In the Days of Queen Elizabeth Read online

  CHAPTER IV

  GIVING AWAY A KINGDOM

  Edward was not fifteen when the Duke of Northumberland becameProtector. At eighteen the boy king was to be really king and to governhis kingdom as he chose, but until then, although everything was donein his name, it was the Protector who would rule. Northumberlandthought that in those three years he could gain so great an influenceover the young sovereign that even when the time came to give up thehigh office, he would still retain much of his power.

  Edward had never been strong, and before many months had passed, it wasclear that he would not live to be eighteen. Northumberland had no mindto lose his power. What could he do?

  One morning in June he went to the chamber of the king. Edward lay bythe window looking out into the bright sunshine.

  "My humble greeting to your gracious Majesty," said Northumberland. "Ihave brought news that cannot fail to give to your Highness an increaseof health and strength."

  "I think that nothing can do that," said Edward, "but good news will atleast make the day less weary. What is it that you have to tell?"

  "That two of those followers of the Pope who have most strongly opposedyour Majesty's efforts for the good of the land have at last acceptedgodly counsel."

  "I rejoice," said the king. "Would that the Princess Mary were one ofthem. Is it true, my lord, that no word of submission to him who isrightly the supreme head of the church in England has come from herGrace?"

  "It is true, your Highness."

  "Then when I die--no, my lord, do not deny it. I know well that fewdays are left to me--my sister will be on the throne. She will bringback the falseness of the old religion. Not the sovereign but thePope will rule in the land, and I can do nothing to prevent it. Howlittle power a king has!" Northumberland's heart beat fast. Now was hisopportunity.

  "Has your Majesty considered that the rightful heirs of king as well asof subject are those whom he himself shall name?"

  "Do you mean, my lord, that it is my right to name her who shall followme? that I could leave the crown to her Grace, the Princess Elizabeth,if I would?"

  "Our glorious ruler, Henry VIII., bequeathed his crown as he would haveit to descend. Surely, it would be in your Majesty's power to leave itto the Princess Elizabeth's Grace or to whomever of the descendants ofthe illustrious sovereign, King Henry VII., your Majesty might choose."

  "The Princess Elizabeth was taught the principles of the truth even asI myself was," mused the king.

  "True, your Majesty," agreed the duke, "but she is only twenty years ofage. It might easily come to pass that she would wed a foreign princeof the false faith, and that the land, now so favored with the light oftruth, would be again plunged into darkness. If she were already wed,it would be safer, though many in the realm believe that neither of thedaughters of King Henry can rightfully inherit the crown. An heir uponwhom all must unite would save strife and it may be bloodshed."

  "That might well be," said the king thoughtfully. Then Northumberlandsuggested boldly, though with some inward fear:--

  "The sisters of your Majesty's illustrious father, could you----" theduke hesitated.

  "The granddaughter of Margaret Tudor is the Queen of Scots, the littlemaiden who refused my hand," said the king with a faint smile, "butshe is of the false faith. The granddaughter of Mary Tudor is my oldplaymate, the lady Jane Grey, or is she not now Lady Dudley, my lord?Was it not a few days ago that she became the wife of your son? She iswell-principled in the truth."

  "Do not fancy, I beg your Highness, that a thought of what your Majestyhad in mind moved me to look with favor upon the mutual affection ofthe young couple."

  "No," said the young king a little wearily. "Arrange it in any way thatyou will to have the kingdom fall into the hands of her who will leadit more fully into the light, and bear it further from the idolatrousworship of the earlier days."

  Northumberland had obtained his wish, but there must be lawyers towrite a deed of gift of the crown. He went to three judges of the realmand gave them the king's command.

  "Gladly would we see the faith of his Majesty more fully established,"they said, "but, my lord duke, in the time of King Henry Parliamentdecreed that whoever did aught to change the order of succession to thecrown should suffer death as a traitor."

  Northumberland persuaded and threatened, but the judges had no mindto run the risk of losing their heads for the sake of setting hisdaughter-in-law upon the throne of England.

