“Not satisfied with having taken away from his own legitimate daughter the name and title of princess, as intimated in a former despatch, the King has lately been talking of removing—and has actually begun to do so—all the officers and servants of her princely household, on the plea that they have encouraged her in her disobedience. This the King has done, as he says, to daunt and intimidate her; he has even gone so far as to demand that she (the Princess) should go and live as ‘demoiselle d’honneur’ to his bastard daughter, at which, your Majesty may guess, both the Queen and the Princess are marvellously disturbed, and in great trouble. They sent to me a week ago in this emergency and begged I would speak to Cromwell, and see what could be done to arrest the blow. I immediately sent to the Princess, a protest drawn in due form for her to sign and keep secret, declaring that neither by word nor deed, expressly nor tacitly, had she ever consented to anything that may prejudice her or her right. I have besides put down in writing several candid and temperate statements, to be addressed to those who might come with such a proposition in her father’s name. In case however, of there being no help at all, she was, I said, to have patience, for she would not have to suffer long. Should the King send some one to her on such an errand, she was to say from the very first, that if the King her father wished it to be so, she submitted, but that she protested, in due form, against whatever might be done to her prejudice. These words I wrote down for her, she was to learn them by heart, and repeat them daily, surrounded by her most confidential servants.” The blow fell speedily, and on the 16th December, Chapuys told his master that what he had feared had come to pass:—[112]