THE-ROMANGE-OF 
 
 -GENTLE-WILL- 
 
 
 CLYDE-C-WESTOVER 
 
THE ROMANCE OF GENTLE WILL 
 
THE ROMANCE OF 
 GENTLE WILL 
 
 A HITHERTO UNPUBLISHED CHAPTER 
 IN THE STORY OF THE LOVE OF THE 
 IMMORTAL BARD :: :: :: :: :: :: 
 
 BY 
 
 CLYDE C. WESTOVER 
 
 NEW YORK AND WASHINGTON 
 
 THE NEALE PUBLISHING COMPANY 
 
 1905 
 
*" 
 
 * 
 
 COPYRIGHT, 1905 
 BY CLYDE C. WESTOVER 
 
Ps 
 
 PROEM 
 
 If, in the relation of the succeeding narrative, the 
 chronicler has deviated in some slight degree from 
 publicly recorded dates of certain events in the life of 
 the famous poet, he makes no excuse, but quotes as 
 his authority the diary of Henry Wriothesley, Earl 
 of Southampton, from whose age-worn and well- 
 nigh illegible pages the incidents were gleaned. 
 
 282173 
 
CHARACTERS IN THE TALE 
 
 THE MEN 
 
 Philip II, King of Spain. 
 
 Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester. 
 
 William Shakespeare. 
 
 Robert Devereux, Earl of Essex. 
 
 Henry Wriothesley, Earl of Southampton. 
 
 Sir Walter Raleigh. 
 
 Sir Francis Drake. 
 
 Sir Thomas Hatton, Lord Chancellor of England. 
 
 Sir Amias Paulet, Keeper of the Tower. 
 
 Lord Bishop Kitchen of Llandaff, a Conformist Minister. 
 
 Edmund Spenser. 
 
 Governor Lane of Virginia. 
 
 The Duke of Alva. 
 
 Don Ruy Gomez De Silva, Prime Minister of Spam. 
 
 Alexander Farnese, Duke of Parma. 
 
 Sir James Melville, the Scottish Embassador. 
 
 John Florio, a Master of Languages. 
 
 John Shakespeare. 
 
 Roger Covert, a Reformed Rogue. 
 
 Pulsifer Kyd, the Court Fool. 
 
 Fernando Cordes, a Spanish Assassin. 
 
 John Hallam, a Serving-Man. 
 
 Abraham, A Jewish Costumer. 
 
 THE WOMEN 
 
 Elizabeth, Queen of England. 
 
 Mary, Queen of Scots. 
 
 Anne Hathaway, Her Majesty s Hand-Maiden. 
 
 Juliet Florio. 
 
 Anne Holcombe, a Laundress. 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 CHAPTER PAGE 
 
 I The Queen s Deer n 
 
 II Roger "Under Cover" 23 
 
 III An Incident on the Old Roman Road 35 
 
 IV The Domicil of Florio 47 
 
 V The Court of the Virgin 64 
 
 VI My Lady s Garter 78 
 
 VII The Tilt at Rhyme 91 
 
 VIII A Queen s Favourite 103 
 
 IX The Chancellor and the Fool 115 
 
 X A Strange Fish in the Thames 128 
 
 XI At the Whipping Post 141 
 
 XII A Stranger at Court 153 
 
 XIII The Jester s Revenge 166 
 
 XIV A Lady and a Lord 179 
 
 XV The Laundress and the Ruff 192 
 
 XVI The Captain of the Guard 206 
 
 XVII What the Green-Eyed Monster Did 220 
 
 XVIII The Queen of Scots 234 
 
 XIX Royal Ire 248 
 
 XX In the Tower 261 
 
 XXI Her Majesty s Summons 273 
 
 XXII The Poet s Prize.. . 286 
 
THE ROMANCE OF 
 GENTLE WILL 
 
 CHAPTER I 
 THE QUEEN S DEER 
 
 Early in the autumn of 1583 two lads were break 
 ing their fast under a giant oak in the heart of 
 Fulbroke Forest, Her Majesty s noble park at the 
 foot of the Welcombe Hills. The younger of the 
 twain was a somewhat dainty youth, slight of stature, 
 and his jerkin of green cloth, studded with silver 
 latchets, and his hose of elegant texture proclaimed 
 him to be of a superior station to his companion, 
 whose huge frame was clad in an ugly gray woolen 
 stuff and w r hose knotted hands and homely visage in 
 dicated a condition of servitude, though there was a 
 look of unwavering faith in the dull eyes that were 
 fixed upon his boyish master as he listened with rapt 
 attention and drooping jaw to the tale that he was 
 spinning. 
 
 "Aye, Robin Hood was a merry wight, John," the 
 lad went on, "and I would that we had lived in his 
 day. He had many a fine adventure and his dearest 
 pleasure was in poaching on the royal preserves. 
 
12 The Romance of Gentle Will 
 
 But why do you not taste your breakfast, John? 
 Have you no appetite for the goodies ? We were up 
 this morning a full hour before the sun and as yet no 
 game, not even a coney, has fallen to our bows. You 
 must stay your stomach, for we have a long day be 
 fore us, and we are many miles from home." 
 
 "Master Willum, your story of Robin has made 
 me forget my hunger, but I will make amends" ; and 
 the yokel fell to right heartily, occasionally giving a 
 grunt of satisfaction between the mouth fuls. 
 
 The younger man sat back, picking listlessly at a 
 morsel of cold fowl and watching with amusement 
 the voracious cramming of his uncouth companion. 
 
 "John, they do say that Queen Elizabeth and her 
 suite are on the highway, engaged in a pilgrimage to 
 Robert Dudley s seat at Kenilworth, and that even 
 now they are in the County Warwick, though why 
 she should come so far away from London with its 
 players and other delights ready at hand and give up 
 the comfort and ease of her castle at Windsor I am 
 at a loss to understand." 
 
 "Earl Dudley is a noble lord, Master Willum, and 
 there do be gossip in the country-side that ur would 
 marry the Queen, and at the Stra ford Arms I heard 
 a rogue last night make mention how ur had sent to 
 London for a band of players to make glad Her 
 Majesty s visit, and that various knaves were fur 
 bishing up the castle so that the Queen might see it 
 at its best ; but the villain had been drinking the dregs 
 of many ale-pots and ur could not be counted in good 
 wisdom." 
 
 ( Tis likely enough, John. Dudley has ever been 
 a dandy, though it has never been my lot to lay eyes 
 
The Queen s Deer 13 
 
 upon him. Tis said he has an hundred changes in 
 his wardrobe, and he displays a most gallant figure. 
 Twill be strange if a man of his low birth becomes 
 the royal consort and shares the throne of England. 
 But the sun is getting higher, John, and here under 
 the oaks it grows much lighter; if we would fall on 
 game and avoid the keepers we must be alert." 
 
 "Aye, master, but it would go hard with us were 
 e caught poaching with the Queen in the shire. 
 Mayhap another day would be more safe." 
 
 "Nonsense, John, twill be three hours before the 
 court dandies are up and dressed. The royal house 
 hold would not venture upon the highway ere the 
 noonday sun had robbed the shadows of their chill 
 and dried the dew beneath the overhanging trees. 
 I would venture much, however, if I might look 
 upon the Queen. .Tis a chance that may come but 
 once in a lifetime, but twould be a serious matter 
 were we caught in trespass in the royal park. Let 
 us lift up our bows, John ; we have already lost too 
 much time in romancing." 
 
 So saying the youth stooped to pick up his cross 
 bow and arrows which lay by the tree, and John 
 stepped to the other side of the oak where his own 
 shafts had been left. Something that he witnessed 
 caused him to draw back hastily, and he clutched his 
 master s arm with a warning "Ssh" as he drew him 
 close to the trunk and directed his gaze to a little 
 clearing in the forest some thirty yards distant. A 
 noble fallow-buck had leapt into the open space and 
 some movement or the scent of the huntsmen had 
 caused him to stop stock-still, with head erect and 
 quivering nostrils dilated, aware of the presence of 
 
14 The Romance of Gentle Will 
 
 danger but uncertain as to its direction, awaiting 
 some further warning ere he should bound away in 
 precipitate flight. 
 
 The lad, with trembling fingers, fitted an arrow 
 to his bow, but the pressure of John s strong hand 
 upon his arm steadied his nerves and he carefully 
 took aim. At the same moment the buck beheld 
 the archer and with a tremendous bound leapt for the 
 thick forest. He was an instant too late, however, 
 for with a sharp twang of the string the arrow sped 
 on its way and, just as his feet left the earth, buried 
 itself deep beneath his shoulder. He crashed to the 
 ground in the middle of his leap, and his hoofs cut 
 deeply into the green sward in his frantic efforts to 
 arise. 
 
 With a shout John drew his knife and rushed upon 
 the deer. Deftly avoiding the sharp hoofs he drew 
 his blade across its throat, and as the red blood pour 
 ed forth upon the grass the eyes glazed and the noble 
 animal s struggles were stilled. 
 
 " Twas a gallant shot, Master Willum, and I never 
 saw bigger fallow-buck. Twill be hunting enough 
 for one day, I am thinking. Ur 11 be a heavy load 
 to carry home." 
 
 "You are right, John. Your broad shoulders will 
 be taxed to the utmost. Twas a lucky kill," said the 
 youth, as he plucked the arrow from the buck s side. 
 
 John cut some strong withes from a clinging vine 
 and tied the animal s feet together, then placing his 
 bow between the strands he swung the carcass upon 
 his back, following his master, who had gathered up 
 their arrows and who had gone ahead, making his 
 way toward the highway. The lad forgot all caution 
 
The Queen s Deer 15 
 
 in his joy at their success, and despite the yokel s 
 protest began singing lustily : 
 
 "Oh troll me a catch 
 Of a huntsman bold 
 And a lad devoid of fear, 
 A morning gray 
 On the Queen s highway 
 And a shaft for the royal deer. 
 
 "Then, Oho my lad 
 We have great success 
 In quest of the fallow-buck, 
 A kingly court 
 Would enjoy the sport 
 Attended by such luck. 
 
 "Thy back is broad, 
 But thy face, is long, 
 John Hallam, do not frown ; 
 The gallows tree 
 Would finish thee 
 Were t brought before the crown." 
 
 He stopped with a hearty laugh at John s discom 
 fiture. 
 
 "Master Willum, your wit of making rhyme will 
 get you into sore trouble some day. There may be 
 ears about will not applaud your verse." 
 
 "Then let us away, 
 While yet we may, 
 From out this gloomy wood 
 To a tankard of ale ; 
 Friend John, the pale, 
 Twill do thy courage good," 
 
 sang his taunting master, whose youthful spirits 
 could not be curbed ; and he pranced gaily ahead of 
 the laboring John, and as the trees became somewhat 
 
16 The Romance of Gentle Will 
 
 sparser, denoting the proximity of the highway, with 
 a shout to John to "Make haste, you lazy fellow, we 
 are almost out of the wood," he broke into a run and 
 fairly plumped into the arms of two elegant gentle 
 men clad in green coats and satin breeches and 
 adorned with a profusioh of gold lace, who were well- 
 nigh as startled as the lad by their abrupt meeting. 
 
 The youth stopped short in dismay, while the 
 heavy figure of John came crashing through the 
 twigs, bearing the tell-tale evidence of their morn 
 ing s occupation. 
 
 "Oho, what have we here, Amias ?" said the elder 
 of the men, frowning ominously and toying with his 
 sword. "Deer-stealers, upon my word! This is 
 serious indeed. We must convey them to Elizabeth/ 
 
 At these words the face of the young huntsman 
 paled visibly and his knees seemed scarce able to 
 support him, while his serving-man dropped the deer 
 and set up a most piteous blubbering interspersed 
 with incoherent pleas for mercy. 
 
 "I fear me, Sir Walter," said the man addressed 
 as Amias, "that the Queen is in a wicked mood. She 
 is most angered at the late start this morning and at 
 this enforced delay to give her bearers rest, and if we 
 deliver up these two culprits, in her impatience to 
 proceed on her way to Kenilworth she may visit upon 
 them the extreme penalty, that she may be rid of 
 extra burdens on her march. Let us rather shut our 
 eyes to their offense and allow them to pass. Some 
 future crime may bring its punishment and Her 
 Majesty will not suffer by the loss of one fallow- 
 deer." 
 
The Queen s Deer 17 
 
 "Amias! Amias! You were ever a soft-hearted 
 fool. Tis lucky you have me near to keep you in 
 check, or the Queen s domain would be over-run with 
 rascals. Nay, take charge of the stripling and I will 
 attend this big fellow"; and as John re-shouldered 
 the deer at his command he seized him by the collar 
 and strode to the highway. 
 
 "You are my superior officer and I must obey, 
 though I fear it is a bad business for these 
 youngsters," said Amias as he followed with the lad. 
 
 They proceeded to a bend in the highway, where 
 they were greeted by a cloud of dust and the sound 
 of many trampling hoofs, which announced the 
 approach of the royal train. 
 
 The elder man pushed forward with his prisoner, 
 crying : 
 
 "Hold, your Majesty, we have taken two thieves 
 in trespass on your preserves and bring them to your 
 justice." 
 
 A voice rose in angry protest, and the embroidered 
 curtain of a palanquin borne by a dozen sturdy 
 guardsmen was pushed aside, while courtiers and 
 ladies-in-waiting mounted on sleek chargers pressed 
 forward to witness the cause of this new divertise- 
 ment. 
 
 "A pestilence upon you, Walter Raleigh !" said the 
 Queen, as the bearers deposited the palanquin in the 
 roadway. "What cursed fate retards our every 
 movement? Am I to be harassed and delayed 
 because your vigilance has unearthed some poaching 
 knave ? Why did you not flog him and let him go, 
 that I might on to Kenilworth?" 
 
18 The Romance of Gentle Will 
 
 The lackeys drew the curtains apart and displayed 
 the irate person of Queen Elizabeth, who in hand 
 some gown embroidered with the royal arms, and 
 with neck encased in an enormous ruff, her abundant 
 head of reddish hair dressed in a coiffure of pearls 
 and diamonds, sat in her carved and cushioned seat, 
 her dainty foot tapping impatiently, her tapering 
 fingers clutching the arm of her chair and her eyes 
 flashing spitefully at Raleigh, who stood, hat in hand, 
 in front of his prisoner. 
 
 "Your Majesty," said he, stepping aside and dis 
 closing the lout with his burden, "Sir Amias Paulet 
 was of some such mind as yourself, but the offense 
 was most flagrant. This man bears a fallow-buck, 
 but just now killed in the forest of Fulbroke, and it 
 were a bad example indeed to let these varlets go 
 unpunished." 
 
 "A deer-stealer, did you say, Sir Walter? A 
 fitting welcome for my advent into Warwick. You 
 did well to seize him. I will teach these country 
 boobies to mock me in my own park. Let two of 
 my guards take this fellow and hang him quickly on 
 the nearest oak, while we will hasten on our way that 
 our pleasure may not be marred by the sight of his 
 dangling carcass." 
 
 "There are two, your Majesty," said Raleigh, 
 while the Queen scowled anew. 
 
 As he spoke the younger lad broke from Amias 
 Paulet s restraining grasp, and stepping to John 
 Hallam s side addressed the Queen : 
 
 "Your Majesty," said he, "there is but one who 
 merits punishment. Let your royal displeasure fall 
 
The Queen s Deer 19 
 
 upon my head. I killed the deer while this honest 
 lad did but bear him from the forest at my request. 
 
 With an angry snort Elizabeth surveyed the youth 
 from head to foot. 
 
 "Have done with heroics," she said. "What is 
 your name?" 
 
 "I am called William Shakespeare," he answered, 
 "and this is John Hallam, serving-man to my father, 
 Master John Shakespeare." 
 
 "Well, for your boldness, I will spare your father 
 his serving-man. Raleigh, you will seize Young 
 Arrogance and execute upon him the sentence I had 
 but now passed upon his man. We will show this 
 country bumpkin how unsafe it is to trifle with an 
 angry queen. Let the cavalcade proceed. Sir Amias 
 Paulet, you will attend me." 
 
 Two soldiers stepped forward and passed a thong 
 around young Shakespeare s arms, while the released 
 yokel fell sobbing at his feet. 
 
 In the group about Queen Elizabeth was a hand 
 some young maid of honour who looked to be but 
 scarcely out of her teens, and whose proud beauty 
 and haughty bearing marked her as a person high in 
 royal favour. 
 
 She had sat on her horse, a silent witness to the 
 discomfiture of the serving-man, but when the youth 
 had stepped forward with his plea for justice a flush 
 of admiration for his bravery arose to her cheek and 
 her eyes never left his face while he was speaking. 
 At the action of the Queen her lip curled in a sneer 
 of disgust, and as the bearers prepared to raise the 
 palanquin she seemed of a sudden to hit upon some 
 
20 The Romance of Gentle Will 
 
 decision, and shortening her horse s rein she pressed 
 close to the side of Elizabeth, crying : 
 
 "Your Majesty, a boon ; I crave this young man s 
 life !" 
 
 "Anne Hathaway, you impudent hussy!" fairly 
 shrieked the angry Queen, "how dare you interfere 
 when once the royal word is passed? Get back to 
 your place or I will dismiss you from my service." 
 
 "Your Majesty," persisted the brave maiden, "this 
 is my birth-morn, and you told me but yesternight 
 that any favour I might ask of you on this day would 
 be freely granted"; and she shot an encouraging 
 glance at young Shakespeare, who brightened per 
 ceptibly at the ray of hope, and whose eyes looked 
 with fervent admiration upon her handsome face. 
 
