“According to the zeal and entire affection which I have known in you towards the common cause of religion, and since having always made account of you as a principal and right worthy member to be employed both in the one and in the other, it hath been no less consolation unto me to know your estate, as I have done by your last letter, and to have further means to renew my intelligence with you, than I have felt griefs all this while past to be without the same. I pray you, therefore, to write unto me hereafter, so often as you can, of all concurrents which you may judge in any sort important to the good of mine affairs, wherein I shall not fail to correspond, with all the care and diligence possible. For divers considerations, too long to be dealt with here, I cannot but greatly praise and commend your common desire to prevent in time the design of our enemies for the extirpation of our religion out of this realm with the ruin of us all; for I have long ago showed to the foreign Catholic princes what they have done against the King of Spain, and in the time the Catholics here, remaining exposed to all persecutions and cruelty, do daily diminish in number, forces, means, and power, so as, if remedy be not speedily provided, I fear not a little but that they shall become altogether unable for ever to rise again to receive any aid at all when it is offered. Then, for my own part, I pray you assure our principal friends that, albeit I had no particular interest in this case, that all that I may pretend unto being of no consideration to me in respect of the public good of the State, I shall be always ready and most willing to employ therein my life, and all that I have or may look for in this world. Now, to ground substantially this enterprise, and to bring it to good success, you must examine duly (1) what forces, as well on foot as on horse, you may raise among you all, and what captain you shall appoint for them in every shire, in case a general cannot be had; (2) which towns, ports, and havens you may assure yourselves, as well as the north, west, and south, to receive succour as well from the Low Countries, Spain, and France, as from other parts; (3) what place you esteem fittest and of most advantage to assemble the principal company of your forces at the same time, which would be compassed conform to the proportion of your own; (4) for how long pay and munition, and what ports are fittest for their landing in this realm from the foresaid three foreign countries; (5) what provision of moneys and armour, in case you should want, you would ask; (6) _by what means do the six gentlemen deliberate to proceed_; (7) the manner of my getting forth of this hotel—which points having taken amongst you who are the principal actors, and also as few in number as you can, the best resolution in my opinion is that you impart the same with all diligence to Mendoza, Ambassador to the King of Spain in France, who, besides the experience