January.

LETTER IV.a

My first lettre vnto you was of the 18. of Aprill, 1615: my second of the 24. of Januarye in eodem anno, and my third and last before this bare date the 18. Januarye, 1616: the Gazette is longe, conteyninge 12. sheetes of paper. Whatt this will prove I know nott, but whether itt happen to be great or small you cannot be freed from the trouble of readinge an yll hand which will trye youre patience.

January 1616.-The Duke of Nevers, in France, was vppon the 17. of this monethe (stilo novo), proclaymed a traytor, which is an induction to a warre subsequent. Amonge other causes of this proceedinge agaynst him, these two are the principallest: the first thatt, beinge trusted in anno 1615 with a competent armye of the Kinges to have impeached the Prince of Conde in his marche towards Bourdeaux, when the Kinge was there to receve his Spanishe wife, he permitted him to pass the Loyre, beinge in his power (as is alleaged) for him to have hindered itt; and the second for puttinge of a garrison into his towne of Saynt Monehute, and deniynge to receve the Kinges sent thether by the Queene mother, which afterward (as in my last lettre you may see)b he was dispossessed of, by coruption of his officers. The princes are on all hands preparinge for the warre, and to quicken there spiritts there hathe beene very latelye an assassinatt taken, who hathe confessed that he was promised a great reward to have murdered the Duke de Mayne in Soyssons; he was discovered by one whom he laboured to be a partie with him in the murder. How these princes will accord amonge themselves vpon a chiefe, they will find muche difficultie, and as yett nether the boddie of the religion nor any good towne is knowne to stand for them, but when the drum beates itt is thought they will want no assistance; in the meane tyme itt is reported thatt within there particular governments they are bold to take uppe the b Page 74.

a S. P. O. Dom. Corr, vol. xcv. 22.

Kinges rents towards there defence. The Duke of Savoy prospers in Piemont, havinge thrust the Spaniards out of itt, and latelye he hathe taken the bolldnes to make an attempt vppon the Duchie of Myllan, in the which he hathe wonne 4. or 5. good townes.

From Gvernsey I had intelligence thatt in Spayne there is a great fleet in preparinge to the sea, the pilott maior is sayed to be an Englishman; some say itt is for Phillipines, others for Angiere, but those of soundest judgement conceve itt to be for France, in ayde of the Kinge. Itt will nott be longe before we shall see vppon whatt land this clowd will breake.

The newes frome Colleyne is thatt the Duke of Brunswicke refuses News from Cologne. to obaye the decree of the Imperiall Chamber in deliveringe (as he was enioyned) the territorye of Grobenhagen vnto the Duke of Luneburge, and for the assuringe of the same he hathe garrisoned all the best townes and villages within that territorye. The Duke of Luneburge importunes the Commissioners to put the sentence in execution, and hathe allreadie amassed troopes of soldiours to thatt end, which is thought will be the beginninge of a warre in those partes.

The Kinge of Denmarke, as itt is sayed, hathe latelye made great provisions of armes, to the end, as is supposed, to make an attempt vpon Lubecke or Hambourge, and purposeth to build a stronge fort vppon the River of Elbe, requiringe the Hambourgers to permitt 3,000 of his men to passe throughe there towne.

The Vnited Provinces are sendinge of Comissioners into England

a

Frederick Ulric, Duke of Brunswick Wolfenbuttel. He restored Grubenhagen to the family of Luneburg, 1617.

sons.

b Christian, second son of William Duke of Brunswick Luneburg. William left seven The brothers resolved not to divide the dukedom, and cast lots who should marry for the purpose of perpetuating the line. The lot fell to George, the sixth brother. They also agreed to reign in succession, one after another, according to seniority. Christian, in accordance with this arrangement, succeeded his brother Ernest 1611. He was made Bishop of Minden 1599, and of Halberstadt 1616, which see he resigned to a son of the King of Denmark 1623. Died 1633.-Anderson.

News from
France.

Lord Roos in
Spain.

to treat with his Maiestie about the affayres of Cleves, which was accorded at Xanten.a

[The Archdukes will nott leave the Low Countries for the kingdome of Portugall, but are contented to accept of the kingdome of Valentia in Spayne, whether they are to go to be crowned shortlye, and into the Low Countries Don Carlos b is to come frome Spayne to governe those dominions.

Certayne companies which are now in garrison in the Duchie of Jvliers are to be sent by the Kinge of Spayne to the ayde of the Archduke Ferdinand agaynst the Venetians, whose places are to be supplied with new levies.]*

The Kinge of Spayne, as is reported, is to marry with the Duke of Florence his sister, and that he will make ether a peace or a long truce with the Turke, and to thatt end a principall Jesuiste is to be employed, thatt he may have the bettre meanes to employ his forces with bettre assurance in Evrope agaynst the Christians with whome he is in warre. Thus farre is the newes from Colleyne, how muche of itt will prove trew tyme will discover.

The Duke of Nevers hathe put himself into Mazieres, well garnized with horse and foote, and no cost or labour is omitted to fortify the same. The young Lord of Roxboroghe, the onelye sonne and heyre to the Erle of Roxboroghe, a gentleman of good hope, is latelye dead in France, which is much lamented by his frends, and endangers the continuance of thatt new erected erledome.c

From Spayne we heare of the Lord Rosses beinge at Madrid. Before he presented himsellfe to the Kinge he was visited by the ambassadors of France, Venice, and Florence; the Dukes of Lerma,a Infantadgo,e

* Ut dicitur.

a Xaintonge.

b Second son of Philip III. died 1632; see note 2, p. 76.

