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  CHAPTER XV.

  You loggerheaded and unpolish'd grooms, What, no attendance, no regard, no duty? Where is the foolish knave I sent before? --TAMING OF THE SHREW.

  There is no period at which men look worse in the eyes of each other, orfeel more uncomfortable, than when the first dawn of daylight finds themwatchers. Even a beauty of the first order, after the vigils of a ballare interrupted by the dawn, would do wisely to withdraw herself fromthe gaze of her fondest and most partial admirers. Such was the pale,inauspicious, and ungrateful light which began to beam upon those whokept watch all night in the hall at Sayes Court, and which mingled itscold, pale, blue diffusion with the red, yellow, and smoky beams ofexpiring lamps and torches. The young gallant, whom we noticed in ourlast chapter, had left the room for a few minutes, to learn the cause ofa knocking at the outward gate, and on his return was so struck withthe forlorn and ghastly aspects of his companions of the watch thathe exclaimed, "Pity of my heart, my masters, how like owls you look!Methinks, when the sun rises, I shall see you flutter off with your eyesdazzled, to stick yourselves into the next ivy-tod or ruined steeple."

  "Hold thy peace, thou gibing fool," said Blount; "hold thy peace. Isthis a time for jeering, when the manhood of England is perchance dyingwithin a wall's breadth of thee?"

  "There thou liest," replied the gallant.

  "How, lie!" exclaimed Blount, starting up, "lie! and to me?"

  "Why, so thou didst, thou peevish fool," answered the youth; "thou didstlie on that bench even now, didst thou not? But art thou not a hastycoxcomb to pick up a wry word so wrathfully? Nevertheless, loving and,honouring my lord as truly as thou, or any one, I do say that, shouldHeaven take him from us, all England's manhood dies not with him."

  "Ay," replied Blount, "a good portion will survive with thee,doubtless."

  "And a good portion with thyself, Blount, and with stout Markham here,and Tracy, and all of us. But I am he will best employ the talent Heavenhas given to us all."

  "As how, I prithee?" said Blount; "tell us your mystery of multiplying."

  "Why, sirs," answered the youth, "ye are like goodly land, which bearsno crop because it is not quickened by manure; but I have that risingspirit in me which will make my poor faculties labour to keep pace withit. My ambition will keep my brain at work, I warrant thee."

  "I pray to God it does not drive thee mad," said Blount; "for my part,if we lose our noble lord, I bid adieu to the court and to the campboth. I have five hundred foul acres in Norfolk, and thither will I, andchange the court pantoufle for the country hobnail."

  "O base transmutation!" exclaimed his antagonist; "thou hast already gotthe true rustic slouch--thy shoulders stoop, as if thine hands were atthe stilts of the plough; and thou hast a kind of earthy smell aboutthee, instead of being perfumed with essence, as a gallant and courtiershould. On my soul, thou hast stolen out to roll thyself on a hay mow!Thy only excuse will be to swear by thy hilts that the farmer had a fairdaughter."

  "I pray thee, Walter," said another of the company, "cease thy raillery,which suits neither time nor place, and tell us who was at the gate justnow."

  "Doctor Masters, physician to her Grace in ordinary, sent by herespecial orders to inquire after the Earl's health," answered Walter.

  "Ha! what?" exclaimed Tracy; "that was no slight mark of favour. If theEarl can but come through, he will match with Leicester yet. Is Masterswith my lord at present?"

  "Nay," replied Walter, "he is half way back to Greenwich by this time,and in high dudgeon."

  "Thou didst not refuse him admittance?" exclaimed Tracy.

  "Thou wert not, surely, so mad?" ejaculated Blount.

  "I refused him admittance as flatly, Blount, as you would refuse a pennyto a blind beggar--as obstinately, Tracy, as thou didst ever deny accessto a dun."

  "Why, in the fiend's name, didst thou trust him to go to the gate?" saidBlount to Tracy.

  "It suited his years better than mine," answered Tracy; "but he hasundone us all now thoroughly. My lord may live or die, he will neverhave a look of favour from her Majesty again."

