II. BOOK It was thought an admirable specimen of her sagacious government, that, tho a woman, ruling a nation peculiarly turbulent and warlike, desirous of battle, and impatient of peace, she kept all in a state of internal tranquillity, due subordination, and contented loyalty.10 160 'Her piety appeared in all her transactions and conduct. It governed the habits of her life, and her ordinary manners. She was seldom absent from the public prayers and divine services, either in her chapel or in her private chamber. She passed much time in reading the Scriptures, and the Fathers, especially St. Austin. She often composed prayers, when occasion required. She seldom mentioned the Deity, even in conversation, without adding to His name the epithet of The Creator:' and always, as she repeated it, shewed, by her eyes and face, a manifest humility and veneration. This,' adds lord Bacon, from whom this paragraph is taken, 'I have myself often remarked.' 161 6 conscience; but she would not permit the welfare of her kingdom to be brought into hazard under the pretext of conscience and religion.' ib. p. 187. After they had excommunicated her, and devoted her to perdition, he says, By their arts and poisons they depraved the very mass itself, which had been before so sweet and innoxious, (magis dulcem et innoxiam) and stained it, as it were, with a new leaven, and with a pernicious malignity.' ib. 190. Yet he says she was so desirous to be lenient, that she blunted the sword of the laws, in manifestation of her real nature, so that few priests, compared with their number, were capitally punished.' Bacon's Mem. Eliz. p. 191. 160 Bacon, p. 180. Natio ferocissima, et bellicosissima, belli cupida et pacem ægre tolerans.' ib. 161 Bacon, p. 186, 7. Quod et ipse sæpe notavi.' ib. 187. Every day she set apart some hours, either to read, or to hear her learned readers; one of whom, sir Henry Saville, professed, that her instructors, as oft as they came to her presence about such employments, received such admirable comments from her, that they seemed rather to learn of her, than to bring learning to her.' Speed, p.907. Plato is mentioned as one of those which were thus read to her, and on whom she made her remarks. XXXVII. The intellectual endowments of Elizabeth were CHAP. superior not only to the usual level of kingly talent, but even to the attainments of many, who rank deservedly as respected scholars. The Latin, French, and Italian, she could speak elegantly; and she was able in these languages to answer ambassadors on the sudden.' 162 The studies and pro 163 ficiency of her youth have been the subject of a preceding page. She did not cultivate her Greek so much as her Latin; but in her sixty-fifth year she translated Plutarch de Curiositate.164 She took pleasure in reading the best and wisest histories; and turned herself into English some part of the Annals of Tacitus, for her private exercise.' 165 When she was fifty-nine, she found a pleasure in imitating Alfred and Chaucer, by a similar version of the celebrated work of Boetius.166 She gave Sallust also afterwards the same vernacular dress; and at a later period translated the Horatian Epistle on the poetic art, as if she had been studying to improve her critical judgment by its correct taste and guiding rules.167 She wrote much in prose; in letters, public papers, and devotional exercises. Generally, her style was free, animated and forcible; but at times, 162 MSS. Ellis, 193. 164 Camd. 500. 163 See before, vol. 3. p. 505, 6. 166 Camd. 422. She went twice to Oxford, and once to Cambridge, and delivered orations there; doubling, almost, the yearly revenues of all their noble foundations.' Speed, 907. 167 Camd. 500. De Thou mentions, that she read Ronsard's verses with pleasure, and conversed with him as he returned from Scotland to England, in his way to France. He wrote an interesting poem in her praise; but making a plaisanterie un peu trop libre on her marriage, she said, 'It did not become a man well born, like Ronsard, to collect the slanders which ran about the streets, to attack the reputation of a queen, his friend.' Ronsard, sorry to have vexed her, struck out the passage; which others, after his death, maliciously restored. v. 14. p. 145. II. BOOK especially when it aimed ambitiously at metaphors and similes, it became too elaborate. Its more prevailing character however is strength, dignity, and fulness of meaning." 168 This industrious queen aspired also to be a poet. Her gentleman pensioner might amuse himself, and gratify her, by hailing her as an English Sappho.109 But flattery is neither criticism nor truth. There are very few remains of her Parnassian exercises, and she, like thousands who have touched the Heliconian lyre, has only shewn, that gifted hands can alone 'make it discourse eloquent music,' and that her admired fingers were not those of Apollo or of his sister Muses. She shone more in her vocal and instrumental melody, and in the gay and measured movements of Terpsichore, tho without being particularly distinguished in either.170 Her curiosity seems to have been universal; for we also find her listening 168 Its occasional defect is remarked in the Sloane MSS. Her manner of writing was somewhat obscure, and the style not vulgar: as being either learned by imitation of some author, whom she delighted to read, or else affected for difference sake, that she might not write such phrases as were commonly used.' Ellis, p. 193. 