ページの画像
PDF
ePub

ed, "If you will pray for me, my Lordes, I will thanke you; but to joyne in prayer with you I will not, for that you and I are not of one religion.'

[ocr errors]

Then the Lordes called for Mr. Dean, who kneeling on the skaffold staires, began this Prayer, 'O most gracious God and merciful Father, &c.' all the Assembly, saving the Queen of Scots and her servantes, saying after him. During the saying of which prayer, the Queen of Scots, sitting upon a stoole, having about her necke an Agnus Dei, in her hand a crucifix, at her girdle a pair of beades with a golden crosse at the end of them, a Latin booke in her hand, began with teares and with loud and fast voice to pray in Latin; and in the middest of her prayers she slided off from her stoole, and kneeling, said divers Latin prayers: and after the end of Mr. Deans prayer, she kneelinge, prayed in Englishe to this effecte: for Christ his afflicted Church, and for an end of their troubles; for her sonne; and for the Queen's Majestie, that she might prosper and serve God aright.' She confessed that she hoped to be saved by and in the bloode of Christ, at the foote of whose Crucifix she wold shedd her bloode.' Then said the Earle of Kent, ‘Madam settle Christ Jesus in your harte, and leave those trumperyes.' Then she little regarding, or nothing at all, his H. good counsell, went forward with her prayers, desiring 'that God wold averte his wrath from this Ilande, and that he wold give her griefe, and forgivenes for her sinnes.' These, with other prayers she made in English, saying she forgave her enemyes with all her harte that had longe sought her bloode, and desired God to converte them to the truthe; and in the end of the Prayer she desired all Saintes to make intercession for her to Jesus Christ, and so kissing the crucifix, and crossing of her also, said these wordes, Even as thy armes, O Jesus, was spredd here upon the Crosse, so receive me into thy armes of mercy, and forgive me all my sinnes.'

[ocr errors]

Her prayer being ended, the Executioners, kneeling, desired her Grace to forgive them her death: who aunswered, I forgive you with all my harte, for now, I hope, you shall make an end of all my troubles.' Then they, with her two women, helping of her up, began to disrobe her of her apparell; then, She, laying her crucifix upon the stoole, one of the executioners tooke from her necke the Agnus Dei, which she, laying handes of it, gave it to one of her women, and told the executioner that he shold be aunswered mony for it. Then she suffered them, with her two women, to disrobe her of her chayne of pomander beades and all other her apparell most willingly, and, with joy rather then sorrowe, helped to make unready her selfe, putting on a pair of sleeves with her owne handes which they had pulled off, and that with some hast, as if she had longed to be gonn. All this tyme they were pulling off her apparell, she never chaunged her coun

tenaunce, but with smiling cheere she uttered thes wordes, that she never had such groomes to make her unready, and that she never put off her clothes before such a company.' Then She, being stripped of all her apparell saving her peticote and kirtle, her two women beholding her made great lamentacion, and crying and crossing themselves prayed in Latin; She, turning herselfe to them, imbrasinge them, said thes wordes in French, Ne crie vous, j'ay prome pour vous,' and so crossing and kissing them, bad them pray for her and rejoyce and not weepe, for that now they should see an ende of all their Mistris troubles. Then She, with a smiling countenaunce, turning to her men servauntes, as Melvin and the rest, standing upon a bench nigh the Scaffold, who sometyme weeping sometyme crying out alowde, and continually crossing themselves, prayed in Latin, crossing them with her hand bad them farewell; and wishing them to pray for her even untill the last howre.

This donn, one of the women having a Corpus Christi cloth lapped up three-corner-wayes, kissing it, put it over the Q. of St. face, and pinned it fast to the caule of her head. Then the two women departed from her, and she kneeling downe upon the eusshion most resolutely, and without any token or feare of death, she spake alowde this Psalme in Latin, In te Domine confido, non confundar in eternam,' &c. Then, groping for the blocke, she layed downe her head, putting her chynne over the blocke with both her handes, which, holding there still, had been cutt of had they not been espyed. Then lying upon the blocke most quietly, and stretching out her armes cryed In manus tuas, Domine,' &c. three or fowre tymes. Then She, lying very still on the blocke, one of the executioners holding of her slitely with one of his handes, she endured two strokes of the other executioner with an axe, she making very smale noyse or none at all, and not stirring any parte of her from the place where she lay; and so the executioner cut off her head, saving one litle grisle, which being cutt asaunder, he lift up her head to the view of all the Assembly, and bad God save the Queene.' Then, her dressing of lawne falling off from her head, it appeared as grey as one of threescore and tenn yeares old, polled very shorte, her face in a moment being so much altered from the forme she had when she was alive, as few could remember her by her dead face. Her lippes stirred up and downe a quarter of an hower after her head was cut off.

Then Mr. Dean said with a lowde voice, So perish all the Queene's Enemyes; and afterwards the Earle of Kente came to the dead body, and standing over it, with a lowde voice said, 'Such end of all the Queenes and the Gospells enemyes.'

Then one of the Executioners pulling off her garters, espicd her litle dogg which was crept under her clothes, which could not be gotten forth but by force, yet afterward wold not departe from the dead corpse, but came and lay betweene her head and her

shoulders, which being imbrued with her bloode, was caryed away and washed, as all thinges ells were that had any bloode was either burned or clean washed': and the Executioners sent away with mony for their fees, not havinge any one thing that belonged unto her. And so, every man being comaunded out of the Hall, except the Sherife and his men, she was caryed by them up into a great chamber lying ready for the surgeons to imbalme her.ELLIS'S ORIGINAL LETTERS, Second Series, vol. iii, pp. 113-118. 10.-SEXAGESIMA SUNDAY. See SEPTUAGESIMA,

p. 35.

