Mont, after an interview with the Duke of Saxony, wrote to Cromwell to say that he seemed favourable to the proposed marriage, and that he promised to send a portrait as soon as possible, but said that “his painter Lucas was sick at home.” “Everyone,” he added, “praises the lady’s beauty, both of face and body. One said she excelled the Duchess (of Milan) as the golden sun did the silver moon.”[371] The Lucas referred to in this letter was Lucas Cranach the elder, and if it had not been for his illness Holbein might not have been sent over, for Cranach, no doubt, would have painted a portrait which would have satisfied the King. Towards the end of April, Cromwell wrote to Beard and Wootton, again urging them to get a portrait of the lady, which the former was to bring to London as quickly as possible.[372] In their reply, dated May 3—the letter, unfortunately, is badly mutilated—they describe a recent interview with Dr. Henry Olisleger, the vice-chancellor of Cleves, the young Duke being away at the Diet. “He said also he would cause the portraits of both the Duke’s younger sisters to be delivered to us in fourteen days. They were made, he said, half a year before. We said there was no occasion to declare the King’s goodwill to the Duke, which was manifest.... And as for the ij pictures, we wer verye w[ell] contentyd to receyve theym, and specyallye the imaige of my l[ady Anne] ... that yf eny of bothe shulde lyke his Grace ... yet wolde we gladdelye receyve and sende bothe. [And for a]s muche as we hadde not seene the ij ladyes, we shulde [not be] able to advertise his Majestye whether theyr imaiges were [l]yke to theyr persones, and so shulde his Majestye be never the nerre by the syht of the pictures.” Dr. Olisleger, however, assured them that the portraits were faithful likenesses, but the ambassadors were not satisfied. “We sayde, we hadde not seene theym, for to see but a parte of theyr faces, and that under such a monstruouse habyte and apparell, was no syght, neither of theyr faces nor of theyr persones. Why, quod he, wolde yow see theym nakydde?” What they said in answer to this last remark is lost through the mutilation of the letter, but they evidently did not approve of the court costume of Cleves. They concluded by saying: “A Moneday, God willing, we wylle departe to Duisseldorpe, and, excepte the Duke have enye bysynesse with us, we wyll thence to Coleyn, where we ar apoyntyd to receyve the said ij pictures, the which we wille send ynto England as soone as we canne convenyently.”[373] Footnote 371: _C.L.P._, vol. xiv. pt. i. 552. _St. P._, i. 604. Footnote 372: _C.L.P._, vol. xiv. pt. i. 834. _St. P._, i. 613. Footnote 373: _C.L.P._, vol. xiv. pt. i. 920. [Sidenote: HOLBEIN AND BEARD GO TO DÜREN]