As You Like It: Underhand Dissuade and Victuall'd

Neville uses the phrase "underhand dissuade" in 24 Sept 1599. I also offer an example of him using "underhand".

Some have underhand let me know, that the King doth assure himself that the Queen will make Peace, and therefore makes no haste to pay her any thing. (WW, 1.65)

The King did underhand dissuade them from Peace, upon Assurance of a standing Supply from him of 200000 Crownes Yearly, besides other secret Favours. (WW, 1.107)

The OED notes that this sense of “underhand,” “In a secret, covert, or stealthy manner; by secret means; quietly or unobtrusively” was common from c1580. However, a search on EEBO shows no examples of “underhand” used together with “dissuade” in that period.

"disswade" was the most common spelling at the time followed by "dissuade". I have done a search for collocations of "dis*ad*" and "*hand*" within 6 words of each other. Here is what comes up:

Even the word "underhand" wasn't super common at the time:

So as far as I can tell, it's a very unusual usage. I post the searches so others can check my work. If you find something let me know. This database covers TCP1, it could be expanded as well to TCP2.

As You Like It is usually dated to around 1599, the same year this letter was written. Here is underhand and dissuade used together in the exact same sense:

I had myself notice of my
brother's purpose herein, and have by underhand means laboured to
dissuade him from it; but he is resolute. (As You Like It, 1.1)

What makes this important evidence isn't just that the phrase is unusual. They are being used almost simultaneously in Neville's letter and the play from Shakespeare.

Shakespeare has one other use of "underhand" in Richard III, 5.1:

By underhand corrupted foul injustice

Victualled 

Here is another very similar example of a a phrase appearing in a letter and then appearing in As You Like It. This is a more common phrase, but it's an example of Neville using a technical term in his work as ambassador and then it appearing in a figurative sense in a play.

13 July 1599:

I understand by their Agent they are victualled for a year, and that there is another Fleet preparing to be ready to succeed them in the Action, against they return.  (WW, 1.66)

This is the only use of “victualled” in Shakespeare, though the word “victual” is used in other senses in other plays:

And you to wrangling; for thy loving voyage
Is but for two months victuall'd.- So to your pleasures;
I am for other than for dancing measures. (As You Like It, 5.4)

What’s remarkable here is not the the shared use of this common term, it’s the timing. Shakespeare never used the word in this sense before 1599. Neville uses the term in its technical sense in 1599, and at essentially the same time, Shakespeare also uses it.