In the Days of Queen Elizabeth

by Eva March Tappan

  CHAPTER IX

  ELIZABETH AND PHILIP

  However fond Elizabeth was of Leicester, she would never allow himto presume upon her favor. A friend of his one day demanded to seethe queen, and the usher, or "gentleman of the black rod," as he wascalled, refused to permit him to enter. Leicester threatened the usherwith the loss of his position, but that gentleman went straightway tothe queen, fell at her feet, and told the whole story.

  "Your Grace," said he, "I have but obeyed your commands, and all that Icrave is to know the pleasure of your Majesty. Shall I obey yourself ormy Lord Leicester?"

  Leicester had also attempted to tell his side of the story, but a waveof the queen's hand had silenced him. Now she turned upon him haughtilyand said:--

  "I have wished you well, my lord, but know you that my favor is not solocked up in you that others can have no share. I will have here butone mistress and no master."

  Leicester tried to take revenge on the queen's vanity by asking her foran appointment in France.

  "Do you really wish to go?" she demanded.

  "It is one of the things that I most desire," answered the earl.Elizabeth pondered a moment, she glanced at Leicester, and then turnedto the Spanish ambassador, who stood near, and said laughingly:--

  "I can't live without seeing him. Why, he is my lap-dog, and wherever Igo, people expect that he will follow." Leicester did not go to France.

  Elizabeth's old suitor, King Philip, was giving her more troublethan Leicester. The Low Countries, as Holland and Belgium were thencalled, formed part of his domain. Most of the inhabitants of theselands were Protestants, and they were making a determined resistanceto the rule of the Spanish king. Elizabeth believed that if Philip wassuccessful he might attack England. The course decided upon by theEnglish council was to send money secretly to the revolters in the LowCountries. This would not make open war with Spain, but would enablethe king's opponents to oppose him more strongly, and would keep himtoo busy to think of invading England.

  Even before Elizabeth came to the throne, the English Channel and theneighboring seas were swarming with bold sailors who attacked anyvessel that they believed might be carrying gold or any other cargoof value. To-day this would be called piracy, it was then looked uponas brave seamanship. These pirates cared little for the nationalityof a vessel, but Spain had more ships at sea than any other country,and these ships were loaded with gold from America or with valuablegoods from India, therefore, Spain was the greatest sufferer; and asthe English sailors were generally more bold and more successful thanothers in making these attacks, the wrath of Spain toward England grewmore and more bitter. Whenever a Spanish ship captured an English ship,the sailors were hanged, or imprisoned, or perhaps tortured, or evenburned at the stake as heretics. "It is only fair," said Elizabeth,"to get our reprisal in whatever way we can;" and whoever had taken aSpanish vessel, be he English or belonging to some other nation, wasallowed to bring his prize into an English port and there dispose of it.

  The slave-trade, too, was looked upon as an honorable business and avaluable source of wealth for England. Spain forbade all nations totrade with her American colonies, but these bold Englishmen kidnappednegroes on the African coast, carried them to America, and found readypurchasers in the Spanish colonists of the West Indies. One of theseEnglish fleets was attacked by the Spanish in the Gulf of Mexico, andthree of the vessels were captured. Elizabeth raged and declared thatshe would have vengeance. It is possible that her indignation was noless from the fact that two of the vessels of this fleet belonged tothe queen herself.

  It was not long before the opportunity for revenge appeared. FourSpanish vessels loaded with money for the payment of Philip's armywere chased by French pirates and took refuge in an English harbor.Under the pretence of securing the safety of this money, it was quietlytransferred to the royal treasury.

  The Spanish ambassador protested, but there was much delay before hewas permitted to see the queen. He presented a letter from Duke Alva,who commanded the Spanish forces in the Low Countries, claiming thetreasure.

  "I am not wholly without reason," declared Elizabeth coolly, "forbelieving that this gold does not belong to the king of Spain."

  "This is the duke's own writing, your Highness," said the ambassador.

  "Not willingly or with intent to deal unjustly would I seize upon aughtthat with propriety belongs to his Majesty," said the queen, "butcertain rumors have reached me that divers persons of Genoa are sendingthis money to the Low Countries to make profit by loaning it to theduke."

