Three Catherines, Two Annes and a Jane

Six wives - three Catherines, two Annes and a Jane were married to Henry in the course of his reign. An Anne and a Catherine met their end by the axe. Anne Boleyn was too haughty, Catherine Howard too lax. Henry's very first wife was Catherine of Aragon, both pious and faithful, a virtuous paragon. Producing no sons, she incurred a divorce. Anne of Cleves followed a similar course. Her face was spotty; she had bad teeth and bad breath. Don’t trust a portrait, the wise man saith.. Jane Seymore very sadly died as she gave birth. Henry's last wife, Catherine Parr, was a woman of worth. More a nurse than a playmate, she bathed Hal with affection and did a good job to relieve his dejection. Envoi So that's the close of this ditty, which I think is rather a pity. No, I'm not the Poet Laureate, as the Royal Court never saw to it. If I were paid to do so, I'd keep writing like Robinson Crusoe.