  "If you had the written pardon of the king, would you do it?" demandedNorthumberland, and after much discussion the judges hesitatinglyagreed. Edward was now as eager as the Protector to have it made surethat Lady Jane would ascend the throne, and he willingly signed apardon to free them from all punishment, if they were ever accused ofbreaking the law of the land. The pardon was signed, then the deed ofgift, bequeathing the crown to Lady Jane, was signed. The dying kingrejoiced, but the bold schemer trembled.

  There were very good reasons why each of four women had a right to feelhonestly that she alone ought to be queen of England. These four wereMary, Elizabeth, Mary, the child Queen of Scots, who was descended fromMargaret, sister of Henry VIII., and last, Lady Jane, who was descendedfrom his youngest sister Mary. According to King Henry's will, whichParliament had confirmed, the crown was to go to Lady Jane, if Henry'sthree children died without heirs. It seemed quite possible that shemight some day be the ruler of England, and her parents set to work toprepare her to become a queen.

  Now when less than a century ago a lady in England found that herlittle daughter Victoria would probably be the sovereign of hercountry, she said, "I want you to be a good woman, and then I shall besure that you will be a good queen." Lady Jane's parents thought moreof training her to do everything according to the etiquette of thecourt, and they were so anxious that she should walk and talk and sitand eat and dance precisely as they thought a queen ought to performthose acts, that they were exceedingly severe with her. She was agentle, loving girl, and she did her best to satisfy them, but she wasupbraided and pinched and struck whenever she was in their presence.The one great pleasure in her life was the time that she spent with herteacher, whom she called "Master Aylmer," for he was so kind to her andso gentle in all his ways that she was happy when the hour of study hadarrived.

  Everyone knew that Northumberland was the most powerful man in thekingdom, and when he said to Lady Jane's father, the Marquis of Dorset,"If you will give your daughter to my son Guilford to wife, I willpersuade the king to make you a duke," the marquis was delighted. LadyJane was but sixteen and Lord Guilford Dudley was only one year older.They were married at once with the most brilliant festivities.

  Not many days after the wedding, King Edward became very ill."Hold yourself in readiness for what may be demanded of you," saidNorthumberland to Lady Jane. "Should the king fail to recover, you aremade by his Majesty heir of his realm."

  The girl of sixteen had never thought of such a thing as becomingqueen of England until many years should have passed, and probablynot even then, and she was greatly troubled. She dared not disobeyNorthumberland, and when a few days later he sent his daughter to bringher to the royal council, she did not venture to refuse. When the dukeand the other members of the council entered the room, they fell ontheir knees before her and kissed her hand.

  "We make our humble submission to your Majesty as our sovereign ladyand rightful ruler of this realm of England," said they.

  Lady Jane was much abashed, and she said:--

  "My lords, I can but thank you for the grace that you show to one whois so unworthy of such honor; but if I understand your words aright,you greet me as your sovereign lady and ruler. My lords, there issurely some grievous error. His Majesty, King Edward, is, happily,still on the throne, and even if it had pleased God to remove hisGrace from earth to heaven, no claim have I so long as the PrincessesMary and Elizabeth live. Will your lordships grant me permission towithdraw?"

  Then spoke the Duke of Northumberland:--

 
"Your Majesty and members of the royal council, it is a painfulduty that falls to my lot to announce the death of our beloved andillustrious king, Edward VI. Much reason have we to rejoice not only inhis praiseworthy life and his countless acts of goodness and clemency,but especially in that he, being at the close of his days, thought mostearnestly upon the welfare of his realm. In his last hour on earth heprayed that his kingdom might be defended from the popish faith, and heleft it in the hands of her who he believed would be faithful to thetrust, and would guard the land from falsehood and from error."

  All her life Lady Jane had known and loved the young king. Tears cameto her eyes. She looked pitifully about the room. Several noble ladieshad been brought into the council chamber, but not one had even aglance of sympathy for the young girl. The Duchess of Northumberlandfrowned at her, and her own mother whispered sternly, "Demean yourselfas is fitting for a queen."

  "His Majesty gave command to his council," said the duke, "and theyhave no choice save to obey him. Thus declares the will of the king,signed and sealed, and drawn up by three capable judges of the realm.It names as his heir and successor on the throne of England hergracious Highness, Lady Jane, descendant of Mary, who was the youngestand most beloved sister of his Majesty, King Henry VIII."

