Thank you all for your words of encouragement. As I told that pesky Parliamentary Delegation, I am but as God made me and I feel that I am most acceptable to God just as I am. If it please God for me to remain chaste and unmarried then who am I to argue? I also told them that, if God should so incline my heart to another kind of life they would be the first to know. They seem determined for me to marry an Englishman but I just thanked them all for coming out and blah blah blah. There is even the hint of suggestion that Henry FitzAlan might be a likely candidate! But you know, I just don’t trust him and he kind of creeps me out…
Of course all this hasn’t stopped various heads of state and their ambassadors from constantly bothering me with this nonsense. It’s so hard to juggle so many offers and keep all the balls in the air, so to speak. If I flat out refuse any of them then I fear what it will do to our diplomatic relationships. But I am not certain for how long I can keep stringing them along…
My Dear Lady
ReplyDeleteSetting aside your concerns of diplomatic relations etc I want you to take a moment and seriously consider the repercussions of not taking a husband whilst you are still youthful and able to have children. Think about it-there are more reasons to marry than not to marry. If you fail to marry, than you will have failed to ensure a Tudor line of succession to the throne. Do you not want to see England into an era of stability and wealth? If you ultimately fail to get married, than you will have let down not only your would-be suitors but also the entire great nation of England. The continuation of the Tudor line is fundamental to the preservation of England. For the love of God, please think of putting your country and its subjects, and not your ego, first in this matter.
Sincerely,
M. Parker
Archbishop of Canterbury
1559-1575