 "You are a bold minx, Anne," said Elizabeth, the 
 storm in her brow showing signs of clearing, "but 
 you speak truth. I had forgotten my promise; but 
 what crazy whim has entered your foolish head I am 
 at a loss to understand. You might have had a pearl 
 necklace, and you ask only the life of a country 
 churl. Have a care, lass, I promised but one boon. 
 If I grant his life you must forego the bawd." 
 
 "I am agreed, your Majesty. He is a comely lad 
 and his features denote a gentle birth. Twould be 
 a shame to deface the highway with his withering 
 body." 
 
 "Anne Hathaway, I will come to the belief that 
 you are a fool. Has this country air turned your 
 head? We will transform this hanging into a 
 wedding and impress my Lord Bishop s services to 
 join you to this hero of yours if you persist in your 
 admiration. Though it seems somewhat out of 
 
The Queen s Deer 21 
 
 place that you should be smitten with a boy appar 
 ently some five years your junior. My Lord Hatton, 
 what do you counsel ? Shall we remit sentence upon 
 this prisoner?" 
 
 The tall and handsome courtier thus addressed 
 bowed with infinite grace, replying to his Queen : 
 
 "Your Majesty holds the power of life and death 
 o er her subjects, and I would not presume to 
 interfere, though I would deem it but just to visit 
 punishment upon this bold offender." He evidently 
 proposed to advance a further argument in favor of 
 hanging the boy, but he caught the eye of Anne 
 Hathaway fixed upon him in a disdainful stare and 
 he stopped abruptly in evident confusion, while 
 the Queen, her good humor fully restored by his 
 embarrassment, laughed heartily. 
 
 "My Lord," she said, "you fain would remove a 
 rival from your path. Methinks you need have no 
 fear of this uncultured youth. And now as I have 
 had my laugh my temper inclines to mercy. Anne, 
 your boon is granted, on condition that you loose 
 his bonds yourself. Make haste, lass, or my fury 
 will break loose again at this delay." 
 
 The maid of honour s haughty face was o erspread 
 with a flush of shame, but she accepted the conditions 
 mutely and tossed her bridle to Sir Amias Paulet, 
 who assisted her to dismount. She walked silently 
 to the prisoner s side, and taking a knife from the 
 girdle of one of his guards stepped quickly behind 
 him and cut the thongs that bound his wrists, then 
 dropping the knife to the ground turned on her heel 
 and moved toward the Queen. 
 
22 The Romance of Gentle Will 
 
 With a quick step forward the lad reached her side, 
 and dropping upon one knee seized her hand, which 
 he kissed once with an air of gratefulness and grace 
 that appealed to the Queen, then releasing her he fell 
 back to his former station as she passed on to her 
 horse and was assisted to remount. 
 
 Elizabeth clapped her hands. "Well done, Master 
 Shakespeare ; I am glad we did not hang thee," she 
 said, as for the third time she gave orders for the 
 royal train to move on. 
 
 As the bearers shouldered the palanquin and the 
 gorgeous cavalcade passed on the dusty highway, the 
 two lads stood by the carcass of their deer and gazed 
 in dumb amazement at the lordly show, their hearts 
 full of gratitude for their providential escape. 
 
 Young Shakespeare saw one form alone in all the 
 throng that of the maid who had saved his life. 
 She rode on one side of the highway and ne er looked 
 back, and his heart sank within him. As they 
 reached the bend of the road, however, which would 
 soon screen them from view, she turned in the saddle 
 and raised one gauntleted hand in a gesture of fare 
 well, while some white object gently fluttered to the 
 ground. 
 
 When they had vanished around the bend he ran 
 quickly down the road and saw a little satin bow from 
 the Lady Anne s sleeve lying in the dust. He seized 
 it eagerly and thrust it in the bosom of his jerkin, 
 then returning to where he had left his companion 
 he found him on his knees by the deer, offering up 
 fervent thanks for their miraculous preservation. 
 
CHAPTER II 
 
 Close by the famous battle-ground of Naseby there 
 babbles forth a tiny rivulet, which ripples o er the 
 pebbles and seeks the larger rocks beneath. Its 
 gentle murmur is changed to joyous laughter as it 
 splashes on its way, with ever-broadening current, 
 forming, long ere it reaches the borders of North 
 amptonshire, a mighty river-bed, whose waters flow 
 on with majestic sweep and many a graceful turn 
 through Warwickshire, Worcester and Gloucester, 
 past the towns of Rugby, Warwick, Stratford and 
 Evesham ; and whose noble stream empties itself into 
 the muddy Severn at Tewksbury. It is the historic 
 Avon. It divides the County Warwick in two irreg 
 ular sections. The region to the north, covered with 
 majestic woods, the dwelling-places of innumerable 
 wild birds and animals of the forest, is named Arden ; 
 while to the south, stretching away as far as the eye 
 can reach, the level meads of Feldon furnish rich 
 pasture to the lowing herds that are constantly at 
 graze on their fertile soil. 
 
 The mail road and the Queen s highway from 
 Chester to London crosses the Avon at the ancient 
 ford, which was spanned centuries ago by Hugh 
 Clopton s magnificent bridge of fourteen enormous 
 
24 The Romance of Gentle Will 
 
 arches, through which may be seen the picturesque 
 gables and the pretty streets of the ancient town of 
 Stratford. 
 
 The purlieus of the forest of Arden are held in 
 free usage by the tenants of the shire, though the 
 park proper is set aside to the Crown, and innumera 
 ble keepers enforce Her Majesty s laws, and see that 
 the yeomanry do not o erstray their proper bounds. 
 
 For long after the wholesome lesson taught them 
 by their narrow escape from the judgment of the 
 wrathful Queen, young Master Shakespeare and his 
 man, John Hallam, confined their rambles to the 
 banks of the Avon and the borders of the forest, and 
 if they hunted game, were careful to keep within the 
 confines of the law. 
 
 Their bows were frequently left behind, and many 
 a day was spent contentedly lying under the trees on 
 the shore of the beautiful river and recounting 
 their impressions of the wonderful event that had 
 engraved itself so deeply upon their youthful brains, 
 and discussing the various personages in Elizabeth s 
 train. 
 
 Full many a sigh the young man heaved at 
 thought of the royal maid who had so bravely inter 
 fered to save his neck, and one pleasant afternoon 
 as John sat fishing on the river bank his master paced 
 restlessly o er the soft turf, occasionally frowning 
 and muttering to himself. At length he turned 
 upon the yokel with an eager query : 
 
 "John, dost think I will ever set eyes on her 
 again?" 
 
Roger "Under Cover" 25 
 
 "Who? The Queen?" grunted John, as he 
 eagerly awaited the result of a promising nibble at 
 his newly baited hook. 
 
 "No, stupid ; her beautiful maid of honour, whom 
 we have to thank for our presence here to-day." 
 
 "How should I know, Master Willum? You 
 have frightened the fishes with your gabbling, and 
 we will like return empty-handed. You are sure 
 bewitched with her prettiness. Ur be ever on your 
 tongue." 
 
 "Oh, never mind the fish. Did you ever see a 
 play-actor, John?" 
 
 "Nay, but I have heard tell of their doings. They 
 must be most wondrous folk." 
 
 "I did witness a production once at Oxford, John ; 
 my father went there on some business of the wool, 
 and I accompanied him ; it was the mayor s show, 
 and I will ne er forget its fascination. I remember 
 as though it were yesterday the speech and gestures 
 of the famous actors." 
 
 "Aye, master, tis said they image gnomes and 
 fairies, and in their private doings are even unlike 
 common folk." 
 
 "They are a people to themselves, John. They 
 live in an atmosphere of romance which sweetens 
 and attunes their daily lives. Ah! Would I 
 belonged to their guild! I feel that I might e en 
 become a famous man in time, but it is not to be 
 thought of. They say that it does take most power 
 ful influence at court to become attached to their 
 merry crew in even the most humble station. The 
 lords and ladies are their patrons, and they rub 
 
26 The Romance of Gentle Will 
 
 shoulders with the nobility when they do play at 
 Windsor. Tis hinted that some few are e en of 
 noble birth." 
 
 "You will see many of them, Master Willum, 
 when you go to London to pursue your studies." 
 
 "No doubt, John. No doubt I will. But I am 
 all in a fear and tremble at thought of visiting the 
 great city. One moment I would go and the next 
 my heart sinks within me at prospect of leaving the 
 greenwood and our beloved river. Then again I 
 am on fire with eagerness, for I will study the 
 languages and learn the latest modes of composition 
 and of etiquette, and in time I may become a tutor 
 of these arts, and earn fair income in the instruction 
 of the neighboring youths." 
 
 He threw himself on his back on the green sward 
 and lay thus for long, his thoughts carrying him in 
 fancied flights to the realms of the unreal and into 
 the company of the dwellers of stage-land. John 
 reclined on his elbow, blinking lazily, forgetful of 
 the fish, the river, and the woods; the only vision 
 that disturbed his mind being the anticipation of a 
 hearty supper upon their return. 
 
 Suddenly young Shakespeare arose and struck an 
 attitude before the astonished man-servant. 
 
 "Listen, John," he said; "I have thought up some 
 lines anent our river. Tell me if they fall pleasantly 
 on thine ear." 
 
 With the rays of the sinking sun lighting his 
 handsome face, and with gestures of exquisite grace 
 as his accompaniment, he began : 
 
Roger "Under Cover" 27 
 
 "Lovely Avon, 
 Gently flowing 
 
 Neath thy drooping willows green; 
 Tween thy banks 
 The sunset glowing 
 On thy bosom s silver sheen. 
 Cool retreats 
 For patient anglers 
 Dot thy undulating shore ; 
 Countless fowl, 
 In wooing couples, 
 Skim thy placid surface o er. 
 
 "In thy sylvan 
 Shaded purlieus 
 Timid harts, a-tremble stand, 
 Fearsome of 
 The cruel poacher s 
 Arrow and death-dealing hand. 
 When the shadows 
 Steal upon thee, 
 Silent, they approach thy brink, 
 Noble antlers 
 Bowing o er thee, 
 Suaging thirst in cooling drink. 
 
 "Life is ever 
 Like thy current, 
 Flowing onward to the sea ; 
 Deeps and narrows, 
 Pools and shallows 
 Ending in Eternity. 
 Noble Avon, 
 Mighty lesson 
 To the frivolous and gay, 
 Steadfast ever, 
 Fickle never, 
 Faith in thy appointed way." 
 
 As he finished, he stood with hand uplifted, and 
 looked at John, who sat with mouth hung open, 
 enthralled by the rhythm of his master s poetry. 
 
28 The Romance of Gentle Will 
 
 "Well, lad, what is your judgment? Is it an apt 
 description ?" asked the youth. 
 
 "Ah, master, your head is ever filled with beau 
 tiful verses. Surely no play-actor could recite or 
 make them better." 
 
 "Your commendation is pleasing, John. If I 
 could have such as you ever for my audiences my 
 fame might be assured. But there are critics in this 
 world who do but make or mar a man, and tis said 
 their favour is most hard to gain. But I will soon 
 unsatisfy myself with this dreaming. Let us get 
 back to earth again and wend our way homeward 
 ere the deepening shadows plunge the woods in 
 darkness." 
 
 John picked up his pole and the lads set out briskly 
 on their journey home. By the time they reached 
 the highway the twilight was draping the forest in 
 its somber mantle, and they stopped for a moment 
 to draw breath ere proceeding on the final stage. 
 As they were about to resume their march they were 
 startled suddenly by the sound of a deep groan, 
 which apparently issued from a clump of brush at 
 the side of the road. They grasped each other in 
 their terror, while they felt the hair rise upon their 
 heads. 
 
 "Tis a Wull o the Wisp/ whispered John. 
 " Twould draw us into its clutches out of pity for 
 its plight." 
 
 "Nay, John," said his master, "methinks it has 
 a human sound ; let us be wary." 
 
 Again the groan was repeated, and young Shakes 
 peare hesitated no longer, but shaking off John s 
 
Roger "Under Cover" 29 
 
 restraining clutch, plunged into the bushes, and in 
 a moment called loudly for his companion to attend 
 him. 
 
 The yokel, reassured, hastened to his master s 
 side, and found him bending over the figure of a 
 man who lay in a semi-conscious state a few yards 
 from the side of the road. In the dim light they 
 saw a deep gash on the man s temple, from which 
 the blood was oozing, and the features, such as could 
 be seen through a scraggly growth of beard, were 
 turned a deathly white. 
 
 "John, he is sorely wounded. I doubt if we can 
 revive him. Is there any water left in your flagon ?" 
 
 "Aye, master, tis half full," answered John, hand 
 ing Shakespeare the bottle. 
 
 The youth dashed part of its contents in the 
 injured man s face, and forcing the neck of the flask 
 between his lips, poured the balance into his mouth. 
 He gasped and coughed weakly, and presently his 
 eyes opened, and he endeavored to raise his body to 
 his elbow, sputtering and gagging to rid himself of 
 the reviving fluid. 
 
 "Faith, tis a bad business," said he, in a weak 
 voice. "Who may you be, young masters, and 
 where do I lie in this sorry plight ?" 
 
 "On the Arden road, hard by the town of Strat 
 ford," answered Will Shakespeare. "How came you 
 in this distress ? Were you fallen upon by highway 
 men?" 
 
 "Nay. I had a tussle with two of the Queen s 
 mounted keepers, and broke one fellow s head with 
 my hanger. I leapt upon his horse and galloped off 
 as though the Devil were after me, but his com- 
 
30 The Romance of Gentle Will 
 
 panion was too much concerned with the other s 
 difficulty, and I got away beautifully, and was laugh 
 ing to myself at thought of their beefy figures riding 
 double, when my spavined nag stumbled in a rut 
 in the highway, and I flew off over his head and 
 remember nothing more until I saw your friendly 
 faces, and felt your beastly liquor trickling down 
 my parched throat." 
 
 "Why, twas nothing but pure water," said 
 Shakespeare, "from John Hallam s flagon." 
 
 "Aye. I repeat, tis beastly. Water rots your 
 jack-boots, what will it do to your stomach?" he 
 growled, as he weakly sank back on the turf. "Oh ! 
 if I had a foaming tankard of ale now, I d soon be 
 on my legs again." 
 
 "My man will assist you to your feet, and together 
 we may guide you to my father s house, where you 
 can find a retreat until your wound is healed." 
 
 The man turned his head toward the youth, and 
 his eyes opened in wonderment. 
 
 "Young sir," he said, "you are of a confiding 
 nature. You go my warrant without questioning 
 who or what I am." 
 
 " Tis enough that you are badly wounded and in 
 need of immediate attention/ said the lad, as he 
 bound his kerchief round the poor fellow s throbbing 
 brow. 
 
 "Natheless, I will not so ill reward your kindness. 
 My name is Roger Covert, though I am better 
 known to my boon companions by the title of Roger 
 Under Cover, in consequence of my many secret 
 escapades and dare-devil exploits, though I have 
 always succeeded in obscuring my identity and thus 
 
Roger "Under Cover" 31 
 
 escaping the consequences of my acts. Of late, 
 however, I have fallen upon evil fortune. Three 
 months back I belonged to Sir Walter Raleigh s 
 company of guardsmen, and ruffled it with the 
 bravest of them. But the wine-cup got the best of 
 me, and after repeatedly warning me, my captain at 
 last stripped me of my uniform and turned me out 
 of the service. The taverns soon absorbed my 
 meager stock of coin ; I became ragged and desperate 
 and was like to have starved were it not for my 
 poaching on the Queen s preserves, in which act I 
 have but now come so near to losing my liberty and 
 life. I am a rogue, a vagabond, what you will, but 
 Roger Covert has never yet violated a friend s 
 hospitality. You had best leave me to my fate." 
 His eyes closed and he sighed wearily, too far gone 
 to care if life or death claimed him. 
 
 "Nay, my man, twould be inhuman. But you 
 have spoken overmuch for one in your condition. 
 We must get you to the house as soon as possible." 
 
 So saying, with John s help he lifted Covert to 
 his feet ; but the wounded guardsman was so weak 
 ened by the loss of blood that this sudden exertion 
 caused him to reel and fall in a dead faint in 
 Hallam s arms. Although he was a man of more 
 than medium height, and of sturdy build, the giant 
 yokel lifted him up as though he were a child, and 
 calling to his master to hurry on and prepare a 
 resting-place for their patient, he strode swiftly 
 along the highway, nor paused to rest until he had 
 deposited his burden on a mattress in John Shake 
 speare s abode. 
 
32 The Romance of Gentle Will 
 
 A raging fever ensued as a result of the wound, 
 and for a fortnight Roger Covert tossed upon his 
 couch, and his life trembled in the balance. In his 
 ravings he was back with his old comrades under 
 Raleigh, and his faithful nurses, William and the 
 serving-man, heard fragments of many strange 
 adventures that fell from his unknowing lips. At 
 one time he fought a duel with rapiers in the dim 
 morning light, at another he held secret meeting 
 with some dainty damsel of the court; again, at the 
 Mermaid Inn, he joined his companions in drinking- 
 bouts and swaggering tales of conquests in the town. 
 
 All this Shakespeare drank in with eager ears, and 
 envied the fellow his knowledge of London and the 
 court, while a half- formed plan, which he hardly 
 dared to foster, took root in his brain. 
 
 At last the fever broke and Roger Covert lay on 
 his bed, a shadowy wreck of a man, but with the 
 light of reason in his eyes. As he gradually con 
 valesced he became strangely quiet, and answered 
 the questions of his watchers with a nod of his head 
 or a reply in monosyllables. 
 
