Mary The Queen Dauphiness The Queen And The Queen Dowager Of France
Shortly after the espousals, Mary and her husband retired to one of their
princely summer residences. Here she unostentatiously discharged the
duties of a respectful and attentive wife, in a manner which gained for
her the admiration of all who visited them. Delightful as society and
amusements must at that age have been to her, she readily accommodated
herself to the peculiar temper of Francis, and seemed willing, for his
But the intriguing and restless ambition of her uncles could not allow her
to remain long quiet. About this time, Mary Tudor, who had succeeded
Edward VI. on the English throne, died; and although the Parliament of
that country had declared that the succession rested in her sister
Elizabeth, it was thought proper to claim for Mary Stuart a prior right.
The ground upon which they built this claim was the following. Henry VIII.
married for his first wife Catharine of Arragon, widow of his brother
Arthur, and by her he had one child, Mary. Pretending after having lived
with her eighteen years, that his conscience rebuked him for making his
brother's wife the partner of his bed, he procured a divorce from
Catharine for the purpose of marrying Anne Boleyn, by whom he had also one
daughter, Elizabeth. Growing tired of this new wife, she was sent to the
scaffold to make way for Jane Seymour, by whom he had one son, Edward. Of
this uxorious monarch's other three wives, it is unnecessary to speak.
Henry had procured from the British Parliament a solemn act, declaring
both his daughters illegitimate, and he left his crown to Edward VI., who
accordingly succeeded him. Upon Edward's death, the Parliament, rescinding
their former act, in order to save the nation from a civil war, called to
the throne Henry's eldest daughter Mary,--not, however, without a protest
being entered in behalf of the Scotch Queen by her guardians. Upon Mary's
death, the opportunity again occurred of pressing the claims of the
daughter of James V. The mother of that king, it will be remembered, who
married his father James IV., was the eldest daughter of Henry VII., and
sister, consequently, of Henry VIII. Henry was, therefore, Mary's maternal
grand-uncle; and if his wives, Catharine and Anne Boleyn, were legally
divorced, she had certainly a better right to the English Crown than any
of their illegitimate offspring. Soon after the accession, however, of
Edward VI., the Parliament, complying with the voice of the whole nation,
had declared them legitimate; and as Elizabeth now quietly took possession
of the throne, and could hardly by any chance have been dispossessed, it
was, to say the least, extremely ill-advised to push Mary forward as a
rival claimant.
For various reasons, however, this was the policy which the Guises chose
to pursue. Nor did they proceed to assert her right with any particular
delicacy or caution. Whenever the Dauphin and his Queen came into public,
they were greeted as the King and Queen of England; and the English arms
were engraved upon their plate, embroidered upon their scutcheons and
banners, and painted on their furniture. Mary's favourite device,
also, at this time, was the two crowns of France and Scotland, with the
motto, Aliamque moratur, meaning that of England. The prediction made by
the Duke of Alva, on observing this piece of empty parade, was but too
fatally fulfilled,--"That bearing of Mary Stuart's," said he, "will not be
easily borne."
About this time Mary seems to have been attacked with the first serious
illness which had overtaken her in France. It was not of that acute
description which confined her to bed, but was a sort of general debility
accompanied with a tendency to frequent fainting. It is mentioned in
Forbes's State Papers, that on one occasion, to prevent her from swooning
in church, her attendants were glad to bring her wine from the altar.
There were some at the French Court who would have felt little grief had
this illness ended fatally, considering how serious a blow Mary's death
would have been to the too predominating influence of the House of Guise.
In England, the news would have been particularly agreeable to Elizabeth,
whose ambassador at Paris eagerly consoled her with the intelligence that
Mary was not expected to be of long continuance. The natural strength of
her constitution, however, soon restored her to her former health and
spirits.
