The Kinge wilbe very constant, after he is once entered into the action. To affure my Lord of Leycefter that he will bring no leader ouer with him that is not well affected, howfoeuer fome of them haue bine otherwife reported of.

SIR PHILIP SIDNEY TO THE MASTER OF GRAY.'

MY MOST HONOURED BROTHER, If thefe few words exprefs unto you the affurednefs of my conftant affection, they fhall have performed the cheif caufe of my prefent fending unto you. And therein I pray you believe me, for while I live I will not fail you. My Lord' is exceedingly defirous to have your prefence here; but, by reafon there is not yet fo full an established authority as there fhould, the moiens come in fo flowly, as, in good faith, I know not whether I fhould with the coming of fo dear a friend or no. This gentleman, the Confervator of your nation in Campheer, understands the nature of things as well as ourselves, and therefore he can plainly make you know what the eftate both is in effect, and yet might be, if the Government were more foundly grounded. I have no more to trouble you, but to pray you for my fake to make much account of this gentleman, for I have found him my very friend: And which is the laft, or rather the first point, hold me, I befeech you, in the gracious remembrance of your King, whom indeed I love. And fo I take my leave, and leave you to the bleffed protectioun of the Almighty.

Your faithful brother to do you fervice,

From the Camp before Numegen, this 17th of May, 1586.

My most honoured the Master of Grey.

1 From Murdin's State Papers, p. 557.

P. SIDNEY.

Earl of Leicester.

SIR FRANCIS WALSINGHAM TO THE MASTER OF GRAY.1

THERE is, fince the time of Mr Archibald Douglas departure hence, fallen out fome change in her Maiefties refolucion, touching the manner howe she will vfe my Lord of Leicesters feruice in the Lowe Countries; whereuppon the matter of your employment vnder him dependeth. For albeit her Maiestie was then content his Lordship should there exercife fuch power and authoritie as the States had there caft vppon him, bycause it appeared to be both for the weale of the countrey and furtherance of her feruice, yet hath the nowe, through the practife and fecret workinge of fome ill inftruments that favour the Spanish proceedings, and feeke, by all meanes, to thwarte and difgrace my Lord of Leicester, cleane altered her former purpose and difpoficion in that behalf. By meanes wherof, my Lord of Leicester is confequentlie forced to change his determinacion for the calling of you into his companie, whereof, I knowe, he would have receaued great comforte, beeing very loathe fo much as to encourage you to come to that feruice, where he cannot yeald you that enterteynement and fatiffaccion that may be anfwerable to your defert and liking, and to his owne defire. For, where before his authoritie reached to the redreffing of the confufion in gouerment, and orderly difpofing of the contribucions to the vfe of the due paying of the martiall men, which authoritie the Prince of Orange never enioyed in fuch ample manner, whereof enfued fo great diforders and inconveniences in the courfe of their proceedings, by meanes whereof he might haue beene hable to haue provided for you and your company as apperteyneth; nowe that authoritie and comandement ceafing, whereby the wonted confufion will growe againe in the gouerment, and the States are likelie to convert the moft parte of the faid contribucions to their owne

1 Cott. MSS. Calig. C. IX. fol. 215. From the original minute in Secretary Walsingham's handwriting, dated 24th May 1586.

private comoditie, as they did before, as his Lordfhip muft of neceffitie want meanes to geue you that interteinement that you may in reason looke for, which would be both a touche to himfelfe in honour, and (to your owne noe fmall grief and difcredite) worke the mislike towards you of fuch gentlemen captains and foldiers as should attend vppon you, who, feeing themfelues fruftrate of their expectacions, and reduced, perhaps, to haue termes, would doubtles wifhe they had never feene you; the inconvenience whereof to your felf, I doubt not but that you will fo depely waye in your owne iudgment, as you will rather choose to fufteyne at the firft fome litle toutch, that this breaking of may be to your reputacion, then to put yourself in hazzard of a further difgrace, fince it doth fo vntowardly fall out that thinges do not take a better courfe. For, to be playne with you, my Lord of Leicester findeth himself fo farr thwarted and difcomforted in the feruice, that he is nowe become an humble futor for his revocacion, as you may further perceaue by the copie of his owne letteris, wherewith Mr Randolph fhall, for your better fatiffaccion, make you acquainted, to whofe reporte I referre you.

