fairs, are private feelings, and the fecret undifcerned attachments of the heart, than the most important political reasons.

Elizabeth being now become the public and avowed object of Mary's averfion, was openly treated with much difrefpect and infult. She was forbidden to take place, in the presence chamber, of the Countefs of Lenox and the Dutchefs of Suffolk, as if her legitimacy had been dubious. This doctrine had been infinuated by the Chancellor Gardiner, in a speech before both houfes of parliament. Among other arguments enforcing the neceffity of Mary's marriage, he particularly infifted on the failure of the royal lineage; artfully remarking, that none of Henry's defcendants remained, except the Queen, and the Princess Elizabeth *. Her friends were neglected or affronted. And while her amiable qualifications every day drew the attention of the young nobility, and rendered her univerfally popular, the malevolence of the vindictive Queen still encreased. The Princess, therefore, thought it most prudent to leave the court: and, before the beginning of 1554, retired to her houfe at Athridge in Hertfordshire. In the mean time Sir Thomas Wyat's rebellion broke out, in opposition to the Queen's match with Philip of Spain. It was immediately pretended that Elizabeth, together with the Lord Courteney, was privately concerned in this dangerous confpiracy, and that the had held a correfpondence with the traitor Wyat. Accordingly Sir Edward Haltings, afterwards Lord Loughborough, Sir Thomas Cornwallis, and Sir Richard Southwell, attended by a troop of horfe, were ordered to bring her to court. They found the Princefs fick, and even confined to her bed, at Afhridge. Notwithstanding, under pretence of the ftrictness of their commiffion, they compelled her to rife: and, ftill continuing very weak and indifpofed, the proceeded in the Queen's litter, by flow journeys, to London. At the court they kept her confined, and without company, for a fortnight: after which, Bishop Gardiner, with nineteen others of the council, attended to examine her concerning the rebellion of which the was accufed. She pofitively denied the accufation. However, they acquainted her it was the Queen's refolution the fhould be committed to the Tower till further inquiries could be made." The Princefs immediately wrote to the Queen, earnestly entreating that the might not be imprisoned in the Tower, and concluding her letter thus: "As for that traitor Wyat, he might peradventure write me a letter; but on my faith I never received any from him. And as for the copie of my letter fent to the Frenche kinge, I pray God confound me eternally, if ever I fent him word, meffage, token, or letter by any menes." Her repeated proteftations of innocence were all ineffectual. She was

Avoiding the term fifter.

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conveyed to the Tower, and ignominiously conducted through the traitor's gate. At her first commitment only three men and three women of the Queen's fervants, were appointed for her attendants. But even these were forbidden to bring her meat; and he was waited on, for this purpose, by the Lieutenant's fervants, or even by the common foldiers. But afterwards two yeomen of her chamber, one of her robes, two of her pantry and ewry, one of her buttery, one of her cellar, another of her larder, and two of her kitchen, were allowed by permiffion of the privy council, to ferve at her table. No ftranger or vifitor was admitted into her prefence. The Conftable of the Tower, Sir John Gage, treated her very feverely, and watched her with the utmost vigilance. Many of the other prifoners, committed to the fame place on account of the rebellion, were often exa. mined about her concern in the confpiracy: and some of them were put to the rack by the way of extorting an accufation. Her innocence, however, was unquestionable; for although Wyat himself had accused her, in hopes to have faved his own life by means of so base and scandalous an artifice, yet he afterwards denied that fhe had the leaft knowledge of his defigns; and, left thofe denials which he made at his examinations might be infidiously fuppreffed, and his former depofitions alledged against her adopted in their ftead, he continued to make the fame declarations openly on the fcaffold at the time of his execution. There was a pretence much infifted on by Gardiner, that Wyat had conveyed to her a bracelet, in which the whole fcheme of the plot was inclofed. But Wyat acquitted her of this and all other fufpicions. After a clofe imprifonment of fome days, by the generous interceffion of Lord Chandois, Lieutenant of the Tower, it was granted that the might sometimes walk in the Queen's lodgings, in the prefence of the Conftable, the Lieutenant, and three of the Queen's ladies; yet on condition that the windows fhould be fhut. She then was indulged with walking in a little garden for the fake of fresh air but all the fhutters which looked towards the garden were ordered to be kept clofe. Such were their jealoufies, that a little boy of four years old, who had been accustomed every day to bring her flowers, was feverely threatened if he came any more; and the child's father was fummoned and rebuked by the Conftable. But Lord Chandois being obferved to treat the Princess with too much refpect, he was not any longer entrufted with the charge of her; and fhe was committed to the cuftody of Sir Henry Bedingfield, of Oxburgh in Norfolk, a perfon whom she had never feen nor knew before. He brought with him a new guard of one hundred foldiers, cloathed in blue; which the Princefs obferving, afked with her ufual livelinefs, If Lady Jane's feaffold was yet taken away? About the end of May fhe was removed from the Tower, under the com