  "Your Majesty, I give you most solemn assurance that such is not thecase," declared the helpless ambassador.

  "A few days will determine whether your informants or mine be correct,"said the queen haughtily. "If the king of Spain can prove that thegold is his, I will restore it to him. Otherwise, I will pay the usualrate of interest to its true owners, and keep it for good service in myown kingdom."

  Elizabeth was right in her belief that Philip would not wish to haveanother war on his hands, and so would made no attack upon her kingdom.He seized Englishmen and English property in Antwerp, but this wassmall loss to England, for Elizabeth retaliated by imprisoning theSpaniards who were doing business in her kingdom and whose possessionswere of far more value than those of the English in Antwerp.

  Duke Alva was annoyed and delayed in his plans by the loss of themoney, but the fighting went on most bitterly. In France there wasa kind of peace between the court and the Huguenots, as the FrenchProtestants were called, but on neither side was there forgiveness orforgetfulness. The leader of the Huguenots was wounded in Paris by anassassin. Catherine de Medicis, mother of the French king, alarmed herson by declaring that the Huguenots would take a fearful vengeance forthis attack, and induced him to consent to a terrible slaughter inwhich thousands of Protestants were slain. This was the massacre of St.Bartholomew's Day.

  The English were then thoroughly aroused. Thousands were ready totake up arms and avenge the wicked murders. To the French ambassadorfell the unwelcome task of telling the dreadful story to the queenof England. He asked for an audience, but she refused it. For threedays she hesitated; at length he was admitted. The queen and all herattendants were dressed in the deepest mourning. The unhappy ambassadorentered the room and advanced through the lines of lords and ladies.Little return was made to his respectful salutations, there was deadsilence. Finally the queen with grave, stern face, came a few stepstoward him, greeted him with politeness, and motioned him to follow herto one side.

  "I have no wish to show discourtesy to your sovereign," she said,"but it was impossible that I should bring my mind sooner to speakof a matter so grievous to me and to my realm." The ambassador bowedsilently, and the queen went on. "Can it be that this strange newsof the prince whom I have so loved and honored has been correctlyreported to me?"

  "In truth," answered the ambassador gravely, "it is for this very thingthat I am come to lament with your Majesty over the sad accident."

  "An accident?" questioned Elizabeth.

  "Surely, your Majesty, for is not that an accident which is forced upona sovereign by no will of his own, but by the plots and treasons ofthose whom he would gladly have befriended?"

  "How may that be?" asked Elizabeth.

  "The evening before the sad event the king was horrified to learn thatin revenge for the attempt at assassination, a terrible deed had beenplanned. It was no less than the imprisonment of himself and his familyand the murder of the Catholic leaders."

  "How was this known?"

  "One whose conscience could no longer bear the burden revealed thewicked plot. The words and looks of several of the conspirators gavegloomy confirmation to the story."

  "Why not imprison the traitors? Is there no dungeon in France and noexecutioner?"

  "Your Majesty, not all rulers have your keen judgment and your controlof even the strongest sentiments of your heart. The king has not yetlearned to govern his feelings by moderation. He had but a few shorthours to d
ecide what was best. Many were urging him on to inflict themost severe penalties, and at last he yielded, and allowed that to bedone which he will ever regret. Especially does he lament that with apopulace so wildly excited and so indignant at the plot against theking, it is all but impossible that some who are innocent should nothave perished with the guilty. This is his chief cause of grief." Theambassador had made as smooth a story as possible, but how would thequeen receive it?

  She was silent for several minutes, then she said:--

  "Although I could not accept his Majesty, the king of France, for ahusband, yet shall I always revere him as if I were his wife, and everfeel jealous for his honor. I will believe that from some strangeaccident, which time will perhaps more fully explain, these murdershave come to pass. I recommend the Protestants among his people asespecially entitled to his Highness's loving care and protection."

  When this speech was reported to Catherine de Medicis, she smiledgrimly and said, "The queen of England can hardly ask greaterprotection than she herself grants; namely, to force no man'sconscience, but to permit no other worship in the land than that whichthe ruler himself practises."

