,,the ,picture ,gallery ,,explored4 ---------------------------------------- -------------------------------- ,illustration3 ,page #ab4 ,page #ec4 ,london3 ,published by ,harvey ,darton1 ,mar4 #a1 #ahbe4 ---------------------------------------- -------------------------------- ,,the ,,picture ,,gallery ,explored2 ,,or1 ,,an ,,account ,,of ,,various ,,ancient ,,customs ,,and ,,manners3 ,,interspersed ,,with ,,anecdotes ,,and ,,biographical ,,sketches ,,of ,,eminent ,,persons4 ,illustration3 ,,de ,,planoin ,,altum ,london3 ,,published ,,by ,,harvey ,,and ,,darton1 ,,gracechurch ,,street4 #ahbe4 ---------------------------------------- -------------------------------- ,,preface4 ---------- ,,although nothing is original in the following little work1 except the dialogue1 which was necessary as a connecting link2 yet the compiler trusts1 that it will be found to contain1 in a small compass1 much useful and interesting information4 ,in selecting the anecdotes from writers of acknowledged merit and veracity1 she has endeavoured to avoid1 as much as possible1 the beaten track1 and to introduce names and points of character1 not usually presented to the notice of children4 ,she still remembers1 with pleasure1 the avidity with which1 when quite young1 she perused true stories1 and how anxiously she sought for further particulars of those illustrious individuals1 who either gained her affectionate admiration by their exemplary virtues1 or elated her young imagination by the brilliancy of their talents or their achievements4 ,such biographical sketches are introduced1 as were thought likely to awaken emulation1 or to lead forward in the path of piety and knowledge4 ---------------------------------------- -------------------------------- ,,the ,,picture ,,gallery4 ---------- ,,chapter ,i4 8,,well1 ,ann10 said ,susan ,spencer1 8it really is fixed for us to visit cousin ,robert2 for mamma has given orders to ,hayward to prepare our clothes1 and we are to set out next ,monday40 8,i cannot think what can induce mamma to visit him just now10 answered ,susan3 8he is such an oddity1 ,i hear1 and lives so very retired4 ,mary ,morgan told me1 7and ,mary knows him well17 that he rarely goes into parties2 and she laughed immoderately1 when she said that the heavy little windows1 and massy doors of the old mansion1 always reminded her of a monastery2 and1 for her part1 she thought it would be better to turn it into one1 people it with monks1 and make ,mr4 ,wilmot superior of the order4 ,i cannot tell you half that she said2 but it was so droll1 that we all laughed with her40 8,i dare say you did10 replied ,susan2 8and ,i think it excessively provoking to be immured there1 when the ,drummonds1 and the ,williams's1 and the ,grovenors are going to the seaside4 ,it vexes me to think how ,miss ,drummond will boast1 when she returns1 of the company she has been introduced to1 the new fashions she has seen1 and how often her music and dancing were praised2 whilst you and ,i must sit by1 without having a word to say1 or being able to relate any thing but the histories of the old rooks1 that perched in the high trees close to the house1 or----or----0 ,but here they were interrupted by the entrance of their mother2 and as they well knew that observations of this kind would be displeasing to her1 they turned the conversation to some indifferent subject4 ,susan and ,ann ,spencer were the daughters of a military officer1 whose delicate state of health had obliged his wife to accompany him abroad2 leaving1 with reluctance1 her two little daughters to the care of their paternal grandmother4 ,they were good-tempered1 affectionate1 and animated2 but the mistaken fondness of the old lady1 had not only indulged their weaknesses1 and forbade any correction of their errors1 but had introduced them into all her parties2 so that their little heads were filled with the love of dress and visiting4 ,the death of their father in ,india1 and the return of their mother1 after an absence of six years1 suddenly put a stop to these injudicious plans2 and ,susan and ,ann had been under their mother's care about three months1 when the preceding dialogue took place4 ,mrs4 ,spencer was a woman of too sincere piety1 and too good an understanding1 to allow her grief1 deep as it was1 for her departed husband1 to interfere with her duties towards her children4 ,she knew that the best test she could give of affection to his memory1 was to render them worthy of his name1 and1 if possible1 inheritors of his virtues4 ,she loved them with the tenderest affection1 but she was not blind to their faults2 and whilst she strove to gain their confidence1 she endeavoured1 by gentle means1 to counteract their foibles4 ,whilst she was endeavouring to arrange her plans1 she received an invitation from her cousin1 ,mr4 ,wilmot1 an elderly gentleman1 and the guardian of her children1 to pay him a visit of some months2 and knowing that she should receive from him that advice and co-operation1 which long experience1 a sound judgment1 and a well-informed mind could bestow1 she hesitated not to accept so desirable a proposal4 ,on the following morning the party left ,brook-street1 and in a few days reached the place of their destination1 without the occurrence of any material incident on the road4 ,they were received with the hospitality and politeness inseparable from benevolence and good-breeding2 and even ,susan and ,ann1 prejudiced as they were1 could not help silently allowing1 that he was neither quite so ugly1 nor so old-fashioned1 as they expected4 ,the evening passed cheerfully in detailing the little events of their journey2 and when1 as their cousin took them by the hand1 in bidding them good night1 he kindly said1 8,i have known both your parents from infancy1 and hope that ,i shall find1 on further acquaintance1 that you1 my dear girls1 are equally worthy of my love10 they involuntarily dropped their best curtseys1 and returned his salutation with their most good-humoured smiles4 ,mr4 ,wilmot was fond of children1 and he devised many schemes for ,susan's and ,ann's amusement4 8,when we are become better known to each other10 said he to ,mrs4 ,spencer1 8,i shall submit some plans for their instruction2 till then1 allow me to dissipate the gloomy ideas that1 ,i dare say1 have crept into their minds1 from the notion of visiting a recluse old man40 ,and so completely did he succeed1 that1 in a few weeks1 the two girls wondered that they could ever have imagined such an agreeable visit could be a dull one4 ,the summer was now in its beauty1 and a party was proposed for an excursion on the water4 ,mr4 ,wilmot1 who had entered into more company since the arrival of his relations1 readily acquiesced in the invitation of a neighbouring family1 that he and the ladies should partake of the proposed pleasure4 ,the little girls anticipated with youthful impatience the happy morning2 and scarcely had day-light entered their chamber1 when1 jumping out of bed1 they drew aside their curtains1 in the hope of beholding a resplendent day2 and their disappointment was extreme1 in finding it pouring with rain1 without the slightest prospect of its cessation4 ,with heavy hearts they descended to the breakfast-table2 and after watching for some time the continued pattering of the rain1 ,susan at last exclaimed1 8,how mortifying6 ,i cannot think what we shall do with ourselves to-day40 ,mr4 ,wilmot smiled1 and said1 8,i hope1 my dear1 all our stores of amusement are not exhausted1 even though the elements are unpropitious to our excursion4 ,when you have finished your bread and butter1 ,i fancy this key 7drawing at the same time one from his pocket17 will unlock some little store of entertainment40 8,oh1 ,sir1 we will be ready in a few minutes10 said the girls1 brightening up at this intelligence2 and eagerly dispatching the remains of their meal1 they followed their kind cousin through the hall1 till he stopped at an oaken door1 to which he applied the key2 and in an instant they found themselves within a spacious and handsome ,,picture ,,gallery4 ---------------------------------------- -------------------------------- ,,chap4 ,,ii4 ---------- 8,,stop1 stop1 my dears10 cried ,mr4 ,wilmot1 in answer to the girls' repeated enquiries3 8one question1 if you please1 at a time4 ,what did you say1 ,ann80 8,i was wondering1 ,sir10 answered ,ann1 8that you should have1 amongst this beautiful collection of paintings1 an engraving of ,london ,bridge3 ,i have passed over it repeatedly1 and never saw any thing remarkable in it40 8,perhaps not1 my dear10 said ,mr4 ,wilmot2 8but might not this proceed from your ignorance of the events connected with it4 ,for my own part1 ,i never cross it without musing on the #8mighty past1' and contrasting the eventful scenes that have taken place either upon it1 or in its immediate vicinity1 with the present happy state of commercial bustle and national peace40 8,and pray1 ,sir1 what were those events80 asked ,ann3 8when did they take place1 and when was the bridge built8 ,if it is not too much trouble1 perhaps you will have the kindness to relate to us a few of these particular circumstances40 8,certainly1 my love10 answered ,mr4 ,wilmot2 8and in endeavouring to give you the information you desire1 ,i trust you will find it not only a detail of dates1 but a chain of interesting anecdotes2 which have1 moreover1 for you1 ,susan1 the additional charm of being all true4 ,and now1 without any further preface1 ,i shall inform you1 that the first notice of the existence of a bridge occurs in the laws of ,ethelred1 which fix the tolls of vessels coming to ,billingsgate ad pontem4 ,pennant remarks that it could not be prior to #iic1 when ,unlaf the ,dane sailed up the river as high as ,staines1 without interruption2 nor yet subsequent to the year #ajaf1 in which ,ethelred died1 and the great ,canute1 king of ,denmark1 when he besieged ,london1 was impeded in his operations by a bridge1 which even at that time must have been strongly fortified1 to oblige him to have recourse to the vast expedient ,i shall tell you of4 ,he caused a prodigious ditch to be cut on the south side of the ,thames1 at ,rotherhithe or ,redriff1 a little to the east of ,southwark2 which he continued at the south end of the bridge1 in the form of a semicircle1 opening into the western part of the river4 ,through this he drew his ships1 and effectually completed the blockade of the city4 ,evidences of this great work were found in the place called ,dock ,head1 near ,redriff4 ,in digging this dock1 in #afid1 fascines 7or faggots7 of hazel and other brush-wood1 fastened down with stakes1 were discovered2 and large oaken planks1 and numbers of piles1 have been met with in ditching1 in other adjacent parts4 8,previous to the erection of the bridge1 a ferry had long been established1 on or near the site4 ,some historians assert1 that the first stone bridge was built or commenced in the reign of the empress ,maude2 but during the boisterous era of her brief dominion1 and her incessant struggle for power with king ,stephen1 it may be supposed that she had little time for beautifying the city4 8,pennant and other antiquarians inform us1 that the first stone bridge was built in the reign of ,john1 by ,peter1 curate of ,st4 ,mary ,cole ,church1 a celebrated architect of that period3 it proved the work of thirty-three years2 and ,peter dying in the interim1 was buried in the chapel1 which he had constructed in one of the piers1 in honour of ,st4 ,thomas4 8,solidity appears to have been the chief object of the artist2 and to accomplish this object1 all other considerations were disregarded or sacrificed4 ,it would be superfluous to descant on the well-known defects of the foundation of ,london ,bridge3 they survive to this day1 though not to the same extent as formerly4 ,you will be surprised to hear1 that the bridge was crowded with houses1 badly constructed1 which leaned in a terrific manner1 and were obliged to be propped with timber1 which crossed in arches from the roofs1 to keep the buildings together1 and to prevent them from falling into the river4 ,dismal confined residences1 immersed in dirt and dissonance1 for ever assailed by the din of carts and rumbling over the narrow pavement2 the clamours of watermen1 the rush of falling waters1 and the frequent shrieks of drowning wretches1 whelmed in the cataract below3 to these horrors1 were added1 at intervals1 the calamities of fire and pestilence4 8,a conflagration burst out on the south-west side3 the bridge was instantly covered with multitudes1 who rushed out of the city to extinguish the flames4 ,whilst engaged in this charitable office1 the fire seized the other end1 and hemmed in the crowd4 ,above three thousand persons perished3 those who escaped the flames1 were swallowed by the waves2 and the fire above was only less insatiable than the deluge beneath4 ,originally there were three openings on each side of the street1 decorated with balustrades1 to give the passengers a view of the water and the shipping4 8,in one of these a draw-bridge was contrived1 useful either by way of defence1 or for the admission of vessels into the upper part of the river4 ,this was protected by a strong tower1 which being well armed and manned1 occasioned the repulse of ,fauconbridge1 in #adga1 in his wild attempt upon the city1 at the head of a lawless banditti1 under pretence of rescuing the unfortunate ,henry the ,sixth1 at that time a prisoner in the ,tower in ,london4 ,sixty houses on the bridge were burnt in the desperate attack1 and no less desperate defence4 ,a second conflict took place during the ill-conducted insurrection of ,sir ,thomas ,wyatt1 in the reign of ,queen ,mary2 and the check which that rash adventurer received1 in endeavouring to force the bridge1 brought on a series of disasters which ended in the total annihilation of his disorganized force4 ,he1 and about sixty of his followers1 were executed1 and their heads gibbeted in the most public parts of the city4 ,so late as the year #aeih1 ,hentner1 the ,german traveller1 enumerated above thirty heads1 which he had counted with a pathetical accuracy2 and the old map of the city1 #aeig1 represents them in horrible clusters40 8,how dreadful such exhibitions must have been60 said ,susan4 8,yes1 my dear1 it must have been revolting to every humane mind3 and ,i gladly turn your attention from the contemplation of this frightful spectacle1 to the romantic exploits of ,edward ,osborne1 apprentice to ,sir ,william ,hewit1 cloth-worker1 who1 about the year #aecf1 was an inhabitant of one of the perilous houses on the bridge4 ,a maid-servant1 playing with his only daughter in her arms1 at a window over the water1 dropped the child3 death seemed inevitable2 for few escaped the whirlpools below1 and still fewer were daring enough to hazard their own lives1 in the fearful chance of saving another's2 but young ,osborne lost not a moment in considering the risk1 but plunged gallantly into the torrent1 and brought the rescued infant safely to land4 ,his intrepid valour met its due reward3 when the young lady attained womanhood1 she paid her preserver with her heart4 ,several persons of rank asked her hand in marriage2 and the earl of ,shrewsbury1 representative of the noble family of ,talbot1 became a suitor to the merchant's heiress4 ,but1 undazzled by the title which courted her acceptance1 with the tender devotedness to her first affection1 that renders woman's love so pure and holy1 she kept her faith to her more humble lover2 and ,sir ,william1 grateful for the precious blessing of a daughter endued with one of the sweetest attributes of feminine virtue1 generously gave her to him who best deserved the boon4 ,edward ,osborne proved no common man3 he took the tide of fortune at the flood1 and became the founder of a family destined to obtain the highest honours in the state4 ,the duke of ,leeds sprung from this auspicious union40 8,i am glad this brave young man succeeded so well10 said ,ann4 8,have you any more anecdotes to tell us1 ,sir80 8,a melancholy tale10 continued ,mr4 ,wilmot1 8is connected with the annals of ,london ,bridge4 ,amidst the multitudes who have found a grave in the dangerous abyss which yawns beneath1 one voluntarily sought in it a resting-place1 and oblivion for a spirit deeply wounded by the ingratitude of a friend4 ,the son of ,sir ,william ,temple1 the bosom counsellor of ,william of ,nassau1 yet the honest adviser of his ill-starred master1 ,james the ,second1 when his father declined to take a share in the new government1 accepted the office of secretary of war4 ,his interest procured the release of captain ,hamilton1 confined in the ,tower for high treason1 under his promise that he would repair to ,tyrconnel1 then in arms for king ,james in ,ireland1 and persuade him to submit4 ,when arrived in that country1 this faithless friend immediately joined the rebels1 and led on a regiment to the attack of king ,william's troops4 ,the taunts of rival courtiers1 the unfortunate termination of his endeavours to serve his sovereign2 and1 above all1 the sting of that barbed arrow1 winged by the hand of one whom he had so loved and trusted1 threw him into a profound melancholy2 and though the king was fully convinced of his innocence1 he possessed not fortitude to sustain the mental pang4 ,on the #adth of ,april1 #afhi1 he hired a boat on the ,thames1 and directed the waterman to shoot the bridge3 at that instant he flung himself into the cataract2 and having filled his pockets with stones1 to prevent all chance of safety1 instantly sunk4 8,he left a note in the boat1 in explanation of the motives which led to the fatal resolution1 to this effect3 #8,my folly in undertaking what ,i was unable to perform1 has done the king and kingdom a great deal of prejudice4 ,i wish him all happiness1 and abler servants than ,john ,temple4' 8,deeply as we must lament the wrongs and sufferings of this unfortunate gentleman1 we cannot help deploring still more his melancholy end4 #8,thou shalt not kill1' is a sacred and imperative command1 equally involving self-destruction with murder4 ,and1 although the spirit may be goaded to agony1 yet insanity can alone apologize for suicide4 ,let us hope1 that in this instance1 it was temporary mental aberration that led to the fatal act4 8,but to return to the narrative of ,london ,bridge4 ,the church of ,st4 ,magnus1 at the bottom of ,fish-street ,hill1 is a memorial of the foresight and sagacity of ,sir ,christopher ,wren4 ,the houses on the bridge1 at the time that this building was erected1 projected beyond it1 and reached the church1 when they became too great a nuisance to be tolerated1 and were taken down4 ,the foot-path to the bridge was obstructed by the tower of ,st4 ,magnus1 so that travellers were obliged to traverse the carriage-road4 ,unwilling to endure the continuance of this inconvenience1 a meeting was held to consult on the propriety of cutting a passage through the wall4 ,this expedient was considered to be extremely hazardous2 but no other being practicable1 it was determined to try it4 ,the workmen1 on commencing their operations1 found a complete and perfect arch1 which this great architect1 foreseeing the alterations which time would render necessary on the bridge1 had provided for the convenience of posterity4 ,when the present bridge shall be taken down1 passengers will have to rejoice at the increased convenience and comfort that a new erection may afford2 but the antiquary will sometimes heave a sigh over the destruction of this silent memorial of days long passed away40 8,pray1 ,sir10 said ,susan1 when ,mr4 ,wilmot paused1 8who was ,sir ,thomas ,wyatt1 of whom you spoke in the early part of your account80 8,sir ,thomas ,wyatt1 of ,allingham ,castle in ,kent10 replied ,mr4 ,wilmot1 8was the son of the poet1 wit1 and courtier of that name4 ,he was once distinguished for his zealous loyalty1 and is said to have been also a catholic1 a peculiarly acceptable circumstance in the reign of queen ,mary1 herself a rigid ,papist4 ,though allied in blood to the ,dudleys1 not only had he refused1 to ,northumberland1 his concurrence in the nomination of ,jane ,grey1 but without waiting to see which party would prevail1 he had proclaimed queen ,mary in the market-place at ,maidstone2 for which instance of attachment he had received her thanks4 ,but ,wyatt had been employed1 for several years1 on embassies to ,spain2 and the intimate acquaintance he had acquired of the principles and practices of its court1 filled him with such horror1 that1 on the intended marriage of ,mary with ,philip1 he incited his friends and neighbours to rebellion4 ,for this unguarded and very wrong step1 he justly suffered the punishment of the laws4 ,other charges were adduced2 and it was said1 7how truly cannot now be ascertained17 that it was the intention of the conspirators to dethrone ,mary1 and place her sister ,elizabeth on the throne1 having first married her to the earl of ,devonshire4 ,these latter accusations might be groundless2 but when a man permits himself to take up arms against his sovereign1 he cannot say1 #8,so far will ,i go1 and no further4'0 8,thank you1 ,sir10 said ,susan1 when ,mr4 ,wilmot concluded3 8,i hope all your anecdotes are not finished40 8,amongst the names that ,i have enumerated10 replied ,mr4 ,wilmot1 8,i forgot to mention ,sir ,william ,wallace1 who was hanged and quartered in ,smithfield1 in #acje1 and his head stuck upon a pole fixed upon ,london ,bridge40 8,dear ,sir10 said ,susan1 8what crime had he committed8 and who was he80 8,his only crime1 my dear10 answered the old gentleman1 8was magnanimously defending his country against the ambitious designs of our king ,edward the ,first4 ,but to answer to your second question fully1 ,i must enter first into a few particulars4 8,one of the enterprises that presented itself to the ambition of the martial ,edward1 was the conquest of ,scotland2 a country which he was desirous of annexing to his hereditary dominions1 as ,ireland and ,wales had already been2 or1 at least1 of reducing it to a state of dependance on the ,english crown4 ,a dispute arose about this time1 between the competitors for the crown of ,scotland1 ,john ,baliol and ,robert ,bruce1 whose claims were nearly equal1 and whose parties were almost of equal strength4 8,to avoid the horrors of a civil war1 the chiefs determined that the question should be referred to the king of ,england1 for arbitration4 8,this appeal furnished ,edward with the occasion he had long desired1 of laying claim to the sovereignty of ,scotland4 ,he endeavoured1 in vain1 to establish his right by precedents1 arguments1 and diplomatic reasonings4 ,none of these availed to produce conviction in the minds of the ,scotch1 till they were backed by a powerful army6 ,judgment was at last given in favour of ,baliol1 though clogged with the condition1 that he should take the oath of allegiance to the king of ,england4 ,but this unhappy prince soon found1 that1 instead of being a sovereign1 he was really a slave4 ,to remind him of his dependance on the crown of ,england1 ,edward cited him1 on every trifling occasion1 to his court1 and required him to renew his homage continually4 ,this royal vassal was summoned six times in the course of the year1 to appear before the king in parliament1 and answer to complaints lodged against him2 and1 on some of these occasions1 he was treated with the greatest indignity4 ,averse as was this prince from war1 he could not submit to such degradation1 but secretly prepared to shake off a yoke which had proved so galling4 ,an open rupture would probably have immediately ensued1 had not the attention of ,edward been withdrawn from the affairs of ,scotland1 by a war with ,france1 in which he found himself suddenly involved4 ,a scuffle which had taken place between the crew of a ,norman and ,english vessel1 involved the nations to which they belonged in a destructive war1 which raged with great fury for a considerable time1 and in which torrents of human blood were wantonly shed4 8,in order to avert the storm of war from his own dominions1 the ,french king made common cause with ,baliol of ,scotland1 and encouraged him to assert his independence2 and ,edward immediately suspended his continental operations1 that he might lend his whole strength to the conquest of ,scotland1 and the subjection or expulsion of its sovereign4 8,the ,scottish chiefs1 who had witnessed with indignation the degradation of their king and country1 gathered all their forces2 and every thing indicated the approach of a tremendous conflict4 ,but as yet they wanted a leader of sufficient courage and patriotism1 around whose banner they might rally with confidence4 ,baliol made a feeble effort to preserve his crown2 but was at length utterly defeated by the earl of ,warienne1 in the battle of ,dunbar1 after which he surrendered himself to ,edward1 who committed him to the ,tower of ,london1 where the unfortunate prince languished several years in solitary confinement4 8,nor was the severity of the king confined to the person of the fallen monarch4 ,many of the nobility of ,scotland were sent into ,england1 and immured in different castles2 the ensigns of royalty were carried off1 with all the contents of the ,scottish treasury2 and the most important affairs1 both civil and military1 confided to ,englishmen4 8,thus ,scotland wore1 for a time1 the appearance of a conquered country2 and it is not improbable that ,edward flattered himself1 that these hardy sons of the north were completely brought into subjection4 ,if such1 however1 were his expectations1 he was soon undeceived2 for whilst the king was carrying on the continental war1 for the recovery of those possessions which had formerly belonged to the ,english crown1 a revolution suddenly broke out in ,scotland1 which was stirred up by a chief of great intrepidity and inflexible patriotism4 ,this celebrated chieftain was ,sir ,william ,wallace1 whose virtues and heroic deeds make so conspicuous a figure in the annals of ,scotland1 and whose name well deserves to be enrolled amongst the patriots and martyrs of former generations4 8,this generous chief1 feeling yet more acutely for the oppressed state of his country1 than for his personal wrongs1 gathered around him a small but valiant band1 which harassed the ,english army in all its movements1 and not unfrequently attacked1 with success1 detachments of the army1 far superior in number to themselves4 ,the reputation1 and consequently the followers of ,wallace1 increased daily2 until1 at length1 he was able to give battle to the earl of ,surry1 who commanded an army of forty thousand veteran soldiers1 and he defeated him1 with great loss1 in the celebrated battle of ,stirling4 ,following the tide of success1 which had set in so strongly in his favour1 ,wallace drove the ,english before him1 out of ,scotland1 penetrated into the border counties1 took possession of several ,english fortresses of great strength1 and returned laden with the spoils of victory4 ,edward was informed of these disasters1 while prosecuting a war in ,flanders1 and lost no time in repairing to the north of ,england1 with all the troops he could collect4 ,in a short time he found himself at the head of an army1 containing upwards of eighty thousand infantry and seven thousand cavalry4 ,thus powerfully reinforced1 he marched forward to meet the enemy1 who were encamped near ,falkirk4 ,a tremendous battle ensued1 in which1 after prodigies of valour performed on both sides1 the ,english were completely victorious4 ,but notwithstanding the overwhelming forces of the ,english monarch1 and the divided state of their own country1 the ,scottish patriots were not deterred from persisting in the attempt to regain their independence1 however hopeless it might appear4 ,they rallied again and again1 after repeated defeats and losses1 until1 at length1 the principal nobility of ,scotland1 moved by jealousy of each other1 and corrupted by the flatteries of ,edward1 deserted1 and finally betrayed1 their gallant leader4 ,the satisfaction of ,edward was too great to be concealed1 when he learned that ,wallace had been delivered into his hands1 by the treachery of ,sir ,john ,monteith1 one of his own countrymen3 unmindful of the generosity which had distinguished his youth1 he now breathed revenge against his fallen adversary1 and ordered him to be conducted to ,london1 where he was publicly executed as a traitor1 though he had never been a subject of the ,english crown40 8,oh1 how unjust10 said ,susan4 8,do tell us some more anecdotes40 8,oh1 pray do10 said ,ann4 8,i am sorry to refuse you10 answered ,mr4 ,wilmot2 8but it is two o'clock1 and it is time to join your mamma4 ,besides10 continued he1 smiling1 8we should even use our rational pleasures with moderation1 if we mean to continue the enjoyment of them40 8,well1 then1 dear ,mr4 ,wilmot1 you will let us come soon again10 cried the girls4 8,yes1 my dears10 he replied4 8,but see1 the sun is shining3 we can take a little walk before dinner3 it will refresh you40 ,the party then left the gallery4 ---------------------------------------- -------------------------------- ,,chap4 ,,iii4 ---------- ,,as it is not my intention to enter so fully into the history of ,susan and ,ann1 as it is to relate the true stories they heard from ,mr4 ,wilmot1 ,i shall only just tell my young readers1 that the following day proving fine1 they enjoyed the promised excursion on the water4 ,the weather now becoming very sultry1 and the children unable to take their morning walks1 their mother and ,mr4 ,wilmot1 who sought to mingle instruction with amusement1 proposed that they should spend an hour or two1 in the middle