chamber. After this, the faid queene beinge fupported by twoe of Sir Amyas Pawlett's gent. as aforefaid, and Melvin carried up her trayne, being accomppinied with the Earl of Kent and Shrewsberry's gentilemen, and the fhriffe goinge before as aforefaid, paffed out of the entrerrye into the hall, in the faid caftell of Fotheringaye before mentioned, with an unappauled countinance without terrer of the place, the perfons or preparations then and there made for hir execution; ftept upon the fcafold in the faid hall, being twoe fote high, and vii. fote brodd, with rayles rownd about, hanged and covered with black rownd about, with a longe faire lowe toole and a a block covered coufhinge, and with black. Then haveing the ftoole browght to hir, the fatt downe, and on the right hand of hir stood the earle of Kent, and the earle of Shrewsbury, and on hir left hand, Mr. Andrewes the fareiffe, and right oppofyte before hir ftood the twoe executioners, and round about the rayles of the fcaffould ftood knights, gentilemen, and others. Then fylence being made, the queene's majeftie's comyffion for the execution was oppenly redd by Mr. Beale, clarke of the councell, which done, the people, with a loud voice, faid, God fave the Queene duringe the readinge of which comyffion the faid Queene was very fylente, lyfteninge unto it with fo carlefs a regard, as if it had not concerned hir death at all, nay, rather with fo merry and chereful a countinance as if it had been a pardon from hir majeftie for hir life; and withall ufed fuch a trangnes in hir words and deeds as though the had knowne none of the affembley, nor beine any thing fcene in the English langwage. [We pafs over the Deane's exhor- All the affembly, faveinge the queene and hir fervants, faid this prayer after Mr. Deane; duringe the fayinge of which prayer, the queene hirfelfe fatt upon a ftoole, haveing about hir neck an Agnus Dei, in one of hir hands a crucifexe, and att hir girdle a payer of beads, with a goulden croffe at th end of them, with a Latten booke of prayers in the other hand. Thus furnyfhed with hir fuperfticious trumpery, without any regarde to that which Mr. Deane faid, fhe began verye foftley, with teares and a loud voyce, to praye in Latten, and in the mydeft of hir prayers, by reafon of hir earnest weeping and mourninge as it feemed, he began to flid from hir ftoole: at which tyme, kneelinge againe, fhe faid divers other prayers in Lattine, an foe fhe left prayeinge before Mr. Deane; when Mr. Deane had done, the kneeled downe againe, and prayed in English for Chrift's afflicted church, and for an end of hir troubles; for hir fonne, and for the queene's majeftice, and defired God the might profper and ferve God aright. That fpoken, the faid, fhe hoped to be faved by, and in the bloud of Jefus Christ, at the fotte of which crucifexe, houldinge that up in hir hand, the would fhed her bloud. Then faid the earle of Kent, Maddam, I befeech you, fettle Jefus Chrift in your harte, as you did before, and leave leave the adoration of thofe popik tromperies to themselves; but the feamying little or nothing at all to regard the good counfell of the carle, but went forward in hir prayers, and in the conclufion thereof, in English, defired God, that it would please him to averte his wrath from this ifland, and that be would give it grace and forgivenes of finnes; then the faid, fhe forgave hir enemyes with all hir harte, who had longe fought her bloud, and defired God to converte them to his truth. This done, fhe defiered all faintes to make interfeffion for hir to the Savyoure of the world, Jefus Chrift. Then fhe begane to kiffe hir crufifexe, and to croffe herfelfe, fayeing thefe words, Even as the armes of Jefus Chrift was fpreed here upon the croffe, fo receive me I befech the into the armes of mercye, and forgive me all my finnes. Then the twoe executioners kneeled downe unto hir, and defiered her to forgive them her death, fhe anfwered, I forgive you with all my harte, for I hope this death fhall give an end to all my troubles. Then they, with her twoe gentlewomen helping of her up, begane to difrobe her, then fhe laid her crucifexe on her ftoole, and one of her executioners tooke of from her neck, the Agnus Dei, which the begane to withold, fayeing, fhe would give it to one of hir women, and, withall, told the executioners they fhould have the worth of it in money; then the fuffered them with hir twoe women to take off hir cheanne of pomander beades, and all hir other apparell, and that with a kind of gladnes; and, fmyling, the began to make herfelf unryddie, putting on a payer of fleeves, with hir owne hands, which the twoe executioners before had rudlye put off, and that with fuch fpeed, as if the longed to have beine gone out of the world. Dur ing all which accions of difrobinge hir, the never altered countenance, but finyling as it were, faid, fhe never had fuch groomes before, to make her unreddve, nor ever did put off hir clothes before fuch a compeney; at length, shee being untyred and unapparelled, of fuch and fo much as was convenient, faveing her pettycote and kirtle: hir twee women, looking upon her, burst out into a pittyful fkrychinge and lamentinge, and when the fkrychinge and lamentinge begane to declyne, they croffed themfelves and prayed in Lattine; then