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NOTICES TO CORRESPONDENTS.

Contributions, advertisements, and books for Review, may be left with Messrs. Simpkin and Marshall, Stationers'-Court, London, who forward a parcel to our Publishers weekly.

In future, those contributions of which we cannot avail ourselves for the pages of the Magazine, shall be left at our Publisher's on the first of every month.

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At the palace of Greenwich, towards the close of the year 1591, in an inner chamber, where the more distinguished personages who sought the royal presence were accustomed to wait a summons from that illustrious Queen, whose portrait has been chosen to grace the title of this Magazine, there were various groups formed, in each of which a conversation was carried on in an under tone, but still sufficiently loud for those in the immediate vicinity of the parties to overhear most of the substance of their discourse. These groups were composed of sundry persons of apparently high degree, drest in the expensive magnificence of that age, their slashed doublets and hose showing the richness of the silk or cloth of silver lining, and the long plumes of the hats which they held in their hands sweeping down to the ground. The chamber itself was hung round with the richest tapestry, and furnished with many massive oak chairs, with lofty backs and rich carvings, at that time supposed to display the extremest invention of man in the comfort and luxury of their construction.

We will intrude upon the privacy of some of these coteries, so far as to give to the reader such portions of their conversation as conduce to the illustration of our present subject.

"And was her Grace truly so mightily displeased ?" said the elder of two grave looking men, who loitered near the door, to the other.

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Ay, marry, Sir Giles, was she; and swore roundly (heavens bless her VOL. III.

highness) that she would deal roughly with the first unfortunate wight that should endeavour to lighten her royal treasury in such sort. Her highness hath, to say the truth, been sore vexed with my lord-deputy Fitzwilliam, for all his vain boasting and grievous expense, with regard to the Spanish treasurein the northern parts, and since that she hath vowed that she will leave her kingdom of Ireland to its own resources, and try whether it cannot shift for itself, at the least, if it contribute not to defray public charges, as in justice it should."

The person addressed, who had been, we presume, a follower of Lord Burleigh's, shook his head, and said nothing.

Another of the groups, which had retired a short space from the rest, and consisted of three or four of the most gaily drest of the courtiers, seemed to have found a subject for its attention and amusement in the person of a big, burly man, who, seated on one of the easy chairs near a window, was in the act of perusing with seeming attention a roll of parchment which he had in his brawny fist, and held up towards the light, while his contracted brows, and his eyes screwed together, seemed to wrench, as it were, the con

tents out of its discoloured surface.

The churchnian (for such he appeared to be) was formed in large proportion, with a countenance betokening a much greater share of sagacity and shrewdness than of refinement. An unquiet, searching eye was set in the midst of radii of wrinkles which diverged towards his

forehead, nose and cheek; but the mouth formed an unmeaning line across his visage, without expression or variety, like a scar in a winter apple. Although he was apparently but of middle age, his hair was of a grizzled grey, falling negligently out on all sides, save where his three-cornered hat, aided by the haste of his approach or the anxiety of his attendance, had glued it down in shining rows to his head. He wore a collarless black cassock, down the front of which hung an infinite row of small buttons, like dewdrops, and over it a brownish threadbare mantle, which he had disengaged from round his throat, and left to fall back from his shoulders, so as to allow of his breathing freely. His sturdy legs were enclosed from the knee downwards in a heptaboeion of black leather, preserving in some measure the shape of the jack-boots of the period, but buttoned down one side, after the manner of modern galligaskins, and far more rudely formed, and less accurately drawn on than would have been seemly for a cavalier of any pretension. He amply filled the chair, as he sat with his knees thrown somewhat outwards by his portly person, and one edge of his clumsy boot-sole on the ground, while the other rested against its fellow. His breathing, which was like the blowing of some great amphibious animal, was probably thickened by the exercise he had taken, and perhaps by the importance of his present business in his own eyes.

The sarcastic remarks of the group of young and gay-looking gallants, who stood and whispered to each other pretty audibly, did not seem to affect him in the least, or to draw off his attention from the parchment he held in his hand.

