| "Royal
brother, having by God's will, for my sins I think, thrown myself into
the power of the Queen, my cousin, at whose hands I have suffered much
for almost twenty years, I have finally been condemned to death by her
and her Estates. I have asked for my papers, which they have taken away,
in order that I may make my will, but I have been unable to recover
anything of use to me, or even get leave either to make my will freely
or to have my body conveyed after my death, as I would wish, to your
kingdom where I had the honour to be queen, your sister and old ally.
Tonight, after dinner, I have been
advised of my sentence: I am to be executed like a criminal at eight in
the morning. I have not had time to give you a full account of
everything that has happened, but if you will listen to my doctor and my
other unfortunate servants, you will learn the truth, and how, thanks be
to God, I scorn death and vow that I meet it innocent of any crime, even
if I were their subject. The Catholic faith and the assertion of my
God-given right to the English crown are the two issues on which I am
condemned, and yet I am not allowed to say that it is for the catholic
religion that I die, but for fear of interference with theirs. The proof
of this is that they have taken away my chaplain, and although he is in
the building, I have not been able to get permission for him to come and
hear my confession and give me that Last Sacrament, while they have been
most insistent that I receive the consolation and instruction of their
minister, brought here for that purpose.
The bearer of that letter and his
companions, most of them your subjects, will testify to my conduct at my
last hour. It remains for me to beg Your Most Christian Majesty, my
brother-in-law ands old ally, who have always protested your love to me,
to give proof now of your goodness on all these points: firstly by
charity, in paying my unfortunate servants the wages due to them - this
is a burden on my conscience that only you can relieve: further, by
having prayers offered to God for a queen who has borne the title Most
Christian, and who dies a Catholic, stripped of all her possessions.
As for my son, I commend him to you in
so far as he deserves, for I cannot answer for him. I have taken the
liberty of sending you two precious stones, talismans against illness,
trusting that you will enjoy good health and a long and happy life.
Accept them from you loving sister-in-law, who, as she dies, bears
witness of her warm feeling to you.
Again, I commend my servants to you.
Give instructions, if it please you, that for my soul's sake part of
what you owe me should be paid, and that for the sake of Jesus Christ,
to whom I shall pray for you tomorrow as I dies, I be left enough to
found a memorial mass and give the customary alms.
Wednesday, at two in the morning
Your most loving and most true sister Mary R
To the most Christian king, my brother
and my ally." |
