Page:The Queens of England.djvu/483

ANNE OF DENMARK. 435 to him is the luster of the new-begotten court : how the breath- less, crowding, hurrying, feigning, and suing, "doth not well for a cripple;" and how earnestly he wishes that he waited still in the presence-chamber of his great dead mistress. Yet had he no lack of attention to complain of. He was the first peer created by James. At Theobalds he received the barony of Essenden, was made Viscount Cranbourn a few months later, and in the following year received the earldom of Salis- bury. He was too capable a man to be one of James's favor- ites, but too useful to incur his hatred or disregard ; and the position he assumed at the first council at Theobalds, he held till death. From that council James had but one rebuff. He asked them to send the crown jewels to his queen, that she might make proper regal display on entering London ; but Cecil answered firmly that the regalia of England should not have the kingdom for a day. Anne was now on her journey. She left Edinburgh on the 2nd of June with her two elder children ; Charles being still so sickly that he could not travel. Many incidents show that she was still in no temper of agreement with her husband ; and his failing to meet her at York, as originally settled, ir, supposed to have been connected with these differences. The aldermen of York, however, did their best to supply a wel- come of all needful splendor ; and at each stage in her prog- ress she was joined by English ladies of the highest rank, who hastened to do her suit and service. Thus her temper seems to have softened by the way; and Lady Anne Clifford (after- wards so famous as Countess Dorset, Pembroke and Mont- gomery) gives favorable account of her majesty on seeing her at Sir Thomas Griffin's seat, though she makes sad complaint of the fleas which she says the Scotch ladies had brought up with them. At Sir Robert Spencer's seat of Althorpe a mid- summer masque was acted in her honor for which the serv- ices of Ben Jonson had been engaged. This great poet ad- dressed her as Oriana (oriens Anna), and hailed her as high- est, happiest queen ; but the highest, happiest inspiration of his genius had certainly not responded to this first sudden call of the subject. The king joined her at the next stage of her progress ; and the festivities at Grafton, Lord Cumberland's seat ; at Salden House, the seat of Sir John Fortescue ; at Aylesbury, the residence of Sir John Packington ; and at Great Hampden, where Sir Alexander Hampden lived, were redoub-