of every day1 in the picture gallery4 ,the two little girls were delighted with this proposition1 and followed with alacrity their good-humoured conductor1 as he kindly led the way4 ,when they had entered the room1 ,mr4 ,wilmot stopped before a fine sketch of an entrance into ,oxford2 and whilst pointing out to the children the college at which he had been educated1 he enquired whether they had ever been told who were the first founders of the university4 ,the children answering in the negative1 ,mr4 ,wilmot proceeded to tell them that it was founded in the year #hhfa1 in the second year after ,st4 ,grimbald's coming over to ,england4 ,its first regents and readers in divinity were1 ,st4 ,neot1 an abbot and eminent professor of theology2 and ,st4 ,grimbald1 an eloquent and most excellent interpreter of the ,holy ,scriptures2 grammar and rhetoric were taught by ,asser1 a monk of extraordinary learning2 logic1 music1 and arithmetic1 by ,john1 a monk of ,st4 ,david's2 and geometry and astronomy by another ,john1 a monk and a colleague of ,st4 ,grimbald1 a man of acute wit and immense erudition4 8,these lectures10 says the annalist1 8were often honoured with the presence of the most illustrious and invincible king ,alfred1 whose memory1 to every judicious taste1 shall be sweeter than honey40 ,from this small beginning arose this now celebrated university1 which is at once the ornament and pride of the land4 ,footnote #a3 ,see ,camden's ,britannica4 ,a few observations made by ,mrs4 ,spencer1 who had joined the party1 led ,mr4 ,wilmot to give the following sketch of the progress of ,christianity1 from its first introduction into this country1 together with the origin and establishment of the protestant religion4 8,various are the opinions10 said he1 8entertained respecting the precise period when1 or by whom1 ,christianity was first introduced into this happy island4 ,nor can it tend to our improvement1 though it might gratify our curiosity1 to know1 whether ,st4 ,paul1 when he visited the #8western isles1' included ,england2 or whether his immediate predecessors1 or followers1 preached the #8glad tidings of salvation' to the natives4 ,it is sufficient for us to know1 that the gospel found its way hither some time in the first century2 since1 in the persecution of the ,christians1 by the cruel and tyrannical ,nero1 in the year #fd1 many of them fled hither for an asylum4 ,its progress in ,great ,britain1 during the three first centuries1 is certainly involved in some obscurity2 though it probably increased during the fourth century1 as we find three ,english bishops present1 at the council held at ,arminium1 respecting the ,arian controversy4 8,about this period the ,saxons1 having subdued the country1 pursued1 with unrelenting cruelty1 the ,christians3 multitudes of whom were put to death1 and thousands sought and found a refuge in the mountains of ,wales4 ,history has stamped the character of our countrymen in this age with infamy4 ,from the sovereign to the meanest of his subjects1 licentiousness and gross immorality abounded2 and it is cheering to turn from this darkened era1 to the labours of the celebrated ,st4 ,augustine1 and forty other monks1 who1 having been sent from ,rome1 for the purpose of converting our island to the faith1 succeeded in persuading the ,anglo ,saxons to embrace ,christianity1 about the year #eij4 ,on ,christmas-day1 king ,ethelbert and ten thousand of his subjects were baptized2 and though1 amongst this crowd of professed converts1 there is reason to fear that few possessed more than the name of ,christian1 we may yet believe there were some on whom the #8day-star' had not risen in vain4 8,in the seventh century our island had almost universally received the ,christian religion3 popish superstition had1 however1 unhappily mixed itself with the pure faith1 and increased rapidly4 ,one great source of corruption in the clergy1 was the practice that now prevailed of persuading people to relinquish their property to them1 and go on pilgrimage4 8,on the death of ,augustine1 who had been consecrated the first archbishop of ,canterbury1 ,laurentius succeeded to the vacant see2 and1 through his instrumentality1 king ,edbald was not only converted1 but promoted the gospel by every means in his power4 8,the first ,saxon king who completely cast all his #8idols to the moles and to the bats1' was ,ercombert1 the son of ,edbald1 who reigned in #fdj4 8,it is impossible to contemplate this era of our national history1 without regretting the superstitious1 and even idolatrous rites1 which were interwoven with the profession of the gospel made by our forefathers3 yet there is no doubt that genuine religion was possessed by many1 and ,great ,britain1 at this period1 was allowed the honour of enlightening several of the neighbouring northern nations4 8,in the eighth century1 the pope had obtained such influence1 that he exalted himself not only above every created being1 but laid claim to prerogatives and powers which belong to ,omnipotence alone4 ,the distinguishing doctrines of the gospel were hid under a mass of ceremonious observances3 pardon for sin was to be purchased at the hands of the priests2 and immense sums were raised1 by paying for masses1 to deliver the souls of the dead from purgatory4 8,still more lamentable was the state of religion in the ninth century4 ,but ,divine ,providence1 at this melancholy season1 raised up a #8nursing-father' to the ,english church1 in the person of king ,alfred1 who seems to have #8feared the ,lord from his youth1' having early habituated himself to prayer4 ,he was remarkable for his learning1 as ,i have before told you4 ,he died in the year #ijj1 and was buried at ,hyde ,abbey in ,winchester4 8,historians are all agreed that1 in the tenth century1 scarcely a vestige of true piety could be found4 ,it was called #8an iron age1 barren of all goodness--a leaden age1 abounding in all wickedness4' #8,christianity1' to borrow the words of ,melancthon1 #8during the middle ages1 was become a mere compound of philosophy and superstition4' #8,what religion did survive1' says an admirable author1 #8was confined to a few--was immured in cloisters--was exhausted in quibbles--was wasted in unprofitable subtleties--was exhibited with little speculative clearness1 and less practical clearness4' ,yet1 even in this dreary age1 one faint spark of light is discoverable4 ,bernard and ,guthebald1 two of the natives of ,britain1 went as missionaries to ,norway1 where they successfully preached the gospel1 which extended itself from thence to the ,orkneys1 ,greenland1 and ,iceland4 8,religion and literature both rather improved in the eleventh century4 ,the celebrated speech of ,william the ,conqueror1 after he became king of ,england1 has been often repeated4 ,this dauntless monarch refused to be considered as the vassal of the pope4 #8,i hold my kingdom1' said he1 #8from none but ,god and my sword4' ,this king was a great encourager of learning4 8,in the twelfth century ,oxford became celebrated as the seat of learning4 ,the clergy now boldly claimed exemption from civil jurisdiction1 and their right to appeal on all occasions to the pope4 ,to these extravagant pretensions king ,stephen readily assented2 but they were resisted by his successor1 ,henry the ,second4 ,in spiritual affairs he was1 however1 enslaved to the popedom2 and instances of his persecutions are recorded1 towards thirty men and women1 who fled into this country1 from ,germany1 to avoid similar cruelties4 8,in this century ,richard the ,first engaged in the ,crusades1 to recover the ,holy ,land from the ,turks1 but failed in his enterprise4 ,his brother ,john1 who succeeded him1 not only ignominiously swore fealty to the pope1 but stipulated for himself and his successors to pay an annual tribute to ,rome for ever1 on pain of forfeiture of his kingdom4 ,some idea may be formed of the thraldom in which this monarch was held1 from the following anecdote1 recorded with feelings of just indignation1 by ,holinshed1 in his ,chronicles4 8#8,when1' says he1 #8,john1 upon just occasion1 had received some grudge against the ambitious behaviour of the ,cistercian monks1 in the second year of his reign2 and1 upon denial to pay such sums of money as was allotted unto them1 had caused seizure to be made of such horses1 swine1 cows1 and other things of theirs1 which were maintained in his forests1 they denounced him as fast among themselves1 with bell1 book1 and candle1 to be accursed and excommunicated4 ,thereto they so handled the matter with the pope and their friends1 that the king was fain to yield to their good graces3 insomuch that a meeting for pacification was appointed between them1 at ,lincoln1 by means of the archbishop of ,canterbury1 who went often between him and the ,cistercian commissioners1 before the matter could be settled4 ,in the end1 the king himself came also unto the said commissioners1 as they sat in their chapterhouse1 and fell down at their feet2 craving pardon for his offences unto them1 and heartily requiring that they would1 from thenceforth1 commend him and his realm1 in their prayers1 unto the protection of the ,almighty1 and receive him into their fraternity3 promising1 moreover1 full satisfaction of their damages sustained1 and to build a house of their order1 in whatsoever place of ,england it should please them to assign2 and this he confirmed by charter4' 8,the thirteenth century commenced with the persecution of the ,waldenses1 one million of whom are said to have perished in ,france2 and the duke of ,alva boasted that he destroyed thirty-six thousand of these pious people in the ,netherlands4 8,the ,dominican and ,franciscan ,friars arose about this time1 and were in great repute amongst the people1 on account of their sanctity4 ,but their rapacity was unlimited2 and the cloak of religion alone disguised their exactions4 ,such was the superstition of the age1 that our countryman1 ,roger ,bacon1 was accused of magic1 on account of his extraordinary literary attainments1 and confined in prison a long time1 for no other crime4 ,he appears to have been a man not only of vast learning1 but of a philosophical and inventive genius4 8,in the fourteenth century1 true religion was scarcely to be recognized4 ,the king and people of ,england were reduced to a state of almost complete vassalage to the pope4 ,in the reign of ,henry the ,fifth1 a law was passed against the perusal of the ,scriptures in ,england4 ,it was enacted1 #8,that whatsoever they were1 that should read the ,scriptures in the mother tongue1 they should forfeit land1 cattle1 life1 and goods1 from their heirs for ever2 and so be condemned for heretics to ,god1 enemies to the crown1 and most errant traitors to the land4' 8,in this century arose the order of ,jesuits2 an order which obtained a political influence almost unparalleled4 ,their founder1 ,ignatius ,loyola1 was born at the castle of ,loyola1 in the province of ,guipuscoa1 in ,spain1 in #acia3 he was first page to ,ferdinand the ,fifth1 king of ,spain1 and then an officer in his army2 in which he signalized himself by his valour1 and was wounded in both legs1 at the siege of ,pampeluna1 in #adba4 8,to this circumstance the ,jesuits owe their origin2 for1 whilst he was under care of his wounds1 a life of the ,saints was put into his hands1 which determined him to forsake the military for the ecclesiastical profession4 ,his first devout exercise was to devote himself to the ,virgin ,mary1 as her knight3 he then went a pilgrimage to the ,holy ,land2 and1 on his return to ,europe1 he continued his theological studies in the universities of ,spain1 though he was then thirty-three years of age4 ,after this he went to ,paris2 and in ,france laid the foundation of this new order1 the ,institutes of which he presented to pope ,paul the ,third1 who made many objections to them2 but ,ignatius1 adding to his three vows1 of ,chastity1 ,poverty1 and ,obedience1 a fourth of implicit submission to the ,holy ,see1 the institution was at length confirmed2 and its founder expired the following year1 viz4 in #adej4 8,whilst we cannot but consider ,ignatius ,loyola in error1 and must most fully allow that the influence his followers obtained1 was dangerous and destructive2 #8yet1 perhaps1 of all the remarkable men whose lives have been recorded1 no one has displayed more ability in discovering his own deficiencies1 and more perseverance in correcting them4 ,by the rare union of unwearied patience and consummate prudence1 with perfect enthusiasm1 he accomplished the object of his ambition2 and lived to see a wider range of success than his boldest hopes could have anticipated#b4' ,footnote #b3 ,quarterly ,review4 8,but to return to my narration4 ,no punishment appears to have been more frequently inflicted by the clergy1 than that of public penance2 and as a curious instance of it occurs in this century1 in the reign of ,henry the ,fifth1 ,i shall give you the particulars4 8,in the afternoon of ,easter day1 a time which required devotion1 at a sermon in the east of ,london1 a great fray arose in the said church1 between the ,lord ,strange and ,sir ,john ,trussel1 on account of some misunderstanding subsisting between their wives4 ,many of the spectators interfering1 in order to appease1 if possible1 the tumult1 they were not only several of them badly wounded1 but one man1 named ,thomas ,petwardine1 killed on the spot4 ,the gentlemen were in consequence apprehended and committed to the ,tower1 and the service suspended4 8,when information reached the archbishop of ,canterbury respecting this outrageous profanation of the church1 he caused the offenders to be excommunicated in ,st4 ,paul's1 and all other churches in ,london2 and shortly after he sat at ,st4 ,magnus1 in order to enquire into the authors of the offence1 who were principally discovered to be ,strange and his wife4 ,on the following first of ,may1 the offenders submitted themselves to do penance1 and swore to do it agreeably as was enjoined1 which was as follows3 ,that1 immediately1 all their servants should1 in their shirts1 go before the parson of ,st4 ,dunstan's1 from ,st4 ,paul's to the said ,st4 ,dunstan's seat1 and the ,lord ,strange and his lady bare-footed2 ,reginald ,henwood1 archdeacon of ,london1 following them4 ,also it was appointed1 at the consecrating or hallowing the said church1 which they had profaned1 the lady should fill all the vessels with water1 and offer likewise to the altar an ornament of ten pounds2 and the lord1 her husband1 a pix 7or chest in which the ,host is kept7 of silver1 value of five pounds3 which done1 by way of satisfactory expiation1 they were absolved2 but ,lord ,strange had first made the wife of the said ,petwardine1 killed in the fray1 large amends4 8,but1 in the midst of this papal tyranny1 loud complaints began to be heard2 and1 towards the latter end of this century1 attempts were made to reform them4 ,thomas ,bradwardine1 archbishop of ,canterbury1 who devoted himself to the study of the ,holy ,scriptures1 and whose writings display the soundness of his doctrines1 flourished in this age4 ,he may be justly termed one of the morning stars of the ,reformation4 8,about the year #addj1 the art of printing was introduced2 and this1 under the divine blessing1 opened the way for the promulgation of the sacred volume1 with a rapidity unknown to manuscript editions4 ,the first printed book with moveable types1 was a copy of the ,bible1 which made its appearance between the years #adej and #adeb4 ,this discovery is certainly to be attributed to the ,germans1 whether it consisted in printing with blocks of wood1 or types moveable at pleasure4 ,john ,guttenburgh1 of ,mentz1 has the best claim to the honour of this invention4 ,the introduction of this invaluable art into this country1 in #addg1 is justly ascribed to ,william ,caxton1 a merchant of ,london1 who acquired a knowledge of it in his travels abroad4 ,he is said to have been a native of ,caxton1 a village near ,cambridge1 towards the latter end of the reign of ,edward the ,fourth4 ,the first book printed in the ,english tongue was #8,the ,recuyell of the ,history of ,troy2' and is dated ,september the nineteenth1 #adga1 at ,cologne4 ,the #8,game of ,chess1' dated in #adgd1 is allowed1 by all typographical antiquaries1 to have been the first specimen of the art among us4 ,mr4 ,caxton died in #adhf1 or1 according to other accounts1 in #adia4 8,in this century1 viz4 in #adbh1 the bones of ,john ,wickliffe1 the rising sun of the ,reformation1 were taken up and burnt1 by an order of the council of ,constance2 and his works were thrown publicly into the flames1 at ,oxford4 8,this great man was born at ,richmond in ,yorkshire1 in the year #acbd4 ,he was presented to the rectory of ,lutterworth in ,leicestershire1 through the influence of his friend the duke of ,lancaster2 and1 in spite of the machinations of the priests1 he not only preached with great success1 but his doctrines became extremely popular1 and he expired in peace1 on his living1 in the year #achd4 8,the event of his death was hailed with triumph by the popish faction4 ,but in vain did tyranny or artifice strive to stop the progress of truth3 his followers rapidly increased2 and1 under the name of ,lollards1 we find them enduring1 in the fifteenth century1 a furious persecution4 ,yet1 in spite of all that cruelty could devise1 the doctrines of ,wickliffe were not only maintained1 but1 one hundred and fifty years afterwards1 we find that they had made great progress through all ranks in the nation4 8,it was at this period that the ,reformation from popery and its errors commenced1 under the reign of ,henry the ,eighth2 and it was instigated1 in a great measure1 by the resistance of the pope to the divorce of this monarch1 from the widow of his brother ,arthur1 to whom he had been married several years1 and by whom he had one daughter1 afterwards queen ,mary4 ,religious scruples respecting the validity of this union1 were the ostensible motives given by the capricious king2 whilst a passion for ,ann ,boleyn1 a celebrated and accomplished beauty1 was the real motive which led to a step so wonderfully over-ruled for good4 8,that ,henry1 previous to this time1 had been a devoted papist1 may be inferred from a book which he wrote in defence of popery1 against ,martin ,luther1 the celebrated ,saxon reformer2 for which the pope had bestowed on him the title of #8,defender of the ,faith1' still retained by our monarchs4 ,during this period many persons suffered persecution2 and though it is far from my intention to enter into an account of many of the #8noble army of martyrs1' yet1 to render you thankful for the mercies you enjoy in this privileged land1 ,i will just mention1 that1 in #aeai1 six men and a woman were burnt at ,coventry1 for teaching the ,lord's prayer1 the creed1 and the ten commandments1 in the vulgar tongue4 8,on the #adth of ,november1 #aecb1 ,henry was secretly united to ,ann ,boleyn4 ,on the second of ,may1 #aecd1 the sentence of divorce was formally pronounced by ,cranmer1 between the king and ,catherine of ,arragon2 and1 on the twenty-eighth of the same month1 his marriage with ,ann ,boleyn 7who afterwards became the mother of our celebrated queen ,elizabeth7 was publicly confirmed4 ,the pope's excommunication followed this step immediately2 and ,henry was so enraged1 that he resolved to break entirely with the see of ,rome1 and to abolish the papal authority for ever4 8,the parliament confirmed his proceedings1 and thus were our forefathers delivered from the tyranny of ,rome4 8,but1 strange as it may appear to you1 persecution still raged1 and many sufferers might be named1 who1 about this period1 underwent martyrdom2 for ,henry1 though he had indignantly renounced the temporal authority of the pope1 was still zealously devoted1 in all spiritual matters1 to the ,romish forms4 ,neither party1 consequently1 escaped his wrath4 ,the reformers1 who1 by their preaching and writings1 attacked the doctrinal errors1 and exposed the superstitious and burdensome ceremonies of papacy1 were equally liable to punishment with the ,romish priests and laymen1 who denied his supremacy4 ,whilst the lesser abbeys1 to the number of three hundred and seventy-six1 were suppressed1 and1 not long after1 the greater ones shared the same fate2 yet1 with an inconsistency peculiar to ,henry's character1 he caused several eminent protestants1 among whom was the excellent lady ,ann ,askew1 to be burnt to death in ,smithfield4 8,one great act was achieved in this reign--the translation of the ,bible into ,english2 and1 in the month of ,september1 #aech1 ,thomas ,cromwell1 lord privy-seal1 viceregent to the king's highness1 sent forth instruction to all bishops and curates throughout the realm2 charging them to see1 that in every parish-church1 the ,bible of the largest volume printed in ,english1 should be placed for all men to read in3 and a book of register was also provided and kept in every parish-church1 wherein was to be written every wedding1 christening1 and burying1 within the same parish for ever4 ,crosses and images in many places were taken down3 one image in particular is mentioned1 as exposed at ,st4 ,paul's cross1 by the bishop of ,rochester1 and afterwards broken and plucked in pieces4 ,this piece of machinery seems to have been curiously contrived1 so as to move the eyes and lips4 8,but the death of ,henry put an end to the dangerous versatility of his opinions2 and the short reign of ,edward the ,sixth1 who succeeded his father when but nine years of age1 was marked by signal benefits to the protestant cause4 ,not only were sundry injunctions issued for the removing of images out of all churches1 and measures taken for the suppression of idolatry and superstition within his realms and dominions1 but the ,homilies 7which are still in use in the church7 were composed by many of the most pious and learned men of the age1 and directed to be read generally for the edification of the lower classes3--the ,lord's supper was ordered to be administered to the laity3--the ,catechism was compiled for the use of children1 by ,cranmer3--the ,liturgy was established by law2 and the ,articles were drawn up1 explanatory of the doctrines of the ,church of ,england1 and which1 in the main1 appear1 under the name of the thirty-nine articles1 in the ,prayer-book4 8,the apparel of the clergy1 after the reformation1 underwent a change1 and was restricted to sable garments4 ,previous to this1 the graduates went either in a variety of colours1 or in garments of light hue1 as yellow1 red1 green1 c4 with their shoes piked1 their hair crisped1 their girdles armed with silver2 their shoes1 spurs1 bridles1 c4 buckled with light metal2 their apparel1 for the most part1 of silk and richly furred2 their caps laced and buttoned with gold3 so that a priest of those days would not now be recognized as belonging to the order4 8,but the hopes of the ,reformers were clouded by the premature death of the young king1 who expired at ,greenwich1 the sixth of ,july1 #aeec4 8,he possessed undoubted piety2 and his talents appear to have been very great4 ,it is related of him1 that he knew not only the name and style of living of his great officers and judges1 but in what estimation their religion and conversation were held4 ,he had a singular respect for justice2 and was particularly assiduous in the dispatch of business4 ,charitable and humane in an extraordinary degree1 this exemplary prince just 8sparkled0 for a time1 then was 8exhaled10 and 8went10 undoubtedly1 8to ,heaven40 8,the gloomy era which followed1 on ,mary's accession to the throne1 is marked1 in the memory of every ,englishman1 with sentiments of horror and detestation4 ,the queen1 a zealous catholic1 was anxious to restore the popish forms of worship2 and a statute was passed1 abolishing all the laws relative to religion1 which had been enacted in ,edward's reign4 8,mass was again celebrated1 images and crosses erected1 and punishments followed any affront to the priests3 reconciliation with the pope followed4 8,married clergy were dispossessed of their preferments2 and reading the sacred volume1 in the vulgar tongue1 not only forbidden1 under pain of death2 but1 in the year #aeeg1 the papists actually burnt all the ,english ,bibles they could seize4 8,persecution raged with accumulated violence2 and amongst the excellent men who preferred a good conscience to life itself1 ,i shall only enumerate ,cranmer1 ,latimer1 ,ridley1 and ,hooper4 8,others1 equally valiant for truth1 perished also in the flames2 but their numbers were too great to allow of my enumerating them4 ,in one year alone1 eighty-five persons were burnt for their religious opinions2 and the joy and holy triumph1 with which many of them expired1 under the excruciating torment of the flames1 served to confirm the more wavering1 and strengthen the surrounding crowd4 8,but1 in mercy to the nation1 ,divine ,providence terminated this cruel reign1 by the death of the queen1 on the #aith of ,november1 #aeeh2 and ,elizabeth's accession was ushered in with every demonstration of joy4 8,nor did the conduct of this wonderful woman disappoint the expectations raised on her behalf2 and her long and prosperous reign was marked by proceedings of wisdom4 ,by an act of oblivion1 she quieted the fears of those who had reason to dread her power1 released all those confined for conscience sake1 and consulted on the best plan for bringing about1 and settling the reformed religion4 ,as soon as the parliament met1 several bills were passed in favour of the protestant cause4 8,the ,english liturgy was restored2 and1 in short1 all the laws respecting religion1 which were made in the reign of king ,edward1 were revised1 and those of queen ,mary repealed4 8,all offensive popish observances were abolished1 and the national worship was modelled to nearly the present standard4 8,thus was the ,reformation finally settled1 under the wise policy and energetic measures of queen ,elizabeth2 to whom1 under ,god1 the protestants are indebted for their deliverance from superstition and tyranny40 8,excuse me1 ,sir10 said ,mrs4 ,spencer1 when ,mr4 ,wilmot had finished his narration2 8but you spoke of the ,lollards as a persecuted sect1 and ,i fancy the girls are ignorant from whence the title was derived4 ,perhaps you will kindly give them this information1 and add a few more particulars of the life of ,john ,wickliffe40 8,the ,lollards10 replied ,mr4 ,wilmot1 8were so called from ,raynard ,lollard1 who lived in the thirteenth century4 ,he was at first a ,franciscan monk1 and afterwards a zealous preacher and martyr4 ,after his death1 all the reputed heretics were indiscriminately called ,lollards1 by their sanguinary persecutors4 ,these sects were dreadfully oppressed in ,france and ,flanders2 but in ,england they were1 for a time1 protected by the powerful influence of the celebrated ,john ,gaunt1 duke of ,lancaster1 and many other noblemen1 who either secretly or openly espoused their cause1 in defiance of all the machinations of the ,catholic clergy4 8,the rise of this sect in ,england1 under the celebrated ,john ,wickliffe and his followers1 may justly be considered as the earliest dawn of the ,reformation4 ,there were1 indeed1 some solitary individuals who had before protested against the growing corruptions of the ,romish church2 and these1 as being reformers at heart1 and as having made some honourable1 though ineffectual attempts at reformation1 deserve to be remembered with honour4 ,the first of these was ,robert ,groteste1 or ,great-head1 bishop of ,lincoln1 who is supposed to have been born about ,a4,d4 #aage1 and flourished in the reign of ,henry the ,third4 ,he was a man of great learning1 fervent piety1 and undaunted courage4 ,as soon as he was called to the episcopal chair he began to reform abuses1 especially in the religious houses belonging to his diocese4 ,this great and good man both saw and lamented the corrupt state of the church to which he belonged1 and turned all his episcopal and personal influence to purify it from these flagrant corruptions4 ,conscious that ,rome was the fountain-head of all1 he aimed at cleansing the spring1 that the streams issuing from it might be pure also4 ,when any bulls were received from thence1 containing instructions contrary to the gospel1 and injurious to morality and religion1 he tore them in pieces with indignation4 ,nor was he content with refusing to comply with these instructions2 but he wrote to the pope1 when in the plenitude of his power1 letters of sharp reproof and faithful admonition4 ,when these philippics were received at ,rome1 the pontiff threatened vengeance against his faithful monitor2 which he was only deterred from executing1 by the earnest persuasions of his cardinals1 and conviction of the public odium he should incur1 by sacrificing a man of such exemplary piety and distinguished learning4 ,it is no small honour to this excellent prelate1 that he resisted1 successfully1 the papal power1 at a period in which that power seemed to be irresistible1 and when the mightiest sovereigns were compelled to crouch before the ,roman pontiff4 8,the next individual who lifted up a standard against the corruptions of popery1 during that period1 was ,richard ,knapwell1 a ,dominican friar1 who maintained1 in the year #abhf1 several propositions which were deemed heretical by the prelates of that age1 and most furiously controverted by archbishop ,peckham4 ,the greater part of these propositions were unintelligible jargon1 relative to the sacrifice of the mass2 but the last1 which was probably the most obnoxious of the whole1 contained a sound ,protestant maxim3 namely1 #8,that1 in