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286 “FRANK LESLIE'S: NEW ‘YORK JOURNAL.
‘ Lives of the Queens of England. Elizabeth, in her.so often renewed negotiations of | °. This was too good an opportunity for the courtly
: a Continued from page 283. | .. |marriage ,with.the heir-of the French crown, the | wooer not to profit by. « » .
. Descending to the cabin, the royal visitor not only |Duc D'Anjou, had, up to. the present : moment, |“ England,” he exclaimed, with well-affected en-
artook of the collation offered, but promised Drake
er royal commission to explore the coasts of the
New World: in other words, to plunder the infant
colonies of Spain. cn
There was a condition, however, annexed : it was,
. that she should share in the booty. ; mae
‘+ Many of the nobility who had declined receiving
Drake’s presents, began to repent their squeamish-
. ness,‘ and would willingly have recalled ; their. un-
gracious refusals; but the great navigator had. no
longer need of their influence or intercession. He
had found a protectress more powerful, than: them
all, and wisely kept what remained of the treasure
»he had accumulated to himself. ..-) 0+!»
» “What will Spain say to this public honor con-
ferred upon the man who has so. notorious!y robbed
: her 2” demanded the Earl of Leicester of Lord Bur-
leigh—not that he had been one amongst the squeam-
ish nobles—* it may lead to war!” nie
. “Not yet!” replied the astute minister; ‘al-
.. though eventually it must come to that. -Philip has
too much upon his hands in the Low Countries at
. present, and my royal mistress is right to enfeeble
..him as. much as possible by ‘diminishing his re-
sources from the New World. .: I did not think so
at first,” he added; ‘but reflection: has convinced
me that she has acted wisely”: « eT te
.- The favorite smiled: perhaps he knew or guessed
:.what additional reasons the wily minister: had. re-
ceived, to induced him to change his opinions. :..
‘The yards of. the ship were manned, :and,: amid
the booming of the cannon and the cheers .of. the
-: erew, the queen prepared to quit the vessel, at whose
. Mmast-head the royal standard was still flying. «|:
Drake knelt upon the deck, and once more thanked
her majesty for the honor of her visit.
+ Thanks to! you, Master Drake,” replied Eliza-
beth, “for your cneer.and good service!, We told
you, when we set foot upon your quarter-deck, that
we intended you greater honor than our. poor pre-
sence could confer : we are. not unmindful !.-Leices-
ter,” she added, turning towards the earl, “lend me
your sword!” . : . 2 ota ‘
The favorite drew his weapon from its scabbard,
and, kneeling, presented. it. to his sovereign—who,
in the name ‘of God aud St. George, thrice struck
the adventurous navigator upon the shoulder. !
“ Arise,” she said, “ Sir, Francis Drake!” .
» Three hearty cheers were given by the crew; to
testify their joy at the honor thus publicly conferred
upon their commander; ‘an honor which, in the
reign of Elizabeth, was considered no mean recom-
.pense even for years of distinguished service—for
, the maiden monarch was exceedingly chary of such
‘favors. At the present day the dignity of knight-
‘hood |has been so: frequently prostituted, by bein,
* conferred on sheriffs, mayors, quacks, and specula-
tors, that it has fallen. into ridicule; the only. class
excluded from it by, the. governments of late:years
have been the scholar and, the poet. . But why com-
.« Plain?. The exception is in. itself,a distinction,
.; when Jews, Hindoos, and railway speculators are
; found eligible. Lf Pe ut dos
. The keen perception of Elizabeth in selecting her
ministers and servants, was one of the principal
., causes of her successful reign. ; - we
... It is recorded, that on one occasion she happened
to be in court, when Sir, Thomas Egerton, a distin-
guished lawyer,. pleaded. against the crown.on a
civil action, and obtained a verdict. in favor of his
client ee ty
‘tHe shall never plead against me again!” she
exclaimed, with her usual. decision; and-she kept
_ her word, by immediately appointing him a queen’s
counsel. : ; Wer tra Gas bees
_ That which Elizabeth had.once decided upon, she
adhered to firmly, as in the instance of Drake, Al-
_.though the Spanish ambassador made strong and
. even menacing remonstrances, and demanded resti-
tution of the treasure, taken by the pirate, as he
. termed him .the queen turned a deaf ear—not a
: single ingot was given up: this circumstance tended
. still further to increase the ill feeling already exist-
_ ing between the two courts. «200 ss
. —— woud -
: _ | CHAPTER LIIT. * .,
“ , That very time I saw (but thou couldst not),
Flying between the cold moon and the earth,
- Cupid allarmed! - A certain aim he too! .
