Felipe a la Princesa Regente de España

Hampton Court,

You are aware that before sailing from Corunna I granted, at the request of the Queen, my dear and beloved wife, permission to enable 200,000 ducats to be exported from Spain and conveyed to England; and since then the Emperor, desiring to please the Queen, has issued leave for a further sum of 100,000 ducats. She now tells me that she has ordered three ships to go to Seville for the money, and that, for greater security, she is giving instructions that it be taken on board packed with other objects.

We desire that her emissaries may execute their commission without meeting with any obstacles, but rather with all the assistance they may stand in need of, wherefore we beg you to see to it. You will take all necessary precautions in order to prevent them from exporting a larger sum than 300,000 ducats, but also grant them every facility for taking the money on board without its becoming known. I am writing to the same effect to the Seville officials.

Holograph. Spanish.