wars of the seventeenth century, 1643. The old verger at Peterborough-cathedral, when he pointed out the small brass plate which briefly certifies the place where the mortal remains of Katharine of Arragon repose, said, in 1847, "that his father, who preceded him in his office, saw the coffin of that unfortunate queen when it was exhumed, about seventy years ago, during the repairs of that part of the church. It was very strongly fastened, and no one attempted to open it, as it was considered a sacrilegious act, at that time, to disturb the ashes of the dead for the sake of unveiling the secrets of the grave. His father, however, being somewhat of an antiquary, was desirous of making what discoveries he could; he bored a hole with a gimlet, and introduced a long wire into the coffin, with which he drew out a fragment of black and silver brocade, whereby he ascertained the material of her funeral robes. The black and silver stuff was damp, and mouldered away when exposed to the air, but afforded by its aroma, satisfactory evidence that the royal remains had undergone the process of embalming." The chamber, hung with tapestry, in which Katharine of Arragon expired, is to this day shown at Kimbolton-castle: the tapestry covers a little door leading to a closet still called by her name. One of her travelling portmanteaus has remained at Kimbolton ever since her sad removal from Bugden. It is covered with scarlet velvet, and the queen's initials, K R, with the regal crown, are conspicuous on the lid; there are two drawers beneath the trunk. Its preservation may be attributed to its having been used as the depository of the robes of the earls and dukes of Manchester.' A monument was raised to the memory of Katharine so lately as the end of the last century. "I have lately been at lord Ossory's, at Ampthill," wrote Horace Walpole to the antiquary Cole. "You know Katharine of Arragon lived some time there: nothing remains of the castle, nor any marks of residence but a small bit of her garden. I proposed to lord Ossory to erect 1 Kimbolton-castle was the principal residence of the earls and dukes of Manchester. 2 He was then lord Orford: the letter is dated June 22nd, 1772.—Cole's MSS. Brit. Museum. a cross to her memory, and he will." The cross was raised by lord Ossory: it cost him 1007. The following lines were engraved on it from the pen of Horace Walpole : "In days of old, here Ampthill's towers were seen, The grand abilities of Katharine of Arragon, her unstained integrity of word and action, united with intrepid firmness, commanded even from her enemies that deep respect, which her sweetness, benevolence, and other saintly virtues would not have obtained, unsupported by these high queenly qualities. Sustained by her own innate grandeur of soul, her piety, and lofty rectitude, she passed through all her bitter trials without calumny succeeding in fixing a spot on her name. Among many eulogists, one mighty genius, who was nearly her contemporary, has done her the noblest justice. In fact, Shakspeare alone has properly appreciated and vividly portrayed the great talents, as well as the moral worth, of the right royal Katharine of Arragon. ANNE BOLEYN, SECOND QUEEN OF HENRY VIII. CHAPTER I. Descent and parentage-Place of birth-Early education-Maid of honour to the queen of France-- Her letter to her father—Enters the service of queen Claude -Her accomplishments-Returns to England-Proposed marriage--Becomes maid of honour to queen Katharine-Her first interview with the king--H'> admiration-Courted by lord Percy-Jealousy of Henry VIII.-Wolsey divides Anne and Percy-Her resentment-She is sent from court-King's visit to her-She repulses him-His love-letters-Henry's persevering courtship-Her dissimulation-Anne's enmity to Wolsey-Wyatt's passion for her—Steals her tablets-Anger of Henry-Anne's retirement during the pestilence--King's letters to her-Her illness-Henry's anxiety-Divorce agitated-Anne returts to court-Dismissed to Hever-Henry's letters-Anne's establishment in London-Her levees-Her letter to Gardiner-Her copy of Tindal's Bible-Effec ́s Wolsey's ruin-King's presents to her-Book of divination-Dialogue with Anne Saville-Anne Boleyn's death predicted-Created marchioness of Pembroke Goes to France with the king-His grants to her-Her gambling propensities. THERE is no name in the annals of female royalty over which the enchantments of poetry and romance have cast such bewildering spells as that of Anne Boleyn. Her wit, her beauty, and the striking vicissitudes of her fate, combined with the peculiar mobility of her character, have invested her with an interest not commonly excited by a woman, in whom vanity and ambition were the leading traits. Tacitus said of the empress Poppea, "that with her, love was not an affair of the heart, but a matter of diplomacy;" and this observation appears no less applicable to Anne Boleyn, affording, withal, a convincing reason that she never incurred the crimes for which she was brought to the block. Unfortunately for the cause of truth, the eventful tragedy of her life has been so differently recorded by the chroniclers of the two great con |