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1 Aug.
Brussels
Archives.
B. M.MS.,
Add. 28,173a. |
178. The Same to the Same.
I gave your Highness's letter of credence to the Queen, and in
order the better to convey what you ordered me to say I showed
her the letter your Highness wrote to me. She read it all through,
and divided her answer into three heads. First, that your Highness
was right in saying that the warlike preparations here were for
the defence of this country, as such was the case ; secondly,
about the prince of Condé's people boasting that they had her
support in what they are doing against their King, she said that
your Highness was well aware that people said what they liked,
but that for her part the only thing she had done for the prince of
Condé or his friends was to intercede for them with the Queen-Mother
and try to bring about a settlement. She had with this
object offered to send members of her own Council, but the Queen-Mother
had refused this and would send here M. de Vielleville to
arrange, and he would be here in three days. The third point
relating to your Highness's orders that I should convey the Queen's
reply to your Highness for transmission to the King, she answered
by saying that I could write to your Highness that she could not
avoid sending a fleet to guard her coasts and islands as usual in
such times as these, but that it should be so small a one as to give
no cause for alarm, and that your Highness may be sure she will
do nothing unfitting to her dignity and position. That she had
no intention of helping the French rebels against their King unless
she is provoked by some insult such as has recently been offered to
her ambassador in Paris. This is in substance what she said in
many more words and with some digressions. She said it was
untrue that the Vidame de Chatres had been here secretly, or that
she had sent Peter Meutys to France. He did not go to the King
as I wrote some time ago, but to the prince of Condé at Orleans.
As regards the Vidame, the person who came here on the 19th
ultimo, and was with the Queen several times and lodged in her
house left on the 23rd with a servant of the Queen called Killigrew,
who returned again on the 29th leaving afresh on the next day
taking with him 3,000 crowns to commence victualling Havre de
Grace, which the Vidame had come to offer to the Queen and she
had accepted. This is now public here, and the French ambassador
has advised his King of it. The ships they are now going to send
out are six excellent ones well armed, capable of carrying 1,500 to
2,000 men. Those men who pretended to be pirates are to go on
board them, and they ought to be sufficient for what they are to
do, as Havre is to be voluntarily given up to them and there is no
fleet to oppose them. The munitions are being shipped to-day and
the men to-morrow. Four more ships have been sent to Ireland
with munitions, two of which have orders to remain on the coast
opposite Biscay for fear of Spain.
The Queen asked me whether your Highness had sent aid to the
king of France yet, to which I replied that I had not heard of any
troops leaving the States for anywhere. I think she was joking,
and I heard a good many things that I do not repeat to avoid
offence and as they were not important.
The Queen has sent to ask for a copy of what I write to your
Highness about yesterday's conversation, and I have replied that
if she will send me a copy of what she wishes me to write she will
be better satisfied. I do not know whether she will do this or what
she will send me, but what I have written here is what really passed,
and I have given a general account of it to the French ambassador
to enable him to send advice (as he would have heard of it from
other quarters).
Vielleville is awaiting in Calais information as to whether his
coming will be safe and acceptable, and he has been advised to-day
that he may come.—London, 1st August 1562. |
| 4 Aug. |
179. The King to Bishop Quadra.
With respect to the Queen you do well in keeping in with
her the best you can and although we are displeased with what
your servant has done we clearly see it was from no fault of yours
but from his own malice. I entirely approve of all the answers you
gave about it to what was said to you on the Queen's behalf, and
am very glad that she is satisfied and on better terms than usual
with you, which I see by copy of the letter you wrote to Cardinal
de Granvelle. As I have advice from the Cardinal and from Madame
that they found no clause in the treaties by which the handing over
of your servant could be insisted upon, I told the duke of Alva to
talk it over with the English ambassador, who, as he was not well
posted on matters, made no difficulty at all about it, and said he
(the servant) should be handed over at once, which we do not
believe yet. He has written to the Queen about it very warmly,
and you must make the best use of this you can, although we have
no hope that they will hand him over, particularly after the business
has gone so far, as you write in your last, as to promise him marriage
and an income. You will urge the matter notwithstanding, although
politely and with moderation, so that they may not suspect you
greatly desire to get him on account of any other more damaging
treaties or negotiations, which I am sure do not exist.—Madrid,
4th August 1562. |
7 Aug.
Brussels
Archives.
B. M. MS.,
Add. 28,173a. |
180. Bishop Quadra to the Duchess of Parma.
Last week I wrote two letters to your Highness giving an account
of my interview with the Queen ; and on the 3rd instant I sent to
her Secretary to say that if her Majesty had written to your
Highness as she had said she would, I had an opportunity of
sending the letter by safe hands. The answer was that the letter
was written, but he believed the Queen wished to send it herself
to Thomas Gresham, her factor in Antwerp, to deliver to your
Highness. I did not care to press the matter further so as not to
appear in a hurry, but the Secretary has sent me the letter to-day
enclosed in a note to me of which I send copy asking me to forward
the letter which I do by the ordinary courier. I do not know if
she writes in the same sense as she spoke to me, or if she will have
altered anything and pretend I did not understand well, but in any
case it is clear that your Highness's letter has entirely altered the
look of things, and some people think that as your Highness appears
to intend to oppose what was being arranged here, they may even
abandon their intention of taking possession of Havre de Grace.