But it was destined that there was to be another and more unexpected death
at the French Court. Henry II., while exhibiting his prowess at a
tournament, on the occasion of the marriage of his daughter Elizabeth to
Philip of Spain, in July 1559, received a wound in the head from the spear
of his antagonist, the Count Montgomery, which, though apparently not of
much consequence at first, occasioned his dissolution eight days
afterwards. A considerable change immediately took place in the aspect of
the Court. The stars of the Duchess de Valentinois, and of the Constable
Montmorency, set at once; and that of Catharine de Medicis, though not
entirely obscured, shone lower in the horizon. She was now only the
second lady in France, Mary Stuart taking the precedence. The Guises
reigned along with her, and the House of Bourbon trembled. Catharine, who
could bear no superior, more especially one young enough to be her own
daughter, could ill disguise her chagrin. As a guardian, however, of her
late husband's younger sons, the presumptive heirs to the crown, she was
entitled to maintain her place and authority in the Government. There is a
curious little anecdote of her which shows how much the change in her
situation was preying on her mind. As she was leaving the Palace of the
Tournelles, to accompany Francis to the Louvre, where he was to appear as
the new Sovereign, she fell into a reverie, and in traversing the gallery,
took a wrong turn, and was entirely separated from her party before she
discovered her mistake. She soon overtook them, however, and as they
passed out, said to Mary,--"Pass on, Madam, it is now your turn to take
precedence." Mary accepted the courtesy, but with becoming delicacy
insisted that Catharine should enter the carriage first. There is
something more affecting in the change which Henry's death produced in the
condition of the venerable Montmorency and his family. He whom three
monarchs had loved and respected, who had given dignity to their counsels,
and ensured success to their arms, was not considered worthy of remaining
in the palace of the feeble and entrammelled Francis. With a princely
retinue, he retired honourably to his mansion at Chantilly.
Mary was now at the very height of European grandeur. The Queen of two
powerful countries--and the heir-presumptive of a third,--in the flower of
her age,--and, from her superior mental endowments, much more worshipped,
even in France, than her husband, she affords at this period of her
history as striking an example as can be found of the concentration of all
the blessings of fortune in one person. She stood unluckily on too high
and glorious a pinnacle to be able to retain her position long, consistent
with the vices vitae mortalium. Whilst she conducted herself with a
prudence and propriety altogether remarkable, considering her youth and
the susceptibility of her nature, she began to be regarded with suspicion
at once by France, England, and Scotland. In France, she was obliged to
bear the blame of many instances of bigotry and over-severity in the
government of her uncles;--in England, Elizabeth took every opportunity to
load with opprobrium a sister Queen, whose descent, birth, station, and
accomplishments, were so much superior to her own;--in Scotland, the
Reformers, inspired by James Stuart, who, with ulterior views of his own,
was contented to act as the tool of Elizabeth, laboured to make it be
believed that Mary was an uncompromising and narrow-minded Catholic.
In September 1559, Francis was solemnly crowned at Rheims; and during the
remainder of the season, he and Mary, attended by their nobles, made
various progresses through the country. In December, Francis, whose health
was evidently giving way, went, by the advice of his physicians, to Blois,
celebrated for the mildness of its climate. It affords a very vivid idea
of the ignorant superstition of the French peasantry to learn, that on
his journey thither, every village through which he passed was deserted.
An absurd story had been circulated, and was universally believed, that
the nature of Francis's complaints were such, that they could only be
cured by the royal patient bathing in the blood of young children. Francis
himself, although probably not informed of the cause, observed with pain
how he was every where shunned; and, notwithstanding the soothing
tenderness of Mary, who accompanied him, is said to have exclaimed to the
Cardinal Lorraine, "What have I done to be thus shunned and detested? They
fly me; my people abhor me! It is not thus that the French used to receive
their King."
Misfortunes, it is said, never come singly. Whilst Mary was performing the
part of an affectionate nurse to her husband, she sustained an
irretrievable loss in the death of her mother, the Scottish Regent, in
June 1560; and in the December following, her husband, Francis, died at
Orleans, in the 17th year of his age, and the 17th month of his reign.