 At the end of a month he was on his feet and able 
 to walk about the grounds. His health and strength 
 were fast returning and he determined to encroach 
 no longer on the hospitality of his benefactors. He 
 was debating how to slip away without seeming too 
 ungrateful, when he saw William and his father 
 approaching him, while the young man was dis 
 coursing eagerly, and evidently pleading for some 
 concession from his parent. 
 
 "Master Covert," said John Shakespeare," you 
 have been in London, my lad informs me." 
 
Roger "Under Cover" 33 
 
 "Full many a time, kind sir, and it is a most noble 
 city." 
 
 "Are you acquaint with one John Florio, a teacher 
 of the languages ?" 
 
 "A famous scholar. I know him by reputation 
 only." 
 
 "William journeys to London next month to place 
 himself under the tutelage of this noted instructor. 
 He had intended taking John Hallam with him as 
 his serving-man, but since your advent in our house 
 hold he has been beseeching me to engage you as 
 his squire, and has been dinning your praises in my 
 ears. What think you? Would it content you to 
 serve him in such capacity?" 
 
 "Master Shakespeare, your kindness overwhelms 
 me. I am a roystering vagabond, a lack-wit, a 
 bibulous knave, unfit to keep him company, and by 
 reason of this late begotten scar, too villainous of 
 feature to ride in his fair presence." 
 
 "Withal, Master Covert, there is an honest twinkle 
 in your eye, and I think we may depend upon your 
 faith. How say you now ? Do you accept or no ?" 
 
 "With all my heart ! and if ever honest man arose 
 from swaggering villain, such transformation will 
 now ensue. By my knowledge of the pot-houses 
 and drinking-dens of wicked London, I will keep 
 him free of them; by my gratitude to a country 
 squire for his helping hand to an ill-deserving 
 wretch, I will serve him faithfully; I will see that 
 he is neither cheated nor abused, I will ride with 
 him, I will carry for him, and I will fight for him, 
 Master Shakespeare, if need arise; and if ever it be 
 his fortune to come to court, through my knowledge 
 
34 The Romance of Gentle Will 
 
 of the weaknesses of many of the noble lords and 
 ladies I may yet do him a good turn." 
 
 "Spoken like a man, Roger Covert, and here is 
 my hand to our bargain." 
 
 The dishonoured guardsman bent low to hide his 
 tears of gratitude, as their hands met in a hearty 
 clasp, and William could scarcely conceal his delight 
 at the happy achievement of his hopes. 
 
 They were soon deeply engrossed in discussing 
 their plans for the future, and Roger was holding 
 forth on the advantages of equipping themselves 
 lightly as to clothing and purse, and heavily as to 
 weapons of defense while on the road, in view of the 
 attacks of plundering highwaymen, when they were 
 most strenuously interrupted by weird and blatant 
 noises that arose from the neighborhood of the 
 kitchen. 
 
 They ran thence in great alarm, and threw open 
 the door, only to see John Hallam sitting in the 
 middle of the floor and blubbering as if his heart 
 would break, for the poor fellow had overheard his 
 master s conversation with Roger, and the realiza 
 tion that he would have to forego the coveted trip 
 to London was the first real sorrow that he had ever 
 experienced in all his simple life. 
 
CHAPTER III 
 AN INCIDENT ON THE OLD ROMAN ROAD 
 
 The Romans, in their early occupation of England, 
 unwittingly constructed, in the shape of broad high 
 ways and wide road-beds, more lasting monuments 
 to their undying fame and the extent of their con 
 quests than any of the miraculous works of art that 
 grace the Pantheon, or after being covered by cen 
 turies of ooze at the bottom of the ancient River 
 Tiber, have been brought to light, in crumbling 
 fragments, by the efforts of the modern archaeologist. 
 Even to the present day these marvelous ways, in 
 perfect state of preservation, traverse the Isle in 
 many directions, and no doubt will furnish to ages 
 of posterity easy methods of travel through the 
 fertile shires. 
 
 In Warwickshire, the very heart of the Midlands, 
 is formed the junction of three of these great roads, 
 the arms of two of them extending from Dover to 
 Chester on the one side, and from Totmes to Lincoln 
 on the other, while the southern road runs through 
 Stratford, and across the great Avon Bridge, thence 
 southeast, fording many lesser streams, but stretch 
 ing steadily onward until it reaches its terminus, the 
 Queen s great city of London. 
 
36 The Romance of Gentle Will 
 
 One gray morning, late in the month of Septem 
 ber, two horsemen set forth from the town of Strat 
 ford and took the southern road. They walked their 
 horses over the arches of the Clopton Bridge, and 
 arriving at its middle span, halted and turned in 
 their saddles, looking back at the picturesque village, 
 and at the humble home, in front of which John and 
 Mistress Shakespeare and the faithful John Hallam 
 were waving them a sad farewell. They doffed 
 their caps, then turned and spurred their horses on, 
 and several miles had sped behind them ere either 
 felt inclined to break the silence. 
 
 They were well mounted. The elder man, who 
 was our friend Roger Covert, was plainly attired in 
 brown jerkin and hose, with cap of the same color, 
 in which was jauntily fastened a white cock s feather. 
 A heavy sword dangled at his side and in his belt 
 were stuck two monstrous pistols, which he had 
 insisted upon purchasing when they were outfitting 
 for the journey. He bestrode a large black horse 
 whose deep chest and clean-cut limbs gave evidence 
 of much speed and endurance. His companion and 
 master, young Will Shakespeare, was dressed in a 
 suit of silver gray, and rode a roan horse of smaller 
 body though no less swift-footed than Covert s steed. 
 He wore a rapier, which seemed rather for show 
 than defense, and a single-barreled pistol was stuck 
 in the holster of his saddle. 
 
 They had skirted Edge Hill and had crossed the 
 boundary of Warwickshire, when Roger laid his 
 hand upon his master s rein and drew the galloping 
 horses to a trot. 
 
An Incident on the Old Roman Road 37 
 
 \ 
 
 "Master Will," said he, "a swift start makes a 
 long journey. We must proceed at a more even 
 gait or the horses will be spent ere the first stage is 
 ended." 
 
 "I was far away in the kingdom of my thoughts, 
 Roger, and I noted not how fast we sped. I was 
 wondering how I would fare in busy London, and 
 my mind dwelt also on the forest of Arden where I 
 spent so many happy hours. I fear a country-bred 
 youth like myself will be sadly out of place midst 
 the culture and graces of a great city." 
 
 "Nay, Master Will, you lack but one quality to 
 make you a famous courtier. You are handsome 
 of feature and form and bear yourself most grace 
 fully, and have a gentle manner, but that very gentle 
 ness is your own worst enemy. Tis the overbear 
 ing, ruffling, swaggering gentleman of fortune that 
 wins high place near the person of the Queen. The 
 timid gallant is soon drowned in the sea of his own 
 modesty. You must cultivate a bluffer manner, 
 which I ve no doubt you ll do ere six months of 
 London environment have passed, and I warrant 
 you that you ll pass muster with the best of them." 
 
 "You fill me with strange hopes, Roger. If only 
 at some future day I might become attached to the 
 royal court, and be of some slight service to the 
 Queen, I would be proud indeed. Ah! you must 
 have had many encounters and love passages with 
 the fair ladies of the royal household." 
 
 f Twere hardly a common guardsman s privilege 
 to aspire so high," answered Covert, "but in my 
 time, I warrant you, I have set a-flutter the hearts 
 and hopes of a few dainty damsels of lower station. 
 
38 The Romance of Gentle Will 
 
 There was one, however, a certain Anne Holcombe, 
 but recently appointed as laundress to the Queen, a 
 beauty with rosy cheeks and flashing eyes, and lips 
 ah ! that I might sip the honey of those ruby lips ! 
 I was sore smitten and she favored me bove all 
 others of the guard, and I was well encouraged to 
 press my suit, when my own captain unsuited me, 
 and in disgrace I left the court. I think there is a 
 tenderness in her heart for me even yet, and if ever 
 fate does throw me in royal company again, I will 
 lay bold siege to the citadel of her love. Heigho ! 
 we had best look -alive, or all our simmering hopes 
 will be let out of our carcasses by the bullet of some 
 plundering highwayman." 
 
 "Do they infest this part of the countryside, 
 Roger?" asked Shakespeare as he glanced timidly 
 over his shoulder. 
 
 "Aye. They come and go. Dost see that moss- 
 grown oak hard by the roadside?" he asked as he 
 pointed to a giant tree some forty rods ahead. 
 " Twas the favourite pillaging place of a robber 
 whom they called Trotting Dick. He would calmly 
 await his victims behind its trunk, and as a coach 
 containing some rich and gouty merchant and his 
 women- folk would approach, he d ride him forth, 
 and with pistol at aim would compel the frightened 
 post-boys to rein up their nags. With many a jibe 
 for the gent and a courteous jest for the ladies, he 
 would relieve them of their wealth, and tis said no 
 hiding-place was sacred to him. With sweeping 
 gesture and low bow to the dames he would thank 
 them for their charity, and mounting his horse 
 would trot slowly away, until lost to sight in the 
 
An Incident on the Old Roman Road 39 
 
 dust of the highway, and never once would deign 
 to turn his head, though many a shot was fired after 
 him by his angry prey. Jack Ketch got him at last, 
 through this same failing of his, and though he was 
 badly wounded, he was made to ripen as fruit of the 
 gallows-tree." 
 
 As they passed the oak Shakespeare shuddered 
 and half expected to see some ale-blown knight of the 
 road ride forth ; but nothing occurred to disturb the 
 harmony of the scene and they rode on and on, past 
 many a pretty hamlet and lonely farm, while Roger 
 entertained him with stories of the road and showed 
 him many points of historic interest, which he 
 viewed with eager eyes. 
 
 They were yet some dozen miles from the town 
 of Chipping, when Shakespeare s horse stumbled 
 and pulled up somewhat lame. 
 
 Roger dismounted, and found a stone in the 
 animal s hoof, which he removed; and as he knelt 
 for a moment in the dust, saw something that caused 
 him to give a low whistle of surprise. 
 
 "What ails you, Roger ?" asked the youth. 
 
 "See, Master Will, the broad marks in the road 
 way. Some gallant coach has passed within the 
 hour. I wonder who of the nobility does ride 
 abroad. The wide imprint of the wheels bespeaks 
 a heavy equipage." 
 
 He remounted, and they rode slowly forward and 
 up a long rise that led to the summit of a rocky knoll. 
 Just as they reached the top the loud report of a 
 pistol fell upon their ears and startled their horses, 
 and as they looked down the road, which fell in a 
 rapid incline to the valley below, they saw a splendid 
 
40 The Romance of Gentle Will 
 
 coach and four, one of whose leaders lay upon the 
 ground in a snorting and kicking heap, while his 
 companions had become sadly entangled in the traces 
 in their struggles to avoid his hoofs. A villainous- 
 appearing horseman held a pistol at the head of the 
 foremost post-boy while his two ruffianly companions 
 reined their horses up at the door of the coach. 
 
 With Roger Covert to witness was to act, and 
 with a mighty shout of "To the rescue!" he drew a 
 pistol from his belt, sank spurs into his horse s flanks, 
 and thundered madly down the hill. Shakespeare s 
 horse followed of his own accord an instant later, 
 for the youth was too alarmed to know what he did, 
 and soon was close upon his companion s flying heels. 
 
 Ere the robbers realized that reinforcements had 
 arrived the rescuers were upon them, and, with a 
 furious oath, Roger discharged his pistol at their 
 leader s head. The ball sped true and he dropped, 
 a mass of carrion in the roadway. His companions, 
 at sight of this disaster, turned tail and fled at full 
 speed on the highway, with their riderless horse 
 rushing after them in a panic of fear. 
 
 Roger thrust his smoking pistol in Shakespeare s 
 hand, and saying, "Await me here, Master Will," 
 drew his sword and galloped in pursuit of the fleeing 
 villains. 
 
 As the youth sat his horse, too perplexed to reckon 
 on his future movements, the heavy door of the 
 coach swung open, and an elegant gentleman stepped 
 out upon the roadway. He was tall, of command 
 ing presence, and his curling brown locks, small 
 mustachio and pointed beard, barbered in the latest 
 style affected at court, and his clothing of rich silken 
 
An Incident on the Old Roman Road 41 
 
 texture, heavily bedecked with embroidery and rare 
 lace, proclaimed him to be of the nobility. He 
 seemed to be scarce thirty-five years old, though in 
 truth he was near fifty. He advanced toward the 
 lad, a kindly light shining in his eye, and holding 
 out his hand, he addressed his rescuer : 
 
 "Young master, I owe you my life," he said, "and 
 offer you a thousand thanks for your opportune 
 arrival and your brave rescue. Methinks those 
 rascals had greater designs upon me than the mere 
 pillage of my purse. There are one or two of my 
 friends at court would give a pretty penny to have 
 me removed from their path. But indeed you are 
 a gallant youth, the odds were long against you." 
 
 "Noble sir," said the lad, " twas not my hand 
 that compassed their confusion. Their flight was 
 due to the bravery of my companion, who still pur 
 sues the two escaping thieves." 
 
 * Pon my faith you have a seemly modesty." 
 
 "I have more fear than modesty, my Lord, for I 
 am all of a tremble at our narrow escape." 
 
 "And a courtly wit," smiled the nobleman. "I 
 would there were more like you at the court of the 
 Protestant Queen. First you, a mere stripling, do 
 let out the brains of a pothering varlet, and then you 
 do most strenuously deny the deed, though you still 
 hold the smoking weapon in your hand." 
 
 "Nay, sir; Covert killed the man," protested the 
 boy. 
 
 "Tut ! tut ! Let us drop the farce. You ve saved 
 my life and shall not go unrewarded. Whither do 
 you journey?" 
 
42 The Romance of Gentle Will 
 
 "To London, sir, to pursue my studies with 
 Master Florio." 
 
 "A worthy teacher, patronized by the nobility. 
 What is your name?" 
 
 "Master William Shakespeare; at your service, 
 sir." 
 
 "Well, Master Shakespeare, belike I may do you 
 a good turn some day. Can you keep a trust ?" 
 
 "If you command me, sir." 
 
 "Then, my lad, you must first know that I am 
 Lord Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester. Nay, nay ! 
 my lad, keep on your cap. I am at the head of an 
 organization banded together for the purpose of 
 protecting the person of Her Royal Highness from 
 the attacks of conspirators. Some of the mightiest 
 nobles of England are in my ranks. At the court 
 a score of our company attend the Queen s every 
 movement, though without exciting the suspicions 
 of the ignorant courtiers. Our agents are dis 
 tributed throughout the broad land, and many an 
 incipient plot is nipped in the bud, and the intending 
 assassins executed without understanding how they 
 were discovered. Two persons only, the Queen and 
 myself, hold the power of conferring membership. 
 .Twill promote your interest mightily to be within 
 our ranks if you should ever come to court. What 
 say you? Will you join us?" 
 
 Master Shakespeare nigh fell off his horse in his 
 joy at his good fortune. 
 
 "My Lord," said he, "it is a great honour for one 
 so humble. But I fear my studies will suffer in 
 consequence." 
 
An Incident on the Old Roman Road 43 
 
 "Nay, you need only to keep your ears open. We 
 will not require active service of you; you have 
 already served your Queen in saving my life to-day." 
 
 He then administered an oath of secrecy to 
 Shakespeare, and continued : 
 
 "Our society is called the Order of the Mailed 
 Hand, and our watchword is The Queen s Life/ 
 By our rules we are all equal. In this brotherhood 
 of ours you will rank with the highest noble on its 
 roll." He removed a jeweled badge from his wide 
 collar, and showed it to the lad. "This is our 
 insignia," he said. "See, the gauntlet-encased hand 
 grasping the wrist of the naked one which holds an 
 unsheathed dagger. So we will ward off, if need 
 be, the attacks of vile plotters upon our Queen. 
 Tis a pretty bauble, and the unknowing ones will 
 credit its possession to your vanity. Wear it always, 
 my lad. It may carry you to many a high place, 
 and through deadly peril, and your comrades will 
 ever extend you a welcome and helping hand." 
 
 As he finished he stepped to the youth s side and 
 pinned the token upon his sleeve, laughing merrily 
 at the profuse thanks of the grateful recipient. 
 
 Meanwhile the post-boys had, with considerable 
 difficulty, straightened out the tangled trappings, 
 had unhitched the horses from the coach, tying them 
 to trees at the side of the road, and dragged the dead 
 animal off the highway. They went through the 
 lifeless robber s pouch, which, to their disgust, was 
 empty, and they tumbled him unceremoniously into a 
 ditch, after one of them had secured his pistol. 
 
 As Leicester turned his eye upon them they were 
 looking ruefully at the three horses, and wondering 
 
44 The Romance of Gentle Will 
 
 how they were to continue their journey without 
 abandoning the heavy coach. 
 
 "This is indeed a predicament," said the Earl. 
 "If we could only get to Chipping I would rest over 
 a day and procure fresh horses. I am loath to 
 abandon my conveyance." 
 
 "Take my horse, and welcome, my Lord/ said 
 Shakespeare. "My companion, I hope, will soon 
 overtake us, and we may resume our journey at the 
 town." 
 
 "If I mistake not, he is coming now," said Dudley, 
 screening his eyes and pointing to where a cloud of 
 dust was appearing over the top of the knoll. "And 
 may the pest seize me, but he has captured a prize!" 
 he shouted joyfully, as Roger hove in sight, gallop 
 ing hard and leading the dead highwayman s horse 
 by his bridle. 
 
 As he drew rein in front of the coach he leapt to 
 the ground, and as, for the first time, he caught 
 sight of the nobleman s face, he jerked his cap from 
 his head and stood speechless in the road. 
 
 Dudley looked at him for a moment with a twinkle 
 in his eye. 
 
