ELIZABETH,

SECOND QUEEN REGNANT OF ENGLAND & IRELAND.

CHAPTER VIII.

Elizabeth's talents as a peace-sovereign-Renews the treaty with AlençonPlans an interview with him-Her progresses-Her new year's giftsReceives three night-caps from the queen of Scots-Elizabeth's anger at Henry III.'s marriage-Note to her godson-Anecdotes of her private life-Her costume-Presents from her courtiers-Losses in her wardrobe -Her persecutions-Her visit to Kenilworth-Offered the sovereignty of the Netherlands-Progress into Suffolk, &c.--Her letters of condolence -Her visit to Norwich-Harsh usage of her host at Euston hall-Her favour to the envoy of Alençon-She excites Leicester's jealousy-Discovers Leicester's marriage-Her anger-Fancies she is bewitched-Her council deliberate on her tooth-ache—Incognito visit of Alençon (now Anjou)-The council oppose Elizabeth's marriage with him-Her irritation, anxiety, and demurs-Characteristics of Elizabeth-Her habit of swearing-Discrimination of character-Her patronage of Drake-Her letter to sir Edward Stafford-Second visit of Anjou to EnglandElizabeth's loving demeanour to him-Her ladies oppose the marriageElizabeth's fondness for Anjou-Accompanies him part of his journey homewards-Her love-verses-Regrets for his loss-Her interview with Edmund Campian-Her letter to Burleigh-Her maids of honour-Her illegitimate brother, sir J. Perrot-His insolent speeches regarding her— She refuses to sign his death-warrant-Her cruel usage of Ireland.

ELIZABETH's real greatness, was as a peace-sovereign; she was formed and fitted for domestic government, and her admirable talents for statistics would have established a golden age in England, if she had been contented to employ her energies, wholly as a civilizer. Her foreign wars were a series of expensive blunders, injurious to commerce, little conducive to the military glory of the realm, and attended with a sacrifice of the flower of the English chivalry. If she had not interfered in the quarrels between

other sovereigns and their subjects, there would have been no necessity for the imposition of repeated property-taxes on her own, to defray the expenses of the needless wars in which her crooked policy entangled her, and to pay the pensions of the Scotch patriots, who devoured so large a portion of English gold, and beguiled her into the ungracious office of jailor to their queen-an office which entailed upwards of eighteen years of internal discord on her realm, planted the first thorns in her own diadem, and sullied the brightness of her annals with stains of indelible blackness.

Alas! that the biographer of Elizabeth should be compelled to turn from the lovely picture of an enlightened female sovereign, smiling on the labours of the children of her own subjects, blended with those of the little Flemish refugees in the Sandwich school of industry, to depict her presiding like Atropos, over racks and gibbets, and all the horrible panoply of religious and political tyranny.

Soon after Elizabeth's return from her Kentish progress, the following strange circumstance occurred: a crazy fanatic, named Peter Burchet, having persuaded himself, by the misapplication of certain scripture texts, that it was lawful to kill all who opposed the gospel-that is to say, those who took a different view of church government from the furious sect to which he belonged-wounded the famous naval commander, Hawkins, with his dagger, mistaking him for Sir Christopher Hatton, whom he intended to despatch as an enemy of the Puritans. The queen was so much incensed at this outrage, that she ordered justice to be done on Burchet, in the summary way of martial law,' and directed her secretary to bring the commission to her after dinner for her signature. Sussex, her lord chamberlain, wrote in great haste to Burleigh, to apprise him of her majesty's intention; and that he and all her lords in waiting, were in consternation at the royal mandate. "What will become of this act after dinner," says he, "your lordship shall hear to-night." Her prudent counsellors succeeded, finally, in convincing her majesty, that the ceremony of a trial was necessary before an Englishman could be executed for any offence whatsoever. It appears almost incredible, that Elizabeth, after reigning sixteen years, should require to

1 Camden.

* Ellis' Royal Letters, second series, vol. iii.

be enlightened on this point; and to be informed, that martial law was only used in times of open rebellion.'

The terror of the plague was always uppermost in the minds of all persons in the sixteenth century, at every instance of sudden death. One day in November, 1573, queen Elizabeth was conversing with her ladies in her privy chamber, at Greenwich palace, when, on a sudden, the mother of the maids was seized with illness, and expired directly in her presence. Queen Elizabeth was so much alarmed at this circumstance, that in less than an hour she left her palace at Greenwich, and went to Westminster, where she remained.2

The year 1574 commenced with new efforts on the part of the court of France, to conclude the matrimonial treaty between the duke of Alençon and Elizabeth. Mauvissière arrived in January, to woo the queen in his behalf, and to solicit that she would send him a safe conduct to visit her, and plead his own cause. In a recently discovered letter, from Elizabeth to Dr. Dale,3 on this subject, she exhibits her usual caution and feminine vacillation. She says

"The French ambassador sithens (since) the return of our servant Randolph, hath sundry times had access unto us, requiring our answer, whether we could allow of the coming over of the Duke of Alençon, upon the view of his portraiture, brought over by our said servant ?"