I finde by Mr Randolph, the Kinge your Soueraigns diflike in that neether the fume promefed was performed in fo large measure as was looked for, nor the inftrument of security sent in suche forme as was to your faid Soueraignes liking, was, through your earneft and careful travaile, qualified in fuch forte, as he was both content to accept the fume fent, as alfo that the treatie proceede to his full conclufion. Theife good offices done by you to the mutuall benifit of both Crownes, I hope will never be forgotten on our parte. I will not fayle, according to your earnest defire, to doe my best indevour to procure that fatiffaccion may be yealded to the King your foueraigne in both theis pointes, whofe conftant and princelie manner of dealinge in this caufe hath wrought a very good conceipt in all goode mens hartes here towardes him, (who before had but a iealous opinion of him). I doe affure you that, as there are divers there that miflike of the proceedings of this treatie, fo lack there not here men apt to hinder fo good a work, that haue fought malitiously to revive former conceaued iealoufies of onfound proceedinge here. It will, therefore, behove well affected men, both here and there, to carrie a watch

ful eie, in preventing the mallice of fuch malignant fpirites. And fo

Sir.

SIR FRANCIS WALSINGHAM TO MR RANDOLPHE.'

WHEREAS you did, by your letteris, write vnto me that, if th'intended imployment of the Mafter of Gray in the Lowe Countries goe not forward, it will be a great toucheing in credite to him. For my owne parte I affure you that none can be more forrie for it then my felf, as well for the good will I doe particularly beare to the Mafter of Gray, who hath deferved fo well, as in refpect of the caufe whereof this change proceedeth, which is, in effect, that though her Maieftie was content, at the time of Mr Douglas his departure, that my Lord of Leicester should reteyne still his authoritie and charge of gouernment laid vppon him by the States, in cafe it should appeare that he could not relinquifhe the fame without preiudice to the caufe, and hinderance of her feruice, yet hath fhe fince taken another courfe of refolucion, by the practife and perfwacions of fuch as are addicted to Spayne, and vnfriendlie to my Lord of Leicefter; who, by fuch meanes, wanting nowe that credite and authoritie that he had to redreffe the confufion of gouernment, and difpofe of the contribucions for the maintenance of the warre, hath, in reason, iuft cause not to drawe a gentleman of the Mafter of Grayes defert and qualitie to that feruice, where he should not be able to yeald him that enterteynment and fatiffaccion that apperteyneth; which would found greatlie to his owne difhonour, and purchase to the Mafter the ill will and harme of as many as he should carry with him, when they should finde them felues in mifery and voyd of all comforte. For my Lord findeth him felf fo discountenanced, croffed, and difgraced in the feruice, by the practife of ill inftrumentis, that he is wearie him felf of his continuance there, and fueth earnestlie to be called home againe. So far is he from

From the original Minute in Secretary Walsingham's handwriting, dated 24th May 1586, Cott. MSS. Calig. C. IX. fol. 215.

L

doing the Master of Gray that wrong, as to encourage him to come to him at fuch an unfeafonable time, as you may perceave by the copie of his owne letteris, which I fend you, as well ffor your owne satisfaccion, as to th'end you may be the better able to answere the Mafter, vnto whom you may also fhewe fo much of the faid copie as you fhall think good; whereby he may the more plainlie perceave that theis allegacions are true, letting him with all vnderftand, that howfoever this breaking of may, in fome forte, be a toutch to him in credite and reputacion, having alreadie waded fo far into the action as he had done, yet he can, in his owne iudgement and difcrecion, confider that it were better to break of at the first, then to hazzard further difcredite and inconvenience, when thofe that shall ferve vnder him may be reduced to fuch want and extremitie, as they will, perhaps, curfe the time that ever they knewe him, to his owne infinite greife and difgrace.

Her Maieftie findeth by the contentes, as well of your letteris as of the Kings owne, that he refteth not yet fully fatiffied in two pointes; the one, touching the fume of the Pencion, and the other for the Inftrument. For the money, her Maieftie ftandeth very harde ftill to it, and yet my Lord Treafourer and my felf have both dealt very earneftlie with her in the caufe, but with fuch fucceffe as we can neether hope nor difpayre that fhe will yealde to our advife. For th'other pointe, though her Maiefty conceaved that her owne letter would haue fuffifed, yet will fhe not ftick, as I fuppofe, to yeald the King fatiffaccion of fome fuch like inftrument. For your manner of proceeding, touching the deliuery of the Carres that ftand charged with the murther of the Lord Ruffell, and the fucceffe you haue had therein, her Maieftie refteth very well fatiffied with all the refolucions of the perfons of the Comiffioners, and the time of their meeting with th'other is not yet certen, but I thynke the former choyce of my Lord of Rutland, my Lord Evers, and your felf, and the appointment of the firfte of July, will stand. I haue moved her Maieftie, afwell for the yeomen prickers, and groomes of the leafe, as for horfes and geldings of the King, but can yet drawe noe refolucion from her in it, which is as harde to be had, even in theis trifles, as in matters of great importance.