II. BOOK whose reign they have been more deeply indebted.17 The unceasing conspiracies and implacable hostilities which she endured and surmounted, are ample testimonies of the momentous importance of her life and sovereignty. If they had succeeded, dark and evil would have been the fate and history both of England and of Europe, from the day of their dismal triumph to our present period, which has become so much happier only from their providential disappointment. Benefiting thus others so extensively, it is a pleasure to find that she lived and ruled, respected and attended to by the most distant powers. Even the sultan Amurath III. sought her friendship; 18 and his sultana paid her the unusual compliment of addressing to her a letter of personal kindness.' Her peace-making spirit extended even to harmonize the Turkish emperor, and Poland.182 The sophi of Persia expressed likewise his admiration of her, and granted a port in the Gulf of Persia for the reception 179 In her lifetime she was styled by the foreign churches, and at her death generally lamented by them, as the nursing mother of the French, Dutch, and Italian exiles for Christ's name; and the UNCONQUERED DEFENDERESS of the whole Christian religion.' Beza, cited by Speed, p. 908. King James I. justly distinguished her in his Epitaph as, Patriæ parenti; religionis et bonarum artium altrici.' 180 In the MSS. of the British Museum, is a letter from Amurath III. to Elizabeth, dated from Constantinople, 15 March 1579, desiring to be on friendly terms with her, and signifying that he had given licences to Englishmen to traffic in his dominions. On 25 October 1599, is a copy of her letter to the grand Turk, in favor of some merchants. MSS. Nero, B. 8. p. 45; 41. The same MS. contains a list of the Turkey merchants, and their request to the queen of a loan. 181 The same MS. contains the letter of this sultana to Elizabeth, p. 57. 183 Her letter in 1590 to Barton, approving of his proceedings to avert a war between Turkey and Poland, is in the same MS. p. 50. Of these eastern powers, Speed remarks: In most of their dominions, to the great enriching of her kingdom, she settled commerce for increase of merchandise, and got large privileges for encouragement of her merchants, whom she cherished as a most necessary and important part of her weal public.' p. 907. 185 XXXVII. of English vessels; 183 and Alamuman Abdel Melech, CHAP. the emperor of Morocco and Fez, also corresponded in amity with her.184 But the simple expressions of the humble Jewess from the Ottoman capital, inserted in the note, are perhaps not the least interesting." Elizabeth had sent a present to the Turkish sultana mother, who now, to prove the love she bore to the English queen,' returned her ́ a robe and a girdle, and two kerchiefs wrought in gold, and three in silk, after the Mussulman fashion; a necklace of pearls and rubies, with a wreath of pearls and diamonds, from the sultana's own jewels.' The daughter of Israel communicates to her, the delivery of these rich civilities to the English ambassador for her use, and adds from the sultana, ‘which your majesty will be pleased to wear for the love of her.' 187 9186 183 In this MS. of Nero, B. 8 is J. Cartwright's relation of the sophi of Persia's great admiration of Elizabeth; his desire that she may make peace with Spain, and of his making this grant. p. 68. 184 It was on 10th July 1577, that this Moorish king sent the answer in MS. Nero, B. 8. p. 64, to the letters which Elizabeth had, in the preceding July, addressed to him on commercial subjects. Her instructions to her envoy on these are in p. 62. 185 They seem to have been written with the sultana's approbation: 'As the sun with his rays shines upon the earth, so the virtue and greatness of your majesty extend over the whole universe; so much so, that those who are of different nations and laws desire to serve your majesty. This I can say for myself, that being a Hebrew, of laws and of a nation different from yours, yet from the first hour that it pleased the Most High to put into the heart of our most serene queen to use my services, I have been always very desirous that an opportunity should occur to me in which I might shew these my wishes to your majesty.' The letter is in Italian, dated from Constantinople, 16th November 1599. Her name was Esperanza Malchi. Mr. Ellis has printed it, v. 3. p. 53. 166 Ellis, p. 54. 187 The Jewess then requests for her Turkish mistress some female embellishers of beauty from Elizabeth: Your majesty being a lady full of condescension, I venture to prefer the following request; that since there are to be met with in your kingdom distilled waters of every description for the face, and odoriferous oils for the hands, your majesty BOOK II. The memory of Elizabeth has been advantageously accompanied with the tributary applauses of intelligent foreigners, her contemporaries: of whom De Thou, who has commended her with his superior pen; 188 and Castelnau, who personally observed and felt her merit, will be read with pleasure by every liberal minded Englishman.189 She avowed that the will favor me, by transmitting some by my hand for this most serene 188 Elizabeth had a masculine and elevated courage, and displayed from the beginning of her reign, a refined mind, instructed by adversity. The equality of soul which appeared in all her conduct, to the end of her life, produced that regular and constant happiness which accompanied her to her death. Magnificent in the distribution of her favors, yet always giving more to merit than from her inclination; she governed her liberalities with a prudential care, lest her finances being exhausted by her bounty, she should be forced to press upon her people to supply them. Always foreseeing, never avaricious, she enjoyed her fortune in all its exalting height, not with that security which abandons itself to its pleasures, but with that wise inquietude which becomes a prince, who is always on guard against evils that may supervene.' De Thou, Hist. 1. 