chamber. After this, the faid queene beinge supported by twoe of Sir Amyas Pawlett's gent. as aforefaid, and Melvyn carryed up hir trayne, being accomppined with the earle of Kent and Shrewsberry's gentilemen, and the fhriffe goinge before as aforefaid, paffed out of the entrerrye into the hall, in the faid caftell of Fotheringaye before mentioned, with an unappauled countinance without terrer of the place, the perfons, or preparations then and there made for hir execution; ftept upon the fcafold in the faid hall, beinge twoe fote high, and vii. fote brodd, with rayles rownd about, hanged and covered with black rownd about, with a lowe ftoole and a longe faire coufhinge, and a block covered with black. Then haveing the ftoole browght to hir, he fatt downe, and on the right hand of hir stood the earle of Kent, and the earle of Shrewsbury, and on hir left hand, Mr. Andrewes the fhreife, and right oppofyte before hir stood the twoe executioners, and round about the rayles of the fcaffould stood knights, gentilemen, and others. Then fylence being made, the queen's majeftie's comyffion for the execution was oppenly redd by Mr. Beale, clarke of the councell, which done, the people, with a loud voyce, faid, God fave the Queene: duringe the readinge of which comyffion the faid Queene was very fylente, lyfteninge unto it with fo carless a regard, as if it had not concerned hir death at all, nay, rayther with fo merry and chereful a countinance as if it had been a pardon from her majeftie for hir life; and withall ufed fuch a ftrangnes in hir words and deeds as though fhe had knowne none of the affembley, nor beine any thing

feene in the English langwage. Then Mr. Docter Fletcher, Deane of Petterburough ftandinge deyrectley before hir without the rayle, bendinge his boddye with great reverance, uttered these exortations followinge.

[We pass over the Dean's exhortation, as it is of a greater length than our limits will admit.]

All the affembly, faveinge the queene and hir fervants, faid this prayer after Mr. Deane; duringe the fayinge of which prayer, the queene hirfelfe fatt upon a ftoole, haveing about hir neck an Agnus Dei, in one of hir hands a crucifexe, and att hir girdle a payer of beads, with a goulden croffe at th' end of them, with a Latten booke of prayers in the other hand. Thus furnyfhed with hir fuperfticious trumperey, without any regarde to that which Mr. Deane faid, fhe begane verye foftley, with teares and a loud voyce, to praye in Latten, and in the mydest of hir prayers, by reafon of hir earnest weeping and mourninge as it feemed, fhe began to flid from hir ftoole; at which tyme, kneelinge againe, fhe faid divers other prayers in Lattine, and foe fhe left praye→ ing before Mr. Deane; when Mr. Deane had done, she kneeled downe againe, and prayed in English for Chrift's afflicted church, and for an end of hir troubles; for hir fonne, and for the queene's majestie, and defiered God fhe might proffper and ferve God aright. That fpoken, fhe faid, fhe hoped to be faved by, and in the bloud of Jefus Christ, at the fotte of which crucifexe, houldinge that up in hir hand, fhe would fhed hir bloud. Then faid the earle of Kent, Maddam, I befeech you, fettle Jefus Chrift in your harte, as you did before, and

leave the adoration of those popish trumperies to themfelves; but the feamyng little or nothing at all to regard the good counfell of the earle, but went forward in hir prayers, and in the conclution thereof, in English, defired God, that it would pleafe him to averte his wrath from this iland, and that he would give it grace and forgivenes of finnes: then the faid, fhe forgave hir enemyes with all hir harte, who had longe fought her bloud, and defiered God to converte them to his truth. This done, the defiered all faintes to make interfeffion for hir to the Savyoure of the world, Jefus Chrift. Then he begane to kiffe hir crufifexe, and to croffe herfelfe, fayeing thefe words, Even as the armes of Jefus Chrift was fpreed here upon the croffe, fo receive me I befech the into the armes of mercye, and forgive me all my finnes. Then the twoe executioners kneeled downe unto hir, and defiered her to forgive them her death, the anfwered I forgive you with all my harte, for I hope this death fhall give an end of all my troubles. Then they, with her twoe gentlewomen helping of her up, begane to difrobe her, then the laid her crucifexe on her ftoole, and one of her executioners tooke of from her neck, the Agnus Dei, which the begane to withold, fayeing, fhe would give it to one of hir women, and, withall, told the executioners they fhould have the worth of it in money; then the fuffered them with hir twoe women to take off hir cheanne of pomander beades, and all hir other apparell, and that with a kind of gladnes; and, fmyling, the begane to make herself unryddie, putting on a a payer of

fleeves, with hir owne hands, which the twoe executioners before had rudlye put off, and that with fuch fpeed, as if the longed to have beine gone out of the world. During all which accions of difrobinge hir, fhe never altered countenance, but fmyling as it were, faid, fhe never had fuch groomes before, to make hir unreddye, nor ever did put off hir clothes before fuch a compeney; at length, fhee beinge untyred and unapparelled, of fuch and fo much as was convenient, faveing her pettycote and kirtle: hir twoe women, looking upon her, burst out into a pittyfull fkrychinge and lamentinge, and when the fkrychinge and lamentinge begane to declyne, they croffed themfelves and prayed in Lattine; then the faid queene turnynge hirfelfe to them, and feeinge them in fuch a mornefull and lamentable plight, embraced them, and faid, doe not crye for me, but rejoice and praye for me, and fo croffed them and keffed them, and bade them praye for hir, and not to be foe mornefull, for, faid fhe, this day, I truft, fhall end your miftrifs troubles: then with a fmylinge countynance, the turned to hir men fervants, Mellvin, and the rest ftandinge upon a benche nere unto the fcaffould, who were fome tyme weeping, and fome tyme cryeinge out aloud, and contynewally croffinge themfelves, and prayeínge in Lattine, and the faid queene thus turned unto them, bad them farwell, and prayed them to praye for hir to the laft hower. That done, one of hir women, haveinge a Corpus Chrifti cloth, laped it up three corner wife, and kiffed it, and put it over the face of the faid queene her mris. and pinned it faft upon

