Copy 1, Volume 1

Memoirs of the reign of Queen Elizabeth, from the year 1581 till her death. In which the secret intrigues of her court, and the conduct of her favourite, Robert Earl of Essex, both at home and abroad, are particularly illustrated. From the original papers of ... Anthony Bacon, esquire, and other manuscripts never before published / By Thomas Birch.

Thomas Birch

Date:: 1754

Credit: Memoirs of the reign of Queen Elizabeth, from the year 1581 till her death. In which the secret intrigues of her court, and the conduct of her favourite, Robert Earl of Essex, both at home and abroad, are particularly illustrated. From the original papers of ... Anthony Bacon, esquire, and other manuscripts never before published / By Thomas Birch. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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The lad letter, which Mr. Faunt wrote before he left Paris. taMr. Bacon, then at Tholoufe, was on the 17th of March, 158-*- d, acquainting him, that it had been given out in that city for fix days pad, and was then reported upon fome authority, that Monfieur de la Noue, the brave French proteflant officer, was was efcap’d out of prifon, and fafe at Antwerp : The probability of which account was chiefly grounded upon this circumftance, that the gentleman, his keeper, fee¬ ing the world to go hard with his party at the arrival of Monfieur in Flanders, and being corrupted by Monfieur de la Noue for 2500 crowns reward, and by a reafonable penfion for life, went off with him to Antwerp. c4 For my part, fays “ Mr. Faunt, I am yet in fome doubt thereof, the news is fo good ; but yet I hope it is as we would have it. In England of late there hath been a fray tc between my lord of Oxford and Mr. Thomas Knevet c of the privy chamber, “ who are both hurt, but my lord of Oxford more dangeroufiy. You know Mr. Knevet is not meanly beloved in court; and therefore he is not like to fpeed “ ill whatsoever the quarrel be. Our ill news of Italy continueth, and there is cc calling home from thence of all hands, if it be not too late. Here is newly “ arrived a courier from your parts, that there are entered 600 Spaniards into Avignon ; whereat the King feemeth to be greatly difquieted. But I fear, under the pretence of declaring open war between the Spaniards and the French, they mean to entrap the poor princes f there on both fides.” Mr. Faunt left Paris on the 22d of March, and fome time after his arrival at London wrote a long letter to Mr. Bacon on the 15th of April 1582 s, giving him an account of his having waited upon lady Bacon, his mother, and his brother Francis, to acquaint them of Mr. Bacon’s defire of continuing longer abroad. Having then defcrib’d his own fituation in the office, which he had at court, under lecretary Walsingham, as by no means agreeable to himfelf, he proceeds to the ffate of publick affairs. “ You know, fays he, that (thanked be God) here “ is no fuch change and fudden accidents, as in thofe parts ^ neither that fafety nor liberty in thefe days to write of that occureth, as hath been heretofore. All “ our talk is of the doings in Flanders, from whence we have prefent news, that ♦ *c the prince [of Orange] is now again upon the amendment fince his fecond *c bleeding h; and they fay he (hall do well. Her majefty had fent Mr. Fulk “ Grevill 1 and Mr. Edward Norreys at feveral times to vifit him ; who are both return’d already. There all enterpriles efpecially depend upon the refo- *£ lutions in France to be declared at the return of the prince Dauphin to Antwerp, 6C for which purpofe he was fent to the court. For Ireland and Scotland I hear no new thing. And here is lately fet forth a new proclamation againft all jefuits and other priefts to declare them traitors fo foon as they land, with all 4£ fuch as fhall harbour them, refraining the liberty of all travellers, except fuch as be allowed for fome fpecial caufes, and be well known ; and for the calling home of others within four months upon pain of rebellion with many other hard d Fol. 58. h He had been wounded with a piftol-fhot in the « He was afterwards created 1-ord Knevet of head on the 13th of March ipK at Antwerp, by Efcrike. See Wood, Fafti. Oxon. Vol. i. Col. 145. John Jauregui, aBifcayan. 4 The king of Navarre and prince of Condi. 1 Afterwards created Lord Brooke. ? Yob i. fob 59. u claufes 5

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