ent. that she instantly gave him a box on the ear. Instead of recollecting himself, and making the submission due to her sex and station, he clapped his hand to his sword, and swore he would not bear such usage even from her father. This offence, though very great, was overlooked by the queen, her partiality was so prevalent, that she reinstated him in her former favour, and her kindness seemed to have acquired ew force from that short interruption of anger and resent13. The death also of his rival, Lord Burleigh, which happened shortly after, seemed to ccnfirm his power. At that time the earl of Tyrone headed the rebellious na tives of Ireland; who, not yet thoroughly brought into sub jection by the English, took every opportunity to make incursions upon the more civilized inhabitants, and slew all they were able to overpower. 14. To subdue these was an employment that Essex thought worthy of his ambition: nor were his enemies displeased at thus removing him from court, where he obstructed all their private aims of prefer ment. But it ended in his ruin. Instead of attacking the enemy in their grand retreat in Ulster, he led his forces into the province of Munster, where he only exhausted his strength, and lost his opportunity against a people that submitted at his approach, but took up arms when he retired. 15. This issue of an enterprise, from which much was expected, did not fail to provoke the queen most sensibly; and her anger was still more heightened by the peevish and impatient letters which he daily wrote to her and the council. But her resentment against him was still more justly le loose, when she found, that, leaving the place of his appointment, and without any permission demanded or obtained, he returned from Ireland, to make his complaints to herself in person. 16. Though Elizabeth was justly offended, yet he soon won upon her temper to pardon him. He was now ordered to continue a prisoner in his own house till the queen's further pleasure should be known, and it is probable that the discretion of a few months might have reinstated him in all his former employments; but the impetuosity of his cha racter would not suffer him to wait for a slow redress of what he considered as wrongs: and the queen's refusing his request to continue him in possession of a lucrative monopoly of sweet wines, which he had long enjoyed, spurred him on to the most violent and guilty measures. (A.D. 1600.) 17. Having long built with fond credulity on his great popularity, he began to hope, from the assistance of the giddy multitude, that revenge upon his enemies in council, which he supposed was denied him from the throne. His greatest dependence was upon the professions of the citizens of London, whose schemes of religion and government he appeared entirely to approve; and while he gratified the puritans, by railing at the government of the church, he pleased the envious, by exposing the faults of those in power. 18. Among other criminal projects, the result of blind rage and despair, it was resolved that sir Christopher Blount, one of his creatures, should, with a choice detachment, possess himself of the palace gates; that sir John Davis should seize the hall; sir Charles Danvers the guardchamber; while Essex himself should rush in from the Mews, attended by a body of his partisans, into the queen's presence, and entreat her to remove his and her enemies, to assemble a new parliament, and to correct the defects of the present administration. Questions for Examination. 1, 2. What were the circumstances that contributed to retard the armada i 4. Describe the gallant conduct of the English. 7, 8. What were the consequences? 9. What was the character of the earl of Essex ? 12. How did he behave to the queen? 13. What expedition did he undertake? 14. What was his success? 15, 16. In what manner did he increase the queen's resentment? 17. From whom did Essex expect assistance? 18 On what project did he afterwards resolve? SECTION V. Raleigh, with hopes of new discoveries fired, 1 (A. D. 1601.) WHILE Essex was deliberating upon the manner in which he should proceed, he received a private note, by which he was warned to provide for his own safety. He now, therefore, consulted with his friends touching the emergency of their situation; they were desti tute of arms and ammunition, while the guards at the palace were doubled, so that any attack there would be fruitless. 2. While he and his confidants were in consultation, a person, probably employed by his enemies, came in as a messenger from the citizens, with tenders of friendship and Wild as the project assistance against all his adversaries. was of raising the city in the present terrible conjuncture, it was resolved on; but the execution of it was delayed till the day following. 8. Early in the morning of the next day, he was attended by his friends the earls of Rutland and Southampton, the lords Sandes, Parker, and Monteagle, with three hundred persons of distinction. The doors of Essex-house were immediately locked, to prevent all strangers from entering; and the earl now discovered his scheme for raising the city more fully to all the conspirators. In the mean time, sir Walter Raleigh sending a message to Ferdinando Georges, this officer had a conference with him in a boat on the Thames, and there discovered all their proceedings. 