  Four years had passed since Mary of Scotland fled to England. Nothinghad been satisfactorily determined in regard to her guilt or innocence.An important part of the testimony against her was a casket of herletters to Bothwell. Elizabeth's commissioners believed these lettersto be the work of Mary's hand, but the English queen refused to permitthem to be made public. Whether they were true or were forgeries, shewould not allow a queen, a member of her own family, to be declaredguilty of murder.

  Mary was put under the care of the Earl of Shrewsbury. The sovereignclaimed the right to give prisoners of state or guests of the nationto her nobles for watch or entertainment or both. "I am about to trustyou as I would trust few men," the queen said to the earl when sheinformed him of his new task. He was obliged to accept the chargemeekly, but it must have been a heavy burden. If his family moved fromone of his manors to another, Mary must go with them. She must havethe attendance and treatment due to her rank, but she must be closelywatched to prevent, if possible, the sending of letters and messagesto any that might conspire to rescue her. Guests of the family must bekept from meeting her. It is no wonder that the earl's health gave out.He went away for medical treatment, and at once there came a letterfrom Cecil:--

  "The queen has heard that you are gone from home. She says she canscarce believe it, but she bids me know from you what order you leftfor attendance upon the Queen of Scots. She would not that you shouldbe long away from her, for she feels it only in accordance with herhonor that the said queen be honorably attended, and for this she caresas much as for any question of surety."

  The earl did not recover at once, and the queen sent another trustyservant to take charge of Mary. The caring for the prisoner and herretinue was no small matter, for there were so many in her train thather unwilling host felt greatly relieved when Elizabeth commanded thattheir number be reduced to thirty.

  Soon after Mary's coming to England there was an uprising in the northamong the nobles who wished to oblige Elizabeth to acknowledge Mary asher heir. They planned for the Scotch queen to marry an English duke ofgreat power and wealth. This conspiracy was discovered, Mary was keptfor a while in closer confinement, and after some time the duke wasbeheaded. Elizabeth long refused to sign the warrant, and she would payno attention whatever to the counsels of the royal advisers in regardto the execution of Mary, though one called her "that dangerous woman,"another, "a desperate person." The archbishop of York advised Elizabethto "cut off the Scottish queen's head forthwith;" Cecil was decidedlyin favor of this plan, for he believed that it was the only way tosecure peace to the kingdom, that so long as Mary lived there would beplots, and that, however closely she was watched, she would find meansto communicate with plotters. The rebellion in the north was the onlyrevolt of any importance while Elizabeth was on the throne. It waspunished most severely by a vast number of executions.

  Not long after the revolt, the Pope excommunicated Elizabeth. Hepronounced upon her a solemn curse whether she ate or drank, went in orwent out; whatever she did, she was accursed, and her subjects were nolonger called upon to obey her. Neither Philip nor the king of Franceventured to have this decree published in his kingdom, and in Englandit seems to have produced no effect whatever. The government was everyday becoming stronger. The man who disobeyed did not often escapepunishment, and Englishmen in general preferred to be excommunicated bythe Pope in Italy than to be executed by Elizabeth in England.

  The queen gained steadily in power and in the affections of hersubjects. Some of this increase of power was because by good managementEngland had grown richer, some of it because by her shrewd treatmentof France and Spain she had won the deference of both. Her means ofgaining power were not always to be commended; she was not abovemaintaining nominally peaceful relations with a king while she wasaiding his revolting subjects; and she would favor first one proposedmarriage and then another, as it might suit her purposes to win thegood will of the country to which the respective wooers belonged. Whenshe was once accused of deriding and mocking whoever sought her hand,she replied with an air of injured innocence that she never "mockedor trifled" with any of those who would have had her in marriage,that she had given them her answer as promptly as the "troubles andhindrances that were happening in the world" would permit. Dishonorableas her behavior sometimes was, it is only fair to Elizabeth to rememberthat in her times fair dealing among nations was the exception ratherthan the rule; the country that could gain the advantage over anothercountry was looked upon as having shown the greater ability.

