You have sent me a Flanders mare.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Henry VIII uses a blunt metaphor to reject a gift or alliance, implying it is inferior or unwanted.
- In plain terms
- I do not accept what you have given me.
- What can you take from it?
- Direct rejection can be conveyed through metaphor.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- How does language shape diplomatic relations?
- What makes a rejection effective?
Another view
The context of the insult is lost without historical background.
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We thought that the clergy of our realm had been our subjects wholly, but now we have well perceived that they be but half our subjects, yea, and scarce our su…
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