MY Lord the Prince of Orēge and the states of Holland and Zeland, hauing seē y ^e credible let­terꝭ sēt frō my Lords the generall states of the lowe countries, by my Lord of VViller­sall, and Maister Paule Bays Aduocate of Holland, In company of my Lord the Amba [...]sador from the Emperour, and therunto béeing ernestly requested, to be brought ouer vnto the aforesaid Lord and Prince, and hauing vnderstood ther by that the aforsaid Lords and states de­stred to haue their aduice vppō any Arti­cle concluded on, by manner of an euer­lasting Edict, in the name of the King, and confirmation of the peace, béeing be­twéen the lands ouer and on this side, and Dō Iohn of Eastenrick. The which Articles hauing been wholy shewed vnto them, hauing aunswered, and doo answer the same which heerafter foloweth.

That is to say. At the sight of the afor­said Articles, they cannot leaue but com­mend the ernest zele and great desire which y ^e aforsaid Lordꝭ & states, doo shewe to haue, in setting again our poore distre­ssed natiue Countrey, in his perfect quiet­nes, [Page] and peace which hath long time béen wished and desired. And they vnderst­and firmly, that the aforsaid Lord and states, haue had nōe other regard or meaning in the same, then that once they might deliuer these poor oporessed people from so may miseries and calamities, wherwith welnigh they alredy haue béen destroyed and ouerwhelmed, tho­rough the cruel and vnsufferable tiranny of the proud Spainish nation, and their vnlawful gouernment, by them brought in. And in y ^e time to come, good order and sure remedy as may be appointed, y ^t héed after wée fall not in the like daunger, with one firm and vnuiolable maint­nance of the olde priuiledges, lawes and liberties of the lands, and that specially hath been their purpose, with the afore­said Articles to defend, in all and ouer all, the last pacification made and concludes in the citie o [...] Gaunt, the 8. of Nouember last past. Such as in all their letters, [...] and protestations they haue alwaies promised and assured, the same beeing surely woorthy of praise and commendation [...] by all our posteritie. But notwithstanding, after that the aforesaid Lord and Prince and states of Holland & Zeland had per­used [Page] the aforesaid Articles from point to point, according to the present oportu­nitie of the cause, and necessitie of the sāe, y ^e which forceth thē to ouerlooke and way all the circumstances, like as in the time of our forefathers, the which in the like occasions, neuer haue left to approue and obtain of their Princes, new and commendable Priuileges. So then they haue thought that with the aforesaid Ar­ticles, the good zeal and desire of the afore­said Lord and states before mentionned: is not in all things, wholy and perfectly accomplished. For first it seemeth that the aforesaid olde priuileges of the lane, the which they by all kinde of waies destred to haue established: certain byewayes are found, which tend greatly to the a­bridging of the same, so that the power and libertie of gathering the generall states togither in them to whom of olde time and right it did appertain: couertly taken away, as also that the states of the land are bound vnto new bonds, and othes hertofore neuer vsed. Beside the which men may euidently se, the mani­fest inuiolating of the said priuileges, in the vniust withholding of the Countie of Buren, who as all the world knoweth, [Page] [...] [Page] [...] [Page] [...] [Page] [...] [Page] was taken and caried away against all lawe, reasō, and y ^t priuileges of the afore­said lands, the which ought more to haue béen considered of, in that at the begin­ning, the said priuileges were so infrin­ged, and a matter which manifestly and specially, ought to haue serued to the ere­cting and establishing of the same, especi­ally in séeing of one perticuler person the which in no one cause could haue offen­ded, whiche giueth small hepe that the same heerafter shalbe kept, vnto the whose people and Cities in generall.

Against y ^t which there shall lack no matter for to accuse thē of crimes & rebellion. Adding therto, that in this dealing is handled manifestly, against the aforsaid pacificacie of Gaunt, and for that it is a­gainst the same, it tendeth to y ^e subuersion of the whole, wherto the aforsaid Articles séem to extend, the which more plainly appéereth, in that th'approbatiō and agréeing of the same, in no part is so plaine and simple, as the reason and waight of such a [...]ace wel requireth, but wholy de­pending on certain denialis, limited and submitted to an vnnumerable of deceit­ful delayes, & in all béeing like the same which in the time of madame of Pa [...] [Page] which hath caused this great and terrible bloodshed, against the which also was recouered by the Deputie of the aforesaid Lord, Prince and states of Holland and zeland protestations and acts, belon­ging to the agreement wel [...]eer in like effect doon by the consent of the states.