hir calle that was on hir head. Then hir twoe women mornfully departed from hir, and the faid queene kneelinge upon the cufhione, at which tyme, verry refolutly and withouté anye token of feare of death, fhe fpake aloude in Lattyne In te Domine confido, ne confundar in æternum. Then gropinge for the blocke, the layd downe hir head, putting hir haire over the blocke, with both hir hands, which houlding there ftill had bine cut off, had they not bine efpied. Then the layd hirfelfe upon the block moft quietlye, and ftreche inge out hir hands and leggs, cryed out— In manus tuas Domine, three or four tymes. At laft, while one of the executioners held hir flyghtly with one of his hands, and th'other gave twoe ftrokes with an axe before he did cutt off hir head, and yet left a litle greffell behinde, at which tyme he made a fmale groane, and foe dyed..

height of all difpleafures. After I had been there but an hour, I was threatened with the Fleet; I anfwered poetically, that, coming fo late from the land-fervice, I hoped that I fhould not be preft to ferve in her majefty's Fleet in FleetStreet.

After three days every

man wondered to fee me at liberty: but though in confcience there was neither rhyme nor reason to punish me for going to fee Tyrone; yet, if my rhyme had not been better liked of then my reafon, (I mean when I gave the young Baron of Dungannon an Ariofto) I think I had lain by the heels for it. But I had this good fortune, that, after four or five days, the queen had talked of me, and twice talked to me, though very briefly. At last fhe gave me a full and gracious audience in the withdrawing chamber, at Whitehall, where herself being accufer, judge, and witnefs, I was cleared, and graciously difmiffed. What fhould I fay! I feemed to myself for the time, like St. Paul rapt into the third heaven, where he heard words not to be uttered by men; for neither muft I utter what I then heard; until I come to heaven, I fhall never come before a ftatelier judge again, nor one that can temper majefty, wisdom, learn

SIR,

T is not a lake of Lethe, that I makes us forget our friends, but it is the lack of good meffengers; for who will write, when his letters fhall be opened by the way, and conftrued at pleasure, or rather difpleafure? Some ufed this in Ireland, that perhaps have repented it fince in England. I came to court in the very heat and

than her highness did at that time. In the difcourfe you were not unfpoken of her. You fhall hear 'ere long, but not by writing, for I will fend a man. Thus much I adventure to write by this boy, but I truft him with no meffages. I omitted no opportunity of mentioning, and gracing the best I could, all my friends while I ftaid at London: But in December I came hither, but fince I hear little, and do

nothing

nothing but fit by a good fire, and feed my lean horfes, and hearken for good news, but hear none, fave the certain expectation of peace with Spain.

My lord-keeper is a widower; Doctor Eaton hath eaten the bifhoprick of Ely, all the clergy with him choaked with it. Mr. Edmondes has been with the dutchefs of Burgundy, and well ufed, and fhe fpeaketh much honour of the queene, which moves great hope of a league. You wonder I write nothing of One-believe me I hear nothing; but HE is where he was, and I think must be till these greater bufineffes be concluded. Let this fuffice from a private country knight, that lives among clouted fhoes, in his frize jacket and gamoshes; and who envies not the great commanders of Ireland, but hereby commends himself to them. Your true friend,

*

JOHN HARINGTON.

She is

evil threatend. In good foothe f feard her majeftie more than the rebel Tyrone, and wifhd I had never received my lord of Effex's honor of knighthood. quite disfavourd, and unattird, and these troubles wafte her much. She difregardeth every costlie cover that comethe to the table, and taketh little but manchet and fuccory potage. Every new meffage from the city doth difturb her, and the frowns on all the ladies. I had a fharp meffage from her, brought by my Lord Buckhurst, namely thus, "Go tell that witty fellow, my godfon, to get home; it is no feafon now to foole it here.” liked this as little as the dothe my knighthood, fo took to my bootes and returnd to the plow in bad weather. I must not fay much even by this truftie and ¡fure meffenger, but the many evil plots and defigns hath overcome all her highnefs fweet temper. She walks much in her privy chamber, and ftamps with her feet at ill news, and thrufts her rufty fword at times into the arras in great rage. My Lord Buckhurft is much with her, and few elfe fince the city bufinefs; but the dangers are over, and yet fhe always keeps a fword by her table. I obtained a short audience at my firft coming to courte, when her highnefs told me, if ill counfel had brought me fo far from home, the wished heaven night marr that fortune which fhe had mended. I made my peace in this point, and will not leave my poor caftle of Kelfton, for fear of finding a worse elsewhere, as others have done. I will eat Alborne rabbits, and get fish as you recommend from the

man

OR the fervice of the parlia

FOR

ment I have brought their own army before the city of Briftol, and do fummon you in their names to render it, with all the forts belonging to the fame, into my hands for their ufe. Having ufed this plain language, as the bufinefs requires, I wish it may be as effectual to you as it is fatisfactoryto myself, that I do a little expoftulate with you about the furrender of the fame; which I confefs is a way not common, and which I fhould not have fo used, but in respect to a perfon of fuch fort, and in fuch a place, to take into confideration your royal birth, and the relation to the crown of England, your honour, courage, all the vir

tues