160 Puttenham dashes boldly into this high panegyric: And oft yourself, with lady Sappho's pen, In sweet measures of poetry t'indite, The rare affecter of your heavenly sprite. And his prose is still more extravagantly hyperbolical. See his 'Art of Poetry,' 50. His versified summary of her endowments, in his Partheniades, p. 37, is much nearer the truth. 170 In matters of recreation, as singing, dancing, and playing upon instruments, she was not ignorant, nor excellent; a measure, which in things indifferent best beseems a prince.' MSS. Ellis, 193. In her second year, one Treasorer had 'devised and given to the queen a new musical instrument, sending forth the sound of flutes and records.' For this she granted him a renewal for twelve years of her sister's patent. And what was this patent for? Liberty to buy 100,000 lasts of ashes, and 400,000 dozens of old worn-out shoes, and to export them to foreign parts!!! Ellis, Second, v. 3. p. 202. Risum teneatis! 171 to an adept's discourses on the philosopher's stone,' 171 In 1598, sir John Stanhope wrote to Cecil: 'I was all the afternoon with her majesty, at my book. She was pleased with the Philosopher's Stone, and hath been all this day reasonably quiet.' D'Israeli Curios. v. 1. p. 463. 172 In 1565 Charnock presented her with his book, richly gilt; which he describes in his dedication to her to be,' As to the true and perfect making of the philosopher's stone; a most precious pearl for princes; a jewel above all the jewels of the world.' Strype, v. 4. p. 508. 173 We see this transition in Charnock's distinguishing to her, that there were 6 two sciences, a false and a true. The false is named alchemy, written in liquid and delicious words, which common practitioners do follow, thinking thereby to make both silver and gold, working with sulphur, arsenic, quicksilver, sal ammoniac, and other salts and bodies combined; merging them together, dissolving them, vapouring them, congealing them, and other operations manifold.' He tells her, that a number, not only in this, your highness's realm, but also throughout all Europe, desire to put in practice this false science of alchemy, for lucre sake, whereby they be deceived, and, yearly, great riches consumed.' But he aspires to teach her 'the true science.' This, he says, was revealed unto him in the reign of her sister, by a friar, under a most sacred and dreadful oath. He assures her, 'that the science of natural philosophy is a science most true;' and that by it may be wrought, in length of time, that rich jewel, named the Philosopher's Stone.' Strype, 510, 511. He styles himself Student in the science of astronomy, physic, and natural philosophy.' ib. 508. 174 Lord Burghley's letter, from his house in the Strand, to the chancellor of Cambridge, was written on 7 May 1588, amid all the bustle of preparing against the armada, to signify her command, that no graduate or scholar within the university should wear a hat, except on a journey, but a square cap of cloth; and that all others who have taken no degree as scholars, wear a round cloth cap. The sons of noblemen and knights might wear round caps of velvet, but no hat. The D.D.'s and masters were to use scarlet tippets or tippets of velvet. All were to wear a gown and hood of cloth, according to his degree, which gown, tippet, and square cap, the said doctors and heads shall be bound to wear when they shall resort to the court or to London.' Velvet, satin, and silk were forbidden, and all long locks of hair. Every scholar's head was to be polled and rounded. Ellis, First Series, v. 3. p. 24-8. 6 17 Lord Burghley wrote, in 1580, to Cambridge, recommending to its СНАР. XXXVII. II. BOOK bearing of Shakspeare's instructive and soul-commanding Muse; and we see in this quality an immortal superiority in his works, over all his buskined competitors, whom curiosity may rescue from their shrouds for our transient inspection: but to whom no praise can now give the virtue they want; nor, from that deficiency, can it make them popular in human society, where, altho vice may be written or practised, it is never honored, and will not long be remembered. Shakspeare, shunning the infected regions, in which they chose to sport, has escaped their consuming disease, and lives still in vigorous and venerated health; producing and teaching a new intellectual progeny in every age, who feel their greatest merit to be an emulous resemblance of their undying prototype. But it is probable that no small portion of this merit, which will make his dramas interesting and serviceable to every age of the human race, arose from the moral taste and feeling of his illustrious queen whom he aspired to please; and of those statesmen and noblemen of congenial spirit, in whom her selecting confidence and friendship were principally placed. Born in 1564, he composed twenty-three of his thirty-five dramas, before she died.176 heads lord Oxford's players, that they might shew their cunning in |