Charloft - Sunday Letter Prompt
July 1593
To King Henry IV of France:
To Our dear Brother, we have heard of your possible apostasy to convert to Catholicism, I knew that I needs must contact you. It has not escaped my awareness that it is difficult to rule as King of France to rule over a Catholic people while yourself are a Protestant. This struggle is not one that I am myself yet unfamiliar with in England after the rule of Our sister. The pledge of allegience by your Catholic subjects if you would but convert cannot be the sole consideration in this matter. Surely the eyes of Spain, so clearly fixt upon France and the desire of Philip to declare his own daughter as sovereign over your Country is indeed worrysome. In spite of what you may have been told by those closest to you, let your eyes be unwaveringly fixt upon the King of Kings in Spain, for if you do not, you cannot expect any of your affairs to prosper.
Pardon me but it is my affection which dares me to speek so freely. Before God, I have no other motive but my love for you. I am amazed to see you betrayed by your own Council, by those closest to you in the world and for you not to have wind of it....For the love of God, do not sleep too long a sleep!
Ah, what griefs, O what regrets, O what groanings I felt in my soul at the sound of such news as Morlains has told me! My God, is it possible that any worldly respect should efface the terror with which the fear of God threatens us? Can we with any reason expect a good sequel from an act so inquitious? He who has preserved you many years by His hand- can you imagine that He would permit you to walk alone in your greatest need? Ah, it is dangerous to do evil to make good out of it; I still hope that a sounder inspiration will come to you. However, I will not cease to place you in the forefront of my devotions, that the hands of Esau may not spoil the blessing of Jacob. And where you promise me all frienship and fidelity, I confess I have dearly merited it, and I will not repent it, provided that you do not change your Father. Otherwise I will be only a bastard sister, at least not your sister by the Father. For I will always prefer the natural to the adopted, as God best knows. May He guide you in the right path of the best way.
Your most assured sister, if it be after the old
fashion; with the new I have nothing to do.
OOC: This letter to King Henry IV (Henry of Nevarre) is assembled from various sources and my own imaginations. In spite of Elizabeth's assistance to Henry of Nevarre and Protestants in France, he did in fact convert to Catholicism in order to stave off Philip of Spain and to insure peaceful rule in his country. This loss was deeply personal to Elizabeth and she was by her own words, "appalled" by this move by Henry.
To King Henry IV of France:
To Our dear Brother, we have heard of your possible apostasy to convert to Catholicism, I knew that I needs must contact you. It has not escaped my awareness that it is difficult to rule as King of France to rule over a Catholic people while yourself are a Protestant. This struggle is not one that I am myself yet unfamiliar with in England after the rule of Our sister. The pledge of allegience by your Catholic subjects if you would but convert cannot be the sole consideration in this matter. Surely the eyes of Spain, so clearly fixt upon France and the desire of Philip to declare his own daughter as sovereign over your Country is indeed worrysome. In spite of what you may have been told by those closest to you, let your eyes be unwaveringly fixt upon the King of Kings in Spain, for if you do not, you cannot expect any of your affairs to prosper.
Pardon me but it is my affection which dares me to speek so freely. Before God, I have no other motive but my love for you. I am amazed to see you betrayed by your own Council, by those closest to you in the world and for you not to have wind of it....For the love of God, do not sleep too long a sleep!
Ah, what griefs, O what regrets, O what groanings I felt in my soul at the sound of such news as Morlains has told me! My God, is it possible that any worldly respect should efface the terror with which the fear of God threatens us? Can we with any reason expect a good sequel from an act so inquitious? He who has preserved you many years by His hand- can you imagine that He would permit you to walk alone in your greatest need? Ah, it is dangerous to do evil to make good out of it; I still hope that a sounder inspiration will come to you. However, I will not cease to place you in the forefront of my devotions, that the hands of Esau may not spoil the blessing of Jacob. And where you promise me all frienship and fidelity, I confess I have dearly merited it, and I will not repent it, provided that you do not change your Father. Otherwise I will be only a bastard sister, at least not your sister by the Father. For I will always prefer the natural to the adopted, as God best knows. May He guide you in the right path of the best way.
Your most assured sister, if it be after the old
fashion; with the new I have nothing to do.
OOC: This letter to King Henry IV (Henry of Nevarre) is assembled from various sources and my own imaginations. In spite of Elizabeth's assistance to Henry of Nevarre and Protestants in France, he did in fact convert to Catholicism in order to stave off Philip of Spain and to insure peaceful rule in his country. This loss was deeply personal to Elizabeth and she was by her own words, "appalled" by this move by Henry.