See note 2, p. 31.

d Don François Gomez de Sandoval and Roxas, Duke of Lerma. Died 1625. See note,

p. 59.

e Don Inigo Lopez, fifth Duke of Infantado, died 1601, without issue male. His daughter Anne married her uncle Don Roderic de Mendoza. Their daughter Louisa

Vseda,3 Pennaranda, Salinas.* The Marquisses of Pomanca, Siete, Yglesias, and Falces, the Erle of Saldanna, the Secretary of State, and others. He was receved by the Kinge in his bedchamber, by the prince in another roome, and by the princesse in another. The next day he was visited by the Duke of Vzeda and the Conde de Altamira, grandes of Spayne, attended by the Duke of Cea,e the Marquesses of Pennafiel and Sant German, and one of the sonnes of the Conde of Altamira. More than this we have nott yett heard of the Lord Rosse.f

gence.

There hathe bene latelye taken within the streyghts foure of our General intellimarchants' shipps by Turkishe piratts as they were homewards bound. Our marchants at Constantinople are much troubled for certayne piracies comitted by Ruppa and Franke vppon the Turkes in the bottome of the Levant. They are in service with the Duke of Florence, and dare not retourne into England; neverthelesse, the Turkes require satisfaction frome our marchants for the losses which they have sustayned; and itt is feared thatt they shall be enforced vnto itt, or purchase there peace by excessive bribes. As for the harmes the Turkishe piratts do vnto our nation, no restitution or justice cane be had.

February the 3. the Ladye Lomley died; and, as itt is sayed, February. * The Duke of Salinas is sayed to go shortly to be Viceroy of Portugal. (Writer's note.)

married Don Diego Gomez de Sandoval, and from this marriage came Don Roderic Dias de Vivar de Hurtado de Mendoza Sandoval de la Vega et Luna, seventh Duke of Infantado, died in 1657 without issue.-Imhoff, Hist. Ital. et Hispan. Genealog.

a Don Christoff de Sandoval, Duke of Uzeda, son of the Duke of Lerma ; see note ", p. 59. Died 1624.-Imhoff.

Don Roderic Sarmiento de Silva, Earl of Salinas and Ribadeo, of the celebrated house of Silva, and twentieth Margrave Allenquer. He engaged in a conspiracy against Philip IV., and died a prisoner in the castle of Leon.-Zedler's Universal Lexicon.

d Don Antoine de Moscoso Ossorio Mendoza and Rojas, seventeenth Comte d'Altamire, created grandee of Spain. Died 1622.-Imhoff.

e Don François Gomez de Sandoval et Roxas succeeded his grandfather as second Duke of Lerma 1624. Died 1635 s. p. m.— 1.-Imhoff. See note, p. 59.

f A letter from Lord Roos to the Earl of Arundel is given in Lodge's Illustrations,

News from the

Hague.

she hathe bestowed the most of her estate and moveables vppon her neece, the Lord Darcye's daughter, and wyfe to Sir Thomas Savadge.*a The 4. the Erle of Buckingham att Whitehall was sworne a councellor.

The same day Monsieur La Tour, an ambassador extraordinarye frome the Kinge of France, had his audience att Whitehall.b

с

The Marques of Covre, Governour of Laon and Pierrefont, and vnkle to the Duke of Vendosme by his mother, is proclaymed in France a traytor.

From the Hage the newes is thatt the Kinge of Poland & entends to make warre vppon the Kinge of Sweden. He hathe allreadie levied souldiours about Dantzike, and in Liffland, and sent ambassadors to the Archdukes to send him shippes of warre from Dunkerke

*The lease which she had of the Lord Lvmlye's lands in the Northe she hathe geven vnto Sir Richard Lvmlye,e his landes in Sussex vnto her brother the Lord Darcy, which will fall to the Savadges' share.

vol. iii. p. 286, wherein his lordship gives an interesting account of his journey to Madrid and reception at Court.

a Sir Thomas Savage of Rocksavage, Bart., married Elizabeth, daughter and heir of Thomas Lord Darcy of Chiche, created Viscount Colchester, and afterwards Earl Rivers, with remainder to his son-in-law. Sir Thomas died before the Earl in 1635, but his son succeeded his maternal grandfather in the title in 1639.

b The object of his embassy was to pray James's aid in suppressing the insurrection of the French Princes. Yonge's Diary (Camd. Soc.) p. 32. He was accompanied by a suite of twenty attendants.-S.P.O. Dom. Corr. vol. xc. 39.

c François Annibal d'Estrees, Marquis Cœuvres, Peer and Marshal of France, Governor of the Isle of France, and of Soissons, Laor, and the Laonois, created Duke of Cœuvres 1648, died 1670. He was brother of Gabrielle d'Estrees mistress of Henry IV. and mother of the Duke of Vendôme. See note 1, p. 25.

d Sigismund III., son of John King of Sweden, by Catherine daughter of Sigismund II. King of Poland. He succeeded to the crown of Sweden on the death of his father in 1592; but he and his heirs were excluded upon religious grounds in 1600, the crown of Sweden being conferred on his uncle Charles, who was succeeded in that kingdom by Gustavus Adolphus in 1611.

e Sir Richard Lumley, great-grandson of Richard, fourth Lord Lumley, and second cousin of John the sixth and last Lord, who selected him for his heir. Created Viscount Lumley in Ireland 1628. He supported the King in the troubles of the next reign, and held a command in the Royal Army in the West under Prince Rupert.