To Sir Francis Wahingham
RIGHTE honorable. The nexte day I dispatched away Woodall be — 22 of Marche, I departed frome Heidelberge, and not findinge the — at Amberg as I hoped to have done came to Prage uppon Maun — uppon Easter Monday afterwardes I had Audience, where accor[ding to] her Majesties commawndemente, I was to make knowne unto him, h[ow] greatly Her Majestie was grieved withe the losse of so worthy a — the Emperour his father was, her Majestie havinge so greate cawse — as bothe the publicke losse of suche a prince (the fruités of whose — governement were well fownde, bothe in the mainteining the empir[e] and staying the Turkes invasion) and the particular goodwill — ever be- twixte Her Majestie and him, coolde not but greatly g her.
Secondly Her Majesties good hope of him, that he woolde seconde his fath[er] in his vertues and the manner of his gov- ernemente.
And — her Majesties cownsaile unto him to avoide the turbulente cowncells, of guyded withe pryvate passions whereof the issue is uncertaine [the bene]fittes none and the harmes manifeste.
Besides these as ocasion shoolde serve I shoolde give him to undres[tande] — nobly Her Majestie had proceeded in the Low Contrey matters and upp[on] — good growndes. The.3. firste I did declare together unto him — other reasons as bothe the instructions did more largely specify, and it selfe did ministre.
He awnswered me in Latin withe very few wordes, to the firste, — persuade him selfe so of her Majestie as it pleased her to signify unt[o him], for which signification he gave her Serenitie (for that was the tearme he very greate thankes. And therewithall added a certaine speeche o[f] the praises her Majestie gave his father he saide he woolde not stande — becawse he mighte seeme to deryve parte of the glory to him selfe — his goodwill towardes her Majestie of which he was lefte very good wi[tness] havinge by many meanes knowne his fathers minde therein.
To the seconde and thirde he awnswered together, that as God had pr — of the Empire, so he woolde provyde him withe cownceile how to — it, but that he did in most gratefull manner accepte her Majesti[es] — and that the rule he woolde follow chiefly, shoolde be his fathers imit after that he fell into dyverse other particuler demandes and speeches — to longe to recyte, but that I uppon ocasion of Don Jhon D’Austri[che] twise or thryse to give him to undrestande how her Majestie had pr those thinges, but his allowance thereof was so generall that I coolde — tyme passe no furdre.
The nexte day I delivered her Majesties lettres to the Empresse, withe the singular signification of her Majesties greate good will unto her, and her Majesties wisshinge of her to advise her son to a wyse and peaceable governemente. Of the Emperour deceassed I used but few wordes, becawse in troth e I saw it bredd some troble unto her, to heere him mentioned in that kinde. She awnswered me withe many cowrteowse speeches, and greate acknowledginge of her owne beholdingenes to her Majestie. And for her son she saide she hoped he woolde do well, but that for her owne parte she saide she had given her selfe frome the worlde and woolde not greatly sturr frome thence forwarde in it. Then did I deliver the queene of Frawnces letter, she standinge by the Empresse, usinge suche speeches as I thought were fitt for her double sorrow, and her Majesties good will unto her, confirmed by her wyse and noble governinge of her selfe in the tyme of her beinge in Frawnce. Her awnswere was full of humblenes but she spake so low that I coolde not undrestande many of her wordes. Frome them I wente to the yonge princes, and paste of eache syde certaine complementes, which I will leave becawse I feare me I have allreddy bene over longe therein. The reste of the daies that I lay there I enfourmed my selfe as well as I coold of suche particularities as I receaved in my enstructions, as of the I. Emperours disposicion and his brethren. 2. By whose Advise he is directed. 3. When it is lykely he shall marry. 4. What princes in Jermany are moste affected to him. 5. In what state he is lefte for revenews. 6. What good agreement there is betwixte him and his brethren. 7. And what partage they have. In these thinges I shall at my returne more largely be hable and with more leysure to declare it now only thus muche I will troble yow withe.
I That the Emperour is holy by his inclination givne to the warres, few of wordes, sullein of disposition, very secrete and resolute, nothinge the manner his father had in winninge men in his behavior, but yet consta[nt] in keepinge them. And suche a one as thoughe he promise not muche owtwardly, hathe as the Latines say Aliquid, in Recessu.
His Brother Earnest, muche lyke him in disposition, but that he is more franke and forwarde, which perchawnce the necessity of his fortune dryves him to. Bothe extreemely Spaniolated. Matthias and Maximilian lykew[ise] broughte upp togeather, but in Jermany, and in their behaviour fram of them selves to the lykinge of this contrey people, especially Maximilian who seemes in deede to promise some greate worthines, but their yowthe, and education as yet under governement makes the judge [ment] the harder.
