Briefwisseling. Deel 1: 1608-1634

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403. E. Cecyl Viscount Wimbledon¹⁾, (H.A.)

I finde noe proportion betweene your courtesies and my necessities, which makes mee at this time to augment my thanckes for the encrease of your courtesies, which I should have donne by my servant, but that haste would not suffer mee.

I have latelie received letters out of England, but they have ben twentie daies in cominge, otherwise I had had the death of my lord duke²⁾ more fresher. Yet in regard the Prince desires to knowe the truth, I have thought good to lett him knowe by you, how it is given mee by letter, that is: That uppon the 23^th of August, old stile, about tenn of the clocke in the morninge, lenitennant Felton holdinge up the hanginge with the left hand, stabbed the duke with the other, as hee came out of one roome into the other; after steppinge three stepps further, he fell downe and binding it with an oath, said: O villen, thou hast kild mee; and although theare weare many in the chamber, yet noe man tooke notice of the actor, in soe much as whilest all men stood amased at that unexpected act, hee himselfe onelie slipped aside and might have escaped, if hee had not confessed himselfe to bee the man, and soe offered himselfe to bee taken. By a paper found in his hatt, it appeared that hee expected to have ben slaine in the place, and therefore writ therein to this purpose, that hee would not have himselfe condemned for doeinge that act, and condempned all others, that they had not donne it sooner, and protested all cowards that would not expose themselves to all danger for the good of theire kinge and countrie, and subscribed all this with his owne hand, or to this purpose, wherof copies are frequentlie seene in everie mans hand, as likewise some fragments of his examinations, wherein hee confesseth that besides some perticuler wronges, which he had received from the duke, that hee was persuaded especiallie to doe this act by readinge the remonstrance that the Parliament had made, and the generall apprehension is, that by reasonn the duke denied him his demand of a debt of 90 ℔ starlinge for bis jorney to Cales and to Pee (?), and for that hee did not succeed his capteine in his place, when hee died. His mother and sister are likewise committed to Nugate uppon suspition had of theire knowinge some such resolution. - The daie before this action a great mutinie was begonne amongest the mariners, when one of them offered to laie hold on te duke.

I praie remember my service to Mons. Witts³⁾ and lett him knowe that Dr. Montague is consecrated bisshop of Chester⁴⁾; it was⁵⁾ the daie before the dukes death, and if it had first ben knowne, hee would have ben content with a deanerie.

They further generallie apprehend of this great action, that a faire

1) Zie blz. 23.

2) De hertog van Buckingham (zie blz. 27) werd den 23^sten Aug. door Felton vermoord.

3) Nl. Wyts; zie blz. 199.

4) Richard Montague (1577-1641), was een geleerde en polemisch schrijver.

5) Er staat: it was befor the daie before

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opportunitie is offered to his Ma^tie to make a peace with all his great and potent enemies abroad, and to bee reconciled to his subjects at home.

It is thought, his Ma^tie will bestowe the M^r of the horse on mylord of Holland¹⁾, and [for]²⁾ the admiralls place, when his Ma^tie let [the]²⁾ sailors knowe, that hee would make an admirall verie shortelie, most of them then cried: an Essex, an Essex³⁾; but I can not believe that hee shall have it anythinge the sooner .... Rotterdam, this 20^th of Septemb. 1628, old stile⁴⁾.

1) Henry Rich (1590-1649), graaf van Holland, heeft vele ambten bekleed en is in 1649 onthoofd.

2) Afgescheurd.

2) Afgescheurd.

3) Robert Devereux (1567-1601), graaf van Essex, de gunsteling van Elizabeth, was vlootvoogd geweest; zijn gelijknamige zoon (1591-1646) had bij den tocht tegen Cadix (1625) de Engelsche vloot gecommandeerd. Later was hij generaal-majoor der troepen van het Parlement.

4) Dus. 30 September, nieuwe stijl.