lists against the republicanism of Milton. He does not, however, seem to have realized her expectations, for she dubbed him "omnium fatuorum doctissimum." She studied chemistry, astronomy, and even alchemy and astrology, with the most celebrated professors. She purchased, with a royal recklessness of expense, books, pictures, coins, antiquities, autographs, &c., and indulged herself in such liberality to artists and professors of various kinds, and in feasts and entertainments at which they figured, to such a degree, that her ministers and parliament complained of the pressure of her expenditure on the finances of the country, already exhausted by the wars of her father. At the same time her people regarded her with admiration, as capable of taking the lead in the affairs of the north, and the ministers advised her to marry. But, like Elizabeth of England, she could not reconcile the idea of a partner on her throne with her love of independent power, and she rejected the proposal. The states, however, continued to press her on this head, till it became intolerable to her; and the complaints of the people of the waste of the public money on foreign artists and learned favourites, led her to contemplate the abdication of her throne in favour of her cousin, Karl Gustav of Pfalz-Zweibrücken, the son of her father's sister, who had sought her hand, and was highly distinguished for the nobility of his nature, his extensive knowledge, and ability. Though her counsellors, and especially Oxenstjerna, earnestly, and at this time successfully, dissuaded her from this startling project, she prevailed on the states in 1649 to name him her successor, asserting that the kingdom required a king rather than a queen, who could not only rule in the cabinet, but lead his armies in the field. Having settled the succession, she allowed herself to be crowned with great state in 1650, and for some time resumed the reins of government with every appearance of earnestness, and prospect of surmounting the temporary difficulties of the realm. But this did not last long. She showed a growing disposition to neglect the counsels of her quiet ministry, and to listen to those of ambitious favourites, as Tott, De la Gardie, Pimontelli, &c. She relapsed into her extravagance; unworthy favourites were promoted over the heads of men of real standing and ability; the treasury was empty; the court filled with petty feuds and bitternesses. At length, not only the favourites, but herself was in jeopardy from the conspiracy of Messenius. There arose in the three lower estates, especially the clerical, a violent opposition to the nobility in which Christine was imprudent enough to mix herself; and whilst she seemed to incite the opposition, she at the same time raised many unworthy persons to the rank of nobility, and heaped estates and privileges on that class.
The discontent of the people grew from day to day. To add to her motives for abdicating the throne, Christine had resolved to abandon protestantism, the religion for which her father had spent his treasure and his life. In 1654 she again announced her intention to resign the crown, and, notwithstanding the earnest entreaties of all persons and parties, amongst whom one of the most zealous to dissuade was her cousin Karl, who would have preferred marrying her, she this time, on the 16th of June, in an assembly of the states at Upsala, renounced the crown in favour of her cousin. She reserved to herself an annual income of 200,000 dollars, and the right of royal jurisdiction over her own little court. Having addressed the states in a speech which was listened to with tears, she laid down the insignia of her authority—Karl was crowned the same day as Karl X.—and five days afterwards she travelled in man's attire through Denmark to Hamburg. Italy was the country which she had marked out as her home, and where she promised herself—freed from the cares of a throne, and surrounded by art and artists, and in the free enjoyment of her new religion—a felicitous life. In Brussels, where she remained nearly a year, she made a private confession of the catholic faith in the presence of Duke Albrecht and some distinguished Spaniards. At Inspruck she made a more formal and public avowal of it, to the great disgust of the brave Swedes who had fought under her father to check the horrors of catholic oppression. From Inspruck to Rome her journey was a perfect ovation. She rode in Amazon costume on horseback, and all the cities through which she passed were crowded with people shouting in exultation over so great a proselyte, and were all astir with illuminations, feasts, plays, and triumphal arches. At Rome her reception was rapturous; she did homage to the pope, Alexander VII., and received the honour of his name, in addition