 "You are that hero upon whom our young friend 
 places all the credit of this adventure. Have we not 
 met before, in different surroundings?" 
 
 Roger Covert hung his head, but answered not. 
 
 "Methinks the last time I laid eyes upon you was 
 some three months gone, when I saw Walter Raleigh 
 strip the Queen s uniform from your back. Do I 
 speak truth?" 
 
 "Yes, my Lord," was the humble answer. 
 
An Incident on the Old Roman Road 45 
 
 "And since then your beauty has not increased; 
 you have a most wicked scar. Dost still adhere to 
 thy love for the flowing bowl ?" 
 
 "My Lord, my throat has been as barren of liquor 
 as the desert is of moisture, since entering Master 
 Shakespeare s service." 
 
 "He speaks truth, my Lord," said the lad. 
 
 "Covert," continued his Lordship, "I held thee a 
 drunken scoundrel, but now I know that you are a 
 brave man. When your young master can spare 
 you, come to me and I will use my influence with 
 Sir Walter to have you reinstated in your old com 
 pany of the guards. Tis wonderful what change 
 a lapse from prosperity may work in a man." 
 
 Roger stammered his thanks, and would have 
 fallen upon his knees and kissed the noble s hand, 
 but Leicester waved him away, saying : 
 
 "Reserve your devotions for the damsels of the 
 court. We will trade our patronage for your prize. 
 Is it a bargain? My intercession with Raleigh in 
 exchange for the horse." 
 
 He laughingly took the animal s bridle, and calling 
 one of the post-boys, ordered him to hitch it in the 
 dead one s place, and to make haste, that they might 
 resume their journey. 
 
 "You may attend us as far as the town," he said, 
 turning to Shakespeare, "where I will rest me for a 
 time. No doubt you will be eager to push on to 
 London from there. I will go by slower stages, and 
 I hope that, in case of another attack by highway 
 men, I will be equally fortunate in the appearance 
 of a rescuing party. Though I will take warning 
 and double my guard." As he turned to enter the 
 
46 The Romance of Gentle Will 
 
 waiting coach he stepped close to Will Shakespeare, 
 and whispered a brief sentence in his ear, "For The 
 Queen s Life, " then with a laugh he crossed the 
 step and shut the heavy door, and soon the party was 
 moving briskly along toward the old town. 
 
 When they arrived at Chipping the post-boys 
 guided their horses to the royal hostelry, and Leices 
 ter invited his companions to rest and refresh them 
 selves ere they continued their journey. He bade 
 them a hearty farewell, and left them in the tap 
 room, going upstairs to an apartment that had been 
 prepared in expectation of his arrival, and where a 
 bounteous repast was soon conveyed to him. 
 
 As Shakespeare and Covert sat at a table and 
 regaled themselves with foaming ale and a delicious 
 pasty, Roger caught sight of the jewel that adorned 
 his master s arm. He said nothing at first, but 
 finally his curiosity got the best of him. 
 
 "Where got you the pretty medal, Master Will? 
 Did Robert Dudley give it to you ?" 
 
 "Aye, as a mark of his favour/ answered the lad, 
 as he saw that the badge had no significance in his 
 companion s eyes. 
 
 "Ah, Master Shakespeare, this morning s work 
 was a lucky stroke of business for both of us. Tis 
 a rare and wonderful thing to be under the patronage 
 of the Queen s favourite." 
 
CHAPTER IV 
 THE DOMICIL OF FLORIO 
 
 When they had stayed their stomachs, and had 
 given their faithful horses a measure of oats, 
 Shakespeare and Roger Covert gaily set forth upon 
 the road, letting their steeds have free rein while they 
 discussed their wonderful encounter with the robbers, 
 of which their heads and hearts were full. 
 
 "Ah, Master Will, it was marvelous the way you 
 let daylight into the highwayman s skull," laughed 
 Roger, slyly winking at his companion. "I warned 
 you once that you were too modest ; you should have 
 taken full credit for the deed." 
 
 "And in that case what would have become of 
 your appointment in Sir Walter s guards?" quickly 
 retorted Shakespeare. 
 
 "Aye, tis true enough, Master Will. You have 
 me there. I will plague you no more, but will most 
 humbly tender my thanks for your honesty, and 
 crave your pardon for my forwardness." 
 
 " Tis freely granted, Roger. Twas a lucky hap 
 pening when we found you wounded by the road, 
 for what would have fared me to-day were John 
 Hallam my squire? I cannot bear to think on it. 
 I can see the poor booby dropping off his horse at 
 sound of the pistol, and falling on his knees in the 
 
48 The Romance of Gentle Will 
 
 dust to say his prayers, while I dare not picture my 
 own fright. I was sadly demoralized until you set 
 me a pattern by your ready wit and your brave rush 
 to the rescue." 
 
 "I simply followed the old motto of my company, 
 He who strikes first wins the day/ and gave the 
 varlets no time to prepare against our onset." 
 
 They rode on in peace until late in the afternoon, 
 when they saw the spires and gables of Oxford in 
 the distance. 
 
 "We will rest there to-night," said Roger, "and 
 I trust we may find accommodation for ourselves 
 and horses. I will spur me on ahead, that I may 
 arrange for it with mine host of the inn." 
 
 He galloped forward swiftly, and Shakespeare 
 followed at a leisurely pace. As he rode up to the 
 tavern he heard loud voices in angry debate, and 
 saw several handsome steeds tethered to the hitch- 
 ing-post. 
 
 "Confound you, old pottle-nose !" he heard Covert 
 shout, "I care not how many earls or churls you have 
 under your roof. I seek accommodation for an 
 honest gentleman and his servant, and, by the gods, 
 you ll squeeze us in, and give us a capon and a 
 bumper, or I ll spit you on my good sword, you 
 reeking wine-sop, and baste you in your own ale 
 over the kitchen fire !" 
 
 "Ho, ho ! Not so fast, young fire-eater," said the 
 fat and waddling landlord ; "it takes two to make a 
 bargain. I ve told you my house is full. What ho ! 
 inside there ! I ll set the earl s attendants upon you 
 and have you soundly drubbed and run out of the 
 township." 
 
The Domicil of Florio 49 
 
 At sound of his clatter a handsome young lad 
 appeared in the doorway, holding a mug of ale in 
 his hand, and smacking his lips, while three burly 
 soldiers followed at his heels. 
 
 "What the Devil is the meaning of all this 
 babbling, landlord? I thought you were being 
 eaten alive by the way you bawled and sputtered." 
 
 "Your Grace," said the inn-keeper, bowing low, 
 "this surly fellow insists upon being* bedded and 
 boarded, though I have assured him thrice that my 
 house is full. Set your men upon him, that we may 
 be rid of his presence." 
 
 "That would be a trifle severe, Master Weaver. 
 Let him go his way in peace; though stay, if he 
 would sleep upon the floor we might spare him a 
 bite and a sup from our table." 
 
 At this the landlord cringed and bowed, and 
 Shakespeare rode hastily forward, saying: 
 
 "We crave no better fare, sir, and will be grateful 
 indeed if we may be allowed to rest here over night, 
 as we resume our journey at sunrise." 
 
 During his speech the young nobleman had been 
 eyeing him curiously, and as a ray of the setting sun 
 fell athwart his sleeve, he dropped his ale-cup and 
 rushed forward, seizing Will by the hand as he said 
 in a low voice, "I see that you ride also for The 
 Queen s Life, and secretly turning back a fold of 
 his cuff, he displayed to Shakespeare s view a 
 jeweled counterpart of Leicester s token; then turn 
 ing to the landlord, he shouted : 
 
 "Make haste, you fat varlet, and put a fresh roast 
 upon the spit, and broach a keg of your best ale. 
 
50 The Romance of Gentle Will 
 
 These are my guests and this gentleman will share 
 my own apartment over night, while his man will 
 sup with my attendants." 
 
 The travelers gladly dismounted, while the land 
 lord waddled into the tavern, shouting his orders to 
 the servants ; and a stupid choreboy ran out to look 
 after the horses. 
 
 "The charm is in truth a wonder-worker," thought 
 young Shakespeare, as he followed the lad into the 
 tavern. 
 
 An hour later they sat at table in the best room 
 of the inn, and with the healthy appetites of youth 
 discussed the savory viands of Master Weaver s 
 larder. 
 
 The young man tilted back his chair and raised a 
 foaming mug of ale on high, saying : 
 
 "My friend, I pledge thee to our better acquaint 
 ance." Then, as he tossed off the contents, he con 
 tinued, "I am Henry Wriothesley, Earl of South 
 ampton, successor to my father s title upon his 
 recent death, and on my road to London from a visit 
 to a kinsman in this neighborhood." 
 
 "And my name is William Shakespeare," said the 
 other, "of Stratford-on-Avon, and I travel also to 
 the city, where I expect to spend the next two years 
 under the roof of Master John Florio." 
 
 "By Gad, we are well met then!" shouted 
 Wriothesley, as he struck the table a sounding blow 
 with his clenched fist. " Tis the very tag ^ and 
 purpose of my own journey. My education is to 
 be completed at John Florio s hands, and you will 
 bear me company on the way, and we will be com 
 rades at the school." 
 
The Domicil of Florio 51 
 
 The happy youth jumped up from his seat and 
 capered about the room, and in the exuberance of 
 his boyish spirits fairly embraced his newly found 
 and somewhat shyer friend. 
 
 "Why, until now," he said, "I held my sojourn 
 there in deepest dread ; but we will have a merry time 
 together and somewhat atone for the rigors of our 
 daily tasks. We will find another member of our 
 society at the pedagogue s young Robert Devereux, 
 Earl of Essex. I received a post from him, telling 
 me that he was soon to go to court, as his lessons 
 were near finished, and I was bemoaning my advent 
 amongst strangers, when suddenly my gloom is 
 dissipated by your fortunate arrival." 
 
 "Even I am almost a stranger to you," said 
 Shakespeare. 
 
 "Nonsense! Do you not belong to our brother 
 hood, the strongest organization in Her Majesty s 
 realm? And that aside, your gentle features and 
 modest carriage do command the fullest limits of 
 my confidence." 
 
 "And it will not be violated, your Grace," heartily 
 responded his auditor. 
 
 "Away with all titles! I tell you we rank as 
 equals in our common cause. Hereafter you will 
 name me Henry, and I shall call you Will, and 
 for that matter I know you will far surpass me 
 in our studies at the school, for I do most mightily 
 hate the look and tone of written tablets. My head 
 is full of nature, and of the love of life and trees 
 and flowers, of pretty girls, and babbling brooks, 
 and I fear the restrictions of the school- room will 
 
52 The Romance of Gentle Will 
 
 greatly irk me, though I know I will take kindly 
 to the instruction of the foils and the duello." 
 
 "The reading of the languages will better suit 
 me," said Will. "I have long had much desire to 
 study the poetry of the Italian tongue." 
 
 "Aye, but a man must learn also to defend him 
 self if he would tarry long at court. In these days 
 of intrigue and deceit one never knows when he 
 may fall the victim of some sudden attack, that he 
 may clear the way for a jealous rival s advance to 
 fame and fortune. A ready wit and a quick eye, 
 backed up by some slight knowledge of the sword, 
 will keep a man longer alive than the foul-tasting 
 potions of a philandering chirurgeon." 
 
 "You are right, Henry," agreed his friend, "we 
 must become proficient in all the branches. The evil 
 attacks of slanderous tongues are often voided of 
 stings by adroit answers. But in case such course 
 should fail, tis well to have a good sword hand to 
 rely upon." 
 
 The lads lingered over their meal until late at 
 night, making joyous plans for the future, and it 
 was only the thought of an early start in the morn 
 ing that caused them to seek their pallets, where 
 they slept soundly until awakened by the lusty voice 
 of Covert, ere the sun had dissipated the gray shad 
 ows of the September dawn. 
 
 "Come, my masters, a steaming brew awaits you. 
 Arise and robe yourselves. We have a long stretch 
 to ride before we reach the London gate," he 
 shouted, and clattered down the stairs to feed the 
 horses and saddle them for the journey. 
 
The Domicil of Florio 53 
 
 In the uncertain morning light the party set forth 
 upon the road, the Earl and Will Shakespeare riding 
 side by side, while Roger and the young nobleman s 
 attendants followed at a respectful distance. 
 
 The day passed without further incident to break 
 the tedium of their march. They traveled slowly, 
 passing through constantly busier scenes ; stopped for 
 a brief rest at Great Marlow, and for refreshment for 
 both man and beast at Uxbridge, and traversed the 
 final stage of their journey picking their way 
 through the hurrying crowds of horsemen and foot 
 passengers that filled the road in the County Middle 
 sex, and arriving late in the afternoon at High Gate, 
 the famous portal of the great city of London. 
 
 They halted and surveyed the enormous metropo 
 lis, stretching far away to the southeast, its myriad 
 spires and gables appearing to their astounded view 
 in an endless sea of architecture. 
 
 " Tis a noble city, Will," said Wriothesley; "we 
 must inquire our way if we would find Master 
 Florio s house ere darkness falls." 
 
 "Your Grace," said Roger, touching his cap, "I 
 know it full well. John Florio s establishment is in 
 North London, hard by the Lincoln Inn, and I can 
 guide you thither." 
 
 "You are our savior," said the Earl. "Lead the 
 way." 
 
 They passed through many crooked and narrow 
 streets, at last entering upon Woburn Lane. They 
 followed its winding way, passing to the rear of the 
 famous Inn, and reining up their horses before a 
 rambling old house of two stories, having a long 
 court in the rear, the high stone wall of which was 
 
54 The Romance of Gentle Will 
 
 thickly covered with ivy and flowering vines. Mas 
 ter Florio himself answered their summons, and 
 cordially welcomed them to his abode. He was a 
 tall, dignified gentleman, somewhat past the middle 
 age. He was dressed in a simple but elegant suit 
 of black, his only adornment being the handsome 
 silver buckles of his satin knee-breeches. His iron- 
 gray moustache and pointed beard of foreign cut, 
 and the full rich tones of his melodious voice, 
 slightly tinged with an Italian accent, denoted his 
 nationality. 
 
 "Young gentlemen/ said he, "you have come in 
 the nick of time. Essex expected you ere this, Sir 
 Henry. Our classes begin to-morrow, and with 
 your arrival our complement is made. You had best 
 spend your evening, after refreshment, in meeting 
 your associates. Juliet," he called, and a handsome 
 girl of eighteen, with oval cheeks and lustrous black 
 hair and eyes ran to answer his summons. "My 
 Lord Henry Wriothesley, Earl of Southampton, 
 and Master William Shakespeare my daughter 
 Juliet, he said, pinching her fair cheek. 
 
 She curtseyed low, and the young earl stared at 
 her open-mouthed, a fierce admiration for her beauty 
 leaping to his eager eyes. 
 
 "Juliet, accompany these young sirs to the dining- 
 hall, and give orders for their service; while I will 
 provide accommodation for their servants in the 
 scullery." 
 
 As they followed the demure maiden down the 
 broad corridor, Henry grasped Shakespeare s arm, 
 whispering : 
 
The Domicil of Florio 55 
 
 "She is the breath of heaven, Will. Didst notice 
 her lovely eyes ? In their liquid depths there shines 
 the soul of an angel, and when she dropped her 
 fringing lashes as she curtseyed her greeting to us, 
 my breath near left my body in my admiration/ 
 
 "Take care, Henry, or you will lose your heart 
 before you learn her language," Will laughingly 
 whispered. 
 
 "Upon my soul, I believe I have done so already," 
 answered the Earl. "The language of love needs no 
 translation." 
 
 They entered the dining-hall, and to their sur 
 prise Juliet addressed them in English as pure as 
 their own, indicating places for them at table, and 
 leaving them with an apology as she hurried to give 
 her orders for their repast. 
 
 She had scarcely departed when there was a hasty 
 footstep at the door, and a tall and handsome youth 
 rushed in and fell upon Wriothesley, wringing his 
 hand and embracing him as he welcomed him to the 
 fold. He was about the same age as the young Earl, 
 though he looked fully as old as Will Shakespeare, 
 who was in reality three years his senior. Albeit 
 he was a good-humored lad, he lacked the bubbling 
 spirits and boyish vivacity of Henry. He was of 
 heavy build and more dignified mien, though to his 
 friends he was pleasant and steadfast ever. 
 
 When the joy of their first meeting had somewhat 
 subsided Henry remembered his companion. 
 
 "Robert," he said, "this is William Shakespeare, 
 a member of our brotherhood, and my very good 
 friend. Will, I have spoken to you of Robert Dev- 
 ereux, Earl of Essex." 
 
56 The Romance of Gentle Will 
 
 They greeted each other cordially, and from that 
 moment the friendship of the three youths was 
 firmly cemented, though it was to be put to the test 
 many times in the years to come. 
 
 After they had sated their hunger, Robert Deve- 
 reux showed them about the house and grounds. 
 
 First, he took them to a broad room, where there 
 were several benches, a crayon-board, and sundry 
 globes and maps of various countries. 
 
 "This is where we recite our lessons," said he, 
 and Henry quickly spoke up, saying : 
 
 "Then let us not tarry here until we have to, 
 Robert. Show us some more interesting scene." 
 
 "I will take you to the fencing-room, young lazy 
 bones," said Devereux; "perhaps twill suit your 
 fancy better." 
 
 They followed him to a spacious hall, with high 
 ceiling, whose handsomely carved walls were hung 
 with swords and ancient weapons, while figures of 
 men in armor ranged round the room in stern array. 
 At one end there stood a rack of foils with basket 
 hilts and leaden points, and a score of wire masks 
 hung in a corner. Two dummies, the size of men, 
 were fastened to the floor, their bodies and heads 
 penciled with many figures, red hearts painted on 
 their left breasts, and cut and nicked with innumer 
 able marks as a result of their daily contact with the 
 pupils rapiers. 
 