I am still of opinion, however, that if peace is not concluded these
people will persevere in their plans, and that the appearance of
suspending the shipment of troops here is simply a compliment
they wish to pay to M. de Vielleville, to prove to him that whilst
they were negotiating for a settlement they did not push forward
their preparations for a rupture. I have always thought that everything
depends upon the success of the prince of Condé, which these
people here know very well cannot happen if his Majesty takes in
hand earnestly the protection of the king of France, and whilst the
forces in the States remain undiminished and unoccupied by internal
trouble ; and I am therefore convinced that your Highness's letter
has been of the greatest importance and utility, since the plans of
these people are mainly founded on the belief that things in the
States are in such a condition that his Majesty will not and cannot
employ his forces to the prejudice of this country, and especially on
religious questions. Vielleville came three days ago. He says he
only comes to see if this Queen wishes to stand by the peace that
has been sworn to or not, and that he will finish his business in one
audience. He reports that there are already about 6,000 Spaniards in
Guienne, and other things of that sort to prove that his Majesty is
really going to help them. He has gone to see the Queen to-day,
and I expect he will speak with me to-morrow. I will try to add
to this letter what I learn from him, but I expect he will have to
stay longer than be says.
Five or six days ago a Swede was arrested on this river on the
pretext of searching him for some money they said he was taking
away with him. They seized on him a packet of sixteen letters from
people of position in this country to the king of Sweden urging him
to come hither. Two other gentlemen's servants have also been
arrested, and many persons of rank are talked about, both men and
women and even members of the Council and royal household.
They say that information was sent from Sweden by a certain
Louis de Feron, otherwise the Count de Gruz, (fn. 1) who is near the
King as a spy of Lord Robert's. They had found out his tricks
in Sweden and had put him into prison, whence it appears he sent
information about these letters. It is a business that does not
bode well for the other enterprises the Queen is undertaking, and
all else in this country is as inharmonious as this is.—London,
7th August 1562. |
7 Aug.
B. M. MS.
Simancas,
Add. 26,056a. |
181. Bishop Quadra to Ambassador Vargas (the Spanish
Ambassador in Rome).
Sends an address from the English catholics asking for an
authoritative decision as to the legality of their attending the
reformed services. Sets forth the arguments in favour of their
being allowed to do so.
Asks that a friend of his in Rome, named Martin de Luna, should
be granted leave by His Holiness to accept the post of Quadra's
chaplain.—London, 7th August 1562. |
| 13 Aug. |
182. The King to Bishop Quadra.
M. Saint Sulplice, ambassador of the most Christian King, informs
me with great sorrow that the queen of England had offered aid to
the rebels in France, and was determined to give it. This is quite
contrary to the friendship and alliance which exist between her and
the French king, and a departure from the terms of the treaty of
peace, and, although the King and Queen-Mother have approached
the Queen on the subject, they urge me very much also to send a
person to her and let her know how ill her action appears to us, and
to endeavour to dissuade her from giving help or countenance by
word or deed to these French rebels.
Although this request appears very reasonable we have not
thought fit to send a person expressly for the purpose desired, but
have promised that we will take steps in the matter through you,
and we therefore instruct you to speak to the Queen, as soon as you
receive this, and tell her how sorry the Christian King and the
Queen-Mother are that she should have promised aid to the rebels,
and expressly as the rising is not a religious one, as may be seen by
its methods and objects. Say that this is contrary to the mutual
help and countenance that princes should give to each other, and to
the general peace which now exists, and an extremely bad precedent
for her own kingdom and others, and might produce evil
consequences if rebels came to understand that they could obtain
help.
This has caused us to extend our help to the Christian King, as
we have informed you, having in view that if the rebels were to get
the upper hand the fire would be so near our own States that we
could not avoid being troubled thereby. We have no desire to have
fresh burdens put upon us in this way, and we are determined to do
our best to obviate it, and if the Queen will consider the matter she
will see that she ought to play the same game. We therefore beg
her very affectionately not to allow the rebels to look to her for help
or countenance by word or deed, but to maintain the friendship,
good fellowship, and alliance which now exist between us three. If
she says that I have offered, on my part, help to the Christian King,
you can answer that she has not the same obligation towards these
seditious rebels as I have to maintain my brother the King, whose
cause is so just that not only his allies but every prince in
christendom ought to come to his aid in order to suppress so bad an
example to their own subjects. You will urge this, and set forth
persuasively the arguments in its favour, showing her the obligations
under which she rests, and the evil results of her own action, as well
as the great damage to me personally arising therefrom, which she
could not help regretting. Advise my ambassador in France of
what passes in order that he may tell the Queen-Mother.—Wood of
Segovia, 13th August 1562. |