into her Grace's hands, upon the deter- lings and four-pence. Paid to Edmund mination of this account. The expenses Allin for a bible, twenty shillings. Paid of the house amounted to three thousand the third of November, to the keeper of nine hundred and thirty-eight pounds Hertford jail, for fees of John Wingfield, eighteen shillings and seven-pence. But being in ward, thirteen shillings and deductions for the "hides, felles, and in- fourpence. Paid the fourteenth of Detrails of the cattle supplied, two hundred cember to Blanch Parry, for her half and seven pounds three shillings and year's annuity, one hundred shillings; eight-pence half-penny." The entries in and to Blanche Courtnaye for the like, the Bakehouse and Pantry are chiefly sixty-six shillings and eight-pence. Paid for wheat. Under the Butrey and Cel- the fourteenth of December, at the lar great quantities of beer are entered, christening of Mistress Pendred's child, with "swete wine, Raynish wine, and as by warrant doth appear, one shilling. Gascoigne wine." In the Spicery and Paid in rewards unto sundry persons at Chaundery, nothing occurs worthy of St. James, her Grace then being there, note. In the Kitchen and Larder, viz., the King's footman, forty shillings; fresh-water fish are frequently entered. the under-keeper of St. James's ten Board wages for servants are conti- shillings, the gardener five shillings; to nually mentioned. Lamprey-pies are one Russell, groom of the King's great once entered as a present. John chamber, ten shillings; John Forman, Taylor was paid for making the ten shillings; to the wardrobe, forty Torne-broches' [turnspits] coats, nine shillings; the violins, forty shillings; a shillings and two-pence." In the Frenchman, that gave a book to her Wood-yard rushes occur, in the Stable Grace, ten shillings; the keeper of the "horsbrede." The wages of house- park gate of St. James's, ten shillings; hold servants for a quarter of a year Mr. Standford's servant, twenty shilamounted to eighty-two pounds seven- lings; the Lord Russell's minstrels, ten teen shillings and eight-pence. The shillings. In the whole, as by warrant liveries of velvet coats for thirteen, appeareth, nine pounds fifteen shillings. gentlemen, at forty shillings the coat Paid in rewards, to sundry persons, the amounted to twenty-six pounds. The tenth of August, viz., to Farmor, that liveries of the yeomen to seventy-eight played on the lute, thirty shillings; to pounds eighteen shillings; given in alms, Mr. Ashfeild's servant, with two prize seven pounds fifteen shillings and eight- oxen, and ten muttons, twenty shillings; pence at "sondrie times to poore men More, the harper, thirty shillings; to and womene." Amongst the entries of him that made her Grace a table o the chamber and robes, are the follow- walnut tree, forty-four shillings and nine ing. "Paid to John Spithonius, the pence; and to Mrs. Cock's servant, who seventeenth of May, for books, and to brought her Grace a sturgeon, six and Mr. Allin for a bible, twenty-seven shil- eight-pence."

CHAPTER III.

Death of Edward the Sixth-Lady Jane Grey-Accession of Mary-Elizabeth's hypocritical profession of the Popish Faith-Takes part in Mary's CoronationIs set up as a rival to the Crown-Breach between her and Mary, widened by the rival factions-Refuses to marry the Prince of Piedmont-Implicated in the Wyatt Rebellion-Sent for to Court-Imprisoned in the Tower-Severely treated -Gardiner's attempt to take her life-Removed to Richmond-The Duke of Savoy offered her in marriage-Removed to Woodstock-Still treated with rigourSent for to Court-Is forgiven, and restored to Royal favour-Philip's efforts to marry her to the Duke of Savoy-Spends Christmas at Court-Proceeds to Hatfield-Renewed offer of marriage-Magnificent entertainments-Proposals of Eric of Sweden-Her dislike of marriage-Mary bequeaths the Crown to herHer dying request to her-She vows that she is a Catholic-Affects surprise when informed of Mary's demise.

