VI.

mentable

the count

of those

their franchises and privileges: and of the chiefest that BOOK were executed of the nobilitie, none was in the whole countrie more affected to that religion then was the noble and The lavaliant count of Egmond, the very glory of that countrie, violent who neither for his singular victories in the service of the death of king of Spayne can be forgotten in the true histories, nor of Egmond, yet for the cruelties used for his destruction, to bee but for the glory ever lamented in the heartes of the natural people of that countries. countrie. And furthermore, to bring these whole countries in servitude to Spayne; these foreine governours have by long intestine warre, with multitude of Spaniards, and with some fewe Italians and Almains, made the greater part of the said countries, (which with their riches, by common estimation, answered the emperour Charles equally to his The riche Indias) in a maner desolate; and have also lamentably de- towns and stroyed by sword, famine, and other cruel maners of death, with the a great part of the natural people, and now the rich townes thereof posand strong places being desolate of their natural inhabitants, sessed by are held and kept chiefly with force by the Spaniardes.

strengthes

wealth

the Spar

iardes.

All which pitiful miseries and horrible calamities of these most rich countries and people, are of all their neighbours at this day, even of such as in ancient time have bene at frequent discord with them, thorowe natural compassion verie greatlie pitied, which appeared specially this present yere, when the Frenche kinge pretended to have received them to his protection, had not (as the states of the countrey and their deputies were answered) that certaine untimely and unlooked for complottes of the house of Guise, stirred and maintained by money out of Spayne, disturbed the good and general peace of Fraunce, and thereby urged the king to forbeare from the resolution he had made, not only to aide the oppressed people of the Lowe Countries against the Spaniardes, but also to have accepted them as his owne subjectes. But in verie truth, howsoever they were pitied, and in a sort for a time comforted and kept in hope in Fraunce by the French king, who also hath oftentimes The French earnestly sollicited us as queen of England, both by mes- fers to have sage and writinge to bee careful of their defence: yet in aided and

king's of

received to

pressed

the Lowe

PART respect that they were otherwise more straightly knitte in III. auncient friendship to this realme then to any other counhis subjec- trie, we are sure that they could bee pitied of none for this tion the op- long time with more cause and grief generally then of our people of subjects of this our realme of England, being their most Countries, ancient allies and familiar neighbours, and that in such The queen maner, as this our realme of England, and those countries of Englande's have been by common language of long time resembled, and termed as man and wife. And for these urgent causes and advices to many others, we have by many friendly messages and amthe king of bassadors, by many letters and writings to the said king of Spaine for restraining Spayne our brother and allie, declared our compassion of of the tyr- this so evil and cruel usage of his natural and loyal people,

continual friendly

rannie of

his

ours.

govern by sundrie his martial governoures, and other his men of warre, all strangers to these his countries. And furthermore, as a good loving sister to him, and a natural good neighbour to his Lowe Countries and people, we have often, and often againe most friendly warned him, that if he did not otherwise by his wisdome and princely clemencie restraine the tyrranny of his governours, and crueltie of his men of warre, we feared that the people of his countries should be forced for safetie of their lives, and for continuance of their native countrey in their former state of their liberties, to seek the protection of some other foreyne lorde; or rather to yeeld themselves wholy to the soveraigntie of some mighty prince, as by the ancient lawes of their countries, and by speciall priviledges graunted by some of the lordes and dukes of the countries to the people, they do pretende and affirm, that in such cases of general injustice, and upon such violent breaking of their privileges, they are free from their former homages, and at libertie to make choice of any other prince to bee their prince and head The proof whereof, by examples past is to be seene and read in the ancient histories of divers alterations, of the lordes and ladies of the countries of Brabant, Flanders, Holland, and Zeland, and other countries to them united by the states and people of the countries; and that by some such alterations, as the stories do testifie, Philip the

VI.

of Eng

used to

states of

duke of Burgundy came to his tytle, from which the king BOOK of Spayne's interest is derived: but the further discussion hereof we leave to the viewe of the monuments and recordes of the countries. And now for the purposes to stay them The queene from yeelding themselves in any like sort to the sovereigntie land's of any other strange prince, certaine yeeres past, upon the meanes earnest request of sundrie of the greatest persons of degree staie the in those countries, and most obedient subjects to the king, showe such as were the duke of Ascot, and the marques of Havery Countries from yeeldyet living, and of such others as had principal offices in ing their those countries in the time of the emperour Charles, we subjection to any other yielded at their importunate requests, to graunt them prests forreine of money, only to continue them as his subjects, and to prince. maintaine themselves in their just defence against the violence and cruelties of the Spaniardes their oppressours, thereby staying them from yielding their subjection to any other prince from the said king of Spayne: and during the time of that our aide given to them, and their stay in their obedience to the king of Spayne, we did freely acquainte the same king with our actions, and did still continue our friendly advices to him, to move him to commaund his governours and men of warre, not to use such insolent cruelties against his people, as might make them to despayre of his favours, and seeke some other lorde.

