MEMOIRS

OF THE

Reign of Queen ELIZABETH,

T

From the Year 1581, till her Death.

BOOK VII.

HE new league offenfive and defenfive between England and France was now, on the 16th of May 1596, after many difficulties, concluded and fign'd by the queen's commiffioners, the iord Treaturer, lord HUNSDON, lord BUCKHURST, lord COBHAM, fir JOHN FORTESCU, and fir ROBERT CECIL, on the one fide, and the duke DE BOUILLON, and monf. De SANCY on the other; affifted during the courfe of it by monf. D' ANCEL, who, after having been employ'd in feveral negotiations in Germany, was defign'd by the French king to go ambaffador to the princes of the empire, and monf. DU VAIR, mafter of the requefts, and lately promoted to be of the council to that king, who happening to be in England for his own pleasure, and without any public commiffion, yet was very serviceable to the French commiffioners in the management of the treaty". The English commiffioners open'd it with high complaints of France for not having perform'd the conditions of former treaties; which the French endeavour'd to excufe, by alledging, that the king their mafter had executed them to the utmost of his abilities, tho' not to the degree, which he defired. These altercations being paft, and the particulars of the fupplies demanded being enter'd upon, the English urg'd the queen's loan of 1,500,000 crowns to HENRY IV, and her prodigious expence in the affiftance of the Low Countries, in men, money, and provisions fent to Ireland, in the late unfuccefsful expedition to the Weft-Indies, under a THUANUS, Tom. v. 1. cxvi. cap. xi. p. 609.

VOL. II.

B

HAWKINS

HAWKINS and DRAKE, and in the vaft armament preparing against Spain; and infifted fo ftrongly, that her majefty was incapable of fupplying the fuccours requir'd by France, that the French appear'd several times determin'd to break off the treaty and depart. But the queen unwilling to fuffer HENRY IV. to be forced by his neceffities to a peace with the enemy, lent him 20,000 crowns on the fecurity of the duke DE BOUILLON and monf. DE SANCY, and confented to the nineteen articles following: That all former treaties fhould be mutually confirm'd, and a new league offenfive and defenfive against the king of Spain be now made: That all other princes and states, who were defirous of defending themfelves against the ambition and tyranny of Spain, fhould be invited to accede to this league: That as foon as the affairs of the king and queen would permit, an army fhoud be form'd at the common expence of them and their allies, to invade the king of Spain and his dominions: That neither the king nor queen fhould treat of peace with the king of Spain, or any other perfon employ'd by him, but by mutual confent exprefs'd under the hand of the faid king or queen; nor fhould any truce or ceffation of arms be made without fuch confent; and that after the expiration of the truce in Bretagne, no new one should be made by the king without comprehending in it the queen and her dominions: That as France was now attack'd by the king of Spain, the queen fhould fend to its affiftance 4000 English foot, to be paid at a rate to be fettled in an instrument to be affix'd to this treaty, and these troops to be employ'd by the king in Picardy and Normandy: That these 4000 English should serve the king only fix months in that year, and then return to England; and that if they should be wanted longer, it should be left to the confcience of the queen, to be determin'd as the fituation of England fhould permit: That fhe might increase the number of these troops, if the rebellion in Ireland fhould be fupprefs'd, and no commotion break out in any of her other dominions: That the 4000 foot fhould be receiv'd into the pay of the king from the time of their landing in France till the day of their departure, and during their flay there to be mufter'd every month, and to be paid according to the number fo mufter'd: That the queen fhould from time to time fupply those, who fhould be wanting to complete that number of 4000: That fhe fhould advance the money for their payment monthly, which money should be repaid by the king after fix months, as a fecurity for which he should fend to England four hoftages, men of rank and quality: That if the king should have occafion for a greater number than thefe 4000 foot, and the circumftances of England would permit, he should be allow'd to levy there three or four thousand more at his own expence: That the English foldiers fhould be fubject to the authority of the king's officers, and be punish'd by them; but that the English captains fhould be prefent and affift upon fuch occafions: That if the queen fhould be invaded, the king fhould, in two months after the demand, affist her with 4000 French foot, to be fent to England at his expence, and ferve fix months in a year, but not to be employ'd beyond 50 miles within that kingdom; and to be paid by her from the time of their landing, according to a rate annex'd to this treaty: That these French foldiers be fubject to the authority of the queen's officers, and punish'd by them, but that the French captains fhould affift on fuch occafions: That the king fhould and Vol. x. fol. 257. See likewife THUANUS,

Ibid. 1. 610-612.

• ANT. BACON'S MSS. Vol. xi. fol. 65, 81, 37, p. 613. and METEREN, fol. 393.

keep up and fupply the faid number of 4000 French foot: That the king and queen fhould allow powder and other warlike provifions to be exported freely out of each others dominions, as their own exigences fhould permit: That a free commerce fhould be granted mutually to their fubjects, and the armies and forces of each affifted with provifions and other neceffaries; and that neither the king nor his fucceffors fhould permit any subject of England to be injur'd in perfon or goods by inquifitors, or in any other manner, on account of the religion now establish'd in England: And that, if any person fhould by any authority attempt this, the king fhould by his royal authority forbid and prevent him, and procure fatisfaction to be made to the party injur❜d.