to hers, being thence styled Christine Alexandra. In 1656 she went to France, where she lived principally at Fontainebleau. Compiegne, and Paris. Her finances were so low that she was obliged to pawn her jewels in Rome before setting out. The Parisian ladies, who were at first terrified at the fame of her talents, were soon very free in criticism on her high shoulder, her small figure, and the tasteless negligence of her dress, as well as her miserable retinue. The men were wonderfully fascinated by her knowledge and the freedom of her opinions. On her return towards Italy she visited the celebrated Ninon de l'Enclos at her country seat. The following autumn she again returned to France, where her arrival excited little attention; but within a fortnight she excited a universal horror by pronouncing sentence of death on her master of the horse, the Marquis Monaldeschi, who had been her confidant, but had betrayed her secrets, and having him put to death in the presence of Father Lebel, the walls and floor being stained with his blood. She received an intimation from the French court to quit the country, and it was two months before she dared to show herself in the streets of Paris: yet she remained in France till the spring of 1658, when she returned to Rome. From the poverty of the Swedish treasury, her annuity now remained unpaid, and the pope was obliged to allow her a pension of twelve hundred scudi. In 1660, Karl Gustav, her successor on the throne of Sweden, died, and Christine hastened to Stockholm to claim the throne again: but her religion was of itself a sufficient bar to her wishes, had not her recent history been sufficiently admonitory to the Swedish people. They obliged her to sign a more binding deed of abdication, and she felt herself compelled to retire from Stockholm. In 1666 she returned to Sweden once more, but being informed that she could not be permitted the public practice of her religion, she returned to Hamburg. There she lived about a year, offering herself to the Poles as their sovereign, but receiving little attention. In 1668 she finally returned to Rome, where she continued to live yet twenty years, and died in 1689, sixty-three years old, and was buried in St. Peter's, the pope himself writing her epitaph. During her later years she founded an academy in Rome, and increased her collections of paintings, coins, and autographs. Her library was purchased by the pope, Alexander VIII.; part of her paintings and the antiques by Odescalchi, the nephew of Innocent XI.; the other part of the paintings by the duke of Orleans. The value of these collections may be seen in Haverkamp's Nummophylacium Reg. Christinæ, in the Museum Odescalcum, and in Scröder's Berichte über die Gemählde und Statuen der Königin Christine.
Christine, with all her talents and learning, was what is now-a-days called a "strong-minded woman." She wanted solid judgement to become a great woman; and the opinion of Fryxell, the Swedish historian, that she was to a certain degree insane, appears to be correct. The same taint was sufficiently obvious in the poetical Erik, in Charles XII., and others of the royal line of Sweden. Some of her writings remain in Arckenholz's memoirs of her, but doubts have been cast on the authenticity of some of the letters bearing her name.—W. H.
CHRISTINE de Pisan, a French poetess of Italian descent. She was born at Venice about 1363; died about 1431. Her father was astrologer to Charles V. of France. His daughter, then five years old, accompanied him when he fixed his residence at Paris in that capacity. At the age of fifteen she married a French gentleman, Etienne du Castel, who was notary and secretary to the king. The king died, and his death was followed soon by that of his astrologer and his notary. Christine found herself alone in the world at the age of five-and-twenty, with three children, and with little other evidence of property but what was furnished by her being defendant in several lawsuits instituted by persons having claims on her husband. In these circumstances she found some means of support in authorship—of course through the patronage of the great, then the only public for such wares as she dealt in. The marriage of Richard II. was the subject of a poem of Christine's, and on that occasion the earl of Salisbury adopted a son of hers, and brought with him into England a collection of her poetry, which led in the next reign to an invitation from Henry IV. that she should reside in England. She refused this, and also a similar invitation from Milan. She preferred remaining in France, where she wrote "Le livre des faits et bonnes meurs du sage roy Charles," and was patronized and liberally rewarded by several princes of the royal family. She was aided by the duke of Burgundy in marry-
