BL La 102, 66
BL MSS Lansdowne 102, 66
Wright: Queen Elizabeth and her Times Vol 1, 1838, No. 99 Page 208
Cecil to Sir Thomas Smith, Westminster, Oct. 16 1565
Transcribed by Thomas Wright
Sir, considering your sonne commeth thyther, he can report to you all common news and rumors here, and yet percase all are not true that he may think true, for so I see men of good understanding here many tymes abused. Indede here are sondry devises of our own inwarde causes. Some make and devise talk, as though some of the counsell wer of one mynd concerning the Scottish causes, and some of another. True it is that arguments have bene made contrarywyse, some to ayd the Lordes of Scotland playnly and oppenly, some but covertly, some not at all ; but in the end the Quene's Majesty hath resolved to use all good meanes by mediation, by outward countenance, to relieve them, but to do nothyng that may break peace.
Agayne ther are sondry rumors that the Lordes here do not accord together, that my Lord of Leicester should not have so great favor as he had ; that my Lord of Sussex (1) and he should be in strange termes ; that my Lord of Norfolk, my Lord Chamberlayn, my Lord of Hunsden, &c., should also not allow of my Lord of Leicester, that Mr. Hennadg should be in very good favour with her Majestie, and so mislyked by my Lord of Leicester, with such infinite toyes ; but I trust her of no harme in dede shall follow, for all these Lords are bent towards her Majestie's service, and doo not so much vary amongst themselves, as lewd men do report. To tell you trewly, I thynk the Queene's Majestie's favor to my Lord of Leicester be not so manifest as it was, to move men to thynk that she will marry with hym ; and yet his Lordship hath favor sufficient, as I heare hym saye to his good satisfaction. My Lord of Sussex thynketh that my Lord of Leicester might do more for hym in causes of Irland than he hath. My Lord of Norfolk loveth my Lord of Sussex ernestly, and so all that stock of the Howards seme to joyne in frendshipp together, and yet in my opinion without cause to be mislyked ; and for the Duke, I thynk England hath not had in this age a nobleman more lykely to prove a father and a staye to this country, and so I am gladd to perceave the Queene's Majesty to have hym in estimation : he is wise, just, modest, carefull, et timens Deum.
Sir Nicholas Throkmorton is also much noted by speche to be a director of my Lord of Leicester, but I thynk my Lord well able to judg what is mete or unmete, and doth use Mr. Throgmorton frendly because he doth shew himself carefull and devote to his Lordship. What is sayd of me I thynk I cannot know ; but this I am assured of, that I have no affection to be of a party, but for the Queene's Majestie, and I will allwaise travell to accord noblemen, and not to minister devises of discord. You see I make report to my owne prayse, and to bely myself wer madnes, but when tryall shall be, you shall see I report truly of myself ; and God send me his assistance to be voyde of feare or partiall love to any but to her Majestie, whom whylest I serve truly, I do fynd many stumblyng blocks and dangerous.
Now of other common matters. Our treaty of Brudges is continued [adjourned] untill the 15th of March, as by a proclamation her with sent you shall see ; and now we here are occupied in devisyng how either to accord without our disadvantage at the next metyng, or else to cease the intercourse, and nevertheless to contynew traffick and amyty : a matter indede lyke a maze to walk in.
We have lately devised a way for the stay of frequent depredations, the copy of certain articles I do herewith send you, and of a commission which is even now newly sent to all ports; only now Wilson, your old servant, is on the seas, and fyndeth more favor than is mete nere Barwyke. He semeth to serve agayne the Queene of Scotland.
Malvesyre (2) is returned, and has not profitted with the Queene, as he sayth ; so ernestly she is bent agaynst the Duke and his accomplyces.
She hath bene in the feeld with five or six thousand these eight dayes, but what she shall obteyne I cannot tell. The Lords are at Dumfrees without any force of importance. Ther principall force is an unyversall good will of the realme, saving of a few about the Queene.