articles of faith1 a man is not bound to set on the authority of the pope1 or of any priest or doctor2 but that the holy ,scriptures1 and right reason1 are the only foundations of our assent4' ,these doctrines were denounced1 but it is not known what became of the author of them4 ,of ,thomas ,bradwardine1 archbishop of ,canterbury1 ,i have already told you4 ,but the individual who aimed the most effectual blow at the mighty fabric of papal superstition1 was the celebrated ,john ,wickliffe4 ,this primitive reformer delivered lectures on divinity1 in ,merton ,college1 ,oxford4 ,his learning acquired him great reputation2 but he soon became disgusted with the vices1 ignorance1 and rapacity of the clergy1 and preached against them with great zeal4 ,his boldness attracted the attention of king ,edward the ,third1 from whom he received several benefices1 and by whom he was sent on several embassies to the court of ,rome4 ,here he saw so much to confirm his former opinions1 that1 on his return1 he inveighed1 with increased vehemence1 against the errors of popery4 ,he soon proceeded so far as to deny the pope's supremacy1 and even to denounce him as antichrist4 ,this effrontery1 in an humble ecclesiastic1 soon armed against him all the dignitaries1 of the church which he had presumed to assail2 and subjected him to the thundering anathemas of the pontiff1 who commanded him to be apprehended and condemned for his heretical discourses4 8,the rector of ,lutterworth would soon have been the prey of his mighty adversaries1 had not the duke of ,lancaster1 and lord ,henry ,percy1 then marshal of ,england1 espoused his cause1 and afforded him protection4 ,whether their conduct proceeded from political or religious motives1 is a matter of uncertainty2 but1 whatever might be the inducement1 it had the happiest effect2 for it not only enabled ,wickliffe to pursue his ,herculean task1 but emboldened many1 both of the clergy and laity1 to embrace his tenets4 8,in a few years the ,wickliffites1 or ,lollards1 became exceedingly numerous1 notwithstanding the attempts1 made by argument and force1 to suppress them4 ,the doctrines taught by this reformer were similar to those of the latter reformers1 but far less purified from error4 ,they were1 however1 sufficient to alarm the ,roman hierarchy1 and make them earnestly desirous of repressing them by force1 since it was vain to use arguments4 8,the most opprobrious epithets were applied to this most faithful and diligent labourer1 who continued1 till death1 to discharge1 with fidelity and zeal1 the duties connected with his official station4 8,his great work of translating the ,holy ,scriptures was completed a little before his decease1 which took place in the year #achd4 ,this latter event was hailed with delight by his enemies1 who fondly imagined that it would lead to the overthrow of his heresy4 ,but they found that it had taken too deep root to be exterminated2 and though1 during the disturbed years of ,richard's reign1 attempts were made to destroy the writings of ,wickliffe1 and his followers1 and to remove all who were suspected of ,lollard sentiments1 from their benefices1 they continued to flourish1 and were finally triumphant1 as ,i have before related to you40 8,i am sure ,mary ,ann and ,susan are much obliged to you for the information you have given them10 said ,mrs4 ,spencer2 8and ,i hope they will prove their sense of the obligation1 by endeavouring to remember what you have told them40 ,the little girls looked assent to their mamma's observation2 and ,mary ,ann enquired if ,mr4 ,wilmot would object to giving some little account of the ,crusades4 8,so far from objecting1 my dear10 answered her kind cousin1 8it gives me pleasure to hear you make enquiries1 since it proves that you are interested in my anecdotes4 8,the object of the ,crusades was to drive the infidels out of the possession of the ,holy ,land2 and the zeal of a fanatical monk1 towards the end of the eleventh century1 gave rise to this wild undertaking4 ,peter the ,hermit 7for so he was named7 ran from province to province1 with a cross in his hand1 exciting kings and people to this holy war1 as it was called4 ,his enthusiasm spread with astonishing rapidity3 not only princes1 and nobles1 and warriors2 but shepherds and mechanics1 women and children1 left their peaceful occupations1 and hastened to enlist themselves under the banner of their deluded leader4 ,it is asserted by contemporary authors1 that six millions of persons1 at different times1 assumed the badge of the cross4 ,these crosses were worn on their clothes1 and their colours distinguished the different nations4 ,the ,english wore them white1 the ,french red1 the ,flemish green1 the ,germans black1 and the ,italians yellow4 8,in the second ,crusade a considerable troop of women rode amongst the ,germans3 they were arrayed with the spear and shield4 ,but the historian satirically remarks1 that some love of usual delights had mingled itself with the desire of great exploits2 for they were remarkable for the splendour of their dress1 and the bold leader was called the golden-footed dame4 8,these ladies were1 however1 of an age to judge for themselves2 and however we may smile at their folly1 our pity is not excited1 as it is for the children of ,france and ,germany1 who1 seduced by the preaching of fanatics1 about the year #abac1 thought themselves authorized by ,heaven1 to attempt the rescue of the ,holy ,sepulchre2 and ran about the country1 crying1 #8,lord ,jesus ,christ restore the cross to us4' ,boys and girls stole from their homes3 no bolts1 no bars1 no fear of fathers1 or love of mothers1 could hold them back2 and the number of youthful converts was thirty thousand4 ,they were accompanied by some fanatical persons1 some of whom were taken and hanged at ,cologne4 ,the children passed through ,france1 crossed the ,alps2 and those who survived hunger and thirst1 presented themselves at the gates of the sea-ports of ,italy and the south of ,france4 ,many were driven back to their homes2 but seven large ships1 full of them1 went from ,marseilles4 ,two of the vessels were wrecked on the isle of ,st4 ,peter2 the rest of the ships went to ,bugia and ,alexandria1 and the master sold the children to slavery4 ,these dreadful facts are mentioned by four contemporary writers4 8,in the third crusade1 ,richard the ,first1 surnamed ,cur de ,lion1 as ,i before told you1 signalized himself eminently4 ,the very word ,richard was dreaded in ,syria1 so great was the terror he had spread4 ,syrian mothers used to frighten their children1 by telling them that king ,richard was coming2 and horses1 according to vulgar tradition1 dreaded the lion-hearted monarch2 for1 if a courser started1 the rider would exclaim1 #8,what6 do you think king ,richard is in the bush8' ,in the year #aaic1 died the sultan ,saladin1 the ,saracen chief2 and1 as his character was a remarkable one1 ,i shall give you a brief sketch of it4 ,he was in the fifty-seventh year of his age when he expired4 ,during twenty-two years he had reigned over ,egypt1 and for nineteen years was absolute master of ,syria4 ,no ,asiatic monarch has filled so large a space1 in the annals of ,europe1 as the antagonist of ,cur de ,lion4 ,he was a compound of the dignity and the baseness1 the greatness and the littleness of man4 ,as the ,moslem hero of the third holy war1 he proved himself a valiant soldier and a skilful general4 ,he hated the ,christian cause2 for he was a zealous ,mussulman1 and his principles authorized him to make war upon the enemies of the prophet2 but human sympathy mollified the rigour of his enthusiasm1 and1 when his foes were suppliant1 he often forgot the sternness of ,islamism4 8,he was fond of religious exercises and studies2 but his mind was so much above the age in which he lived1 that he never consulted soothsayers or astrologers4 8,he had gained the throne by blood1 artifice1 and treachery2 but1 though ambitious1 he was not tyrannical3 he was mild in his government1 and the friend and dispenser of justice4 ,eager for the possession1 but indifferent to the display of power1 he was simple in his manners1 and unostentatious in deportment4 ,he attempted the arts of conciliation and tuition1 to change the religious sentiments of the ,egyptian ,fatemites2 but the intolerant spirit of his religion would sometimes appear2 the politician was lost in the zealot2 and he inflicted punishment on those who presumed to question any of the dogmas of a ,mussulman's creed4 8,but ,i must refer you10 said ,mr4 ,wilmot1 8to ,mills's ,history of the ,crusades1 for further particulars of this eventful period3 in the meanwhile1 it is sufficient for me to say1 that1 before the expiration of the thirteenth century1 the whole band of adventurers were driven from their ,asiatic possessions4 ,there were1 in all1 nine ,crusades2 in which1 according to ,voltaire1 two millions of human beings perished40 8,it was1 indeed10 remarked ,mrs4 ,spencer1 8a dreadful waste and effusion of human blood4 ,one beneficial consequence arose1 however1 from these extravagant excursions1 which was neither expected nor intended4 8,it was impossible for men to travel through so many lands as the ,crusaders did1 without imparting some of the improvement or knowledge they had gained1 to their respective countries1 on their return4 ,the spirit of commerce was by this means fostered and spread1 the progress of navigation advanced1 and useful information was circulated40 8,yes10 answered ,mr4 ,wilmot2 8and evil was thus wisely overruled for good4 ,but10 added he1 8,i recollect that ,i have omitted to give my little cousins any account of the ,reformation in ,scotland2 which1 as it commenced in the reign of ,edward the ,sixth1 and was concluded in that of ,elizabeth1 under the intrepid1 and1 it must be confessed1 austere ,john ,knox1 could not1 with propriety1 be introduced before2 especially1 as it was not so much my design to interweave the history of individuals1 in the sketch ,i have given1 as to mark the progress of religion1 from the first century to the age of ,elizabeth4 8,when popery was the established religion in ,scotland1 this eminent man1 7who had been one of the chaplains of king ,edward the ,sixth17 narrowly escaped with his life1 from cardinal ,beaton1 the archbishop of ,glasgow1 and bishop ,hamilton2 and he was afterwards cited before bishop ,tunstall1 for preaching against the mass2 and was obliged to leave ,england1 by the persecution of ,protestants1 which arose on queen ,mary's accession to the throne4 ,returning1 however1 to ,scotland1 in #aeei1 just as a public prosecution was carrying on against the ,protestants1 who were about to be tried at ,stirling1 7through the treachery of the queen regent1 who had promised them protection17 he did not hesitate to join their ranks1 and share their dangers4 ,by the most bold and intrepid conduct1 he exposed the abuses of popery1 and animated the nation against it1 by every means in his power2 in which he spared no labour1 and dreaded no danger4 8,he corresponded with ,cecil1 the able and faithful minister of queen ,elizabeth2 and by that means1 was chiefly instrumental in establishing those negociations between #8the congregation' and the ,english1 which terminated in the march of an ,english army into ,scotland1 under the orders of queen ,elizabeth1 to aid the ,protestants1 and to assist them against the persecutions of the queen regent4 8,this army being joined by almost all the principal men of ,scotland1 proceeded with such vigour and success1 that they obliged the ,french forces1 who had been the principal support of the queen regent's tyranny1 to evacuate the kingdom1 and thus restored the parliament to its former independence4 ,of that body a great majority had embraced the ,protestant religion2 and1 encouraged by the ardour and number of their friends1 they improved every opportunity which occurred1 of overthrowing the whole fabric of popery4 ,they sanctioned the whole confession of faith1 submitted to them by ,knox and the other reformed ministers4 ,they abolished the jurisdiction of the ecclesiastical courts1 and transferred the causes to the cognizance of the civil court2 and they prohibited the exercise of religious worship1 according to the rites of the ,romish church4 8,on the death of the queen regent1 ,mary1 queen of ,scots1 arrived from ,france1 and immediately established the popish service1 in her own chapel1 which1 by her protection and countenance1 was much frequented4 ,knox opposed this1 as he did the other evidences1 given by ,mary1 of her attachment to the ,romish cause4 8,an act of the queen's privy council having been proclaimed at ,edinburgh1 immediately on her arrival1 forbidding any disturbance to be given to the mass1 under pain of death1 ,knox openly declared against it1 in his sermon1 on the following ,sunday2 and on the marriage of the queen with ,darnley1 he not only preached another sermon1 expressing his dislike to the alliance1 on account of the religious principles avowed by the young nobleman2 but when the latter went to hear him preach1 he took occasion to speak his opinions1 in terms certainly not the most gentle4 ,such plain and honest dealing as this1 was not very likely to be palatable to a court1 and he was accordingly silenced4 8,by no means1 however1 deterred1 he went on1 in private1 with the great work of reformation2 and was one of the most active and successful instruments1 in delivering ,scotland from papal corruption1 and priestly domination4 ,he lived to preach against the awful massacre of the ,protestants1 in ,paris1 on ,st4 ,bartholomew's-day2 and desired that the ,french ambassador might be informed that he had done so4 8,he died the twenty-fourth of ,november1 #aegb1 and was interred at ,edinburgh1 several lords attending his funeral2 and particularly the earl of ,morton1 who was on that day chosen regent of ,scotland1 and who1 as soon as he was laid in the grave1 exclaimed1 #8,there lies one who never feared the face of man--who has been often threatened with dirk and dagger1 but yet has ended his days in peace and honour2 for he had ,god's providence watching over him in a special manner1 whenever his life was sought4' 8,in judging of the character of ,john ,knox1 we must make some allowance for the age in which he lived1 and the part he was destined to act4 ,happily for us1 we live in a day when party spirit and religious bigotry are much softened3 let us1 therefore1 endeavour to be thankful for the blessing1 and learn to look with charity and brotherly love1 on those who may differ from us in their mode of worshipping the ,supreme ,being4 8,but the dinner-bell rings3 let us leave the gallery10 said ,mr4 ,wilmot4 ---------------------------------------- -------------------------------- ,,chap4 ,,iv4 ---------- 8,,what have you found to excite your curiosity there1 ,susan80 said ,mr4 ,wilmot1 observing her eyes fixed upon the full-length picture of a gentleman attired in the costume of the reign of ,henry the ,eighth4 8,i am looking1 ,sir10 she replied1 8at the singular dress of this gentleman40 8,at no period1 perhaps1 of our national history10 continued ,mr4 ,wilmot1 8was extravagance in dress carried to a higher pitch1 than in this and the succeeding reign4 ,the various modes of wearing the hair1 and cutting the beard1 seem to have afforded much umbrage to ,holinshed1 who lived at this time2 and he enumerates1 with amusing gravity1 the variety and diversity which prevailed with respect to the latter4 ,ear-rings of gold1 stones1 or pearls1 were in use amongst the courtiers4 #8,but never1' he mournfully observes1 #8was it merrier with ,england1 than when an ,englishman was known abroad by his own cloth2 and contented himself at home with his kersey hose1 his plain slops2 7or small clothes27 his coat1 gown1 or cloak1 of brown1 blue1 or puke2 with some pretty furniture of velvet or fur1 and a doublet of sad tawny1 or black velvet1 or other comely silk2 without such cuts or gaudy colours as are worn in these days1 and never brought in but by consent of the ,french1 who think themselves the gayest men when they have most change of jaggs1 and variety of colours about them4 ,certainly1 of all ranks1' he continues1 #8our merchants have the least altered their attire1 and are1 therefore1 the most to be commended2 for1 although what they wear is very fine and costly1 yet it still represents the ancient gravity suitable for citizens and burgesses4' 8,it was very unusual to see any young men above the age of eighteen or twenty1 without a dagger either by his side1 or at his back2 and even burgesses and aged magistrates1 whose occupations are generally supposed to be peaceful1 were also thus armed4 ,the nobility commonly wore swords or rapiers with their daggers1 as did also every servant following his master4 ,others carried two daggers1 or two rapiers in a sheath1 always about them2 and1 when quarrels arose1 the consequences were frequently dreadful4 ,these warlike implements were much longer than those used in any other country4 ,in travelling1 some carried with them1 on their shoulders1 staves1 some of which were twelve or thirteen feet long1 besides the pike of twelve inches2 but ,i must tell you1 that these were mostly suspicious characters4 8,to such an excess had this love of dress arisen in the reign of ,elizabeth1 that it was thought necessary to check it by a proclamation1 issued in ,october1 #aeei4 ,it was1 indeed1 felt as a serious evil at this period1 when the manufactures of ,england were in so rude a state1 that almost every article for the use of the higher classes1 was imported from ,flanders1 ,france1 or ,italy1 in exchange for the raw commodities of the country1 or1 perhaps1 for money4 8,the invectives of divines have placed upon lasting records some transient follies1 which might otherwise have sunk into oblivion2 and the sermon of bishop ,pilkington1 a warm polemic of this time1 may be quoted as a kind of commentary on the proclamation4 ,he reproves #8fine-fingered rufflers1 with their sable about their necks1 corked slippers1 trimmed buskins1 and warm mittens4 ,these tender ,parnels1' he says1 #8must have one gown for the day1 another for the night2 one long1 another short2 one for winter1 another for summer2 one furred through1 another but faced2 one for the workday1 another for the holiday2 one of this colour1 another of that2 one of cloth1 another of silk and damask3 change of apparel1 one afore dinner1 another after2 one of ,spanish fashion1 another of ,turkey2 and1 to be brief1 never content with enough1 but always devising new fashions and strange40 #8,yea1 a ruffian will have more in his ruff and his hose1 than he should spend in a year4 ,he1 which ought to go in a russet coat1 spends as much on apparel for him and his wife1 as his father would have kept a good house with40 8,miss ,aikin conjectures1 that the costly furs here mentioned1 had probably become fashionable1 since a direct intercourse had been opened1 in ,henry the ,eighth's reign1 with ,russia2 from which country ambassadors had arrived1 whose barbaric splendours had astonished the eyes of the good people of ,london4 ,the affectation of wearing1 in turns1 the costume of all nations in ,europe1 with which the queen herself was not a little infected1 may be traced partly to the practice of importing articles of dress from those nations1 and that of employing foreign tailors in preference to native ones2 and partly to the taste for travelling1 which1 since the revival of letters1 had become laudably prevalent among the young nobility and gentry of ,england4 8,in the reign of ,elizabeth1 also1 we find an order of the lord mayor and common council1 regulating the dress of apprentices1 and directing that they shall not presume to wear any apparel than that received from their masters4 ,it was enacted1 that #8apprentices shall wear no hat1 but a woollen cap3 they shall not wear ruffles1 cuffs1 loose collars1 nor any thing more than a ruff at the collar1 and that not more than a yard and a half long4 ,they must wear no doublets but what are made of canvass1 fustian1 sackcloth1 ,english leather1 or woollen1 without any gold1 silver1 or silk trimmings4 ,they must wear hose of cloth and kersey2 but of no other colour than white1 blue1 or russet4 ,their breeches must be of the same materials as their doublets1 and neither stitched1 laced1 nor bordered4 ,their upper coat must be of cloth or leather1 without stitching1 pinking1 edging1 or silk trimming4 ,they shall wear no other surtout than a cloth gown or cloak1 lined or faced with cotton1 cloth1 or baize1 with a plain1 round1 fixed collar4 ,no pumps1 shoes1 or slippers1 to be allowed them1 but of ,english leather1 without being pinked1 edged1 or stitched4 ,no girdles or garters to be worn1 but what are made of crewel1 woollen1 thread1 or leather4 ,they must wear neither sword nor dagger2 but a knife only4 ,all jewels1 rings1 gold1 silver1 or silk1 are forbidden in any part of their dress4 ,neither shall they frequent any dancing1 fencing1 or musical schools1 under severe penalties2 one of which was1 to be publicly whipped at the hall of their company4'0 8,during the reign of ,henry the ,eighth1 luxury seems to have increased rapidly10 remarked ,mrs4 ,spencer4 8,the furniture of the houses1 the style of living1 and even gardening1 appear alike to have undergone a progressive improvement40 8,yes10 answered ,mr4 ,wilmot3 8we find that1 about this time1 the walls of the houses were either hung with tapestry1 arras work1 or painted cloths1 on which were represented birds1 beasts1 herbs1 c4 ,wainscotting with oak1 or wood imported from the east1 began now to be generally used1 and rendered the rooms much more comfortable than formerly4 ,stoves were not much used1 though they began to appear in the houses of the nobility and the wealthy citizens4 8,but expensive furniture was most prevalent4 #8,not only1' says ,holinshed1 #8is it not rare to see abundance of arras1 rich hangings of tapestry1 silver vessels1 and such other plate as would furnish several cupboards1 to the sum oftentimes of a thousand or two thousand pounds at the least2 but the rest of the house was proportionably furnished4 ,in the abodes of knights1 gentlemen1 merchants1 and some other wealthy citizens1 it is not unusual to behold a great profusion of tapestry1 ,turkish work1 pewter1 brass1 fine linen1 and costly cupboards of plate1 worth five or six hundred or a thousand pounds4' ,but the tide of luxury invaded even the lower orders4 #8,the inferior artificers1 and main farmers1 who1 by virtue of their old1 not of their new leases1 7says the chronicler17 learned to garnish also their cupboards with plate1 their joined beds with tapestry and silk hangings1 and their tables with carpets and fine linen4 ,there are old men yet dwelling in the village where ,i remain1' says ,holinshed1 #8which have noted three things to be marvellously altered in ,england1 within their sound remembrance2 and other three things too1 too much increased4 ,one is the multitude of chimneys lately erected3 whereas1 in their young days1 there were not above two or three1 if so many1 in most up-landish towns of the realms1 7the religious houses1 and manor places of their lords always excepted1 and1 peradventure1 some great personages17 but each one made his fire against a reredosse in the hall1 where he dined and dressed his meat4 ,the second1 is the great 7although not general7 amendment of lodging2 for1 said they1 our fathers1 yea1 and we also ourselves1 have lain full oft on straw pallets1 or rough mats1 covered only with a sheet or coverlets1 made of dagswain#c or hop-harlots#d2 and a good round log under their heads1 instead of a bolster and pillow4 ,if our forefathers had1 within seven years after their marriage1 purchased a mattress or flock-bed1 and added thereto a sack of chaff to rest his head upon1 he considered himself to be as well lodged as the lord of the town1 who1 probably1 himself1 seldom lay on a bed of down1 or whole feathers2 so contented were they with simple fare4 ,indeed1 even now#e1 in some parts of ,bedfordshire1 and elsewhere farther in the south1 the same plans are pretty much pursued4 ,pillows were only for an indulgence to the sick4 ,as for servants1 if they had any sheet above them1 it was well2 for rarely had they any thing under their bodies1 to protect them from the pricking straws1 which often found their way through the canvass of the pallet4 ,the third thing they speak of1 is the exchange of vessels2 as pewter for treen#f platters1 and silver or tin spoons1 for wooden ones2 for so common were all sorts of treen ware in old times1 that a person could hardly find four pieces of pewter1 including the salt-cellar1 in a good farmer's house2 and yet1 in spite of this frugality1 they were scarcely able to live1 and pay their rents1 without selling a cow1 or a horse1 or more1 although they paid but four pounds1 at the uttermost1 by the year4' ,footnote #c3 ,a rough1 coarse mantle4 ,footnote #d3 ,probably hop-sacking4 ,footnote #e3 ,henry the ,eighth's reign4 ,footnote #f3 ,wooden and earthen dishes4 8,it is impossible not to smile at ,holinshed's enumeration of the evils attendant upon the introduction of chimneys4 ,colds1 catarrhs1 c4 are included2 whilst he gravely assures us1 that whilst they had only reredosses1 their heads were free from pain4 ,smoke being considered not only a sufficient hardener of the timber in the house1 but the best medicine to keep the good man and his family from the quack1 or catarrhs1 which were then but little known40 ,mrs4 ,spencer smilingly remarked1 that she supposed our forefathers would willingly have acquiesced in the observation1 that1 8,where ignorance is bliss1 'tis folly to be wise40 8,but10 she added1 8,i believe they took their meals at much earlier hours than are at present in fashion40 8,yes10 answered ,mr4 ,wilmot3 8the nobility and gentry dined at eleven o'clock before noon1 and supped at five1 or between five and six o'clock in the evening4 ,the merchants seldom dined or supped before twelve at noon1 or six at night1 especially in ,london4 ,the husbandmen dined at high noon1 and supped at seven or eight2 but out of term1 in our universities1 the scholars dined at ten4 8,great silence was observed at the tables of the #8honourable and wise2' and it seems that a curious custom prevailed amongst artificers and husbandmen1 of each guest bringing his own dish1 or so many with him1 as his wife and he could agree upon4 8,abundance and unbounded liberality1 prevailed at the entertainments of the great4 ,the cooks1 at this period1 seem to have been mostly ,frenchmen1 or strangers4 ,besides the usual meats1 and the delicacies that the season afforded1 red deer is particularly enumerated4 ,it was usual to reserve the beginning of every dish for the greatest personage sitting at table1 to whom it was handed up by the waiters1 as order required2 from whom it again descended to the lower end1 so that every guest tasted of it4 ,unexpected and numerous visitors flocked to the mansions of the nobility and gentry1 and rendered it necessary not only to retain a large retinue of servants1 but a very ample supply of provisions4 8,the chief part of the food was brought in before them1 chiefly on silver vessels1 if they were of the degree of barons1 bishops1 and upwards1 and placed on their tables4 ,what was left1 was sent down to their serving-men and waiters2 and their reversion was bestowed upon the poor1 who waited in flocks at their gates to receive the bounty4 8,a daily allowance was appointed for their halls1 where the chief officers and household servants1 7for all were not permitted by custom to sit with their lord17 with such inferior guests as were not high enough to associate with the nobleman himself1 took their meals4 8,in the houses of the nobles1 pots1 goblets1 jugs of silver1 with ,venice glasses of all shapes1 were commonly in use4 ,in inferior habitations1 #8pots of earth1 of various colours and moulds1 many of them garnished with silver1 were in requisition2 and pewter supplied the place of more costly utensils1 amongst the still lower ranks4 ,when any one had drank1 he made the cup clean by pouring out what remained1 and restoring the vessel to the cupboard again4 ,gentlemen and merchants maintained about an equality at their tables1 varying the number of dishes according to the resort of strangers2 yet even these maintained an ordinary for their servants1 independent of what was left by the family4' ,venison appears to have been with them a favourite1 and by no means rare dish2 and at certain feasts given by them1 they appear to have rivalled the haughty barons1 in the variety and sumptuousness of the dishes prepared4 ,butchers' meat was rejected with disdain2 and some very minute particulars have reached us1 of the ornamental parts of these entertainments4 ,amongst them1 jellies of various colours and forms are named4 #8,marchpain wrought with no small curiosity1 tarts of various hues and sundry denominations1 conserves of old fruits and home bred1 suckets1 sugar-bread1 ginger-bread florentines1 with several outlandish confections1 altogether seasoned with sugar1' seem to have borne a conspicuous part4 8,we are as ignorant of the excellence of some of these highly-extolled dishes10 said ,mr4 ,wilmot1 as he paused for a few moments1 8as our ancestors were of many of those fruits and vegetables1 which are now familiar to the lowest class4 ,i allude to melons1 pompions1 gourds1 cucumbers1 radishes1 skirrets1 parsnips1 turnips1 carrots1 cabbages1 and all kinds of salad herbs4 ,these1 from the time of ,henry the ,fourth1 to the latter end of ,henry the ,seventh1 and beginning of ,henry the ,eighth's reign1 