 "Ah! This is something like!" shouted Henry, 
 seizing a foil, and leaping and thrusting at the dum 
 mies until Devereux laughingly grasped his arm 
 and took the weapon away from him. 
 
The Domicil of Florio 57 
 
 Next they went to a narrow alley at the rear wall 
 of the garden, where they saw some targets and 
 another dummy made of iron. 
 
 "Here you will indulge in pistol practice," said 
 Essex. " .Tis the only place of its kind in London. 
 You see Florio s school has its advantages." 
 
 After examining with curiosity the cumbersome 
 weapons, and handling and sighting them to their 
 heart s content, they went into the garden, and 
 seated themselves on a bench midst fragrant roses 
 and beautiful plants. The back of the house was 
 covered with ivy, a small balcony furnishing egress 
 from the first-story windows, where one might take 
 the air, and whose railing was hidden from view 
 by the tangled vines that hung in clustering masses 
 from its whole length and trailed upon the scented 
 earth beneath. 
 
 "A beautiful spot," sighed Henry, "in which to 
 weave a romance or to woo a maid." 
 
 "Are you suffering from an attack of the vapours, 
 Wriothesley ?" asked Essex. "You will soon be 
 cured once Master Florio sets you at your tasks." 
 
 They were interrupted by the entrance of a crowd 
 of gay youths into the garden, and the new-comers 
 were soon busy with introductions, and spent the 
 time in conversation with their fellow-students until 
 the darkness fell. 
 
 For the following year the youths remained under 
 the tutelage of Master Florio. They studied the 
 languages, in which Wriothesley was a poor scholar, 
 Devereux a fair one, and Shakespeare an ardent 
 searcher after the knowledge of the foreign tongues. 
 In etiquette and dancing they were all apt pupils, for 
 
58 The Romance of Gentle Will 
 
 each possessed an inborn grace that rendered them 
 singularly alike. Shakespeare was the poorest 
 swordsman of the three, though he did passably 
 well, and owed his lack of perfection to the small 
 time spent in the fencing-room. Devereux and 
 Wriothesley vied with each other as to the suprem 
 acy of that branch of the school. As the very 
 latest innovation in Paris was the equal use of 
 either the right or the left hand in the duello, the 
 French master instructed his pupils accordingly. 
 Henry became an expert with his right hand, but 
 could never overcome an awkwardness in using 
 the other, though at that he was the master of 
 all in the school save Robert. Devereux learned 
 equally well with either hand, and his instructor 
 often told him with great pride that he would in 
 time become the equal of any swordsman in the land. 
 
 Will Shakespeare was Master Florio s favourite 
 pupil. His mentality was far above the rest. With 
 remarkable memory he had almost mastered the 
 Italian tongue, and he had an imagination that sur 
 prised and delighted the romantic nature of his 
 instructor, who encouraged the youth to give it full 
 scope. 
 
 In his studies of ancient literature he wove many 
 wonderful accounts about the mythical characters, 
 and under his master s direction wrote a dialogue to 
 be produced at Christmas-tide by the youths of the 
 school. It abounded with such sparkling wit, and 
 contained so much of originality and elegance in its 
 conception that it proved the wonder of the pupils 
 and the select audience that attended its rendition. 
 
 When John Florio witnessed this little play he 
 
The Domicil of Florio 59 
 
 realized that the gentle youth had in his marvelous 
 intellect the foundation of great fame, and he advised 
 him to forego any further practise of the sword 
 and pistol, and to spend his time in the building up 
 of plays, interweaving the famous personages of 
 history in his romances. 
 
 This latter occupation was carried on with the 
 knowledge of none save the master and Shakes 
 peare s two friends, whose admiration for him 
 increased daily, and who predicted a brilliant future 
 for him. 
 
 At the end of the year, Essex, w r ho had been much 
 longer at the school than Henry and William, fin 
 ished his course and took his departure, as he was 
 called to the Queen s court. He bade the lads a fond 
 farewell, promising to do all in his power to further 
 their future interests with the Queen, and with the 
 hope of meeting them again in the royal train ere 
 another term at the school had elapsed. 
 
 During the succeeding year, Wriothesley spent 
 much of his time in the fencing-room, and more of 
 it in ardent love passages with the coy Juliet, who 
 realized the difference in their stations, and, though 
 in truth her heart was touched by the youth s hand 
 some face and impetuous wooing, she gave him but 
 little encouragement, which, instead of dampening 
 his ardor, seemed indeed to add fuel to the flame 
 that burned in his breast. 
 
 Shakespeare had often been much amused by the 
 antics of a portly fop who passed daily by the school, 
 and who leered and smiled at two decent matrons 
 as they stood at gossip every morning on their 
 stoops. He had embodied the incident in a play 
 
60 The Romance of Gentle Will 
 
 that he had been writing, and upon its completion he 
 submitted it to Florio. 
 
 The master read it from beginning to end with 
 many a chuckle and ejaculation of praise. 
 
 "Wonderful ! Wonderful I" he said, when he had 
 finished. "Master Shakespeare, you are a born 
 genius. We must arrange for a production before 
 the Queen. If once her laughter is aroused by this 
 inimitable comedy of your fat fool, your fortune 
 will be assured and the patronage of my school 
 increased a thousand-fold. I have the very method 
 in my brain. My advices from Windsor inform me 
 that Robert Devereux s favour with the Queen is 
 second only to that of Leicester. We ll send the 
 play to him, and his influence with Her Majesty 
 will be a powerful lever to insure your entrance at 
 court." 
 
 Accordingly the manuscript was despatched by 
 post to Essex, with a letter from Master Florio stat 
 ing his plan to bring William to the notice of 
 Elizabeth. 
 
 In a few days a messenger arrived with a sealed 
 missive for the tutor, which he broke open in the 
 presence of Shakespeare and read the following : 
 
 Jno. Florio, Esqyre, 
 
 Deare Friend and Master : 
 
 Your letter came to me, and Will 
 
 Shakespeare s most amusing play therewythe. I have laughed 
 until my sides are sore at the antics of "Ye Merry Wives of 
 Windsor" with that pussy shrew, Falstaff. 
 
 In accordance wythe your request I did gain audience wythe 
 the Queen, and did recount to her some of its most ludicrous 
 passages. Her interest was aroused at once, and she asked that 
 she might read the play. I falsely told her that I had sent back 
 the manuscript, but if she would cause a curtain and a scene to 
 
The Domicil of Florio 61 
 
 be contrived in the palace, I would arrange for its production 
 before her court, she recompensing the play-actors for their 
 caperings, whilst I would undertake to present Will Shakes 
 peare to her august self. 
 
 So if you will send Shakespeare and Southampton to fare 
 wythe me at Windsor, and will come, your honored self, to 
 direct the selection and the training of the mummers, I will 
 engage that in a four week s lapse the comedy be shewn the 
 Virgin Queen. 
 
 I awaite your appearance wythe eagerness. 
 I sign myself, kinde master, 
 
 Your humble servant, 
 
 Robert Devereux, Earl of Essex. 
 
 P. S. Greet William and Henry, also your faire daughter in 
 my behalf. 
 
 Florio s delight at the success of Essex knew no 
 bounds, and he immediately set to work in prepara 
 tion for their journey to the castle. 
 
 Shakespeare walked on air. He began to believe 
 in the realization of the hopes of his youth, and 
 though his joy was subdued, it was no less certain 
 than his tutor s. 
 
 Southampton, alone, displayed a moody counte 
 nance, though his friend half guessed its cause, and 
 felt no pangs at his apparent lack of interest in the 
 play. Finally their plans were completed, and the 
 morrow was set for their leave-taking. 
 
 Shakespeare had changed much in the two years 
 since last we saw him on the road to the metropolis. 
 He dressed in the latest London style, wore a small 
 mustachio and a slight and pointed beard, and 
 with his high and noble forehead, and clustering 
 locks, falling almost to his shoulders, he was as hand 
 some a youth as could be found in a day s journey 
 through England. He had been walking in the twi 
 light on this eve of their departure, and had seated 
 
62 The Romance of Gentle Will 
 
 himself on the bench in his master s garden amongst 
 the scented roses, wondering if this was to be his 
 final adieu to the happiest moments of his life. The 
 moon arose and lit the pretty garden with its gentle 
 radiance ere he awoke from his musing and rose 
 with the determination of seeking Wriothesley. He 
 stopped short as he heard a voice humming lowly, 
 and looking toward the house, beheld his friend 
 underneath the balcony, and caught the words of the 
 song: 
 
 "Oh, my lady fair 
 Come take the air, 
 Neath the gentle moon s soft ray, 
 For to-morrow, dear, 
 I ll be far from here, 
 And I would hear thee say: 
 I love thee, lad, 
 And my heart is sad 
 That you leave me here alone; 
 By my love for thee, 
 Come back to me 
 Ere many moons have flown. " 
 
 As the voice ceased, the window was pushed open, 
 and Juliet Florio stepped wonderingly out upon the 
 balcony. She was clad in a simple white gown, and 
 her beautiful hair fell softly around her throat and 
 shoulders. When she saw Wriothesley beneath she 
 kneeled on the balcony, leaning her snowy arms on 
 the low rail and resting her head upon them, as with 
 drooping lashes, she spoke : 
 
 "My Lord, why do you sing neath my window ?" 
 
 "Rather call me thy love, Juliet. To-morrow T 
 
 leave your father s home, perhaps forever; but before 
 
 I go my bursting heart demands your answer to a 
 
 question that my reason tells me is absurd." 
 
The Domicil of Florio 63 
 
 "Reason does not always sway us, my Lord/* was 
 the timid reply. 
 
 Southampton raised his head, the light of hope 
 shining in his eyes. 
 
 "Juliet, dost love me, and wilt thou be my wife ?" 
 he said. 
 
 "My Lord, my humble station is a barrier between 
 us that may never be surmounted/ was the gentle 
 answer. "Were I your equal, I would gladly cry 
 my answer to the world." 
 
 "And that answer would be ?" 
 
 "I love thee, Henry," and she buried her face in 
 her arms. 
 
 "My dear love," said he, his voice a-tremble with 
 exultant joy, "by the silver moon, and the stars 
 that attend her in her voyage in infinity, I swear 
 that I will marry you and honour you as my noble 
 wife before the whole world. What care I for the 
 intrigues or mock honours of a court that is rotten to 
 the core? We will live in the kingdom of our love, 
 and if the mighty Elizabeth sees fit to interfere, she 
 may have my title to bestow upon some pampered 
 fool, but I will hold my wife, content to live and love 
 with her, as tenant of the humblest hamlet in South- 
 amptonshire." 
 
 He said no more, but seized the clinging ivy and 
 lifted himself to the low balcony, and leaning upon 
 the outer sill he raised his arms and drew her dear 
 face close to his own, pouring forth all his love upon 
 her clinging lips in one masterful and mighty kiss. 
 
 Then he dropped gently to the ground and strode 
 silently away to the student s portion of the house, 
 while Juliet remained enraptured on the balcony, the 
 joy of perfect happiness shining on her lovely face. 
 
CHAPTER V 
 THE COURT OF THE VIRGIN 
 
 In the great throne-room of the Queen s castle at 
 Windsor, Robert Devereux, Henry Wriothesley 
 and Will Shakespeare stood amidst a throng of sim 
 pering courtiers and overdressed dandies, eagerly 
 awaiting the arrival of Her Majesty, who had set 
 aside the day for the production of the comedy of 
 "Ye Merry Wives." 
 
 With mingled feelings of joy at the near realiza 
 tion of his hopes, and of alarm at the uncertainty of 
 the fickle monarch s reception of his play, Shakes 
 peare stood on the verge of a brilliant future such as 
 has never before or since his time been granted as the 
 spoil of conquest to a single intellect, looking back 
 upon the uneventful years of his past life, and breath 
 ing a fervent prayer that this first masterpiece of his 
 youthful brain might find Elizabeth in a gracious 
 mood. 
 
 The spacious hall where the Protestant ruler held 
 her levees was a worthy meeting-place for the fa 
 mous personages who well-nigh controlled the desti 
 nies of the whole world. In this council-chamber 
 many of the crowned heads of Europe had been com 
 pelled to bend in deference to this wonderful woman s 
 wishes. 
 
 The lofty ceiling was carved and decorated with 
 innumerable pleasing figures ; the walls, which were 
 
The Court of the Virgin 65 
 
 some two hundred feet in length, and nearly half as 
 wide, were thickly hung with medieval armor, an 
 cient weapons and heraldic devices, and ranged on 
 either side escutcheons alternated with paintings of 
 many of the dead rulers of England, their cardinals, 
 and famous men of their time. 
 
 The throne, on a broad dais at the end of the hall, 
 was handsomely gilded and covered with a rare 
 cloth, on which was embroidered a large "E" and 
 the arms of Elizabeth. 
 
 Two minor stations stood at either side, which 
 were intended for occupation by visiting monarchs. 
 As was the custom of the time, only royal person 
 ages were permitted to sit in the Queen s presence in 
 the throne-chamber, and maids of honour, and cour 
 tiers, young and old, were often compelled to stand 
 for many weary hours at the reception of some vis 
 iting king. 
 
 Back of the throne were heavy draperies of arras, 
 which concealed a deep recess, from which a secret 
 entrance led to a covered stairway, and communica 
 ted with the rest of the castle. Elizabeth despatched 
 frequent messengers to her confidants by means of 
 this passage, and tis said that her favourites often 
 concealed themselves behind the folds and watched 
 the movements of the many changing courtiers that 
 flitted round the person of the Queen. 
 
 The end of the hall opposite the throne was 
 screened from observation by two curtains that were 
 drawn on silken cords across the room and met in 
 the center, concealing from view the raised platform 
 which was but newly completed, and on which the 
 players were to appear. 
 
66 The Romance of Gentle Will 
 
 The crowd was all impatience for the entrance of 
 the Queen, and their curious eyes eagerly sought 
 the region of the stage as if to penetrate its hidden 
 mysteries. As they murmured fretfully at the long 
 delay a corner of the curtain was slowly raised, and a 
 misshapen head appeared at the opening, while a 
 grotesque visage grimaced at the anxious throng. 
 
 " Tis Pulsifer Kyd, the fool," whispered Essex 
 to his companions. "When Philip II announced his 
 intended visit Elizabeth decided she must have a Cap 
 and Bells, so to Sir Thomas Hatton, her Lord Chan 
 cellor, fell the duty of selecting him. He dressed 
 this fellow in motley, and he does indeed somewhat 
 dissipate the rigours of a royal session, though for 
 the life of me, I cannot make out whether he is a 
 crack-brained idiot or a clever rascal. Certain it is 
 that out of his silly mouthings many a well-aimed 
 satire or stroke of flashing wit does frequently fall 
 to make their targets squirm." 
 
 "Elizabeth heeds him little, save to laugh," return 
 ed one, "and more than once have I seen his eyes 
 light up with a gleam of intelligence that makes me 
 fear he is not all he seems." 
 
 The head was withdrawn and in its stead a long 
 limb appeared, immediately followed by the body of 
 the jester, who backed out through the curtains and 
 swiftly thrust them together again. He turned and 
 capered up the floor, piping in shrill tones : 
 
 "Queen, Queen, where s the Queen? 
 I have seen what she s not seen; 
 I have peered behind the scene, 
 Which places me before the Queen." 
 
The Court of the Virgin 67 
 
 He threw himself on his stomach on the step that 
 led to the throne, and looked at his auditors, as he 
 continued to gibber and squeak in indistinguishable 
 tones. 
 
 He was a long and lanky varlet, and the attenua 
 tion of his limbs was accentuated by their green and 
 yellow hose. His large head, which was entirely 
 bald save for a scanty fringe of faded hair at the 
 base of his skull, was surmounted by a pair of enor 
 mous and protruding ears, which, by some strange 
 freak of nature, he was enabled to move back and 
 forth at will. His little eyes were sunken deep 
 under heavy brows, and his enormous nose was a red 
 and shining beacon in the center of an otherwise 
 colorless face. 
 
 He had scarcely thrown himself upon the step, 
 when two pages appeared and drew aside the hang 
 ings at the entrance to the hall, while a herald an 
 nounced : 
 
 "Her Gracious Majesty and Sovereign, Elizabeth 
 I, Queen of England." 
 
 A hush fell upon the waiting courtiers as the royal 
 procession entered. 
 
 First appeared a handsome gentleman, tall and of 
 excessive dignity, who bore a gilded staff, and who, 
 with most impressive stride, looking neither to right 
 nor to left, directed his steps toward the royal dais. 
 
 " Tis Sir Thomas Hatton, Lord Chancellor of the 
 realm/ said Devereux in lowered tone. 
 
 Next came four pages, bearing between them a 
 large cushion, on which lightly rested a jeweled 
 crown. Immediately after them walked the might 
 iest Queen the world has ever known. 
 
68 The Romance of Gentle Will 
 
 As Elizabeth proceeded slowly up the center of the 
 room, nodding- and smiling graciously to the nobles 
 on either side, Will Shakespeare with eager eyes 
 took in every detail of her magnificent person. 
 