the faid queene turnynge hirfelfe to them, and feeinge them in fuch a mornefull and lamentable plight, embraced them, and faid, do not crye for me, but rejoice and praye for me, and fo crofled them and keffed them, and bad them praye for hir, and not to be fo mornefull, for, faid fhe, this day, I truft, fhall end your troubles; then with a fmylinge countynance, fhe turned to hir men fervants, Melvin, and the reft standinge upon a benche nere unto the fcaffould, who were fome tyme weeping and fome tyme cryeinge out aloud, and contynewally crof finge themfelves, and prayeinge in Lattine, and the faid queene thus turned unto them, bad them far. well, and prayed them to praye for hir to the laft hower. That done, one of hir women, haveinge a Cor. pus Chrifti cloth, laped it up three corner wife, and kiffed it, and put it over the face of the faid queene hir mris, and pinned it faft upon mistriss hig hir calle that was on hir head. A Letter from Sir John Harington to Sir Anthony Standen, written foon after his return from Ireland, where he had accompanied the Earl of Effex in his unfortunate Expe dition. To Sir Anthony Standen, Knight. IT T is not a lake of Lethe, that makes us forget our friends, but it is the lack of good meffengers; for who will write, when his letters fhall be opened by the way, and conftrued at pleafure, or rather difpleafure? Some ufed this in Ireland, that perhaps have reI pented it fince in England.. came to court in the very heat and height of all difpeafures. After I he heard words not to be uttered by men; for neither muft I utter nothing nothing but fit by a good fire, and feed my lean horfes, and hearken for good news but hear none, fave the certain expectation of peace with Spain. My lord-keeper is a widower; Doctor Eaton hath eaten the bifhoprick of Ely, all the clergy with him choaked with it. Mr. Edmondes has been with the duchefs of Burgundy, and well used, and The fpeaketh much honour of the queene, which moves great hore of a league. You wonder I write nothing of One-believe me I hear nothing; but HE* is where he was, and I think must be till these greater bufineffes be concluded. Let this fuffice from a private country knight, that lives among clouted fhoes, in his frize jacket and gamofhes; and who envies not the great commanders of Ireland, but hereby commends himfelf to them. Your true friend, Kelton, near Bath, evil threatened. In good foothe i feared her majeftie more than the rebel Tyrone, and wifhed I had never received my lord of Effex's honour of knighthood. She is quite disfavoured, and unattird, and thefe troubles waste her much. She difregardeth every coftlie cover that comethe to the table, and taketh little but manchet and fuc cory potage. Every new meffage from the city doth disturb her, and the frowns on all the ladies. I had a fharp meffage from her, brought by my lord Buckhurft, namely thus, "Go tell that witty fellow, "my godfon, to get home; it is "( no feafon now to foole it here." I liked this as little as the dothe my knighthood, fo took to my bootes and returned to the plow in bad weather. I must not fay much even by this truftie and fure meffenger, but the many evil plots and defigns hath overcome all her much in her privy chamber, and highnefs fweet temper. She walks ftamps with her feet at ill news, and thrufts her rufty fword at times into the arras in great rage. My Lord Buckhurft is much with her, and few elfe fince the city bufinefs; but the dangers are over, and yet fhe always keeps a fword by her table. I obtained a fhort audience at my first coming to courte, when her highnefs told me, if ill counfel had brought me fo far from home, the wished heaven might marr that fortune which the had mended. I made my peace in this point, and will not leave my poor caftle of Kelfton, for fear of finding a worfe elsewhere as others have done. I will eat Alborne rabbits, and get fifh as you recommend from the *This was the Earl of Effex. man man at Curry-Rival, and get partridge and hares where I can; and my venifon where I can; and leave all great matters to thofe that like them better than myself. Commend me to your lady and all other ladies that ever heard of me. Your books are fafe, and I am in liking to get Erafmus for your entertainmente. JOHN HARINGTON. From Kelfton, I could not move in any fuite to ferve your neighbour B. fuch was the face of things, and fo difordered is all order that her highness hathe worne but one change of raiment for many days, and fwears, much at those that cause her griefs in fuch wife, to the no fmall difcomfiture of all about her, more fpecially our fweete lady Arundel, that Venus plus quam venufta-. OR the fervice of the parlia FOR ment I have brought their own army before the city of Briftol, and do fummon you in their names to render it, with all the forts belonging to the fame, into my hands for their ufe.-Having ufed this plain language, as the bufinefs requires, I wifh it may be as effectual to you as it is fatisfactory to myfelf, that I do a little expoftulate with you about the furrender of the fame; which I confefs is a way not common, and which I fhould not have fo ufed, but in refpect to a perfon of fuch fort, and in fuch a place, to take into confi relation to the crown of England, your honour, courage, all the vir tues |