were not only unknown1 but were considered as food suitable alone for hogs and other animals4 ,after this period1 they not only became plentiful among the higher orders1 who were in the habit of sending abroad yearly for new seeds1 but found their way commonly to the inferior classes4 8,at the same era1 gardening received a new impulse2 and the ingenuity and care of the florist1 is spoken of in terms of high eulogium1 together with some little appearance of incredulity1 as relates to the practicability of the theories advanced2 theories which are now comprehended by the most humble individual4 ,it may also surprise you to learn1 that the culture of medicinal herbs formed a very important and useful branch of the gardener's calendar1 at this time2 and noblemen and gentlemen devoted to them large plots of ground1 and mingled them with the flowers which adorned their parterres4 8,the varieties of fruit which were likewise introduced at this epoch1 are mentioned with a tone of exultation1 that may cause a similar feeling of surprise on your part1 my little cousins10 said ,mr4 ,wilmot1 8accustomed as you are to regard them as the natural produce of autumn4 8#8,delicate apples1 plums1 pears1 walnuts1 and filberts1' are included in this catalogue2 whilst apricots1 peaches1 almonds1 and figs1 are spoken of as strange fruit1 introduced within the last forty years of the author's account1 and cultivated only in the orchards of the nobility40 8,the word comfortable10 said ,mrs4 ,spencer1 8understood in no other country so well as in ,england1 could not1 ,i think1 have been applied1 as characteristic of the mode of living practised by our ancestors40 8,not according to our modern ideas10 answered ,mr4 ,wilmot2 8but ,i will relate a few more anecdotes1 descriptive of ancient customs and manners4 8,previous to the time of ,elizabeth1 instead of glass1 the windows of houses in the country were composed either of lattice made of wicker1 or of spars of oak placed in chequer2 but in the reign of the #8maiden queen1' glass becoming cheaper1 this mode of admitting light fell into disuse40 8,i do not wonder that they were glad to exchange10 said ,susan3 8it must have rendered the houses cold and comfortless40 8,but you forget10 said ,mr4 ,wilmot1 8they must have formed nice avenues for the smoke to escape1 when there were not any chimneys4 ,but ,i have omitted to mention a curious fashion1 which took its rise from some learned divine1 previous to the reign of ,henry the ,fourth1 and which continued long after that of the sixth ,henry4 ,it was no other than that of taking away the father's surname1 however honourable or ancient1 and substituting that of the town in which the individual was born4 ,thus1 ,richard ,nottingham1 a celebrated friar1 was named from an island where he was born1 near ,gloucester4 ,william ,barton1 a famous doctor1 and chancellor of ,oxford in ,richard the ,second's reign1 from ,barton in ,lincolnshire4 ,walter ,disse1 of ,disse in ,suffolk1 a ,carmelite friar1 and confessor to the duke and duchess of ,lancaster1 in ,henry the ,fourth's reign4 ,richard ,hampoole1 from a town in ,yorkshire1 a zealous doctor1 and afterwards a virtuous hermit1 in ,henry the ,sixth's days4 ,hundreds of others followed this example1 among whom may be enumerated ,william ,wainfleet1 bishop of ,winchester1 lord chancellor of ,england1 and founder of ,magdalen ,college1 ,oxford4 ,his original name was ,paten2 but he altered it to the name of the town of which he was a native4 ,to this whimsical notion may be traced many of our present surnames1 such as ,german1 or ,germin1 which was assumed out of affection to ,germany1 the country from which their forefathers came4 ,jute1 ,jud1 and ,chute1 from the tribe of ,judes1 one of the ,german nations who came over with ,hengist and ,horsa2 and ,calthrop1 ,caltrap1 and ,caltrop1 were all but for ,caldthorp1 signifying a cold town4 ,paten1 ,patten1 or ,patent1 is likewise derived from the ,saxon word ,pate1 the sole of the foot1 and therefrom ,patan1 signifying flat-footed4 8,before the ,reformation1 there were very few free-schools in ,england4 ,latin was generally taught to the youths at the monasteries4 ,in the nunneries were taught needle-work1 confectionery1 surgery1 and physic1 7surgeons and apothecaries being then very rare17 writing1 drawing1 c4 8,before the civil wars1 in gentlemen's houses1 at ,christmas1 the first dish that was brought to table1 was a boar's head with a lemon in its mouth4 ,the first dish that was brought to table on ,easter-day1 was a red herring1 riding away on horseback2 that is1 a herring served up by the cook in a corn-salad1 to look like a man on horseback4 ,a gammon of bacon was eaten at ,easter1 to show the abhorrence of ,judaism1 at that solemn commemoration of our ,lord's resurrection4 8,in #adhf1 the reign of ,henry the ,seventh1 a certain number of archers1 and other strong1 active persons1 were constituted by this monarch yeomen of the guard1 and were in daily attendance upon his person4 ,this was the first ,english monarch that instituted a bodyguard2 and it was generally thought that he took his precedent from ,france4 8,in #aefh1 noblemen's and gentlemen's coats were made in the same fashion as those of yeomen of the guard2 and in #afgh1 the benchers of the inns of ,court still maintained that fashion in the making of their gowns4 8,the ,normans brought with them civility into ,england4 ,in those days1 upon any occasion of bustle of business1 great lords sounded their trumpets1 and summoned all those that they held under them4 ,sir ,walter ,long1 of ,draycott1 kept a trumpeter1 and rode with thirty servants and retainers2 from whence took the rise of the sheriff's trumpets4 8,gentlemen carried prodigious fans1 with very long handles3 with these their daughters were often corrected4 ,the lord chief justice1 ,sir ,edward ,coke1 rode the circuit with a fan of this description3 the earl of ,manchester also used a fan2 and both fathers and mothers slashed their daughters with them1 when they were grown up women4 ,at ,oxford and ,cambridge1 the rod was frequently used by the tutors and deans2 and ,dr4 ,potter1 of ,trinity ,college1 in the year #affi1 or thereabouts1 whipped his pupil who had a sword by his side4 8,the conversation and habits of these times were starched and formal3 gravity often passed for wisdom1 and quibbles for wit1 even in clergymen's sermons4 ,the gentry and citizens had little learning of any kind2 and their way of bringing up their children was suitable to all the rest4 ,they were as severe as schoolmasters to them1 and the schoolmasters were as severe as governors of houses of correction4 ,the child1 consequently1 dreaded the sight of his parents4 ,gentlemen of thirty and forty years of age1 stood like mutes and bare-headed before them2 and the daughters1 when grown young women1 stood at the cupboard-side1 during the whole time of the proud mother's visit1 unless1 as the fashion then was1 leave was requested that a cushion might be given them to kneel upon1 when they had done sufficient penance by standing1 and which was brought them by a serving-man4 8,learning seems to have advanced much during ,elizabeth's reign4 #8,it was rare to find a courtier unacquainted with any language but his own4 ,the ladies studied ,greek1 ,latin1 ,french1 ,spanish1 and ,italian4 ,the more elderly among them exercised themselves1 some with the needle1 some with caul-work1 7probably netting17 divers in spinning silk2 some in continual reading1 either of the ,holy ,scriptures1 or of histories either of their own or foreign countries2 divers in writing volumes of their own1 or translating the works of others into ,latin or ,english3 whilst the younger ones1 in the meantime1 applied to their lutes1 citharmes1 pricksong1 and all kinds of music4 ,many of the more ancient1 were also skilful in surgery and distillation of waters1 besides sundry artificial practices pertaining to the ornature and commendation of their bodies4 ,this1' adds our author1 #8,i will generally say of them all1 that1 as each of them are cunning in something whereby they keep themselves occupied in the court2 there is1 in manner1 none of them1 but when they be at home1 can help to supply the ordinary want of the kitchen1 with a number of delicate dishes of their own contriving3 wherein the portingal is their chief counsellor1 as some of them are most commonly with the clerk of the kitchen1 c4' 8#8,every office at court1' says the same author1 7,holinshed17 #8had a ,bible1 or the book of the ,acts and ,monuments of the ,church of ,england1 or both2 besides some histories and chronicles lying therein1 for the exercise of such as come into the same4'0 ,mrs4 ,spencer smiled and said1 that the praise bestowed upon the ladies of ,elizabeth's reign1 was no small commendation4 ,learned1 accomplished1 and domestic1 they seemed the very acm of excellence4 ,the bell now announced company4 ,susan and ,ann quitted the gallery with reluctance2 and not before they had obtained a promise from ,mr4 ,wilmot1 that they should visit it on the following day4 ---------------------------------------- -------------------------------- ,,chap4 ,v4 ---------- 8,,perhaps you would have the kindness1 ,sir10 said ,mrs4 ,spencer1 as she sat at work with her daughters1 8to resume the conversation1 which was interrupted this morning1 and in which we were much interested4 ,i observed written1 under a painting in the gallery1 #8,funeral of ,henry the ,seventh2' and as it was previous to the reformation1 and consequently attended with some ceremonies fallen into disuse in a ,protestant realm1 ,i have no doubt we should be much interested in the recital40 ,mr4 ,wilmot waited not for a second request1 but began as follows3 8,after all things necessary for the interment and funeral pomp of the late king were sumptuously prepared and done1 the corpse of the deceased was brought out of his privy-chamber1 where it had rested three days2 and every day had three dirges1 and masses sung by a mitred prelate4 ,illustration3 ,page #hc4 ,page #hg4 8,from thence it was conveyed into the hall1 where it also remained three days1 and where a similar service was performed3 the same ceremony was observed1 for the like space of time1 when it was moved into the chapel4 ,in each of these places was a hearse of wax1 garnished with banners1 attended by nine mourners1 who daily made their offerings4 ,every place where the procession stopped1 was hung with black4 8,upon ,wednesday1 the ninth of ,may1 the corpse was put into a chariot1 covered with black cloth of gold1 drawn with five coursers1 covered with black velvet1 garnished with cushions of fine gold2 and over the corpse was an image or representation of the late king1 apparelled in his rich robes of state1 the crown on his head1 and the ball and sceptre in his hands1 laid on cushions of gold4 ,the chariot was ornamented with banners1 scutcheons1 and arms1 descriptive of the monarch's titles1 dominions1 and genealogies4 8,the king's chaplain1 and a number of prelates1 led the way1 praying4 ,then came the king's servants in black1 followed by the chariot1 attended by nine mourners1 and lighted by torches1 amounting to the number of six hundred1 which were carried on either side4 ,in this order they proceeded from ,richmond to ,st4 ,george's ,fields4 ,here they were met by all the religious men1 priests1 clerks1 c4 within and without the city1 who took the lead4 ,the mayor and his brethren1 with many of the common council1 met the corpse at ,london ,bridge1 and escorted it through the city4 8,long torches1 placed on each side of the street1 with young children standing on stalls1 bearing tapers1 lent to this funeral pomp additional solemnity2 illuminating1 with their flickering beams1 the remains of him who had paid the debt of mortality1 common alike to potentates and subjects4 8,arrived at ,st4 ,paul's1 the body was taken out1 and conveyed into the choir1 where it was placed under a hearse of wax1 garnished as before2 whilst a solemn dirge was sung1 and a sermon preached on the occasion1 by the bishop of ,rochester4 8,here it rested for the night1 and on the following day was removed towards ,westminster2 ,sir ,edward ,howard bearing the king's banner1 on a courser1 trapped in the arms of the deceased monarch4 ,in ,westminster was a curious hearse1 composed of nine #8principals#g1 all full of lights1' which were lighted at the coming of the corpse4 ,footnote #g3 ,principals1 in architecture1 are corner-posts1 which are fixed into the ground-plates below1 and into the roof4 8,six lords bore the coffin from the chariot1 and placed it under the hearse1 the image lying on the cushion1 on a large pall of gold4 ,the hearse was double-railed4 ,within the first rail sat the mourners2 and within the second partition stood knights1 bearing banners of saints2 and without the same stood officers of arms4 8,when the mourners were placed in order1 garter king-at-arms cried1 #8,for the soul of the noble prince1 king ,henry the ,seventh1 lately king of this realm2' and immediately the choir began #8plecabo1' and a dirge was sung2 which being finished1 the mourners departed1 and1 after taking refreshment1 reposed for the night4 8,on the next day three masses were solemnly sung by three bishops3 at the last was offered the king's banner1 courser1 and coat-of-arms1 his sword1 target1 and helm4 ,at the conclusion the mourners made their offerings of rich palls of cloth of gold1 and bauderkin1 7or cloth of gold1 with figures embroidered in silk37 #8,libera me' was then sung1 and the body committed to the earth4 8,at this part of the ceremony the king's treasurer1 lord steward1 chamberlain1 and comptroller of the household1 broke their staves and cast them into the grave2 garter king-at-arms exclaiming1 with a loud voice1 #8,vive le roi ,henri le huitime1 roi d',angleterre et de ,france1 sire d',irlande4' 8,the obsequies ended1 the party returned to the palace1 where a sumptuous feast was provided for them40 8,what a happiness it is10 said ,mrs4 ,spencer1 8that we are no longer under the burdensome ceremonies of popery--that we are not required to sing dirges for the dead1 nor pay for masses1 to deliver their souls from an ideal purgatory40 8,it is so10 replied ,mr4 ,wilmot4 8,the ensuing coronation10 he continued1 8of ,henry the ,eighth and ,katherine1 was conducted with circumstances of extraordinary pomp2 but it is not my intention to enter into a minute description of it2 and ,i shall only relate to you a few of the pageants that were exhibited on the occasion1 and which mark the manners of the age4 ,amongst others1 was a park1 artificially constructed1 with pales of white and green1 wherein were fallow deer2 and1 in the park1 trees1 bushes1 and ferns1 very curiously constructed4 ,the deer were hunted in the presence of the queen and court1 and afterwards presented to them4 ,another device was a palace1 in which was a curious fountain1 and over it a castle1 surmounted with a crown imperial1 with battlements of roses and pomegranates1 gilded2 whilst1 under and about the said castle1 ran a vine1 the grapes and leaves whereof were gilded with fine gold1 with white and green lozenges strewed about the castle2 and1 in every lozenge1 either a rose or a pomegranate1 and a sheaf or arrows2 or else the letters ,h4 and ,k4 in gold1 with certain arches and turrets gilded1 to support the same castle2 whilst1 from the mouths of certain beasts1 ran white1 red1 and claret wine4 8,henry the ,eighth was remarkably expert at the games then in practice2 such as bearing off the ring1 wrestling1 casting the bar1 c4 ,shooting1 singing1 dancing1 and music1 seem likewise frequently to have engaged him2 and it will afford you some idea of the mixture of simplicity and ostentation of the age1 when ,i tell you1 that1 in the second year of his reign1 he rose early on ,may-day1 to gather hawthorn and green boughs4 ,richly dressed himself1 and1 accompanied by his knights1 squires1 yeomen1 and guard1 arrayed in white satin and sarcenet1 with bows and arrows1 he went shooting into the wood2 and returned again to court1 every man wearing a green bough in his cap4 ,these rural festivities seem often to have been repeated1 and accompanied with more or less splendour4 ,nor could the royal party have had far to ride1 ere they could procure those symbols of the beautiful month they were about to commemorate4 ,for it was only late in the preceding reign1 that the gardens1 which had been continued1 time out of mind1 without ,moorgate1 now called ,moorfields1 were destroyed1 and a plain field made of them1 for archers to shoot in4 ,and a few years after the excursion of the youthful monarch1 which ,i have just mentioned1 the citizens of ,london1 disliking the enclosures of the common fields about ,islington1 ,shoreditch1 ,hoxton1 and other places near the city1 whereby they could not be suffered to exercise their bows1 nor other popular games1 as they had before been accustomed to1 assembled themselves one morning1 and went with spades and shovels into the said fields1 and there worked so diligently1 that all the hedges about town were cast down1 and the ditches filled40 ,illustration3 ,page #hh4 ,page #ib4 8,another ,may morning was celebrated with far more variety than that before mentioned4 ,the court lying at ,greenwich1 the royal party rode out for an airing4 ,passing by ,shooter's-hill1 they observed a company of yeomen1 amounting to about two hundred1 clad in green1 with hoods of the same colour4 ,one of them1 calling himself ,robin ,hood1 stepped forwards1 and addressing the king1 begged permission to shoot before the sovereign4 ,the request being of course granted1 he whistled1 and instantly the whole band discharged their arrows at once4 ,a second signal called forth a similar proof of skill4 ,these arrows1 it seems1 whistled as they flew1 in consequence of some ingenious contrivance in the head2 and the noise was so singular and great1 that the illustrious spectators1 and their train1 expressed both astonishment and delight4 8,robin ,hood then requested the company of the distinguished party into the green wood1 that they might see how outlaws fared4 ,and the horns were blown1 until they came to a wood under ,shooter's-hill1 where they found an arbour1 composed of boughs1 with a hall1 a great and an inner chamber1 very well made1 and covered with flowers and sweet herbs4 ,robin ,hood then addressed the king in these words3 #8,sir1 outlaws' breakfast is venison1 and therefore you must be content with such fare as we use4' ,upon which ,henry and his consort seated themselves1 and were served with venison and wine1 to their mutual gratification4 8,on their return they were met by two ladies1 in a rich chariot1 drawn by five horses3 a lady was seated on each steed1 and they bore on their heads inscriptions1 allegorically representing the peculiar attributes of the season2 whilst lady ,may and lady ,flora1 splendidly attired1 sat in the carriage1 saluting the king with songs1 until he arrived at ,greenwich4 ,a great concourse of people were assembled to view this celebration of the day1 and appear to have entered fully into the amusement40 8,there is something extremely interesting10 said ,mrs4 ,spencer1 8in the sovereign of a great people thus affording himself and his subjects a simple and even elegant recreation40 8,nor was ,christmas a season of less festivity10 continued ,mr4 ,wilmot4 8,warlike knights and #8peerless dames1' issuing from castles1 erected in the royal halls1 with sham fights1 music1 and dancing1 seem to have constituted a prominent feature of entertainment4 ,one of these pageants1 exhibited at ,greenwich1 on ,twelfth-night1 was an artificial garden1 called the garden of #8,esperance4' ,this garden was towered at every corner1 and railed with gilt rails2 whilst the banks were adorned with artificial flowers1 composed of silver and gold1 with green satin leaves4 ,in the midst of the garden stood a pillar of antique work of gold1 set with pearls and stones2 and on the top of this pillar was an arch1 crowned with gold1 in which was placed a bush of white and red roses1 and a bush of pomegranates1 both made of silk and gold4 ,six knights1 with an equal number of ladies1 descended from this fanciful parterre1 who1 after dancing many dances1 stepped up again into it1 and were wheeled out of the room4 ,the whole1 as usual1 concluded with a banquet4 8,the birth of ,henry's first son1 who died in his infancy1 was celebrated with even more than usual gaiety4 ,but it would be fatiguing1 both to you and to me1 were ,i to relate to you the almost endless devices enumerated2 though1 as you have probably heard of the ancient jousts1 or combats on horseback1 which were a favourite diversion with our forefathers1 ,i shall give you an account of one1 in order that you may be able to form some idea of this species of recreation4 8,on this occasion it commenced with a forest1 in which were interspersed rocks1 hills1 and dales1 with a variety of trees and flowers1 hawthorn1 fern1 and grass1 composed of green velvet1 damask1 satin1 and sarcenet1 of a variety of colours4 ,within the wood were seen six foresters1 attired in green1 and by their sides lay a number of spears4 ,in the middle stood a golden castle1 before the gate of which was a gentleman1 gaily dressed1 wreathing a garland of roses for the prize4 ,this pageant appeared to be drawn by a lion and an antelope4 ,the lion was covered with damask gold1 and the antelope wrought all over with silver damask1 his tusks and horns gilt4 8,these animals were led by men1 attired so as to represent wild men1 or1 as they were styled1 #8woodhouses3' their heads1 faces1 hands1 legs1 and whole body being covered with green flossed silk4 ,on either side of the lion and unicorn1 sat a lady in splendid attire2 whilst the beasts were tied to the car with huge golden chains4 ,when the pageant rested before the queen1 the foresters blew their horns1 and the device opening1 disclosed four knights completely armed1 bearing magnificent plumes on their heads1 and spears in their hands2 the housing of their horses1 on which were embroidered their names1 being composed of gold4 ,to combat with these1 a swell of trumpets and drums announced on the field the entrance of the earl of ,essex and the lord ,thomas ,howard1 with their friends1 and a gallant train1 well armed2 the trappings and bases of their horses being composed of crimson satin1 embroidered with branches of pomegranates of gold and posies4 ,after the usual display of feats of address and skill1 the jousts1 for that day1 were closed4 8,on the morrow1 after dinner1 they were re-renewed1 with this difference in their attire1 that the noblemen and their hordes wore cloth of gold and russet tinsel3 the knights1 cloth of gold and russet velvet3 the gentlemen on foot1 russet satin and yellow2 and the yeomen1 russet damask and yellow2 all of them garnished with scarlet hose and yellow caps4 8,the entrance of the king1 under a pavilion of cloth of gold and purple velvet1 sumptuously embroidered1 with a superb plume glittering with spangles of gold1 and his three aids or supporters1 each under a pavilion of crimson and purple damask1 studded with their sovereign's initials in gold1 gave an additional splendour to this day's entertainments4 8,gentlemen and yeomen1 to the number of one hundred and sixty-eight1 attired in their peculiar colours1 and twelve children on horseback1 each differing from the other1 but all richly dressed1 were ranked on this side of the lists4 ,the opposite party were preceded by ,sir ,charles ,brandon1 habited as a recluse1 in a long robe of russet satin1 and unattended by music1 bearing a petition to the queen1 to licence him to run in her presence4 ,assent was1 of course1 granted2 when he was instantly armed cap--pi#h1 and1 crossing the tilt-yard at full gallop1 was received by a company in russet satin1 who awaited him4 ,footnote #h3 ,cap--pi1 from head to foot4 8,alone came young ,henry ,guildford2 himself and horse clad in his squire's robe of russet cloth of gold1 and cloth of silver1 closed in a device or pageant1 made like a castle or a turret1 wrought of russet ,florence satin sarcenet1 set out in gold1 with his word or posie4 ,he also demanded leave of the queen to run2 which being granted1 he took his place at the tilt end4 ,a number of his servants1 dressed in his colours1 russet1 satin1 and white1 with hose of like colour1 then made their appearance1 and followed their master4 ,illustration3 ,page #id4 ,page #ie4 8,the marquis of ,dorset1 and ,sir ,thomas ,bullen1 clothed as pilgrims1 from ,st4 ,james's1 in tabards of black velvet1 with palmers' hats on their helmets1 and with long ,jacob's staves in their hands1 followed4 ,their horses' trappings were of black velvet2 and these1 together with their own dresses1 were strewed with scallop-shells4 ,their servants also wore black satin1 with scallop-shells of gold on their breasts4 8,they were1 soon afterwards1 succeeded by lord ,henry ,buckingham1 earl of ,wiltshire1 himself and his horse apparelled in cloth of silver1 embroidered with his posy or word1 and arrows of gold1 in a posy1 called1 8,la maison de refuge10 made of crimson damask1 bordered with roses and arrows of gold2 on the top1 a greyhound of silver1 bearing a pomegranate of gold1 the branches whereof were so large1 that they overspread the whole pageant4 ,sir ,giles ,capell1 ,sir ,rowland1 with many other knights richly armed and accoutred1 entered also on this side of the lists4 8,when all was ready1 the trumpets sounded a flourish1 and the combatants rushed together4 ,adroitness and skill in unlacing the antagonist's helmet1 and in unhorsing him1 seem to have formed a prominent part of these martial exercises1 in which the king and his aids were1 as usual1 distinguished1 and to whom1 on this occasion1 the prize was adjudged4 8,i shall close this account with the description of one more pageant1 running upon wheels1 which was introduced at this period1 and which1 to use the words of ,holinshed1 was #8curiously made1 and pleasant to behold1 being solemn and rich2 for every post thereof was covered with friezed gold1 wherein were trees of hawthorn1 eglantine1 roses1 vines1 and other pleasant flowers of divers colours1 with gilly-flowers1 and other herbs1 all made of satin1 damask1 silver1 and gold1 according as the natural trees1 herbs1 and flowers ought to be4' 8,these festivals were soon followed by the death of the young prince1 who expired on the twenty-second of ,february1 at ,richmond1 and was buried at ,westminster40 8,nothing10 said ,mrs4 ,spencer1 8marks more distinctly the progress of national taste1 than its public amusements4 ,england1 at the time you have been speaking of1 was gradually emerging from her rusticity2 and the ludicrous mixture displayed in the pageants exhibited1 of refinement and grossness1 prove that the luminous era which was to follow1 was but just dawning upon her4 ,but put up your work1 my dears3 tea is waiting1 and ,mr4 ,wilmot appears exhausted40 ,illustration3 ,page #ig4 ,page #aaj4 ---------------------------------------- -------------------------------- ,,chap4 ,,vi4 ---------- 8,,this is a splendid painting1 ,sir10 said ,mrs4 ,spencer1 as she this morning stopped to admire a picture that hung at the entrance of the gallery3 8from the magnificence attending it1 ,i should suppose it represented a royal baptism40 8,you are quite right1 my dear madam10 answered ,mr4 ,wilmot4 8,it is the christening of no less a personage than our illustrious queen ,elizabeth2 and1 as a singular chain of events befel most of the individuals present at it1 ,i think ,i cannot commence this day's entertainment with a more interesting relation4 8,at one o'clock in the afternoon1 the lord mayor1 ,sir ,stephen ,peacock1 in a gown of crimson satin1 adorned with his chain1 and with the aldermen in scarlet robes1 ornamented with their golden collars1 took boat for ,greenwich1 where they found many lords1 knights1 and gentlemen assembled4 ,the whole way from the palace to the ,friars1 was strewn with green rushes1 and the walls were hung with tapestry1 as was the ,friars' church1 in which the ceremony was performed4 8,a silver font1 covered with crimson satin fringed with gold1 stood in the midst of the church2 and round it were arranged several gentlemen1 with aprons and towels round their necks4 ,all things being arranged1 the procession set forth4 ,it began with citizens walking two and two2 then gentlemen1 'squires1 and chaplains2 then the aldermen and the mayor alone2 and1 following these1 the king's council and chaplain in copes2 and1 lastly1 barons1 bishops1 and earls4 8,the gilt basin was carried by ,henry1 earl of ,essex4 ,this nobleman perished1 a few years afterwards1 by a fall from his horse4 ,he was alike distinguished for his magnificence1 and the part he bore in tilt and tourney4 ,sprung from a royal lineage1 being descended from ,thomas of ,woodstock1 youngest son of ,edward the ,third1 his high connexion must have rendered him occasionally fearful lest they should involve him in the same fatal catastrophe with that which the duke of ,buckingham had so lately suffered4 ,but his premature death1 whilst it placed him beyond the reach of caprice1 left his title at the disposal of the monarch1 who1 much to the mortification of this illustrious family1 bestowed it on his favourite1 the low-bred ,cromwell4 8,the salt was borne by ,henry1 marquis of ,dorset1 the father of lady ,jane ,grey1 who1 after receiving the royal pardon for his share in the criminal enterprize for placing the crown on the head of his ill-fated and gentle daughter1 joined the rebellion of ,wyatt1 and finally forfeited his life on the