  Then all the lords of the council knelt at the feet of Lady Jane. "Werender to your Majesty only the honor that is due," said they, "for youare of true and direct lineage heir to the crown. With deliberate mindwe have promised to his Highness, King Edward VI., that in your Grace'scause we will spare neither goods nor lands nor the shedding of ourblood."

  Lady Jane stood before them, white and trembling. Then grief and painovercame her, and with a sudden burst of tears she fell to the ground.When she was a little recovered, she said to them:--

  "My lords, I can but grieve from my heart for the death of so noble aprince and one that was so dear to me. I am weak and feeble. I havelittle power to govern the land as he in his greatness of mind and ofheart would have done, but if that which you say has been given meis rightfully and lawfully mine own, then will I turn to God in myinsufficiency and humbly beseech his grace and spirit that I may rulethe land to its advantage and to his glory and service."

  In the afternoon of the same day Lady Jane went in state to the Towerof London, for it was an old custom that sovereigns should go forthfrom the Tower on the day of their coronation. Her relatives kneltbefore her and humbly promised to be obedient to her commands; and herown mother walked meekly behind her, bearing the daughter's train. Inthe evening she was proclaimed in London ruler of the kingdom. Therewas little rejoicing. The people as a whole were sullen and silent,for most of them understood that the affair was but a scheme ofNorthumberland's to gain power for himself.

  Lady Jane Grey and Roger Ascham.--_From painting by J.C. Horsley._]

  The duke knew that if Mary and Elizabeth were free after Edward'sdeath was known, a party would be formed in favor of one or the other,and therefore he had planned to get them both into his hands. He sentmessengers to them to say that the king was very ill and begged thatthey would give him the happiness and comfort of their presence.

  Elizabeth paid no heed to the message. Either she was really ill,as she said, or she was wise enough to suspect that there was sometrickery about this sudden demand for her society, when for so longa time she had not been allowed to see her brother. At any rate, sheremained in her own house.

  Mary returned word by a swift rider that she was made very happy bythe thought that she could help to bring cheer and consolation to herbrother, and she set out at once to go to him. When she was only a fewmiles from London, a man who had been her goldsmith came riding in hothaste.

  "Your Grace," he said, "I beg that you will go no farther. The kingis not ill, he is dead. Northumberland plans to set Lady Jane uponthe throne. Flee, I do pray you." Mary hesitated. Was the word ofthe goldsmith true? Whom could she trust? Should she go on to Londonand perhaps be thrown into the prison of the Tower by Northumberland?Should she flee to Norfolk and refuse, it might be, her brother's lasttender wishes? Was it a trap to make her declare herself queen andthen behead her for treason? While she questioned, another rider came,a nobleman whom she trusted, and he told her that the king was indeeddead.

  Mary turned toward Norfolk. Night came on. The princess herselfand many of her retinue were exhausted. They asked for shelterat a country-seat. It was given them, but the Protestants in theneighborhood had heard that Edward was dead and that the Catholicprincess was among them. A mob set out in the morning to destroy thehouse that had sheltered her. Mary had been warned of the danger andhad ridden away. She glanced back from the top of a hill and saw thehouse in flames. "Let it go," she cried. "I will build him a betterone."

  As soon as she reached her own castle in Norfolk, she sent a letter tothe royal council saying:--

  "We are greatly surprised that we have had from you no knowledge of thedeath of our brother, but we trust your love and your loyalty. Whatevermay have been said to us of any disloyal intentions on your part wedo put far from us, and do agree to grant you pardon and receive yougraciously into our service as true and faithful subjects."

  Even though the councilors had failed to secure Mary, they stillbelieved that their side would win, and they sent her a rather arrogantletter. It said:--

  "Lady Jane is our queen, but if you will show yourself quiet andobedient as you ought, you will find us all ready to do you any servicethat we with duty may."

  Mary then rode to Framlingham, a strongly fortified castle some twentymiles away. It was so near the sea that she could escape to thecontinent if flight should become necessary, but she could hardly havebeen in a safer place. The walls of the stronghold were eight feetthick; town and fortress were surrounded by three deep moats. Here sheflung out her banner and called upon all loyal subjects to come to theassistance of their rightful queen. So many thousands gathered thatshe ventured to set out for London, and as she drew near the city, shemet such a welcome that she disbanded her army.