  Part of Elizabeth's gain in power was due to the improved conditionof England. The country was at peace, taxes were not large; ways ofliving were becoming more comfortable; all subjects were required toattend the Protestant church, but fines and loss of office were smallmatters when compared with the axe and the stake; bold sailors weretaking English ships to distant harbors; a great exchange had beenbuilt in London where merchants from any part of the world might cometo buy and sell; and the thing that made all these advantages possiblewas the fact that the government was firm and sure. That the queen wasthe vainest woman who ever lived, that she would say one thing oneday and quite another thing the next morning was perhaps not knownoutside of her court, and in any case, her subjects would have forgivenher faults, for they felt that she was ever a friend to them, thatshe believed in them and trusted them. At one time a gun went off byaccident and the bullet came very near the queen. Elizabeth straightwayissued a proclamation, "I will believe nothing against my subjects,"said she, "that loving parents would not believe of their children."

  Elizabeth refused positively to stand at the head of any one party; shewas determined to be, as she said, "a good queen" to all her subjects.It must be admitted that she was sometimes unjust to the "great folk,"but nothing else aroused her wrath so surely and so dangerously as awrong done to her people, to the masses of her subjects, with whom shefelt sympathy and to whom she turned for support. It was an ancientcustom in the land that whenever the sovereign went from one partof the kingdom to another, the people of whatever district he mightchance to be in should furnish him with food for his attendants, oftennumbered by hundreds. "Purveyors," or officers whose business it was toattend to the providing of food, went ahead of the royal party and tookwhat they chose to declare would be needed. Sometimes they paid forit--whatever price they chose--sometimes they did not, but in any casethe purveyor was sorely tempted to seize larger quantities of suppliesthan would be needed and sell them elsewhere. When Elizabeth discoveredthat one of her officers had been behaving in this manner, she was mostindignant. "My people shall suffer by no such abuses," she declared.One article that the cheating purveyor had seized and sold for theadvantage of his own pocket was a quantity of smelts. "Take him to thepillory," bade the angry queen. "Hang the smelts about his neck, andsee you to it that there shall he sit for three full days. Let
him whosteals from my people keep in his account that he has to reckon notwith them but with me; they are _my_ people, and I am their queen."

  This proud sovereign who ruled her haughty nobles with so high a handenjoyed showing to her subjects how humble she could be. When she wastormenting the king of Spain by every means in her power, she kepton one Maundy Thursday the old custom of feet-washing. Elizabeth wasthirty-nine years of age, and therefore the poor women who were seatedbefore her for the ceremony were thirty-nine in number. The queen'sladies brought silver basins filled with warm water delicately perfumedwith flowers and sweet-smelling herbs. Cushions were placed, and onthese the queen kneeled as she washed one foot of each of the poorwomen, marked it with a cross and kissed it. It takes a little from thehumility of the act to read that just before the queen's performance ofthis duty the feet of the thirty-nine poor women were most carefullyscrubbed and perfumed by three separate officials. There must havebeen some competition to be among the chosen thirty-nine, if any oneguessed what would happen, for before the queen bade them farewell, shepresented each one with a pair of shoes, cloth for a gown, the toweland apron used in the ceremony, a purse of white leather containingthirty-nine pence, and a red purse containing twenty shillings. Besidesthese gifts, each one received bread, fish, and wine.

  It is no wonder that Elizabeth was popular among her subjects, andthat she rejoiced in their good will, but some of the consequences oftheir devotion were not agreeable. It was the custom to wear ornamentscalled aglets, which were somewhat like large loops. These were made ofgold and often set with precious stones. They were sewed upon variousparts of her robes of state, and they had a fashion of disappearingwhen the queen was dining in public, for her subjects who were nearenough to secure one as a souvenir of their beloved queen seem to havetaken advantage of their opportunity. The persons who had charge of herwardrobe made in their books many such entries as these:--

  "Lost from her Majesty's back the 17th of January, at Westminster, oneaglet of gold, enamelled blue, set upon a gown of purple velvet."

  Another one is:--

  "One pearl and a tassel of gold being lost from her Majesty's back, offthe French gown of black satin, the 15th day of July, at Greenwich."