18th century engraving by William Hogarth depicting Henry VIII leading Anne Boleyn to court as Wolsey watches.
This is the second of a series of letters that I will be publishing written by Anne Boleyn to Cardinal Wolsey between 1528-1529. If you missed the first letter in the series, read it here.
Anne Boleyn to Cardinal Wolsey, c. July 1528
My Lord,
In my most humble wise, that my poor heart can think, I do thank your grace for your kind letter and for your rich and goodly present, the which I shall never be able to deserve, without your help, of which I have hitherto had so great plenty, that all the days of my life I am most bound of all creatures, next the king’s grace, to love and serve your grace, of the which I beseech you never to doubt, that ever I shall vary from this thought, as long as any breath is in my body. And as touching your grace’s trouble with the sweat, I thank our Lord, that them that I desired and prayed for are escaped – and that is the king’s grace and you; not doubting that God has preserved you both for great causes known alonely of his high wisdom. And as for the coming of the legate, I desire that much. And if it be God’s pleasure, I pray him to send this matter shortly to a good end; and then, I trust, my lord, to recompense part of your great pains. In the which I must require you, in the mean time, to accept my good-will in the stead of the power; the which must proceed partly from you, as our Lord knoweth, whom I beseech to send you long life with continuance in honour. Written with the hand of her that is most bound to be
Your humble and obedient servant,
ANNE BOLEYN
William Carey
Note: Among the many people who died from the sweating sickness in the summer of 1528 were Sir William Compton and William Carey, Mary Boleyn’s husband.
SourceNorton, E. In Her Own Words & the Words of Those Who Knew Her, 2010.
I hate how self deprecating people had to be when writing letters to those they considered above themselves. I imagine people crawling on their bellies begging the recipient of their letters and God to consider them in some way. I know it was old English manners, but it sounds horrible.