CP 152, 48

From Waalt

CP Volume 152 Folio 48

HMC Volume 1 Page 180 Number 616

Haynes Page 242 Number 224

Transcribed by Samuel Haynes in “A Collection of State Papers . . . 1542 to 1570” London, 1740 15 Feb 1559 From the Queen's Majesty to the Duke of Norfolk

From a Minute of Secretary Cecill.

RIGHT trusty and right entierly beloved Coosyn. We peceyve by your Lettres dated the 8th of February, that ye haue assigned a Meting and Conserence with the Lord James, the Master of Maxwell, the Lord Ruthen, and Mr. Balnavoos, the 25th of this Moneth; with whom how ye shall proceed, ye doo desyre to be fully instructed, as to a Matter of such Importance doth apperteyne. In this Matter we rest still of the same Mynd that we did at your departure home: And therefore, although we might refer yow to your former Instructions gyven to yow in December, yet by Maner of Repetition, we lett yow eftsons understand, that it remayneth very evident to us, how grete and inevitable a Danger it shold be to this our Realme, if the French were permitted to subdue the Kyngdom of Scotland, ether by Force or by Practice, And therefore, except it might appere to yow, by Conference, ether with such wise and expert Men as ye shall judge mete to take Advise of, or with the Lords of Scotland, that the Nobilite and part of Scotland themselves shalbe hable to expell the Force of France, that is presently there, or otherwise be hable to preserve the Kyngdom from subduing and subversion, our former Intent must nedes contynue, to ayde the Part of Scotland to the clere Expulsion of the French; wherby our Kyngdom maye be more free from the Invasion of France: And if it shall appear to yow otherwise; than we wold be thereof with spede advertised. And in what Manner, and when this Ayde shall be gyven, if so it shall be sene necessary, shall be best considered uppon Conference with the sayd Lords of Scotland at your Daye appointed; with whome our Pleasure is ye shuld in this manner Treate. First to make the Matter very strange to them, that, in so long a Tyme, they haue not, being in Nomber many moo than the French, expelled the French: Next that the rest of the Nobilite of Scotland, and specially such as be in the Marsh and Lowthyan, haue not, in this Cause of the Liberty of there Contrey, taken a playne Part with them ageynst the French; which if they had, as it semeth, that Matter had not thus long bene unfinished. And, after this declared, and answered, (as we think they will answer the same with the lack of our Ayde, without the whiche, as it semeth, they can nether expell the French, nor yet cause the Neutralls take a playne Parte,) we think mete ye procede with them to consider, which is the best, the reddyest, and most lyklye way to expell the French; and what Power the same shall require of there Part, and what Powers of ours; in what Tyme and in what Manner the same may be best doone; and whyther it must be done by a short or long Sege; or by Assalt, or otherwise; and with what Chargees by estymacion the same may be doone. And for all other particular Things being of Importance, as for Provision of Victell for Carriage of Ordynance, and Munition, for Mete for the Horses and for such lyke, we referr to be considred by yow, and such as be expert in those Matters. In the Consideration wherof ye shall have regard, first, that Tyme be not spent and differred, to the Increase of our Charge, which we presently susteyne, as yow well do remember in your Letters, without any Seruice: Next, that, to the doing hereof, our Charge and Nombers be not gretar, than shall seme requisite for the effectuall Exploict, and for the Suerty of them which shall doo it: In this Part ye shall also conserr with them, how they shall be hable to kepe there Contrey free from a new Invasion of the French, if by God's Goodness they shall be delyvered; and to informe yow how, and in what maner they will and may doo the same; so as ye maye judge whyther the same be probable or no. For ye may informe them, that the Chardge wer intollerable for us, to mayntene a continuell Army by Sea in those North Parts for that Purpose; although they shall be well assured we meane not to neglect there Defence. And herin maye ye doo well to shew to them your Aduice, how they shall best procede to the Preservation of there Contry. Ye shall also lett them to understand, that it is a Thing most evident, that the French will enterr into an oppen Hostilite with us and our Realme, uppon this our Ayde gyven them; and therefore it shalbe necessary, before we enter into this evident Danger, to understand what Frendshipp we may certenly hope for of them, towards the empechyng of [the French, in case they shall invade us and our Contrees, as most likely it is they will; and yow shall move them to devise what Manner of Wayes they think probable and lykely to ayde us, and to offend the French. In which Poynt, if ye see convenient, ye maye by yourself, or cause some other, as of themselves, by waye of devifing propound theis two Wayes to be the best Meanes: Ether to haue indede an ayde of there Men and Shipps by Sea or Land, to withstand the French, if they shall attempt any Invasion in any Part of the North of this our Realme; or els so to establish a Concord betwixt both these Realmes, and specially uppon these Frontyers, as the one might live in a Suerty of the other without jelosye or doubt: By which Means we for our Part might better employe the Charges, now susteyned in the Garde of our Frontyers, ageynst the French; and they also. For which Purpose, two Places are to be considred; the one is out Towne of Barwyk and Frontyer, where we be forced to kepe a chargeable Garrison, as Reason is, being our frontyer Towne next to Scotland, where, if we might be well assured of no euill Meaning of the Part of Scotland, we might in some Part forbeare our Chardgees. And whatsoeuer they shall answer hereunto, in dede our Opinion is, that no one Thing might better serve our Purpoose to staye Beruyke in surety, than if we might haue Ayemouth in our Possession, and garded with a small Nomber: Which Matter we dout how it maye ingender a Jelosy in the Heades of the People of Scotland; and therefore it must be ether very circumspectly moved, or els forboren for a Season, lest there might therfrom arrise some sinister Construction of them of Scotland, to the hyndrance of the common Cause; and therefore this Matter we leaue wholy to your owne Consideration and Discretion. Besides this another Meanes may be devised by Meanes of Scotland, and specially by the Erle of Argile; that the North Parte of Ireland might be reduced to a perfect Obedience of England; and so the Force, which we haue there, occupied to subdue those disordred People, might be better employed to the Defence of the Realme ageynst the French, which will now prove a common Enemy to bothe. This Matter as indede it will be very beneficiall to our Realme in Ireland, so haue we no doubt but the Erle of Argile will be redy to doo his best herin, having alreddy gyven a Signification of his good Will and Purpose thereunto. When ye shall haue thus proceded in Conference, and shall haue concluded with them uppon any beneficiall Poynts, to be done or observed on the Part of Scotland towards this Realme, we think it convenient, that the same be putt in Articles, and that the Hostages, which ye shall receave, shall be delyuered for the Performance of those Poynts and Conditions. And as to the Hostages, we think your Choise good of those six named in your sayd Letter of the 8th. We wold wish also that it might be compassed, that, when any of the Lords uppon the Frontyers, as the Erle of Morton, the Lord Hume, the Lord of Cefford or such lyke, shall be brought to the Devotion of this common Cause of Defence of the Realme of Scotland and England ageynst the French, there might be some Hostages had of them, for the Performance of the Conditions; which Matter must not be delt with all, untill ye see Tyme convenient. And thus having signifyed unto you our Meaning in dyverse Poynts, we do referr the orderyng therof to your owne Consideration; not doubting but as the Tyme and Place and other Circumstances shall require, so ye will use the same most to our Honour and Suerty. Where ye had Commandment not to employe any Part of the sixteen thousand Pounds apon the Payments of Barwyk, yet we be pleased and thynk it mete, that ye Paye thereof such of our Garrison of Barwyk, as shall at this Poynt be employ'd by your Order in this Service and Exploit.