I.

great seal; then if any of those things pass under any other BOOK seal, they be not of due force until they have also passed the great seal of England; wherefore if the jeweller, either by negligence or covetousness, of himself, or of those he put in trust, did not observe this order; but thereto contrary, for sparing a little cost, did presume to bring in his jewels before his license came to the great seal, me thinketh neither he, nor any other, can have just cause to say that he was wronged, if according to our laws he were sentenced to lose the same and yet, after he was thus condemned, more to gratify the emperor, than for that I took it to be so reasonable, I my self was a suitor to my lord protector's grace, for some recompence to be made to the jeweller's wife, whom we knew, and none other to be party: for she followed the suit, she presented the petitions, in her name were they made; and finally she, and none others, was by the emperor's ambassador commended unto us.

I have seen the sentence (quoth he) and do mislike nothing so much therein, as that the man is condemned, and named to have been present at the time of his condemnation, when indeed he was dead a good while before.

He was present (quoth I) in the person of his wife, who was his procurator, and represented himself; and I know, that those before whom this matter passed, are men both learned and of good conscience, and such as would not have done herein any thing against right and order of law.

The sentences that are given in our country by the justices and ministers, they are just and true, and therefore neither can we, nor will we revoke them for any man's pleasure, after they have once passed the higher court, from whence there is no further appellation, no more than you will here call back such final order, as hath been in any case taken by your high court of Brabant. And the cause why we for our part misliked not this order of justice, was for the better establishment of the amity, and to avoid the continual arrests that are made on our poor men; to the end also that this sort of suiters might be the sooner dispatched, without troubling either my lord protector in Eng

PART land, or you here, when you are busied in other affairs of more importance.

II.

And as concerning the comprehension of Bulloign, in good faith, because we thought that if the same should happen to be taken from the king's majesty by force, as I trust it shall not, the loss should be common, and touch the emperor almost as near as us; we thought good, for the better security thereof, to move this comprehension, which we take to be as necessary for the emperor as us. And though we are not so wise and well seen in your things as your selves are, yet do we look towards you, and guess of your affairs afar off, and perhaps do somewhat understand the state of the same, whereof I could say more than I now intend. But ye say this is the emperor's resolution herein; we take it as an answer, and shall do accordingly. Marry, whereas you stick so much upon your honour in breaking your treaties with the French, I remember monsieur Granvela your father, at my being with him, did not let to say, That he had his sleeve full of quarrels against the French, whensoever the emperor list to break with them.

Yea, so have we indeed (quoth he) but the time is not yet come: we must temporize our things in this case as the rest of our affairs lead us.

Ye say well (quoth I) ye have reason to regard chiefly the well-guiding of your own things, and yet me thinketh some respect ought to be given to friends. But seeing this is your answer, I will reply no more thereto.

Yet one thing, monsieur D'Arras, (quoth I) I moved to your father, which ye make no mention of, and I would gladly know your mind in, which is, the granting of safe conducts to the common enemy: which the treaty, by plain and express words, forbiddeth either prince to do.

Indeed, monsieur ambassadeur, (quoth he) the words of the treaty are, as ye say, plain enough; and yet the matter were very strait, if it should be taken in such extremity ; for hereafter, in time of war, ye might happen to have need of wood, canvas, or wine, and we of the like, and other necessaries; and if in such cases the princes should not have

. I.

prerogative to grant safe conducts, it shall be a great incon- BOOK venience, and a thing not hereafter seen; howbeit the emperor for his part will not, I think, stick much hereupon, but observe the plain meaning of the treaty. Nevertheless I cannot say any thing expresly on his behalf herein, because monsieur Granvela spake nothing thereof. And yet did we move him of it (quoth I) and he bad us grant none, and the emperor for his part would not grant any. No more hath he done, quoth he, sithence his coming into this country, nor intendeth not hereafter. He needeth not, quoth I, for those that have been given out before are sufficient for a great while. Nay, that they are not, quoth he, for the longest was granted but for a year, and now are they expired; and whereas a while sithence, one presuming upon his safe conduct, came into this country to traffique, because the time thereof was expired, he was taken and imprisoned.