Feeling that his exhausted constitution was sinking rapidly, and that his
death was at hand, almost the last words he spoke were to testify his
affection for Mary, and his sense of her virtues. He earnestly beseeched
his mother to treat her as her own daughter, and his brother to look upon
her as a sister. He was a prince, says Conaeus, in whom, had he lived,
more merit would probably have been discovered than most people
suspected. The whole face of things in France was by this event
instantly changed again. Francis the Little, as he was contemptuously
termed by the French, in opposition to his father Francis the Great, was
succeeded by his younger brother, Charles IX. He being still a minor, his
mother, Catharine, contrived to get herself appointed his guardian, and
thus became once more Queen of France, the nobility, as Chalmers remarks,
being more inclined to relish a real minority, than an imaginary
majority. Catharine's jealousy of Mary Stuart, of course extended
itself, with greater justice, to her uncles of Guise. It was now their
turn to make way for Montmorency; and the Cardinal of Lorraine, one of the
most intriguing statesmen of the age, retired, in no very charitable mood
of mind, to his archbishopric at Rheims, where, in a fit of spleen, he
declared he would devote himself entirely to religion.
There is something exceedingly naive and amusing in Sir James Melville's
account of this "gret changement." "The Queen-mother," says he, "was blyth
of the death of King Francis, her son, because she had na guiding of him,
but only the Duke of Guise and the Cardinal, his brother, by raisoun that
the Queen, our maistress, was their sister's dochter. Sa, the Queen-mother
was content to be quit of the government of the house of Guise; and for
their cause (sake) she had a great mislyking of our Queen." Of
Montmorency, who, as soon as he heard of the illness of Francis,
commenced his journey towards the Court, he says,--"The Constable, also
chargit to come to the court, looked for na less, and seamed to be seak,
making little journees, caried in a horse-litter, drew time sae lang by
the way, that the King, in the meantime, died. Then he lap on horsbak and
cam freely to the Court and commandit, like a Constable, the men of war
that gardit the Croun, by the Duke of Guise commandement, to pack them aff
the toune. The Queen-mother was also very glaid of his coming, that by his
autority and frendship with the King of Navarre, she mycht the better
dryve the house of Guise to the door." Of Mary, who, it may well be
supposed, felt this change more than any one, Melville says,--"Our Queen
also, seeing her friends in disgrace, and knawing hirself no to be weil
liked, left the Court, and was a sorrowful widow when I took my leave at
hir, in a gentilman's house, four myle fra Orleans." To this "gentilman's
house," or chateau, in the neighbourhood of Orleans, Mary had retired to
shed in private those tears, which the death of her husband called forth.
In losing Francis, she had lost the playmate of her childhood, the husband
of her youth, and what, by many women, would be considered as serious a
loss as either, the rank and title of Queen of France. It was here,
probably, that she composed those verses to the memory of her deceased
husband, which her biographers have so frequently copied, and which are so
full of gentle and unaffected feeling.
Mary, however, was at this time a personage of too much importance in the
politics and affairs of Europe, to be left long unmolested to the
indulgence of that sincere, but commonly temporary, sorrow of a widow of
eighteen. New suitors were even now beginning to form hopes of an alliance
with her; and two of the earliest in the field were, Don Carlos of Spain,
and the King of Navarre. But Mary was determined to listen to no proposals
of a matrimonial nature, till she had arranged the plan of her future
life. France was no longer for her the country it had once been. Her
affectionate father-in-law Henry, and her amiable, though weak, husband
Francis, both of whom commanded for her the first rank in the State, were
dead; her mother would never visit her more, for her tomb had already been
erected at Rheims, and her proud uncles had been banished from the Court.
Mary had too high a spirit, and knew her own superiority too well, to
brook for a moment the haughty control of Catharine de Medicis. She felt
that not all the blood of all the merchants of Italy, could ever elevate
the Queen-Dowager to an equality with one who, as it is said she herself
once expressed it, drew her descent from a centinary line of Kings.
