Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume VI.djvu/539

ELIZABETH 531 ment to her, and interested himself in her edu- cation. He purposed wedding her to the third son of Francis I. of France. In her third year her fortunes were clouded by the occurrence of that tragedy which sent her mother to the scaffold. Elizabeth was in her turn declared illegitimate, and fell into contempt. The birth of her only brother, afterward Edward VI., happened in 1537, and her first public act was to bear the chrism at his christening, she being herself carried in the arms of Lord Hertford. She was educated by Lady Bryan, a superior woman, and early showed talent. She became attached to her brother, and was on the best of terms with Henry's last three wives. At 10 years her hand was offered to the earl of Arran, but refused. A marriage between her and Prince Philip of Spain was talked of in 1545. The preceding year she had been re- stored to her right of succession, but the act declaring her illegitimate was never repealed. She already understood the Latin, French, Italian, Spanish, and Flemish languages. She translated a work from the Italian, and dedi- cated it to her last stepmother ; but her favor- ite study was history. She shared the instruc- tion received by her brother from some of the most learned men of England. Henry dying in January, 1547 (N. S.), Elizabeth found her- self by his will the next person in the order of succession to Mary, and in other respects liberally provided for. Lord Seymour of Sud- ley, an uncle of the king, endeavored to get her for his wife ; but he failed, and married Catharine Parr, Henry's last wife, at whose instance Elizabeth had rejected him. Her studies were continued, and she became the pupil of Roger Ascham, on the death of Wil- liam Grindal, when she was 16. With him she read in Latin the works of Livy and Cicero, and in Greek those of Sophocles, the select orations of Isocrates, and the New Testament. Elizabeth was residing with her stepmother, and the freedom she allowed Lord Seymour caused much scandal and led to her removal to Hatfield. After his wife's death Seymour renewed his acquaintance with Elizabeth, but his arrest and execution on the charge of treason prevented the success of his designs. Elizabeth on hearing of his death merely said that there had died a man of much wit and very little judgment ; words which accurately described him. She was now regarded as being in some sort the rival of Mary, and as the chief person in the Protestant party, as Mary was at the head of the Catholics; but this rivalry was ended by the plot of Dudley, duke of North- umberland, to exclude both from the throne, and to secure it for Lady Jane Grey, whom he had caused to marry one of his sons. Edward VI. was Northumberland's tool, and was not allowed to see Elizabeth in his last days. On his death the duke offered Elizabeth a large sum of money and a valuable grant of lands if she would acquiesce in the new order of things ; but she referred him to Mary, during whose life she had nothing to resign. She joined Mary soon after her success, in 1553, at the head of a body of troops. In a month however they became enemies. Mary's adherence to the Roman Catholic faith offended many of her subjects, who looked to Elizabeth as their future sovereign, the queen having passed middle life and being single. Their relative positions were sufficient to cause enmity be- tween them, and Elizabeth's refusal to attend mass offended the sovereign and her Catholic advisers. After much quarrelling the princess affected to give way, and attended the queen at mass. Her object was to have her right to the succession admitted at the coronation, in which she succeeded. The estrangement be- tween the sisters was however renewed when an act of parliament was passed, declaring valid the marriage between Henry VIII. and Catharine of Aragon, from which Elizabeth's illegitimacy followed, though it was not set forth in words. After considerable disagree- ment and contention at court, Elizabeth was allowed to retire to the country, where she refused to marry either the duke of Savoy or the prince of Denmark. Growing out of the general discontent in regard to the proposed marriage of Mary with Philip II. of Spain, there was a plot to marry Elizabeth to Cour- tenay, earl of Devonshire, and to elevate them to the throne. Some persons even resolved to resist the Spanish alliance by arms. Sir Thomas Wyatt undertook to raise Kent, and seemed at first successful, but soon his rebel- lion was put down, and some of the rebels accused Elizabeth of being in the plot, while there were other circumstances that bore against her. A royal commission was sent to remove her to London, which was done, though she was very ill. She was lodged at Whitehall, Mary refusing to see her. The royal councillors were divided, some being in favor of her execution, while others were more merciful. Finally she was sent to the tower, March 17, 1554, where she was examined. She was forced to hear mass. Wyatt exonerated her on the scaffold from being privy to his intended rebellion, but his language was ambiguous, and there seems little reason to doubt her complicity in the plot. The ambassador of Charles V., anx- ious for the interests of Philip, Mary's intended husband, warmly urged Elizabeth's execution. Mary would not listen to his entreaties, and soon gave orders for her sister's removal from the tower. She was sent to Woodstock, where she remained in detention for some time, and professed herself a Catholic. Mary was married to Philip II. in July, 1554, and her belief that she was to give an heir to the crown had a good effect on Elizabeth's fortunes; she was now taken to London, had an interview with the queen, and appeared publicly at court. Though treated with much respect, she was not made free until some months later, when she was allowed to reside at Hatfield, but with a sort of keeper in her household. She was visited