  "Nor the means of making fortunes for his followers," said the younggallant, smiling contemptuously;--"there lies the sore point that willbrook no handling. My good sirs, I sounded my lamentations over my lordsomewhat less loudly than some of you; but when the point comes ofdoing him service, I will yield to none of you. Had this learned leechentered, think'st thou not there had been such a coil betwixt him andTressilian's mediciner, that not the sleeper only, but the very deadmight have awakened? I know what larurm belongs to the discord ofdoctors."

  "And who is to take the blame of opposing the Queen's orders?" saidTracy; "for, undeniably, Doctor Masters came with her Grace's positivecommands to cure the Earl."

  "I, who have done the wrong, will bear the blame," said Walter.

  "Thus, then, off fly the dreams of court favour thou hast nourished,"said Blount, "and despite all thy boasted art and ambition, Devonshirewill see thee shine a true younger brother, fit to sit low at the board,carve turn about with the chaplain, look that the hounds be fed, and seethe squire's girths drawn when he goes a-hunting."

  "Not so," said the young man, colouring, "not while Ireland and theNetherlands have wars, and not while the sea hath pathless waves. Therich West hath lands undreamed of, and Britain contains bold hearts toventure on the quest of them. Adieu for a space, my masters. I go towalk in the court and look to the sentinels."

  "The lad hath quicksilver in his veins, that is certain," said Blount,looking at Markham.

  "He hath that both in brain and blood," said Markham, "which may eithermake or mar him. But in closing the door against Masters, he hath donea daring and loving piece of service; for Tressilian's fellow hath everaverred that to wake the Earl were death, and Masters would wake theSeven Sleepers themselves, if he thought they slept not by the regularordinance of medicine."

  Morning was well advanced when Tressilian, fatigued and over-watched,came down to the hall with the joyful intelligence that the Earlhad awakened of himself, that he found his internal complaints muchmitigated, and spoke with a cheerfulness, and looked round with avivacity, which of themselves showed a material and favourable changehad taken place. Tressilian at the same time commanded the attendance ofone or two of his followers, to report what had passed during the night,and to relieve the watchers in the Earl's chamber.

  When the message of the Queen was communicated to the Earl of Sussex, heat first smiled at the repulse which the physician had received from hiszealous young follower; but instantly recollecting himself, he commandedBlount, his master of the horse, instantly to take boat, and go downthe river to the Palace of Greenwich, taking young Walter and Tracy withhim, and make a suitable compliment, expressing his grateful thanks tohis Sovereign, and mentioning the cause why he had not been enabled toprofit by the assistance of the wise and learned Doctor Masters.

  "A plague on it!" said Blount, as he descended the stairs; "had he sentme with a cartel to Leicester I think I should have done his errandindifferently well. But to go to our gracious Sovereign, before whom allwords must be lacquered over either with gilding or with sugar, is sucha confectionary matter as clean baffles my poor old English brain.--Comewith me, Tracy, and come you too, Master Walter Wittypate, that art thecause of our having all this ado. Let us see if thy neat brain, thatframes so many flashy fireworks, can help out a plain fellow at needwith some of thy shrewd devices."

  "Never fear, never fear," exclaimed the youth, "it is I will help youthrough; let me but fetch my cloak."

  "Why, thou hast it on thy shoulders," said Blount,--"the lad is mazed."

  "No, No, this is Tracy's old mantle," answered Walter. "I go not withthee to court unless as a gentleman should."

  "Why," Said Blount, "thy braveries are like to dazzle the eyes of nonebut some poor groom or porter."

  "I know that," said the youth; "but I am resolved I will have my owncloak, ay, and brush my doublet to boot, ere I st
ir forth with you."

  "Well, well," said Blount, "here is a coil about a doublet and a cloak.Get thyself ready, a God's name!"

  They were soon launched on the princely bosom of the broad Thames, uponwhich the sun now shone forth in all its splendour.

  "There are two things scarce matched in the universe," said Walter toBlount--"the sun in heaven, and the Thames on the earth."

  "The one will light us to Greenwich well enough," said Blount, "and theother would take us there a little faster if it were ebb-tide."

  "And this is all thou thinkest--all thou carest--all thou deemest theuse of the King of Elements and the King of Rivers--to guide three suchpoor caitiffs as thyself, and me, and Tracy, upon an idle journey ofcourtly ceremony!"