HE long-anticipated and firmly replied, that her eldest sister, death of Edward the Mary, was the first to be treated with, Sixth took place at during whose lifetime she, for her part, Greenwich, on the had no right or title to renounce. Whilst sixth of July, 1553. Mary asserted her rights by an appeal to It was hastened by arms, Elizabeth, confined to her house the unskilful treat- by a sickness, most probably feigned, ment of a female merely avoided taking part in the strugempiric, to whose care the royal pa- gle for the crown. She did not, as tient had been improperly confided; some historians state, raise troops in aid and coming, as it did, upon Northum- of Mary. But although, during this berland somewhat by surprise, compelled eventful crisis, she no more supported him to act with a degree of precipitation, injurious to his crafty designs. Several preparatory measures were yet to be adopted, particularly the important one of securing the persons of the two princesses, Mary and Elizabeth. Accordingly he ordered the death of the King to be carefully concealed, whilst he wrote letters in the name of Edward the Sixth, requiring the immediate attendance of his sisters at court. How far the stratagem succeeded with Mary, and her subsequent proceedings, have already been detailed. The more wary Elizabeth, informed, it is supposed by Cecil, of the treachery hatching at court, remained tranquil at her residence in Hertfordshire. The Duke of Northumberland soon after despatched messengers to Elizabeth, apprizing her of the accession of Lady Jane Grey to the throne, and proposing to her the alternative of resigning her own title, in consideration of a sum of money and certain lands to be assigned for her benefit. Elizabeth prudently

Mary than Lady Jane, the moment the contest was at an end, and the news of her sister's victory had reached her, she forgot her indisposition, and hastened in state, to meet and court the favour of the conqueror. At the head of one thousand persons, on horseback, many of whom were ladies, she met her sister Mary at Wanstead, where she first paid homage to her as Queen. When Mary made her triumphal entry into London, she rode by her side. In personal appearance and manners, she had the advantage of Mary. She was but twenty, about half the age of the Queen, and without pretensions to extraordinary beauty, she could boast of a tall, portly, graceful figure, evenly chiselled features, large blue eyes, a fine but rather sallow complexion, and delicate hands, the elegant symmetry of which she was proud to display on every possible occasion. She also condescended to court popularity by all those arts of which her after-conduct proved her to be a perfect mistress.

royal carriage, sumptuously covered with cloth of tissue, and drawn by six horses with similar trappings, was immediately followed by another, likewise drawn by six horses, and covered with cloth of silver, in which sat the Princess Elizabeth and the Lady Anne of Cleves, the former of whom assisted in this ceremony as the Queen's sister, and the latter not as the widow, but as the adopted sister of Henry the Eighth.

But a few weeks after Mary had been proclaimed Queen, the partizans of the opposing religions succeeded in exciting her jealous ill-will against her sister Elizabeth. When Mary made known her intention of restoring the mass and other Catholic rituals, the Protestants took the alarm; fixed their hopes on the constancy of Elizabeth, who had already won for herself the good will of the people generally, and openly declared that she might be placed upon At the coronation banquet, Elizabeth the throne with as little difficulty as dined at the same table with the Queen Mary had been. On this account Mary -an honour conferred on none else but was advised to place her sister under Anne of Cleves. She was prayed for by arrest. But this unjust, unpopular Dr. Harpfield, as the Queen's sister, and measure, she refused to consent to; and to generally recognized as heiress presumpat once gratify her own religious preju- tive to the throne. She, however, endices, and weaken the power of the joyed this state of felicity for little more reformers, she endeavoured, by entrea- than a month. The act passed by Mary's ties, promises, threats, to withdraw her first Parliament, legitimizing the Queen, royal sister from the Protestant to the in effect, though not in words, bastarCatholic Church. Elizabeth firmly re- dized Elizabeth, and so wounded her sisted every attempt, till she found that pride, that she requested permission to her repugnance was attributed not to remove from court-a request which was motives of conscience, but to the per- refused, and followed by a temporary suasions of factions; when, demanding estrangement between the royal sisters. an audience with the Queen, she, on Intrigue was now rife at court, independ her knees, and with tearful eyes, ex- ent of the religious partizans. The King cused her past obstinacy, on the plea of France, in the hope of obtaining the that she had never practised, nor been whole sovereignty of the Britannic isles taught, any other than the reformed reli- for his daughter-in-law, Mary Queen of gion, and employed Mary to furnish her Scots, resolved to ruin Queen Mary by with proper books and instructors, that setting up Elizabeth as her rival, and she might learn her error, and embrace afterwards to destroy the Princess her. the religion of her fathers. In a week self. With this view, the unprincipled her defection from the Protestant Church French ambassador, Noailles, devised, was effected; policy induced her to and supported with supplies of arms and make a hypocritical profession of the money, an attempt to depose Mary in Catholic faith, and, as a show of sin- favour of Elizabeth, who was to be marcerity, to attend mass on the eighth of ried to Courtney, Earl of Devonshire. September, and to shortly afterwards Whilst this conspiracy was hatching, write to the Emperor, for permission to Elizabeth, who, in all probability, tacitly purchase in Flanders a chalice, cross, countenanced it, again requested permis. and other ecclesiastical ornaments for a sion to retire to one of her seats in the Catholic chapel, she was about to open country. Leave was granted, and the in her own house. By this and other day fixed for her departure, when the dissimulation. Elizabeth succeeded for a representations of Renaud, the Spanish time in retaining her influence at court. ambassador, that she was deeply impli Mary, evidently believing in her since-cated in the plots against the govern rity, treated her, in public and private, with extraordinary kindness. In the splendid procession of her Majesty from the Tower to Whitehall, previously to her coronation, in October, 1553, the