Catharine felt this painfully, and the more so, that when Mary once more
made her appearance at Court, she perceived, in the words of Miss Benger,
that "the charms of her conversation, her graceful address, her
captivating accomplishments, had raised the woman above the Queen."
In the mean time, by the Reformed party in Scotland, the news of the death
of Francis was received with any thing but sorrow. Knox declared
triumphantly that "his glory had perished, and that the pride of his
stubborn heart had vanished into smoke." The Lord James, her natural
brother, was immediately deputed by the Congregation to proceed to
France, to ascertain whether the Queen intended returning to her native
country, and if she did, to influence her as much as possible in favour of
the true gospel and its friends. Nor were the Catholics inactive at this
critical juncture. A meeting was held, at which were present the
Archbishop of St Andrews, the Bishops of Aberdeen, Murray, and Ross, the
Earls of Huntly, Athol, Crawfurd, and Sutherland, and many other persons
of distinction, by whom it was determined to send as their ambassador to
Mary, John Lesly, afterwards Bishop of Ross, and one of the Queen's
staunchest friends, both during her life and after it. He was of course
instructed to give her a very different account of the state of matters
from that which the Lord James would do. He was to speak to her of the
power and influence of the Catholic party; and to contrast their fidelity
both to her and to her mother, with the rebellious proceedings of those
who supported the covenant.
The Lord James went by the way of England, and Lesly sailed from Aberdeen
for Holland. Both made good speed; and Lesly arrived at Vitry in
Champagne, where Mary was then residing, only one day before the Prior of
St Andrews. He lost no time in gaining admission to the Queen; and though
there is little doubt that his views were more sincere and honourable than
those of her brother, it is at the same time very questionable whether the
advice he gave her was judicious; and it is probably fortunate that Mary's
good sense and moderation led her to reject it. Lesly commenced with
cautioning her against the crafty speeches which he knew the Lord James
was about to make to her, assuring her that his principal object was to
insinuate himself into her good graces, to obtain the chief management of
affairs, and crush effectually the old religion. The Prior, Lesly assured
her, was not so warm in the cause of the Reformers, from any conviction of
its truth, as from his wish to make it a stepping-stone for his own
ambition. For these reasons, he advised her to bring with her to Scotland
an armed force, and to land at Aberdeen, or some northern port, where the
Earl of Huntly and her other friends would join her with a numerous army,
at the head of which she might advance towards Edinburgh, and defeat at
once the machinations of her enemies. The Queen, in reply to all this,
merely desired that Lesly should remain with her till she returned to
Scotland, commanding him to write, in the mean time, to the Lords and
Prelates who sent him, to inform them of her favourable sentiments towards
them, and of her intention to come speedily home.
The day after Lesly's audience, Mary's old friend the Lord James (for it
will be remembered, that thirteen years before he had come to France with
her, and he had in the interval paid her one or two visits) obtained an
interview with his sister. He had every desire to retain the favourable
place which he flattered himself he held in her estimation; and, though so
rigid a Reformer among his Scottish friends, his conscience does not seem
to have prevented him from paying all the court he could to his Catholic
Sovereign. In the course of his conversation with her, he carefully
avoided every subject which might have been disagreeable to Mary. He
beseeched her to believe, that she would not find the remotest occasion
for any foreign troops in Scotland, as the whole nation was prepared
faithfully to obey her. This assurance was true, as it turned out; but it
is not quite certain whether the Prior of St Andrews was thinking, at the
time, so much of its truth, as of its being convenient, for various
reasons, that Mary should have no standing force, at her command, in her
own kingdom. Mary gave to her brother the same general sort of answer that
she had previously given to Lesly. At the same time, she was secretly
disposed to attribute greater weight to his arguments, and treat him with
higher consideration, for a reason which Melville furnishes. It appears
that the French noblemen, who, on the conclusion of peace with England had
returned from Scotland, had all assured her, that she would find it most
for her interest to associate in her councils the leaders of the
Reformers,--particularly the Prior himself,--the Earl of Argyle, who had
married her natural sister, the Lady Jane Stuart,--and Maitland of
Lethington.