  "It is no errand of my seeking, faith," replied Blount, "and I couldexcuse both the sun and the Thames the trouble of carrying me whereI have no great mind to go, and where I expect but dog's wages for mytrouble--and by my honour," he added, looking out from the head of theboat, "it seems to me as if our message were a sort of labour in vain,for, see, the Queen's barge lies at the stairs as if her Majesty wereabout to take water."

  It was even so. The royal barge, manned with the Queen's watermenrichly attired in the regal liveries, and having the Banner of Englanddisplayed, did indeed lie at the great stairs which ascended from theriver, and along with it two or three other boats for transporting suchpart of her retinue as were not in immediate attendance on the royalperson. The yeomen of the guard, the tallest and most handsome men whomEngland could produce, guarded with their halberds the passage fromthe palace-gate to the river side, and all seemed in readiness for theQueen's coming forth, although the day was yet so early.

  "By my faith, this bodes us no good," said Blount; "it must be someperilous cause puts her Grace in motion thus untimeously, By my counsel,we were best put back again, and tell the Earl what we have seen."

  "Tell the Earl what we have seen!" said Walter; "why what have we seenbut a boat, and men with scarlet jerkins, and halberds in their hands?Let us do his errand, and tell him what the Queen says in reply."

  So saying, he caused the boat to be pulled towards a landing-placeat some distance from the principal one, which it would not, at thatmoment, have been thought respectful to approach, and jumped on shore,followed, though with reluctance, by his cautious and timid companions.As they approached the gate of the palace, one of the sergeant porterstold them they could not at present enter, as her Majesty was in the actof coming forth. The gentlemen used the name of the Earl of Sussex; butit proved no charm to subdue the officer, who alleged, in reply, thatit was as much as his post was worth to disobey in the least tittle thecommands which he had received.

  "Nay, I told you as much before," said Blount; "do, I pray you, my dearWalter, let us take boat and return."

  "Not till I see the Queen come forth," returned the youth composedly.

  "Thou art mad, stark mad, by the Mass!" answered Blount.

  "And thou," said Walter, "art turned coward of the sudden. I have seenthee face half a score of shag-headed Irish kerns to thy own share ofthem; and now thou wouldst blink and go back to shun the frown of a fairlady!"

  At this moment the gates opened, and ushers began to issue forth inarray, preceded and flanked by the band of Gentlemen Pensioners. Afterthis, amid a crowd of lords and ladies, yet so disposed around her thatshe could see and be seen on all sides, came Elizabeth herself, then inthe prime of womanhood, and in the full glow of what in a Sovereign wascalled beauty, and who would in the lowest rank of life have been trulyjudged a noble figure, joined to a striking and commanding physiognomy.She leant on the arm of Lord Hunsdon, whose relation to her by hermother's side often procured him such distinguished marks of Elizabeth'sintimacy.

  The young cavalier we have so often mentioned had probably never yetapproached so near the person of his Sovereign, and he pressed forwardas far as the line of warders permitted, in order to avail himself ofthe present opportunity. His companion, on the contrary, cursing hisimprudence, kept pulling him backwards, till Walter shook him offimpatiently, and letting his rich cloak drop carelessly from oneshoulder; a natural action, which served, however, to display to thebest advantage his well-proportioned person. Unbonneting at the sametime, he fixed his eager gaze on the Queen's approach, with a mixture ofrespectful curiosity and modest yet ardent admiration, which suitedso well with his fine features that the warders, struck with his richattire and noble countenance, suffered him to approach the ground overwhich the Queen was to pass, somewhat closer than was permittedto ordinary spectators. Thus the adventurous youth stood full inElizabeth's eye--an eye never indifferent to the admiration which shedeservedly excited among her subjects, or to the fair proportions ofexternal form which chanced to distinguish any of her courtiers.

  Accordingly, she fixed her keen glance on the youth, as she approachedthe place where he stood, with a look in which surprise at his boldnessseemed to be unmingled with resentment, while a trifling accidenthappened which attracted her attention towards him yet more strongly.The night had been rainy, and just where the young gentleman stood asmall quantity of mud interrupted the Queen's passage. As she hesitatedto pass on, the gallant, throwing his cloak from his shoulders, laidit on the miry spot, so as to ensure her stepping over it dry-shod.Elizabeth looked at the young man, who accompanied this act of devotedcourtesy with a profound reverence, and a blush that overspread hiswhole countenance. The Queen was confused, and blushed in her turn,nodded her head, hastily passed on, and embarked in her barge withoutsaying a word.

