VMs: John Dee's diaries

["J HALEY" <j.haley@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hi

I now have a print on demand book containing the diaries of
John Dee. One early entry that is of note is:

"Nov. 28th, I spake with the Quene hora quinta; I spake with
Mr. Secretary Walsingham.* I declared to the Quene her title
to Greenland, Estetiland and Friseland."

The indicated note states.

"* Ashmole informs us that Walsingham continued for a length
of time one of Dr. Dee's best patrons."

Much later in 1589:

"Feb. 4th, I delivered to Mr. Kelley the powder, the bokes, the
glas and the bone, for the Lord Rosenberg; and he thereuppon
gave me dischardg in writing of his own hand subscribed and
sealed."

Dee here gives up the powder and books very easily. If they were
so important it makes little sense unless he had to to be released
from Rosenberg's service.

In 1589:

"Oct 31st, letters sent to Stade for Gerwein Greven for her Majestie,
Mr. Yong, and Mr. Dyer."

"Nov. 3rd, stilo veteri, I resolved to go into England, hoping to mete Mr.
Edward Kelly at Stade, going also into England; and that I suspected
uppon Mr. Secretary Walsingham his letters."

>From Alan Haynes' The Elizabethan Secret Services:

"In later years Leicester employed Jean Hotman and Gilbert Harvey
before Arthur Atey snatched the coveted position in 1579. Once also
an academic like Harvey, Atey had been with John Man to Spain in
1566. For the Earl he took control of secret intelligence correspondence
and the activities that led to it. Atey was very likely responsible for
decoding cipher material, and he had as well his own correspondents
in Europe who sent him information which he sifted for Leicester.
Other men at various times employed by him were John Wolley,
Edmund Spencer and Edward Dyer, who might have become secretary
of state in 1590 on Walsingham's death if the earl himself had been alive."

So here we have John Dee specifically communicating with a very important
individual in Leicester's intelligence service. And this is only scratching
the
surface.

There is a distinct gap in Dee's diaries for September 1588. This won't
make sense without the missing information.

More to come on this as I piece it together.

Jeff


______________________________________________________________________
To unsubscribe, send mail to majordomo@xxxxxxxxxxx with a body saying:
unsubscribe vms-list