*10. 1827.-W. MITFORD DIED, ÆT. 83; Professor of Ancient History to the Royal Academy; author of the History of Greece; an Essay on the Harmony of Language; Observations on the History of Christianity, &c. &c.

14.-SAINT VALENTINE.

Valentine was an ancient presbyter of the church: after a year's imprisonment at Rome, he was beaten with clubs, and then beheaded, in the Via Flaminia, about the year 270, under Claudius II. The modern celebration of this day is well known: consult our former volumes, particularly T. T. for 1823, pp. 4143, where some elegant Valentines' are given. See also T. T. for 1826, p. 39, for a variety of curious information relative to this day.

A VALENTINE.

[By Elizabeth Trefusis.]

When to Love's influence woman yields,
She loves for life! and daily feels
Progressive tenderness!-each hour
Confirms, extends, the tyrant's power!
Her lover is her god! her fate!—
Vain pleasures, riches, worldly state,
Are trifles all!-each sacrifice
Becomes a dear and valued prize,
If made for him, e'en though he proves
Forgetful of their former loves.

The Narrative in the Cottonian MS. Jul. F. vi. says,

'The

bloodye clothe, the blocke, and whatsoever was else bludye, was burnt

in the chimney fier.'

17.-QUINQUAGESIMA SUNDAY. See
SEPTUAGESIMA, p. 35.

Sir Walter Scott has written a beautiful hymn for this day; it is inserted in Bp. Heber's Collection, already noticed, and we introduce it here as a specimen of the varied powers of this great poet and fascinating writer.

The day of wrath! that dreadful day,
When heav'n and earth shall pass away,
What pow'r shall be the sinner's stay?
Whom shall he trust that dreadful day?

When, shriv'lling like a parched scroll,
The flaming heav'ns together roll;
When, louder yet, and yet more dread,
Swells the high trump that wakes the dead;

Oh, on that day, that wrathful day,
When man to judgment wakes from clay,
Be Thou, oh Christ! the sinner's stay,
Though heav'n and earth shall pass away!

*17. 1827.-M. PESTALOZZI DIED ;

6

It

Inventor of the plan of Interrogative Education since known throughout Europe by his name, and author of many works on this important subject. Though of patrician birth, M. Pestalozzi devoted himself, at an early period of life, to the service of the humbler classes. Benevolence was the prevailing feature in the character of this excellent man. burned in him with the intensity of a passion, and needed, sometimes, the sober restraints of judgment. It was as discernible in the affectionate simplicity of his ordinary manners, as in the persevering exertions, and disinterested sacrifices, which marked his long life of trial and suffering. His genius was original, profound, and fertile; rising superior to the most overwhelming difficulties, but too frequently negligent of ordinary resources. The style of his writings is vigorous, pathetic, and piquant, but unpolished and irregular; in his philosophical works, it is heavy, in

volved, and obscure. His conversation was particularly animated, playful, and entertaining; abounding in unexpected turns of thought, with an occasional felicity of expression that made an indelible impression on the bearer's mind.

[ocr errors]

An interesting Memoir of Pestalozzi will be found in a work lately published, entitled Letters on Early Education, addressed to J. P. Greaves, Esq. By Pestalozzi.'

19.-SHROVE TUESDAY.

For various particulars of this day, the reader is referred to the fourteen previous volumes of Time's Telescope, particularly T.T. for 1827, pp. 37-40.

In Catholic countries, where the Carnival is celebrated, this is the last day of that festival;-a period of dinners, balls, masquerades, and popular indulgence: on the nights of the Carnival, a general confusion takes place; masters are dressed as scrvants, valets as masters, the military as mechanics, and workmen as soldiers; every one puts on a strange dress, and plays the incognito under the favour of a mask: but the populace engross the remainder of the fête, by carrying through the streets an image called the Carnival or Shrove Tuesday; and, feigning grief and uttering piercing cries, they throw it into the river.

We borrow, says Pasquier, many things from the Pagans; as, instead of the ancient Bacchanalia we have introduced the Carnival, full of insolence and bad examples. The Bacchanalia were festivals which the Greeks borrowed from the Egyptians, and were celebrated in honour of Bacchus, whom they believed to be the same with Osiris: one of the most essential parts of this festival, was to appear covered with the skins of he-goats, tigers, and other animals; they smeared their faces with blood or winelees; and the whole became a sort of masquerade, full of mad tricks and the greatest follies. Instead of wearing the skin of a he-goat, some considered it better to clothe themselves in those of the she-goat or tiger, muffling up the head with stags'-horns, and covering the face with the bark of trees, in order to imitate the flat nose and the pointed ears of the kid and the he-goat; without neglecting other appropriate ornaments. A fine, handsome, well-fed youth was selected to personate Bacchus, who was placed in a car; and to give an air of the marvellous to the scene, the pretended tigers drew the car, while the he-goats and the kids gambolled about them, under the form of satyrs and fawns. Those who followed and accompanied the car were called Bacchants and Bacchantes, that is, male and female mourners. Last of all,

« 前へ次へ »