XVI. This is a happy contrast to the parental utterances of Lord Sir Henry Sidney to his Son Philip Sidney. [1566.] I have received two letters from you, one written in Latin, the other in French, which I take in good part, and will you to exercise that practice of learning often: for that will stand you in most stead, in that profession of life that you are born to live in. And, since this is my first letter that ever I did write to you, I will not, that it be all empty of some advices, which my natural care of you provoked me to wish you to follow, as documents to you in this tender age. your Let your first action be, the lifting up of your mind to Almighty God, by hearty prayer, and feelingly digest the words you speak in prayer, with continual meditation, and thinking of him to whom you pray, and of the matter for which you pray. And use this as an ordinary, and at an ordinary hour. Whereby the time itself will put you in remembrance to do that which you are accustomed to do. In that time apply your study to such hours as your discreet master doth assign you, earnestly; and the time (I know) he will so limit, as shall be both sufficient for your learning, and safe for your health. And mark the sense and the matter of that you read, as well as the words. So shall you both enrich your tongue with words, and your wit with matter; and judgment will grow as years groweth in you. Be humble and obedient to your master, for unless you frame yourself to obey others, yea, and feel in yourself what obedience is, you shall never be able to teach others how to obey you. Be courteous of gesture, and affable to all men, with diversity of reverence, according to the dignity of the person. There is nothing that winneth so much with so little cost. Use moderate diet, so as, after your meat, you may find your wit fresher, and not duller, and your body more lively, and not more heavy. Seldom drink wine, and yet sometime do, lest being enforced to drink upon the sudden, you should find yourself inflamed. Use exercise of body, but such as is without peril of your joints or bones. It will increase your force, and enlarge your breath. Delight to be cleanly, as well in all parts of your body, as in your garments. It shall make you grateful in each company, and otherwise loathsome. Give yourself to be merry, for you degenerate from your father, if you find not yourself most able in wit and body, to do any thing, when you be most merry; but let your mirth be ever void of all scurrility, and biting words to any man, for a wound given by a word is oftentimes harder to be cured than that which is given with the sword. Be you rather a hearer and bearer away of other men's talk, than a beginner or procurer of speech, otherwise you shall be counted to delight to hear yourself speak. If you hear a wise sentence, or an apt phrase, commit it to your memory, with respect of the circumstance, when you shall speak it. Let never oath be heard to come out of your mouth, nor words of ribaldry; detest it in others, so shall custom make to yourself a law against it in yourself. Be modest in each assembly, and rather be rebuked of light fellows, for maiden-like shamefacedness, than of your sad friends for pert boldness. Think upon every word that you will speak, before you utter it, and remember how nature hath rampired up (as it were) the tongue with teeth, lips, yea, and hair without the lips, and all betokening reins, or bridles, for the loose use of that member. Above all things tell no untruth, no, not in trifles. The custom of it is naughty, and let it not satisfy you, that, for a time, the hearers take it for a truth; for after it will be known as it is, to your shame; for there cannot be a greater reproach to a gentleman than to be accounted a liar. Study and endeavour yourself to be virtuously occupied. So shall you make such an habit of well-doing in you, that you shall not know how to do evil, though you would. Remember, my son, the noble blood you are descended of, by your mother's side; and think that only by virtuous life and good action, you may be an ornament to that illustrious family; and otherwise, through vice and sloth, you shall be counted labes generis, one of the greatest curses that can happen to man. Well (my little Philip) this is enough for me, and too much, I fear, for you. But if I shall find that this light meal of digestion nourish anything the weak stomach of your young capacity, I will, as I find the same grow stronger, feed it with tougher food. Your loving father, so long as you live in the fear of God. XVII. In Lodge's Illustrations of English History' are numerous reprints of the Howard and Talbot papers bearing on the Elizabethan period. Those which relate to the captive Queen of Scotland exhibit Elizabeth's fretful anxiety lest her prisoner's noble custodian should fail in due vigilance. The partisans of Mary, Queen of Scots, may here gather what, in her case, was understood as 'honourable captivity.' Earl of Shrewsbury to Queen Elizabeth. Sheffield Castle: March 3, 1572. May it please your most excellent Majesty,-It appears by my Lord Huntingdon's letters to me, whereof I here send your Majesty a copy, that suspicion is of some new device for this Queen's liberty, which I can very easily believe, for I am (as always before) persuaded her friends everywhere occupy their heads thereunto. I look for no less than they can do for her, and provide for