Dudley, Robert, 1st Earl of Leicester (1532-1588) Letter Signed 'R. Leycester', and Subscribed One page, the text in French, in the hand of a secretary to Mademoiselles Francoise and Sabine d'Egmont in the Hague, bidding them farewell on his return to England where he has been summoned back by the Queen because of rumours of preparations being made against her kingdom "ou je suis rapelle par sa ma[jesti]e a l'occasion des bruites qui courent de quelques grand preparatifs qui se font contre son Estat", thanking them for the honour and courtesies he had received from them, and hoping he can serve them in turn should they wish anything of the Queen, Flushing, 29th November 1587, paper seal, despatch slits, some dampstaining, 32 x 21cm.

Note: The Earl of Leicester returned home from the Netherlands on 4th December 1587 having suffered ill health through the summer. Once home he took part in the great debates over intelligence of the Spanish preparations for the Armada which he was convinced was coming. These being presumably the "bruites qui courent de quelques grands preparatifs" referred to in this letter. The recipients were members of one of the noblest of Flemish families. Lamoral Count of Egmont (1522-68) had married Sabine de Baviere (1528-78) who bore him 13 children. He is one of the great heroes of the Dutch struggle against Spain and the introduction of the Spanish Inquisition into the Netherlands. He nevertheless remained a staunch Catholic and remained loyal to Philip. He was found guilty of treason and beheaded on 4th June 1568. This event is usually taken as marking the beginning of the revolt by the Dutch against Spanish rule. There are a handful of references to Sabine and Francoise [Franchoyse] D'Egmont, two daughters of Lamoral d'Egmont, in the English State Papers, as early as 1581, and they are described as "The Ladies of Egmont". They seem to have written to Queen Elizabeth in support of English policy in the Low Countries of which their assistance to Leicester must have been a visible part. Leicester's signature on official papers appears on the market from time to time, personal letters are rare.