"The king has robbed me of a brilliant and glorious future; let them
not, then, grudge me a happy one, at least. Since I am never to be a
queen, I will at least be a happy and beloved wife. If I am
condemned to live in obscurity and lowliness, at the very least, I
must not be prohibited from adorning this obscure and inglorious
existence with flowers, which thrive not at the foot of the throne,
and to illuminate it with stars more sparkling than the refulgence
of the most radiant kingly crown."
"Oh, you are mistaken about your own self!" said John Heywood,
sorrowfully. "You choose the one only because the other is denied.
You would love only because you cannot rule; and since your heart,
which thirsts for fame and honor, can find no other satisfaction,
you would quench its thirst with some other draught, and would
administer love as an opiate to lull to rest its burning pains.
Believe me, princess, you do not yet know yourself! You were not
born to be merely a loving wife, and your brow is much too high and
haughty to wear only a crown of myrtle. Therefore, consider well
what you do, princess! Be not carried away by your father's
passionate blood, which boils in your veins also. Think well before
you act. Your foot is yet on one of the steps to the throne. Draw it
not back voluntarily. Maintain your position; then, the next step
brings you again one stair higher up. Do not voluntarily renounce
your just claim, but abide in patience the coming of the day of
retribution and justice.
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