ment, so incensed the Queen and the privy council against her, that she was ordered not to leave the palace, and, in the end, confined to her own chamber, and surrounded by spies, who reported

that she was too ill to travel, and immediately afterwards fortified and garrisoned her house. This illness, whether real or feigned, in all probability saved her from a violent death. Mary allowed her a fortnight's respite, and during this eventful fortnight, Wyatt, at the head of a formidable army of insurgents, had unsuccessfully attacked the Queen in her palace at Westminster, and been conveyed, with the other leading rebels, to captivity in the Tower, when he and his fellow rebels, to screen themselves, named Elizabeth and Courtney as the instigators of the uprising.

her every movement to the privy council. The peril of her position daily increased. Mary deeply mortified her by permitting the Countess of Lennox and the Duchess of Suffolk, the representatives of her aunts, the Scottish and French Queens, to take precedence of her; and, at length, Renaud openly charged Noailles with paying her nocturnal visits, with treasonable designs; but, fortunately for Elizabeth, she explained away the charges against her, and Mary, despite the opposition of Renaud and others, forgave her, granted her permission to depart, and, on the sixth of December, dismissed her with Mary, whose throne had been made to tokens of affection, and a present of a totter, signed the death-warrant of the double set of large and valuable pearls. unfortunate Lady Jane Grey and her She retired to her mansion at Ashridge, husband, and as she now more than ever in Bucks, where she had scarcely arrived distrusted the loyalty of Elizabeth, she when she was annoyed by an offer of the sent that Princess's maternal kinsman, hand of the Prince of Piedmont in mar-Lord William Howard, together with riage, and a renewal of the matrimonial Sir Edward Hastings and Sir Thomas proposals in favour of the King of Den- Cornwallis, to bring her to the court at mark's son; both of these offers she London. When they arrived, the Queen's promptly negatived; and she also refused physicians, Dr. Wendy and Dr. OwenNoailles' request, that she would unite whom, it appears, by an original letter herself openly with the conspirators, in Tytler's Edward and Mary," which whose plot was scarcely arranged, when we have not space to insert, the Queen the fears or simplicity of Courtney in- had kindly sent to tend her, and see that duced him to impart the whole secret to she was sufficiently recovered to bear the Gardiner, whilst the privy council inter-removal-decided that she might at once cepted letters to Elizabeth, in ciphers; from the French King, offering her money, and urging her to seek an asylum in France; from the French ambassador, advising her to throw off the mask, and openly espouse their cause, and from Wyatt, Sir James Crofts, and other of the conspirators, informing her that they had been betrayed by Courtney, and exhorting her to retire from Ashridge, which, being near the metropolis and unfortified, left her at the mercy of the Queen and the council, to the strong castle of Donnington, which was near to the head-quarters of the rebels.

The day after the breaking-out of the Wyatt rebellion was known to the couneil, Mary sent a letter to Elizabeth, enjoining her to return immediately to court, and assuring her that she should be heartily welcomed; but as Elizabeth put no faith in these assurances, she took to her bed, sent word to the Queen |

commence the journey without endangering her life. But, her object being to gain time, she refused to see the three commissioners; and when, after waiting half the day, they, at the late hour of ten at night, entered her chamber, she had retired to rest, and with affected amazement, exclaimed, "Is the haste such that it might not have pleased you to come to-morrow in the morning?"

They made answer that they were right sorry to see her in such a case.

"And 1," quoth she, "am not glad to see you here at this time of night."

Her Grace was then informed that the Queen had sent her own litter for her accommodation, and that the next morning she would be removed. Her departure, which took place at about eleven in the morning, on Monday, the twelfth of February, excited the tears and lamentations of her afflicted household, who naturally gave way to the