Mary’s condition became daily worse. Her position in Elizabeth’s household was rather that of an attendant, than of a lady-in-waiting, and to the humiliations showered upon the unhappy girl was now added the want of the barest necessaries of life. The “pearl of the kingdom” was less well provided for than the meanest of her father’s subjects. Failing all other methods, she was to be starved into a surrender, and if she would not dine at the common table, was to have nothing to eat at all. Anne’s vindictiveness increased, when some peasants, assembling under Mary’s balcony, cheered the poor prisoner, calling her their rightful Princess. Chapuys’ despatch of the 21st February chronicles what is perhaps the high-water mark of her disgrace. “The Princess,” he writes,[117] “finding herself nearly destitute of clothes and other necessaries, has been compelled to send a gentleman to the King. She ordered him to take money or the clothes, but not to accept any writing in which she was not entitled Princess. He was also charged to ask leave for her to attend Mass, at the church which adjoins the house, but this was not allowed. As the country people seeing her walk along a gallery saluted her as their princess, she is now kept much closer, and nothing done without the leave of the sister of Anne Boleyn’s father, who has charge of her. The Duke of Norfolk, and Anne’s brother lately reprimanded her for behaving to the Princess with too much respect and kindness, saying that she ought only to be treated as a bastard. She replied, that even if the Princess were only the bastard of a poor gentleman, she deserved honour and good treatment for her goodness and virtues. The Princess is well in health, and bears her troubles with patience, trusting in God and your Majesty, and showed no better cheer in her prosperity than now. God grant that this may not irritate this accursed Lady to carry out her detestable imaginations.”