It is worthy of notice, that, affairs of state having been discussed, the
Prior ventured to speak a word or two for his own interest. He requested
that the Earldom of Murray might be conferred on him, and the Queen
promised to attend to his request on her return to Scotland. Having thus
prudently discharged his commission, the Lord James took his leave,
visiting Elizabeth on his way home, as he had already done before passing
over into France. About the same time, many of the Scotch nobility, in
anticipation of her speedy return, came to pay their duty to the Queen,
and, among them, was the celebrated Earl of Bothwell.
More
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A Furious Letter
A period now began of daily penance to Mrs. Talbot, of daily excitement and delight to Cis. Two hours or more had to be spent in attendance on Queen Mary. Even on Sundays there was no exemption, the visit only took place later in the day, so as ... A Lioness At Bay
It was in the middle of the summer of 1586 that Humfrey and his young brother Richard, in broad grass hats and long feathers, found themselves again in London, Diccon looking considerably taller and leaner than when he went away. For when, after ... A Tangle
It was a rainy November afternoon. Dinner was over, the great wood fire had been made up, and Mistress Talbot was presiding over the womenfolk of her household and their tasks with needle and distaff. She had laid hands on her unwilling son Edwar... A Venture
"Mother, dear mother, do but listen to me." "I must listen, child, when thou callest me so from your heart; but it is of no use, my poor little one. They have referred the matter to the Star Chamber, that they may settle it there with closed do... Addendum
Through the kindness of William Traill, Esq. of Woodwick, Orkney, we are enabled to give the following authentic genealogical account of the manner in which the interesting portrait of Mary Queen of Scots, engraved for this Work, and particularly ... An Examination Of The Letters Sonnets And Other Writings Adduced In Evidence Against Mary Queen Of Scots
O place and greatness! millions of false eyes Are stuck upon thee! Volumes of report Run with these false and most contrarious guests Upon thy doings! Thousand 'scapes of wit Make thee the father of their idle dream, And rack thee in t... Beads And Bracelets
The Countess was by no means pacified by the investigation, and both she and her family remained at Court, maligning her husband and his captive. As the season advanced, bringing the time for the Queen's annual resort to the waters of Buxton, Lor... Before The Commissioners
Who would be permitted to witness the trial? As small matters at hand eclipse great matters farther off, this formed the immediate excitement in Queen Mary's little household, when it was disclosed that she was to appear only attended by Sir Andr... Bothwell
1566-1567 Earl of Bothwell.--His desperate character.--Castle of Dunbar.--The border country.--Scenes of violence and blood.--Birth of James.--Its political importance.--Darnley's conduct.--Darnley's hypocrisy.--Mary's dejection.--A divorce propo... Bothwell's Seizure Of The Queen's Person And Subsequent Marriage To Her
Every thing appeared now to be going smoothly with Bothwell, and he had only to take one step more to reach the very height of his ambition. Mary's hand and Scotland's crown were the objects he had all along kept steadily in view. The latter was t... Bothwell's Trial And Acquittal
During the whole of the day that succeeded her husband's death, (Monday the 10th of February 1567), Mary shut herself up in her own apartment, and would see no one. Bothwell was anxious to have conversed with her, but overpowered with grief, she w... Cis Or Sister
Buxtona, quae calidae celebraris nomine lymphae Forte mihi post hac non adeunda, Vale. (Buxton of whose warm waters men tell, Perchance I ne'er shall see thee more, Farewell.) Thus wrote Queen Mary with a diamond upon her window pan... Evidence
In the meantime the two Richard Talbots, father and son, had safely arrived in London, and had been made welcome at the house of their noble kinsman. Nau and Curll, they heard, were in Walsingham's house, subjected to close examination; Babingt... Evil Tidings
