Norwich bulletin., 1922-06-09
Great Mems Love Letters.

Henry. of Navarro, to Gabrielle Distress
The life of Gabrielle DEstrees is full
or romance. She was one of the most
beautiful women of France during the
latter half of the sixteenth century. 1t
was for love of her that Henry of Ma
varre left his Hugenot army in the lurch;
when they had about snatched a signal
victory over their enemies. She was of a
noble French family, and was gifted not
only with fascinating manners, but with
a wisdom as great as her beauty Her
motto was ''the secret of life is to enjoy
it."
When Gabrielle was a mere GIRL King
Henry III, of France, cousin and prede-
cessor to Henry of Navarro, fell in love
with her when first she came to court.
Her next adorer was the brother of the
the Duke of Guise, and the Dukes of
LongueviIle and Bellegarde also wor-
shipped at her shrine. Her parents COM
PEELED her to marry man who loved her
but whom whom she did not love, the
| Count de Liancourt, and the union did
not last long.
| When Henry of Navarro first met her
he was a beggardly leader of forlorn
hope. He was the ruler of the pretty
| kingdom of Navarro. near the boundary
! line of France and Spain, and was heir to
the throne Of France But he was bar
1
| ligion. He was continually falling in
| love, but he seemed to have loved Ca
| brielle more and longer than all his other
1 sweethearts combined
i When they first met in 1880 Gabrielle
was between nineteen and twenty years Of
age and Henry was thirty seven Gabri-
ell must have genuinely loved him. She
was with him through all his desperate
/ struggles and her tenderness and her
tact was unfailing- Partly, it is said, by
her suggestion, Henry at last decided to
change his religion in order to become
King of France.
| After he became King Henry wanted
to divorce his wife Marguerite de Valois,
from whom he had long been separated.
and marry Gabrielle, but his advisers
councilled him to make marriage that
would either bring money or influence to
the country. Henry was obdurate and
declared that whether the step were wise
of foolish he was going to marry Gabri-
ellie
On the evening of April 8, 1899, as
Henry and Gabrielle were sitting in a
garden arbor talking over their approach
ing marriage, Gabrielle fell to the ground
! In agony. She was carried home and
, died in a few hours Sixteenth and sew
enteenth century historians did not hest
tate to say she was poisoned in order tc
G
While Henry wrote her the most affec-
Tomato of letters it was not always that
everything was roseate. Henry was
r very jealous of his rivals. you know
! the resolution have made" he wrote her
, mot to complain any more. And now IL
make another not to be cross any more
Here are extracts Of three enchanting
letters Henry wrote to Gabrielle:
i MY Beautiful Love: Two hours aft
er the arrival of this messenger, you vii
see a cavalier who lives you very much
. they call him the King of France and o
Navarro, an honorable title, certainly
but very trou1lesome-that of your sub
ject is much more delightful the tire
together are good with any sauce, and
9 am resolved to give them up to no one"
my True Heart-You declare you Low
L ME a thousand more times more than
love you You have lied. and you shall
g maintain your lie with the arms whic
q | you have chosen. I shall not see 20
= again for ten days. 1t is enough to XII
: me. I will not tell you how much
mind. It would make you too vain
my Darling Love: You have muc
i more reason to be afraid of my loving 20
4 too much than too little. That fault
ST pleases you-and me, too, since you lik
it. See how yield to your every wish
Don't I deserve to be loved? And
"a think you love me, and so, with happ
% heart, finish.
y These radiant things, like the singin
IS birds of Babroulbadour, followed thei
princess wherever she want.