beng news recovered from an impediment in his hearing. requested. Larrington to optam a copy of the sermor. Tron fur grace. The archbishop received the application very but ton harrington that he durst not give & copy to any one, for that the euancellor of the exchequer. St Jour. Fortescue, and sir John Wooley, the chancellor of tur order of the garter, had been with him from the queen with, buel a greeting, that he scant knew whether he were a prisoner or a free man; and that, the speech being already ili tasen, the writing might exasperate that which wa aureaty exuicerate.” It was not long, however, before the queen was so weli pacified, tuat sue gave him the presiGentship of York.

Soon after his appointment to this office, Hutton complained, that he could not, by any solicitations, obtain a parton for a seminary priest, whom he had converted. til, being reminded, that all was not done in that court for God's sake only, he sent up twenty French crowns in a purse of his own, as a remembrance for the poor man's pardon," which, he says, was tuankfully accepted," but does not record by whom,'

Queen Elizabeth was greatly pleased with a sermon preached by Barlow, bishop of Rochester, on the subject of the plough, of which, she said, Barlow's text might seem taken from the cart, but his talk may teach you all in the

court."

When the queen was only princess, she stood godmother to Henry Cotton, whom she afterwards made her chaplain, and, in the you 1998, preferred to the bishopric of Salisbury, on which occasion she observed, "that she had blessed many of her godsons, but now this godson should bless her." Whether she were the better for his blessing I know not," remarks the witty Harrington, “but I am sure he was the better for hers. The common voice was, that sir Walter Raleigh got the best blessing of him, because he induced him to confirm the crown grant of Sherborne castle, park, and parsonage," which he calls the spolia opima of this bishopric, which had been thus unjustly bestowed on that fortunate courtier by the partial favour of Elizabeth. The queen's prejudices against the marriage of priests shewed itself in a conference she had with Dr. + See his letter to Burleigh. * Nuge Antique.

66

Whitehead, a learned divine, but blunt and cynical, and extremely opposed to the episcopacy. "Whitehead," said Elizabeth, "I like thee the better because thou livest unmarried." "In troth, madam," was his retort discourteous, "I like you the worse for the same cause.

When the learned bishop Godwin, in his old age, wedded a wealthy widow of London, she expressed the most lively scorn and indignation at his conduct, it having been reported that he had wedded a girl only twenty years old.

The earl of Bedford being present when these tales were told, said merrily to the queen, after his dry manner, "Madame, I know not how much the woman is above twenty, but I know a son of hers who is little under forty;" but this rather marred than mended the matter, for one said the sin was the greater, and others told of three sorts of marriages, of God's making, of man's making, and of the devil's making. Of God's making, as when Adam and Eve, two folks of suitable age, were coupled; of man's making, as Joseph's marriage with our lady; and of the devil's making, where two old folks marry, not for comfort, but for covetousness; and such, they said, was this. Yet the bishop, with tears in his eyes, protested" that he took not the lady for a spouse, but only to guide his house." The queen was, however, irrevocably offended, and, to shew her displeasure, she stripped the before impoverished see of Bath and Wells, of the rich manor of Wilscombe for ninety-nine years.

When Nowel, dean of St. Paul's, was preaching before her majesty, on some public occasion, he introduced a paragraph into his discourse which displeased her, on which she called to him from the royal closet, "Leave that ungodly digression, and return to your text." Vaughan, bishop of Chester, was one day arguing, in the closet at Greenwich, on the absurdity of supposed miracles, on which his opponent alleged the queen's healing the evil, for an instance, and asked, "what he could say against it." He replied, "that he was loth to answer arguments, taken from the topik place, of the cloth of estate, but if they would urge him to answer," he said his opinion was, "that she did it by virtue of some precious stone, in the possession of the crown of England, that had such a natural quality." "But had queen Elizabeth," observes Harrington, drily, "been

1 Bacon's Apophthegms.

VOL. VII.

from one royal residence to another, all the carts and horses in the neighbourhood, with their drivers, were impressed for the transfer of her baggage, whatever time of the year it happened to be, and this was considered a grievance, under any circumstances; but, one day, a carter was ordered to come with his cart to Windsor, on summons of remove, to convey a part of the royal wardrobe. When he came, her majesty had altered the day, and he had to come a second time in vain; but when, on a third summons, he attended, and, after waiting a considerable time, was told, "the remove did not hold," he clapped his hand on his thigh, and said, "Now I see that the queen is a woman, as well as my wife!" which words being overheard by her majesty, as she stood by an open window, she said, "What villain is this?" and so sent him three angels to stop his mouth,' or rather, we should suppose, to satisfy him for his loss of time, and the inconvenience her uncertainty of purpose had occasioned.

Elizabeth was very delicate in her olfactory nerves, and affected to be still more sensitive on that point than she really was. One day, that valiant Welsh commander, sir Roger Williams, knelt to prefer a petition which her majesty was determined not to grant, and did not like to be compelled to refuse, observing that his boots were made of rough, untanned leather, instead of answering him, she turned away with a gesture of disgust, exclaiming, "Pho, Williams, how your boots stink!"" Tut, madam," replied the sturdy Welshman, who understood her meaning, "it is my suit that stinks, not my boots.""

ELIZABETH,

SECOND QUEEN REGNANT OF ENGLAND & IRELAND.

CHAPTER XII.

Return of Essex to court- Hollow reconciliation of the queen - She appoints him lord-deputy of Ireland-His despairing letter to the queen, with melancholy verses-He goes to Ireland-False reports of Elizabeth's death- Her soliloquy-Continued displeasure with Essex-His unauthorized return-Surprises Elizabeth in her bedchamber--Apparent reconciliation of the queen with Essex-She alters her manner, and constitutes him a prisoner - Her increasing anger-Proceedings against EssexIntercession of the French court-Her conversation with the French ambassador-Essex's dangerous illness-Temporary relentings of the queen-She sends her physician to visit him-Renewal of her anger— Her irritation touching Hayward's History of Henry IV. of England— Wishes to have him racked - Bacon's sage remonstrance-Elizabeth fancies herself identified with Richard II-Her conversation on that subject with Lambarde-Essex's penitential letters-Sends a new year's gift to Elizabeth-His mother tries to see the queen-Sends presents-Conversations between her majesty and Bacon-Essex brought before the council-Elizabeth's assumed gaiety-Passes her time in hunting and sports-Her inward trouble-Her visit to sir Robert Sidney-Essex's injurious speeches of the queen-His rash conduct-Endeavours to excite a tumult-Fails-Surrenders himself prisoner-His trial and execution— Elizabeth's manner of receiving the news-Scene between her and Sir T. Brown-She goes to Dover-Letters and messages between her and Henry IV.—She tries to induce him to visit her—He sends Sully-Interview between Sully and Elizabeth-Biron's embassy-Queen receives him at Basing-Returns to London-Shews Biron the heads on the Tower-They discuss Essex-Elizabeth opens her last parliament-Her popular declaration to the Commons-Her festivities-Declares herself weary of life-Her regrets for the death of Essex-Melancholy state of her mind-Declining health-Treatment of Cecil's miniature-His secret correspondence with the king of Scots-Instances of Elizabeth's superstition-Removes to Richmond Palace-Death-bed confession of lady Nottingham― Elizabeth's anger-Last scenes of her life-Report of her apparition before death-Last offices of devotion-Her death-FuneralDescription of her portrait in the frontispiece-Harrington's testimonial of her great qualities.

E courtiers had predicted, that the proud spirit of would never bow to the humiliation of suing to the