And in these kind of perswasions and actions wee continued many yeeres, not onely for compassion of the miserable state of the countries, but of a natural disposition to have the ancient conditions of straight amitie and commerce for our kingdomes and people to continue with the states. and the people of the said dukedome of Burgundie and the appendants, and namely with our next neyghbours the countries of Flanders, Holland, and Zeland. For wee did manifestly see, if the nation of Spayne shoulde make a conquest of those countries, as was and yet is apparantly intended, and plant themselves there as they have done in Naples and other countries, adding thereto the late exam-The enterples of the violent hostile enterprise of a power of Span-prise of the Spaniardes yardes, being sent within these fewe yeeres by the king of in Ireland

III.

PART Spaine and the pope into our realme of Ireland, with an intent manifestly confessed by the captaines, that those sent by the nombers were sent aforehand to sease upon some strength king of Spayne and there, to the intent with other greater forces to pursue a the pope. conquest thereof: wee did, we say againe, manifestly see in what danger our selfe, our countries and people might shortly bee, if in convenient time wee did not speedily otherwise regard to prevent or stay the same. And yet notwithstanding our saide often requests and advises given to the king of Spayne, manifestly for his own weale and The refusal honour, wee found him by his counsell of Spayne so unwilling in any sort to encline to our friendly counsell, that his messenger, governours and chiefetains in his Lowe Countries increased

of the queen's

and her

letters to

their cruelties towards his own afflicted people, and his ofthe king of ficers in Spayne offered dayly greater injuries to ours, reSpayne.

The just

dismissing

sorting thither for trafique: yea, they of his counsell in Spayne would not permit our express messenger with our letters to come to the king their masters presence: a matter very strange, and against the law of nations.

And the cause of this our writing and sending to the causes of king, proceeded of matter that was worthy to be knowen to of B. Men- the king, and not unmete nowe also to be declared to the doza out of world, to shewe both our good disposition towardes the king

England.

in imparting to him our grieves, and to let it appear howe evill we have beene used by his ministers, as in some part may appear by this that followeth. Although we coulde not have these many yeres past any of our servaunts, whome we sent at sundrie times as our ambassadours to the king our good brother, as was mete, suffered to continue there without many injuries and indignities offered to their families, and divers times to their owne persons, by the greatest of his counsellours, so as they were constrained to leave their places, and some expelled, and in a sort banished the countrey, without cause given by them, or notified to us: yet we, minding to continue very good friendship with the king, as his good sister, did of long time, and many yeres give favourable allowance to all that came as his ambassadours to us; saving onely upon manifest daungerous

VI.

practices, attempted by two of them to trouble our estate, BOOK whereof the one was Girald Despes, a very turbulent-spirited person, and altogether unskilfull and unapt to deale in princes affaires being in amitie; as at his retourn into Spaine, he was so there also reputed: the other and last was Bernardin de Mendoza; one whom we did accept and use with great favour a long time, as was manifestly seene in our court, and we thinke cannot be denied by himself: but yet of late yeeres (we know not by what direction) we found him to be a secret great favourer to sundrie our evill-disposed and seditious subjectes, not onely to such as lurked in our realme, but also to such as fled the same, being notoriously condemned as open rebelles and traytours; with whome by his letters, messages, and secret counsels, he did in the ende devise, how with a power of men, partely to come out of Spayne, partely out of the Lowe Countries, whereof hee gave them great comforte in the kinges name, an invasion might be made into our realme; setting downe in writing the manner howe the same should be done, with what numbers of men and shippes, and upon what coastes, portes and places of our realme, by special name: and who the persons should be in our realme of no small account, that should favour this invasion, and take part with the invadours; with many other circumstances, declaring his full set purpose and labours taken, to trouble us and our realme very dangerously; as hath beene moste clearly proved and confessed, by such as were in that confederacy with him: whereof some are fled, and now do frequent his companie in France; and some were taken, who confessed at great length by writing, the whole course herein helde by the saide ambassador, as was manifestly of late time published to the worlde uppon Francis Throgmorton's, a principall traitours examination. And when we found manifestly this ambassadour so dangerous an instrument, or rather a head to a rebellion and invasion: and that for a yeere or more together he never brought to us any letter from the kinge his master, notwithstanding our often requeste made to him, that he woulde by some letter from the king to us, let it