1617: Duke of Mallard
Private papers
It is enough we are known as Earl of New England yet we do not speak of it except to ourself. Our ancient ducal primogeniture is pure, unruffled by the madness that pervades younger families who trifle with lesser titles. We are aloft of such diminutions; we absolve ourselves from such mortifications. Our bloodline is untouched by the folly that so corrupts the weaker houses, whose names are dragged in the mud of scandal and base ambition. Such petty griefs befit not our exalted station nor the dignity of our house.
It was ever our charge, then, to keep these ignoble afflictions at bay: to cast out those elements of madness and inconvenience that threaten the solemn honour we have inherited. This colony—New England—is not merely a place of settlement but a bastion against such ruin. Therein shall be contained those whom we deem unfit by reason or will, leaving the pure line unbroken and free from shame.
Let others wield their titles that are weaker in blood or in purpose. We hold fast to what is ours by right divine, and with this new title and domain, we raise our name beyond the reach of the common scourge. Thus fortified, our house shall endure through all ages, unblemished and supreme.
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