Queen Mary of France's letter to her brother King Henry VIII of England, dated September 9, 1515

Source:

Original letters illustrative of English history, series 1, volume 1, page 123, edited by Henry Ellis, 1825

https://archive.org/details/originallettersi01elliuoft/page/122/mode/2up

Above: Mary Tudor, queen consort of France, painted by Jan Gossaert.

Above: King Henry VIII, painted by Meynnart Wewyck.

The letter:

My most derest and ryt entierly belowyde Lord [and] brothare, yn my most humble wys I recommande me unto yowr Grace, shawynge unto yowr Grace that I do a pa.... by my Lord my howsbande that y[ou] ar playsayde and contentyde that he shale resorde on to yowr presence at swche tyme as yowr Grace shale be at hys maner of Donyngton, wherby I se wele he hys merwosly rejoysyd and moche comfortyd that yt hathe lyked your Grace so to be playsayd; for the wyche yowr specyale goodnys to hym showyd yn that be halfe, and for sondry and many oder yowr kyndnes, as wele to me as to hym showed and gewyn yn dyvers cawsys, I most humbly thanke yowr Grace; assewryng yow that for the same I accompt my selfe as moche bonden un to yowr Grace as ewer swster was to brother: and accordyng ther un to I shale to the beste of my powr dowrying my lyef, endver myselfe as ferre as in me shale be possyble to do the thyng that shale stond with yowr playsowr, and yf it had be tyme convenyente to yowr Grace hade be ther wythe pleassyd I wolde most gladly have accompanyd my sayd Lord yn thys yowrnay. Bwt I trowst that bowthe I and my sayd Lord shal se yow acordyng as yowr Grace worte yn yowr laste Letters unto my sayde Lord, wych ys the thyng that I dessyr more to opteyn than all the honor off the Worlde. And thws I beseche owr Lorde to send unto yow, my most dereste and enterly be lowyd brother and Lord, long and prosperows lyfe with the fole accomplyshment of al yowr honorable dessyrs, most humbly prayeng yowr Grace that I may be humbly recomanded unto my most derest and beste be lowyd suster the Quene Grace, and to the Quene off Scottys my welbelowyd suster, trowstyng that she be asserteyned frome yowr Grace of the prosperows estate and helthe of my everly beloved ny[phews] the prences, to [w]home I pray God send long lyfe. Frome Letheryng in Swf[folke] the ix. day off Septembur, by the hand of yowr lowyng suster

MARY QUENE OFF FRANCE.