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2 | <!DOCTYPE Archive SYSTEM "http://greenstone.org/dtd/Archive/1.0/Archive.dtd">
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3 | <Archive>
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4 | <Section>
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5 | <Description>
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6 | <Metadata name="gsdlsourcefilename">import/englishhistory.net/tudor/maryqos-letter.html</Metadata>
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7 | <Metadata name="gsdldoctype">indexed_doc</Metadata>
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8 | <Metadata name="Plugin">HTMLPlugin</Metadata>
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9 | <Metadata name="FileSize">5819</Metadata>
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10 | <Metadata name="Source">maryqos-letter.html</Metadata>
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11 | <Metadata name="SourceFile">maryqos-letter.html</Metadata>
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12 | <Metadata name="Language">en</Metadata>
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13 | <Metadata name="Encoding">windows_1252</Metadata>
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14 | <Metadata name="Content">Primary Sources: The last letter of Mary, queen of Scots, 1587</Metadata>
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15 | <Metadata name="Title">Primary Sources: The last letter of Mary, queen of Scots, 1587</Metadata>
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16 | <Metadata name="FileFormat">HTML</Metadata>
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17 | <Metadata name="URL">http://englishhistory.net/tudor/maryqos-letter.html</Metadata>
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18 | <Metadata name="UTF8URL">http://englishhistory.net/tudor/maryqos-letter.html</Metadata>
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19 | <Metadata name="dc.Subject">Tudor period|Others</Metadata>
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20 | <Metadata name="Identifier">HASH01e46681519f37f8a8760f42</Metadata>
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21 | <Metadata name="lastmodified">1373222152</Metadata>
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22 | <Metadata name="lastmodifieddate">20130708</Metadata>
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23 | <Metadata name="oailastmodified">1375848026</Metadata>
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24 | <Metadata name="oailastmodifieddate">20130807</Metadata>
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28 | </Description>
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29 | <Content>
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30 |
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31 | <div align="center">
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32 | <center>
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33 | <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="4" width="94%">
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34 | <tr>
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35 | <td valign="bottom" colspan="3">
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36 | <p align="center">&nbsp;<br>
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37 | <p align="center">
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38 | <img border="0" src="_httpdocimg_/maryqos-letter.gif" width="331" height="87"><p align="center">&nbsp;</td>
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39 | </tr>
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40 | <tr>
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41 | <td></td>
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42 | <td></td>
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43 | <td></td>
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44 | </tr>
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45 | <tr>
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46 | <td valign="top" width="48%" bgcolor="#FFFFE8">
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47 | <font size=-1>
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48 | <img border="1" src="_httpdocimg_/maryqos1565cr.jpg" align="left" width="175" height="236">Mary Stuart
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49 | wrote this letter on 8 February 1587, completing it just six hours before her
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50 | execution at Fotheringhay Castle.&nbsp; </font>
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51 | <p>
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52 | <font size=-1>It is addressed to her former brother-in-law,
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53 | King Henry III of France.&nbsp; She had written to him regularly throughout
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54 | her imprisonment in England.&nbsp; The letter is a remarkable document.&nbsp;
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55 | Mary clearly believes she is dying as a martyr to her Catholic faith.&nbsp;
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56 | She also displays genuine concern for the loyal servants who joined her
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57 | English imprisonment.</font></p>
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58 | <p>
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59 | <font size=-1>It should be noted that Henry III did not provide the
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60 | wages and pensions which Mary so poignantly sought.&nbsp; It was King Philip II of
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61 | Spain who honored her last wishes.</font></p>
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62 | <p><br>
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63 |
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64 | </td>
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65 | <td width="4%"></td>
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66 | <td valign="top" width="48%">
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67 |
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68 |
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69 |
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70 | 8 February 1587
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71 |
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72 | <br>To the most Christian king, my brother and old ally,
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73 |
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74 | <p>Royal brother, having by God's will, for my sins I think, thrown myself
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75 |
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76 | into the power of the Queen my cousin, at whose hands I have suffered much
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77 |
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78 | for almost twenty years, I have finally been condemned to death by her
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79 |
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80 | and her Estates.&nbsp; I have asked for my papers, which they have taken
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81 |
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82 | away, in order that I might make&nbsp;my
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83 |
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84 | will, but I have been unable to recover anything of use to me, or even
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85 |
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86 | get leave either to make my will freely or to have my body conveyed after
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87 |
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88 | my death, as I would wish, to your kingdom where I had the honor to be
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89 |
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90 | queen, your sister and old ally.