  "Come along, Sir Coxcomb," said Blount; "your gay cloak will need thebrush to-day, I wot. Nay, if you had meant to make a footcloth of yourmantle, better have kept Tracy's old drab-debure, which despises allcolours."

  "This cloak," said the youth, taking it up and folding it, "shall neverbe brushed while in my possession."

  "And that will not be long, if you learn not a little more economy; weshall have you in CUERPO soon, as the Spaniard says."

  Their discourse was here interrupted by one of the band of Pensioners.

  "I was sent," said he, after looking at them attentively, "to agentleman who hath no cloak, or a muddy one.--You, sir, I think,"addressing the younger cavalier, "are the man; you will please to followme."

  "He is in attendance on me," said Blount--"on me, the noble Earl ofSussex's master of horse."

  "I have nothing to say to that," answered the messenger; "my orders aredirectly from her Majesty, and concern this gentleman only."

  So saying, he walked away, followed by Walter, leaving the othersbehind, Blount's eyes almost starting from his head with the excess ofhis astonishment. At length he gave vent to it in an exclamation, "Whothe good jere would have thought this!" And shaking his head with amysterious air, he walked to his own boat, embarked, and returned toDeptford.

  The young cavalier was in the meanwhile guided to the water-side by thePensioner, who showed him considerable respect; a circumstance which,to persons in his situation, may be considered as an augury of no smallconsequence. He ushered him into one of the wherries which lay ready toattend the Queen's barge, which was already proceeding; up the river,with the advantage of that flood-tide of which, in the course of theirdescent, Blount had complained to his associates.

  The two rowers used their oars with such expedition at the signal ofthe Gentleman Pensioner, that they very soon brought their little skiffunder the stern of the Queen's boat, where she sat beneath an awning,attended by two or three ladies, and the nobles of her household. Shelooked more than once at the wherry in which the young adventurer wasseated, spoke to those around her, and seemed to laugh. At length oneof the attendants, by the Queen's order apparently, made a sign for thewherry to come alongside, and the young man was desired to step fromhis own skiff into the Queen's barge, which he performed with gracefulagility at the fore part of the boat, and was brought aft to the Queen'spresence, the wherry at the same time dropping into the rear. Theyouth underwent the gaze
of Majesty, not the less gracefully that hisself-possession was mingled with embarrassment. The muddled cloak stillhung upon his arm, and formed the natural topic with which the Queenintroduced the conversation.

  "You have this day spoiled a gay mantle in our behalf, young man.We thank you for your service, though the manner of offering it wasunusual, and something bold."

  "In a sovereign's need," answered the youth, "it is each liegeman's dutyto be bold."

  "God's pity! that was well said, my lord," said the Queen, turning toa grave person who sat by her, and answered with a grave inclinationof the head, and something of a mumbled assent.--"Well, young man, yourgallantry shall not go unrewarded. Go to the wardrobe keeper, and heshall have orders to supply the suit which you have cast away in ourservice. Thou shalt have a suit, and that of the newest cut, I promisethee, on the word of a princess."

  "May it please your Grace," said Walter, hesitating, "it is not for sohumble a servant of your Majesty to measure out your bounties; but if itbecame me to choose--"

  "Thou wouldst have gold, I warrant me," said the Queen, interruptinghim. "Fie, young man! I take shame to say that in our capital such andso various are the means of thriftless folly, that to give gold toyouth is giving fuel to fire, and furnishing them with the means ofself-destruction. If I live and reign, these means of unchristian excessshall be abridged. Yet thou mayest be poor," she added, "or thy parentsmay be. It shall be gold, if thou wilt, but thou shalt answer to me forthe use on't."

  Walter waited patiently until the Queen had done, and then modestlyassured her that gold was still less in his wish than the raiment herMajesty had before offered.

  "How, boy!" said the Queen, "neither gold nor garment? What is it thouwouldst have of me, then?"

  "Only permission, madam--if it is not asking too high anhonour--permission to wear the cloak which did you this triflingservice."

