William Cecil, Lord Burghley | Autograph letter signed, on the secret delivery of bullion, 1581

William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley

Autograph letter signed, to Robert Peter

giving instructions for the secret delivery of bullion, 1 page, folio, integral address leaf, Richmond, 6 October 1581, slight spotting

"...Mr Secretary and I have apoynted Mr Mills to repayre unto you to devise how [with] ut most secrecy ... the mony and bullio[n] be delyvered to the party named by Mr Secretaryes l[ett]er to me ... It shall also do well yt ther be a wryt[n]g triptik indented Co[n]tenni[n]g the particular no[m]bres of ye pieces .. I do also send to yow my warra[n]t for payement hereof and for ye secrecy..."

In the late summer of 1581 the Duc d'Anjou had come secretly to visit the Queen at Whitehall and Richmond to pursue his suit for the Queen's hand in marriage. Elizabeth had given him some encouragement but - of course - stopped short of any commitment. She had, however, promised him 200,000 crowns, plundered by Drake from the Spanish, to pay German mercenaries to support Anjou in Flanders, where he was leading the Dutch revolt against Spain. This letter deals with the secret delivery of this aid to a military ally.

PROVENANCE:

Sotheby's, London, 18 December 1985, lot 215