Albertus and Wenceslaus are in Spaine. Albertus of late made Car — of the beste witt of them all, and uppon him it is thoughte t — of Toledo shall be bestowed. Wenceslaus is of a very quick spr — as yet very yonge, and made putt on a Spanish® gravity. — upp to be servantes to the pope, and that is lyke to be their h Ambition. 2. The Emperour is most governed by one Die greate Master of his howse, beares the redd crosse of Spaine and a professed servante to that crowne and inquisitors governemente.
The nuntio of the Pope that is now there is lykewise great and followed by him, so that what cowrreeills suche authors give m[ay be] easily imagined, thoughe the effectes be longe in bringing forthe — .
3 — He dothe kepe him unmaried till the Daughter of Spaine be is now eleaven yeere olde, there was lyke to have growne some — becawse the kinge of Spaine seemed rather to have lyked of the k[inge of] Portugall, but it is now hoped that that kinge will have the Da[ughter of] Frawnce, and so the Emperour to strengthen the holinesse of muche the more, will become bothe son, brother, nephew, and the kinge of Spaine.
4 — How the princes of Jermany are affect[ed to] him, and what authority the howse of Austriche dothe daily g — them by their carelesnes, and whylst as yow wrate they are in securitie, I will if it please yow referr till my returne thereuppon hanges dyverse thinges, and I have allreddy bene 5 — His revenews are greate, but his enemy the Turke so muche ab — greatnes, that he can not turne muche of them to other use The Empire of late at the Dyet of Ratisbone did grawnte his fa[ther] — of six million of florins to be paide in six yeere. He hat[h] nothinge of as yet, but makes perfitt accompte not only to — it but to continew it, which if it be so will be a matter of greate consideringe he is bounde to no other thinge for it but the defenc[e of his] owne patrimony. I will bringe yow a particular of his revenews — gesse in a thinge yeerly allmoste changinge may suffer.
6 — The brethren do agree very well and so certainly are lyke to doe — suttlety of the worlde is conspyred to unite them, and more agreate — that sorte, to some terrible ende. This is certaine that none is loked — Majestie, and the poore reliques of Frawnce and Flawndres, as the to her state, for as for Jermany I assure yow they make ac- cown[t] — them in effecte allreddy at leaste hurtlesse enemies. 7. Their pa — as yet made, Austriche is the only thinge that can be divyded. I am of will be contented withe Pensions. Earnestus especially having as h — absolute governemente of Hungary and Austriche the Emperour will keepe hi in I am ashamed I have trobled yow so long. But I will leave the Emperours acceptacion of the Low Contrey matters till I may my selfe say it unto yow, and so his speeches at my farewell which I am afraide I was in the beginninge of these scribbles to longe in. Hether I came the laste of Aprill, and had Audience the nexte day. I had frome her Majestie to condole with him and to perswade him to unitie withe his brother, he made his vizchancelour to awnswere me, whiche he did in a very longe speeche, withe thanke[s] to her Majestie and prayses of the worthy prince that is dead, the pointe of concorde with his brother he thanked her Majestie for remembringe, and fell into a common place of the necessitie of brothers love, but descended nothinge into his owne particularitie or what he thoughte of him.
One thinge I was bolde to adde in my speeche, to desyre him in her Majesties name to have mercyfull consideration of the churche of the religion, so notably established by his father as in all Jermany there is not suche a nomber of excellente learned men, and truly woolde rue any man to see the desolation of them. I laied before him as well as I coolde the dangers of the mightiest princes of Christendome by entryng into lyke vyolente changes, the wronge he shoolde doe his worthy father utterly to abolishe that he had instituted and so as it were condemne him, besydes the example he shoolde give his posterity to handle him the lyke. This I emboldened my selfe to doe seinge as me thoughte greate cawse for it either to move him at least to have some regarde for her Majesties sake, or if that followed not, yet to leave that publicke testimony with the churche of Jermany that her Majestie was carefull of them, besydes that I learned Prince Casimir had used her Majesties authoritie in perswadinge his brother from it. This I hope will be takne for sufficiente cawse therein, of my boldenes. My awnswere was at firste none, so longe as Mr vizchanceilour stode by: after I had an other interpretour he made me this awnswere that for her Majesties sake he woolde doe muche, he mislyked not of the men, but must be constrained to doe as the other princes of the Empyre. In the mea[n] time he is gone to the bathes for the laste remedy of his infirmity.
How his brother and he stande I will lykewyse referr till my returne and that I have spokne withe Prince Casimir. Frome who[m] so to ende this longe troblinge of yow, I mea ne to goe with her Majesties lett[er] to the Langrave who is the only s. HI. — prince Casimir makes accownte of. What I shall fynde amonge these princes truly I know not till I have spokne with Prince Casimir. I go to morrow to Caisarlautar, but I see their pro- ceedinges suche that my ho[pe] dothe every day grow lesse and lesse. I beseeche yow pardon me for my longe troblinge of yow.
I most humbly recommende my selfe unto yow, and leave yow to the Eternalls most happy protection. Frome Heidelberg, this 3d of May. 1577.
Yowrs humbly at commawndem[ent]
Philipp Sidney.