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Title: The Love Letters of Henry VIII to Anne Boleyn; With Notes
Author: King of England Henry VIII
Release date: April 27, 2010 [eBook #32155]
Most recently updated: January 6, 2021
Language: English
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*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE LOVE LETTERS OF HENRY VIII TO ANNE BOLEYN; WITH NOTES ***
Produced by Meredith Bach and the Online Distributed
Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was
produced from images generously made available by The
Internet Archive/American Libraries.)
Love Letters of Henry Eighth to Anne Boleyn
The Love Letters of Henry Viii to Anne Boleyn
With Notes
John W. Luce & Company
Boston: London
COPYRIGHT, 1906, BY JOHN W. LUCE & COMPANY
D. B. UPDIKE, THE MERRYMOUNT PRESS, BOSTON
Table of Contents
Page
Letter First i
Letter Second iv
Letter Third v
Letter Fourth vii
Letter Fifth x
Letter Sixth xiii
Letter Seventh xvi
Letter Eighth [Anne Boleyn to Wolsey] xviii
Postscript [by Henry VIII] xx
Letter Ninth xxii
Letter Tenth xxv
Letter Eleventh xxviii
Letter Twelfth xxx
Letter Thirteenth xxxiv
Letter Fourteenth xxxvii
Letter Fifteenth xxxix
Letter Sixteenth xli
Letter Seventeenth xliii
Letter Eighteenth xlv
Notes li
Love Letters of Henry Eighth to Anne Boleyn
Letter First To Anne Boleyn
On turning over in my mind the contents of your last letters, I have put
myself into great agony, not knowing how to interpret them, whether to my
disadvantage, as you show in some places, or to my advantage, as I
understand them in some others, beseeching you earnestly to let me know
expressly your whole mind as to the love between us two. It is absolutely
necessary for me to obtain this answer, having been for above a whole year
stricken with the dart of love, and not yet sure whether I shall fail of
finding a place in your heart and affection, which last point has
prevented me for some time past from calling you my mistress; because, if
you only love me with an ordinary love, that name is not suitable for you,
because it denotes a singular love, which is far from common. But if you
please to do the office of a true loyal mistress and friend, and to give
up yourself body and heart to me, who will be, and have been, your most
loyal servant, (if your rigour does not forbid me) I promise you that not
only the name shall be given you, but also that I will take you for my
only mistress, casting off all others besides you out of my thoughts and
affections, and serve you only. I beseech you to give an entire answer to
this my rude letter, that I may know on what and how far I may depend. And
if it does not please you to answer me in writing, appoint some place
where I may have it by word of mouth, and I will go thither with all my
heart. No more, for fear of tiring you. Written by the hand of him who
would willingly remain yours,
H. R.
Letter Second To Anne Boleyn
Though it is not fitting for a gentleman to take his lady in the place of
a servant, yet, complying with your desire, I willingly grant it you, if
thereby you can find yourself less uncomfortable in the place chosen by
yourself, than you have been in that which I gave you, thanking you
cordially that you are pleased still to have some remembrance of me. 6. n.
A. 1 de A. o. na. v. e. z.
HENRY R.
Letter Third To Anne Boleyn
Although, my Mistress, it has not pleased you to remember the promise you
made me when I was last with you--that is, to hear good news from you, and
to have an answer to my last letter; yet it seems to me that it belongs to
a true servant (seeing that otherwise he can know nothing) to inquire the
health of his mistress, and to acquit myself of the duty of a true
servant, I send you this letter, beseeching you to apprise me of your
welfare, which I pray to God may continue as long as I desire mine own.
And to cause you yet oftener to remember me, I send you, by the bearer of
this, a buck killed late last night by my own hand, hoping that when you
eat of it you may think of the hunter; and thus, for want of room, I must
end my letter, written by the hand of your servant, who very often wishes
for you instead of your brother.
H. R.
Letter Fourth To Anne Boleyn
_MY MISTRESS & FRIEND_, my heart and I surrender ourselves into your
hands, beseeching you to hold us commended to your favour, and that by
absence your affection to us may not be lessened: for it were a great pity
to increase our pain, of which absence produces enough and more than I
could ever have thought could be felt, reminding us of a point in
astronomy which is this: the longer the days are, the more distant is the
sun, and nevertheless the hotter; so is it with our love, for by absence
we are kept a distance from one another, and yet it retains its fervour,
at least on my side; I hope the like on yours, assuring you that on my
part the pain of absence is already too great for me; and when I think of
the increase of that which I am forced to suffer, it would be almost
intolerable, but for the firm hope I have of your unchangeable affection
for me: and to remind you of this sometimes, and seeing that I cannot be
personally present with you, I now send you the nearest thing I can to
that, namely, my picture set in a bracelet, with the whole of the device,
which you already know, wishing myself in their place, if it should please
you. This is from the hand of your loyal servant and friend,
H. R.
Letter Fifth To Anne Boleyn
For a present so beautiful that nothing could be more so (considering the
whole of it), I thank you most cordially, not only on account of the fine
diamond and the ship in which the solitary damsel is tossed about, but
chiefly for the fine interpretation and the too humble submission which
your goodness hath used towards me in this case; for I think it would be
very difficult for me to find an occasion to deserve it, if I were not
assisted by your great humanity and favour, which I have always sought to
seek, and will seek to preserve by all the kindness in my power, in which
my hope has placed its unchangeable intention, which says, _Aut illic, aut
nullibi_.
The demonstrations of your affection are such, the beautiful mottoes Next |