at tylte; where by chaunce she was, and lokynge out of the wyndow, my eye was full towards her, and she shewed to be greatly ashamed thereof, for that she was unreddy, and in her nyght-stuffe; so when she saw me at after dynner, as she wente to walk, she gave me a great phyllyp on the forehead, and toulde my L. Chamberlayne, who was the nexte to her, howe I had seene her that morninge, and how muche ashamed thereof she was. And after, I presented unto her the remembrans of yo' L.' and my La.' bounden duty and švis; and sayde yt you bothe thoughte yo❜selves moste bounden to her for her most gracious delynge towards yor daughter, my La. of Lennoxe; and yt you assuredly trusted in the continuans of her favourable goodnes to her and her daughter: And she answered, that she allwayes founde you more thankefull then she gave cause; and so, wthoute sayinge any-thinge more thereof, asked of both your healthes; and so went on, and spake to others. My L. of Lecester thretenethe to cum to Buxton's this summer. If it wold please y' L. in yr next res to wryte sumthynge thereof to him, I thinke yt he wolde take it in very good pte, and yet I imagine it woulde neither much further his cumynge or tarryinge.

The P'tam' is not thoughte to houlde this May. It is thoughte her Matie will go in pgresse to Norfolke this yeare, but there is no certayne determination thereof as yet. On Monday or Twesday nexte her Matie goethe to my L. Cumpton's1 house at Totnam; and so to my L. Tre. at Tybolles, and there tarryethe III or 1111 dayes; and from thens to Mr. Bashe's house; and so to Wanstedd, and there 1111 or v dayes.”

'Henry Compton Lord Compton, whom the Queen visited in 1572, at his house in Warwickshire (see vol. I. p. 317), died 32 Elizabeth; having married, 1st, Frances, daughter of Francis Earl of Huntingdon; 2d, Anne, daughter of Sir John Spencer, of Althorpe. His eldest son William, by his first wife, was created Earl of Northampton, 16 James I. Dugdale, Bar. vol. II. p. 402.-Norden, p. 41, says of Tottenham," At this place, Lord Compton hath a proper ancient house;" and afterwards, " Mockings, called the manor of Mockings, an auncient house of the Lord Compton's, moated about." The manor in 1785 became the property of James Townsend, Esq. by marriage with the heiress of Henry Hare, Baron Coleraine. The house stands on the South side of a lane, commonly called Marsh-lane, on the East side of the London road, nearly opposite the fifth mile stone. It bears no mark of antiquity, except being still moated round. Mr. Townsend died Jan. 20, 1797; and in July 1792 his son, Henry Hare Townsend, sold the manors of Bruses, Pembrokes, Mockings, and Daubeneys, together with all the manorial rights, to Mr. Thomas Smith. Mr. Smith in 1805, sold the manors to Sir William Curtis, Bart. The waste lands were then valued at about .8000; a fishery on the river Lea, and a large quantity of timber standing on the waste, were included in the purchase.

* Edward Bashe, or Baeshe, Esq. Surveyor-General of the Navy under Henry VIII. and the three succeeding monarchs. This gentleman was seated at Stansted Abbas, near Hoddesdon, in Hertfordshire; which parish still retains several memorials of his beneficence; and his hospitality is recorded by Fuller

From Theobalds, the residence of the Lord Treasurer, the Queen, after visiting Mr. Bache's at Stansted Abbas, proceeded to Mr. Barrett's at Bell-house 1, a fine old mansion in the parish of Alveley, in the way to Wanstead, in Waltham Forest, which was the Earl of Leicester's seat, where she was entertained by the following dramatic interlude, written on the occasion by Sir Philip Sidney, and printed at the end of the "Arcadia;" the subject of which was a Contention between a Forrester and a Shepherd for the MAY-LADY.

