Of Intelligence : A Previously Unknown Tract by Sir Thomas Roe

Abstract

Of Intelligence is a hitherto unknown tract written by Sir Thomas Roe and preserved in manuscript form in the National Archives at Kew. It is located in a bundle containing a miscellany of original documents that are mainly concerned with the Holy Roman Empire and the various city states of Germany. A Small Tract of Sir Thomas Roe, intitled, Of Intelligence. Of great Use to all Ministers of State, Ambassadors, etc. is related to the rest of the items because of its references to King Gustavus Adolphus and Swedish participation in the Thirty Years’ War. Roe was one of the most accomplished diplomats and politicians of the early Stuart period, acting as ambassador to different European courts, as well as to the Moghul and Ottoman empires, and actively serving as a Member of Parliament before the Civil Wars. The tract addresses how to obtain power and influence at court through intelligence or, more specifically, through the control of information. It follows the formula of Francis Bacon’s Essays, balancing the arguments and enumerating different points with examples and classical quotations. By illuminating various aspects of Roe’s career and his times, we can interpret Of Intelligence as a direct presentation of his own credentials and a call for attention to his situation, following his return home from his diplomatic endeavors. I provide a transcription as well as an introduction and notes that contextualize the composition and relevance of this recent discovery.