Sir Henry Sydney hath his commission to be Lord Deputy in Irland ; he departeth within these four dayes. Mr. Arnold shall return, as others have doone, with mislykyng. Of the Lady Cecilia of Sweden (3), your sonne can report, how bountifully she lyveth here, of whom also there are sundry opinions, some that she meant to set on foot her brother's former sute of mariadg, but perceiving that not to be found probable, some now saye that she will furder my Lord of Leicester's towards her Majestie, but if she shall fynd no success therof, then some will saye as they list, and thus you see how all thyngs are subject to reports. Some also, yea many, look for answer from th’ emperor for Charles' coming, and many thynk therof to see success. I indede thynk if he should come, that then I should be nerer to joye or greef, for therof must nedes insue a determy nation what to looke for. And thus have I ranged over the feelds, wrytyng as you see at rovers, but yet so as I thynk you will gather some kynd of certenty wherby to judg of reports. The Queene's Majestie hath answered to the French ambassador, that wher he offred that the Kyng there wold send by hym, that should come to be stalled her, the order of France for my Lord of Leicester, and another, she thanked the French Kyng, but for any to be sent with more than to be stalled at this tyme she required to have it differred. Now for yourself: the Queene's Majestie hath determined that my brother-in-law, Mr. Thomas Hobby (4), shall come in your place, and he being therof moved by me, hath taken it unkyndly at my hand. Wheruppon her Majestie hath willed my Lord of Leicester to lett hym understand peremptorily her Majestie's pleasur; which, though unwillyngly, I know he will not deny ; and my Lord dayly promiseth me to send for hym, but yet it is not done, and therfore I mean to have my Lady your wife either to speak or send to hys Lordship.
And now I must end with this paper. From Westminster, the 16th of Octob. 1565. Your assured to command,
W. Cecill
(1) Cecil has entered in his journal during this year (1565.)
"June 16. The variance betwixt the Erles of Sussex and Leicester.
June 20. The two Erles of Sussex and Leicester accorded in the Quene's Majestie's presence."
(2) The French ambassador to Scotland.
(3) Sister to the King of Sweden, and Margravine of Baden. " She and her husband” saith Stowe, "after a long and dangerous journey, wherein they had travelled almost eleven months, sailing from Stokeholme, crossing the seas over into Lifeland, from whence by land they came about by Poland, Prussy, Pomerland, Meckberge, Friseland, and so to Antwerpe in Brabant, then to Caleis, and at the last in September landed at Dover, where they were met and received by the Lord Cobham with a goodly traine of knights and gentlemen." She was delivered of a son on the fifteenth of September, "which child the last of September was christened in the Queene's Majestie 's chappell of Whitehall, at Westminster, the Queene's Majestie in her owne person being godmother, the Archbishop of Canterburie and the Duke of Norfolke godfathers : at the christening the Queene gave the child to name Edwardas Fortunatus, for that God had so graciously assisted his mother in so long and dangerous a journey." The Margrave left England on his return, near the end of the year. The Margravine stayed some time after her husband's departure. A correspondent of the Earl of Shrewsbury writes, Dec. 11, 1565, "The Marquis of, Bawden, being gone home into Germanye, hathe lefte here behynde him in the courte the Lady Cecilie his wyfe, with whose companye and conversation the Quene is so moche delighted as she doothe not onely allowe her very honorable bouge of courte, thre measse of meate twyse a daye, for her mayds and the rest of her familie, but also her Majestie hathe delte so liberally with her husbande, that he hathe a yerely pension of two thousand crownes, which he is to enjoye so longe as he suffereth the ladye his wife to resyde here in Englande." Lodge, Illustrations, vol. i. p. 358.
(4) Sir Thomas Hobby, of Bisham Abbey in Berkshire, who married Elizabeth, fourth daughter of Sir Anthony Coke, whose eldest daughter Mildred was the wife of Cecil. Sir Thomas died at Paris, in 1566.