She goes on to state "that she has had sundry conferences with her council, and finds they were of opinion that it might impair the amity between England and France, if, on coming, there should be no liking between her and the duke "For that," pursues her majesty

"We can be put in no comfort by those, that desire most our marriage, and are well affected to the crown, who have seen the young gentleman, that there will grow any satisfaction of our persons; and therefore you may say, 'that if it were not to satisfy the earnest request of our good brother the king, and the queen, his mother, (whose honourable dealing towards us, as well in seeking us himself, as in offering unto us both his brethren, we

1 Burchet was tried, condemned, and hanged, having first killed one of his keepers with a billet of wood, which he took out of a chimney. He had his right hand stricken off at the gallows for this last outrage, “and died," says the chronicler, "with a silent reluctancy." Camden. Ellis' Royal Letters. 2 La Mothe Fenelon, vol. ii. p. 454.

3 Communicated by Francis Worship, esq., F.A.S.

cannot but esteem as an infallible argument of their great good wills towards us,) we could in no case be induced to allow of his coming, neither publicly nor privately; for that we fear, (notwithstanding the great protestations he and his mother make to the contrary,) that if upon the interview, satisfaction follow not. there is likely to ensue, instead of straighter amity, disdain and unkindness.'"

Her majesty, however, goes on to say, "that if none of these doubts, that she has suggested, will deter monsieur le duc from coming over in some sort of disguise; then Dale is to tell the king from her, that she wishes that the gentleman in whose company he may come over, as one of his followers, may not be a person of such high rank as the duke de Montmorenci, nor accompanied with any great train; for," pursues she, "if there follow no liking between us, after a view taken the one of the other, the more secretly it be handled, the less touch will it be to our honours." Elizabeth concludes this amusing piece of diplomatic coquetry, with a really kind request, to be preferred in her name to the king of France and queen-mother, in behalf of a noble protestant lady, a daughter of the duc de Montpensier, then an exile for conscience' sake, in Germany, that she may enjoy the benefit of the late edict. The last paragraph does Elizabeth honour :

"You shall therefore say unto queen-mother from us, that we desire her to join you in the furtherance of this suit to the king her son, our good brother, who we hope, as well for our sakes, (as that the gentlewoman is so near of blood unto her children;) and that it is a natural virtue, incident to our sex, to be pitiful of those that are afflicted, will so tender her case, as by her good means, the gentlewoman shall be relieved, and we gratified; which we shall be ready to requite, as the occasion shall serve us.'

991

The plan suggested by Elizabeth, for obtaining a private view of Alençon, did not suit the policy of the royal family of France, whose object it was to induce her to commit herself irrevocably in the negotiation. Charles IX. offered to come to the opposite coast of Picardy, ostensibly for the benefit of his health, bringing his brother in his train, whom he would send over as a wooer, in grand state, to Dover, whither queen Elizabeth should come to meet him. This plan Elizabeth affectedly declined, as too decided a step, towards a suitor, to be taken by a maid. The truth was, she meant to receive personally, all the homage and flatteries of a new lover, without in any way committing herself in

1 Archæologia, vol. xxviii. p. 393–398.

public opinion. To this end, she proposed that Alençon should slip over from the coast of Picardy, to lord Cobham's seat, near Gravesend, from whence he was to take barge privately, and land at the water stairs of Greenwich palace, where she would be ready to welcome him, with all the delights her private household could afford.'

This fine scheme was cut short by the discovery of a political conspiracy, of which the hopeful youth Alençon was found to be the head. The quartan ague of Charles IX. was, in reality, a fatal consumption; and all his people perceived that he was dropping into the grave. Alençon, seeing that the next heir, his brother, Henry, king of Poland, was absent, began to intrigue with the protestant leaders to be placed on the throne of France; which plot being discovered by his mother, he, with Henry king of Navarre, were committed prisoners to the castle of Vin

cennes.

2

Alençon basely betrayed his allies, la Mole and Corconnas, and the whole protestant interest, to make peace with his own family. Some suspicion existed that queen Elizabeth herself was at the bottom of the plot. However this might be, its discovery entirely broke off the marriage treaty between the mature queen, and the ill-conditioned imp, Alençon, for Catherine de Medicis caused La Mothe to ask Elizabeth, "whether she had received so ill an impression of her son, that she would not go on with the marriage treaty ?"

To which Elizabeth replied, "I cannot be so ungrateful as to think ill of a prince, who thinks so well of me, but I must tell you decisively, that I will not take a husband with irons on his feet."

"3

He was released on this hint, and used by Elizabeth as a ready tool for embarrassing the government of his brother, as the head of a middle party.

One of those dialogues, often narrated in ambassadors'

1 Despatches of La Mothe Fenelon, vol. vi. p. 56, 83, 98.

2 They were soon after executed, to the great displeasure of Elizabeth. 3 All the Protestants despised Alençon as an unprincipled betrayer, who had only leagued with them to gain their secrets for the information of the royal family; but he appears to have been in earnest when he desired, by their means, to circumvent his elder brother, Henry.