Norwich bulletin., 1922-06-19
Great Mems Love Letters
CHARLES I TO HENRIETTA MARIE,

The marriage of Charles I with Hen rietta Maria of France was doubtless an unusually happy state marriage They first saw each other at court ball in Paris in 1923. when Charles, then Prince of Wales was on his way to Spain in company with the Duke of Buckingham and Endymion Porter. to visit the In fanta, who was the proposed wife of the prince.
 The Spanish match was abandoned and two years later Charles married the French princess. History gives a very pretty picture of her coming to England i; how she tried to kneel when presented to the king, and how he prevented her by raising her in his arms, and how her arch coquetries won his heart.
 Whatever may be said of Charles as a king, he was loving husband and a tender father. and the domestic life of his court was in fine contrast to that of James 1, who preceded, and of Charles II, who followed him.
 The following letter was written when the king was holding his court at OK ford during the civil war and after the queen had left England to seek an asy- lum in her native France:
 Dear Heart: I never knew until now l know the danger thou vert in by the storm before I had an assurance of thy happy escape. we having had a pleasing false report of thy safe landing at New. castle, which thine of the nineteenth oi January so confirmed us in that we al | least were not undeceived of that hope till we knew certainly how great a dan ger thou hast passed through, of whicf may have the happiness of thy com pany. For, indeed, I think it not tho least of my misfortune that for my sakt 1 thou hast run so much hazard, in whicl l thou hast expressed so much love fol me that confess 1t is impossible to re pay by anything I can do, much less b, words. But my heart being full of af | lection of thee I could not but sa! something. leaving the rest to be reat by thee out of thy own noble heart. CHARLES R.
 Charles wrote again to Henriett; from Oxford, under date of April 3 1645, as follows:
 1 ''Dear Heart: Though it be an un comfortable thing to write by slov messenger, yet all occasions which ar so welcome to me that I shall be loatl to lose any. Yea, judging thee by my self even these nothings will be vel come to thee, though Snoulo cniue lheS which, If I could, I would do for tn, too sudden alarms.
 q pray thee consider. since love the above all earthly things, and that m, contentment Is unseparably joined wit thine, must not all my actions tend t
 serve and please thee? If thou kney what life I lead-I speak not in re
 spect of common distractions, even t lpoipt of conversation which in my min is the brief joy of vexations of ones If l-I dare say thou would'st pity me, fo
 some are too wise, some too foolish, oth CTS too reserved and many too fantastic
 q confess thy company has. perhap!
 made me hard to be pleased, but not les
 to be pitied by thee. who are the onl
 cure for this disease. The end of thi Is to desire thee to comfort me as ofte
 as thou canst with thy letters, and dos
 not thou think that to know particular
 of thy health, and how thou spendet
 thy time are pleasing subjects to m
 when thou hast no other subjects
 write of
 Relieve me. sweetheart, thy kindnes is as necessary to comfort my heart a thy assistance is for my affairs. CHARLES R."