"Who, in the foul fiend's name, have we got here, my masters?" said the youngest of them, inclining his head towards the stranger; "I would argue him Abbot of Glastonbury in good King Harry's time."

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It would not need so great heat to dissolve him as his monastery, I trow,"

said another of them, 66 were we to judge from the effect of the air of the anti-chamber. Behold you, masters, did one ever see such boots in the next room to royalty since Essex's adventure ?* Marry, beshrew my heart, if her highness will not send an equerry to remind us that we are in a palace instead of a stable. But who is this hard-favoured, bead-telling lumpus, after all ?"

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Nay, I know not; but I marvel how he will brook a three hour's attendance here, and peradventure a postponement to next Candlemas for his pains ?"

"If I were to try my skill at divining," said the younger of the party, "I should say that old rusty-cloak is an inwardly orthodox, but outwardly unreformed priest, who, having quarrelled with his ordinary touching external things, and such like, now cometh to his royal mistress, as sovereign head of the church, to demand her gracious advice on the controversy, more particularly in the matter of the skins of beasts that envelope his nether hose. What say you, my masters?"

"A diviner of characters, truly !" said one of the elder speakers, "thou hast made him out. I would 1 were in the presence when it cometh to the arguments for and against bootleather. He will heave him up his manly leg in the very light of her grace's countenance, and say, 'behold you now, most observant of princesses'" -The youth was interrupted by the usher in waiting, who threw open the door of the presence-chamber, and said,

"Her highness willeth to see the venerable Archdeacon of Dublin without delay."

To the discomfiture of the young discriminators of character, the man in the oaken seat gathered up his hat, threw back his cloak upon the chair, and, breathing yet more vehemently than ever, strode, boots and all, across the room, and disappeared from their view by the presence-chamber door.

We must be permitted to use the

Whether the Queen's sensitive nerves were offended by her too negligent favourite at a time prior or subsequent to the period of the present scene, however necessary the inquiry might be for an historian to make, I have not stopped to discover.

privilege of narrators, and enter along with him. Elizabeth was attended by none of her immediate councillors; a few of a subordinate rank stood near her, and no sooner had the archdeacon made his obeisance than she exclaimed

"Now, heaven be our guide, sir archdeacon, as we much marvel to hear of thy coming, and sent for thee at once to learn thine errand. We know thy character, nevertheless, and are assured that few are more likely to be of good use to us than thou, judging both from common report and advices of my trusty counsellors in those parts."

"Madam, what knowledge soever my sojourn and experience in mine own country hath given me, is thine; and, under heaven, my first duty is to apply it in thy service. God only knoweth, most gracious lady, what we suffer, and how we are misused. To the Lord are all things known, and

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Well," interrupted the queen, impatiently," we know the unhappy state of our kingdom of Ireland too. Have not our generals, brave and worthy men, done what they could to settle and quiet the minds of our loyal subjects therein? Methinks we could scarcely have expended so huge a quantity of good gold out of our coffers, thereby impoverishing ourselves at home, without much advantage and gain in all measures."

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"Of a surety, madam, your grace's arms have swept the country, far and near, and spread the terror of the royal name to the remotest corners of the land, nor are we, loyal subjects of your grace, insensible to the blessings of our condition."

"Neither should ye be so," said the Queen; "we look forward to certain prosperity and high fortune for our faithful subjects in thy country. As for the rest, when the rebel knaves first know what it is to feel the weight of the sovereign's arm, then, and not till then, they will experience its support; and, by heaven, they scarce deserve it."

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It is even so as your highness saith. They are filled with base ingratitude and hatred to your highness for all the benefits conferred on them

out of your grace's free bounty; and far from uniting under the standard that is borne against them, the disloyal knaves stand by the bloody flag of some savage chief, and in fifties and in hundreds, yea, in thousands, harrass your grace's faithful troops with divers stratagems and cruelties."

At this moment the usher approached, and apprised the Queen that Sir Walter Raleigh stood without, and craved the royal permission to enter.

"Now know we of a surety that some stretch of royal bounty or munificence is expected from us. Let him approach, Sir Usher. When, Sir Walter," said Elizabeth, as the illustrious warrior and historian entered, now bearing upon his brow more of the settled dignity of manhood than when his gallantry first won the favour of the virgin Queen, and paved his way to glory and a grave-" when wilt thou cease to be a beggar ?"

