Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Dedication
- Contents
- List of Illustrations
- List of Abbreviations
- Acknowledgements
- Editorial Procedures
- Introduction
- Part I Roots 1548–1562
- Part II Youth 1562–1571
- Part III Emancipation 1571–1574
- Part IV Exploration 1574–1576
- 23 Preparation for Travel
- 24 To Italy
- 25 Journey Home
- 26 Inglese Italianato
- 27 A Stranger to his Wife
- 28 Orazio Coquo
- 29 Oxford's Poetry (1)
- Part V Alienation 1576–1579
- Part VI Intrigue 1579–1580
- Part VII Sedition 1580–1581
- Part VIII Release 1581–1585
- Part IX Reiteration 1586–1591
- Part X Renewal 1592–1595
- Part XI Re-engagement 1595–1599
- Part XII Decline 1600–1604
- Part XIII Aftermath 1604–1613
- Notes
- Appendix: Oxford's Letters and Libel Documents
- Bibliography
- Index
- Liverpool English texts and Studies
24 - To Italy
from Part IV - Exploration 1574–1576
- Frontmatter
- Dedication
- Contents
- List of Illustrations
- List of Abbreviations
- Acknowledgements
- Editorial Procedures
- Introduction
- Part I Roots 1548–1562
- Part II Youth 1562–1571
- Part III Emancipation 1571–1574
- Part IV Exploration 1574–1576
- 23 Preparation for Travel
- 24 To Italy
- 25 Journey Home
- 26 Inglese Italianato
- 27 A Stranger to his Wife
- 28 Orazio Coquo
- 29 Oxford's Poetry (1)
- Part V Alienation 1576–1579
- Part VI Intrigue 1579–1580
- Part VII Sedition 1580–1581
- Part VIII Release 1581–1585
- Part IX Reiteration 1586–1591
- Part X Renewal 1592–1595
- Part XI Re-engagement 1595–1599
- Part XII Decline 1600–1604
- Part XIII Aftermath 1604–1613
- Notes
- Appendix: Oxford's Letters and Libel Documents
- Bibliography
- Index
- Liverpool English texts and Studies
Summary
Oxford is first noticed in France in letters of 5 and 7 March 1575, wherein the English ambassador Dr Valentine Dale informed Burghley:
– Cannot procure the Earl of Oxford's access to the King because of the new mourning for the Duchess of Lorraine, whose death the Queen Mother takes very heavily to heart, being her dear daughter.
– I presented my Lord of Oxford also unto the King and Queen, who used him honourably. Amongst other talk the King asked whether he was married. I said he had a fair lady. ‘Il y a donc’ dit-il ‘un beau couple’.
In his Diary, Burghley listed the event under 6 March: ‘Erle presented to the French kyng.’
On 12 March Giovanni Francesco Morosini, Venetian ambassador in Paris, wrote to the Signory:
An English gentleman, whose name is the Earl of Oxford, has arrived in this city; he is a young man of about twenty or twenty-two years of age. It is said that he fled from England on account of his inclination to the Catholic religion; but having returned he received great favour from the Queen, who gave him full licence to travel and see the world, when she ascertained that he had resolved to depart under any circumstances.
Thus Oxford retained his reputation for Catholicism. Morosini's underestimation of his age and the French King's compliment confirm that age sat lightly on Oxford.
Back in England, Burghley fretted over his daughter's pregnancy. On 7 March, about the beginning of her fifth month, Dr Richard Master wrote a long and complex letter to Burghley from Richmond:
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- Monstrous AdversaryThe Life of Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford, pp. 121 - 131Publisher: Liverpool University PressPrint publication year: 2003