  Now at Edward's death when Northumberland saw that his plan to captureElizabeth had failed, he sent a messenger to promise her land and moneyif she would but resign all title to the crown. With rare wisdom for soyoung a woman, she replied:--

  "That is not for me to say. Lady Mary is by my father's will and bydecree passed in open Parliament the rightful queen of the realm.Whatever my claim may be, I can make no challenge so long as my sisterdoth live." Elizabeth then set out to meet Mary, and they enteredLondon together, followed by a long train of ladies and noblemen, andescorted by the city guard.

  Northumberland too, had collected an army, but his men deserted byhundreds. In less than two months after he had triumphantly set hisdaughter-in-law upon the throne, he was executed, together with two ofthose who had most strongly supported him. Lady Jane and her husbandwere imprisoned. Mary's advisers declared that there was no safety forher so long as Lady Jane lived, but Mary refused to put her to death.

  As the day for the coronation drew near, there were great rejoicings.Many of those that did not wish to have a Catholic ruler were so gladto be free from Northumberland's schemes and to feel that she who waslawfully their queen was now on the throne that they were ready tounite in the joy of the others. In the procession to the Tower, QueenMary rode in a litter, or chariot, drawn by six horses, glittering intheir trappings of cloth of silver. She was robed in the richest ofblue velvet, made even richer by bands of ermine. She wore a sort ofhead-dress, so heavy with gold and pearls and jewels that she oftenhad to hold up her head with her hands. In a litter almost as splendidas her own rode Elizabeth and her first stepmother, Anne of Cleves.Noble ladies rode on horseback in all the splendors of crimson velvet.Companies of guards followed in white and green, the royal colors.

  The next morning after all this magnificence, there was such abrilliant display as made the gorgeousness of the ride through thecity seem simple and modest, for the queen was to be crowned inWestminster Abbey.

  When s
he was on the platform in full view of the people, the Bishop ofWinchester demanded of them whether it was their will that the crownshould be placed on the head of the most excellent princess, Mary,eldest daughter of King Henry VIII. The people shouted, "Yea, yea!Queen Mary, Queen Mary!" Mary made a solemn promise to govern Englandaright and faithfully preserve the liberties of the people. Thenfollowed all kinds of ceremonies, changing of robes, and sounding oftrumpets. She was girded with a sword, a ring was put upon her finger,and at last the crown was solemnly placed upon her head. This was by nomeans the end of it all, for many nobles came to kneel before her andpromise to be true to her. Each one of them kissed her cheek.

  In all this ceremonial as well as in the feasting and theentertainments that followed it, the Princess Elizabeth was in everyway ranked next to the queen. Elizabeth wore the coronet of a princess."It is very heavy," she whispered to the French ambassador. "Bepatient," murmured he, "it will be parent to a better one."

  Parliament was soon in session, and one of the important questions tobe decided was what should be done with Lady Jane.

  "She attempted to seize the crown from Mary, who is our rightfulsovereign," declared one, "and she should be put to death as a traitor."

  "What she did was done at the bidding of the Duke of Northumberland,"said another. "She was but a tool in his hands, and she should befreed."

  "That cannot well be," objected a third. "Whoever commits a crime isguilty of that crime and must bear the punishment."

  "Yes," agreed the first, "and moreover, some who would questionElizabeth's right to the throne would perchance unite under the bannerof Jane. There will be neither rest nor safety in the kingdom so longas she is spared to lead any rebellious faction that may need a head."

  Parliament decided that Lady Jane was guilty of treason, and she wassentenced to be either burned or beheaded as the queen should choose.Everyone was sorry for her. Even those that condemned her could hardlylook upon the young girl without tears, and when she was taken back toher prison in the Tower, crowds of weeping people followed her.

  "She is to be put to death 'at the queen's pleasure,'" said one royalattendant to another. "Do you believe it will be soon?"

  "He who dwells in a palace should see but not speak," answered theother. "To you, however, I may venture to whisper that the death ofLady Jane will never be 'the queen's pleasure.'"