ACCOUNT OF BOOKS.
487
he buril into her bed-chamber as their enemies: that was not the
fli? was riling, ftie talked to him cafe with Elzabeth ; fhe was more
long with coolnefs and kindnefs ; jealous of the greatnefs Ihe beltow-
when her other counfeilors had re- ed, than her fubjefls could be. How
prefented his boldnefs, Ihe rei'ented did {he mortify Leicefter, when the
it too. She fufpendcd him from States heaped unufuai honours oa
all his offices but the mailerlhip of him ! For EfTex. it is evident from
the horfe ; ftie gave him a keeper, multiplied infiances, that his very
but who was foon withdrawn. On foiiicitation was prejudicial. Bacon
hearing Effex was ill, flie fent him word wi'^h tears in her eyes, ' That
• if fhe might with her honour,
- fhe would vifit him ' — Thefe are
more than fymptoms of favour :
fay> to his brother Antony, ' Againft ' rne fhe js never peremptory, but
- to my Lord of Effex.' Air.ongft
the papers of the Bacons is a moft extraordinary letter from Lord
royal favour is not romantic ; it is Treafurer Burleigh to Lord Effex,
extravagant, not gallant. recounting unmeafured abufe that
If thefe inllances are problematic, he had received from the queen,
are the following fo ? In one of the on her fulpetting Burleigh of fa-
curious letters of Rowland White, he fays, ' The Queen hath of late ' ufed the fair Mrs. Bridges with
- words ai^d blows of anger.' In
a fubfequent letter he fays, ' The
- earl is again fallen in love with
- h'xs faireji B. it cannot chufe but
- come to the queen's ears, and
- then he is undone. The coun-
- tefs hears of it, or rather iufpeds
- it, and is greatly unquiet.' 1
think there can be no doubt but that x^-.z fair eft B. and x\\efair Mrs. Bridges Were the fame : If fo, it is evident why fhe felt the weight of her majefty'c difpleafure.
It is indeed a very trifling matter for what reafon a prince chufes a favourite: nor is it meant as a re- proach to this great woman, that
vouring the earL So quick was
her nature to apprehend union where fhe loved to difunite; and with what refinement did old Cecil colour his inveteracy*! Her ma- jefly was wont to accufe the earl of opiniaftrtte, and that he luould not be ruled, but foe njoould bridle and ftay him. On another occafion flie faid, * fjje obferved fuch as follow- ' ed Her : and thofe which accom- ' panied fuch as were in her dif-
- pleafure, and that they fhould
' know as much before it were ' long.' No wonder the earl com- plained, ' that he was <js much ' diitaited with the gloriou- great- ' nefs of a favourite, a5 he was be- ' fore with the fuppofed happinefs ' of a courtier-' No wonder his
/he could not divell herlelf of all mind was toft with fo contradictory
feitfibility. Mqt feeling and mafter- paffions, when her foul, on whom
ing her pafiion adds to her cha- he depended, was a compo/ition of
racter. Tlie favourites of other tendernefs and haughtinefs ! — nay,
princes never fail to infufe into when even osconomy combated her
them their own prejudices againll afl^ieclion ! He profeffes, ' that her
- It may be worth while to direft the reader to another curious letter, in which
that wife min forgot himfelf tT\o(t indecently, ipeaking or Hmry the Foxnth to his embafTador in the molt illiberal teims, and wiih t!.e greatell contempt tor the perlbn of the ennbaffador himfelf. Bacon- fapers, vol. i. p. 323.
114 * fond