Moreouer the aforsaid Lordes, Prince and states of Holland and zeland, doo finde as they vnderstand, some points bee­ing so cōbersome vnto their natiue coun­trie, that they suppose the remembrance of the same for euer, as also vnto their po­sterit [...]e, should be imprinted an euerlast­ing shame and stain vnto them, in that that we not onely should haue rewarded them their wages that euercharged, and vnwoorthely vsed vs: but also should tread in composition and agréement with those which wee by open proclamation, and the authoritie of the King, and of the states haue declared and perticulerly by [...]n instruction before t [...]e states of the holy Empire, haue caused to be accused for accent Villayues & Rebels, the which had made any couenants or conspirasies with the Spaniards. And that which is more, wée wittingly haue consented and suffered them to cary out of our na­tiue [Page] countrye all kinde of bag and bag­gage, out Iewels, money, goods, merchandise, and assesments, without any gain­saying. Moreouer the aforesaid Lords, Prince and states of Holland and zelād do think, y ^t there is not sufficiētly seē and neuer wa [...]ed y ^e respect, honour and thank­fulnes that we owe to the right noble and moste mightie Quéene of England, as also vnto my Lord the Duke, and bro­ther to the King of Fraunce, the whiche haue shewed their redines w ^t their whole good wil in helping vs with their goods, in pulling vs out from the oppressions and slauery, wherin we foūd our selues as thē agréeued. Therfore reason woulde haue required, that they should haue béen therin comprehended with plain and ho­norable spéeches. And lastly wée doo not finde in the afforesaid Articles, that the inhabitants of Holland & zeland, were prouided for with any assurance, altho­ugh in the last handling of the peace at Breda, many necessary and resonable a [...] ances were presented, & as should haue béen also doon the last time when they handled of the peace at Gaunt. If so bée that their deputeds, so wel with their mouthes as with their writings, did de­clare, that they in no manner of wayes, [Page] understood to handle with any other then with the states them selues: they would haue shewed, how they on their side, walked in good trueth, protesting if their meaning had béen to haue receiued Don Iohn, & y ^t they must haue tractated with him in that sorte as they now doo: they would haue required other assurances, such as reason & the occasion of the cause should haue required. And in these Arti­cles is not onely one assurāce, but also no mention made of the perticulers, by sub­stituting them wholy in to their owne a­gain, touching their gods, states, and go­uernments, the which they haue in di­uers plates ouer on this side, as also in the countrie of Bourgoingen, the which neuertheles folowing the [...]oo [...] of the paci­ficacie, the which at that some time was not hādled there w ^t the generall states of the lands ouer on this side, and ouer these with expresse woords might not be speci­fied, accerding to all reason ought wel to haue been prouided for, and that is more they can p [...]rceiue none assurance in the aforesaid Articles. Also for the other pro­uinces, and all the poore common people ouer on this side, seeing that neither of the [...]a [...]ng of holdes or Cast [...]ls (out of y ^e which [Page] as it is wel knowē vnto euery one, much euil is chaunced) as is not once touched or expressed, neither also pronounced any perticulers, nor declarings of the ob­ [...]n [...]usnes therin once mencioned, the which vnto the common people cannot be otherwise but suspition, the which o­penly, and now in the last departure vnto this present hath béene threatned, be [...] ­ [...]ing therfore truly good assurance for the time to come when as the lād shalbée vnweaponed, and Don Iohn established in the authoritie, and gouernment if it were but the view of the'ramples of the times past. But it seemeth to the cōtrary that the states shalbe ioyned with such go­uernours, as shalbe to their contentation for this time, as if they ment heerafter to take frō thē al meāes wherby they might holde them selues assured against the euil intent of such as they appointe to b [...] their gouernours.

