1568. 2 Feb. With regard to the Prince, my son, I have nothing to add to what is contained in the other letter,* except that I am still in sorrow about it as may be imagined.-Madrid, 5. GUZMAN DE SILVA to the KING. February 1568. I have already written that Catharine, the wife of the earl of Hertford, was indisposedt. The illness took such a turn as to prove fatal, and she is dead. She leaves two sons, aged six and four years respectively. The heretics mourn her loss, as they had fixed their eyes on her for the succession in any eventuality. The Catholics are pleased, and are already beginning to say that the children are not legitimate owing to Catharine's having married against the law. I am told, however, that in her will she has again left the necessary declarations to prove her marriage. The Queen expressed sorrow to me at her death, but it is not believed that she feels it, as she was afraid of her, so that both on this account and on the Scotch side, she is now without misgiving. I take every opportunity of trying to convince the Queen how important it is that she should refuse to lend an ear to base and biassed councillors and others, who would seek to divert her from the policy of living in peace and harmony with her neighbours; and this is very necessary from what I hear they are telling her in order to incense her and get her to make some movement in Flemish or French affairs. Having engaged her in conversation on this subject, and pointed out how inconvenient to her would be any disturbance here, I mentioned what was being said about the attempt of her Ministers to force the oath of supremacy on many persons, in accordance with the orders given in the first parliament after her accession. This I did to stop, if possible, the forcing of the oath on the lawyers of the College of Arches, as I wrote to your Majesty they were doing. The Queen answered me that the reason they had taken the matter in hand was to frighten many people who were talking with more freedom than was conducive to the pacification of the country, but that compulsion would only be used to a few of those who talked loudest, as an example to the others. I do not know how this will be, because, although generally when I talk to her she seems full of good resolutions, they soon disappear, thanks to the crew she has around her, all composed of these sectaries, who have become more shameless than ever with recent events in France, and have been giving as much trouble as they can to the Catholics. As they do not find the Queen quite so ready to help them as they could wish, they are more wary of me than ever, and are continually trying to alarm the Queen with all kinds of inventions about me, as they think no doubt that I am warning her against them. *This letter is not in the Archives. ↑ Catharine Grey, eldest surviving sister to Lady Jane Grey, daughter of Frances Brandon, Duchess of Suffolk, and by the will of Edward VI. next heir to the crown. She had secretly married in the Tower the earl of Hertford, the eldest son of the Protector Somerset. 1568. 7 Feb. On the 25th ultimo a Scotsman arrived here from the earl of Murray. The Queen tells me that she has refused him audience because the earl of Murray and the rest of them would not let her ambassador see their Queen when he was in Scotland. She says his object in coming is to propose an alliance between her and the regent against France, and she intends to let him know that she will not agree to it or enter into any negotiations except with the Queen, and if they reply that the Queen herself will send messages and letters on the subject, she (Elizabeth) will say that before she can believe them their Queen must be set free, and in some place to her own liking; otherwise she will give no credence to anything said or done in her name. I am told by the Queen and others that the news from Scotland is, that five of those who were executed for the murder of the King have confessed that the Queen knew of it, and it is considered certain that these statements will be brought before the (Scotch) Council and proceedings taken against the Queen herself. This Queen (Elizabeth) and others greatly fear this will be the case. is said that the Scotsmen who had entered Ireland by the country of the late Shan O'Neil have returned home. No decision has been arrived at here yet about Ireland. It Since writing the above, I have been informed that the archbishop of Canterbury summoned the collegians (i. e., of the Arches) and presented the oath to them in accordance with the enclosed statement in Latin* which was given to me by one of those present. Efforts are being made to prevent the molestation of those who declined to take the oath, and the earls of Pembroke, Leicester, and Ormond have promised their good offices. It is believed that the Queen had no special knowledge of it, but that it was done by the man they call Archbishop, and even by the advice of his wife, who fittingly performs the office of primate.London, 2nd February 1568. 6. The SAME to the SAME. On the 2nd instant I wrote your Majesty what had been done respecting the tendering of the oath to the collegians of the Arcubus,† and that it was believed that the Queen was not aware of the Archbishop's proceedings. This appears to be the case from what she said to me about it, and what afterwards happened, which was that she was angry with the Archbishop and rated him on the subject, although subsequently the earl of Bedford and Knollys and Cecil pacified her and gave her to understand that it would be unwise to be severe on the Archbishop for fear of encouraging the Catholics too much. Before the Queen spoke to the Archbishop on the subject he had already summoned the officers 'of his court for a given day in order that they might take the oath before him, as the lawyers had done, but when the day arrived, the Queen having spoken to him in the interim, the oath was not * (In original.) This statement was not enclosed. † (In original.) Vulgarly called the Arches which is a tribunal or court of the archbishop of Canterbury. 1568, tendered, and the officers were told that as it was a question of From what M. de Chantonnay tells me, it appears they are still trying to put off the Emperor with words, and this was the object of the answer taken by Cobham which, Chantonnay writes, was to the effect that the Queen wished to confer with Sussex on certain points when he returned hither, and that, as the question of religion was subject to Parliament, nothing definite could be settled until Parliament met. This was no doubt the letter the Queen mentioned to me and respecting which I wrote your Majesty.-London, 7th February 1568. 16 Feb. 7. 