mard

mand of Sir Henry Bedingfield, and Lord Williams of Thame, to the royal manor or palace at Woodstock. The first night of her journey fhe lay at Richmond; where being watched all night by the foldiers, and all accefs of her own private attendants utterly prohibited, he began to be convinced that orders had been given to put her privately to death. The next day the reached Wind for, where he was lodged in the Dean's houfe near St George's collegiate chapel. She then paffed to Lord Williams's feat at Ricot in Oxfordfhire, where the lay; and was verie princelie entertained both of knights and ladies." But Bedingfield was highly difgufted at this gallant entertainment of his prifoner. During their journey, Lord Williams and another gentleman playing at chefs, the Princess accidentally came in, and told them the muft ftay to fee the game played out; but this liberty Bedingfield would not permit. Arriving at Woodstock, fhe was lodged in the gatehouse of the palace; in an apartment remaining complete within thefe forty years, with its original arched roof of Irifh oak, curiously carved, painted blue fpringled with gold, and to the laft retaining its name of Queen Elizabeth's Chamber. Hellingfhead gives us three lines which the wrote with a diamond on the glafs of her window; and Hentzner, in his Itinerary of 1598, has recorded a fonnet, which he had written with a pencil on her window-fhutter. In the Bodleian Library at Oxford, there is an English tranflation of St. Paul's Epiftles, printed in the black letter, which the Princefs ufed while fhe was here imprisoned; in a blank leaf of which, the following paragraph, written with her own hand, and in the pedantry of the times, yet remains. "I walke many times into the pleafant fieldes. of the holye feriptures; where I plucke up the goodliefome herbs of fentences by pruning, eat them by reading: chawe them by mufing and laie them up at length in the hie feat of memorie, by gathering them together. That fo having tasted the sweetenes, I maye the leffe perceave the bitterneffe of this miferable life." The covers are of black filk, on which he had amufed herself with curiously working, or emboffing, the fol lowing infcriptions and devices in gold twift. On one fide, on the border or edge, CELUM PATRIA. SCOPUS VITE

XPUS. CHRISTO VIVE. In the middle a heart; and about it, ELEVA COR SURSUM IBI UBI E. C. [i. e. eft Chrif tus.] On the other fide, on the border, BEATUS QUI DIVITIAS SCRIPTURÆ LEGENS VERBA VERTIT IN OPERA. In the middle a ftar, and about it, VICIT OMNIA PERTINAX VIRTUS E C. fi. e. Elifabetha Captiva; or Elizabetha Captiva.] One is pleafed to hear thefe circumstances, trifling and unimportant as they are, which fhew us how his great and unfortunate Lady, who became afterwards the heroine