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When your highness,” replied the courtier, bowing his noble countenance towards the earth, ceases to be a benefactor."*

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"Thy importunity may cause that to come to pass ere long," rejoined Elizabeth, in a tone, however, which vainly struggled with her pleased sense of the compliment, especially since thou art not satisfied to plead for thine own countrymen, but introducest to our notice, and, as thou thinkest, to our favour, poor poets and needy parsons from Ireland.'

"Gracious madam, thou art deceived this once. Hearing that my Lord Archbishop Loftus had emissaries at court, and fearing that his object might be to distract your highness's mind from things, in my humble judgment, of near importance to the interests of the kingdom, I make bold to appear before your grace in this unprepared guise, in order to prevent his succeeding in taking an unguarded moment to bring his designs to accomplishment."

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Nay then, Sir Walter, we are indeed deceived, and thy coming is seasonable. Thou seest we have before us a kerne from that unhappy land, and we not only admit, but require thy counsel touching his suit, whatever it be, so as thou provest thyself an advocate for prompt and decisive measures."

The question and reply are both matters of history.

Raleigh looked up, and, observing the archdeacon, affected to recognize him with surprise, and stepped forward to greet him with a gracious and cordial salutation. Then addressing the queen, he said,

"I have had this Master Ussher, it is now some years past, to accompany me in my occasional rambles in the neighbourhood of your highness's city of Dublin, and ever found his discourse on matters relating to that country wholesome and useful unto me. Thou hast not forgot," said he, with a smile, turning towards the Irish emissary, “our rambles through the fields in the direction of the dilapidated monastery of All Hallows ?"

"It were impossible not to bear in mind the lessons of wisdom I there received," replied the person addressed, "even if they flowed from a less dis. tinguished source. And truly, if it pleases your highness, it is touching this same abbey that I would crave permission to speak."

"Nothing in anywise to touch our coffers, we hope, Master Ussher? (thou calledst him Ussher, didst thou not, Sir Walter ?) for an it be," and she made use of an oath that would have startled a modern court, "thou hadst better speak quickly, and begone, while thou hast a free passage, or, better still, roll up that yellow scroll in thine hand, and counsel us concerning some means of drawing our troops out of this savage island, and gaining an income in it, instead of losing one, as has been the case, with few exceptions, ever since we wore a crown."

"Even so would I do," said Ussher, partially rolling up the scroll, "if your highness would but permit me to speak the words dictated to me by many grave and weighty men in those parts, including my lord archbishop himself, with Master Luke Chaloner, and sundry other of the clergy and laity of your highness's most ancient and loyal city of Dublin."

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Why, is he then so powerful, this rebel earl ?”

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Aye, madam, truly; he affects your grace's authority in those parts." "Tirowen," said Raleigh, "when I heard advices of him (being some years ago), was a young adventurer, of desperate fortunes and tarnished honour, who was distrusted by those that he forced, as it were, into familiarity with him, and not sufficiently feared to be seriously hated by his enemies."

"Time and circumstances work many and strange differences, Sir Walter," replied Ussher; the man who was little known and less respected, hath become formidable to all her majesty's loyal snbjects, and hath built him a popularity that hath even extended to this side of the water, and induced many and mean concessions from his opponents."

"Is it even so?" cried the Queen : "then by the head of our sire, he shall lay that proud neck of his as low before us as ever eastern slave bowed him to his lord, or else we will make it acquainted with block and cold steel before the year's out !"

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Yes, madam; and well were it for many a starving peasant were it so with his fancied protector; but I much fear me that Tirowen hath too much of the cunning of barbarism about him to thrust himself knowingly into the jaws of destruction."

"Doth he indeed hold royal court, as thou sayest?" inquired Raleigh.

"Aye truly, worshipful Sir Walter, he doth, and in the like state as would make the courtiers here around her grace to marvel. Few pictures and tapestries there are at Shane's Castle, it is true, and piteous lack of slashing of doublets and gilding of swordhilts, but there is royalty, nevertheless."

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