Her Most Excellent Majestie walking in Wanstead Garden 3, as she passed down into the Grove, there camne suddenly among the train one apparalled like an honest Man's Wife of the Country; where, crying out for justice, and desiring all the Lords and Gentlemen to speak a good word for her, she was brought to the Presence of her Majestie, to whom upon her knees she offered a supplication, and used this speech.

The SUITER.

Most fair Lady! for as for other your titles of state, statelier persons shall give you, and thus much mine own eyes are witnesses of, take here the Complaint of me poor wretch, as deeply plunged in misery, as I wish to you the highest point of happiness.

and others. His family remained at this place till 1676, when Sir Ralph Bashe was driven by necessity to sell the small remnant of an estate, which had been almost ruined in the Civil Wars, to Mr. Field, whose descendants still possess it.

'The seat of the late Lord Dacre, then of Edward Barrett, Esquire, who was High Sheriff of that County in 1571, and died in 1580. Morant's Essex, vol. I. p. 79.-Bell-house is a large stately edifice, situated about three quarters of a mile from Alveley church; standing rather low; nevertheless commanding a good view into Kent. It is surrounded with a park about three miles in circumference, adorned with fine old oaks, and various kinds of trees, formed into vistas, affording most agreeable prospects. When the diversion of hawking was fashionable, there was a Heronry here, which has been for many years disused.—Bell-house is now the property of Sir Thomas Barrett Lennard, Bart. who has carefully preserved the original appearance of the apartments occupied by the Queen in an adjoining farm-house.

This accomplished Hero died in 1586, in the prime of life, as will appear in the account of his funeral under that year.

On or near the site of Wanstead House stood an old mansion called Naked-hall Hawe, which seems to have been the manerial house. It is probable that it was rebuilt by Lord Chancellor Rich, who made it his country residence. Queen Mary was there some days, between her accession to the throne and her coronation. The Chancellor was also honoured by a Visit from Queen Elizabeth in 1561 (see before, in vol. I. p. 93). Robert Earl of Leicester, who purchased this house in 1577, considerably improved it, and in 1578 entertained Queen Elizabeth there in the manner above described. We shall find her there again in her return from the Summer's Progress of 1578.

Only one daughter I have, in whom I had placed all the hopes of my good hap, so well had she with her good parts recompensed my pain of bearing her, and care of bringing her up: but now, alas! that she is come to the time I should reap my full comfort of her, so is she troubled with that notable matter, which we in the Countrey call Matrimony, as I cannot chuse but fear the loss of her wits, at least of her honesty. Other women may think they may be unhappily combred with one master husband, my poor daughter is oppressed with two, both loving her, both equally liked of her, both striving to deserv her. But now lastly (as this jealousie forsooth is a vile matter) each have brought their partakers with them, and are at this present, without your presence redress it, in some bloody controversie. Now, sweet Lady, help; your own way guides you to the place where they encomber her. I dare stay here no longer, for our men say in the countrey, the sight of you is infectious.

And with that she went away a good pace, leaving the Supplication with her Majestie, which very formally conteineth this.

Most gracious Soveraign :

SUPPLICATION.

To one whose state is raised over all,

Whose face doth oft the bravest sort enchant,
Whose minde is suche as wisest mindes appall,
Who in ones self these divers gifts can plant;

How dare I, wretch, seek there my woes to rest,
Where ears be burnt, eyes dazled, hearts opprest?
Your state is great, your greatness is your shield,
Your face hurts oft, but still it doth delight,
Your minde is wise, but still it makes you milde,
Such planted gifts enrich even beggars sight:
So dare I, wretch, my bashful fear subdue,
And feed mine ears, mine eyes, my heart in

you.

Herewith the woman-suiter being gon, there was heard in the wood, a confused nois, and forthwith there came out six shepherds, with as many foresters, haling and pulling to whether side they should draw the Ladie of May, who seemed to incline neither to the one nor the other side. Among them was Master Rombus a Schoolmaster of a village there by, who being fully persuaded of his own learned

wisdom, came thither with his autoritie to part their fray; where for answer he received many unlearned blows. But the Queen coming to the place where shee was seen of them, though they knew not her estate, yet something there was which made them startle aside and gaze upon her; till old father Lalus stepped forth (one of the substantiallest shepherds), and making a leg or two, said these few words:

LALUS the old Shepherd.