129. v. 14. p. 144. 189 She has prospered in all her affairs, and continues to do so, and not from any great superfluities or immense donations which she has made; for she has always been a great economist, yet without exacting from her subjects, as preceding sovereigns had done. Her greatest desire has been the repose of her people, who have become surprisingly enriched during her reign. She had all the great qualities which are requisite for a long reign; yet, however excellent her talents, she never would decide or undertake any thing on her own opinion, but she always referred it to her council. Preserving herself free from all wars, she rather threw them upon her neighbours, than drew them on herself, and thus was like Augustus, when he closed the temple of Janus, by the universal peace which he established around him. She has been taxed with avarice, but unjustly, because she would not make large donations. She discharged all the debts of her predecessors, put her own finances into good order, and amassed great riches without imposing any new tax on her people. She has reigned eight years together without asking for any subsidy, tho her predecessors required one every three years; and in 1570, when her subjects offered her the money, she thanked them, but declined it, and assured them, that she would never levy any, unless the necessity of the state required it.' Castel. Mem. v. 1. p. 61, 2. fame of future times was a boon which she desired;190 190 We learn this from lord Bacon: She was much pleased when told, that in a private or middling life, she might have surpassed her ancestors; but that now she would not live without the distinction of excellence among all mankind.' Bacon, p. 194. 191Revera discendum est non alium verum hujus feminæ laudatorem inveniri posse, quam TEMPUS; quod cum tamdiu jam volvetur nihil simile, in hoc sexu, quoad rerum civilium administrationem peperit.' Eliz. Mem. p. 194. Since this sheet was in the press, Mr. Bray CHAP. XXXVII. BOOK subsists, the more justly it will be able to appreciate II. the utilities derived from her reign, and to award the honor which she ought to receive for their intentional production.192 has obliged me with a letter of lady Wolley's to her father, which exhibits the queen as using towards him similar words of kindness, taking the form of playful allusions to courtship, with which she endeavored to please her nobility and gentry, without any other object-Since my coming to the court, I have had many gracious words of her majesty, and who many times bade me welcome with all her heart, every time since I have waited. Yesterday, she wore the gown you gave her, and took thereby occasion to speak of you; saying that ere long I should find a mother-in-law, which was herself; but she was afraid of the two widows, which are there with you, that they would be angry with her for it; and that she would give 10,000 l. you were twenty years younger; for she has but few such servants as you are. With many gracious speeches, both of yourself and my brother.' MS. Bray. Lady Wolley was one of Elizabeth's ladies of the bedchamber, and her father was sir William More, who died, like the queen, in 1603. 192 It may be desirable to many to know the view of this queen's character which LORD BOLINGBROKE has taken; as he had himself been a statesman and a leading cabinet minister, and therefore more capable than most of judging of her with a practical and discriminating intelligence. In his letters on the History of England, published in 1731, in the Craftsman, under the name of sir John Oldcastle, he thus states his sentiments: The most dangerous attacks on liberty are those which surprise or undermine; which are owing to powers given under pretence of some urgent necessity. QUEEN ELIZABETH shewed her moderation in desiring no suspicious powers, as well as in the exercise of her prerogative. This moderation was the more remarkable, because no prince ever had the pretence of necessity to urge on stronger appearances. Her whole reign may be almost called a state of defensive and offensive war; in England, as well as in Ireland; in the Indies, as well as in Europe. She ventured to go thro this state, if it was a venture, without a standing army-she esteemed the affection of her people to be the greatest security of her person, and the greatest strength of her government. Whenever she wanted troops, her subjects flocked to her standard. In many places, and on many occasions, her forces fought and conquered the best disciplined, veteran troops of Europe. She was careful to avoid every thing which might give the least umbrage to her people. The conduct which she held with respect to PARTIES deserves to be remarked, because the moderation, the wisdom and the equity which she shewed in it, contributed very much to cool the ferment in the beginning of her reign. By this, she had time to captivate the good will of her people; to settle her government; to establish her authority; and even to change the national religion, with little contradiction and without any disturbance. |