health. She writes to the young king her brother, January 2, a pretty and pathetic letter in Latin, lamenting that she had not been able, according to her usual custom, to prepare some little token of her love as an offering of the season for his highness: "For, in the first place," she says, "every description of learning, which in me was ever very small, has been either so wasted by the long continuance of my sickness and the discontinuance of my studies, or so interrupted by reason of my present infirmity, that my old custom of bringing something out of my scant store of learning, formerly not difficult to me, (when to pleasure you,) has been wholly prevented. And even though I had been a better state of health. Elizabeth then takes the opportunity of insinuating a judicious compliment to the young regal student as to his own literary attainments, in which she says "he excels so much, that, even if her state of health had not precluded her from undertaking the task, she should have been afraid of sending any thing of the kind to him now, being aware that his correct judgment would not allow him to approve of any thing defective." Then she tells him that she was thinking of sending him some jewel; but while she was in perplexity as to what it should be, having nothing worthy of his acceptance, she had been informed by the lord protector that the custom of sending New-year's gifts was to be discontinued for the future, which she considers " a very wise arrangement." Elizabeth concludes her letter to her royal brother with an intimation how agreeable it would be to her to offer her good wishes to his majesty in person, if she were assured that it would not be displeasing to him. By this remark it is apparent that she was still in disgrace, and not allowed to enter his royal presence.2

1 Elizabeth altered her opinion after she became queen, when she afforded practical proof that she considered receiving New-year's gifts was much more agreeable than sending them.

There are a great many of Elizabeth's Latin letters to Edward VI. preserved in the Bodleian library; also an Italian sermon of Occhines, which she transcribed with her own hand, and sent to him as a New-year's gift. The dedication is dated Enfield, Dec. 30, but the year is not specified.

ELIZABETH,

SECOND QUEEN-REGNANT OF ENGLAND AND IRELAND

CHAPTER II.

Elizabeth's scholastic pursuits-Ascham-Elizabeth's letter to Edward VI. -She goes to court-Her simplicity of attire-Her conformity to the Reformation-Her letter to king Edward-Her household at HatfieldPrivy-purse expenses-Death of Edward VI.-Required to acknowledge lady Jane Gray's title-Prudent answer-Meets her sister-Enters London with Mary-Admiration of the people-Queen's jealousy-Elizabeth refuses the mass-Queen Mary's displeasure-Elizabeth dissembles and conformsIntrigues of the French ambassador-Plots in favour of Elizabeth and Courtenay-Elizabeth confined to the palace-Matrimonial proposals-Offered an asylum in France-Courtenay betrays the plot-Wyatt's rebellionsElizabeth implicated therein-Queen Mary sends for her-Her excusesHer journey from Hatfield to court-Entrance into London-Queen refuses to see her-Animosity of the privy council-Her death desired by them— Intercepted letters to Elizabeth-Accusations of Gardiner-Her household discharged-Her distress-Her letter to queen Mary-She is carried by water to the Tower-Her disconsolate condition.

THE disastrous termination of Elizabeth's first love-affair, appears to have had the salutary effect of inclining her to habits of a studious and reflective character. She was for a time under a cloud, and during the profound retirement in which she was doomed to remain, for at least a year, after the execution of the lord admiral, the energies of her active mind found employment and solace in the pursuits of learning. She assumed a grave and sedate demeanour, withal, and bestowed much attention on theology, which the polemic spirit of the times rendered a subject of powerful interest. Her new governess, lady Tyrwhitt, had been the friend of the late queen, Katharine Parr, and was one of the learned females who had supported the doctrines of the Reformation, and narrowly escaped the fiery crown of martyrdom. There

is reason to suppose that Elizabeth, although she had, in the first instance, defied lady Tyrwhitt's authority, became reconciled to her after the effervescence of her high spirit had subsided, and the assimilation of their religious feelings produced sympathy and good-will between them. A curious little devotional volume is mentioned by Anthony à-Wood, as having once belonged to queen Elizabeth, which was compiled by this lady for her use when acting as her preceptress. It was of miniature size, bound in solid gold, and entitled, Lady Elizabeth Tyrwhitt's Morning and Evening Prayers, with divers Hymns and Meditations.

Not in vain did Elizabeth labour to efface the memory of her early indiscretion, by establishing a reputation for learning and piety. The learned Roger Ascham, under whom she perfected herself in the study of the classics, in his letters to Sturmius, the rector of the Protestant university at Strasburg, is enthusiastic in his encomiums on his royal pupil. "Numberless honourable ladies of the present time," says he, "surpass the daughters of sir Thomas More in every kind of learning; but amongst them all my illustrious mistress, the lady Elizabeth, shines like a star, excelling them more by the splendour of her virtues than by the glory of her royal birth. In the variety of her commendable qualities I am less perplexed to find matter for the highest panegyric, than to circumscribe that panegyric within just bounds; yet I shall mention nothing respecting her but what has come under my own observation. For two years she pursued the study of Greek and Latin under my tuition, but the foundations of her knowledge in both languages were laid by the diligent instruction of William Grindal, my late beloved friend."