There was likewise a private treaty agreed to on the 10th of May, that only 2000 English should be fent to France, and that they should ferve only at Boulogne and Monftreuil, except the king should be in person in Picardy, in which cafe they fhould serve him any where in that province: That the faid 2000 foldiers fhould remain in the fervice of the king, in those towns only, for fix months after their landing in France, unless the queen fhould confent to a longer period: That the king at the end of the faid fix months fhould pay, or caufe to be paid, to the queen in London, all the charges which fhe had been at in fending away, paying, and maintaining the faid 2000 foldiers, and all extraordinary charges; for the payment of which the king was to give her an obligation: That after the firft of March in the year ensuing, if the king fhould require a greater number of English troops, the queen fhould not be oblig'd to grant above 2000 more to complete the number of 4000; nor fhould that fuccour be granted, except the rebellion in Ireland fhould then be fupprefs'd. That if the king fhould not pay the queen her expences, at the end of fix months, for the faid 2000 foldiers, the fhould not be oblig'd by the former treaty, or the prefent agreement, to furnish him for the future with any more fuccours. The duke DE BOUILLON and monf. DE SANCY engag'd, that the fum of 20,000 crowns, lent them on the 7th of May, fhould be paid before the end of four months from that day; tho' they had oblig'd themselves, by a paper under their hands, to pay it at the end of twelve months, and not before; to which anticipation of the faid payment they confented, in confideration of the great expences of the queen against the common enemy: That notwithstanding any preceding clause for the fending 2000 foldiers into Picardy, the queen would not confent to it, till fhe fhould understand, that the king was come thither with his army for the defence of his towns in that province.

Upon the conclufion of this league the duke DE BOUILLON and monf. DE SANCY left England, and return'd to France, accompanied with monf. DU VAIR; while monf. D'ANCEL pafs'd over to Holland with a copy of the treaty, and in the company of LÆVINUS CALVART, the Dutch embaffador to the French king, at whose defire he had attended the negotiation of that treaty, which was not ratified till Auguft following'.

Vol. xi. fol. 37

France on the 18th of May 1596. THUANUS, They were at Gravefend in their return to p. 615.

Mr. BACON's indifpofition, and his retirement on account of it to Twickenham lodge, having prevented him from waiting upon the duke DE BOUILLON and mons DE SANCY during their ftay in England, tho' he had been vifited by the latter, he wrote to each of them letters of excufe, with profeffions of his regard for them, and zeal for the intereft of their king; and monf. DE SANCY, in his anfwer", expreffed great concern for mr. BACON's ill health, and regret for his abfence from London, which prevented him from feeing and taking leave of him; and his defire to entertain a correfpondence with him fometimes by letters.

He

The converfation, which the duke de BOUILLON had juft before his departure with mr. REYNOLDES, the earl of Effex's fecretary, was written immediately by the latter to his lordship in a long letter, dated May 18, 1596, in which he related, that the duke had fent for him that morning, and told him, that he purposed to write to the earl a letter of great importance, which he defir'd might fall into no other man's hands, because he meant to deal freely in it with his lordship: but that he could not dispatch it till his coming to Gravefend. To which, in order to fave himself some part of his labour, being not able fuddenly to enlarge on every particularity by writing, he defired mr. REYNOLDES to add this, first, to clear him of all jealoufy and doubt concerning any complaint or fpeech, that might be carried to his lordship. What might have escaped others before his coming or fince, he knew not; but for himself, and monf. DE SANCY, fince his arrival, he protested, that knowing his lordship's refolution, he had never fought to hinder his voyage, nor accused him of flackness or unkindness concerning his own negotiation. faid indeed, that he had no opinion or conceit of the expedition, which he had delivered to the earl in perfon; and would not deny, that he could have wish'd, that either it had not been undertaken, or that it might have been broken off without any dishonour, lofs, or difappointment to his lord hip. But finding him refolute, and that he had fo far engaged his honour, fortune, and hopes in it, (which he thought the earl would never have done, without fome greater reafon and affurance of fuccefs). he would not do his lordship that wrong to go about to cross his honourable defign, honouring him above all the lords in the world. He therefore defir'd the earl not to impute to him the humorous fpeeches of any difcontented man in his train; for upon his honour he had never forgot himself and his love to his lordship so much, as either to feek to impeach the course of his enterprize (whatsoever it was) or give out unkind fpeeches, or complaints of any flackness in his lordship to advance the fervice of his mafter the French king; tho' he had not found any fo great an impediment in his treaty with her majesty and the lords, as the infinite charges, which, the faid, fhe had been at in the preparations for this voyage, and her weakness at home by reafon of the abfence of fo many of her fhips and fubjects: with which reasons he had been check'd in every audience, and they were an excufe, why fo little was granted. The duke, in order to give the earl fome farther argument of his love, told mr. REYNOLDES, that tho' he had received letters from the king to follicit her majefty, and to prefs her to yield to fome better affiftance, with exprefs charge to diffuade his lordship's voyage, and to remonftrate many inconveniences, that might arife from it, yet he had not infifted upon it any further than by fhewing her the 1 Vol. XI. fol. 75.

Vol. XI. fol. 164 and 5.

Vol. XI. fol. 171.