more than ever disliked, the queen could not prevail with her council to give their consent to infringe the peace. When Philip, however, came to London, and protested that he would never again set foot in England, unless war was declared with France, the queen, almost frantic, pressed the matter so urgently, as to overcome the reluctance of the council. War was declared. Mary, who had already exhausted her resources in furnishing Philip with money, resorted to the most unjust and violent measures to extort the means of fitting out a fleet and raising an army. A fleet and an army were at last provided; and the lat ter, under the command of the earl of Pembroke, joined Philip's army in Flanders, in time to take a part in the battle of St. Quintin, in which the duke of Savoy, the Spanish general, gained a victory over the French; but, while Mary was triumphing at this success, the French were preparing for her a severe mortification. Though every thing else in France had long been lost to the English, they still preserved Calais, which had been guarded as the chief jewel of the crown by every English king since Edward III, who had won it. It was so strongly fortified, and had always been so well garrisoned, that the French had never even attempted to recover it. In Mary's feeble reign, the monks and bigots who com posed her, ministry, thought more of burning heretics, than of any other concern of state. They had neglected to keep the fortifications in repair; and, to save the charge of what they supposed an unnecessary garrison, withdrew the greater part of it during the winter months. The governor had remonstrated seriously, but in vain, against this unwise economy. The duke of Guise, general of the French army, being well informed of these circumstances, determined to attempt the recovery of the town. It was surrounded by marshes, Did queen Mary overrule her council in the question of war with France? What was gained at the battle of St. Quintin ? What then remained to the English in France? Did the religious policy of queen Mary's reign preserve the foreign power of the British? What French general attempted the recovery of Calais ? which, during the winter, were totally impassable, and could be approached on the land side only by two raised roads, defended by two castles. The duke made an attack on these castles, and soon took them; and, in the meantime, the French fleet besieged the fortifications of the town, next the sea, and thus lord Wentworth, the governor, saw himself enclosed on every side. Though Wentworth had only a few hundred men with him, he made a brave resistance; but the town being unprovided with every thing necessary for sustaining a siege, he was obliged to surrender; and thus the duke of Guise made himself master, in eight days, of a fortress that had been deemed impregnable. The news of this event struck a universal dismay all over England; and the queen declared that, when she died, the word Calais would be found engraved upon her heart. Mary's health visibly declined from this time. The neglect. of Philip, and her own disappointment at having no chil dren, a blessing she vehemently desired, all preyed upon her health. She dragged on a few miserable months, and died Nov. 17, 1558, in the 43d year of her age, and the 6th of her reign. The cardinal de la Pole died on the same day with the queen, and left an unsullied name behind him. Arts and commerce did not flourish in the brief and troubled reign of the bigoted Mary. The czar of Muscovy first sent an ambassador to England in this reign. Drinking-glasses were not made in England till the time of queen Mary, and were at first considered more precious than silver. Some few looking-glasses were used at the toilet; but they were probably very small, and were commonly either carried about by the ladies in their pockets, or hung to their girdles. A French priest who visited England in the middle of Who surrendered Calais to the French? Under what circumstances, and at what time, did queen Mary die? Did commerce, &c. flourish in Mary's reign? How did a French priest describe the English? the sixteenth century, thus describes the English of that age:- -"The people of this country have a mortal hatred to the French; and in common call us France knave, or France dog. The people of this land make good cheer, and dearly love junketing. The men are large, handsome, and ruddy, with flaxen hair. Their women are the greatest beauties in the world, and as fair as alabaster. The English in general are cheerful, and love music. "In this land they commonly make use of silver vessels, when they drink wine. The servants wait on their masters bare-headed, and leave their caps on the buffet (sideboard.) In the windows of the houses are plenty of flowers, and at the taverns a plenty of rushes on their wooden floors, and many cushions of tapestry, on which travellers seat themselves. "The English consume a great quantity of beer; the poor people drink it out of wooden cups. They eat much whiter bread than is commonly made in France. With their beer they have a custom of eating very soft saffron cakes, in which there are likewise raisins. It is likewise to be noted that the servants carry pointed bucklers, even those of bishops. And the husbandmen, when they till the ground, commonly leave their bucklers, swords, or sometimes their bows, in the corner of the field." This loquacious traveller visited Scotland also, and describes it as a barren and wild country. Some of the Scotch, he says, applied themselves to letters, and became good philosophers and authors, but the people in general were rude and churlish. How did the same priest describe domestic arrangements in England? What were the habits of the poorer sort of people? What did the same writer say of the Scotch of that age? When Mary's death was announced to the parliament, which happened to be assembled at the time, the members all sprang from their seats; and shouts of joy, and the words "God save Queen Elizabeth!" were heard to resound on every side. When the news was spread abroad, the transport of the people was so great, that they hurried in crowds towards Hatfield, where Elizabeth was then residing, and escorted her into London. Elizabeth was then twenty-five years old. The new queen, from her first coming to the throne, seemed anxious to show an entire forgetfulness of all her former sufferings, and never testified any resentment towards those who had been instrumental to them. Even sir Henry Benefield, in whose custody she had been for a time, and whom she had found a severe gaoler, experienced from her no other punishment or rebuke, but that of her What demonstrations of joy distinguished the accession of queen Elizabeth? Did Elizabeth manifest a generous disposition to those who had in jured her? telling him that he should have the custody of any state prisoner whom she wished to be treated with peculiar se verity. The cruel Bonner was the only one of her sister's ministers to whom she showed a marked dislike. She turned from him with horror, and would never speak to him nor look at him. The first great anxiety of all the Protestant part of the nation was to have a settlement of the affairs of the church. In this important business Elizabeth proceeded with great prudence and caution, and yet with so much determination and steadiness, that she soon replaced every thing in the state it had been in at her brother's death; and all without one drop of blood being spilt, or a single estate confiscated. Bonner alone, for refusing to acknowledge her supremacy, was punished by being imprisoned for life. Philip, as soon as he heard of queen Mary's death, proposed himself to her sister in marriage. Elizabeth never for a moment thought of consenting to such a union; but, perhaps, for fear of making him her enemy, or, perhaps, from her accustomed caution, she delayed to give a decisive answer as long as she could; and when she sent her refusal, she took the opportunity of declaring to the parliament. a determination to lead a single life. Notwithstanding this declaration, Elizabeth some years afterwards admitted the addresses of the duke of Anjou, the brother of the king of France. But partly through her fear of lessening her own authority, if she admitted another to share it, and partly, perhaps, from love to her people, which made her unwilling to give them a foreign king, she broke off the match, after keeping the duke long in suspense. The pretensions of Mary, the young queen of Scotland, were an early source of disqui t to Elizabeth. Mary was great niece of Henry VIII., and on the plea that Elizabeth had been declared illegitimate, she asserted her own right to the crown, and took upon her the arms and title of queen of England. And though this empty boast was not fol lowed by any active attempt, it yet laid the foundation in Elizabeth's mind of a deadly hatred towards her. How did Elizabeth settle the affairs of the Church? What French nobleman made proposals of marriage to Elizabeth? |