Elizabeth I (1533–1603), British monarch, Queen of England (1558-1603). As quoted in The Sayings of Queen Elizabeth, ch. 6, by Frederick Chamberlin (1923).
Said to de Silva, the Spanish Ambassador, when he told her that the Pope had a high opinion of her ability. Elizabeth was a Protestant, which had led to great political strife with those who wished to have a Roman Catholic monarch. Sought after by many noblemen, and urged by her countrymen to marry, Elizabeth steadfastly refused.