After several years of successful tuition, Grindal was snatched away by a sudden illness, and Ascham had the honour of completing what his learned friend had so happily begun. He gives the following account of the acquirements of the youthful princess." The lady Elizabeth has completed her sixteenth year, and so much solidity of understanding, such courtesy united with dignity, have never been observed at so

early an age. She has the most ardent love of true religion, and the best kind of literature; the constitution of her mind is exempt from female weakness, and she is endued with masculine power of application; no apprehension can be quicker than hers, no memory more retentive. French and Italian she speaks like English; Latin with fluency, propriety, and judgment. She also spoke Greek with me frequently, willingly, and moderately well. Nothing can be more elegant than her hand-writing, whether in the Greek or the Roman character. In music she is very skilful, but does not greatly delight. With respect to personal decoration, she greatly prefers a simple elegance to show and splendour, so despising the outward adorning of plaiting the hair and wearing of gold, that, in the whole manner of her life, she rather resembles Hippolyta than Phædra. She read with me almost the whole of Cicero, and a great part of Livy: from those two authors her knowledge of the Latin language has been almost exclusively derived. The beginning of the day was always devoted by her to the New Testament in Greek, after which she read select orations of Isocrates, and the tragedies of Sophocles, which I judged best adapted to supply her tongue with the purest diction, her mind with the most excellent precepts, and her exalted station with a defence against the utmost power of fortune. For her religious instruction, she drew first from the fountains of Scripture, and afterwards from St. Cyprian, the Common-places' of Melancthon, and similar works, which convey pure doctrine in elegant language."

The letters from which these passages have been extracted were written by Ascham, in Latin, in the year 1550, when he had, for some reason, been compelled to withdraw from his situation in Elizabeth's household. The commendations of this great scholar had probably some share in restoring her to the favour of the learned young king, her brother, whose early affection for the dearly-loved companion of his infancy appears to have revived after a time, and though the jealousy of the selfish statesmen who held him in thrall prevented the princely boy from gratifying his yearnings for

her presence, he wrote to her to send him her portrait. Elizabeth, in her reverential and somewhat pedantic epistle in reply, certainly gives abundant evidence of the taste for metaphors to which Ascham adverts in his letters to Sturmius.

THE PRINCESS ELIZABETH TO KING EDWARD VI.

With a Present of her Portrait.'

"Like as the rich man that daily gathereth riches to riches, and to one bag of money layeth a great sort till it come to infinite, so methinks your majesty, not being sufficed with many benefits and gentlenesses showed to me afore this time, doth now increase them in asking and desiring where you may bid and command, requiring a thing not worthy the desiring for itself, but made worthy for your highness' request,-my picture, I mean, in which, if the inward good mind toward your grace might as well be declared as the outward face and countenance shall be seen, I would not have tarried the commandment but prevented it, nor have been the last to grant, but the first to offer it. For the face I grant I might well blush to offer, but the mind I shall never be ashamed to present; for though from the grace of the picture the colours may fade by time, may give by weather, may be spotted by chance, yet the other nor time with her swift wings shall overtake, nor the misty clouds with their lowerings may darken, nor chance with her slippery foot may overthrow.

"Of this, although yet the proof could not be great, because the occasions hath been but small, notwithstanding, as a dog hath a day, so may I perchance have time to declare it in deeds, where now I do write them but in words. And further, I shall most humbly beseech your majesty, that when you shall look on my picture, you will vouchsafe to think that, as you have but the outward shadow of the body afore you, so my inward mind wisheth that the body itself were oftener in your presence; howbeit, because both my so being I think I could do your majesty little pleasure, though myself great good, and again, because I see as yet not the time agreeing thereunto, I shall learn to follow this saying of Orace, [Horace,] Feras non culpes, quod vitari non potest.' And thus I will (troubling your majesty, I fear,) end with my most humble thanks, beseeching God long to preserve you to his honour, to your comfort, to the realm's profit, and to my joy. From Hatfield, this 15th day of May. "Your majesty's most humble sister,

"ELIZABETH."

In the summer of 1550, Elizabeth had succeeded in reinstating her trusty cofferer, Thomas Parry, in his old office, and she employed him to write to the newly appointed secretary of state, William Cecil, afterwards lord Burleigh, to solicit him to bestow the parsonage of Harptree, in the. county of Somerset, on John Kenyon, the yeoman of her robes. A lamentable instance of an unqualified layman, through the patronage of the great, devouring that pro1 Cotton. MS., Vesp., F. iii. fol. 20.