Two portraits, side by side. One is Mary Browne Wriothesley. The - TopicsExpress



          

Two portraits, side by side. One is Mary Browne Wriothesley. The other the Tower portrait of Henry Wriothesley, Earl of Southampton. The former the ostensible (though in some quarters disputed) mother of the latter. Both spitting images of each other. Happy to entertain other explanations here, but as far as Ive been able to determine there are only two scenarios to explain this: 1) Mary Browne Wriothesley was Henry Wriothesleys mother, as advertised. A striking resemblance that was arguably noted in Sonnet 3, Thou art thy mothers glass [mirror], and she in thee calls back the lovely April of her prime. 2) Mary Browne Wriothesley was not Henry Wriothesleys mother. Instead, he was a secret changeling child whom M.B.W. raised as her son -- and he just HAPPENS to look stunningly like his adoptive step-mother. I was once upon a time sympathetic to the hypothesis of Southampton as Elizabeth Tudors son. But then I sat down with these two portraits. I admit, its not a DNA test. But, given what seems quite long odds for option 2) above, its as close to DNA as I expect to see in the hotly disputed PT debates for some time yet to come.
Posted on: Wed, 12 Mar 2014 16:51:38 +0000

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