Catherine of Aragon's letter to her husband King Henry VIII after the Battle of Flodden Field, year 1513

Source:

Original letters illustrative of English history, series 1, volume 1, page 88, edited by Henry Ellis, 1825

https://archive.org/details/originallettersi01elliuoft/page/88/mode/2up

Above: Catherine of Aragon, queen consort of England, painted by Michael Sittow.

Above: King Henry VIII, painted by Meynnart Wewyck.

The letter:

My Lord Howard hath sent me a Lettre open to your Grace, within oon of myn, by the whiche ye shal see at length the grete Victorye that our Lord hath sent your subgetts in your absence; and for this cause it is noo nede herin to trouble your Grace with long writing, but, to my thinking, this batell hath bee to your Grace and al your reame the grettest honor that coude bee, and more than ye shuld wyn al the crown of Fraunce; thankend bee God of it: and I am suer your Grace forgetteth not to doo this, which shal be cause to send you many moo suche grete victoryes, as I trust he shal doo. My husband, for hastynesse, wt Rogecrosse I coude not sende your Grace the pece of the King of Scotts cote which John Glyn now bringeth. In this your grace shal see how I can kepe my promys, sending you for your baners a Kings cote. I thought to sende hymself unto you, but our Englishemens herts wold not suffre it. It shuld have been better for hym to have been in peax than have this rewarde. Al that God sendeth is for the best. My Lord of Surrey, my Henry, wold fayne knowe your pleasur in the buryeng of the King of Scotts body, for he hath writen to me soo. With the next messanger your grace pleasur may bee herin knowen. And with this I make an ende: praying God to sende you home shortly, for without this noo joye here can bee accomplisshed; and for the same I pray, and now goo to our Lady at Walsyngham that I promised soo long agoo to see. At Woborne the xvj. day of Septembre.

I sende your grace herin a bille founde in a Scottisshemans purse of suche things as the Frenshe King sent to the said King of Scotts to make warre against you, beseeching your to sende Mathewe hider assone this messanger commeth to bringe me tydings from your Grace.

Your humble wif and

true servant

KATHERINE.

Note: suffer = to allow

fain = gladly

your = you