After giving orders for the repairs of the Mastiff, and the disposal of her crew, Master Richard Talbot purveyed himself of a horse at the hostel, and set forth for Spurn Head to make inquiries along the coast respecting the wreck of the Bride of ... Fotheringhay
"Is this my last journey?" said Queen Mary, with a strange, sad smile, as she took her seat in the heavy lumbering coach which had been appointed for her conveyance from Chartley, her rheumatism having set in too severely to permit her to ride. ... Her Education In France
1548-1556 Departure.--Stormy voyage.--Journey to Paris.--Release of prisoners.--Barabbas.--St. Germain.--Celebrations.--The convent.--Character of the nuns.--Interest in Mary.--Leaving the convent.--Amusements.--Visit of Mary's mother.--Queen do... Her Royal Highness
Cicely had been living in almost as much suspense in London as her mother at Fotheringhay. For greater security Mr. Talbot had kept her on board the Mastiff till he had seen M. d'Aubepine Chateauneuf, and presented to him Queen Mary's letter. Th... Hunting Down The Deer
Humfrey had been sworn in of the service of the Queen, and had been put in charge of the guard mustered at Chartley for about ten days, during which he seldom saw Cicely, and wondered much not to have heard from home: when a stag-hunt was arranged... In The Tower
"Here is a letter from Mr. Secretary to the Lieutenant of the Tower, Master Richard, bidding him admit you to speech of Babington," said Will Cavendish. "He was loath to give it, and nothing but my Lord Shrewsbury's interest would have done it, o... In The Web
It was a beautiful bright summer day, and Queen Mary and some of her train were preparing for their ride. The Queen was in high spirits, and that wonderful and changeful countenance of hers was beaming with anticipation and hope, while her demean... John Knox The Reformers And The Turbulent Nobles
Mary had been only a few days in Scotland when she was painfully reminded of the excited and dangerous state of feeling which then prevailed on the important subject of Religion. Her great and leading desire was to conciliate all parties, and to p... Loch Leven Castle
1567-1568 Grange of Kircaldy.--Mary's letter.--Removal of Mary.--A ride at night.--Loch Leven Castle.--The square tower.--Plan of Loch Leven Castle.--Lady Douglas.--Lady Douglas Mary's enemy.--Parties for and against Mary.--The Hamilton lords.--P... Mary And Lord Darnley
1562-1566 Stormy scenes.--Lord James.--Acts of cruelty.--Mary's energy and decision.--Her popularity.--Story of Chatelard.--His love and infatuation.--Trial of Chatelard.--His execution and last words.--Mary and Elizabeth.--The English succession... Mary At Lochleven Her Abdication And Murray's Regency
Scotland was now in the most unfortunate condition in which a country could possibly be. Like a ship without a pilot, it was left at the mercy of a hundred contrary opinions; and it was not long before there sprung out of these two opposing curren... Mary The Queen Dauphiness The Queen And The Queen Dowager Of France
Shortly after the espousals, Mary and her husband retired to one of their princely summer residences. Here she unostentatiously discharged the duties of a respectful and attentive wife, in a manner which gained for her the admiration of all who vi... Mary's Arrival At Holyrood With Sketches Of Her Principal Nobility
Mary landed in Scotland with a mind full of anxiety and uncertainty. She came alone and unprotected, to assume the government of a country which had long been distinguished for its rebellious turbulence. The masculine spirit of her father had quai... Mary's Birth And Subsequent Residence At The French Court
Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots, was the third child of James V. and his wife, Mary of Guise. That lady had born him previously two sons, both of whom died in infancy. Mary came into the world on the 7th of December 1542, in the Palace of Linlithgow. ... Mary's Childhood
1542-1548 Palace where Mary was born.--Its situation.--Ruins.--The room.--Visitors.--Mary's father in the wars.--His death.--Regency.--Catholic religion.--The Protestants.--England and France.--The Earl of Arran.--The regency.--Arran regent.--Ne... Mary's Death And Character
On the 7th of February 1587, the Earls, who had been commissioned to superintend Mary's execution, arrived at Fotheringay. After dining together, they sent to inform the Queen, that they desired to speak with her. Mary was not well, and in bed; bu... Mary's Eighteen Years' Captivity