The said D'Arras, after this talk, touched further unto me two points, which the emperor, he said, desireth may be reformed; the first was, our merchants, contrary to our entercourse, do enhaunce the prices of their woolls, and will not sell at such prices as they are bound by the entercourse; wherewith the merchants here do find themselves aggrieved, and therefore the emperor desireth some order may be taken herein.

Whereunto I answered, that I understood not the matters, and yet I supposed our men did not this but upon some grounds and just occasion, by reason of other breach of order on their parts here. Howbeit I shewed him I would inform your grace thereof, and doubted not, but if any thing were amiss on our parts, it shall be reformed; accordingly looking for the semblable on their behalf.

The other, he said, was, That our men have of late begun - to build a bulwark, which standeth half on the king's majesty's ground, and half on the emperor's territory. And although monsieur de Rue have viewed the same, and perceiving the emperor to be wronged thereby, hath required our folks to proceed no further therein; yet cease they not

II.

PART to build still, which the emperor marvelleth much at, and thinks we would not take it well that he should attempt the like fortification upon the king's territory; and therefore requireth that some redress may be given in time therein.

I answered, That I knew not of this thing; howbeit, as I went homeward, I would inform my self of the case, and make report thereof to your grace, who I doubted not would take such order therein, as should stand with reason.

And here monsieur D'Arras setting forth with many good words the emperor's amity towards the king, and his readiness to shew his majesty's pleasure in all things that he conveniently may; and that in case we proceed to any further treaty with France; he doubted not but we would have regard to them, according to our treaties: and that also, if we grew to any peace with the Scots, seeing that his majesty is entred in enmity chiefly for our sake, whereby his subjects have been sundry ways endangered, he trusteth he will have consideration to see that convenient recompence be made to them by the Scots, e're ever we go through with any conclusion; the rather, because the Scots have, and cease not still to offer, besides a large recompence, very great conditions, if his majesty would fall to any peace with them, which chiefly for our sakes he hath, and will refuse to do. We answered hereunto generally, That the king's majesty, in such case, we doubted not, would have due respect to the emperor's amity, and proceed herein as appertaineth.

This was the substance of their cold answer, as your grace may see, of small effect, although interlaced with plenty of good words, which we also thought best to use towards them, and requite them with the like. And thus, after I had required of D'Arras a time to take my leave of the emperor, and his promise to procure the same as shortly as he might, we departed. And thus we beseech God to send your grace as well to do as we do wish.

From Bruges, July 24.

William Paget.

Philip Hobbey.

The council's letter to the king against the protector. An

original.

MOST high and mighty prince, our most gracious sove- Cotton lib. raign lord. It may please your majesty to be advertised, Titus B. 2. That having heard such message as it pleased your majesty to send unto us by your highness secretary, sir William Petre; like as it was much to our grief and discomfort to understand, that, upon untrue informations, your majesty seemed to have some doubt of our fidelities; so do we, upon our knees, most humbly beseech your majesty to think, that as we have always served the king's majesty, your most noble father, and your highness likewise, faithfully and truly, so do we mind always to continue your majesty's true servants, to the effusion of our blood, and loss of our lives. And for the security of your most royal person's safeguard, and preservation of your realms and dominions, have at this time consulted together, and for none other cause, we take God to witness. We have heretofore, by all good and gentle means, attempted to have had your highness uncle, the duke of Somerset, to have governed your majesty's affairs, by the advice of us, and the rest of your councellors; but finding him so much given to his own will, that he always refused to hear reason; and therewith doing sundry such things as were, and be most dangerous, both to your most royal person, and to your whole realm, we thought yet again to have gently and quietly spoke with him in these things, had he not gathered force about him, in such sort, as we might easily perceive him earnestly bent to the maintenance of his old wilful and troublous doings. For redress whereof, and none other cause, we do presently remain here ready to live and die your true servants. And the assembly of almost all your council being now here, we have, for the better service of your majesty, caused your secretary to remain here with us, most humbly beseeching your grace to think in your heart, that the only preservation of your person, and your estate, for the discharge of our