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91 |
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92 | <p>Tonight, after dinner, I have been advised of my sentence:&nbsp; I am
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93 |
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94 | to be executed like a criminal at eight in the morning.&nbsp; I have not
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95 |
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96 | had time to give you a full account of everything that has happened, but
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97 |
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98 | if you will listen to my doctor and my other unfortunate servants, you
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99 |
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100 | will learn the truth, and how, thanks be to God, I scorn death and vow
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101 |
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102 | that I meet it innocent of any crime, even if I were their subject.&nbsp;
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103 |
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104 | The Catholic faith and the assertion of my God-given right to the English
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105 |
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106 | crown are the two issues on which I am condemned, and yet I am not allowed
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107 |
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108 | to say that it is for the Catholic religion that I die, but for fear of
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109 |
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110 | interference with theirs.&nbsp; The proof of this is that they have taken
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111 |
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112 | away my chaplain, and although he is in the building, I have not been able
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113 |
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114 | to get permission for him to come and hear my confession and give me the
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115 |
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116 | Last Sacrament, while they have been most insistent that I receive the
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117 |
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118 | consolation and instruction of their minister, brought here for that purpose.&nbsp;
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119 |
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120 | The bearer of this letter and his companions, most of them your subjects,
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121 |
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122 | will testify to my conduct at my last hour.&nbsp; It remains for me to
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123 |
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124 | beg Your Most Christian Majesty, my brother-in-law and old ally, who have
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125 |
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126 | always protested your love for me, to give proof now of your goodness on
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127 |
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128 | all these points:&nbsp; firstly by charity, in paying my unfortunate servants
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129 |
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130 | the wages due them - this is a burden on my conscience that only you can
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131 |
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132 | relieve:&nbsp; further, by having prayers offered to God for a queen who
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133 |
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134 | has borne the title Most Christian, and who dies a Catholic, stripped of
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135 |
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136 | all her possessions.&nbsp; As for my son, I commend him to you in so far
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137 |
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138 | as he deserves, for I cannot answer for him.&nbsp; I have taken the liberty
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139 |
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140 | of sending you two precious stones, talismans against illness, trusting
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141 |
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142 | that you will enjoy good health and a long and happy life.&nbsp; Accept
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143 |
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144 | them from your loving sister-in-law, who, as she dies, bears witness of
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145 |
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146 | her warm feeling for you. Again I commend my servants to you.&nbsp; Give
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147 |
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148 | instructions, if it please you, that for my soul's sake part of what you
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149 |
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150 | owe me should be paid, and that for the sake of Jesus Christ, to whom I
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151 |
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152 | shall pray for you tomorrow as I die, I be left enough to found a memorial
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153 |
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154 | mass and give the customary alms.
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155 |
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156 | <p>Wednesday, at two in the morning
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157 |
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158 | <p>Your most loving and most true sister
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159 |
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160 | <br>Mary R<p>&nbsp;<p align="center"><nt><font size="2">
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161 | <a href="_httpextlink_&amp;rl=1&amp;href=http:%2f%2fenglishhistory.net%2ftudor%2frelative%2fmaryqos.html">to the Mary,
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162 | queen of Scots website</a></font><p align="center"><a href="_httpextlink_&amp;rl=1&amp;href=http:%2f%2fenglishhistory.net%2ftudor%2fprimary.html">
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163 | <font size="2">to Primary Sources</font></a></td>
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164 | </tr>
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165 | </table>
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166 | </center>
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167 | </div>
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168 |
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169 |
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170 |
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173 | </Content>
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174 | </Section>
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175 | </Archive>
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