her safety accordingly. I have her sure enough, and shall keep her forthcoming, at your Majesty's commandment, either quick or dead, whatsoever she, or any for her, invent to the contrary; and, as I have no doubt at all of her stealing away from me, so if any forcible attempt be given for her, the greatest peril is sure to be her's. And if I be your Majesty's true faithful servant, as I trust your Majesty is fully persuaded, be your Majesty out of all doubt of any her escape, or delivery from me, by flight, force, or any other ways, without your Majesty's own express and known commandment to me; and thereupon I engage to your Majesty my life, honour, and all. God preserve your Majesty, with many happy years, long and prosperously to reign over us. At Sheffield Castle, the 3rd of March, 1572. Your Majesty's humble and faithful servant, G. SHREWSBURY. XVIII. There is something grimly comic in a peer of the realmhead of all the Talbots-having his bill for watch and ward,' and proper nourishment of the Queen of Scots and her numerous suite (for he was bound to supply a goodly number of dishes per diem to the different tables), heavily taxed by the Lords of the Council. Earl of Shrewsbury to Lord Burghley. Buxton: August 9, 1580. My very good Lord, I came hither to Buxton, with my charge, the 28th of July. She had a hard beginning of her journey; for when she should have taken her horse, he started aside, and therewith she fell, and hurt her back, which she still complains of, nothwithstanding she applies the bath once or twice a day. I do strictly observe her Majesty's commandment, written to me by your Lordship, in restraining all resort to this place; neither does she see, nor is seen to any more than to her own people, and such as I appoint to attend. She has not come forth of the house since her coming, nor shall not before her parting. Most of her folks have been sick, since her coming hither, of the new disease; herself has yet escaped. My care to discharge the trust it has pleased her Majesty to repose in me is, and shall be, no less than it has been heretofore; but, my Lord, I must lament my griefs to your Lordship, whose wisdom I know to be great, and can every way consider. I think myself very hardly dealt withal, that after twelve years' faithful services, it shall lie in any practising enemy's power to persuade her Majesty so much against me, as to think me unworthy of this small portion, the allowance for this Lady's diet, &c. It is double that money hath served me yearly which I am driven to spend by the occasion of this charge; besides the loss of liberty, dangering of my life, and many other discomforts which no money could have hired. me to; but the desire I have to serve my sovereign makes peril and pain a pleasure to me. I will not trouble your Lordship particularly with my charges, because I have of late written them at more length. Good my Lord, as my special trust is in your Lordship, deal so with her Majesty for me as I am not offered so great a disgrace as to abate any part of the allowance; it touches me nearer than a much greater matter in value could do. My assured trust has been, and is, that her Majesty, of her gracious goodness, would reward me with more than all I have received for this charge, whereby it might be a testimony to the world of her good acceptance of my true and faithful services. I have presumed to write to her Majesty touching this allowance, by your Lordship's good means. I doubt not her So Majesty will think it well bestowed of me, if it were more. wishing to your Lordship all honour and health, I end, with my wife's most hearty commendations. Your Lordship's most faithful friend, G. SHREWSBURY. XIX. When Henry the Fourth, of France, abjured Protestantism, his ambassador, Morlant, was ordered to break the matter to Queen Elizabeth and to endeavour to calm her feelings by offering the poor plea of urgent motives of state.' It is said that after writing the following epistle the Queen sought to appease her wrath by reading Boethius's 'Consolations of Philosophy.' 6 Queen Elizabeth to the King of France. Nov. 12, 1593. Ah, what grief! ah, what regret! ah, what pangs have seized my heart, at the news which Morlant has communicated! My God is it possible that any worldly consideration could render you regardless of the divine displeasure? Can we reasonably expect any good result can follow such an iniquity? How could you imagine that He, whose hand has supported and upheld your cause so long, would fail you at your need? It is a perilous thing to do ill that good may come of it! Nevertheless, I yet hope your better feelings may return, and, in the meantime, I promise to give you the first place in my prayers, that Esau's hands may not defile the blessing of Jacob. The friendship and fidelity you promise to me, I own I have dearly earned; but of that I should never have repented, if you had not abandoned your father. I cannot now regard myself as your sister, for I always prefer that which is natural to that which is adopted, as God best knows, whom I beseech to guard and keep you in the right way, with better feelings. Your sister, if it be after the old fashion with the new I will have nothing to do. XX. E. R. This note of condolence, disclosing a mood of tender sympathy very unusual with Queen Elizabeth, is nevertheless highly characteristic. Her habitual regal reserve is maintained with quiet dignity. |