name was more sacred than any of her ancestors. In the furniture of her palaces she ever affected magnificence and an extraordinary splendour. She adorned the galleries with pictures by the best artists; the walls she covered with rich tapestries. She was a true lover of jewels, pearls, all sorts of precious stones, gold and silver plate, rich beds, fine couches and chariots, Persian and Indian carpets, statues, medals, &c., which she would purchase at great prices.* Hampton Court was the most richly furnished of all her palaces; and here she had caused her naval victories against the Spaniards to be worked in fine tapestries, and laid up among the richest pieces of her wardrobe. When she made any public feasts, her tables were magnificently served, and many side-tables adorned with rich plate. At these times, many of the nobility waited on her at table. She made the greatest displays of her * No Sovereign was more fond of display than Elizabeth. We are assured, that at her death, three thousand complete habits were found in her wardrobe, with a numerous collection of jewellery, for the most part presents, which she received from petitioners, from her courtiers, and from those whom she had honoured by visits at their mansions. The following extracts from a MS. in the British Museum, entitled "A Book of Queen Eliza beth's Jewels," taken in July, 1587, may, perhaps, amuse the reader. regal magnificence when foreign ambassadors were present. At these times she would also have vocal and instrumental music during dinner; and after dinner, dancing." Rapin says, she is accused of not being so chaste as she affected to appear; and that some assert that there are now in England the descendants of a daughter she had by Leicester. Lingard gives credit to a report that she had a son by Leicester, who, under the name of Arthur Dudley, lived for some time at Madrid, and was honoured by the King of Spain with the distinctions due to royalty. Dr. Walker says, it is amazing that Hume should record of Queen Elizabeth such consummate vice and abandonment as he does, and yet struggle to ally all her actions with moral or political virtue. He tells us, she was so passionate and vulgar as to beat her maids of honour. Her avarice, in some measure, he allows, induced her to take one hundred thousand pounds from the booty of Raleigh, and to countenance Drake's pillaging the Spaniards, even during peace; and the same passion prevented her love for Leicester going further than the grave-for she ordered his goods to be disposed of at a public sale, to reimburse herself of some money which he owed her. But violent as this passion was, it was still weaker, as Hume observes, than her lustful appetite; for it is computed by Lord Burleigh, that, not Item, A little bottle of amber, with a foot to mention Leicester, Hatton, Mountjoy, of gold; and, on the top thereof, a bear with and other paramours, the value of her a ragged staff; the bear and staff was Leices-gifts to Essex alone amounted to three "Item, A tooth-pick of gold, like a bittern's hundred thousand pounds. Hume also claw, garnished with four diamonds, four ru- informs us, that her politics were usually bies, and four emeralds; being all but sparks. full of duplicity and artifice, and that Item, A nutcracker of gold, garnished with they never triumphed so much in any When Hentzner saw Elizabeth, in her contrivances as in those which were consixty-seventh year, she wore false hair, and joined with coquetry. He further shows that red. In the jewel books here mentioned, we have a long list of her Majesty's us that she had an utter disregard for wigs, or rather head-dresses; they are called truth, by stating that, after promising at the head of the page "attiers." to support the Scottish malcontents, she secretly seduced the leaders of them to declare before the ambassadors of France and Spain that she had not incited them, and the instant she had extorted this confession, she chased them from her presence, called them unworthy traitors, and so forth. Hume also tells us that "Item, One little flower of gold, with a frog thereon, and therein, Monsuier, his phisnamye, and a little pearl pendant. This was probably a brooch. 64 ter's device. sparks of diamonds." 46 Item, One caul of hair, set with pearls, in number forty-three. "Item, One caul of hair, set with pearls of sundry sort and bigness, with seed pearl between them, cheveron-wise, one hundred and ninety-one. Item, One caul, with nine true-loves of pearl, seven buttons of gold; in each button a ruby." How so, alas! forsooth it is, We conclude the memoirs of one of malignity made an ingredient in her character. Her conduct to Mary, Queen of Scots, proves her capable of the basest treachery, and of deliberate murder. Now, with such an avowed accumulation of vice, with vulgarity, avarice, lust, duplicity, lying, malignity, treachery, the most revered of England's sovereigns, and murder, no excellence is compatible. with the eulogium pronounced to her Mr. Hume and others may, if they memory by the eloquent Bishop