A bibliography of English military books up to 1642 and of ...

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CopUs. B.M. i
Bod.
Contents. This book had two editors—Hayward, and Sir Peter Manwood,
who owned the MS. and had formerly lent it to Grimstone [v. No. 80].
The plan of it leads one to conclude that this is merely a fragment ;
" but
whether the residue was never written, or whether it be perished, or whether
it resteth in any other hand," says Hayward, " I remain doubtful." It
came to him "in a ragged hand, and much maimed, both in sense and in
phrase." Having restored it as nearly as he could to the style and meaning
of the author, he and Manwood caused it to be published in the hope of
drawing into light the residue, if there were any extant. Pp. 1-56 treat of
the beginning of the troubles in the Netherlands, much of the information
contained therein having been given to the author by William of Orange.
P. 56 chronicles the arrival at Flushing in June, 1572, of Capt. Thomas
Morgan with 300 Englishmen, among whom was Williams himself. This
was the first band of British to serve the Low Countries against Spain. Previously,
though there had been a considerable number of Englishmen taking
part in these wars, they were chiefly gentlemen, serving independently.
Morgan's band was reinforced, in the autumn, by a regiment 1,500 strong,
under the colonelcy of Sir Humfrey Gilbert, who, however, returned with
most of his men to England before the year was out. Another regiment
was raised by Morgan in February, 1573; but, a year later, this, too, returned
home, the officers
their pay.
in England.
having quarrelled with the Prince of Orange over
Morgan's Regiment it was that established the use of the musket
Williams, eager " to see strange wars," soon returned to the Continent,
where he joined Romero's army, and fought on the Spanish side in the naval
battle off Middelburgh ; at which point the narrative terminates. Williams
excuses his defection on the ground that his sovereign was not at that time at
war with Spain ; but later on he returned to the service of his first masters,
the States. The yielding up of Sluys * to Spain, in July, 1587, occasioned a
great clamour in England, and Williams reaped his full share of blame, his
reputation as a brave and experienced soldier enabling him, however, to with-
stand all attacks. In 1589, he took part in the expedition of Drake and
Norris to Lisbon. In 1590, we find him in the service of Henry IV. of
France j but falling into disfavour with that king, he wrote to Burleigh for
a passport to enter into the service of another prince.* However, the
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MSS. Cott. Galba, c. ix. 102 ; D. i. 40, 175, 179 and 214. These letters refer
to the defence and surrender of Sluys. Williams gives an account of this siege in the
"Brief Discourse" [No. 45]; and adds that he intends writing more fully of the
matter in his "discourse of the Netherlanders' a6tions"—a proof that the latter work,
as it stands, is incomplete. Grimstone transfers the account into his History [No.
80], under date 1587.
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MSS. Harl. 6995. 50; MSS. Stowe, 132. f. 112 j MSS. Harl. ,1579.
76