scaffold4 8,william ,courtnay1 marquis of ,exeter1 followed1 bearing the taper of virgin wax4 ,this nobleman had the misfortune to be very nearly allied to the ,english throne1 his mother being a daughter of ,edward the ,fourth4 ,he was1 at this period1 highly distinguished by the king's favour1 who had even declared his intention of making him heir apparent1 in preference to his own sisters1 and his daughter ,mary4 ,the divorce from ,catherine had1 indeed1 by proclaiming the latter illegitimate1 rendered her incapable of succeeding to the throne4 ,but1 three years afterwards1 he fell a victim to the jealousy of the fickle monarch1 on a charge of corresponding with his proscribed cousin1 cardinal ,pole2 and his honours and estates were not only forfeited1 but his son1 though quite a child1 was immured in close custody4 8,the chrism1 which was very rich1 being made of pearl and stone1 was carried by the beautiful lady ,mary ,howard1 daughter of the duke of ,norfolk4 ,she also furnished another illustration of the remark ,i commenced with2 for she lived not only to witness1 but1 by the evidence she gave on his trial1 to assist in the unjust condemnation of her illustrious brother1 the earl of ,surry1 whose talents1 and whose gallantry1 still adorn the annals of ,english history4 ,this lady1 descended from our ,saxon monarchs1 ,henry bestowed upon his base-born son1 created duke of ,richmond2 an insult1 which1 in other reigns1 the ,howards would have resented as it deserved4 8,the infant princess1 wrapped in a mantle of purple1 richly furred with ermine1 was carried by one of her godmothers1 the dowager duchess of ,norfolk4 ,this lady was the step-grandmother of ,ann ,boleyn2 but the high distinction afforded1 too shortly1 but little cause of exultation4 ,and equally melancholy was the termination of that closer alliance with royalty1 which was formed for her1 in the person of her own grand-daughter1 ,catherine ,howard4 ,on the discovery of this queen's ill-conduct1 the aged duchess was declared guilty of misprision of treason1 and1 overwhelmed with disgrace1 was committed to custody2 but she was afterwards released1 when ,catherine had expiated her follies and vices on the scaffold4 ,nor less exempt from trial was the other godmother at the font1 the dowager marchioness of ,dorset4 ,her grand-daughter1 lady ,jane ,grey1 perished by an ignominious death4 ,three of her sons shared the same fate2 and the fourth died1 during the reign of ,elizabeth1 a prisoner in the ,tower1 in which he had been confined1 for the offence of distributing a pamphlet1 asserting the title of the ,suffolk line to the crown4 8,the marchioness of ,exeter1 the other godmother at the font1 not only wept over the untimely end of her husband2 and her only son wasting the flower of his youth in a tedious captivity2 but she herself was attainted of high treason1 some time afterwards1 and underwent a long and arbitrary imprisonment4 8,on either hand of the duchess of ,norfolk1 walked the dukes of ,norfolk and ,suffolk2 the only nobles of that rank then existing in ,england4 ,on every public and important occasion1 both civil and military1 their united names appear during the reign of ,henry the ,eighth2 but the termination of their respective careers forms a striking contrast4 ,the duke of ,suffolk was ever regarded with the same favour1 which he had gained as ,charles ,brandon1 the jocund companion of his royal master's youthful exercises4 ,nor did his marriage with the king's sister1 involve him in either troubles or misfortunes2 and he did not live to witness those which overwhelmed his grand-daughter4 ,he died in peace1 sincerely lamented by his sovereign4 8,very different was the treatment which the duke of ,norfolk received from the king4 ,his high birth1 and powerful connexions1 created fears in ,henry's mind1 for the tranquillity and safety of his son1 the virtuous ,edward the ,sixth4 ,the former services of his faithful and noble servant were overlooked1 and sacrificed to his present alarm4 ,with almost his last breath he decreed the death of ,norfolk4 ,but even ,henry was no longer absolute3 his orders were this time disobeyed1 and the duke survived him4 ,he1 however1 suffered a long and tedious captivity2 and lived but a short time after his tardy restoration to liberty and honour1 under ,mary4 8,one of the infant's train-bearers1 was the countess of ,kent4 ,if she were1 as is probable1 the widow of the second earl of that title1 she must have been the daughter of the earl of ,pembroke1 a zealous ,yorkist1 who was slain fighting in the cause of ,edward the ,fourth4 8,thomas ,boleyn1 earl of ,wiltshire1 the proud and delighted grandfather of the princely babe1 supported the train on one side4 ,he lived to witness the cruel and disgraceful end of his son and daughter1 and died long before the prosperous days of his illustrious grandchild4 8,edward ,stanly1 third earl of ,derby1 formed an exception to this train of ill-fated nobles4 ,educated by ,wolsey1 whose ward he was1 he proved himself a faithful subject to four succeeding sovereigns2 and1 in the most disturbed times1 stood firm in his unshaken loyalty4 ,full of years and honours1 and rich in hereditary distinctions1 he died1 universally esteemed1 in #aegd4 8,four lords1 three of whom met with disastrous fate1 supported the canopy over the royal infant4 ,one was her uncle1 the accomplished viscount ,rochford1 who suffered death by the tyranny of ,henry1 for a crime of which he is now most fully acquitted4 ,another was lord ,hussey1 who expiated the crime of rebellion on the scaffold1 a few years afterwards4 ,the two others were brothers1 of the family of the illustrious but unfortunate ,howards4 8,lord ,william1 uncle to ,catherine ,howard1 was unjustly condemned to perpetual imprisonment and forfeiture of goods1 for not exposing her misconduct2 but the sentence was afterwards remitted4 ,he lived to be eminent in the next reign1 under the title of lord ,howard of ,effingham1 and died peacefully1 in a venerable age4 8,the ambition of lord ,thomas was the cause of his sufferings4 ,he married the lady ,margaret ,douglas1 niece to the king1 and on the discovery of which he was committed to the ,tower1 where he died in close imprisonment4 8,the ceremony of christening was performed by ,stokely1 bishop of ,london1 attended by several abbots and bishops mitred2 and the benediction was pronounced by ,cranmer1 that learned and distinguished prelate1 whose virtues1 whose weaknesses1 whose general benevolence and holy faith1 exhibited amidst the flames of martyrdom1 have rendered him a distinguished character in the history of this eventful reign4 8,at the conclusion of the ceremonies1 garter king-at-arms cried aloud3 #8,god1 of his infinite goodness1 send prosperous life and long1 to the high and mighty princess of ,england1 ,elizabeth4' ,the trumpets then sounded a flourish1 and the party prepared to retrace their steps to the palace4 8,in the return from church1 the gifts of the sponsors1 consisting of bowls and cups1 some gilded1 and others of massy gold1 were carried by four persons of quality1 viz3 ,thomas ,somerset1 second earl of ,worcester2 ,thomas ,ratcliff1 lord ,fitzwalter1 afterwards earl of ,sussex2 and ,sir ,john ,dudley1 son of the detested associate of ,empson1 and afterwards the notorious duke of ,northumberland2 whose crimes received1 at length1 their due recompence in that ignominious death1 to which his guilty and extravagant projects had conducted so many comparatively innocent victims40 ,when ,mr4 ,wilmot had finished his narration1 ,mrs4 ,spencer remarked1 that1 by the untimely death of ,ann ,boleyn1 the infant princess became a partaker of some of the trouble that involved so many of the distinguished individuals who attended this august ceremony4 8,yes10 said ,mr4 ,wilmot2 8and there are some curious extracts extant1 respecting the petty mortifications she was destined to endure in childhood1 whilst the subject of her legitimacy was left unsettled4 ,passing over these1 however1 ,i shall give the girls a short account of the pursuits that engrossed her youth1 and which is taken from some writings of the celebrated ,roger ,ascham4 8,this gentleman says3 #8,the lady ,elizabeth has completed her sixteenth year2 and so much solidity and understanding1 such courtesy united with dignity1 have never been observed at so early an age4 ,she has the most ardent love of true religion1 and of the best kind of literature4 ,the constitution of her mind is exempt from female weakness2 and she is endued with a masculine power of application4 ,no apprehension can be quicker than hers1 no memory more retentive4 ,french and ,italian she speaks like ,english2 ,latin with fluency1 propriety1 and judgment3 she also spoke ,greek with me frequently1 willingly1 and moderately well4 ,nothing can be more elegant than her handwriting1 whether in the ,greek or ,roman characters4 ,in music she is very skilful1 but does not greatly delight4 8#8,with respect to personal decorations1 she greatly prefers a simple elegance to show and splendour2 so despising the outward adorning of plaiting the hair1 and of wearing gold1 that1 in her whole manner of life1 she greatly prefers ,hippolyta than ,phdra4 8#8,she read with me almost the whole of ,cicero1 and a great part of ,livy3 from these two writers1 her knowledge of the ,latin language has been exclusively derived4 ,the beginning of the day was almost always devoted by her to the ,new ,testament1 in ,greek2 after which1 she read select orations of ,isocrates1 and the tragedies of ,sophocles4 ,for her religious instruction1 she drew first from the fountains of ,scripture1 and afterwards from ,st4 ,cyprian1 the common-places of ,melancthon1 and similar works1 which contain pure doctrine in simple language4'0 ,mrs4 ,spencer remarked1 that ,ascham's account of ,elizabeth's simplicity in dress was singular1 when contrasted with the love of magnificence and show1 which she displayed in after life4 8,and yet10 replied ,mr4 ,wilmot1 8his testimony is corroborated by that of ,dr4 ,elmer1 or ,aylmer1 who was tutor to lady ,jane ,grey and her sisters1 and became1 subsequently1 during ,elizabeth's reign1 bishop of ,london4 ,he thus draws her character1 when young1 in a work entitled1 #8,a ,harbour for faithful ,subjects4' 8#8,the king left her rich clothes and jewels2 and ,i know it to be true1 that1 in seven years after her father's death1 she never1 in all that time1 looked upon that rich attire and precious jewels1 but once1 and that against her will4 ,and that there never came gold or stone on her head1 till her sister forced her to lay off her former soberness1 and bear her company in her glittering gayness4 ,and then she so wore it1 as every man might see that her body carried that which her heart disliked4 ,i am sure that her maidenly apparel1 in king ,edward's time1 made the noblemen's wives and daughters to be ashamed to be dressed and painted like peacocks2 being more moved with her most virtuous example1 than with all that ,peter or ,paul wrote on the subject4 ,yea1 this ,i know1 that a great man's daughter1 lady ,jane ,grey1 receiving from lady ,mary1 before she was queen1 good apparel of tinsel1 cloth of gold1 and velvet1 laid on with parchment lace of gold1 when she saw it1 said3 #8,what shall ,i do with it8' #8,marry6' said a gentlewoman1 #8wear it4' #8,nay1' quoth she1 #8that were a shame to follow my lady ,mary1 against ,god's word4' ,and when all the ladies1 at the coming of the ,scots queen dowager1 ,mary of ,guise1 7she who visited ,england in ,edward's time17 went with their hair frownsed1 curled1 and double curled1 she altered nothing1 but kept her old-maidenly shamefacedness4' 8,whatever ,elizabeth's subsequent taste in dress might have been1 it is evident1 that at this period she strictly conformed to the rigid turn of sentiment which prevailed in young ,edward's reign4 ,miss ,aikin tells us1 that there is a print1 from the portrait of her when young1 in which the hair is without a single ornament1 and the whole dress remarkably plain4 8,but ,i must leave this interesting part of ,elizabeth's character1 and proceed to the time when the insurrection by ,wyatt1 of which ,i have formerly spoken1 was made a pretext for confining her person within the ,tower4 8,three of the queen's council were dispatched to ,ashbridge1 to summon her to ,london2 and with such rigour did they execute their commission1 that1 although on their arrival late at night1 they found her confined to her bed with illness1 they not only insisted upon seeing her at this time1 but1 ere the lady to whom they had given their message could deliver it1 they rudely burst into the room of the princess1 and informed her1 that1 #8alive or dead1' they must carry her with them4 8,that ,elizabeth had conducted herself with great amiability1 may be inferred from the grief with which her servants saw her depart4 ,they naturally anticipated1 from the severity of the proceedings1 the worst that could befall their youthful mistress4 ,and1 in so weak a state was the afflicted princess1 that she was obliged to rest four nights1 in a journey of twenty-four miles4 ,after the residence of a few days at ,hampton ,court1 she was conducted to the ,tower privately1 by the earl of ,sussex and another lord1 three of her own ladies1 three of the queen's1 and some of her own officers4 8,holinshed has preserved some curious and characteristic traits of her conduct1 which ,i shall relate to you1 in nearly his own words4 8,on reaching the place of her destination1 she at first refused to land at the traitors' gate1 which1 when one of the uncourteous lords heard1 he replied1 that #8she should not choose2' offering her1 at the same time1 his cloak1 to protect her from the rain2 #8which she1 putting it back with her hand1 with a good dash1 refused4' 8,setting her foot upon the stairs1 she said3 #8,here landeth as true a subject1 being a prisoner1 as ever landed at these stairs2 and before thee1 ,o ,god6 do ,i speak it1 having none other friends but thee alone4' ,to whom the same lord answered again3 #8,that1 if it were so1 it was the better for her4' 8,observing a multitude of servants and warders standing in order to receive her1 she said3 #8,what needed all this8' ,being informed that it was customary1 on receiving a prisoner3 #8,if it be1' said she1 #8for my cause1 ,i beseech you that they may be dismissed4' ,whereupon1 the poor men knelt down1 and1 with one voice1 prayed ,god to preserve her2 for which action they all lost their places the next day4 8,passing on a little further1 she sat down upon a stone1 and there rested herself2 upon which the lieutenant1 expressing his fears upon her account1 and begging her to come in from the rain1 she replied3 #8,better sitting here1 than in a worse place2 for ,god knoweth1 ,i know not whither you will bring me4' ,on seeing her gentleman-usher in tears1 she reproved him1 telling him1 he ought rather to be her comforter1 and not to dismay her2 especially since she knew her truth to be such1 that no man should have cause to weep for her4 ,then rising1 she entered into her prison1 the doors being locked and bolted upon her4 8,this last act of severity seems exceedingly to have distressed the princess2 but1 calling for her book1 she devoutly prayed that she #8might be suffered to build her house upon the rock1 whereby the blasts of the blustering weather should have no power upon her4' 8,the confinement of the princess in the ,tower1 was purposely rendered as irksome and comfortless as possible4 ,it was not till after a month's close confinement1 by which her health had suffered materially1 that1 after many entreaties1 she gained permission to walk in the royal apartments1 accompanied by the lord chamberlain1 and three of her gentlewomen2 the windows being shut1 and she not permitted to look out of them4 ,afterwards1 she had liberty to walk in a small garden1 the doors and gates being shut2 and the other prisoners being closely guarded during the time1 and strictly commanded not to look from out of the windows1 or to speak4 ,illustration3 ,page #aab4 ,page #abi4 8,even a child of five years old1 belonging to some inferior officer in the ,tower1 who was wont to visit her daily1 and to carry her flowers1 was suspected of being employed as a messenger between her and the earl of ,devonshire2 was strictly examined by the lord chamberlain2 and1 notwithstanding his youth and simplicity1 ordered not to visit her again4 ,the child answering1 that #8he would bring his lady and mistress more flowers1' he was threatened with a whipping if he did not desist4 ,the next day1 as the princess was walking in the garden1 the boy1 peeping in through a hole in the door1 cried out1 #8,mistress1 ,i can bring you no more flowers2' whereat she smiled1 but said nothing4 ,nevertheless1 the lord chamberlain hearing the circumstance1 severely rebuked his father1 and ordered him to send him from home4 8,her confinement in the ,tower lasted for some time4 ,she was afterwards removed to ,woodstock1 in ,oxfordshire1 and retained in a kind of honourable captivity1 till the death of her sister ,mary set her free4 8,this event took place on ,november the nineteenth1 #aeeh2 and1 on the twenty-third of the same month1 ,elizabeth1 now become queen1 set forward for her capital1 attended by about a hundred nobles1 knights1 gentlemen1 and ladies2 and took up her abode1 for the present1 at the ,chartreux1 or ,charter-house1 formerly a considerable monastery1 but dissolved in the reign of ,henry the ,eighth1 and then the residence of lord ,north2 a splendid pile1 which offered ample accommodation for a royal retinue4 8,her next removal1 according to ancient custom1 was to the ,tower4 ,on this occasion1 the loyalty and gallantry of the ,english nation were fully displayed4 ,pageants and endless devices attracted her attention on all sides3 singers and musicians lent their aid2 and1 more than all1 the air was rent with the joyful acclamations of her enraptured subjects1 as1 preceded by her heralds and great officers1 the maiden queen1 gratified and affected by the homage that a brave and generous nation offered up1 expressed her grateful sense of it by holding up her hands1 with a pleased countenance1 to those who were at a distance from her1 and by the #8most tender and gentle language to those who stood near4' ,one simple act of kindness was noticed with peculiar commendation4 ,a branch of rosemary given her with a petition1 by a poor woman in ,fleet-bridge1 was seen in her chariot till she came to ,westminster4 ,nor was her reception of the ,english ,bible1 which was presented to her in ,cheapside1 less grateful to the feelings of her people1 still bearing in remembrance the persecutions they had received4 ,she not only took it reverently in her hands1 but kissed it1 and laid it on her bosom2 assuring the citizens of her high sense of its value1 and that she should read it most diligently4 8,i do not think10 said ,mr4 ,wilmot1 8that ,i can conclude these extracts from ,holinshed better1 than by quoting ,miss ,aikin's remarks upon this part of ,elizabeth's life2 concluding with the prayer she offered1 which has been preserved by the careful chronicler4 8#8,with what vivid1 and what affecting impressions1 7says this lady17 of the vicissitudes attending on the great1 must she have passed again within the antique walls of that fortress1 once her dungeon1 now her palace4 ,she had entered it by the traitors' gate1 a terrified and defenceless prisoner1 smarting under many wrongs1 hopeless of deliverance1 and apprehending nothing less than an ignominious death4 ,she returned to it in all the pomp of royalty1 surrounded by the ministers of her power1 ushered in by the applauses of her people1 the cherished object of every eye1 the idol of every heart4 8#8,devotion could alone supply becoming language to the emotions which swelled her bosom2 and1 no sooner had she reached the royal apartments1 than1 falling on her knees1 she returned humble and hearty thanks in the following prayer4 8#8,o ,lord ,almighty and everlasting ,god1 ,i give thee most hearty thanks1 that thou hast been so merciful to me as to spare me to behold this joyful day4 ,and ,i acknowledge that thou hast dealt as wonderfully and as mercifully with me1 as thou didst with thy true and faithful servant ,daniel1 thy prophet1 whom thou deliveredst out of the den1 from the cruelty of the greedy and raging lions2 even so was ,i overwhelmed1 and only by thee delivered4 ,to thee1 therefore1 only be thanks1 honour1 and praise1 for ever4 ,amen4' 8,and now1 having conducted ,elizabeth to this triumphant moment of her life1 we will leave the subject this morning10 said ,mr4 ,wilmot1 8and renew it to-morrow40 ---------------------------------------- -------------------------------- ,,chap4 ,,vii4 ---------- 8,,that ,elizabeth was a woman endowed with a masculine mind10 said ,mr4 ,wilmot1 8that she was prudent1 wise1 and energetic to an extraordinary degree1 and that she deserves to be ranked amongst the most illustrious of sovereigns1 cannot be denied2 and yet1 contrary to ,roger ,ascham's assertions1 respecting her early simplicity1 we find her1 after ascending the throne1 uniting to all this greatness of character1 a vanity so unbounded1 and a love of admiration so childish and weak1 that we start at the contrast and inconsistency1 displayed at times by this wonderful female4 8,contemporary historians have left on record several descriptions of the public festivities then in fashion2 and though it must be allowed1 that the spirit of the age fostered this romantic turn of disposition2 yet we can hardly help mingling a smile of ridicule1 with our admiration of the loftier traits of her mind1 when we peruse the accounts of the entertainments with which the queen was wont to be amused1 even to a late period of life4 ,holinshed1 with his usual minuteness1 has entered very fully into the relation of these festivities2 and ,i shall abridge1 for your amusement1 one of the many narrations he presents us with4 8,in one of her progresses1 which were very frequent1 she stopped at ,norwich1 where she was received by the mayor and corporation1 with every demonstration of joy1 and with a variety of orations and most doggrel rhyme4 8,two days after her arrival1 ,mercury1 in a blue satin doublet1 lined with cloth of gold1 his garments #8cut and slashed in the finest manner1' with a peaked hat of the same colour1 as though it would cut and sever the wind asunder2 and on the same1 a pair of wings1 and wings at his feet1 in a coach1 most extraordinarily painted with birds and naked spirits1 hanging by the heels in the air and clouds1 and with horses winged and painted1 appeared at her window1 and invited her to go abroad1 and see more shows2 and a kind of mask1 in which ,venus and ,cupid1 with wantonness and riot1 were discomfited1 in no very gentle manner1 by the goddess of ,chastity and her attendants1 was exhibited in the open air4 8,a troop of nymphs and fairies lay in ambush for her return from dining with the earl of ,surry2 and in the midst of these heathenish exhibitions1 the minister of the ,dutch church waited his opportunity to offer to her the grateful homage of his flock4 ,after this oration1 a very curious compliment was paid her1 in the form of a monument1 on which was artificially graven the scriptural history of ,joseph2 and in the middle of the same device1 was a figure of a serpent1 entwining itself around a dove1 which bore this sentence3 #8,wise as the serpent1 and meek as the dove4' 8,it appears that the inventing of masks1 devices1 and pageants1 for the recreation of the queen in her progresses1 was a distinct profession4 ,george ,ferrers1 formerly commemorated as inventor of pastimes to ,edward the ,sixth2 one ,goldingham2 and ,churchyard1 author of the ,worthieness of ,wales1 of some legends in the ,mirror of ,magistrates1 and of a prodigious quantity of verse on various subjects1 were the most celebrated proficients in this branch3 all three are handed down to posterity1 as contributors to the #8princely pleasures of ,kenilworth2' and the two latter1 as the managers of the ,norwich entertainments4 8,but although it is not my intention to enter into all the pageants which were exhibited1 during the six days of the queen's stay at ,norwich1 ,i cannot1 however1 pass over the very original one1 representing a battle between six gentleman1 apparelled only in doublet1 hose1 and helmet on the head3 during which1 #8the legs and arms of men1 well and lively wrought1 were to be let fall1 in numbers1 on the ground1 as bloody as might be4' ,a violent shower of rain prevented ,elizabeth's enjoying this delicate exhibition2 and the following day she left the city1 passing under wreaths1 made of flowers1 extended from each side of the street1 and mixed with garlands1 coronets1 pictures1 rich cloths1 and a thousand devices2 whilst songs of lamentation for her departure1 and orations on the high honour she had done the inhabitants1 saluted her ear1 till she reached the purlieus of ,norwich4 8,whilst ,i am willing to allow10 said ,mrs4 ,spencer1 8that taste was as yet in its infancy1 and the ludicrous incongruities1 and pedantic labour1 exhibited in these diversions1 are characteristic of a semi-barbarous age2 still ,i cannot but express my surprise1 that a mind so highly gifted as was that of ,elizabeth1 could find amusement in such uncouth representations1 and puerile performances4 ,but ,i have not yet1 ,sir1 remarked any evidence of personal vanity4 ,these festivities were contrived by her subjects1 not ordered by herself2 and she was1 in politeness1 obliged to listen to the eulogiums of her people1 even though the subject were in praise of herself40 8,that is true10 replied ,mr4 ,wilmot2 8but ,i think you will alter your opinion1 when you have the account of the entertainments that were conducted by the queen1 in honour of the proposals of marriage made to her by the duke of ,anjou4 8,she caused to be erected1 on the south-west side of the palace of ,whitehall1 a vast banqueting-house1 made of timber1 covered with canvass1 and painted on the outside with a work called rustic1 resembling stone4 ,it was lighted with two hundred and ninety-two windows2 whilst1 from festoons of ivy and holly1 hung pendants of flowers1 mixed with fruits of various kinds2 amongst which1 pomegranates1 oranges1 pompions1 cucumbers1 grapes1 and carrots are named4 ,the whole was spangled with gold2 whilst1 between the festoons1 appeared the ceiling1 painted with a sky1 sun1 sunbeams1 and stars1 intermingled with scutcheons of the royal arms4 ,three hundred and seventy workmen were employed in its construction1 and one thousand seven hundred and forty-four pounds expended upon it4 8,in this artificial palace the ,french ambassadors were received1 and most #8royally banqueted and feasted' by the maiden queen2 whilst her ministers were employed in drawing up1 by her command1 the marriage articles4 8,meanwhile1 several of the gentlemen and nobles1 anxious to participate in the gay illusion and courtly pleasures of the day1 agreed amongst themselves1 to prepare a triumph2 #8the sumptuous service of which1 and the valiant manner of performing it1 redounding1' according to ,holinshed1 #8to their endless fame and honour4' ,the plan was as follows3 8,the young earl of ,arundel1 lord ,windsor1 ,philip ,sidney1 and ,fulke ,greville1 called themselves the four foster-children of ,desire2 and to that end of the tilt-yard where the queen was seated1 their refined homage gave the name of the ,fortress of ,perfect ,beauty4 ,this castle her majesty was summoned to surrender1 in an adulatory message1 conveyed by a boy1 dressed in red and white1 the colours of ,desire2 and it is not the least part of this singular entertainment1 that the first message was delivered to her on a ,sunday1 as she returned from chapel4 8,on her refusal1 a day was fixed for the celebration of the pageant2 and on that morning1 a mount1 placed upon wheels1 was rolled into the tilt-yard1 and the four cavaliers1 in superb armour and accoutrements1 and each at the head of a splendid troop1 rode into the yard4 ,when they had passed1 in military order1 before the queen1 the boy who had given her the former defiance1 addressed her again1 in a strain so quaint and fulsome1 that it would neither tend to your improvement nor pleasure1 were ,i to repeat it4 8,when this harangue was finished1 7during the recital of which1 music was heard within the mount1 and the mount itself rose up in height17 the device was moved close to the queen1 the music sounded1 and one of the boys1 accompanied by cornets1 sung a fresh summons to the fortress2 and when that was ended1 another boy1 turning to the foster-children and their retinue1 sung an alarm1 #8with a pleasant voice and a seemly countenance3 which ended1 the cannons were shot off1 the one with sweet powder1 and the other with sweet water1 very odoriferous and pleasant2 and the noise of the shooting was very excellent concent of melody within the mount4 ,and after that1 was store of pretty scaling-ladders1 and the footmen threw flowers1 and such fancies1 against the walls1 with all such devices as might seem fit shot for ,desire3 all which did continue till the time the defendants came in4' 8,these were about twenty in number1 and each accompanied by his servants4 ,amongst them was ,sir ,henry ,leigh1 who came running in as unknown2 and1 after breaking six lances1 went out again4 ,of this gentleman ,i shall have occasion to speak hereafter4 ,trumpeters and pages attended1 and speeches were severally delivered to the queen1 on the part of these knights1 several of whom assumed fantastic characters2 and surely none more so than ,sir ,thomas ,perrot and ,anthony ,cook1 who thought proper to personate ,adam and ,eve2 being begirt with apples and fruit1 and the latter having hair hung all down his helmet4 ,these knights #8were accompanied by an angel4' 8,the messengers1 on the part of ,sir ,thomas ,ratcliff1 described their master #8as a forlorn knight1 whom despair of achieving the fate of his peerless and sunlike mistress1 had driven out of the haunts of men1 into a cave of the desert1 where moss was his bed1 moss his ceiling1 moss his candle1 and moss1 watered with salt tears1 his food4' ,even here1 the report of this assault on the fortress of ,peerless ,beauty1 reached his ears1 and roused him from his solitude--from bondage to a living death2 and1 in token of his devoted loyalty and inviolable fidelity to his excellent and divine lady1 he had sent her his shield1 hewn out of the hard cliff1 only enriched with moss2 which he begged her to accept1 as the ensign of her fame1 and the instrument of his glory2 prostrating himself at her feet1 as ready to undertake any adventures1 in hopes of her gracious favour4 8,on the part of the four sons of ,sir ,thomas ,knolles1 ,mercury appeared1 and described them as the legitimate sons of ,despair1 brethren to hard mishap1 suckled with sighs1 and swathed up in sorrow1 weaned in woe1 and dry-nursed by ,desire2 long time fostered with favourable countenance1 and fed with sweet fancies2 but now1 of late1 alas6 wholly given over by grief and disgrace1 with despair1 c4 8,the speeches being ended1 probably to the relief of the hearers1 the tilting commenced1 and continued till night1 with some fresh circumstances of magnificence1 and a few more harangues4 ,at length the challengers presented to their sovereign an olive bough1 in token of their humble submission2 and both parties were dismissed by her1 with thanks and commendations4 8,i told you ,i would give you some account of ,sir ,henry ,leigh1 whose formal resignation of the office of queen's champion1 so long his glory and delight1 and which took place four years preceding this last pageant1 forms one of those romantic ceremonies which mark so well the age of ,elizabeth4 ,the gallant earl of ,cumberland was his destined successor1 and the momentous transfer was effected after the following fashion4 8,having first performed their respective parts in the chivalrous exercises of the band of knight-tilters1 ,sir ,henry and the earl presented themselves to her majesty1 at the foot of the gallery where she was seated1 surrounded by her ladies and nobles1 to view the games4 8,they advanced to slow music1 and a concealed performer accompanied the strain with the following song3 8,my golden locks time hath to silver turn'd1 7,oh1 time6 too swift1 and swiftness never ceasing17 ,my youth 'gainst age1 and age at youth hath spurn'd2 ,but spurn'd in vain1 youth waneth by increasing3 ,beauty1 strength1 and youth1 flowers fading been2 ,duty1 faith1 and love1 are roots and evergreen4 8,my helmet now shall make a hive for bees1 ,and lover's songs shall turn to holy psalms2 ,a man at arms must now sit on his knees1 ,and feed on prayers that are old age's alms2 ,and so1 from court to cottage ,i depart1 ,my saint is sure of mine unspotted heart4 8,and when ,i sadly sit in homely cell1 ,i'll teach my swains this carol for a song3 #8,bless'd be the hearts that think my sovereign well1 ,curs'd be the souls that think to do her wrong4' ,goddess1 vouchsafe this aged man his right ,to be your beads-man now1 that was your knight40 8,during the performance1 there arose out of the earth a pavilion of white taffeta1 supported on pillars resembling porphyry1 and formed to imitate the temple of the vestal virgins4 ,a superb altar was placed within it1 on which were laid some rich gifts for her majesty4 ,before the gate stood a crowned pillar1 embraced by an eglantine2 to which a votive table was attached1 inscribed1 #8to ,elizabeth4' ,the gifts and the tablet being1 with great reverence1 delivered to the queen1 the aged knight being in the mean time disarmed1 he offered up his armour at the foot of the pillar1 and1 kneeling1 presented the earl of ,cumberland to her majesty2 praying her to accept of him as a knight1 and to continue these annual exercises4 ,the proposal being graciously accepted1 ,sir ,henry armed the earl1 and mounted him on his horse3 this done1 he clothed himself in a long velvet gown1 and covered his head1 in lieu of a helmet1 with a buttoned cap of the country fashion40 8,this is by far the most elegant ceremony you have described1 ,sir10 said ,mrs4 ,spencer2 8but ,i cannot help lamenting1 that the distinguished character of ,elizabeth should be sullied with such weakness40 8,we will turn10 said ,mr4 ,wilmot1 8from the contemplation of her defects1 to view her in those affairs1 when the strength of her character appears in all its native lustre--when the sacred feelings of the moment1 lent to her words and actions that energy and dignity1 which so often gained her the admiration of hoary statesmen1 and of surrounding nations4 ,you have heard of the threatened attack of the ,spanish ,armada1 and the vigorous measures that were taken to defend the country against the threatened invasion4 ,when all the preparations of defence were finally arranged1 the queen resolved to visit1 in person1 her camp at ,tilbury1 for the purpose of encouraging her troops4 8,mounted on a noble charger1 with a general's truncheon in her hand1 a corslet of polished steel laced on over her magnificent apparel1 and a page in attendance1 bearing her white plumed helmet1 she rode bare-headed1 from rank to rank1 with a courageous deportment and a smiling countenance2 and1 amid the affectionate plaudits and shouts of military ardour1 which burst from the animated and admiring soldiery1 she addressed them in the following short and spirited harangue4 8#8,my loving people1 we have been persuaded1 by some that are careful of our safety1 to take heed how we commit ourselves to armed multitudes1 for fear of treachery2 but ,i assure you1 ,i do not desire to live1 to distrust my faithful and loving people4 ,let tyrants fear3 ,i have always so behaved myself1 that1 under ,god1 ,i have placed my chiefest strength and safeguard in the loyal hearts and good-will of my subjects4 8#8,and therefore ,i am come amongst you at this time1 not as my recreation or sport2 but being resolved1 in the midst and heat of battle1 to live or die amongst you all3 to lay down1 for my ,god1 and for my kingdom1 and for my people1 my honour and my blood1 even in the dust4 ,i know ,i have but the body of a weak and feeble woman2 but ,i have the heart of a king1 and of a king of ,england too2 and think foul scorn1 that ,parma1 or ,spain1 or any prince of ,europe1 should dare to invade the borders of my realm4 8#8,to which1 rather than any dishonour should grow by me1 ,i myself will take up arms2 ,i myself will be your general1 judge1 and rewarder of every one of your virtues in the field4 8#8,i know1 already1 by your forwardness1 you have deserved rewards and crowns2 and we do assure you1 on the word of a prince1 they shall be duly paid you4 ,in the mean time1 my lieutenant-general shall be in my stead1 than whom1 never prince commanded more noble and worthy subjects2 not doubting1 by your obedience to my general1 by your concord in the camp1 and your valour in the field1 we shall shortly have a famous victory over those enemies of my ,god1 of my kingdom1 and of my people4'0 8,it is1 indeed1 a noble speech10 said ,mrs4 ,spencer2 8and one can imagine the loud plaudits that would ensue1 when she had ended her address4 ,if ,i am not mistaken1 it was about this time that newspapers were introduced40 8,yes10 answered ,mr4 ,wilmot3 8the intense interest in public events1 excited in every class by the threatened invasion of ,spain1 gave rise to the introduction1 into this country1 of one of the most important inventions of social life1 that of newspapers4 ,previous to this period1 all articles of intelligence had been circulated in manuscripts2 and all political remarks1 which the government had found itself interested in making to the people1 had issued from the press in the shape of pamphlets2 of which1 many had been composed during the administration of ,burleigh1 either by himself1 or under his direction4 ,but the peculiar convenience1 at such a juncture1 of uniting the two objects in a periodical publication1 becoming obvious to the ministry1 there appeared1 some time in the month of ,august1 #aeeh1 the first number of the ,english ,mercury1 a paper resembling the present ,london ,gazette1 which must have come out almost daily2 since the number #ej1 the earliest specimen of the work now extant1 is dated ,july #bcrd of the same year4 ,this interesting manuscript is preserved in the ,british ,museum4 ,but 7said ,mr4 ,wilmot1 turning to ,susan and ,ann7 ,i think that you both know the ,royal ,exchange40 8,yes1 ,sir10 they replied2 8but we do not know who built it40 8,it was built10 answered ,mr4 ,wilmot1 8by ,thomas ,gresham1 a merchant4 ,born of a family at once enlightened1 commercial1 and wealthy1 he had not only imbibed their spirit and their virtues2 but1 fortunately for himself1 neither the advantages of the education he had received at ,cambridge1 nor his own superior attainments1 tempted him to quit the walk of life for which he was intended1 and in which he afterwards so eminently distinguished himself4 8,his father1 ,sir ,richard ,gresham1 had been agent to ,henry the ,eighth1 for negotiations of loans with the merchants of ,antwerp2 and the abilities of young ,gresham were soon discovered1 by the eminent services he rendered1 when in a similar capacity to ,edward the ,sixth1 by redeeming the credit of the king1 then sunk to the lowest ebb by the mismanagement of his father's immediate successor4 ,under ,elizabeth he enjoyed the same appointment1 to which was added that of queen's merchant2 and it appears1 by the official letters of the times1 that he was occasionally consulted in political as well as pecuniary affairs4 ,he was a spirited promoter of the infant manufactures of his country1 several of which owed their origin to him4 8,by his assiduity and commercial talents1 he rendered himself one of the most opulent merchants in the kingdom2 and the queen showed her sense of his merit1 by bestowing on him the office of knighthood4 8,gresham had been always liberal and patriotic2 but the death of his only son1 in #aefd1 determined him to render his country his principal heir4 8,hitherto the citizens of ,london had been unprovided with any building in the shape of a ,burse1 or an ,exchange1 such as ,gresham had been accustomed to see abroad1 in the commercial cities of ,flanders2 and he now munificently offered1 if the city would give him a piece of ground1 to build one at his own expence4 8,the edifice was begun accordingly1 in #aeff1 and finished within three years4 ,it was a quadrangle of bricks1 with walks on the ground-floor for merchants1 7who now ceased to transact their business in the middle aisle of ,st4 ,paul's ,cathedral17 with vaults for warehouses beneath1 and a row of shops above2 from the rent of which the proprietor sought some remuneration for his great charges4 ,but the shops did not immediately find customers2 and it was partly with a view of bringing them into vogue1 that the queen promised to give her countenance to the undertaking1 in ,january1 #aega4 ,holinshed gives the following particulars of this visit4 ,on the twenty-third of ,january1 the queen1 accompanied by her nobility1 came from ,somerset ,house1 and entered the city by ,temple ,bar1 ,fleet-street1 and by the north side of the ,burse1 to ,sir ,thomas ,gresham's in ,bishopsgate-street1 where she dined4 ,after dinner1 her grace1 returning through ,cornhill1 entered the ,burse on the south side2 and1 after she had viewed every part thereof1 above the ground1 especially the ,pawne1 which was richly furnished with all sorts of the finest wares in the city1 she caused proclamation to be made by the sound of trumpet1 that it should henceforth be called the ,royal ,exchange4 8,gresham offered the shops rent-free1 for a year1 to such as would furnish them with wares and wax-lights1 against the coming of the queen2 and the proposal produced a very sumptuous display4 ,afterwards1 the shops of the ,exchange became the favourite resort of the fashionable of both sexes4 ,the building was destroyed by the fire of #afff2 and the divines of that day1 according to their custom1 pronounced this catastrophe a judgment on the avarice and unfair dealing of the merchants1 and the pride1 prodigality1 and luxury of the purchasers and idlers1 by which it was frequented and maintained40 8,then the present ,exchange is not the building erected by ,sir ,thomas80 said ,ann4 8,no1 my dear10 replied ,mr4 ,wilmot3 8the first stone of the second fabric was laid by ,charles the ,second1 who rode in state into the city for this purpose1 in #affg4 ,it bears the original title1 and was erected in about three years1 at the expence of #hj1jjj40 ,mrs4 ,spencer remarked1 that ,gresham was a splendid benefactor to the city of ,london2 for1 besides the ,royal ,exchange1 he left his magnificent residence in ,bishopsgate-street1 as a college for the benefit of the citizens of ,london4 ,he thought that1 as the inhabitants of that city possessed much money1 a proportionate quantity of knowledge and learning should be diffused among them4 ,he bequeathed annuities for public lectures in divinity1 law1 physic1 and astronomy1 geometry1 music1 and rhetoric3 his house was appointed for the residence of the lecturer1 and there the lectures were to be read4 ,but ,gresham ,college is now turned into the ,excise ,office4 8,did ,i understand you1 ,sir10 said ,susan1 8that the aisle of ,st4 ,paul's was formerly used by the merchants of ,london1 as a resort in which to transact business80 8,you may well ask the question1 indeed10 answered ,mr4 ,wilmot2 8and1 in replying to it1 ,i shall first tell you1 that1 in the year #adda1 the beautiful steeple of ,st4 ,paul's was struck by lightning2 7it was the loftiest in the kingdom27 and1 together with the bells and roof1 was utterly destroyed4 ,never did parties in religion run higher than about this period of the reign of ,elizabeth4 ,the manner in which this accident was commented upon1 by adverse disputants1 not only marks the temper of the times2 but informs us to how many purposes this building1 professedly devoted to divine worship1 was appropriated4 8,a papist immediately dispersed a paper1 representing this accident as a judgment from ,heaven1 for the discontinuance of the meeting1 and other services1 which used to be performed in the church1 at different hours of the day and night4 ,pilkington1 bishop of ,durham1 who preached at ,paul's ,cross1 after the accident1 was equally disposed to regard it as a judgment2 but on the sins of ,london in general1 and particularly on certain abuses1 by which the church had formerly been polluted4 ,in a tract1 published in answer to that of the papists1 he afterwards gave an animated description of the practices of which this cathedral had been the theatre2 curious1 in the present day1 as a record of forgotten customs4 8,he said1 #8,no place had been more abused than ,st4 ,paul's had been1 nor more against the receiving of ,christ's gospel2 wherefore it was more wonderful that ,god had spared it so long1 than that he overthrew it now4 99 99 ,from the top of the spire1 at coronations1 or other solemn triumphs1 some1 for vain-glory1 had thrown themselves down by a rope1 and so killed themselves1 vainly to please other men's eyes4 ,at the battlements of the steeple1 sundry times1 were used their popish anthems1 to call upon their gods1 with the torch and taper1 in the evenings4 ,in the top of one of the pinnacles was ,lollard's ,tower1 where many an innocent soul had been cruelly terminated and murdered4 ,in the middest alley was their long censer1 reaching from the roof to the ground2 as though the ,holy ,ghost came down in their censing1 in likeness of a dove4 ,in the arches1 men complained of wrong and delayed judgments in ecclesiastical causes2 and divers had been condemned there by ,annas and ,caiphas1 for ,christ's cause4 ,their images hung on every wall1 and pillar1 and door1 with their pilgrimages1 and worshipping of them2 passing over their massing and many altars1 and the rest of their popish service4 8#8,the south-side alley was for usury and popery2 the north for simony2 and the horse-fair in the midst1 for all kinds of bargains1 meetings1 brawlings1 murders1 and conspiracies4 ,the font1 for ordinary payments of money1 as well known to all men as the beggar knows his dish2 so that without and within1 above the ground and under1 over the roof and beneath1 from the top of the steeple and spire down to the floor1 not one spot was free from wickedness4' 8,how the divines of that age reconciled these violents philippics against those who differed from them in religious views1 with the injunction left by the apostle1 in his masterly delineation of ,christian charity1 is not for me to determine10 said ,mr4 ,wilmot4 8,you will observe1 that the practice of making ,st4 ,paul's a kind of exchange1 for transactions of all kinds of business1 and a place of meeting for idlers of all sorts1 is here alluded to3 it is frequently mentioned by writers of this and the two succeeding reigns2 and when1 and by what means the custom was put an end to1 does not appear4 8,it was here that ,sir ,nicholas ,throgmorton held a conference with an emissary of ,wyatt's3 it was here that one of the bravos1 engaged in the noted murder of ,alden of ,feversham1 was hired4 ,it was in ,st4 ,paul's that ,falstaff is made to say1 he bought ,bardolph4 8,in bishop ,earl's admirable little book1 called1 #8,microcosmography1' the scene is described with all the wit of the author1 and somewhat of the quaintness of his age1 which was that of ,james the ,first4 ,he says1 #8,paul's walk is the land's epitome1 or you may call it the lesser isle of ,great ,britain4 ,it is more than this2 the whole world's map1 which you may here discern in the perfectest motion1 jostling and turning4 ,it is the great exchange of all discourse2 and no business whatever1 but is here stirring and afoot4 ,it is the synod of all pates politic joined and laid together1 in most serious posture2 and they are not half so busy at the parliament4 ,it is the market of young lecturers1 whom you may cheapen here at all rates and sizes4 ,it is the general mint of all lies1 which were1 like the legends of popery1 first coined and stamped in the church4 ,all inventions are emptied here2 and not a few pockets4 ,the best sign of a temple in it1 is1 that it is the thieves' sanctuary4 8#8,the visitants are all men1 without exception2 but the principal inhabitants and possessors are1 stale knights1 and captains out of service1 men of long rapiers and breeches1 which1 after all1 turn merchants here1 and traffic for news4 ,some make it a preface to their dinner2 but thriftier men make it their ordinary1 and board here very cheap4'0 ,the bell now rang1 and company was announced4 ,susan and ,ann quitted the gallery with reluctance2 but not before they had obtained a promise from ,mr4 ,wilmot1 that they should visit it again on the following day4 ---------------------------------------- -------------------------------- ,,chap4 ,,viii4 ---------- ,,punctual to the moment of appointment1 ,mr4 ,wilmot led his young friends into the gallery2 and1 after giving them leave to range round it1 he begged that they would select a subject for the morning's entertainment4 8,then1 ,sir10 said ,susan1 8,i should like to be informed who that wounded officer is1 and that poor soldier1 who1 even whilst drinking with eagerness1 seems to fix his eyes so intently on him40 8,that officer10 answered ,mr4 ,wilmot1 8is ,sir ,philip ,sidney1 one of the brightest ornaments of queen ,elizabeth's court2 and whose personal endowments were only equalled by his valour and humanity4 8,when1 at the battle of ,zutphen1 in the ,united ,provinces1 in which he had distinguished himself1 his thigh-bone was broken by a musket-shot1 in the agony of his wound he called for water3 some was brought him1 but1 as he was lifting it to his lips1 the ghastly looks of a dying soldier met his eye4 #8,take this1' said he1 holding the water to him1 #8thy necessities are yet greater than mine4' ,we can better estimate the self-denial of this generous act1 when we remember that the wound was mortal1 and that1 after sixteen days of acute suffering1 it terminated his valuable life4 8,thus perished1 at the early age of thirty-two1 this ,marcellus of the ,english nation2 at once the pride and ornament of his time--the theme and favourite of song and story40 ,illustration3 ,page #adb4 ,page #adh4 8,the beautiful anecdote which ,i have just related to you1 inspires a love and esteem for his virtues1 which will be retained as long as the name of ,sidney shall exist4 ,he is described by the writers of that age1 as the most perfect model of an ,english gentleman1 that could be formed1 even in imagination2 and when to this we add his amiable disposition1 his elegant erudition1 his rare talents and dauntless valour1 we are prepared to estimate the demonstrations of grief which were expressed for his loss1 and the almost unexampled honours paid to his memory4 ,the court went into mourning for him1 and his remains received a magnificent funeral in ,st4 ,paul's3 the ,united ,provinces having in vain requested permission to inter him at their own expence1 promising that he should have as fair a tomb as any prince in ,christendom4 ,elizabeth1 who had called him #8her ,philip1' always spoke of him with affectionate regret4 ,the kings of ,france and ,scotland lamented him in verse4 ,cambridge and ,oxford published three volumes of #8,lachrym' on his death4 ,spenser in rhyme1 and ,camden in prose1 commemorated and deplored their patron4 ,lord ,brooke was so proud of his friendship1 that he directed it to be part of his epitaph1 #8,here lies ,sir ,philip ,sidney's friend4' ,a crowd of humbler votaries emulously strove who best should paint his excellence and loss2 and it would be endless to enumerate the names of those who have1 in latter times1 celebrated1 in various forms1 the name of ,sidney4 8,envy1 for a while1 seemed to have expired1 whilst foreigners and countrymen alike joined in the tribute of respect offered to his memory4 ,du ,plessis ,mornay1 a celebrated ,hugonot leader1 condoled with ,walsingham on the loss of his incomparable son-in-law1 in terms of the deepest sorrow3 ,count ,hohenloe passionately bewailed his friend and fellow-soldier3 and even the obdurate heart of ,philip the ,second1 was touched by the untimely fate of his god-son4 8,henry ,sidney1 the father of this accomplished young nobleman1 was a man endowed with wisdom and talent4 ,exemplary in his own conduct1 he sought to infuse into the mind of his son1 the purest and most elevated moral principles4 ,nor was his laudable conduct--his parental solicitude--disappointed3 he saw1 in the brilliant career of his beloved son1 his warmest wishes anticipated1 his fondest hopes realized4 8,that ,philip ,sidney1 whilst on his travels1 though still very young1 conducted himself with prudence1 and displayed much soundness and clearness of principle1 may be inferred from his obtaining the friendship of ,hubert ,languet1 a celebrated protestant at ,frankfort4 ,and1 though his character was not faultless1 though he partook of some of the errors incident to his age and station1 yet1 as a man--a high-souled and accomplished man--he had1 among his contemporary countrymen1 neither equal nor competitor4 8,flattery has long since ceased to spread her meretricious splendour round his name1 and the historian can now calmly examine the pretensions to that merit1 which not only ,england1 but ,europe1 attached to his short-lived but brilliant career2 and she can1 with confidence and complacency1 enrol him amongst the noble few1 whose example may be held up as a beacon to youth1 and still serve to kindle the animating glow of emulation4 8,his death was worthy of the best parts of his life3 he showed himself1 at the last1 devout1 courageous1 and serene4 ,his last words are worthy of remembrance1 they were uttered with seriousness and composure3 #8,love my memory2 cherish my friends3 their fidelity to me1 may assure you that they are honest4 ,but1 above all1 govern your wills and affections by the will and word of your ,creator4 ,in me1 behold the end of this world and its vanities4' 8,his wife1 the beautiful daughter of ,walsingham2 his brother ,robert1 to whom he had performed the part of an indulgent and anxious parent rather than that of a brother2 and many sorrowful friends1 surrounded his bed4 ,their grief was1 beyond doubt1 sincere and poignant1 as well as that of the many persons of letters and of worth1 who gloried in his friendship1 and flourished by his bountiful patronage4 ,he was the author of a romance1 entitled #8,arcadia1' now only known to the curious in literature40 ,whilst ,mrs4 ,spencer and ,susan were expressing their high admiration of the character of ,sir ,philip ,sidney1 ,ann was busily examining a picture which hung next to the before-mentioned painting4 ,as soon as the observations on this last subject had ceased1 she eagerly enquired whose rustic dwelling it represented4 ,mr4 ,wilmot replied3 8,that of ,edmund ,spenser1 one of our first genuine poets2 whose rich and melodious strains will find their way to the tastes of the real lovers of minstrelsy1 as long as inexhaustible fertility of invention1 truth1 fluency1 and vivacity of description1 copious learning1 and a pure1 amiable1 and heart-ennobling morality1 shall be prized among the students of ,english literature4 8,from the circumstance of ,spenser's being entered as a sizar at ,cambridge1 it is probable that he sprung from an obscure parentage1 and possessed but a slender patrimony4 ,his merit1 however1 soon dawned through the shades that surrounded him2 and his intimacy with ,stubbs1 a noted character of the day1 and still more his friendship with ,gabriel ,harvey1 by whom he was introduced to ,sir ,philip ,sidney1 attest the superiority of his mental acquirements4 8,the choice of his associates1 together with some passages in his #8,shepherd's ,calendar1' had given rise to the suspicion that he was inclined towards puritanical sentiments2 and possibly had some share in the disappointment of a fellowship1 which he had hoped to obtain in #aegf4 ,leaving college on this event1 he retired for a time into the north of ,england2 but the friendship of ,sidney1 who was fully capable of appreciating his genius1 drew him again from his retirement2 and it was at ,penshurst that he composed much of the #8,shepherd's ,calendar1' published in #aegi1 under the signature of ,immerito1 and dedicated to his accomplished patron4 8,this year ,spenser was sent by the earl of ,leicester 7probably at his nephew's request7 to ,france1 on some commission2 and1 in the following1 he obtained the post of secretary to lord ,grey1 and attended him to ,ireland4 8,spenser1 though the child of fancy and of the ,muse1 was yet the man of business2 and an excellent paper on the state of ,ireland1 which he drew up at this time1 is still read and valued4 ,he received a considerable tract of land out of the forfeited estates of the earl of ,desmond2 and also the castle of ,kilcoman1 which henceforth became his residence1 and where he had the pleasure of receiving a first visit from ,raleigh4 8,similarity of taste and pursuits must soon have created an intimacy between these candidates for fame2 and the barbarism and ignorance which surrounded them1 must have cemented their friendship1 and heightened the pleasure they must have experienced in each other's society4 8,nor did the seductive blandishments of a court banish from the affections or remembrance of ,raleigh1 when he returned to ,england1 the tuneful bard whom he had left behind in the #8emerald isle4' ,he mentioned him to the queen with enthusiasm2 obtained for him some favours1 or promise of favours2 and1 on the second visit which he made to ,ireland1 7probably for the purpose of inspecting some large grants which he had himself obtained17 he insisted upon his friend's returning with him2 and hastened to initiate him into those arts of gaining a fortune1 which had proved so prosperous to himself4 ,but neither the taste1 nor the retiring temper of the poet1 was calculated to combat with the intrigues and treacheries of this heart-sickening scene2 nor yet to endure the servile dependence on another's will1 that must be borne by the pursuer of courtly fortune4 ,bitterly did he regret his learned leisure1 and deplore the mistaken kindness which had taught him to forsake retirement and ease1 for the #8solitude of a crowd1 where all around were either foes or strangers4' ,he has left upon lasting record1 in a few brief1 energetic lines1 his warning to others1 his grief and repentance2 and1 hastening back to obscurity1 he prepared to earn that title to immortal fame1 which will ever attend the author of the #8,faery ,queen4' ,this great work appeared in #aehi1 with a preface addressed to ,raleigh1 and a considerable number of recommendatory poems2 one of which1 a sonnet of great elegance1 is marked by the initials of that same patronizing friend4 8,the premature death of ,spenser1 under circumstances of severe distress1 now called forth the sympathy and bitter regrets of the friends of ,english literature4 ,after witnessing the destruction of his whole property1 including the plunder of his house1 by the ,irish rebels1 he fled