The last eighteen years of Mary's life were spent in imprisonment, and are comparatively a blank in her personal history. She was transported, at intervals, from castle to castle, and was intrusted sometimes to the charge of one nobleman, and some... Mary's Escape From Lochleven And The Battle Of Langside
With few comforts and no enjoyments, Mary remained closely confined in the Castle of Loch-Leven. Her only resources were in herself, and in the religion whose precepts she was ever anxious not only to profess, but to practise. Though deprived of l... Mary's Expedition To The North
The Lord James, now Earl of Mar, had for some time felt, that so long as he was regarded with suspicion by the Hamiltons, and with ill-concealed hatred by the Earl of Huntly and the Gordons, his power could not be so stable, nor his influence so e... Mary's Marriage Personal Appearance And Popularity
The time now approached when Henry began to think of confirming the French authority in Scotland, by consummating the contract of marriage which had so long existed between Francis and Mary. This was not, however, to be done without considerable o... Mary's Reception In England And The Conferences At York And Westminster
If there had been a single generous feeling still lurking in Elizabeth's bosom, the time was now arrived when it should have discovered itself. Mary was no longer a rival Queen, but an unfortunate sister, who, in her hour of distress, had thrown h... Mary's Return To Scotland And Previous Negotiations With Elizabeth
Elizabeth being informed of Mary's intended movements, thought the opportunity a favourable one, for adjusting with her one or two of their mutual disagreements. Mary's refusal to ratify the celebrated treaty of Edinburgh, had particularly galled ... Mary's Trial And Condemnation
The closing scene of Mary's life was now rapidly approaching. Debilitated as she was by her long confinement, and the many painful thoughts which had been incessantly preying on her peace of mind, it is not likely that she could have long survived... Master Talbot And His Charge
The afternoon on which they were to enter the old town of Kingston-upon-Hull closed in with a dense sea-fog, fast turning to drizzling rain. They could see but a little distance on either side, and could not see the lordly old church tower. The ... Misfortunes
1559-1561 Mary's love for Francis.--How to cherish the passion.--Grand tournament.--Henry's pride.--An encounter.--The helmet.--The vizor.--King Henry wounded.--His death.--The mournful marriage.--The dauphin becomes king.--Catharine superseded.-... Mother And Child
Cicely was well enough the next day to leave her room and come out on the summer's evening to enjoy the novel spectacle of Trowle Madame, in which she burned to participate, so soon as her shoulder should be well. It was with a foreboding heart t... My Lady's Remorse
"And have you brought her back again! O my lass! my lass!" cried Mistress Susan, surprised and delighted out of her usual staid composure, as, going out to greet her husband, an unexpected figure was seen by his side, and Cicely sprang into her a... Occurrences Immediately Preceding Darnley's Death
We are now about to enter upon a part of Mary's history, more important in its results, and more interesting in its details, than all that has gone before. A deed had been determined on, which, for audacity and villany, has but few parallels in ei... On The Humber
Master Talbot had done considerately in arranging that Cicely should at least begin her journey on a pillion behind himself, for her anguish of suppressed weeping unfitted her to guide a horse, and would have attracted the attention of any serving... Paul's Walk
Will Cavendish, who was in training for a statesman, and acted as a secretary to Sir Francis Walsingham, advised that the letters should be carried to him at once that same evening, as he would be in attendance on the Queen the next morning, and s... Queen Mary's Presence Chamber
The storm that followed on the instalment of the Lady Arbell at Sheffield was the precursor of many more. Her grandmother did sufficiently awake to the danger of alarming the jealousy of Queen Elizabeth to submit to leave her in the ordinary cham... Return To Scotland
