"If some of us that waited on the queen, Did ought for her, she past in thankfulness, The princess Elizabeth, while residing with queen Katharine Parr, had her own ladies and officers of state, and a retinue in all respects suitable to her high rank as sister to the reigning sovereign. Her governess, Mrs. Katherine Ashley, to whom she was fondly attached, was married to a relative of the unfortunate queen her mother, Anne Boleyn, and it is to be observed that Elizabeth, although that mother's name was to her a sealed subject, bestowed to the very end of her life her chief favour and confidence on her maternal kindred. The learned William Grindal, was Elizabeth's tutor till she was placed under the still more distinguished preceptorship of Roger Ascham. The following letter from that great scholar was addressed to Mrs. Katharine Ashley, before he had obtained the tutelage of her royal charge, and, both on account of the period at which it was written and its being in English, it is very curious. "Gentle Mrs. Astley, Would God my wit wist what words would express the thanks you have deserved of all true English hearts, for that noble imp (Elizabeth) by your labour and wisdom now flourishing in all goodly godliness, the fruit whereof doth even now redound to her Grace's high honour and profit. "I wish her Grace to come to that end in perfectness with likelyhood of her wit, and painfulness in her study, true trade of her teaching, which your diligent overseeing doth most constantly promise. And although this one thing be sufficient for me to love you, yet the knot which hath knit Mr. Astley and you together, doth so bind me also to you, that if my ability would match my good will you should find no friend faster. He is a man I loved for his virtue before I knew him through acquaintance, whose friendship I account among my chief gains gotten at court. Your favour to Mr. Grindall and gentleness towards me, are matters sufficient enough to deserve more good will than my little power is able to requite. "My good will hath sent you this pen of silver for a token. Good Mrs., I would have you in any case to labour, and not to give yourself to ease. I wish all increase of virtue and honour to that my good lady (Elizabeth), 1 Throckmorton MS. 2 Whittaker's History of Richmondshire, vol. ii. p. 270. whose wit, good Mrs. Astley, I beseech you somewhat favour. Blunt edges be dull and (en-) dure much pain to little profit; the free edge is soon turned if it be not handled thereafter. If you pour much drink at once into a goblet, the most part will dash out and run over; if ye pour it softly, you may fill it even to the top, and so her Grace, I doubt not, by little and little may be increased in learning, that at length greater cannot be required. And if you think not this, gentle Mrs. Astley, yet I trust you will take my words as spoken, although not of the greatest wisdom, yet not of the least good will. I pray commend you to my good Lady of Troye, and all that company of godly gentlewomen. I send my Lady (Elizabeth) her pen, an Italian book, a book of prayers. Send the silver pen which is broken, and it shall be mended quickly. So I commit and commend you all to the Almighty's merciful protection. Your ever obliged friend, "To his very loving friend Mrs. Astley." "ROGER ASCHAM. On the death of his friend, William Grindall, Ascham was appointed tutor to the Lady Elizabeth, then about sixteen, with whom he read nearly the whole of Cicero's works, Livy, the orations of Isocrates, the tragedies of Sophocles, and the New Testament in Greek. Some disturbances in Ascham's own family separated him from his royal pupil in 1550. Sufficient account has been given, in the memoir of Queen Katharine Parr, of the rude and improper conduct of the lord admiral sir Thomas Seymour to the fair young royal student, while under the care of his consort the queen dowager, at Chelsea, Hanworth, and Seymour-Place. The boisterous romping to which the queen was at first a party, was repeated in her absence, and when Mrs. Ashley remonstrated with the admiral on the indecorum of his behaviour to the young princess, and entreated him to desist, he replied with a profane oath, "that he would not, for he meant no harm."3 Few girls of fifteen have ever been placed in a situation of greater peril than Elizabeth was at this period of her life, and if she passed through it without incurring the actual stain of guilt, it is certain that she did not escape scandal. The queen dowager, apparently terrified at the audacious terms of familiarity on which 1 Ascham spells Elizabeth Ashley's name, Astley. 2 Vol. v. Life of Katharine Parr. 3 Haynes' State Papers. she found her husband endeavouring to establish himself with her royal stepdaughter, hastened to prevent further mischief by effecting an immediate separation between them. The time of Elizabeth's departure from the house and protection of queen Katharine Parr, was a week after Whitsuntide 1548. She then removed with her governess, Mrs. Katharine Ashley, and the rest of her establishment, to Cheston, and afterwards to Hatfield and Ashridge.1 That Katharine Parr spoke with some degree of severity to Elizabeth, on the levity of her conduct, there can be no doubt, from the allusions made by the latter, in the following letter, to the expressions used by her majesty when they parted. Nothing, however, can be more meek and conciliatory than the tone in which Elizabeth writes, although the workings of a wounded mind are perceptible throughout. The penmanship of the letter is exquisitely