  "Permission to wear thine own cloak, thou silly boy!" said the Queen.

  "It is no longer mine," said Walter; "when your Majesty's foot touchedit, it became a fit mantle for a prince, but far too rich a one for itsformer owner."

  The Queen again blushed, and endeavoured to cover, by laughing, a slightdegree of not unpleasing surprise and confusion.

  "Heard you ever the like, my lords? The youth's head is turned withreading romances. I must know something of him, that I may send him safeto his friends.--What art thou?"

  "A gentleman of the household of the Earl of Sussex, so please yourGrace, sent hither with his master of horse upon message to yourMajesty."

  In a moment the gracious expression which Elizabeth's face had hithertomaintained, gave way to an expression of haughtiness and severity.

  "My Lord of Sussex," she said, "has taught us how to regard his messagesby the value he places upon ours. We sent but this morning the physicianin ordinary of our chamber, and that at no usual time, understanding hislordship's illness to be more dangerous than we had before apprehended.There is at no court in Europe a man more skilled in this holy and mostuseful science than Doctor Masters, and he came from Us to our subject.Nevertheless, he found the gate of Sayes Court defended by men withculverins, as if it had been on the borders of Scotland, not in thevicinity of our court; and when he demanded admittance in our name, itwas stubbornly refused. For this slight of a kindness, which had but toomuch of condescension in it, we will receive, at present at least, noexcuse; and some such we suppose to have been the purport of my Lord ofSussex's message."

  This was uttered in a tone and with a gesture which made Lord Sussex'sfriends who were within hearing tremble. He to whom the speech wasaddressed, however, trembled not; but with great deference and humility,as soon as the Queen's passion gave him an opportunity, he replied, "Soplease your most gracious Majesty, I was charged with no apology fromthe Earl of Sussex."

  "With what were you then charged, sir?" said the Queen, with theimpetuosity which, amid nobler qualities, strongly marked her character."Was it with a justification?--or, God's death! with a defiance?"

  "Madam," said the young man, "my Lord of Sussex knew the offenceapproached towards treason, and could think of nothing save of securingthe offender, and placing him in your Majesty's hands, and at yourmercy. The noble Earl was fast asleep when your most gracious messagereached him, a potion having been administered to that purpose by hisphysician; and his Lordship knew not of the ungracious repulse yourMajesty's royal and most comfortable message had received, until afterhe awoke this morning."

  "And which of his domestics, then, in the name of Heaven, presumedto reject my message, without even admitting my own physician tothe presence of him whom I sent him to attend?" said the Queen, muchsurprised.

  "The offender, madam, is before you," replied Walter, bowing very low;"the full and sole blame is mine; and my lord has most justly sent meto abye the consequences of a fault, of which he is as innocent as asleeping man's dreams can be of a waking man's actions."

  "What! was it thou?--thou thyself, that repelled my messenger and myphysician from Sayes Court?" said the Queen. "What could occasion suchboldness in one who seems devoted--that is, whose exterior bearing showsdevotion--to his Sovereign?"

  "Madam," said the youth--who, notwithstanding an assumed appearanceof severity, thought that he saw something in the Queen's face thatresembled not implacability--"we say in our country, that the physicianis for the time the liege sovereign of his patient. Now, my noble masterwas then under dominion of a leech, by whose advice he hath greatlyprofited, who had issued his commands that his patient should not thatnight be disturbed, on the very peril of his life."

  "Thy master hath trusted some false varlet of an empiric," said theQueen.

  "I know not, madam, but by the fact that he is now--this verymorning--awakened much refreshed and strengthened from the only sleep hehath had for many hours."

  The nobles looked at each other, but more with the purpose to see whateach thought of this news, than to exchange any remarks on what hadhappened. The Queen answered hastily, and without affecting to disguiseher satisfaction, "By my word, I am glad he is better. But thou wertover-bold to deny the access of my Doctor Masters. Knowest thou not theHoly Writ saith, 'In the multitude of counsel there is safety'?"

  "Ay, madam," said Walter; "but I have heard learned men say that thesafety spoken of is for the physicians, not for the patient."

  "By my faith, child, thou hast pushed me home," said the Queen,laughing; "for my Hebrew learning does not come quite at a call.--Howsay you, my Lord of Lincoln? Hath the lad given a just interpretation ofthe text?"