At a fair vestal, throned by the west;: 2
And loosed his love-shaft smartly from his bow,
As it should pierce a hundred thousand hearts ’
But I might see young Cupid’s fiery shaft i
Quenched in the chaste beams of the watery moon,
And the imperial votress passed on, ©. :
In maiden meditation, fancy free. SHAUSPRARR.
Ir must always remain a matter of doubt whether
entertained serious thoughts of having him. Many
suppose it to have been only a ruse to preserve the
Low Countries. from the mad vengeance of Philip ;
for, while the least hope of such an union remained,
the King of France showed himself, with the Queen
of England, joint protector of that oppressed and
unhappy country... ne te its :
“ But so seriously did the states, as well as most of
the courts of Europe, regard the young prince as the
future husband of Elizabeth, that, without even con-
sulting her upon,so important.a measure, they at
once elected him as their sovereign: a step which
excited the displeasure of her majesty ; nor was she
less angry. with her suitor, for: presuming to accept
the honor without her concurrence... -
.The anger of the queen was, however, speedily
appeased, as she accorded to her. royal lover.a sub-
sidy of one hundred thousand. crowns—a large sum
in those days—and caused it to be intimated to him
that she, was not ill-disposed to consider his suit
more favorably than she had hitherto done.+., >‘; ~
, Upon this hint, the court of France dispatched a
magnificent embassy, headed by the Prince. Dauphin
of Auvergne, to London, to thank her: majesty for
the great kindness she -had shown to the. Duc
DAnjoun, os Ey
«-They were received with great honor, and con-
ducted to Westminster, where the maiden queen
held her court, by, the Earl of Arundel, Sir Philip
Sidney, and Lord Windsor. .So dissatisfied »were
her subjects generally, with the prospect of a foreign
alliance, that the queen was compelled, as a matter |;
of precaution, to issue a proclamation forbidding any
one, no matter of what degree, to strike a’ blow or
draw a sword within four miles of London. - ©. :
After many delays, it was at last agreed that the
duke, together with his officers and servants, should
have the free enjoyment of the Catholic religion, in
private. That, directly on his marriage, he should
assume the title of king, and the pleasure of parlia-
ment be taken as to his being crowned or not. ©, |
But the most singular clause in this extraordinary | ,
treaty was, that,'in the event of issue—Elizabeth
was then in her fiftieth year—her eldest son should,
in the event of her husband succeeding to the crown
of France, inherit that kingdom, and the second son
-|the dominions of his mother.
The character. of, the Duc D’Anjou appears to
have been most contemptible. , Young, and probable
heir to one of the most magnificent thrones -in
Europe, he affected an ardent passion for a woman
who was old enough to be his mother. :, Hitherto he
had been content to woo by deputy—he now resolved
to try his fortune in person; and, shortly after the
siege of Cambray, where he had defeated the Prince
of Parma, attended by a gallant train, he set out for
England, where he arrived in November, 1582.
_ In person he was small and decrepid, but his gal-
lantries so. won. upon the affections of the queen,
that he inspired her with an ardent, childish passion,
which so blinded her better judgment, that, for the
first time in her life—or at least since her accession
to the crown—Elizabeth appears to hawe seriously
entertained thoughts of marriage. . . poe
The whole court of England were assembled in
the great hall at Hampton, on the anniversary of
her coronation, and the mature majesty, of England
—surrounded by a.bevy of, beautiful women—ap-
peared, dressed with more than her usual pomp.
Leicester, who had so long aspired to her ,hand—
atton, who had danced himself into her. favor—
Burleigh and Walsingham, were standing at a dis-
tance irom the dais, watching with uneasy Inok every
word which fell from the lips of their mistress.
“Caught at last!” muttered the favorite, with 4
dissatisfied air. “We shall have a master now!”
“Never!” replied Burleigh, with his’ usual-con-
idence. . Ds -
“You do‘not know!’ observed Walsingham,
despondingly ; “you have studied only the queen—
eicester, the woman; the natural obstinacy of her
nature will overcome every obstacle. She is fas-
cinated with this imp of France !” oe
“I know the temper of the nation,’? answered the
wily minister, “and how dear popularity and power
are to the heart of Elizabeth. She will never risk
both by a marriage which her subjects will look upon
with abhorrence!" 2.0) 00: 6: 7
And again the clique whispered their plans and
opes. Doe : : :
“ Well, beausire,”? demanded: her majesty, who
was in one of her most joyous moods, ‘* what have
you seen in our poor. realm most worthy of note?