May it pleas your dignitie to give a little superfluous intelligence to that, which with the opening of my mouth, my tongue and teeth shall deliver unto you. So it is right worshipful audience, that a certain shee creature, which we shepherds call a woman, of a minsical countenance, but (by my white Lamb) not three quarters so beauteous as your self, hath disannulled the brain pain of two of our featioust young men. And will you wot how? By my mother Kit's soul, with a certain fransical maladie they call Love; when I was a young man, they called it flat follie. But here is a substantial School-master can better disnounce the whole foundation of the matter, although in sooth for all his loquence, our young men were nothing dutious to his Clarkship. Com on, com on, master Schoolmaster, bee not so bashless; wee say, that the fairest are ever the gentlest: tell the whole case, for you can much better vent the points of than I.

Then came forward Master Rombus, and with many special graces, made this learned Oration:

Now the thunderthumping Jove transfund his dotes into your excellent formositie, which have with your resplendent beams thus segregated the enmitie of these rural animals: I am Potentissima Domina, a Schoolmaster, that is to say, a Pedagogue, one not a little versed in the disciplinating of the juvenal frie, wherein (to my laud I say it) I use such geometrical proportion, as neither wanted mansuetude nor correction; for so it is described,

Parcare Subjectos & debellire Superbos.

Yet hath not the pulcritude of my virtues protected mee from the contaminating hands of these Plebeians; for coming solummodo, to have parted their sanguinolent fray, they yielded mee no more reverence, then if I had been som Pecorius Asinus. I, even I, that am, who am I? Dixi, verbus sapiento satum est. But what said that Trojan Eneas, when hee sojourned in the surging sulks

of the sandiferous seas, Hæc olim memonasse juvebit. Well, well, ad propositos revertebo; the puritie of the veritie is that certain Pulcra puella profecto, elected and constituted by the integrated determination of all this topographical region, as the Sovereign Ladie of this Dame Maie's mouth, hath been quodammodo hunted, as you would say, pursued by two, a brace, a couple, a cast of young men, to whom the craftie coward Cupid had inquam delivered his dire-dolorous dart.

But here the May-Lady interrupted his speech, saying to him,

Away, away, you tedious fool, your eyes are not worthie to look to yonder Princely sight, much less your foolish tongue to trouble her wise ears.

At which Master Rombus in a great chafe cried out,

O Tempori, O Moribus! in Profession a childe, in dignitie a woman, in years a Ladie, in cæteris a Maid, should thus turpifie the reputation of my doctrine, with the superscription of a fool, O Tempori, O Moribus!

But here again the May-Ladie saying to him,

Leav off, good Latin Fool, and let me satisfie the long desire I have had to feed mine eyes with the only sight of this age hath granted to the world.

The poor School-master went his way back; and the Lady kneeling down, said in this manner:

Do not think (sweet and gallant Lady) that I do abase my self thus much unto you because of your gay apparel, for what is so brave as the natural beauty of the flowers nor becaus a certain Gentleman hereby seeks to do you all the honor he can in his hous; that is not the matter, he is but our neighbour, and these be our own groves; nor yet because of your great estate, since no estate can be compared to be the Lady of the whole month of May, as I am. So that since both this place and this time are my servants, you may be sure I would look for reverence at your hands, if I did not see something in your face which makes me yield to you. The truth is, you excel me in that wherein I desire most to excel, and that makes me give this homage unto you, as to the beautifullest Lady these woods have ever received. But now as old father Lalus directed me, I will tell you my fortune, that you may be judg of my mishaps, and other worthiness. Indeed so it is, that I am a fair wench, or els I am deceived, and therefore by the consent of

VOL. II.