 Of more than average height, she trod the floor 
 with infinite grace. Her oval face, with its high 
 forehead and tapering chin, he could see, all too 
 plainly, was heavily enameled and painted to conceal 
 the wrinkling ravages of time. Her dark red hair 
 was dressed in a thick roll away from her brow, and 
 was worn high on her head and studded with many 
 jewels. Her mouth was small, and the lips were 
 heavily rouged. Her nose was aquiline, and almost 
 hooked, while her beady black eyes danced restlessly 
 in her head, and seemed to pierce through and 
 through the person upon whom she gazed. In her 
 small ears she wore two heavy pearl pendants, and 
 her especial pride, her tiny hands, with their tapering 
 fingers, were frequently raised to toy with necklace 
 or jewel, that the beholder might be impressed with 
 their beauty. 
 
 She wore an enormous ruff of exquisite lace that 
 entirely concealed her neck from view. A sleeveless 
 bodice of black velvet, thickly studded with dia 
 monds, covered the bosom of her white gown, with 
 its profusion of richly embroidered flowers, and her 
 train, which trailed for several yards beneath her 
 great cloak of sable and ermine, was borne at its cen 
 ter by a marchioness of the realm, and on either side 
 by three of her ladies-in-waiting. Around her neck, 
 and under her ruff, there hung a many-stranded rope 
 of priceless pearls. 
 
The Court of the Virgin 69 
 
 Her fading beauty was most sadly marred by her 
 blackened teeth, which displayed themselves in all 
 their ugliness when her lips parted in a smile. 
 Strange to say, this defect never once concerned her, 
 though on all other points of beauty she was ex 
 tremely sensitive, to the minutest detail. 
 
 At the rear of the Queen s train-bearers there 
 walked in solitary state a strange figure of a man. 
 Tall and spare, with massive head hung low upon his 
 breast, his large body clothed in black, with cloak 
 and doublet of the same; his thin legs, with their 
 enormous bulging knee-joints, dressed in lemon- 
 colored fleshings ; his sole decoration being an enor 
 mous diamond star that was fastened upon his 
 bosom. His hair was black. His parchment-colored 
 face and round and blinking eyes, with his large 
 nose, thick under-lip, and scraggly chin beard gave 
 to him an appearance not unlike the recognized image 
 of His Satanic Majesty, as he stalked toward the 
 throne. 
 
 He was the Queen s royal brother-in-law, Philip 
 II of Spain. 
 
 Behind him strutted a fat and pompous being in 
 ecclesiastical garb, and to Shakespeare s whispered 
 query Essex made answer : 
 
 "Tis the Lord Bishop Kitchen of Llandaff, 
 Will ; the conformist minister. He is in high favour 
 with Elizabeth and would conform to anything to 
 keep his stomach filled. He has an eye for the 
 women, and does now most assiduously advocate the 
 marriage of the clergy ; but, though the Queen listens 
 to him in other matters, she will have none of this, 
 
?0 The Romance of Gentle Will 
 
 and flies into a rage whenever he broaches the sub 
 ject." 
 
 Next came Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, with 
 two Spanish nobles, the Duke of Alva, and Philip s 
 minister, Don Ruy Gomez de Silva, and close upon 
 their heels walked a group of famous men, Sir "Wal 
 ter Raleigh, beloved by his company of the guards, 
 talking earnestly with Sir Amias Paulet, Keeper of 
 the Tower; and arm in arm at their left two of the 
 greatest navigators that ever sought the seas, the 
 handsome Sir Francis Drake, just returned from the 
 Queen s colony of Virginia, and the Spanish admiral, 
 Alexander Farnese, Duke of Parma. A long train 
 of pages, attendants, messengers and ladies-in-wait 
 ing closed the pageant. 
 
 The Queen ascended the dais and seated herself 
 upon the throne, while Sir Thomas Hatton lifted the 
 crown which the kneeling pages held, and set it 
 lightly upon her head. Philip II bowed low and took 
 his seat at her right hand, looking gloomily at the 
 vast assemblage. Leicester stepped behind the 
 Queen, and stood gracefully near the left of the 
 throne, while the Spanish grandees took their sta 
 tions by their king. The other members of the royal 
 suite ranged themselves according to their rank on 
 either side of the dais, and awaited Her Majesty s 
 command. 
 
 Elizabeth turned her glance upon the jester, who 
 lay on the step, his chin resting on his hands, grimac 
 ing and wiggling his huge ears. A slight smile 
 played upon the Queen s lips and she tapped him 
 lightly with her foot, saying : 
 
The Court of the Virgin 71 
 
 "Master Kyd, we shall dispense with your drol 
 leries to-day. I hope to find better amusement on 
 yon curtained stage. My Lord Hatton, we are over- 
 delayed; the presentations may await the play. 
 Despatch a messenger at once to the actors and sig 
 nify our readiness." 
 
 Sir Thomas whispered to a page, who bowed and 
 disappeared behind the arras, and in a moment a 
 tinkling bell was heard, and the heavy curtains were 
 drawn aside by invisible hands, disclosing the first 
 scene of the famous comedy. 
 
 From the opening speech of the ignorant country 
 justice until the close of the act the Queen and all 
 her courtiers listened with rapt attention, broken 
 only by peals of merry laughter, to the witty lines that 
 fell from the lips of the clever players. When the cur 
 tain was dropped for a brief interval a noisy buzz 
 spread through the audience, as they discussed the 
 plot and expressed their delight at the sparkling 
 comedy. 
 
 The Queen was the picture of animation; her 
 bright eyes flashed, her face was wreathed in smiles ; 
 she bobbed her head to the nobles on either side, and 
 made many laughing comments on the show. She 
 leaned toward the King of Spain, speaking merrily 
 to him, and tapping him playfully on the knee with 
 her fan, and even his saturnine face lit up in a smile 
 of response as he caught the infection of Her 
 Majesty s enjoyment. 
 
 As the play proceeded, and the theme became 
 more intricate, he was forced to unbend, and joined 
 heartily in the general laughter that rippled forth at 
 the comical predicaments of the love-sick swains. 
 
72 The Romance of Gentle Will 
 
 Elizabeth, with open mouth and gleaming eyes, 
 listened with absorbing interest to the clumsy at 
 tempts of the fat Falstaff at intrigue with the faith 
 ful matrons. When he fell into their trap, and was 
 hidden in the clothes-basket neath the smothering 
 heap of soiled linen, and carried away to be dumped 
 in the muddy waters of the Thames, her feelings 
 overcame her, and casting all dignity aside, she lay 
 back in her throne fairly screaming with laughter, 
 while the tears streamed down her painted cheeks. 
 So boisterous was her glee that the action of the play 
 was stopped until the monarch had somewhat re 
 gained her control. 
 
 The mistakes of Dr. Caius and Slender in carry 
 ing off and marrying the masked boys tickled her 
 immensely, and when the final curtain fell on the 
 happy termination of Fenton s wooing of Mistress 
 Anne Page, she led in the storm of hand-clapping 
 and applause that was continued until the entire com 
 pany appeared and bowed their acknowledgment of 
 the praise. 
 
 When they had at last retired she sat for some 
 time, frequently bursting into laughter at memory 
 of the droll caperings of the elephantine Falstaff, 
 and recounting to her suite the scenes that most 
 struck her fancy. 
 
 Shakespeare stood with his two friends, who joy 
 ously wrung his hand, and assured him that his for 
 tune was made. His breast swelled with pride, but 
 his heart was full, and he made no answer to their 
 happy protestations. 
 
 During the play his eyes had sought constantly 
 the beautiful face of Mistress Anne Hathaway, the 
 
The Court of the Virgin 73 
 
 Queen s maid of honour. As the various emotions 
 excited by the comedy played upon her handsome 
 features his hands clenched, his breath came in short 
 gasps, and he knew in his own soul, as he had never 
 realized before, that his play had been written for 
 this one being alone of all on earth. When she 
 rapturously joined in the applause his soul was satis 
 fied and he cared not whether Queen or King or man 
 or maid delighted in his production so long as she 
 was pleased. 
 
 She had never once glanced in his direction, and 
 he felt that her memory recalled him not; that she 
 would view him simply as a clever contriver of 
 humorous situations, and that his cherished vision 
 of the episode of his sentence by the Queen was but 
 a blank in her mind. 
 
 Presently the Queen raised her voice. 
 
 "Sir Thomas Hatton," said she "bring me this 
 Master Shakespeare that I may publicly thank him 
 for the pleasure he has given his grateful sovereign." 
 
 The tactful Essex quickly grasped Shakespeare s 
 arm, and stepping forth from the throng of cour 
 tiers, he guided the modest youth to the front of the 
 throne, and dropping to his knee before the Queen, 
 he said : 
 
 "Your Majesty, this is my friend whose praises I 
 so strongly sounded in your ears. His triumph to 
 day justifies your noble kindness in listening to his 
 play." 
 
 He drew back and left the abashed young man 
 kneeling before Elizabeth, a rosy blush suffusing his 
 face and his eyelashes lowered in confusion. 
 
74 The Romance of Gentle Will 
 
 The Queen laughed merrily at his embarrassment 
 and said : 
 
 Arise, Master Shakespeare; tis my court that 
 should kneel at your feet in acknowledgment of the 
 wonderful intellect that prepared our entertainment 
 to-day." 
 
 "Your Majesty," answered Will, "to my tutor, 
 Master John Florio, much of the credit is due. Twas 
 under his advice that I composed the play." 
 
 "You are too modest," laughed Elizabeth. "We 
 hope to witness more of your productions." 
 
 As she ceased, Leicester, who had been watching 
 the youth for some moments with an expression of 
 perplexity upon his face, suddenly gave a start of 
 recognition, and leaning over the throne whispered 
 in the monarch s ear : 
 
 "Cast your eye upon the young man s sleeve, 
 your Majesty." 
 
 The Queen glanced carelessly in the direction he 
 indicated, and as she noticed a tiny emblem upon 
 Will s cuff her eye lit up with a delighted gleam. 
 She leaned hastily forward and in a low voice said : 
 
 "I see, friend Shakespeare, that you are one of 
 those who has my life in his keeping. Tis a double 
 service you have rendered me." 
 
 "Your Highness," he answered, "you spared my 
 life once, when it was forfeit to the crown." 
 
 "I don t understand you. I never set eyes upon 
 you till to-day." 
 
 "Does your Majesty remember a morning some 
 two years since when a young country lad and his 
 faithful serving-man were haled before you for the 
 
The Court of the Virgin 75 
 
 slaying of a deer? You did pronounce the death 
 sentence but twas afterwards rescinded." 
 
 The Queen stared at him for a moment, then as 
 the recollection of the incident dawned upon her she 
 laughed heartily and turned to where her ladies 
 stood in a group of loveliness. 
 
 "Anne Hathaway," she called, "your birthday 
 gift has come to court. Faith, I think I will give 
 you a necklace after all, for you have indeed done 
 me a good turn. You saved Master Shakespeare s 
 life and he has returned the debt with interest, for 
 I am sure he has prolonged mine. I have not 
 laughed so much in a six months space. E en my 
 Lord Bishop Kitchen s scowl at the iniquity of a 
 play in the royal palace changed perforce into a grin 
 at the antics of that merry wight FalstafL" 
 
 The Lady Anne Hathaway turned for a moment 
 at Her Majesty s command. Her face grew crimson 
 as the attention of the whole court was attracted to 
 her by the action of the Queen. She steadily sur 
 veyed the young author for a moment, then elevat 
 ing her chin, she turned away with a look of disdain, 
 resuming her conversation with the other ladies, 
 while poor Will s heart sank within him. 
 
 The Queen laughed heartily at the maid s gesture 
 of scorn, and said, "Ah, the hearts of the fair are 
 fickle indeed"; and she shot a stinging dart at 
 another of the company as she continued: "Sir 
 Thomas Hatton s joy at Anne s tilting chin is ill 
 concealed, but I will at least prove steadfast, for as 
 you shall see, Elizabeth is still your friend. Sir 
 Thomas, you will draw an order upon the royal cof 
 ferer in favour of Master William Shakespeare for 
 
76 The Romance of Gentle Will 
 
 one hundred pounds. You will issue another of like 
 amount to Master John Florio, to be expended at his 
 school in the furtherance of literary pursuits during 
 the forthcoming year. You will also make provision 
 for the attachment of William Shakespeare to our 
 court, and you will ask Sir Walter Raleigh to detail 
 one of his guardsmen to attend upon him. 
 
 "Nay, nay, Master Shakespeare/ she said, as he 
 began to stammer his gratitude for her kindness, 
 "there are too many dawdling idlers in our suite; 
 twill refresh us greatly to have a man of active brain 
 to set a pattern to these sluggards. Sir Thomas, 
 let us proceed with the presentations." 
 
 When the levee had ended and the Queen and her 
 ladies-in-waiting and nearly all of the royal train had 
 taken their departure from the throne-room, the 
 crowd of nobles and courtiers that thronged the hall 
 pressed forward to obtain a closer view of the genius 
 who had so suddenly sprung to the heights of Her 
 Majesty s favour. Ere they could surround him 
 and his joyous friends, the Earls of Essex and 
 Southampton, the tall figure of Leicester, who had 
 lingered for a moment at the throne, pushed apart 
 the curious dandies and made his way to Shakes 
 peare s side. He grasped him cordially by the hand, 
 saying : 
 
 "My young hero of the highway, I am highly 
 gratified at your success and your sudden accession 
 at court. Rest assured you may always count me 
 your friend." 
 
 "Your Grace," said Will, "I have received much 
 of kindness at your hands, but there is still another 
 
The Court of the Virgin 77 
 
 favour I would ask, if you will not consider me too 
 importunate. 
 
 "And that is " smiled the Earl. 
 
 "Your intercession with Sir Walter Raleigh that 
 a certain Roger Covert, of his guards, be detailed as 
 my attendant." 
 
CHAPTER VI 
 MY LADY S GARTER 
 
 One bright and balmy morning, a fortnight after 
 Shakespeare s advent at court, Philip II, King of 
 Spain, was taking the air on a secluded terrace which 
 formed one of the many private gardens that dotted 
 the confines of the palace walls. This particular en 
 closure not only opened out from his own apart 
 ments, but also communicated with the portion of 
 the castle occupied by the Queen s personal suite. 
 
 The King paced solemnly up and down the walk, 
 his hands clasped behind him, his lips twitching ner 
 vously, and giving little heed to the bright flowers 
 or green grass that robed the terrace in a brilliant 
 mantle of variegated colors. 
 
 He occasionally stamped his foot and muttered to 
 himself. At last he stopped and spoke aloud : 
 
 "Was ever a monarch between two such fires? 
 The Queen or Mary ? Mary or the Queen ? By my 
 faith, if the Virgin will not have me I ll take the 
 other by force or stratagem. Mary Stuart was ever 
 an advocate of my faith, and with our combined 
 forces allied against this Protestant vixen we may 
 yet conquer the world. Hello ! What have we 
 here?" he continued, as two ladies-in-waiting 
 stepped forth from an embrasure of the Queen s 
 apartment and strolled to a bench at the lower part 
 of the terrace, where they seated themselves. 
 
My Lady s Garter 79 
 
 The King stood in silent contemplation of them 
 for a moment, then he cleared his throat loudly, and, 
 as they looked up quickly at the noise, he raised 
 his arm and crooked his finger for them to approach. 
 The ladies arose and walked demurely to where he 
 stood, his legs spread apart, a faint smile upon his 
 sallow face. They dropped in curtsey before the 
 monarch and awaited his command. 
 
 "As I thought," said he, "it is the Lady Anne 
 Hathaway. I would have a word with you in pri 
 vate, if your companion will consent to the inter 
 ruption." 
 
 At this implied order, the second lady bowed low 
 and turned away, walking swiftly to the castle and 
 entering the open window. 
 
 The King gazed in silence at the maiden for a 
 moment as she stood before him with downcast eyes. 
 Finally he spoke: 
 
 "My maid, you wear a pretty face." 
 
 "You honour me, sire," she answered ; "but if this 
 is all you have to say to me, I had best return to 
 the Queen." 
 
 "Nay, nay !" protested the amused monarch ; "we 
 have something to discuss which bears most strongly 
 on your future welfare. Did ever thought of mar 
 riage enter your handsome head ?" 
 
 "Your Majesty, every woman has hopes of a 
 happy wedded state before the ashes of age have 
 withered the roses of youth on her cheeks." 
 
 "You may attain a noble rank in one of the great 
 est courts of Europe, if you will be guided by my 
 counsel." 
 
80 The Romance of Gentle Will 
 
 "Why, your Highness, what do you mean ? You 
 speak strangely." 
 
 "Just this, Mistress Anne; Don Ruy Gomez de 
 Silva, my prime minister, is entranced by your 
 youthful beauty and your proud and noble bearing, 
 and he has importuned me to use my influence with 
 the Queen that he may carry you back to Spain as 
 his bride." 
 
 The girl went pale at the King s revelation, and 
 for a time her agitation kept her dumb. At last she 
 opened her lips. 
 
 "But I do not love him, sire," she said. 
 
 "Pah! Love, love, love! That is all one hears 
 nowadays in this frivolous court of a romantic ruler. 
 From Elizabeth down to the lowest maid in the scul 
 lery you have all become so imbued with this fancy 
 that you have a heart, that considerations of rank 
 and fame enter no longer into our undertakings. 
 You can learn to love this nobleman midst the de 
 lights and luxuries of his sumptuous villa in Spain." 
 
 "Why, your Majesty, he is twice my age." 
 
 " Tis his misfortune that he may not add the 
 lost years to a life of happiness with thee." 
 
 "And he is but recently widowed." 
 
 "Is it a crime that a man desires to take unto him 
 self another wife? If the roses in our gardens die 
 do we not replace them with fresh and more beauti 
 ful ones ? De Silva is a high grandee in the greatest 
 Catholic realm on the face of the globe. Your future 
 happiness, as well as your hopes of salvation, will be 
 both assured if you do but embrace his offer and 
 our faith." 
 