to ,england for shelter4 ,the fifty pounds per annum1 which he enjoyed as her majesty's poet laureate1 being apparently his only resource1 he took up his abode in an obscure lodging in ,london1 and pined away in penury and despondence4 8,the genius of this great poet1 formed on the most approved models of the time1 and exercised upon themes peculiarly congenial to its taste1 received1 in all its plenitude1 that homage of contemporary applause1 which has sometimes failed to reward the nobler masters of the lyre4 8,the adventures of chivalry1 and the dim shadowings of moral allegory1 were almost equally the delight of a romantic1 a serious1 and a learned age4 ,it was also a point of loyalty to admire1 in #8,gloriana1' #8,queen of ,faery1' or in #8,the ,empress ,mercilla1' the avowed types of the graces and virtues of her majesty2 and she herself had discernment sufficient to distinguish between the brazen trump of vulgar flattery1 with which her ear was sated1 and the pastoral reed of antique frame1 tuned sweetly to her praise by ,colin ,clout4 8,spenser was interred with great solemnity in ,westminster ,abbey1 by the side of ,chaucer2 the generous ,essex defraying the expences of the funeral1 and walking himself as a mourner4 ,that ostentatious but munificent woman1 ,ann1 countess of ,dorset1 ,pembroke1 and ,montgomery1 erected a handsome monument to his memory1 several years afterwards4 ,the brother poets who attended his obsequies1 threw elegies and sonnets into the grave2 and1 of the more distinguished votaries of the ,muse in that day1 there is scarcely one who has withheld his tribute to the memory of this beautiful author4 ,shakspeare1 in one of his sonnets1 had already testified his high delight in his works4 8,joseph ,hall1 afterwards eminent as a bishop1 a preacher1 and a polemic1 but1 at this time1 a young student at ,emanuel ,college1 has more than one complimentary allusion to the poems of ,spenser1 in his #8,toothless ,satires1' printed in #aeig40 8,i think you mentioned1 ,sir10 said ,mrs4 ,spencer1 8that it was in ,ireland ,sir ,walter ,raleigh first became acquainted with the illustrious bard4 ,did ,sir ,walter spend much of his time there8 ,perhaps you will oblige us by some account of him40 8,willingly10 answered ,mr4 ,wilmot4 8,ireland1 in particular1 was the scene of several of the early exploits of that brilliant and extraordinary genius1 ,walter ,raleigh2 and it was out of his service in this country1 that an occasion arose for his appearing at court1 which he had the talent so to improve1 as to make it the origin of all his favour and advancement4 8,raleigh was the poor youngest son1 of a decayed but ancient family in ,devonshire4 ,his education at ,oxford was yet incomplete1 when the ardour of his disposition encouraged him to join a band of a hundred volunteers1 led by his relation1 ,henry ,champernon1 in #aefi1 to the aid of the ,french protestants4 ,here he served a six years' apprenticeship to the art of war2 after which1 returning to his own country1 he gave himself for awhile to the more tranquil pursuits of literature2 for #8both ,minervas claim'd him as their own4' 8,in #aegh he resumed his arms1 under general ,norris1 commander of the ,english forces in the ,netherlands4 ,the next year1 ambitious of a new kind of glory1 he accompanied that gallant navigator1 ,sir ,humphrey ,gilbert1 his half-brother1 in a voyage to ,newfoundland4 ,this expedition proving unfortunate1 he obtained1 in #aehj1 a captain's commission in the ,irish service2 and1 recommended by his vigour and capacity1 rose to be governor of ,cork4 8,a quarrel with lord ,grey put a stop to his promotion in ,ireland2 and1 on following this nobleman to ,england1 their difference was brought to a hearing before the privy council1 when the great talents1 and uncommon flow of eloquence1 exhibited by ,raleigh in pleading his own cause1 by raising the admiration of all present1 proved the means of introducing him to the presence of the queen4 ,his comely person1 fine address1 and prompt proficiency in the arts of a courtier1 did all the rest2 and he rapidly rose to such a height of favour1 as to inspire with jealousy even him who had long stood foremost in the good graces of his sovereign4 8,it is recorded of ,raleigh1 during the early days of his court attendance1 when a few handsome suits of clothes formed almost the sum total of his worldly wealth1 that1 as he was accompanying the queen in one of her daily walks1 she arrived at a miry spot1 and stood in perplexity how to pass4 ,with an adroit presence of mind1 the courtier pulled off his cloak1 and threw it on the ground to serve her for a foot-cloth4 ,she accepted with pleasure an attention which flattered her2 and it was afterwards quaintly said1 that the spoiling of a cloak had gained him many good suits4 8,as a soldier1 a statesman1 and a scholar1 ,raleigh was eminently distinguished through the whole reign of ,elizabeth4 ,he rendered her many important services2 and she not only acknowledged them1 but protected and encouraged him in the enterprises which he projected4 ,he was the discoverer of ,virginia1 and took effectual measures for promoting its prosperity4 ,his active enterprises against the ,spaniards1 both in ,europe and ,south ,america1 excited the particular enmity of the court of ,spain1 which used every means to effect his destruction4 ,during the reign of ,elizabeth1 these machinations were fruitless2 but1 on the accession of ,james the ,first1 ,sir ,walter lost his interest at court1 was stripped of his employments1 and unjustly accused and condemned for a plot against the king4 ,he was afterwards trusted by ,james with a commission of considerable importance1 and thus virtually pardoned for all supposed offences4 ,the malice of his enemies at last prevailed against him2 and he was pusillanimously sacrificed to appease the ,spaniards1 who1 whilst ,raleigh lived1 thought every part of their dominions in danger4 8,he was executed in ,old ,palace-yard1 in the sixty-sixth year of his age4 ,his behaviour on the scaffold was manly1 unaffected1 and even cheerful4 ,being asked by the executioner which way he would lay his head1 he answered3 #8,so the heart be right1 it is no matter which way the head lies4' 8,during his imprisonment1 he wrote the following affecting letter to his son2 and1 as it contains many solemn and affecting admonitions1 and testifies the influence of religion on his mind1 ,i shall read it to you4 8#8,my son1 let my experienced advice and fatherly instructions sink deep into thy heart4 ,seek not riches basely1 nor attain them by evil means3 destroy no man for his wealth1 nor take any thing from the poor2 for the cry thereof will pierce the heavens2 and it is most detestable before ,god1 and most dishonourable before worthy men4 ,nor wrest any thing from the laborious and needy soul3 ,god will never prosper thee1 if thou offendest therein4 ,use thy poor neighbours and tenants well3 have compassion on the poor and afflicted1 and ,god will bless thee for it4 ,make not the hungry soul sorrowful2 for if he curse thee in the bitterness of his spirit1 his prayer shall be heard of him that made thee4 8#8,now for the world1 dear child3 ,i know it too well to persuade thee to dive into the practices of it3 rather stand upon thy guard against all those that tempt thee to it1 or may practise upon thee1 thy conscience1 thy reputation1 or thy estate4 ,be assured1 that no man is wise or safe1 but he that is honest4 ,serve ,god1 commend all thy endeavours to him1 who will either wither or prosper them4 ,please him with prayer2 lest1 if he frown1 he confound all thy fortune and labour1 like the drops of rain upon the sandy ground4 ,may ,god direct thee in all thy ways1 and fill thy heart with his grace6' 8,he also wrote a letter of consolation1 and filled with pious sentiments1 to his wife2 but the specimen ,i have given you1 will serve to exemplify the prepared state of his mind1 previous to the solemn event4 8,an engagement this morning10 said ,mr4 ,wilmot1 8obliges me now to conclude2 and we will1 therefore1 quit the gallery40 ---------------------------------------- -------------------------------- ,,chap4 ,,ix4 ---------- ,,the first picture which attracted the little girls' attention1 on their entrance into the gallery this morning1 was the representation of an eruption of ,mount ,vesuvius4 ,they instantly applied for information to ,mr4 ,wilmot1 which he as willingly gave them1 in the following words3 8,this celebrated volcano is situated a few miles east of ,naples1 in ,italy4 ,the first eruption on record1 happened on the twenty-seventh of ,august1 ,a4,d4 #gi4 ,it was accompanied by an earthquake1 which overturned several cities4 ,pliny1 the naturalist1 being too curious in observing the effects of this violent convulsion of nature1 was suffocated by the sulphureous smoke40 8,who was ,pliny80 asked ,susan4 8,pliny the ,elder10 replied ,mr4 ,wilmot1 8was one of the most learned of the ,roman writers2 and was born at ,verona in ,italy1 ,a4,d4 #bc4 ,but a letter from his nephew to a friend1 describing his character and the event1 will give you a more perfect idea of both1 than any other means ,i can adopt4 ,this amiable and learned man first enters into an account of his uncle's surprising application1 as well as great mental powers2 and after relating the nature of his employments1 he proceeds to say3 8#8,you will wonder how a man1 so engaged as he was1 could find time to compose such a number of books as he did2 and some of them1 too1 upon abstruse subjects4 ,but your surprise will rise still higher1 when you hear that1 for some time1 he engaged in the profession of an advocate2 that he died in the fifty-sixth year of his age2 that1 from the time of his quitting the bar1 to his death1 he was employed1 partly in the execution of the highest posts1 and partly in personal attendance on those emperors who honoured him with their friendship40 ,illustration3 ,page #aeh4 ,page #aei4 8#8,but he had a quick apprehension1 joined to unwearied application4 ,in summer1 he always began his studies as soon as it was night2 in winter1 generally at one in the morning1 but never later than two1 and sometimes at midnight4 ,no man ever spent less time in bed2 insomuch1 that1 without retiring from his book1 he would sometimes take a short nap1 and then pursue his studies4 ,before day-break he used to wait upon ,vespasian1 who1 likewise1 chose these seasons to transact business4 ,when he had finished the affairs which that emperor transmitted to his charge1 he returned home again to his studies4 8#8,after a short and light repast1 at noon1 according to the good old custom of the ancients1 he would frequently1 in the summer1 if disengaged from business1 repose himself in the sun2 during which time1 some author was read to him1 from which he made extracts and observations2 as1 indeed1 this was his constant method1 whatever book he read2 for it was a maxim of his1 #8that no book was so bad but that something might be learned from it4' 8#8,when this was over1 he generally went into the cold bath2 and1 as soon as he came out of it1 generally took a slight refreshment1 and then reposed himself for a little while4 ,thus1 as if it had been a new day1 he renewed his studies till supper-time2 when a book was again read to him1 upon which he would make some slight remarks4 ,i remember once1 his reader having pronounced a word wrong1 somebody at table made him repeat it again2 upon which my uncle asked his friend1 if he understood it8 who1 acknowledging that he did3 #8,why1 then1' said he1 #8would you make him go back again8 ,we have lost1 by this interruption1 above ten lines2' covetous was this great man of time6 8#8,in summer he always rose from supper by day-light1 and in winter as soon as it was dark2 and he observed this rule as strictly as if it had been a law of the state4 8#8,such was his manner of life amidst the noise and hurry of the town2 but1 in the country1 his whole time was devoted to study1 without intermission1 excepting only when he bathed4 ,in this exception ,i include no more than the time he was actually in the bath2 for1 while he was rubbed and wiped1 he was employed in hearing some book read to him1 or in dictating4 ,in his journeys he lost no time from his studies2 but his mind1 at those seasons1 being disengaged from all other business1 applied itself wholly to that single pursuit4 8#8,a secretary constantly attended him in his chariot1 who1 in the winter1 wore a kind of warm gloves1 that the sharpness of the weather might not occasion any intermission to my uncle's studies2 and for the same reason1 when at ,rome1 he was always carried in a chair4 ,i remember1 he once reproved me for walking4 #8,you might1' said he1 #8employ those hours to more advantage2' for he thought every hour lost1 that was not given to study4 ,by this extraordinary application he found time to compose the several treatises ,i have mentioned2 besides one hundred and sixty volumes1 which he left me by his will1 consisting of a kind of common-place1 written on both sides1 in a very small character2 so that one might fairly reckon the number considerably more4 ,i have heard him say that1 when he was comptroller of the revenue in ,spain1 ,largius ,licinius offered him #djj1jjj sesterces 7about 4#cbjj of our money7 for those manuscripts1 and yet they were not then quite so numerous4'0 8,what a remarkably industrious man he must have been60 said ,ann4 8,yes10 replied ,mr4 ,wilmot2 8and although it would not be possible for the generality of men to pursue his plans1 yet ,i think we may all learn something from his diligence1 and his 7may ,i not say7 miserly care of time4 ,but to proceed with the narration4 8#8,my uncle was at this time1 with the fleet under his command1 at ,misenum1 in the gulf of ,naples4 ,on the twenty-fourth of ,august1 at about one in the afternoon1 my mother desired him to observe a cloud1 which appeared of a very unusual shape and size4 ,he had just returned from enjoying the benefit of the sun2 and1 after bathing in cold water1 and taking a slight repast1 was retired to his study3 he immediately arose1 and went out upon an eminence1 from which he might more distinctly view the phenomenon4 ,it was not1 at this distance1 discernible from what mountain the cloud issued2 but it was found afterwards to proceed from ,vesuvius1 about six miles distant from ,naples4 ,i cannot give you a more correct1 or exact description of its figure1 than to represent it by that of a pine-tree2 for it shot up a great height1 in the form of a tall trunk1 which spread at the top into a sort of branches2 occasioned1 ,i suppose1 either by the force of the internal vapour1 which impelled the cloud upwards1 decreasing in strength as it advanced1 or1 that the cloud1 being pressed back by its own weight1 expanded itself in the manner ,i have mentioned3 it appeared sometimes dark and spotted1 and sometimes bright1 as it was either more or less impregnated with earth and cinders4 ,illustration3 ,page #afb4 ,page #age4 8#8,this uncommon appearance excited my uncle's philosophical curiosity to take a nearer view of it4 ,he accordingly ordered a light vessel to be prepared2 and offered me the liberty1 if ,i thought proper1 to attend him4 ,i chose rather to continue the employment in which ,i was engaged2 for it happened that he had given me a certain writing to copy4 8#8,as he was going out of the house1 with his tablets in his hand1 he was met by the mariners1 belonging to the galleys stationed at ,retina1 from which they had fled in the uttermost terror2 for that port being situated at the foot of ,vesuvius1 they had no other way than to escape by sea4 ,they conjured him1 therefore1 not to proceed1 and expose his life to imminent and inevitable danger4 ,in compliance with this advice1 he exchanged his original intentions2 and1 instead of gratifying his philosophical spirit1 he resigned it to the more magnanimous principle of aiding the distressed4 8#8,with this view he ordered the fleet immediately to put to sea1 and went himself on board1 with an intention of assisting1 not only ,retina1 but the several other towns1 which stood thick upon that beautiful coast4 8#8,hastening to the place1 therefore1 from which others fled with the utmost terror1 he steered his direct course to the point of danger2 and with so much calmness and presence of mind1 as to be able to make and dictate his observations upon the appearance and progress of that dreadful scene4 ,he was now so near the mountain1 that the cinders1 which grew thicker and stronger the more he advanced1 fell into the ships2 together with pumice-stone and black pieces of burning rock4 ,they were1 likewise1 in danger of being aground by the sudden retreat of the sea2 and also from the vast fragments which rolled down from the mountains1 and obstructed all the shore4 ,here he stopped1 to consider whether he should return back4 ,on which the pilot addressing him1 #8,fortune1' said he1 #8attends the brave3 steer to ,pompianus4' 8#8,pompianus was then at ,stabi1 7now called ,castel nar di ,stabia1 in the gulf of ,naples17 separated by a gulf1 which the sea1 after several windings1 forms upon that shore4 8#8,pompianus had already sent his baggage on board2 for though he was not at the time in actual danger1 yet1 being within the view of it1 and indeed extremely near1 he was determined1 if it should in the least increase1 to put to sea as soon as the wind should change4 ,it was favourable1 however1 for carrying my uncle to ,pompianus1 whom he found in the greatest consternation2 and1 embracing him with tenderness1 he encouraged and exhorted him to keep up his spirits4 ,the more to dissipate his fears1 he ordered his servants1 with an air of unconcern1 to carry him to the baths2 and1 having bathed1 he sat down to supper 7with great1 or at least what is equally heroic7 with all the appearance of cheerfulness4 ,in the meanwhile1 the fire from ,vesuvius flamed forth1 from several parts of the mountain1 with great violence2 which the darkness of the night contributed to render still more visible and dreadful4 ,but my uncle1 in order to calm the apprehensions of his friend1 assured him it was only the conflagration of the villages1 which the country people had abandoned4 ,after this he retired to rest1 and1 it is most certain1 was so little discomposed as to fall into a deep sleep2 for being corpulent1 and breathing hard1 the attendants in the anti-chamber actually heard him snore4 8#8,the court which led to his apartment being now almost filled with stones and ashes1 it would have been impossible for him1 if he had continued there any longer1 to have made his way out2 it was thought proper1 therefore1 to awaken him4 ,he got up1 and joined ,pompianus and the rest of the company1 who had not been sufficiently unconcerned to think of going to bed4 ,they consulted together1 whether it would be most prudent to trust to the houses1 which now shook from side to side1 with frequent and violent concussions2 or flee to the open fields1 where the calcined stones and cinders1 though levigated indeed1 yet fell in large showers1 threatening them with instant destruction4 ,in this distress they resolved for the fields1 as the less dangerous situation of the two3 a resolution which1 while the rest of the company were hurried into by their fears1 my uncle embraced upon cool and deliberate consideration4 ,they went out then1 having pillows tied upon their heads with napkins2 and this was the whole defence against the storm of stones that fell around them4 8#8,it was now day every where else2 but there a deeper darkness prevailed than in the blackest night2 which was1 however1 in some degree1 dissipated by torches and other lights of various kinds4 ,they thought it expedient to go down further upon the shore1 in order to observe if they might safely put out to sea2 but they found the waves still run extremely high and boisterous4 8#8,there my uncle1 having drunk a draught or two of cold water1 laid himself down upon a sail-cloth1 which was spread for him2 when1 immediately1 the flames1 preceded by a strong smell of sulphur1 dispersed the rest of the company1 and obliged him to rise4 ,he raised himself with the assistance of the servants1 and instantly fell down dead2 suffocated1 ,i suppose1 by some great and noxious vapour1 having always had weak lungs1 and frequently subject to a difficulty of breathing4 ,as soon as it was light again1 which was not till the third day after this melancholy accident1 his body was found entire1 and without any marks of violence1 exactly in the same posture in which he fell1 and looking more like a man asleep than dead4'0 8,and what became of the younger ,pliny1 ,sir80 asked ,ann1 8during this dreadful scene40 8,i will give you his narration in his own words10 answered ,mr4 ,wilmot4 8#8,my uncle having left us1 ,i continued the employment which prevented my going with him1 till it was time to bathe3 after which1 ,i went to supper1 and then fell into a short and uneasy sleep4 ,there had1 during many days before1 been some shocks of an earthquake1 which the less alarmed us1 as they are frequent in ,campania2 but they were so particularly violent that night1 that they not only shook every thing about us1 but seemed to threaten total destruction4 ,my mother flew to my chamber1 where she found me rising in order to awaken her4 ,we went out into a small court belonging to the house1 which separated the sea from the buildings4 8#8,as ,i was at that time but eighteen years of age1 ,i know not whether ,i can call my behaviour1 in this perilous conjuncture1 courage or rashness2 but ,i took up ,livy1 and amused myself with turning over that author1 and even in making extracts from him1 as if ,i had been perfectly at my ease4 ,while we were in that situation1 a friend of my uncle's1 who was just come from ,spain to pay him a visit1 joined us2 and observing me sitting by my mother1 with a book in my hand1 reproved her patience and my security3 nevertheless1 ,i still went on with my author4 8#8,it was now morning1 but the light was exceedingly faint and languid2 the buildings all around tottered2 and though we stood upon open ground1 yet1 as the place was narrow and confined1 there was no remaining without imminent danger3 we therefore resolved to leave the town4 ,the people followed us in the utmost consternation1 and 7as to a mind distracted with terror1 every suggestion seems more prudent than its own7 pressed in great crowds about us1 in our way out4 ,being advanced at a considerable distance from the houses1 we stood still1 in the midst of a most hazardous and tremendous scene4 ,the chariots which we had ordered out1 were so agitated backwards and forwards1 though upon the most level ground1 that we could not keep them steady1 even by supporting them with large stones4 8#8,the sea seemed to roll back upon itself1 and to be driven from the banks by the convulsive motion of the earth3 it is certain1 at least1 that the shore was considerably enlarged1 and several sea-animals were left upon it4 8#8,on the other side1 a black and dreadful cloud1 bursting with an igneous serpentine vapour1 darted out a long train of fire1 resembling flashes of lightning1 but much longer4 ,upon this1 our ,spanish friend1 whom ,i mentioned above1 addressing himself to my mother and me with great warmth and earnestness1 said1 #8,if your brother and your uncle is safe1 he earnestly wishes that you may be so too2 but if he perished1 it was1 doubtless1 his desire that you might both survive him4 ,why1 therefore1 do you delay your escape a moment8' 8#8,we could never think of our own safety1' we replied1 #8whilst we were uncertain of his4' ,upon which our friend left us1 and withdrew from the danger with the utmost precipitation4 ,soon afterwards1 the cloud seemed to descend and cover the whole ocean2 as1 indeed1 it entirely hid the island of ,caprea1 7an island near ,naples1 now called ,capri17 and the promontory of ,misenum4 ,my mother conjured me to make my escape any way1 which1 as ,i was young1 ,i might easily effect4 ,as for herself1 she said1 her age and corpulency rendered all attempts of that sort impossible3 however1 she would willingly meet death1 if she could have the satisfaction of seeing that she was not the cause of mine4 ,but ,i resolutely refused to leave her1 and taking her by the hand1 led her on4 ,she complied with great reluctance1 and not without many reproaches to herself1 for being the occasion of retarding my flight4 8#8,the ashes now began to fall upon us1 though in no great quantity4 ,i turned my head1 and observed behind me a thick smoke1 which came rolling after us like a torrent4 ,i proposed1 while we had yet any light1 to turn out of the high road1 lest she should be pressed to death by the crowd that followed us4 8#8,we had scarcely stepped out of the path when darkness overspread us3 not like that of a cloudy night1 or when there is no moon2 but of a room that is shut up1 and all the lights extinct4 ,nothing then was to be heard but the shrieks of women1 the screams of children1 and the cries of men2 some calling for their children1 others for their husbands1 others for their parents1 and only distinguishing them by their voices4 ,one lamenting his own fate1 another that of his family2 some wishing to die1 from the very fear of dying2 some lifting their hands to the gods2 but the greatest part imagining that the last and eternal night was come1 which was to destroy the gods and the world together4 ,amongst these1 were some who augmented the real terrors by imaginary ones1 and made the frighted multitude believe that ,misenum was actually in flames4 8#8,at length a glimmering light appeared1 which we imagined rather the forerunner of another burst of flame1 7as in fact it was17 than the return of day4 ,however1 the fire fell at a distance from us2 and then again we were immersed in thick darkness1 and a heavy shower of ashes rained upon us1 which we were obliged every now and then to shake off1 otherwise we should have been overwhelmed and buried in the heap4 8#8,i might boast that1 during all this scene of horror1 not a sigh or expression of fear escaped from me1 had not my support been founded on that miserable1 though strong consolation1 that all mankind were involved in the same calamity1 and that ,i imagined that ,i was perishing with the world itself4 ,at last this terrible darkness was dissipated by degrees1 like a cloud or smoke2 the real day returned1 and even the sun appeared1 though very faintly1 as when an eclipse is coming on4 ,every object which presented itself to our eyes 7which were extremely weakened7 seemed changed1 being covered with white ashes1 as with a deep snow4 8#8,we returned to ,misenum1 where we refreshed ourselves as well as we could1 and passed our anxious night between hope and fear3 though1 indeed1 with a much larger share of the latter2 for the earth still continued to shake1 while several enthusiastic persons ran wildly among the people1 and making a kind of frantic sport of their own and their friends' wretched situation4 ,however1 my mother and ,i1 notwithstanding the danger we had passed1 and that which threatened us1 had no intention of leaving ,misenum till we should receive some account of my uncle4'0 8,how singular it was10 said ,susan1 8that ,pliny should read an historical work1 at a moment of such imminent danger4 ,do you call it fortitude1 ,sir80 8,i am something1 my dear1 of lord ,lyttelton's opinion1 respecting this part of this really amiable man's conduct3 #8,that1 when all nature seemed falling into final destruction1 to be reading ,livy and making extracts was an absurd affectation4 ,to meet danger with courage is manly1 but to be insensible to it is brutal stupidity2 and to pretend insensibility where it cannot be supposed1 is ridiculous falseness4'0 8,but his conduct1 in refusing to leave his mother1 you will allow1 was noble10 remarked ,mrs4 ,spencer4 8,undoubtedly it was a beautiful act of filial piety2 and whilst ,i have passed a censure on the one act mentioned1 ,i wish it to be remembered1 that no ,roman ever excelled him in sincere integrity of heart and greatness of sentiment2 although there was a mixture of vanity blended with his virtue1 which impaired and disgraced it40 8,i think1 ,sir10 said ,ann1 8you spoke of some cities being destroyed at this time40 8,yes1 my dear1 and ,herculaneum was one4 ,like ,pompeii and other cities1 it was thought to be utterly destroyed1 till the beginning of the eighteenth century1 when it was discovered2 and many of the houses were found perfectly furnished1 and the furniture in good preservation40 8,do volcanic eruptions ever occur in other countries80 asked ,susan4 8,the principal apertures of this kind10 replied ,mr4 ,wilmot1 8besides ,vesuvius1 are1 ,etna in ,sicily2 ,stromboli1 one of the ,lipari ,islands1 north of ,sicily2 and ,hecla in ,iceland4 8,so late as the year #aghc1 a volcanic eruption in ,iceland surpassed any thing recorded in history4 ,the lava spouted up to the height of two miles perpendicular1 and continued thus for two months2 during which time it covered a tract of three thousand six hundred square miles of ground1 in some places more than one hundred feet deep2 and this tremendous visitation was followed by a train of consequences1 the most direful and melancholy1 some of which continue to be felt to this day4 8,immense floods of red hot lava were poured down from the hills1 with amazing velocity2 and1 spreading over the low country1 burnt up men1 cattle1 churches1 houses1 and every thing they attacked in their progress4 ,not only was all vegetation in the immediate neighbourhood of the volcano destroyed1 by the ashes1 brimstone1 and pumice which