To make short, there were many other such Articles, which after they thought of the aforesaid Lord Prince and states of Hollād and zeland ought [...]el to haue béen ouerseen and marked, it was ther­fore their purpose, to put in writing all the same, and to send it euer to the afore­said [Page] Lord and states, and onely to declare vnto them that it was now the time, fo­lowing the footsteps of our progenitors, to request, folowe and obtain the increasing and multiplying of the priuileges, lawes and liberties, left vnto vs by them. And specially hauing therunto so good an occa­sion and oportunitie, that we fall not a­gain in to the like calamitie. But when as they were busie in drawing the afore­said, pointes and articles and to put them in writing, to the end as before, there is come to their bands the copie of the mi­ssiue which the aforsaid Lord and states, had written vnto y ^e aforesaid Don Iohn, out of y ^e which they haue vnderstood, y ^t the forsaid Lord and states, haue promised, without any tarying for aunswere vp­pon the said Articles, to conclude with the said Don Iohn, and to require him to subscribe the same Articles, with promise to cause them to be published, and to re­ceiue him in to the countrey wherof the a­foresaid Lord, Prince and states of Hollād and zelād haue wundred much, seeing such a chaunge, perceiuing y ^t the date of thē aforesaid missiue welnigh was of y ^e sāe time (so as they shortly after came vnto t [...]eir hands) that the aforsaid Lord of [Page] VVilleruall, was come vnto them, for a­booue the contrarieties which they found in this dealing, they also thought that the hastines of a cause of so great a cōsequēce wheron the whole welfare, or destruction of al these lowe countries dooth hang: was much abridged, though notwithstanding, forasmuch as they holde and firmly be­léeue the same to be chaunced, to deliuer their natiue countries the sooner from th [...] Spaniards, and other strange oppressors, so thē they can doo none other but wish (as they doo from the bottome of their harts, and pray vnto the Lord God) that the e­uent and end may be such as all those which are true sooners of their natiue countries doo desire. And somuch as apper­taineth vnto them, forasmuch as it were now in vain to vse many reasōs to y ^e con­trary, or to debate or gainsay a cause or matter beeing doon. They doo promise and assure the aforesaid Lords and states, that they wil maintain y ^e peace of Gaunt by all manner of wayes, hoping that the meaning of the said Lord and states is sure also, beséeching them, that they in all mishaps wil shewe them selues in their déedꝭ to be such, as they on their side at all times are ready to doo. Neuertheles, that [Page] men may plainly sée with their déeds, that they desire nought els▪ but to fur­ther the departure of the Spaniards, and other straungers, and confirm the peace and quietnes, with their olde priuileges, lawes and liberties of the lands, they are contented to commend and subscribe vn­to the aforesaid Articles confirmably and with condition, that the said Lords and states, first and before all others it may please them, firmly and vnchaungeably to conclude, and to deliuer to them su­fficient and fourmable acts and obligato­rie, subscribed by the Lords, states, and gouernours, heds and coloneled of the prouinces, that if sobee that the Spani­ards, according to the order taken and appointed with Don Iohn, be not departed out of the land [...] ouer on this side, in déed and trueth, and that in such time as to them is appointed. For to beware once of such lingring and delayes, the which con­tinually vnto this time, haue been so hurtful vnto vs, the forsaid Lords & states shall break and cut of all former comunication with them, and pursu them with we­pon in their former departure, without any more heerafter to stand or deale with them by way of communication, howsoe­uer [Page] the same might bée, and allso that it may please them again, to deliuer acts and bōds, that after the aforesaid depar­ture, neither they nor the aforsaid gouer­nours, heads and collonels, shall receiue, suffer or acknowledge y ^t said Dō Iohn, nor any other for gouernour of y ^e land, before y ^t he shal haue erected and wholy satisfied a­gain, in all points which striue any waies or are cōtrary to the aforesaid priuileges, lawes and liberties of the land, or any wayes preiudice vnto the pacificacie of Gaunt, folowing all this and that euery one shalbe set and appointed in their goods again, aswel in Burgōyen as ouer on this side & that all the aforsaid priuileges, & li­berties, shalbe confirmed, ratified & established, following the same: with the afore­said L. & estates, in the time of the hand­ling of the peace at Gaunt: solēnly did promise by their writings, to their Deputed [...] from the Date of the 24. of October. 1576.

Doon at Middelborough the 19. of February. 1577.