of the British throne, the favourite of her people, and the terJor of the world, contrived to relieve the tedious hours of her penfive and folitary confinement. She had, however, little opportunity for meditation or amufement. She was clofely guarded; yet fometimes fuffered to walk into the gardens of the palace. In this fituation, fays Hollingshead, no marvel, if The hearing upon a time out of her garden at Woodstocke a certain milkmaide finging pleasantlie, wifhed herself to be a milkmaide, as fhe was; faying that her cafe was better, and life merrier," After being confined here for many months, she procured a permiffion to write to the Queen: but her importunate keeper Bedingfield intruded and overlooked what the wrote. At length King Philip interpofed, and begged that the might be removed to the court. But this fudden kindness of Philip did not rife from any regular principle of real generosity, but partly from an affectation of popularity; and partly from a refined fentiment of policy, which made him foresee, that if Elizabeth was put to death, the next lawful heir would be Mary Queen of Scots, already betrothed to the Dauphin of France, whofe fucceffion would forever join the fceptres of Eng. land and France, and confequently crush the growing interelts of Spain. In her firft day's journey from the manor of Woodtock to Lord William's at Ricot, a violent ftorm of wind happened; infomuch that that her hood and the attire of her head were twice or thrice blown off. On this fhe begged to retire to a gentleman's houfe then at hand: but Bedingfield's abfurd and fuperabundant circumfpection refused even this infignificant request; and constrained her, with much indecorum, to replace her head-drefs under a hedge near the road. The next night they came to Mr. Dormer's, at Winge, in Buckinghamshire; and from thence to an inn at Colnebrooke, where the lay. At length the arrived at Hampton-court, where the court then refided, but was fill kept in the condition of a prifoner. Here Bifhop Gardiner, with others of the council, frequently per fuaded her to make a confeffion, and fubmit to the Queen's mercy. One night, when it was late, the Princefs was unexpectedly fent for, and conducted by torch light to the Queen's bedchamber where the kneeled down before the Queen, declaring herself to be a most faithful and true fubject. The Queen feemed fill to fufpect her; but they parted on good terms. During this critical interview, Philip had concealed him felf behind the tapestry, that he might have feafonably interpofed, to prevent the violence of the Queen's temper from proceeding to any extremities. One week afterwards the was releafed from the formidable parade of guards and keepers. A happy change of circumstances enfued; and the was permitted to retire with Sir Thomas Pope to Hatfield-house in Hertford

hire. At parting the Queen began to fhew fome fymptoms of reconciliation: the recommended to her Sir Thomas Pope, as a perfon with whom the Princefs was well acquainted, and whole humanity, prudence, and other qualifications were all calcu lated to render her new fituation perfectly agreeable; and at the fame time he gave the Princess a ring worth seven hun dred crowns.'

In the style and manner of our Author, we find that art, propriety, and ease, which characterize the productions of thofe whofe talents have been carefully cultivated by reflection and ftudy. Here, however, we conceive they are ill applied; and we cannot but confider it as an unhappiness that Mr. Warton has been called by his fituation and connections to attend to a fubject, on which even the vigorous genius of Milton could ftamp no confiderable value.

J

ART. II. Conjectures on the New Teftament, collected from various Authors, as well in regard to Words as Pointing: With the Reasons on which both are founded. 8vo. 6s, Bowyer and Nichols. 1772. UDICIOUS attempts to elucidate and explain any parts of the facred writings are always worthy of commendation; as are Jikewise the endeavours which are used to facilitate this kind of enquiries, and to render more general an acquaintance with thofe remarks and difcoveries which have been already made. It is in the latter view that the prefent volume claims any merit; fince it is, as the title expreflès, a collection, from several writers, of the different readings, or pointings, of particular paffages, together with alterations and emendations which they have propofed.

Critical enquiries of this kind have, no doubt, been produetive of very confiderable advantages: yet it must be confeffed that there are inftances in which we are pleased with the ingenuity of the criticifm, without obtaining any real fatiffaction as to the meaning of the text in queftion; and mere conjectures, though attended with a degree of probability, fometimes ferve but to encrease our doubts and perplexity. It may, however, be curious to obferve the different methods of leffening or removing a difficulty; and certainly it is an important and a pleafing confideration to thofe who value the fcriptures, that notwithstanding the various readings of manufcripts and verfions, with the errors of tranfcribers, &c. yet the meaning and fenfe of the writings of the New Teftament (to which our Author confines himself) is not commonly affected by them in any effential or material degree.

The Compiler informs us that he was infenfibly led to this work by feeing a fmall collection publifhed by Wethein in his Prolegomena to the N. T. in 4to. A. D. 1731.' When Wet

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