that respect, and to believe that if I have any understanding at
all I am employing it in keeping this business well in hand, as may
be seen any day by the affection these Catholics have for your
Majesty, whom they greatly desire. Only three days ago the
persons of whom your Majesty has heard on other occasions
sent to inform me that their party was never so strong as now, and
that of the Queen never so unpopular and detested.—London, last
day of June 1561. |