Hall, please, applaud in her that force of chain his sermon at Paul's Cross, on the racter which is, indeed, necessary to vir- anniversary of the accession of King tue as well as to vice, but which, in her, as it led only to the perpetration of crimes, is infinitely more deserving of blame than of applause. have scann'd, She would have come by water, had she come by land." The following lines occur in one of the Cottonian MSS., in the hand-writing of Camden, the historian. "Whom princes serve, and realms obey, The greatest of Briton kings begot; In truth, it fares much otherwise; No stranger sight for to be seen; James : "O blessed Queen! the mother of this nation, the nurse of this church; the glory of womanhood, the envy and extime-how sweet and sacred shall thy ample of foreign nations; the wonder of memory be to all posterity! How excellent were her masculine graces, of learning, valour, and wisdom, by which she might justly challenge to be the queen of men! So learned was she, that she could give present answer to ambassadors in their own tongues; so valiant, that, like Zisca's drum, she made the proudest Romanist to quake; so wise, that whatsoever fell out happily against the common adversary in France, Netherland, Ireland, it was by themselves ascribed to her policy. Why should I speak of her long and successful government, of her miraculous preservations, of her famous victories; wherein the waters, wind, fire, and earth fought for us, as if they had been in pay under her; of her excellent laws and careful execution? Many daughters have done worthily, but thou excellest them all. Such was the sweetness of her government, and such the fear of misery in her loss, that many worthy Christians desired that their eyes might be closed before hers. Every one pointed to her white hairs, and said, with that peaceable Leontius, 'when this snow melteth, there will be a flood.'" ANNE OF DENMARK, CHAPTER I. Anne's parentage-Birth-Education-Orkney and Shetland Isles-James the Sixth of Scotland resolves to marry a Princess of Denmark-Obstacles-He at length fixes on Anne-The betrothment-Anne embarks for Scotland-Is driven by storms to Norway-James goes in person to fetch her home-Marries her at Upslo-Takes her to Copenhagen, where they pass the winter with her relatives -He conducts her to Scotland-Her coronation-Bothwell and the witches-Prince Henry born, and consigned, according to custom, to the keeping of Earl MarrAnne desires to bring him up herself-The King objects-Conjugal strife-Elizabeth born-The Gowrie plot-Anne's base suspicions of the King-Ruin of the Ruthvens-Prince Charles born-Anne's kindness to Beatrice Ruthven. NNE of Denmark, a daughters. Accordingly, in 1585, King Princess of inferior Frederick the Second of Denmark sent intellect, and the first ambassadors to King James, in ScotQueen Consort of land, with an offer of the choice in Great Britain, was marriage of his two daughters, Elizabeth the second-born child or Anne, both of whom had been eduof Frederick the Se-cated as staunch Lutherans, and with cond, King of Den- instructions, that in case James felt no mark, and his wife, Sophia, daughter of inclination to accept the offer, to dethe Duke of Mecklenburg. She first saw mand the immediate restitution of the the light at Scanderburg, in December, Orkneys and the Shetlands; which, 1575. She received but a superficial edu- although but small barren islands, are cation, and such was the etiquette of the of great value to the British crown, as Danish Court, or the neglect of her nurses, needful links of the insular sovereignty that she could not walk till after she had of the ocean. At this period James's entered her tenth year. As Denmark marriage was a subject of contention had, in the preceding century, pawned the between his captive mother, Mary, Queen Sovereignty of the Orkney and Shetland of Scots, and his match-marring godisles to Scotland, it was resolved, about mother, Elizabeth, Queen of England. the year 1584, to entirely relinquish the Mary being Catholic, and, moreover, Sovereignty to the Scottish crown, on anxious to strengthen the power of condition that the young Monarch, Scotland against England, wished him James the Sixth of Scotland, him who to wed one of the daughters of King on the death of Queen Elizabeth as- Philip the Second of Spain; whilst cended the throne of Eugland, and af- Elizabeth declared she would pay the terwards assumed the title of James the whole expense of the wedding, if he First, King of Great Britain and Ireland, would take to wife Gustavus Vasa's should marry one of the Danish King's grand-daughter, the Protestant Princess -Ex Dentaark, daughters. Accordingly, in 1585, King Pees of inuior Frederica the Second of Denmark sent intet, and the list ambassadors to King James, m ScotQueen Consort of hard, with an offer of the choic; in Great Britain, was mariage of 3 two daughters Eliza ch Chescond. bornchid or Annc, both of whom had been Se-eated as staunch Lutherans, and - although but small barren isju`, Mongzeb, Scotland against ng at, esit oth of us |