|
 |
|
Transcript
- Document 1
Letter from Princess Elizabeth to her sister, Queen Mary I 16 March 1554.
(Catalogue reference: EXT 11/25)
|
|
- If any ever did try this olde saynge that a kinges worde was more tha[n]
- a nother ma[n]s othe I most humbly beseche your M[aiestie] to verefie
it in
- me and to reme[m]ber your last promis and my last demau[n]de that I
- be not co[n]demned without answer and due profe wiche it semes that now
I am for
- that without cause provid I am by your counsel frome you co[m]manded
- to go vnto the tower a place more wonted for a false traitor, tha[n] a
tru
- subiect wiche thogth I knowe I deserve it not, yet in the face of
- al this realme aperes that it is provid wiche I pray god I may dy the
- shamefullist dethe that ever any died afore I may mene any suche
- thinge, and to this present hower I protest afor God (who shal juge
- my trueth) whatsoever malice shal devis) that I never practyced
- conciled nor co[n]sentid to any thinge that migth be preiudicial
- to your parson any way or daungerous to the state by any
- mene, and therfor I hu[m]bly beseche your maiestie to let
- me answer afore your selfe and not suffer me to trust your
- counselors yea and that afore I go to the tower (if it
- be possible) if not afor I be further co[n]demned howbeit I
- trust assuredly your highnes wyl give me leve to do it afor
- I go for that thus sha[m]fully I may not be cried out on as now I shal
- be yea and without cause let co[n]sciens move your hithnes to
- take some bettar way with me tha[n] to make me be co[n]de[m]ned
- in al me[n]s sigth afor my desert knowen. Also I most hu[m]bly
- beseche your higthnes to pardon this my boldnes wiche
- innoce[n]cy procures me to do togither with hope of your natural
- kindnis wiche I trust wyl not se me cast away without desert
- wiche what it is I wold desier no more of God but that you
- truly knewe. Wiche thinge I thinke and beleve you shal
- never by report knowe vnles by your selfe you hire. I have
- harde in my time of many cast away for want of comminge
- to the presence of ther prince and in late days I harde my
- lorde of So[m]merset
say that if his brother had
bine sufferd
- to speke with him he had never sufferd but the
- perswasions wer made to him so gret that he was brogth
- in belefe that he coulde not live safely if the admiral lived
- and that made him give his consent to his dethe thogth
- thes parsons ar not to be co[m]pared to your maiestie yet I
- pray god a[...]l perswatio[n]s perswade not one sistar again[st]
- the other and al for that the have harde false report and
- not harkene to the trueth
- knowen
- therfor ons again with hu[m]blenes of my hart, bicause I am not
- sufferd to bow the knees of my body I hu[m]bly crave to speke
- with your higthnis wiche I wolde not be so bold to desier
- if I knewe not my selfe most clere as I knowe my selfe most
- tru, and as for the traitor Wiat he migth paraventur writ
- me a lettar but on my faithe I never receved any from him and
- as for the copie of my lettar sent to the fre[n]che
kinge I pray
- God co[n]fou[n]d me eternally if ever I sent him word, message
- toke[n] or lettar by any menes, and to this my truith
- I will stande into my dethe.
- I humbly crave but only one worde
- of answer fro[m] your selfe.
- Your highnes most faithful subiect that
- hathe bine from the beginninge, and wylbe
- to my ende. Elizabeth
|
|
|
|
|