Page:The Queens of England.djvu/367

KATHARINE PARR, SIXTH QUEEN OF HENRY THE EIGHTH. Katharine Parr, although not of a noble, was of a very ancient descent, connected by both her parents with some of the noblest families in England, and even with royalty itself. She inherited the blood of the Saxon kings, as well as that of the great houses of Neville, Earls of Westmoreland, the Marmions, Champions of England, and others of nearly equal dignity. Her relationship was, therefore, much clearer than that of Henry the Eighth with some of his former queens for whom he claimed the distinction, although in this instance he did not deem a dispensation from the pope neces- sary, on the ground of' consanguinity. Katharine Parr, who is said to have been born in 1513, lost her father when not more than five years old; but this loss was little injurious to her future welfare, for her mother, a domestic and sensible woman, bestowed such pains on her education as to fully cultivate her abilities, which, even while yet in childhood, gave proof that they were of no ordinary stamp. It is pleasing to look back on the domestic picture of the fair and youthful widow, Lady Parr, surrounded by her three children, two daughters and a son, to whom she devoted all her thoughts and time in the tranquil solitude of the country-seat bequeathed to her by her husband, while yet young enough — being only in her twenty-second year when her husband died — to entertain projects of 'forming another marriage. Under the care of this excellent lady, and with the tuition of those capable of instructing her, Katharine Parr acquired a knowledge, not only of the usual rudiments of female educa- tion, but of ancient and modern languages. Far from con- sidering her studies as a wearisome task, she applied to them with a diligence which proved her pleasure in them, and her maturity bore plentiful fruits of her industry and love of learning. 3*7