7. GUZMAN DE SILVA to the KING. I was with the Queen yesterday. She is well, but much surprised at what her ambassador (in Spain) writes to her, under date of the 19th ultimo, namely, that at 10 o'clock on the night of the 18th your Majesty entered the room of our lord the Prince and arrested him with your own hands, and, it was believed, had ordered him to be conveyed to Toledo. She said that your Majesty had acted in the matter with the dignity and consideration due in a great prince by arresting your son with your own hands, but she had not been informed of the reason for the arrest. However, both she and Lord Robert and Cecil have given me to understand that they learn by letters from France that it was account of some plot against your Majesty's person, a thing so hard to believe that only heretics could imagine it, and such they must have been, children as they are of the devil who was a murderer from the first, on 1568. I hope to God, as I told the Queen, that the cause was very different, because, although his Highness is not lacking in spirit and courage, which in later years may serve for great things, he has hitherto shown no bad intentions, disobedience or disinclination to accept humbly your Majesty's commands. The matter has made great noise here, as no doubt it has done elsewhere, and I trust your Majesty will have ordered instructions to be sent as to the course I am to take in the interests of your service. Things here are quiet. News comes from Scotland that some of the principal people have risen against the Regent and the Government, and when I asked the Queen whether it was true, she said it was, and they even wanted to throw the blame on to her, as some malicious people also had tried to do respecting the disturbances in France, and even those of Flanders, which, she said, was entirely unfounded, as she is opposed strongly to such proceedings of subjects against their rulers, and particularly in the case of your Majesty and your dominions, which should never be molested by England, at least whilst she was Queen. I said that she was quite free from any such suspicion, seeing the loving goodwill your Majesty bore her, and she, like the great princess she was, could not fail to reciprocate it, as I had constantly advised your Majesty she did. As the malice of the heretics is continually exercised in arousing her suspicion, no opportunity must be lost to dissipate it. Irish affairs quiet. The Viceroy, after much entreaty, has consented to go back to the Government, and they will let him have Wales as well, which he had before and wanted still. The Queen expects the earl of Sussex to arrive here next week. She has said no more to me about the Archduke's affair, as she would have done if there had been anything of importance. They say here that French affairs are going badly, and, in conversation with the Queen on the subject, she gave me to understand that she blamed the queen of France for not stamping out the business at the beginning. She is not the only person who thinks so. About a week ago they discovered here a newly invented sect, called by those who belong to it "the pure or stainless religion.' They met to the number of 150 in a house where their preacher used a half a tub for a pulpit, and was girded with a white cloth. Each one brought with him whatever food he had at home to eat, and the leaders divided money amongst those who were poorer, saying that they imitated the life of the apostles and refused to enter the temples to partake of the Lord's supper as it was a papistical ceremony. This having come to the ears of the city authorities, they, in accord with the Queen's Council, sent 40 halberdiers to arrest the people. They found them meeting in the house and arrested the preacher and five of the principals, leaving the others, and have appointed persons to convert them.-London 16th February 1568, 1568. 21 Feb. 8. GUZMAN DE SILVA to the KING. I received your Majesty's despatch of 23rd ultimo the day before yesterday, with duplicates of those of 10th and 18th from the duke of Alba to which I have replied. I wrote to your Majesty on the 16th the report the Queen had received from her ambassador of the seclusion of his Highness in his apartments by order of your Majesty and the various comments and discussions to which this had given rise here, and what I had replied to the Queen about it. For this reason I at once requested audience of the Queen and delivered your Majesty's letter yesterday. I related the affair in substance as your Majesty ordered me to write to her, for her better understanding and recollection, and then showed her a copy of what had been written to me about it so that no word should be overlooked as they are all weighty. After the Queen had read her letter and listened very attentively to what I said, as well as going over slowly what I had written, she thanked your Majesty, first for your kindness in advising her always of all that happened in your affairs, which well deserved her thanks and good wishes that all should prosper with you; and, although as she had told me before, she was very sorry for the news, on account of the trouble it gave your Majesty and the cause from which it arose, yet it was satisfactory to hear what I said about it. She could wish, however, that more detail were given in order to banish the suspicions of people and not leave so large a field for imagination and gossip, in a matter of so much importance. I told her that no father liked to confess the excesses of his son so readily, and what your Majesty had had written was quite enough to prove that there was no excessive harshness or extraordinary action, and that, in order that the cause of the trouble might not be lasting, it was necessary for the blow to be a heavy and decisive one. The rumours about it have greatly calmed, now that it is shown not to be a matter of disobedience or anything of that sort; but heretics interpret everything that happens in their own favour, in order to make people think they have many on their side, and so they not only assert but publish that his Highness' arrest was owing to some such cause as this. I have several times written to your Majesty about the suspicions these heretics are constantly sowing in the Queen's mind, to the effect that a league has been formed against her by your Majesty, the Emperor, the king of France and the Pope, and how I have always tried to reassure her. She told me yesterday that she had the previous night received letters from some of the German princes and from other quarters, again asserting the truth of the statement. I told her that it was nothing but an invention to alarm her and get her to declare herself on their side and back up their weak and falling cause, as they saw ruin before them, as I had told her before. I again assured her of your Majesty's friendship for her, and how desirable it was to her for many reasons that the friendship should continue and no cause for its rupture should be given by her. I pointed out how your Majesty had striven to save her life and keep in good brotherhood with her, and much to the same effect in order |