My Lady s Garter 81 
 
 "Your Majesty, I am true to the teachings of my 
 Queen. She has ruled this country with a master- 
 hand since long before my birth, and she has ever 
 been steadfast in her faith. Would you have me, 
 a lowly subject of this generous monarch, and one 
 attached to her royal person by the sacred ties of love 
 and duty, so desecrate my honour as to desert my 
 mistress s faith?" 
 
 "Tut, tut, child, we will waive the religion. No 
 doubt you will be of more liberal mind when once 
 you hold the scepter of power in Don Gomez s 
 home." 
 
 "Your Majesty," said the brave maiden, " tis 
 a vision that will never be fulfilled. I do not love 
 De Silva, and I will not wed him. I wonder if the 
 day will ever come when monarchs will understand 
 that a maiden s nay is mightier than a king s com 
 mand." 
 
 The King recoiled a pace, and his brow grew 
 black at the damsel s boldness. He looked at her 
 with threatening frown, and his harsh voice that at 
 last broke the stillness purported naught of good for 
 Mistress Anne. 
 
 "Then, my impudent hussy," he said, "we will 
 see what effect the Queen s order will have upon 
 you. I will seek audience with my royal sister-in- 
 law and make my request in person. I hardly think 
 she will deny the wishes of so powerful a monarch. 
 Don Gomez has served me faithfully for many years, 
 and I fain would provide him with the bauble he 
 does now demand." 
 
 Anne Hathaway straightened her shoulders, and 
 her wonderful eyes flashed in open defiance of the 
 royal plotter. 
 
82 The Romance of Gentle Will 
 
 "King Philip/ said she, "ere you mingle in the 
 affairs of others you had best look to your own 
 case. Ah, do you think we English maidens are so 
 blind that we do not understand this call of yours 
 upon our Queen ? You seek her hand in royal mar 
 riage. You would mightily strengthen your throne 
 and spread your faith throughout the entire world 
 by this alliance. But methinks you will find that 
 Elizabeth has a mind of her own ere you have ended 
 your courtship." 
 
 "Take care, maid!" snapped the King; "you will 
 rue your boldness." 
 
 "I am willing to rest my case, and your own, too, 
 King Philip, with the Queen. If I have been rude 
 and have forgotten the difference in our stations, 
 or have failed to accord you the respect which is 
 your due, I plead my outraged feelings as my excuse. 
 Let your prime minister find some maiden of more 
 yielding disposition. There are plenty such at court 
 who would gladly grasp at the chance of marrying 
 your antiquated grandee. With your permission, I 
 will seek the castle." She curtseyed low, then faced 
 about and ran swiftly from his detested presence. 
 
 Instead of entering the window she sped across 
 the terrace and round the corner of the wall that 
 bordered upon a larger court, while the King stood 
 in baffled rage, gnawing his nails and cursing furi 
 ously under his breath. 
 
 As she hurried through the second court and 
 turned to enter a little door in the wall that held 
 communication with a hall leading to the Queen s 
 apartment, the slouching figure of a man entered 
 the enclosure on his way to King Philip with a mes- 
 
My Lady s Garter 83 
 
 sage from his prime minister. He was an evil- 
 looking Spaniard, by name Fernando Cordes, and 
 accompanied Gomez in the capacity of a valet. 
 
 As the maiden, with a swish of her skirts and a 
 twinkle of flying feet, disappeared within the door 
 way his eyes caught the glitter of a bright object 
 falling to the ground. He hurried forward to see 
 what it might be just as another man, of military 
 figure, came into the court behind him. He saw a 
 handsome jeweled buckle which had become unfas 
 tened from Anne s garter, and which had fallen 
 unnoticed in her haste to escape the King. He 
 pounced upon it with a greedy cry, and as he stooped 
 on the stone floor of the court a strong hand seized 
 him by the nape of the neck and shook him until 
 the teeth rattled in his head. 
 
 "You sneaking Dago," said the voice of Roger 
 Covert, "hand me that pretty bauble, and leave the 
 dirty work of the court to the foreign monkeys 
 whom you serve. They ll steal our fair dames fast 
 enough without their villains cabbaging their jewels. 
 Gad, but you are an ugly fellow," he said, as the 
 Spaniard writhed in his grasp and turned his yellow 
 face toward him. He twisted the buckle from his 
 hand, saying: "I will find an owner for this. Tis 
 a lucky thing I happened along just as I did, or the 
 Jew money-lenders might soon have had these dia 
 monds scattered to the four corners of the city. 
 Know you the damsel whom I glimpsed flying 
 through yon door?" 
 
 " Twas the Queen s lady, Anne Hathaway," an 
 swered the Spaniard in his imperfect English. "It 
 was but to hasten after her that I pick up the jewel, 
 
84 The Romance of Gentle Will 
 
 when you interrupt my plan by the clasp of your 
 hand upon my neck." 
 
 "Bah, a likely story," said Roger, as he released 
 his hold upon the lying rogue, and applying the toe 
 of his jack-boot to the region of his doublet, he sent 
 him sprawling on the floor of the court. 
 
 Without looking back, he proceeded on his way, 
 and entering the castle, hurried to the apartment set 
 aside for his master, Will Shakespeare. When 
 Covert had disappeared from view, Fernando rose 
 painfully, rubbing his injured body and vowing 
 vengeance with many picturesque oaths. 
 
 As Covert burst into the room, Will Shakespeare, 
 who sat writing at a small table, looked up. 
 
 "Well, Roger," he said, "you storm my citadel 
 with all the vigor of an invading army. What 
 brings you here in such haste ?" 
 
 Roger threw the clasp upon the table, saying: 
 
 "Master Will, you should be pleased at my return, 
 for I bring you a token from your lady." 
 
 "You jest, Covert. There is not one fair damsel 
 in this great court whose heart beats faster at my 
 approach." 
 
 "I ll wager you the owner of this garter would 
 gladly welcome you as a suitor, though she did in 
 truth treat you most scurvily on your first appear 
 ance at court. But I know a thing or two, Master 
 Will. Anne Holcombe, the laundress, tells me that 
 my Lord Thomas Hatton was on the verge of a 
 successful consummation of his suit for the Lady 
 Anne Hathaway s hand, but that in the last two 
 weeks the fickle maid has blown cold upon his ad 
 vances, much to the amusement of the Queen and 
 
My Lady s Garter 85 
 
 to the discomfiture of Sir Thomas, who vows that 
 he will win her by fair means or foul." 
 
 "What is this to me, Roger?" said Shakespeare, 
 his heart giving a great leap of hope at the slow 
 progress of the chancellor s wooing. "I have not 
 held speech with her since I came to court, though 
 she has brushed past me at various times with no 
 more sign of recognition than if I were the empty 
 air." 
 
 "Ah, master, master. I fear me you do not under 
 stand the workings of a woman s heart. They are 
 coy creatures, but more exacting when they find 
 they hold one in their thrall, than my stern captain, 
 Sir Walter Raleigh of the guards. But if you do 
 but turn upon them an indifferent front they do 
 quickly tumble off their pedestals and grovel piti 
 fully at your knees. You may scourge them, you 
 may scorn them, but they love you all the better for 
 it. They love to be loved, but being loved and 
 knowing it, you lose their love unless you do steer 
 a middle course, and though loving them inwardly 
 much love them outwardly little; then they cling to 
 you like the castle s ivy, growing old with you and 
 rinding happiness in the daily wounds of your 
 indifference." 
 
 "Why, Roger, you are a philosopher. I never 
 credited you as so close a student of the gentle 
 sex." 
 
 "I have my laundress, master, and if ever a wench 
 led a man a merry race, I am a great runner. But 
 I flatter myself I understand her pretty well." 
 
 "You are much of a pessimist, too, Roger. What 
 if the Queen could listen to your discourse? But 
 
86 The Romance of Gentle Will 
 
 this has nothing to do with the garter. Here I am 
 all on fire to learn its history. How came it in your 
 possession?" 
 
 "I was but now skirting the terraces, and taking 
 a short cut to your presence, when I saw Mistress 
 Hathaway scurrying across the court as though the 
 Devil were after her, and in truth one of his imps 
 was close at her heels, though she knew it not. 
 As she entered the castle she lost her buckle, and 
 that yellow lackey of Don Gomez s, who was skulk 
 ing along the wall, pounced upon it and was on the 
 verge of making his rusty pouch a receiver of stolen 
 goods. I relieved him of his booty, however, and 
 elected myself his treasurer. Oh, but he would 
 much enjoy twisting a knife between my shoulders ! 
 I must keep him at sword s length hereafter." 
 
 "Why do you bring the clasp to me, Roger? You 
 would have done well to have returned it to its 
 rightful owner." 
 
 "Master Will, if you will hearken to the advice 
 of your humble squire, you will hold it in your 
 keeping until the maiden comes to you herself as a 
 suppliant for its return. It may be contrived that 
 she might learn its resting-place ere many days have 
 passed." 
 
 "Roger, you do tempt me mightily," said Shakes 
 peare, as he toyed with the jewel. 
 
 The same afternoon a tiny note was thrust into 
 Anne Hathaway s hand as she entered the throne- 
 room in the suite of the Queen, and the cringing 
 figure of Fernando Cordes disappeared in the crowd 
 of courtiers as she crumpled it in her palm. 
 
My Lady s Garter 87 
 
 When the levee was over she went to her own 
 apartment, broke the seal, and read the missive, 
 which consisted of two lines written in tiny letters in 
 an exquisite Roman hand : "Your garter was stolen 
 by one Roger Covert, a disgraced member of the 
 Queen s Guard." 
 
 She tore the note into bits and threw the frag 
 ments out of an open window, then thought deeply 
 for several minutes, evidently trying to decide upon 
 some plan for the recovery of her jewel. Her eyes 
 flashed indignantly at thought of the theft ; she had 
 supposed that it would soon be returned to her, as 
 the finder would well understand that none but a 
 person in high favour with the Queen could wear 
 such a costly ornament. At last she made up her 
 mind and arose with the intention of seeking Walter 
 Raleigh and denouncing the culprit. 
 
 As she hurried along the hall she ran suddenly 
 almost into the arms of Sir Amias Paulet, who had 
 just left the throne-room. 
 
 "Whither away, Mistress Anne, in such haste?" 
 asked the courtly gentleman, as he stepped aside to 
 allow her to pass. 
 
 "Oh ! Sir Amias," she said, "I know you can help 
 me. I lost a diamond buckle, and I have just learned 
 that it was stolen by Roger Covert, a guardsman of 
 Sir Walter Raleigh s company. Will you use your 
 influence with his captain that the rogue may be 
 flogged, and my garter returned?" 
 
 "Roger Covert, did you say? He was, some two 
 years back, stripped of his uniform, and left his 
 company in disgrace. But he was restored at the 
 command of the Earl of Leicester, whom none dare 
 
88 The Romance of Gentle Will 
 
 refuse. This last offense will prove his undoing, for 
 even Robert Dudley cannot dispute the evidence of 
 his guilt." 
 
 "Then you will assist me, Sir Amias?" 
 
 "With all my heart. I will go to Raleigh at once, 
 and have the rascal turned out for good and all." 
 
 "Be sure you bring back my buckle, Sir Amias." 
 
 "That I will, my Lady, and I must also find a 
 new attendant for William Shakespeare; this man 
 was detailed at his own request." 
 
 "Master Shakespeare, did you say, Sir Amias?" 
 faltered the maiden. 
 
 "Yes. He has served him since his advent at 
 court. But I must hasten ere Sir Walter leaves the 
 palace." 
 
 "Hold, Sir Amias. There may have been some 
 slight mistake on the part of my informant. I would 
 not condemn the fellow unjustly. Could you not 
 contrive to have him sent to me, and keep the secret 
 until you hear further about this from my lips?" 
 
 "Certainly, my Lady, but it were wiser to have 
 him seized." 
 
 "You will oblige me greatly, Sir Amias." 
 
 "I am at your command, Lady Anne." 
 
 She returned to her rooms, and in a short time she 
 heard the sound of footsteps in the hall, and there 
 was a sharp tap at her door. In response to her 
 command Roger Covert entered and stood with 
 bared head just inside the threshold. 
 
 "Your ladyship sent for me?" he said. 
 
 "You are Roger Covert ?" she questioned. 
 
 He bowed in assent and she looked at him seri 
 ously for a moment ere she continued : 
 
My Lady s Garter 89 
 
 "This morning I lost a jeweled garter, a most 
 valuable keepsake, and one that I prize the more 
 highly because it was given to me by the Queen. 
 I was willing to reward the lucky finder hand 
 somely for the return of my clasp, and I did not 
 think there was one in the castle low enough to 
 steal." 
 
 "What do you infer, madame ?" 
 
 "Covert, you have my garter. I will give much 
 for its return. Let me have it and I will empty my 
 purse for your kindness. I would never hear the 
 last of it, if Her Majesty discovered that it had 
 passed out of my keeping. Come, come, man, hand 
 it over, and none need be the wiser." 
 
 "My Lady, your jewel is not in my possession, 
 though some enemy of mine has evidently most 
 foully accused me of its theft. I could tell you, 
 though I will not, the name of the guilty varlet. 
 I caught him in the act of appropriating it this very 
 morning, and took it away from him. 
 
 "As I am but a poor soldier of the guard, withal 
 an honest one, I had no use for such a handsome 
 bauble, and turned it over to my master, William 
 Shakespeare, thinking that he could best advise as to, 
 its disposition. Methinks I heard him say that he 
 would keep the little clasp until the owner came to 
 ask it of him. 
 
 "If any one is the thief, my Lady, it is Master 
 Shakespeare, for I gave it up willingly, while he 
 does most admiringly survey its beauties, turning it 
 over and over in his hand, and seeming loath to part 
 with it for a single instant. I have no doubt, though, 
 that if you will call upon him and assure him of your 
 
90 The Romance of Gentle Will 
 
 ownership, he will gladly return to you your 
 treasure." 
 
 Anne Hathaway s face was suffused with a deep 
 blush as she answered Covert in attempted non 
 chalance : 
 
 "O, we will not bother our heads further about 
 the trinket. We have already wasted much time in 
 discussing it. You may go, Roger Covert. I am 
 sorry to have caused you the inconvenience of a visit 
 to my apartment. I assure you the loss is a mere 
 trifle." 
 
 Covert bowed and turned to leave the room. Anne 
 looked up as he paused at the threshold. 
 
 "What will the Queen say, my Lady ?" he queried, 
 and closed the door after him. 
 
CHAPTER VII 
 THE TILT AT RHYME 
 
 The Queen leaned back in her low wicker chair, 
 giving herself up to the enjoyment of the beautiful 
 afternoon and listening idly to the conversation of 
 her ladies-in-waiting. 
 
 "It is good indeed, my Lord Bishop, to find solace 
 and seclusion from the pomp of the court in the 
 beauties of my garden," she said, languidly turning 
 her head toward her spiritual adviser, who stood, 
 resting his elbow on one hand and his chin on the 
 other, and who had been regarding her meditatively 
 until she addressed him. 
 
 " Tis here that I am free, Kitchen. I can stretch 
 my legs, I can yawn, I can sigh without the eyes of 
 the whole world being upon me. In there I am a 
 slave to my subjects. I must ever appear the royal 
 monarch. If I were to unbend for a moment in their 
 presence, or to display a touch of human nature, I 
 would lose my hold upon them. 
 
 "Ah, therein lies the secret of my successful reign. 
 I keep them in their places ; they look upon me with 
 awe as some superior being, a divinity gifted with 
 unearthly power ; and they dearly love to be belittled 
 and befooled. 
 
 "Without the blessed relaxation of my daily hour 
 in the garden I fear me my spirit would bend under 
 
92 The Romance of Gentle Will 
 
 the strain; but my ladies sing for me here, Kyd be 
 guiles me with his nonsense, and you cheer me at 
 times with your words of comfort and your views of 
 the future state." 
 
 "Your Majesty," answered the churchman, "in 
 our hours of ease we must not neglect our spiritual 
 welfare. The cares of state do greatly turn your 
 royal mind to worldly affairs, and your soul s salva 
 tion demands an interval of religious communion." 
 
 "I am weary, my Lord Bishop, weary of the 
 mockery of my cringing courtiers, of the suit of for 
 eign monarchs for my hand, of the daily intrigues 
 and clever attempts to gain the royal favour. Let us 
 soothe our senses in a song. Anne, come hither with 
 your lute. We will see if your sweet voice can rouse 
 the spirit of your Queen." 
 
 At her Majesty s command Anne approached her 
 mistress, and her companions followed, disposing 
 themselves in graceful attitudes upon the grass at 
 their sovereign s feet. The Bishop still stood, and 
 Pulsifer Kyd, the jester, who had been curled up in 
 the sun behind Elizabeth s chair, unwound his lanky 
 limbs and fetched a footstool, which he handed to 
 the maid of honour. 
 
 "Listen, Kitchen," whispered the Queen; "the 
 girl does sometimes improvise most beautiful tunes." 
 
 Anne Hathaway bent over her lute for a moment, 
 gently stroking the strings and humming in a low 
 tone ; then she raised her head and her clear voice fell 
 musically upon the listeners ears, the tinkling notes 
 of the lute furnishing sweet accompaniment. At the 
 opening line of her song the Queen opened wide her 
 eyes in astonishment, and ere her daring hand- 
 
The Tilt at Rhyme 93 
 
 maiden had ceased, her drooping spirit had regained 
 its fire. 
 
 Thus ran the burden of the tune : 
 
 "A gallant ship came sailing 
 Across the Spanish Main, 
 It bore a prince of royal blood 
 And his attendant train. 
 At the court of our fair Lady 
 The monarch now repines, 
 His kingly heart to thoughts of love 
 Most tenderly inclines. 
 