  "The word SAFETY, most gracious madam," said the Bishop of Lincoln, "forso hath been translated, it may be somewhat hastily, the Hebrew word,being--"

  "My lord," said the Queen, interrupting him, "we said we had forgottenour Hebrew.--But for thee, young man, what is thy name and birth?"

  "Raleigh is my name, most gracious Queen, the youngest son of a largebut honourable family of Devonshire."

  "Raleigh?" said Elizabeth, after a moment's recollection. "Have we notheard of your service in Ireland?"

  "I have been so fortunate as to do some service there, madam," repliedRaleigh; "scarce, however, of consequence sufficient to reach yourGrace's ears."

  "They hear farther than you think of," said the Queen graciously, "andhave heard of a youth who defended a ford in Shannon against a wholeband of wild Irish rebels, until the stream ran purple with their bloodand his own."

  "Some blood I may have lost," said the youth, looking down, "but it waswhere my best is due, and that is in your Majesty's service."

  The Queen paused, and then said hastily, "You are very young to havefought so well, and to speak so well. But you must not escape yourpenance for turning back Masters. The poor man hath caught cold on theriver for our order reached him when he was just returned from certainvisits in London, and he held it matter of loyalty and conscienceinstantly to set forth again. So hark ye, Master Raleigh, see thou failnot to wear thy muddy cloak, in token of penitence, til
l our pleasure befurther known. And here," she added, giving him a jewel of gold, in theform of a chess-man, "I give thee this to wear at the collar."

  Raleigh, to whom nature had taught intuitively, as it were, thosecourtly arts which many scarce acquire from long experience, knelt, and,as he took from her hand the jewel, kissed the fingers which gave it.He knew, perhaps, better than almost any of the courtiers who surroundedher, how to mingle the devotion claimed by the Queen with the gallantrydue to her personal beauty; and in this, his first attempt to unitethem, he succeeded so well as at once to gratify Elizabeth's personalvanity and her love of power. [See Note 5. Court favour of Sir WalterRaleigh.]

  His master, the Earl of Sussex, had the full advantage of thesatisfaction which Raleigh had afforded Elizabeth, on their firstinterview.

  "My lords and ladies," said the Queen, looking around to the retinue bywhom she was attended, "methinks, since we are upon the river, it werewell to renounce our present purpose of going to the city, and surprisethis poor Earl of Sussex with a visit. He is ill, and sufferingdoubtless under the fear of our displeasure, from which he hath beenhonestly cleared by the frank avowal of this malapert boy. What thinkye? were it not an act of charity to give him such consolation asthe thanks of a Queen, much bound to him for his loyal service, mayperchance best minister?"

  It may be readily supposed that none to whom this speech was addressedventured to oppose its purport.

  "Your Grace," said the Bishop of Lincoln, "is the breath of ournostrils." The men of war averred that the face of the Sovereign was awhetstone to the soldier's sword; while the men of state were not lessof opinion that the light of the Queen's countenance was a lamp to thepaths of her councillors; and the ladies agreed, with one voice, that nonoble in England so well deserved the regard of England's Royal Mistressas the Earl of Sussex--the Earl of Leicester's right being reservedentire, so some of the more politic worded their assent, an exceptionto which Elizabeth paid no apparent attention. The barge had, therefore,orders to deposit its royal freight at Deptford, at the nearest and mostconvenient point of communication with Sayes Court, in order thatthe Queen might satisfy her royal and maternal solicitude, by makingpersonal inquiries after the health of the Earl of Sussex.

  Raleigh, whose acute spirit foresaw and anticipated importantconsequences from the most trifling events, hastened to ask the Queen'spermission to go in the skiff; and announce the royal visit to hismaster; ingeniously suggesting that the joyful surprise might proveprejudicial to his health, since the richest and most generous cordialsmay sometimes be fatal to those who have been long in a languishingstate.

  But whether the Queen deemed it too presumptuous in so young a courtierto interpose his opinion unasked, or whether she was moved by arecurrence of the feeling of jealousy which had been instilled into herby reports that the Earl kept armed men about his person, she desiredRaleigh, sharply, to reserve his counsel till it was required of him,and repeated her former orders to be landed at Deptford, adding, "Wewill ourselves see what sort of household my Lord of Sussex keeps abouthim."

