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The Queen of England and mother to Queen Mary, Catherine of Aragon (1485 -
1536) is best known as the first of the many wives of Henry VIII. Though he
divorced her in 1533, Catherine remained devoted to Henry until her death in
1536, as this letter shows.
1535
My Lord and Dear Husband,
I commend me unto you. The hour of my death draweth fast on, and my case being
such, the tender love I owe you forceth me, with a few words, to put you in
remembrance of the health and safeguard of your soul, which you ought to
prefer before all worldly matters, and before the care and tendering of your
own body, for the which you have cast me into many miseries and yourself into
many cares.
For my part I do pardon you all, yea, I do wish and devoutly pray God that He
will also pardon you.
For the rest I commend unto you Mary, our daughter, beseeching you to be a
good father unto her, as I heretofore desired. I entreat you also, on behalf
of my maids, to give them marriage-portions, which is not much, they being but
three. For all my other servants, I solicit a year's pay more than their due,
lest they should be unprovided for.
Lastly, do I vow, that mine eyes desire you above all things.
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