it emitted2 but1 it being thrown up to an inconceivable height in the atmosphere1 they were scattered over the whole island2 impregnating the air with noxious vapours1 intercepting the genial rays of the sun1 and empoisoning whatever could satisfy the hunger or quench the thirst1 of man or beast4 ,even in some of the more distant districts1 the quantity of ashes that fell was so great1 that they were gathered up by handsful4 ,upwards of four hundred people were deprived instantly of a home2 the fish were driven from the coasts2 and the elements seemed to vie with each other1 which should commit the greatest depredations3 famine and pestilence stalked abroad1 and cut down their victims with ruthless cruelty1 while death himself was glutted with the prey4 ,in some houses there was scarcely a sound individual left to tend the afflicted1 or any who possessed sufficient strength to inter the dead4 8,the most miserably emaciated tottering skeletons were seen in every quarter4 ,when the animals that had died of disease and hunger were consumed1 the wretched creatures had nothing to eat but raw hides1 and old pieces of leather and ropes1 which they boiled1 and devoured with avidity4 ,the horses eat the flesh off one another2 and1 for want of other sustenance1 had recourse to turf1 wood1 and even excrementitious substances2 while the sheep devoured each other's wool4 ,in a word1 the accumulation of miseries originating in the volcanic eruption1 was so dreadful1 that1 in the short space of two years1 not fewer than #iccf human beings1 #bh1jjj horses1 #aa1dfa head of cattle1 and #aij1dhh sheep1 perished on the island4 8,such is ,dr4 ,henderson's account of this melancholy calamity2 a visitation which was awful in its nature1 and unparalleled in its horrors40 8,what a blessing it is10 said ,ann1 8that we live in ,england1 where no troubles of the kind ever assail us40 8,cherish the feeling of thankfulness1 my dear girl10 said ,mr4 ,wilmot2 8for it is indeed a favoured--a privileged country4 ,and here10 said he1 turning to a full-length portrait of ,george the ,third1 8is the picture of our late venerable monarch2 whose benevolent wish1 that every child in his dominions might possess a ,bible1 and be able to read it1 deserves to be transmitted from sire to son4 8,the ornament of his domestic circle1 his gentle and pious daughter1 was taken from him2 and his reason lasted only to receive her last farewell1 and mingle his blessings with her dying accents4 8,let us compare the experience of this ,christian king with that of ,abdalrahman1 one of the greatest monarchs of his line4 8,cordova1 the place of his residence1 displayed #fjj mosques1 #ijj baths1 and #bjj1jjj houses2 and the caliph gave laws to eighty cities of the first1 and to three hundred of the second and third order3 and twelve thousand villages and hamlets decorated the beautiful banks of the ,guadalquiver4 8,three miles from ,cordova1 in honour of his favourite sultana1 the third and greatest of the ,abdalrahmans constructed the city1 palace1 and gardens of ,jehrar4 8,twenty-five years1 and about three millions sterling1 were employed by the founder4 ,his liberal taste invited the most skilful sculptors and architects of the age2 and the buildings were sustained or adorned by twelve hundred columns of ,spanish and ,african1 of ,greek and ,italian marble4 8,the hall of audience was encrusted with gold and pearls2 and a great basin in the centre was surrounded with the curious and costly figures of birds and quadrupeds4 8,in a lofty pavilion of the gardens1 one of those basins and fountains1 so delightful in a sultry climate1 was replenished1 not with water1 but with the purest quicksilver4 8,the seraglio of ,abdalrahman1 his wives1 and concubines1 and eunuchs1 amounted to six thousand three hundred persons2 and he was attended to the field by a guard of twelve thousand horse1 whose belts and scimeters were studded with gold4 8,our imagination is dazzled by the splendid picture1 7says ,gibbon17 and whatever may be the cool dictates of reason1 there are few among us who would obstinately refuse a trial of the comforts and cares of royalty4 ,it may1 therefore1 be of some use to borrow the experience of the same ,abdalrahman1 whose magnificence has1 perhaps1 excited our admiration and envy1 and to transcribe an authentic memorial1 which was found in the closet of the deceased caliph4 8#8,i have now reigned above fifty years1 in victory or peace1 beloved by my subjects1 and dreaded by my enemies1 and respected by my allies4 ,riches and honour1 power and pleasure1 have waited on my call3 nor does any earthly blessing appear to have been wanting to my felicity4 ,in this situation ,i have diligently numbered the days of pure and genuine happiness which have fallen to my lot3 they amount to fourteen4 ,o man6 place not thy confidence in this present world4' 8,i will conclude this morning's entertainment with a few lines by the princess ,amelia1 whom ,i mentioned to you in my notice of our late excellent monarch40 #8,unthinking1 idle1 wild1 and young1 ,i laugh'd1 and talk'd1 and danc'd1 and sung2 ,and1 proud of health1 of freedom vain1 ,dreamt not of sickness1 care1 and pain2 ,concluding1 in these hours of glee1 ,that all the world was made for me4 #8,but when the days of trouble came2 ,when sickness shook this trembling frame2 ,when pleasure's gay pursuits were o'er1 ,and ,i could dance and sing no more2 ,it then occurr'd1 how sad 'twould would be1 ,were this world only made for me4' ---------------------------------------- -------------------------------- ,,chap4 ,x4 ---------- 8,,pray1 ,sir10 said ,susan1 8what place does this gloomy picture describe80 8,it is a drawing of the monastery of ,la ,trappe10 answered ,mr4 ,wilmot2 8remarkable for the austerity of its monks1 and celebrated1 in ancient times1 as the residence of the learned but licentious ,abelard2 and1 in more modern1 by the singular reformation and self-devotedness of ,monsieur de ,ranc4 8,i will give you an account of it1 as described by a gentleman who visited it in #ahai4 8,the situation of this monastery was well adapted to the founder's views1 and to suggest the name it originally received of ,la ,trappe1 from the intricacy of the road which descends to it1 and the difficulty of access and egress1 which exists1 even to this day1 though the woods have been very much thinned since the ,french revolution4 ,perhaps there never was any thing in the whole universe better calculated to inspire religious awe1 than the first view of this monastery3 it was imposing even to breathlessness4 8,the total solitude1 the undisturbed and chilling silence1 which seem to have ever slept over the dark and ancient woods2 the still lakes1 reflecting the deep solemnity of the objects around them2--all impress a peaceful image of utter seclusion and hopeless separation from living man2 and appear formed at once to court and gratify the sternest austerities of devotion--to humour the wildest fancies1 and promote the gloomiest schemes of penance and privation4 8,in ascending the steep and intricate path1 the traveller frequently loses sight of the abbey until he has actually reached the bottom2 then1 emerging from the wood1 the following inscription is seen1 carved on a wooden cross3 #8,c'est ici que la mort et que la verit ,elevent leurs flambeaux terribles2 ,c'est de cette demeure1 au monde inaccessible1 ,que l'on passe l'ternit4' 8,a venerable grove of oaks1 which formerly surrounded the monastery1 was cut down in the ,revolution4 ,in the gateway of the outer court is a statue of ,st4 ,bernard1 which has been mutilated by the republicans3 he is holding in one hand a church1 and in the other a spade1 the emblems of devotion and labour4 ,this gateway leads into a court1 which opens into a second enclosure2 and around that1 are granaries1 stables1 bakehouses1 and other offices necessary to the abbey1 which have all been happily preserved4 8,on entering the gate1 a lay-brother received me on his knees1 and1 in a low and whispering voice1 informed me they were at vespers4 ,the stateliness and gloom of the building2 7the last rays of the sun scarcely penetrated through its windows27 the deep tones of the monks1 chaunting the responses1 which occasionally broke the silence1 filled me with reverential emotions1 which ,i was unwilling to disturb4 ,it was necessary1 however1 to present my letter of introduction2 and friar ,charles1 the secretaire1 soon after came out1 and received me with great civility4 8,he requested that1 in going over the convent1 ,i would neither speak nor ask him any questions1 in those places where ,i saw him kneel1 or in the presence of any of the monks4 ,i followed him to the chapel alone4 ,as soon as the service was over1 the bell rung to summon them for supper4 8,ranged in double rows1 with their heads enveloped in a large cowl1 and bent down to the earth1 they chaunted the grace1 and then seated themselves4 ,during the repast1 one of them standing1 read a passage of ,scripture1 reminding them of death and the shortness of human existence4 ,another went round the whole community1 and1 on his knees1 kissed their feet in succession2 throwing himself prostrate on the floor1 at intervals1 before the image of our ,saviour4 ,a third remained on his knees the whole time1 and in that attitude took his repast4 ,these penitents had committed some fault1 or neglected their religious duties2 which1 according to the regulations1 they had accused themselves of1 and were1 in consequence1 doomed to the above modes of penance4 ,the refectory was furnished with long wooden tables and benches4 ,each person was provided with a trencher and a jug of water2 and a cup1 having on it the name of the brother to whom it was appropriated3 as1 friar ,paul1 friar ,francis2 and which name they assume on taking the order4 ,their supper consisted of bread soaked in water1 a little salt1 and two raw carrots placed by each3 water is alone their beverage4 8,the dinner is varied with a little cabbage or other vegetables3 they have very rarely any cheese1 and never meat1 fish1 or eggs4 ,the bread is of the coarsest kind possible4 ,their bed is a small truckle boarded1 with a single covering1 generally a blanket2 no mattress or pillow2 and1 as in the former time1 no fire is allowed but one in the great hall1 which they never approach4 8,the hardships undergone by these monks appear almost insupportable to human nature4 ,their mode of life and regulations exist nearly in the same state as established by the founder4 ,in reciting them1 such dreadful perversions of human nature and reason make it almost difficult to believe the existence of so severe an order1 and lead us to wonder at the artificial miseries which the ingenuity of pious but mistaken enthusiasm can inflict upon itself4 8,the abstinence practised at ,la ,trappe allows not the use of fish1 meat1 eggs1 nor butter1 and a very limited allowance of bread and vegetables4 ,they eat only twice a day3 their meals consist of a slender repast about eleven in the morning1 and two ounces of bread and two raw carrots in the evening2 which1 both together1 do not at any time exceed twelve ounces4 8,the same spirit of mortification is observed in their cells1 which are very small1 and have no other furniture than a bed of boards1 a human skull1 and a few religious books4 ,silence is at all times rigidly maintained3 conversation is never permitted4 ,should two of them ever be seen standing near each other1 though pursuing their daily labour1 and preserving the strictest silence1 it is considered as a violation of their vow1 and highly criminal4 ,each member is1 therefore1 as completely insulated as if he alone existed in the monastery4 ,none but the ,pre ,abb knows the name1 age1 rank1 or even the native country1 of any member of the community4 8,every one1 at his first entrance1 assumes another name2 and1 with his former appellation1 each is supposed to abjure not only the world1 but every recollection and memorial of himself and his connexions4 ,no word ever escapes from his lips1 by which another could possibly guess who he is1 or where he comes from2 and persons of the same name1 family1 and neighbourhood1 have often lived together in the convent for years1 unknown to each other1 without having suspected the proximity40 8,surely10 said ,mrs4 ,spencer1 8the recluse and solitary life of these mistakenly pious men1 is in direct opposition to the precepts of the sacred volume1 which enjoin us to love our neighbour as ourselves4 ,now this love appears best to be exemplified by acts of benevolence and practical kindness4 #8,if we would do good to mankind1 we must live with them2' and the daily and hourly instances of self-denial that we are called upon to exercise1 is surely of more benefit to the mind1 than the most rigid austerity1 or the most severe bodily penances40 8,i quite agree with you10 replied ,mr4 ,wilmot3 8the very mortifications they endure may induce self-love1 or1 ,i should rather say1 self-righteousness2 and nothing1 ,i think it will be generally allowed1 can be more contrary to the tenor of the gospel spirit4 ,very different was the conduct of ,bernard ,palissy1 a native of ,saintes1 in the south of ,france1 who lived in the reign of ,henry the ,third4 ,he was a potter by trade2 but1 having an innate genius for the sciences1 he devoted all the time he could spare from his pottery1 to the cultivation of them4 8,the king hearing of him1 and curious to see so extraordinary a character1 sent for him to ,paris1 and had several interviews with him4 ,palissy was1 by religion1 a protestant2 and it was thought his religious principles were the great obstacles to his fortune4 8,one day the king told him1 unless he would change his religion he should be compelled to withdraw his protection from him4 ,palissy heard the king with the respect due to his rank1 but answered with a firm and dignified tone3 #8,your majesty has frequently told me that you pitied my case1 but since you can say that you shall be compelled to withdraw your protection from me1 ,i now pity yours4 ,this is not the language of a king2 yet know1 ,sire1 that not the whole faction of the ,guises1 nor all the catholic subjects united1 shall ever compel a potter of ,saintes to bow the knee to senseless images of wood and stone4' 8,the king was so struck with the answer1 that he never after mentioned the subject of changing his religion to ,palissy2 but suffered him1 in a short time1 to return home to his native town1 where he remained in peace to the end of his life4 ,he lived to a great age2 never forsaking his business1 nor ceasing1 in his moments of leisure to follow his favourite scientific pursuits40 8,i am admiring10 said ,mrs4 ,spencer1 8this figure of ,demosthenes addressing the multitude4 ,what energy and spirit there is in his action40 8,yes10 replied ,mr4 ,wilmot2 8and every thing that relates to such a character1 is highly interesting1 both because it is intimately connected with the history of the times1 and because it is a striking example of the influence of mind over the greatest physical powers4 ,though he neither wore the insignia of royalty1 nor presided as supreme magistrate over a powerful republic1 nor commanded fleets and armies2 yet1 by the mere thunder of his eloquence1 he made the mightiest monarchs of his day tremble upon their thrones1 and roused the slumbering energies of ,greece4 ,he was the son of an opulent ,athenian manufacturer4 8,the style of oratory that charmed his youthful fancy1 was not the mild and flowing eloquence of ,isocrates1 who was then the most celebrated rhetorician in ,athens2 but the nervous and impassioned harangues of ,isus1 whose school1 as well as that of the philosophical ,plato1 he constantly attended4 8,it is said1 that he made the most determined efforts to conquer some natural defects which seemed very formidable1 and gradually acquired a dignified and manly eloquence4 ,for a time he secluded himself almost entirely from society1 that he might form his style on the purest models1 and induce a habit of chaste and elegant composition4 ,during this period1 he transcribed the history of the ,peloponnesian wars1 by ,thucydides1 eight times2 so desirous was he of acquiring a style of composition similar to that of the justly-admired historian4 ,but this was not the only advantage derived from the study of ,thucydides4 ,whilst employing himself in copying the works of that historian1 ,demosthenes imbibed his patriotic spirit2 his imagination was filled with the former glory of his country2 a generous indignation was kindled in his bosom1 in comparing the ancient splendour of ,athens with its present state of voluntary degradation2 and a noble1 but perhaps a romantic ambition possessed his soul1 to be the instrument of renovating a decayed republic4 ,animated with these hopes and various prospects1 he appeared in the public assembly2 and1 in his orations against ,philip1 poured forth such a strain of eloquence1 that none of the venal orators of ,athens were able to resist4 8,the magistrates and common people were borne along by the mighty torrent1 ere they were aware3 his audience1 instead of finding leisure or inclination to admire the splendid corruscations of his genius1 found themselves imperceptibly animated by the same patriotic spirit1 and roused from their lethargy by the impassioned vehemence of the youthful orator4 ,in those unequalled specimens of ancient eloquence1 which have been preserved amid the wreck of ages1 we meet with such elevated sentiments1 clothed in such glowing language1 that1 while reading them with delight approaching to admiration1 we are no longer surprised at the powerful effect they produced on the popular assemblies of ,greece4 ,we cannot wonder that multitudes should throng from every province1 to hear him declaim on a subject so deeply interesting to their feelings2--that so many states rose at his hope-inspiring call1 from the slumber of inactivity1 or the shades of despair1 to make a vigorous effort for their expiring liberties2--or that ,philip should have confessed1 that the eloquence of ,demosthenes injured him more than all the armies and fleets of the ,athenians4 #8,his harangues1' said the ,macedonian monarch1 #8are like the machines of war and distant batteries raised against me1 by which all my projects are subverted1 and my enterprises ruined1 in spite of all my efforts4 ,i believe1' continued that generous adversary1 #8had ,i been present and listened to his orations1 ,i should have been the first to conclude on the necessity of waging war with myself4' 8,during the active reigns of ,philip and ,alexander1 ,demosthenes sounded a perpetual alarm1 and ceased not to warn his countrymen against yielding to the ambitious projects of these enterprising monarchs4 ,but when ,antipater obtained possession of ,athens1 the orator fled to the isle of ,calauria1 and took sanctuary in a temple dedicated to ,neptune4 ,fully persuaded that he had nothing to hope from the clemency of ,antipater1 he withdrew into the interior2 and1 under a pretence of writing to his family1 put a poisoned quill in his mouth1 which1 in a few minutes1 terminated his mortal existence1 and disappointed the meditated vengeance of his enemies4 8,a higher eulogium could scarcely have been pronounced on this prince of orators1 than that which was spoken by ,antipater himself1 several years before his death4 #8,i regard not1' said he1 #8the harbours1 the fleets1 the armies of the ,athenians3 ,demosthenes alone gives me pain4 ,without him1 the ,athenians would be amongst the most despicable inhabitants of ,greece4 ,he alone inspires and animates them3 he rouses them1 with his thundering eloquence1 from their slumbers1 and puts arms and oars into their hands1 in spite of themselves4 ,he perpetually sets before them the ancient victories of ,marathon and ,salamis1 and invites them to similar deeds of valour4 ,nothing escapes his penetrating mind3 he foresees all our projects--countermines and defeats all our designs3 insomuch1 that if ,athens confided in his wisdom1 and implicity followed his counsels1 our condition were hopeless4 ,no bribe can tempt him3 like another ,aristides1 he is impenetrable to such overtures3 patriotism alone inspires and actuates him4' ,such was the honourable testimony1 borne by an enemy1 to the commanding talents and public virtue of this celebrated orator40 8,how strikingly is ,st4 ,paul's definition10 said ,mrs4 ,spencer1 8of that light and frivolous propensity of the ,athenians1 which led them to pass the day only to #8hear and tell some new thing1' illustrated by ,plutarch's relation of the illiterate citizen1 who voted ,aristides to the punishment of the ostracism4 ,when that great man questioned his accuser1 whether ,aristides had ever injured him1 he replied3 ,far from it3 that he did not even know him2 only he was quite tired of hearing him every where called #8the just4' ,besides that spirit of envy which is remarkably displayed in his speech1 to have heard this excellent person calumniated must have been a refreshing novelty1 and have enabled him to tell a new thing40 ,mr4 ,wilmot smiled and said3 8,the delicate and refined females of our favoured country1 should feel peculiar thankfulness in comparing their happy lot with the degraded state of women in the politest ages of ,greece4 ,condemned to ignorance1 labour1 and obscurity--excluded from rational intercourse1 debarred from every species of intellectual improvement or innocent enjoyment1 they never seem to have been the objects of respect or esteem4 ,in the conjugal relation1 they were the servile agents1 not the endeared companions of their husbands4 ,their depressed state was1 in some measure1 confirmed by illiberal legal institutions1 and their native genius was systematically restrained from rising above one degraded level4 ,such was the lot of the virtuous part of the sex4 ,i forbear to oppose to this gloomy picture1 the profligate renown to which the bold pretensions of daring vice elevated mercenary beauty2 nor should ,i glance at this impure topic1 but to remind my young cousins1 that immodesty in dress1 contempt of the sober duties of domestic life1 a boundless appetite for pleasure1 and a misapplied devotion to the arts1 were among the steps which led to this systematic profession of shameless profligacy1 and to the establishment of those countenanced corruptions1 which raised the more celebrated but infamous ,athenian women to that bad eminence4 ,but1 ,ann1 you are engaged with a fine historical subject40 8,the death of ,pericles1 the ,athenian general10 said ,mrs4 ,spencer4 8,will you kindly relate to them the particulars of it80 8,certainly10 replied ,mr4 ,wilmot4 8,when ,pericles was at the point of death1 his surviving friends and the principal citizens1 sitting round his bed1 discoursed together concerning his extraordinary virtue1 and the great authority he had enjoyed4 ,they enumerated his various exploits1 and the number of his victories2 for1 whilst he was commander1 he had erected no less than nine trophies to the honour of ,athens4 ,these things they talked of1 supposing that he attended not to what they said1 but that his senses were gone4 ,he took notice1 however1 of every word they had spoken1 and thereupon delivered himself as follows3 #8,i am surprised1 that1 while you dwell upon and extol those acts of mine1 though fortune had her share in them1 and many other generals have performed the like1 you take no notice of the greatest and most honourable part of my character2 that no ,athenian1 through my means1 ever put on mourning4'0 8,since you are talking of benefactors to their country10 said ,mrs4 ,spencer1 8allow me to relate a few particulars of ,herodes ,atticus1 an ,athenian citizen1 whose munificent gifts would have been worthy of the greatest king4 8,the family of ,herod was lineally descended from ,cimon and ,miltiades1 ,theseus and ,cecrops1 geus and ,jupiter2 but the posterity of so many gods and heroes was fallen into the most abject state4 ,his grandfather had suffered by the hands of justice2 and ,julius ,atticus1 his father1 must have ended his life in poverty and contempt1 had he not discovered an immense treasure1 buried under an old house1 the last remains of his patrimony4 8,according to the rigour of the law1 the emperor might have asserted his claim2 and the prudent ,atticus prevented1 by a frank confession1 the officiousness of informers4 ,but the equitable ,nerva1 who then filled the throne1 refused to accept any part of it1 and commanded him to use1 without scruple1 the present of fortune4 ,the cautious ,athenian still insisted that the treasure was too considerable for a citizen1 and that he knew not how to use it4 #8,abuse it1 then1' said the monarch1 with a good-natured peevishness1 #8for it is your own4' 8,many will be of opinion1 that ,atticus literally obeyed the emperor's last instructions1 since he expended the greatest part of his fortune1 which was much increased by an advantageous marriage1 in the public service4 ,he had obtained for his son ,herod the prefecture of ,asia2 and the young magistrate1 observing that the town of ,troas was but indifferently supplied with water1 obtained from the munificence of ,hadrian three hundred myriads of drachms1 7about one hundred thousand pounds of our money47 ,but in the execution of the work1 the charge amounted to more than double the estimate2 and the officers of the revenue began to murmur1 till the generous ,atticus silenced their complaints1 by requesting that he might be permitted to take upon himself the whole additional expence4 8,the ablest preceptors of ,greece and ,asia had been invited1 by liberal rewards1 to direct the education of young ,herod4 ,their pupil soon became a celebrated orator1 according to the useless rhetoric of that age2 which1 confining itself to schools1 disdained to visit either the forum or the senate4 ,he was honoured with the consulship at ,rome2 but the greatest part of his life was spent in a philosophical retirement1 at ,athens and the adjacent villas2 perpetually surrounded by sophists1 who acknowledged1 without reluctance1 the superiority of a rich and generous rival4 ,the monuments of his genius have perished1 but some considerable ruins still preserve the fame of his taste and munificence4 8,modern travellers have measured the remains of the ,stadium which he constructed at ,athens4 ,it was six hundred feet in length1 built entirely of white marble1 capable of admitting the whole body of the people2 and was finished in four years1 whilst ,herod was president of the ,athenian games4 8,to the memory of his wife ,regilla he dedicated a theatre1 scarcely to be paralleled in the empire3 no wood1 except cedar very curiously carved1 was employed in any part of the building4 8,the ,odeum1 designed by ,pericles for musical performances1 and rehearsals of new tragedies1 had been a trophy of the arts over barbaric greatness1 as the timbers employed in the construction consisted chiefly of the masts of the ,persian vessels4 ,notwithstanding the repairs bestowed on that ancient edifice by a king of ,cappadocia1 it was again fallen to decay4 ,herod restored its ancient beauty and magnificence4 8,nor was the liberality of that illustrious citizen confined to the walls of ,athens4 ,the most splendid ornaments bestowed on the temple of ,neptune in the ,isthmus1 a theatre at ,corinth1 a ,stadium at ,delphi1 a bath at ,thermopylae1 and an aqueduct at ,canusium in ,italy1 were even insufficient to exhaust his treasures4 8,the people of ,epirus1 ,thessaly1 ,euba1 ,botia1 and ,peloponnesus1 experienced his favours2 and many inscriptions of the critics of ,greece and ,asia1 gratefully style ,herodes ,atticus their patron and benefactor4 8,but we have had a long meeting this morning10 said ,mr4 ,wilmot3 8let us adjourn till tomorrow40 ---------------------------------------- -------------------------------- ,,conclusion4 ---------- ,,the indisposition of ,mr4 ,wilmot on the following day1 prevented the little party from meeting in the gallery as usual4 ,it proved to be an attack of a very serious nature1 which confined him to his room for some months4 ,susan and ,ann attended him with an assiduity and affection1 that proved his instructions had not been thrown away upon them4 ,at intervals1 they read the books from which his anecdotes had been taken2 and thus became acquainted with the history of their own and other countries4 ,the tuition and wise counsel of their sensible mother1 had done much to correct the errors of their dispositions and characters1 and to infuse a love of rational pursuits4 ,the love of dress became a secondary point1 and neatness and simplicity was alone regarded4 ,they had still faults1 but they were open to conviction4 ,a sense of weakness opens an encouraging prospect of improvement1 and time and care will1 it is to be hoped1 rectify the most serious of their erroneous propensities4 ,when ,mr4 ,wilmot's health was a little restored1 they accompanied him to the sea-side2 and here ,i must take my leave of my young readers1 unless1 at any future time1 they should wish to hear more of ,susan and ,ann1 and the ,picture ,gallery4 ,,the ,,end4 ---------- ,harvey1 ,darton1 and ,co4 ,printers1 ,gracechurch-street1 ,london4 ---------------------------------------- -------------------------------- ---------------------------------------- -------------------------------- ,transcriber's ,notes3 ,missing or obscured punctuation was silently corrected4 ,typographical errors were silently corrected4 ,inconsistent spelling and hyphenation were made consistent only when a predominant form was found in this book4 ,text that was in italics is enclosed by underscores 7italics74