import/englishhistory.net/tudor/lovelett.html url indexed_doc HTMLPlugin 4805 lovelett.html lovelett.html en windows_1252 Primary Sources: Selections from King Henry VIII's love letters to Anne Boleyn HTML http://englishhistory.net/tudor/lovelett.html http://englishhistory.net/tudor/lovelett.html HASH01049ab9a58175e2833a5645 1678162980 20230307 1678163132 20230307 HASH0104/9ab9a581.dir ablovelett.gif:image/gif: <div align="center"> <center> <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="4" width="94%"> <tr> <td valign="bottom" colspan="3"> <p align="center"> <br> <p align="center"> <img border="0" src="_httpdocimg_/ablovelett.gif" alt="Primary Sources: Selections from King Henry VIII's love letters to Anne Boleyn" width="452" height="113"><p align="center"> </td> </tr> <tr> <td></td> <td></td> <td></td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" width="48%" bgcolor="#FFFFE8"><font size="2">These famous love letters from King Henry VIII to Anne Boleyn are undated.  They were found in the Vatican Library, possibly stolen from Anne and sent to the papacy during Henry VIII's struggle for an annulment of his marriage to Katharine of Aragon.  Though Henry argued for an annulment on the basis of his conscience (he stated that the marriage was in direct contradiction to the Bible), most people believed he simply wanted to marry Anne Boleyn.</font><p><font size="2">Anne's replies to these letters are lost.</font></p> <p><font size="2">The letters were written in French.</font></td> <td width="4%"></td> <td valign="top" width="48%"> <p>My mistress and friend:  I and my heart put ourselves in your hands, begging you to have them suitors for your good favour, and that your affection for them should not grow less through absence.  For it would be a great pity to increase their sorrow since absence does it sufficiently, and more than ever I could have thought possible reminding us of a point in astronomy, which is, that the longer the days are the farther off is the sun, and yet the more fierce.  So it is with our love, for by absence we are parted, yet nevertheless it keeps its fervour, at least on my side, and I hope on yours also:  assuring you that on my side the ennui of absence is already too much for me:  and when I think of the increase of what I must needs suffer it would be well nigh unbearable for me were it not for the firm hope I have and as I cannot be with you in person, I am sending you the nearest possible thing to that, namely, my picture set in a bracelet, with the whole device which you already know.  Wishing myself in their place when it shall please you.  This by the hand of </p> <p align="left">Your loyal servant and friend</p> <p align="left">H. Rex</p> <hr> <p>No more to you at this present mine own darling for lack of time but that I would you were in my arms or I in yours for I think it long since I kissed you.  Written after the killing of an hart at a xj. of the clock minding with God's grace tomorrow mightily timely to kill another: by the hand of him which I trust shortly shall be yours.</p> <p>Henry R.</p> <hr> <p>Mine own sweetheart, these shall be to advertise you of the great loneliness that I find here since your departing, for I ensure you methinketh the time longer since your departing now last than I was wont to do a whole fortnight:  I think your kindness and my fervents of love causeth it, for otherwise I would not have thought it possible that for so little a while it should have grieved me, but now that I am coming toward you methinketh my pains been half released....  Wishing myself (specially an evening) in my sweetheart's arms, whose pretty dukkys I trust shortly to kiss.  Written with the hand of him that was, is, and shall be yours by his will.<p>H.R.<p> </p> <p align="center"> <a href="_httpextlink_&rl=1&href=http:%2f%2fenglishhistory.net%2ftudor%2fmonarchs%2fboleyn.html"> <font size="2">to the Anne Boleyn website</font></a></p> <p align="center"><a href="_httpextlink_&rl=1&href=http:%2f%2fenglishhistory.net%2ftudor%2fprimary.html"> <font size="2">to Primary Sources</font></a></td> </tr> </table> </center> </div> <script language="JavaScript" src="_httpextlink_&rl=0&href=http:%2f%2fhostingprod.com%2fjs%5fsource%2fgeov2.js"></script><script language="javascript">geovisit();</script><noscript><img src="_httpextlink_&rl=0&el=direct&href=http://visit.webhosting.yahoo.com/visit.gif?us1108082597" alt="setstats" border="0" width="1" height="1"></noscript> <IMG SRC="_httpextlink_&rl=0&el=direct&href=http://geo.yahoo.com/serv?s=76001524&t=1108082597" ALT=1 WIDTH=1 HEIGHT=1>