Letter from the City Council of Leiden to the Province of Holland in regard to a remark from the English ambassador, Winwood, that the city of Leiden had entered into an agreement with some Brownists.
Honourable, wise, prudent and discreet Jan Jansz Baersdorp, councillor in the Board of Delegated Councillors of the States of Holland; honourable, wise, prudent and discreet fellow brother.
We have received Your Honour’s letter of the twenty-third of this month from The Hague and understood its contents. In answer we state that we believe the noble Lord Winwood, ambassador of His Majesty of Great Britain, has been wrongly informed that we entered into any agreement with certain Brownists.
It is true that last February a petition was presented to us in the name of Jan Rabarts, minister of the Divine Word, together with some members of the congregation of the Christian Reformed religion, born in England. They requested that, because they intended to come and live in Leiden, we grant them free and unrestricted permission. By our endorsement we declared that we refused no honourable persons free and unrestricted entry, provided they behaved honourably and submitted to all local rules and ordinances, and that the petitioners’ arrival would therefore be welcome and agreeable to us, as can be seen from the petition and attached endorsement, copies of which we send Your Honour.
Nothing further was done by us in this matter, nor did we know then, or know now, that the petitioners had been banished from England or belonged to the sect of the Brownists. We therefore request Your Honour to communicate this letter and the attached copy to the Advocate, so that neither the ambassadors nor His Majesty may take offence at us, and so that we may be excused by Their Honours and consequently by His Majesty. Herewith, etc.
Translation by Radicae, The Leiden Connection from the Dutch transcription supplied by Erfgoed Leiden.
Read the original Dutch transcription
Eersame wijse voorsienige discrete Jan Janszoon Baersdorp raet in ‘t collegie van de Gecommitteerde Raden van de Staten van Hollant Eersame wijse voersienige discrete medebroeder, Wij hebben uwer edele missive van de XXIIIen deser uyten Hage ontfangen ende den inhouden vandien verstaen, vougen daer op voor antwoort dat wy achten den edele heer Wijnwod ambassadeur van sijn majesteit van Groot Bretaingnien ‘t onrecht te wesen aengedient als dat bij ons eenich accord met zommige Brunisten soude wesen aengegaen, dan is waer dat aen ons in februario lestleden requeste is gepresenteert opten naem van Jan Rabarts dienaer des godlijcken woordts, mitsgaders eenige van de gemeente der christelijcke gereformeerde religie geboren in Engelandt, versouckende dat alzoo zijluyden van meninge waren binnen de stadt Leyden metter woon te comen, men hen daer toe wilde verleenen vrij ende lybre consent, daer op bij ons voor apostille is verclaert, dat wij geen eerlicke persoonen weygerden vrije ende lybre incompst, mits hen eerlijck gedragende, ende sich onderwerpende alle keuren ende ordonnantien alhier, ende dat oversulcx der thoonder bijcompst ons lieff ende aengenaem soude zijn, gelijck can gesien werden uyte requeste ende bijgevouchde apostille, daer van wij uwer edele copie seynden, sonder dat yets anders bij ons vorder diesaengaende gedaen is, ofte sonder dat wij uyt hebben geweten ofte alsnoch weten, dat de supplianten uyt Engelandt gebannen ofte van de secte der bruynisten sijn souden, derhalven uwer edele versouckende dezen alsooc de bijgevouchde copie mette heer advocaet te communiceren ten eynde op ons geen quaet genougen off bij de heeren ambassadeurs off sijne majesteit en werde genomen, ende wij bij haer edele ende consequentelijck bij sijnen majesteit mogen geexcuseert sijn. Hier mede etcetera.
Original source:Erfgoed Leiden · record group 0501A · call no. 300 · folio 126
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