  "Now the Lord have pity on us!" said the young courtier to himself."Good hearts, the Earl hath many a one round him; but good heads arescarce with us--and he himself is too ill to give direction. And Blountwill be at his morning meal of Yarmouth herrings and ale, and Tracywill have his beastly black puddings and Rhenish; those thorough-pacedWelshmen, Thomas ap Rice and Evan Evans, will be at work on their leekporridge and toasted cheese;--and she detests, they say, all coarsemeats, evil smells, and strong wines. Could they but think of burningsome rosemary in the great hall! but VOGUE LA GALERE, all must now betrusted to chance. Luck hath done indifferent well for me this morning;for I trust I have spoiled a cloak, and made a court fortune. May she doas much for my gallant patron!"

  The royal barge soon stopped at Deptford, and, amid the loud shouts ofthe populace, which her presence never failed to excite, the Queen,with a canopy borne over her head, walked, accompanied by her retinue,towards Sayes Court, where the distant acclamations of the people gavethe first notice of her arrival. Sussex, who was in the act of advisingwith Tressilian how he should make up the supposed breach in the Queen'sfavour, was infinitely surprised at learning her immediate approach.Not that the Queen's custom of visiting her more distinguished nobility,whether in health or sickness, could be unknown to him; but thesuddenness of the communication left no time for those preparations withwhich he well knew Elizabeth loved to be greeted, and the rudeness andconfusion of his military household, much increased by his late illness,rendered him altogether unprepared for her reception.

  Cursing internally the chance which thus brought her gracious visitationon him unaware, he hastened down with Tressilian, to whose eventful andinteresting story he had just given an attentive ear.

  "My worthy friend," he said, "such support as I can give your accusationof Varney, you have a right to expect, alike from justice and gratitude.Chance will presently show whether I can do aught with our Sovereign,or whether, in very deed, my meddling in your affair may not ratherprejudice than serve you."

  Thus spoke Sussex while hastily casting around him a loose robe ofsables, and adjusting his person in the best manner he could to meet theeye of his Sovereign. But no hurried attention bestowed on his apparelcould remove the ghastly effects of long illness on a countenance whichnature had marked with features rather strong than pleasing. Besides, hewas low of stature, and, though broad-shouldered, athletic, and fit formartial achievements, his presence in a peaceful hall was not such asladies love to look upon; a personal disadvantage, which was supposed togive Sussex, though esteemed and honoured by his Sovereign, considerabledisadvantage when compared with Leicester, who was alike remarkable forelegance of manners and for beauty of person.

  The Earl's utmost dispatch only enabled him to meet the Queen as sheentered the great hall, and he at once perceived there was a cloudon her brow. Her jealous eye had noticed the martial array of armedgentlemen and retainers with which the mansion-house was filled, and herfirst words expressed her disapprobation. "Is this a royal garrison, myLord of Sussex, that it holds so many pikes and calivers? or have we byaccident overshot Sayes Court, and landed at Our Tower of London?"

  Lord Sussex hastened to offer some apology.

  "It needs not," she said. "My lord, we intend speedily to take up acertain quarrel between your lordship and another great lord of ourhousehold, and at the same time to reprehend this uncivilized anddangerous practice of surrounding yourselves with armed, and even withruffianly followers, as if, in the neighbourhood of our capital, nay inthe very verge of our royal residence, you were preparing to wage civilwar with each other.--We are glad to see you so well recovered, my lord,though without the assistance of the learned physician whom we sentto you. Urge no excuse; we know how that matter fell out, and we havecorrected for it the wild slip, young Raleigh. By the way, my lord, wewill speedily relieve your household of him, and take him into our own.Something there is about him which merits to be better nurtured than heis like to be amongst your very military followers."

  To this proposal Sussex, though scarce understanding how the Queencame to make it could only bow and express his acquiescence. He thenentreated her to remain till refreshment could be offered, but in thishe could not prevail. And after a few compliments of a much colder andmore commonplace character than might have been expected from a step sodecidedly favourable as a personal visit, the Queen took her leaveof Sayes Court, having brought confusion thither along with her, andleaving doubt and apprehension behind.