El Obispo de Arras al Emperador

Arras,

Sire: The more I think over what your Majesty was pleased to tell me of your conference with Eraso, the more troubled I am; for I know that Eraso's cunning is far beyond anything your Majesty can imagine. Not that it does not seem to me to be most fair and reasonable to reward the faithful services of a minister; but I fear that when he speaks of the ambassador's great deserts, and then mentions the rest in the general terms your Majesty yourself used, Eraso is trying to include me among the rest. Now, if your Majesty is pleased to remember what happened, you will recollect that I, before anyone else had thought of it, wrote to the ambassador to start negotiations (for the marriage of Philip and Mary), and showed him what road he was to follow. By your Majesty's commands, I rebutted all the arguments aimed against the project, drafted all the letters and instructions sent to those who were conducting the negotiations, with the assistance of President Viglius only; and when the ambassador's letters showed him to be puzzled and desirous of dropping the whole matter, I encouraged and put him back into the right path.

Your Majesty, however, was never willing to read over those lengthy despatches, but only consented to sign them, wherefore you do not know how much trouble I had and how hard I worked to help the ambassador, for many a bad night it cost me; and it would grieve me sorely, after having rendered such services, to be slandered by Eraso for that very reason. What makes it especially hard to bear is that my motive was entirely different from what your Majesty was led to believe by the words I spoke to Strella, whom I only desired to instruct how to carry out, with secrecy and success, the mission you had entrusted to him; whereas you tell me you had the impression that I wished people to take me for the man who manages everything. I swear to your Majesty, I have been desiring to retire any time these last six years, and I often requested the late M. de Granvelle, in his life time, to be allowed to do so and serve God by caring for my bishopric. Thus your Majesty may know what my ambition is; and the reason why I have forced myself to go on serving you is that I saw you beset with difficulties, and was too full of zeal for your cause to leave you, for your most humble, embounden and loving servant would rather have risked a thousand deaths than have turned away from you at such a time.

And now that your Majesty has resolved to retire, I mean to stay with you to the last, and then to beg you that, as my ailments are graver than my looks betray and I am unable to work as I have worked in the past, I may withdraw to my bishopric; for I have been bishop for a long time and have resided there very little, as you know. When I am there, my life and goods shall remain at your Majesty's and our Prince's disposal, and any service I may be able to render will be my greatest happiness. But it would be a heavy grief to me if, having lost all hope of recompense and in an obscure position, I had to bear the additional burden, most obnoxious of all, of knowing that his Royal Majesty (i.e. Philip) entertained some suspicion that I had traversed his marriage, I who make bold to say that, after your Majesty, I was one of its principal promoters. So I very humbly implore your Majesty to grant me this favour, which I shall esteem as of the greatest magnitude, that you will by such means as you may consider suitable inform the King that I am not to be included among the rest. For I have a dread that otherwise Eraso will contrive, when he goes to England, so to turn the phrase as to use it to my hurt.

A draft or copy, in the Bishop of Arras's hand. French.