Alack! it must appear dull, after the gay and gallant
court of France!”
thusiasm, “is the paradise of men !” ‘
“ And why of men?”,said the queen. - vith
.** Because,” replied the prince, ‘the women are
so fair, and their sovereign fairer than her subjects!
Should heaven. deprive me of my brother, the only
consolation I should know would be in having it in
.| my power to lay.an additional: crown, at the feet of
her who already wears the proudest in the uni-
verse !’” noes} ws
: ‘Elizabeth affected to blush and look confused ; the
gross flattery of a boy pleased her coquettish fancy.
rawing a ring of great price from. her hand, she
placed it upon his -finger, at the same time telling
him that he was to consider it as her. betrothal.
The royal wooer bent the knee and passionately
kissed her hand. — : fom pes
This scene took place in the presence of the whole
court, as well as of the foreign ministers, who looked
upon the marriage as a settled thing. . Not so-Bur-
leigh; he had long since made up his mind that his
sovereign should never, marry.*; The action, there-
fore, although it surprised, did not dismay him. +
..f Where are your hopes now?”. whispered Wal-
singham.. cate ectens § pret as
.- “ As firm as ever,’? answered the minister. ‘¢ The
queen, unfortunately, possesses a- most impression-
able nature. In the affairs of the heart,” he added,
glancing at the same time towards Leicester, who
stood mute and desponding, ‘they are not lasting.
Now is the time, my lord,” he, continued, addressing
the mortified favorite, “to exert your influence !",
“‘I have none!” answered the earl, moodily ;
“since my, marriage, Elizabeth no longer regards
me with her former favor!?. . .. , is bey
. * True!” replied; Hatton, who had a deeper in-
sight into Burleigh’s plans than the rest of his col-
leagues; ‘but your influence. with her. ladies: of
honor—those. who share her confidence—is un-
limited. , Their. agency must be used with effect ;
the blow must be, struck at once, or it will be too
fateV i eT Neer
“See!” exclaimed Walsingham, angrily, ‘how
the French aud Dutch ministers are congratulating
each other! Too late, my lords—too late !”
, Burleigh still continued in his first opinion. The
experienced diplomat. knew that the. Prince of
Orange, who had-‘merely used the Duc D’Anjou as
a stepping-stone to ,the, sovereignty- of. the. Low
Countries, had a shrewd guess how much sincerity
there was in the rejoicings of the representative of
the. United Provinces, who was devoted to his
interests. : ct Ls Many ut
, {! Follow. Hatton’s. advice !”\he said; “ give the
women their cue, and leave the rest tome!”'-.
. So saying, he mingled with the crowd of courtiers,’
in order to avoid the eagle glance of Elizabeth, which
.| was fixed upon him with no very amiable expression.
She divined his aversion to the match, and it already
gave her cause of uneasiness. : pact te
From that evening, according to Camden, ,the
court looked upon the queen's marriage with the
French prince as a settled thing: since her majesty,
it was whispered, in addition to the ring which she
had bestowed on her royal suitor, had commanded
the very men who were conspiring against her union,
to draw the articles which were to regulate the form
and ceremonies to be used on the occasion. . The
order was received with the greatest apparent: sub-
mission and respect by those who were determined
on disobeying it. pues tee.
» It was not till a late hour that the unmarried
coquette could tear herself away from her youthful
wooer—whose task must have been painful and dis-
tasteful in the extreme: so much so, that none. but
a Frenchman could have gone through it with such
well-affected ardor and grace. : pied
When the prince reached his chamber, the ambas-
sador of France, who attended him, offered his con-
gratulations, observing, that his highness "had won
the prize at last. on @
“Why, ay!” replied the duke, with an air of
fatigue, “Elizabeth is not the first woman who has
been caught. under a mask!’ With all her experi-
ence, she knows but little of the world!”. ._ . fe
_ So saying, he dismissed his attendants for the
night, confident that .the crown , matrimonial , of
England was within his grasp. |.
——
CHAPTER LIY
’Twixt the cup and lip
There’s many a slip,—OLp Proyers,
No sooner had Elizabeth retired to her private
chamber, in high spirits at the prospect of her mar-
riage, than she was surrounded by her ladies, who,
SESE
with much weeping, threw themselves at'her feet. ;
: ore ee |
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