1561 Calais.--Artificial piers and breakwaters.--Throckmorton.--Elizabeth's plans.--Throckmorton baffled.--Throckmorton's advice.--Queen Catharine's farewell.--Escort.--Embarkation.--Spectators.--Unfortunate accident.--Mary's farewell to France.-... Rizzio
1561-1566 David Rizzio.--Embassadors.--Rizzio's position.--Rizzio French secretary.--Displeasure of the Scotch nobles.--They treat Rizzio with scorn and contempt.--He consults Melville.--Melville's counsel.--Melville and the queen.--Rizzio's reli... Scotland And Its Troubles During Mary's Infancy
James V. left, as an inheritance to his kingdom, an expensive and destructive war with England. He likewise left what, under such circumstances, was a very questionable advantage, a treasury well stored with gold, and a coinage in good condition, ... Scotland And The Scottish Reformers Under The Regency Of The Queen-dowager
It was in the year 1517, that Luther first stated his objections to the validity of the indulgences granted so liberally by Pope Leo X. From this year, those who love to trace causes to their origin, date the epoch of the Reformation. It was not, ... Summary Of Queen Mary
During the reigns of James IV. and James V., Scotland emerged from barbarism into comparative civilization. Shut out, as it had previously been, from almost any intercourse with the rest of Europe, both by the peculiarities of its situation, and i... Ten Years After
It was ten years later in the reign of Elizabeth, when James VI. was under one of his many eclipses of favour, and when the united English and Dutch fleets had been performing gallant exploits at Cadiz and Tercera, that license for a few weeks' ab... Tete-a-tete
During that close imprisonment at Tixall Cicely learnt to know her mother both in her strength and weakness. They were quite alone; except that Sir Walter Ashton daily came to perform the office of taster and carver at their meals, and on the fir... The Bewitched Whistle
A child's point of view is so different from that of a grown person, that the discovery did not make half so much difference to Cis as her adopted parents expected. In fact it was like a dream to her. She found her daily life and her surrounding... The Blast Of The Whistle
Richard Talbot was of course convinced that witchcraft was not likely to be the most serious part of the misdeeds of Tibbott the huckstress. Committing Antony Babington to the custody of his wife, he sped on his way back to the Manor-house, where ... The Captive
Death and sorrow seemed to have marked the house of Bridgefield, for the old lady never rallied after the blood-letting enjoined by the Countess's medical science, and her husband, though for some months able to creep about the house, and even som... The Castle Well
"What vantage or what thing Gett'st thou thus for to sting, Thou false and flatt'ring liar? Thy tongue doth hurt, it's seen No less than arrows keen Or hot consuming fire." So sang the congregation in the chapel at Chartley,... The Clash Of Swords
Festivals in the middle ages were conducted by day rather than by night, and it was a bright noonday sun that shone upon the great hall at Sheffield, bedecked with rich tapestry around the dais, where the floor was further spread with Eastern carp... The Death Of Darnley
It was on Sunday, the 9th of February 1567, that the final preparations for the murder of Darnley were made. To execute the guilty deed, Bothwell was obliged to avail himself of the assistance of those ready ministers of crime, who are always to b... The Ebbing Well
Cicely's thirst for adventures had received a check, but the Queen, being particularly well and in good spirits, and trusting that this would be her last visit to Buxton, was inclined to enterprise, and there were long rides and hawking expedition... The End
1586-1587 Plots and intrigues.--How far Mary was involved.--Babington's conspiracy.--Secret correspondence.--Seizure of Mary's papers.--Her son James.--Elizabeth resolves to bring Mary to trial.--Fotheringay Castle.--Great interest in the trial.-... The Fall Of Bothwell
1567 Mary's infatuation.--Excuses for her.--Mary's deep depression.--Interposition of the King of France.--Bothwell at Edinburgh Castle.--He is hated by the people.--The opposing parties.--How far Mary was responsible.--Melrose.--Ruins of the abb...