Cecil Papers 9/15 (bifolium, 300mm x 210mm), Oxford to Burghley; 13 July 1576 (W125;F266).
My
very good lord,
Yesterday,
at your Lordship’s earnest request, I had some conference with you about your
daughter, wherein for that her Majesty had so often moved me, and for that you
dealt so earnestly with me, to content as much as I could, I did agree that you
might bring her to the Court with condition that she should not come when I was
present nor at any time to have speech with me, and further that your Lordship
should not urge her farther than her cause. But now I understand that your
Lordship means this day to bring her to the Court and that you mean afterward
to prosecute the cause with further hope. Now if your Lordship shall do so,
then shall you take more in hand than I have or can promise you. For always I
have and will still prefer my own content before others’. And observing that
wherein I may temper or moderate, for your sake I will do most willingly.
Wherefore I shall desire your Lordship not to take advantage of my promise
until you have given me some honorable assurance by letter or word, of your
performance of the
condition which being observed, I could yield, as it is my
duty to her Majesty’s request, and bear with your fatherly desire toward her.
Otherwise, all that is done can stand to none effect. From my lodging at
Charing Cross, this morning.
Your
Lordship’s to employ
(signed)
Edward Oxenford
Addressed
by Oxford: To the right honorable and his very good Lord the lord Treasurer of
England give this. [seal]
Endorsed
by Burghley: 13 July 1576; The Earl of Oxford. Received at St John’s
Also at Virtual Grub Street:
- A Model for Lady Macbeth. July 12, 2020. “In Macbeth, the Lady of the castle would also seem to be her Lord’s indomitable will. She will see the deeds done that need be done in order for him to pass the daunting tests and wear the crown.”
- What About Edward de Vere’s Twelfth Night of 1600/01? January 28, 2020. “Leslie Hotson, who brought the Orsino-Orsino coincidence to the attention of the Nevillians seems to have made one particular mistake that is all to our point.”
- What Color Were Shakespeare’s Potatoes? July 27, 2019. “By the year 1599-1600, when Shakespeare’s play would seem to have been written, the potato was available in London. It was considered a delectable treat and an aphrodisiac.”
- Gossip as History: Anne Boleyn, Part 1. November 8, 2019. “This is more than just gossip, I submit. It is a vital part of the historical record.”
- Check out the English Renaissance Article Index for many more articles and reviews about this fascinating time and about the Shakespeare Authorship Question.
- Check out the English Renaissance Letter Index for many letters from this fascinating time, some related to the Shakespeare Authorship Question.
1 comment:
I'm curious about your views on this mysterious chapter in Oxford's life. Do you believe that Oxford was wrong in believing that Elizabeth, Anne Cecil's first daughter, was actually not de Vere's child? It's hard for me to believe that Oxford shunned his wife for years over a misunderstanding of the length of a human pregnancy. I believe that Oxford knew that he hadn't had relations with his wife before his departure to the continent, and correctly believed that she'd become pregnant from an illicit affair. Because her father was such a senior minister to the Queen, there was pressure from on high (both his father-in-law and the sovereign) for him to swallow his pride and accept the situation. But he refused to do so, despite any consequences to his career at court.
It was only when he got into hot water with Anne Vavasour that he was forced to give up. With Vavasour, he had violated one of the queen's maids of honor. His father in law was in a position to intervene on his behalf but only if he dropped his contempt for Anne, and proceeded with his primary job as an earl and went about the business of fathering an heir. He could rot in the tower, or he could go back to Anne and get on with it, and he decided to get out of jail. Never gave William Cecil the grandson and heir to the Oxford title he wanted, but he fathered a couple daughters so at least he tried. Seems like it would have resulted in a cold, loveless, distant marriage, and most likely Oxford wasn't much of a father to the three daughters -- the first illegitimate, and the second two his own fathered on a woman he had no love for.
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