The Queen had sent a peace commission to English occupied
Ostend to parley with Parma early in the year. The wily Duke sent an engineer to
nonchalantly look over the fortifications in preparation for the invasion and
the future subjugation of the Low Countries. Of course, any sense of diplomatic
resolution was gone by the time of this letter.
The Pope may already have consecrated the orb and scepter
he intended to send Parma upon the latter’s successful landing along the English
coast at Kent. It was Rome who promised to pay a vast amount for the Armada and
the invasion. The aim was to place a
Catholic monarch back on the throne. As a heretic, Elizabeth would not likely
have lived long. Of course, it paid only the upfront money given the failure of
the operation.
Sir: — We praise and glorify God exceedingly for that it hath pleased him at divers times to give good success to her Majesty's navy against the common enemy; and we are glad that her Majesty hath favourably considered of the service that hath been done by us. It were greatly to be desired that we could have seconded her with stronger forces than we have here at this time, thereby to render the victory more perfect. But the misfortunes which have befallen this State, from the extraordinary and unheard of mutinies excited amongst our soldiers, have deprived us of the means whereby these countries could have armed greater forces by sea, so as better to have testified our zeal for the service of her Majesty.
We cease not to travail with the States, moving them to
grant a new and extraordinary subsidy for the strengthening and largely
augmenting of our said forces by sea, as that it may be prepared for whatever
may fall out, the resolution of our enemies being apparent to persecute their
pretences to the uttermost; as also, on the other part, we desire to do our
duty so far as lieth with us. Wherein we find so much good will that, notwithstanding
the manifold charges and contributions, we do already begin to carry out our
resolve, and arm for the sea about 40 more good ships of war. Nevertheless, for
that we are advertised that the Spanish army taketh a course northward, we
beseech your Honours to be a mean that her Majesty may give commandment to her
army not to cease to pursue and follow up the enemy, to the end they shall not
be able to assure themselves and renew their enterprise.
Certain of our captains have brought into these parts some
ships taken from the Spanish army, with sundry persons, which we have examined
the chief of them, and have sent you, with these, copies of their confessions,
so as it may serve, with other advertisements that your Lordships have, to make
known the pretences of the said King of Spain against her Majesty's kingdom. In
like manner we do also send the confessions of certain mariners of this
country, who have been stayed in Spain by the space of two years, and
constrained to serve in the army of the King, but have now fled away from the
army and yielded themselves here.
On the other hand, your Lordships will also see how sure and
certain it is that the Duke of Parma, understanding of the ill success of his
enterprise against England, will, in his fury, turn the great power that he has
brought together in Flanders against this country, to revenge himself, if it
may be, for the loss and shame his master and he have had at the sea. We
beseech your Lordships to take order that the forces of her Majesty in these
parts shall be sufficient in number and in quality, as well of footmen as of
horsemen, whereof, at this present, there is great lack; and, meantime, to
continue your favours to this afflicted country in the great need that now is;
assuring your Lordships that, on our part, we shall not fail to do to the
uttermost of our ability for the service of her Majesty and for our own safety.
The States-General do now consider of sending certain
deputies to her Majesty, which will more fully inform your Honours of
everything. This, commending ourselves to your good favour, we pray God to have
your Lordships in his holy keeping. From the Hague, the 18th day of August, Your
Lordships' very humble and very affectionate servants, the Council of State of
the United Provinces of the Low Countries.
CHR. HUYGENS.[1]
Even among such brutal and tawdry affairs life turns out
to have surprising resilience. The secretary, Christian Huygens, who wrote this
letter was the patriarch of the remarkable family of Dutch intellectuals and
the father of the composer, poet Constantijn Huygens who was in turn the father of Christian’s namesake, the mathematician,
physicist, engineer, astronomer, inventor, and one of the great scientists of human
history.
[1] State
Papers Relating to the Defeat of the Spanish Armada, Anno 1588. (1894).
II.72-4.
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