beautiful. THE PRINCESS ELIZABETH TO KATHARINE PARR. "Although I could not be plentiful in giving thanks, for the manifold kindnesses received at your highness's hand, at my departure, yet I am something to be borne withal, for truly I was replete with sorrow to depart from your highness, especially seeing you undoubtful of health, and albeit I answered little, I weighed it more deeper when you said-' you would warn me of all evilnesses that you should hear of me,' for if your grace had not a good opinion of me, you would not have offered friendship to me that way at all,-meaning the contrary. But what may I more say than thank God for providing such friends for me, desiring God to enrich me with their long life, and me grace to be in heart no less thankful to receive it than I am now made glad in writing to shew it? and although I have plenty of matter here, I will stay, for I know you are not quick to rede. From Cheston, this present Saturday. "Your highness's humble daughter, Superscribed-" To the Queen's highness." ELIZABETH." From another letter addressed by Elizabeth to her royal stepmother, which has been printed in the memoir of that queen, there is every reason to believe that they continued to write to each other on very friendly and 1 Haynes' State Papers. 2 State Paper MS. Edward VI.-No. 27. affectionate terms. Queen Katharine even sanctioned a correspondence between her husband and the princess, and the following elegant, but cautious letter, was written by Elizabeth, in reply to an apology which he had addressed to her for not having been able to render her some little service which he had promised. "My lord, THE LADY ELIZABETH TO THE LORD ADMIRAL.1 "You needed not to send an excuse to me, for I could not mistrust the not fulfilling your promise to proceed from want of good will, but only that opportunity served not. Wherefore I shall desire you to think that a greater matter than this could not make me impute any unkindness in you, for I am a friend not won with trifles, nor lost with the like. Thus I commit you and your affairs into God's hand, who keep you from all evil. I pray you to make my humble commendations to the Queen's highness. "Your assured friend to my little power, "ELIZABETH." Katharine Parr, during her last illness, wished much to see Elizabeth, and left her, in her will, half her jewels, and a rich chain of gold. She had often said to her, "God has given you great qualities, cultivate them always, and labour to improve them, for I believe that you are destined by Heaven to be queen of England."2 One of the admiral's servants, named Edward, came to Cheston, or Cheshunt, where the lady Elizabeth was then residing with her governess and train, and brought the news of queen Katharine's death. He told the officers of Elizabeth's household "that his lord was a heavy," that is to say, a sorrowful "man, for the loss of the queen his wife." Elizabeth did not give Seymour much credit for his grief; for when her governess, Mrs. Ashley, advised her, as he had been her friend in the lifetime of the late queen, to write a letter of condolence to comfort him in his sorrow, she replied, "I will not do it, for he needs it not." "Then," said Mrs. Ashley, "if your grace will not, then will I.”4 She did, and shewed the letter to her royal pupil, who, without committing herself in any way, tacitly permitted it to be sent. Lady Tyrwhit, soon after, told Mrs. Ashley Haynes' State Papers. • Ibid. 1 Hearne's Sylloge. "that it was the opinion of many that the lord-admiral kept the late queen's maidens together to wait on the lady Elizabeth, whom he intended shortly to marry." Mrs. Ashley also talked with Mr. Tyrwhitt about the marriage, who bade her "take heed, for it were but undoing, if it were done without the council's leave." At Christmas the report became general that the lady Elizabeth should marry with the admiral, but Mrs. Ashley sent word to sir Henry Parker, when he sent his servant to ask her what truth were in this rumour, "that he should in no-wise credit it, for it was ne thought ne meant.”1 Mrs. Ashley, however, by her own account, frequently talked with Elizabeth on the subject, wishing that she and the admiral were married. Elizabeth, who had only completed her fifteenth year two days after the death of queen Katharine Parr, had no maternal friend to direct and watch over her-there was not even a married lady of noble birth or alliance in her household a household comprising upwards of one hundred and twenty persons-so that she was left entirely to her own discretion, and the counsels of her intriguing governess, Mrs. Katharine Ashley, and the unprincipled cofferer, or treasurer of her house, Thomas Parry, in whom, as well as in Mrs. Ashley, she reposed unbounded confidence. These persons were in the interest of the lord-admiral, and did everything in their power to further his presumptuous designs on their royal mistress. Leti, who, from his reference to the Aylesbury MSS., had certainly the best information on the subject, gives Elizabeth credit for acting with singular prudence under these circumstances: he tells us, that very soon after the death of queen Katharine, the lord-admiral presented himself before Elizabeth, clad in all the external panoply of mourning, but having, as she suspected, very little grief in his heart. He came as a wooer to the royal maid, from whom he received no encouragement, but he endeavoured to recommend his cause to her through her female attendants. One of her bedchamber women, of Haynes' State Papers, p. 101. |