વડ my people, my honour and my blood even in "the duft. I know I have but the body of a "weak and feeble woman, but I have the heart "of a King, and a King of England too; and "think foul fcorn that Parma or Spain, or any "Prince of Europe, fhould dare to invade the "borders of my realms; to which rather than σε σε ઃ any dishonour should grow by me, I MYSELF "will take up arms; I MYSELF will be your "General, Judge, and Rewarder of every one "of your virtues in the field. I know already "by your forwardness that you have deserved "rewards and crowns; and we do affure you, મંદ on the word of a Prince, they shall be duly paid you. In the mean time, my Lieutenant"General fhall be in my ftead; than whom "never Prince commanded more noble and ઉં worthy fubject; not doubting by your obe"dience to my General, by your concord in the camp, and your valour in the field, we shall fhortly have a famous victory over those ene"mies of my God, of my kingdom, and of my "people." Her Majefty, five years afterwards, whilst the fame horrid calamity of war impended, thus fpiritedly addressed her Parliament, April 10, 1593. "This kingdom hath had many wife, noble, "victorious Princes: I will not compare with any " of L 2 "of them for wifdom, fortitude, or any other "virtues; but, faving the duty of a child, that " is not to compare with his father in love, care, fincerity, and justice, I will compare with any "Prince that ever you had, or shall have. પ "It may be thought fimplicity in me, that all "this time of my reign I have not fought to "advance my territories, and enlarge my domi"nions, for opportunity hath served me to do it. "I acknowledge my womanhood and weakness "in that refpect; but though it hath not been "hard to obtain, yet I doubted how to keep the things fo obtained; that hath only held me "from fuch attempts. And I muft fay, my mind 66 was never to invade my neighbours, or to "ufurp over any; I am contented to reign over mine own, and to rule as a juft Prince. "Yet the King of Spain doth challenge me to "be the quarreller and the beginner of all these 66 wars, in which he doth me the greatest wrong "that can be; for my confcience doth not ac"cufe my thoughts, wherein I have done him "the least injury; but I am perfuaded in my "confcience, if he knew what I know, he him"felf would be forry for the wrong that he hath 6 done me, "I fear I fear not all his threatenings; his great "preparations and mighty forces do not stir me; for though he come against me with a 66 greater power than ever was his Invincible "Navy, I doubt not (God affifting me, upon "whom I always truft) but that I fhall be able to defeat and overthrow him. I have great advantage against him, for my cause is juft, "I heard fay, when he attempted his last in "vafion, fome upon the fea-coaft forfook their towns, and flew up higher into the country, "and left all naked and expofed to his entrance, "But I fwear unto you by God, if I knew those "perfons, or any that fhall do fo hereafter, I "will make them know and feel what it is to be fo fearful in fo urgent a cause, "The fubfidies you gave me, I accept thank"fully, if you give me your good wills with ❝ them; but if the neceffity of the time and 66 your preservations did not require it, I would. "refuse them. But let me tell you, that the "fum is not fo much, but that it is needful for ❝a Prince to have fo much always in her coffers ❝ for your defence in time of need, and not to be driven to get it when we should use it. "You that be Lieutenants and Gentlemen of "take care that the people be well armed, and "in readiness upon all occafions. You that be "Judges and Juftices of the Peace, I command "and ftraitly charge you, that you fee the laws "to be duly executed, and that you make them "living laws when we have put life into them." Puttenham tells us, that when fome English Knight, who had behaved himself very infolently towards this Queen, while fhe was Princess Elizabeth, fell upon his knees before her, foon after the became the Sovereign of these kingdoms, and befought her to pardon him, fufpecting (as) there was good caufe) that he should have been fent to the Tower, fhe faid to him, very mildly, "Do you not know that we are defcended of the «lion, whofe nature is, not to prey upon the . mouse, or other small vermin ?" Osborne, in his Memoirs of Queen Elizabeth, tells this story of her :-That one of her purveyors having behaved with fome injuftice in the county of Kent, one of the farmers of that county went to the Queen's palace at Greenwich, and watching the time when the Queen went to take her ufual walk in the morning, cried out loud enough for her Majesty to hear, " Pray which is "the Queen?" She replied very graciously, "I am your Queen; what would you have with "me?"" "me?""You (replied the farmer) are one of "the rareft women I ever faw, and can eat no 66 more than my daughter Madge, who is thought "the propereft lafs in the parish, though far "fhort of you: but that Queen Elizabeth I "look for devours fo many of my ducks, hens, "and capons, as I am not able to live." The Queen, as Ofborne adds, always auspicious to fuits made through the mediation of her comely fhape, enquired who was the purveyor, and caufed him to be hanged, What pardon could the Earl of Effex hope from Queen Elizabeth, when it had been reported to her, that he had faid her mind was grown as crooked as her body? "As to her own perfonal qualities," fays Strype, "fhe was a Queen that eafily forgave "private injuries, but a fevere dispenser of com mon justice, favouring none in their crimes, "nor leaving them hopes of impunity. She cut "off all licentioufnefs from all, giving no coun"tenance thereunto to any. This precept of "Plato fhe always fet before her in all her doings, "That laws fhould rule over men, and not that men fhould rule, and be lords, over the laws. Befides this, fhe was a Prince that least of all "defired L 4 |