4. The earl of Essex, who now saw that all was to be hazarded, resolved to leave his house, and to sally forth to make an insurrection in the city. But he had made a very wrong estimate in expecting that popularity alone would aid him in time of danger; he issued out with about two hundred followers, armed only with swords; and in his passage to the city was joined by the earl of Bedford and lord Cromwell. he passed through the streets, he cried aloud, "For the queen! for the queen! a plot is laid for my life;" hoping to engage the populace to rise; but they had received orders from the mayor to keep within their houses; so that he was not joined by a single person. 6. In this manner, attended by a few of his followers, the rest having privately retired, he made towards the river; and, taking a boat, arrived once more at Essex-house, where he began to make preparations for his defence. But his case was too desperate for any re medy from valour; wherefore, after demanding in vain for hostages and conditions from his besiegers, he surrendered at discretion, requesting only civil treatment and a fair and impartial hearing. 5. As 7. Essex and Southampton were immediately carried to the archbishop's palace at Lambeth, from whence they were the next day conveyed to the Tower, and tried by the peers on the nineteenth of February following. Little could be urged in their defence; their guilt was too flagrant; and though it deserved pity, it could not meet an acquittal. Essex, after condemnation, was visited by that religious horror which seemed to attend him in all his disgraces He was terrified almost to despair by the ghostly remonstrances of his own chaplain; he was reconciled to his Queen Elizabeth signing the death-warrant of Essex. enemies, and made a full confession of his conspiracy 8. It is alleged upon this occasion, that he had strong hopes of pardon from the irresolution which the queen seemed to discover before she signed the warrant for his execution. She had given him formerly a ring, which she desired him to send her in any emergency of this nature, and that it should procure his safety and protection. This ring was actually sent by the countess of Nottingham, who, being a concealed enemy to the unfortunate earl, never delivered it; while Elizabeth was secretly fired at his obstinacy in making no application for mercy or forgiveness. 9. The fact is, she appeared herself as much an object of pity as the unfortunate nobleman she was induced to condemn. She signed the warrant for his execution; she countermanded it; she again resolved on his death, and again felt a new return of tenderness. At last she gave her consent to his execution, and was never seen to enjoy one happy day more 10. With the death of her favourite Essex, all Elizabeth's pleasures seemed to expire; she afterwards went through the business of the state merely from habit, but her satisfactions were no more. Her distress was more than sufficient to destroy the remains of her constitution; and her end was now visibly seen to approach. Her voice soon after left her; she fell into a lethargic slumber, which continued some hours; and she expired gently, without a groan, in the seventieth year of her age, and the forty-fifth of her reign 11. Her character differed with her circumstances; in the beginning she was moderate and humble; towards the end of her reign haughty and severe. Though she was possessed of excellent sense, yet she never had the discernment to discover that she wanted beauty; and to flatter her charms at the age of sixty-five was the surest road to her favour and steem. 12. But whatever were her personal defects, as a queen she is ever to be remembered by the English with gratitude It is true, indeed, that she carried her prerogative in parliament to its highest pitch, so that it was tacitly allowed in that assembly that she was above all laws, and could make and unmake them at pleasure; yet still she was so wise and good as seldom to exert that power which she claimed, and to enforce few acts of her prerogative which were not for the benefit of her people. 13. It is true, in like manner, that the English, during her reign, were put in possession of no new or splendid acquisitions; but commerce was daily growing up among them, and the people began to find that the theatre of their truest conquests was to be on the bosom of the ocean. A nation, which had hitherto been the object of every invasion, and a prey to every plunderer, now asserted its strength in turn, and became terrible to its invaders. 14. The successful voyages of the Spaniards and Portuguese began to excite their emulation, and they planned several expeditions for discovering a shorter passage to the East Indies. The famous sir Walter Raleigh, without any assistance from government, colonized New England, while Internal commerce was making equal improvements; and many Flemings, persecuted in their native country, found, together with their arts and industry, an easy asylum in England. 15. Thus the whole island seemed as if roused from her long habits of barbarity; arts, commerce, and legislation began to acquire new strength every day; and such was the state of learning at that time, that some fixed that period as the Augustan age of England. Sir Walter Raleigh and Hooker are considered as among the first im provers of our language. 16. Spenser and Shakspeare are too well known as poets to be praised here; but, of all man. kind, Francis Bacon, lord Verulam, who flourished in this reign, deserves, as a philosopher, the highest applause; his style is copious and correct, and his wit is only surpassed by his learning and penetration. 17. If we look through |