 "Your Highness, we implore thee 
 To say this suppliant Nay ; 
 Your subjects all adore thee, 
 And love the gentle sway 
 Of Queenly hand that guides the helm 
 Of your proud ship of state ; 
 Dismiss the King; our Virgin Queen 
 Deserves a better fate. 
 
 "His minister takes pattern 
 Of Philip s crafty plan, 
 And woos your maid, who loves him not, 
 For she prefers a man 
 With England s blood in his blue veins 
 And courage in his breast ; 
 She prays that you will lend her aid, 
 For she is sore distressed. 
 
 "Let your proud faith withstand him ; 
 This papal advocate 
 
 Would rule your Church, and scourge the land 
 With ruthless strife and hate. 
 The single state is better far 
 Than union with proud Spain; 
 Send ship and crew, and monarch too, 
 Back to the Spanish Main." 
 
 Elizabeth s face was a study when the girl finished 
 her song. The churchman looked gravely on, and 
 
94 The Romance of Gentle Will 
 
 her hand-maidens sat in awe-struck silence, narrowly 
 watching for the example of their mistress before 
 they passed opinion on the tune. For a moment the 
 Queen seemed on the point of bursting forth in a 
 storm of rage, and even Anne dropped her eyes and 
 waited with beating heart the censure of her sover 
 eign. 
 
 But the monarch s good nature asserted itself and 
 she gave vent to her feelings in a peal of laughter, 
 which was echoed by her ladies. 
 
 "How now, Kitchen ? Did I not tell thee that the 
 lass had a ready wit? In sooth she brings me to my 
 senses. Here I have been dallying for a month with 
 my royal brother-in-law, knowing full well the pur 
 port of his visit, but playing with him as a cat with 
 a mouse, in my serenity believing that my court was 
 blind. Now out of the mouth of my hand-maiden 
 I am punished for my folly. Anne, my girl, you 
 might not have been so keen to call your mistress to 
 account were it not for the suit of King Philip s 
 minister. He would be a great match for you." 
 
 "No, no, your Highness, I cannot bear the thought 
 of this oily foreigner. If wedded I must be, let me 
 take a man of my own speech and manner." 
 
 The Queen chuckled. 
 
 "Kitchen, if Sir Thomas Hatton could hear my 
 Lady s avowal he would in sooth be pleased. Tis 
 a noble plea for the English stock, Anne. What say 
 you, my Lord Bishop ?" 
 
 "I would say that the Earl of Leicester would also 
 applaud her verse," blandly answered the minister. 
 
 Elizabeth s eyes flashed ominously at the implica 
 tion, but she pretended not to heed it. 
 
The Tilt at Rhyme 95 
 
 "Well, well, Anne," she said, "you have indeed di 
 verted us. Methinks that there will be no marriage 
 in my court for some time to come. Let Philip seek 
 the Netherlands. The Dutch princess might desire 
 to take an ocean trip. I doubt not he could bend her 
 to his will." 
 
 "I am fain to believe he has an eye upon the Queen 
 of Scots," slyly remarked the Bishop, "in case he 
 fails to win your hand." 
 
 "Mary Stuart is confined in the Tower, where she 
 is like to remain," snapped Elizabeth. "The Duke 
 of Norfolk is most ardently striving to compass her 
 release. The fickle shrew already plans to make him 
 the fourth on her list of husbands. But we may 
 spare him Darnley s fate by keeping her penned up 
 until his love-flame cools. Think you that marriage 
 is advisable at this late day?" 
 
 "Your Highness," Kitchen humbly responded, "I 
 have often broached my ideas on the subject, but you 
 will never hear me out. I believe it to be the one per 
 fect state and the condition decreed by God to com 
 plete our obligations on this earth." 
 
 "Then you would class me as a sinner because I 
 choose to rule my kingdom, independent of the 
 sterner sex. Do you desire to marry at your age, my 
 Lord?" 
 
 "You know that I have ever advocated the mar 
 riage of the clergy." 
 
 "And you would erase the distinction that has 
 always been a power in itself, the celibacy of the 
 princes of the church. Why, with your example, 
 my subjects would quickly lose all respect of relig 
 ious tenets. You would mingle so closely with them, 
 
96 The Romance of Gentle Will 
 
 and liken yourselves so much to their persons and 
 pursuits, that they would fall away from their belief, 
 and seeing and hearing you daily in their midst, 
 would refuse to listen to your vapid titterings on the 
 Lord s selected day." 
 
 "Matrimony is religion, your Highness, the 
 purest creed of them all. What greater incentive 
 could there be for a churchman to strive to spread 
 his doctrines through the world than the companion 
 ship of a faithful wife, abiding at his elbow and 
 urging him on, happy in his success, hopeful when 
 he is downcast, sharing his daily toil and life of de 
 privation, with little of joy in her life, her only hap 
 piness lying in the knowledg-e that she is doing right 
 in the eyes of the world and of her God ?" 
 
 The Queen was staggered for an instant, then with 
 a gesture of impatience she silenced her minister. 
 
 "Pah, Kitchen," said she, "you do indeed prate 
 well, if you were but sincere ; but tis a notorious fact 
 that you do keep an establishment in London, an 
 other outside of Windsor, and the Lord knows how 
 many damsels are languishing in Llandaff for want 
 of your company. You cannot marry them all so I 
 refuse to let you marry at all. You had best drop 
 the subject, my Lord Bishop, for I am sure we can 
 never hitch on t." 
 
 The Bishop raised his hands deprecatingly at the 
 charge, and the Queen laughed merrily at his dis 
 comfiture before her ladies. 
 
 The jester rolled on the ground in a paroxysm of 
 glee, grimacing drolly at Elizabeth, while he wrig 
 gled his ears and emitted sharp cackles of joy which 
 added greatly to her mirth. 
 
The Tilt at Rhyme 97 
 
 Two gentlemen in court dress crossed a distant 
 corner of the terrace as Kitchen s tormentors were 
 having their fling at him. Hearing the noisy laugh 
 ter they paused for an instant and faced about. Their 
 action caught the sharp eye of Elizabeth, and she 
 leaned over and spoke hastily to the jester: 
 
 "Kyd," she said, "if my eyes deceive me not, the 
 Earl of Southampton and Master Shakespeare do 
 walk in the garden. Run quickly and summon them. 
 Say that the Queen would have speech with them." 
 
 The fool cut a caper and bounded off, while her 
 Highness leaned back in her chair. "A notion 
 strikes me," said she. "If my plan does not fail we 
 may derive some further entertainment from our 
 afternoon in the garden." 
 
 The jester soon returned with the strollers, who 
 doffed their caps and bent their knees before the 
 Queen. Elizabeth bade them arise, and looked at 
 Shakespeare quizzically. 
 
 "We are at your Majesty s service," said he. 
 1 Tis seldom that our afternoon s season of maid 
 enly discourse is honored by a visit of the sterner 
 sex," said the Queen. "Of course we have Kitchen 
 here, but he counts for naught. So wrapped up is 
 he in religious thoughts that he is but a dull bird, in 
 somber plumage, who sings not, and who does dis 
 play a most sour and wrinkled visage whenever we 
 indulge in laughter or in jesting speech. 
 
 "Master Shakespeare, you have obtained a strong 
 foothold at my court through the imaginings of your 
 fertile brain. I have read much of your beautiful 
 poetry, and have had it read to me, and I have taken 
 great delight therein. But you have a rival at court 
 
98 The Romance of Gentle Will 
 
 who is an adept at the art of making verse. You 
 needs must look to your laurels." 
 
 " Tis not impossible, your Highness, to over 
 match my weak attempts. I would hear his verse, 
 that I might profit by his muse and dress my lines in 
 more pleasing garb." 
 
 "Your Majesty," bluntly interposed Wriothesley, 
 "I challenge you to produce this man. I do most 
 rigourously deny the existence of one as clever as 
 Will Shakespeare in the art of making rhyme." 
 
 "Softly, softly, Southampton. You do bridle like 
 a peacock at danger to his mate. Your poet can no 
 doubt take care of himself. In the first place tis no 
 man, but a maid, I d match against your gifted 
 friend." 
 
 Southampton fell back abashed and Shakespeare 
 looked in wonderment at the Queen. 
 
 "Master Shakespeare," she continued, "no doubt 
 her efforts could not compare with your carefully 
 prepared and polished verse. But she has a quick 
 wit, and can extemporize most wonderfully. One 
 has but to name a subject and she plunges heatedly 
 into her rhyme, greatly pleasing our ears with her 
 harmonious jingles. I summoned you to me that we 
 might have a friendly contest of your wits, if you 
 will but agree. I will suggest a theme which may 
 be worked out in your individual ways. What say 
 you to my plan ?" 
 
 "I am at your Majesty s command," said Will, 
 bowing low, apparently unmoved by this strange 
 whim of the Queen." 
 
 "I will lay you a gold guinea, my Lord Bishop," 
 said Elizabeth, "that Anne Hathaway carries off the 
 palm." 
 
The Tilt at Rhyme 99 
 
 Kitchen glanced at Shakespeare, then replied, 
 "Done," much to Her Majesty s surprise. 
 
 "You have suddenly turned gambler," she said, 
 "but tis a bargain. The fool will hold the stakes 
 and pronounce judgment. Though he be a lack-wit 
 in most things, he is strangely gifted with the poetic 
 muse. 
 
 "Anne, come hither. Set your brain to work, and 
 for my guinea s sake contrive your best." 
 
 Anne Hathaway stepped demurely forward, her 
 eyes downcast, a heightened color in her cheeks. 
 
 "What is your Majesty s theme?" she said. 
 
 "Let it be that world-old subject, Anne, that came 
 upon earth with woman, and has ever since been the 
 standard of our sex, Love. 
 
 Anne bowed, then turning toward the two young 
 men, she opened wide her eyes, looking into Shakes 
 peare s face as though she challenged his very soul, 
 and in a clear and melodious voice, which never 
 faltered in its cadence, she cast her defiance at his 
 feet: 
 
 "We ask thee, master of thy craft, 
 
 Whose mummers mouth at thy command, 
 What power defies the love-god s shaft 
 Or scapes the darts from his unerring hand? 
 
 The humble home, the royal court, 
 All hold the creatures of his will ; 
 
 In sooth he finds it mighty sport 
 Transfixing here a Jack and there a Jill. 
 
 The noble lord with lowly dame 
 Contrives most cunningly to mate ; 
 
 The lady high, the country swain, 
 His arrows link, and guide their lifelong fate. 
 
100 The Romance of Gentle Will 
 
 Old age and youth alike do bend 
 
 Neath Cupid s rod and welcome rule, 
 And dignitaries high attend 
 
 His amorous court and weakly play the fool. 
 
 We conjure thee, O mighty bard, 
 
 To name a greater force on earth ; 
 Love rules the throne, the lowly sward, 
 
 Love comes to love with every mortal s birth." 
 
 She finished, and stood quietly in front of the 
 Queen, while Elizabeth, her maidens, the churchman, 
 and Shakespeare, and even Southampton gave vent 
 to their pleasure in a round of clapping hands. 
 
 "Nobly done, Anne," said the monarch; "you 
 have surpassed yourself to-day. I think I ll hold my 
 guinea safe and lodge its companion in my purse. 
 Ah, Master Shakespeare, twas hardly fair to let a 
 woman fling the gauntlet. Her clever catch demands 
 a cunning answer." 
 
 Kitchen stood at one side with glum visage, the 
 sight of which caused Pulsifer Kyd to chuckle in 
 great glee. 
 
 "Bishop, Bishop," he shouted, "thy fat paunch 
 will be denied a bottle or two of Rhenish wine to 
 make up for thy extravagance. Master Shakespeare, 
 begin, and let your judge be present at your obse 
 quies." 
 
 Shakespeare smiled, and looking at the Queen de 
 livered his response in similar strain to the challenge 
 of the maid : 
 
 "There is a force on this broad earth 
 
 To which my answer doth incline 
 Alack we mourn the woeful dearth 
 
 Of pilgrims to its meek and lowly shrine. 
 
The Tilt at Rhyme 101 
 
 The student in his narrow cell 
 
 Does seek the light it bears above, 
 A beacon that proclaims full well 
 
 Its mastery o er the fickle reign of love. 
 
 To Knowledge I do now refer ; 
 
 Its arts prepare us to withstand 
 Fair Cupid s wiles ; we do not err, 
 
 But penetrate his mask and void his hand. 
 
 We find repose in Learning s bed, 
 
 Oblivion the heart doth hold, 
 Love loves love out, and love is dead, 
 
 The intellect alone is proven gold. 
 
 I do maintain and still contend 
 
 Love is the creature of an hour, 
 But Wisdom rules until the end 
 
 And this curt maxim proves Knowledge is power. " 
 
 For a moment after he had finished his verse there 
 was a hush in the garden. Anne looked at him in 
 amazement, a strange light of admiration for his 
 gifted mind shining for an instant in her beautiful 
 eyes. 
 
 "Wonderful! Wonderful!" at last spake the 
 Queen, while the jester capered to Kitchen s side and 
 dropped the guineas in his hand, the grin of joy that 
 spread over the Bishop s face causing the lookers-on 
 to laugh heartily. 
 
 " Tis a coin well expended/ said Elizabeth. 
 "Master Shakespeare, I cry you quits. Hereafter I 
 will lay my gold on you gainst all comers. But the 
 maid s was a praiseworthy verse. My Lord Bishop, 
 we should wed this pair. Their progeny, if it did 
 but take their pattern, would make this the most 
 poetic court in all of Europe." 
 
102 The Romance of Gentle Will 
 
 "Your Majesty," angrily retorted Anne, "the 
 maiden might have something to say, were she con 
 sulted." 
 
 "Tut, tut, girl, can you not relish a jest ? It seems 
 to me you have been over-rude to Master Shakes 
 peare on other occasions that I now recall." 
 
 Anne Hathaway stood for a moment in silence at 
 this rebuke, then suddenly some strange impulse 
 seized her, and crossing rapidly before the Queen she 
 stopped in front of Will, and stretching out her 
 hand, said : 
 
 "Master Shakespeare, if I have hurt you by my 
 rudeness, I do now offer you most humble apology. 
 You have taught me a lesson to-day by your forbear 
 ance and the gentle usage of your triumph. I extend 
 you my hand in token of my friendship and of my 
 appreciation of a modest man." 
 
 In surprise Will grasped the tiny hand, and drop 
 ping on one knee he bent to press a kiss upon her 
 finger tips, but she gently withdrew them, saying: 
 
 "Nay, bow to your superiors and your Queen. My 
 pride is humbled, gentle sir, and henceforth I shall 
 consider myself thy inferior in station, and promise 
 never to offend thee more." 
 
 "Didst ever see a maid so chastened by defeat?" 
 whispered the Queen to Kitchen, as she rose to sig 
 nify that their hour amongst the roses was ended. 
 
CHAPTER VIII 
 A QUEEN S FAVOURITE 
 
 "S-sh, your Majesty ! tis the hour you asked to be 
 awakened. Speak gently or the other maids will 
 overhear. 
 
 Elizabeth, who had been muttering a sleepy pro 
 test, opened her eyes, yawned, stretched out her 
 arms, and sat up in her royal bed, looking blankly 
 at Anne, who had for several moments been vigor 
 ously shaking her. 
 
 "You have a wondrous strength in those slim fin 
 gers, girl," she said, ruefully rubbing her shoulder, 
 "but you have been faithful to your trust. I scarce 
 seem to have closed my eyes in sleep when I am 
 aroused by your violent clutching. We must hasten 
 or Dudley will grow impatient at the delay. I doubt 
 not he is even now in the tomb-house, trampling out 
 his impatience on the cold flags, and muttering an 
 athemas over poor Wolsey s sacred bones." 
 
 Anne assisted the Queen to dress, and when the 
 toilet was completed she threw a long dark cloak 
 upon Her Majesty s shoulders and drew the hood 
 over her head, which made her look a very common 
 place person indeed. 
 
 "Have you the key?" asked her mistress, and the 
 girl quickly drew from her pocket an iron ring on 
 
104 The Romance of Gentle Will 
 
 which was fastened an enormous key. Elizabeth 
 nodded and Anne restored it to its hiding-place. 
 
 "Now light me a taper, my dear, and precede me 
 in the passage. I would have your beauty shown 
 to its full advantage, that if we should by any 
 accident be seen the blame might fall upon your 
 shoulders. My presence would never be suspected 
 in this uncouth array. Tis a cruel subterfuge, 
 Anne, but I know your faithful heart, and the dan 
 ger is remote. You know that Elizabeth never 
 forgets a service, and I have already denied King 
 Philip s request for your union with his minister." 
 
 "Your Majesty is most kind," said the maid, as 
 she curtseyed in gratitude to Her Highness. 
 
 "Are any of the maids aroused, Anne?" 
 
 "No, I told them yester-eve that you were much 
 fatigued and desired to spend the morning in repose. 
 They sleep soundly and await my summons to 
 attend your robing." 
 
 "You are indeed a treasure. It seems that in all 
 my court Anne Hathaway alone proves steadfast; 
 but you bear the secret of my heart in your keeping 
 and it is a mighty trust. You alone of all the sub 
 jects in my kingdom hold me in your power, but 
 I do so thoroughly confide in you that I wager you 
 would cut out your tongue ere word of my adventure 
 passed your lips." 
 
 "And my heart also, your Majesty. I would 
 freely give my life for you, and dying, would con 
 sider myself honored." 
 
 "Ah, there is a world of truth in your honest 
 eyes, which look straight into mine with never a 
 flutter of dismay. They form strange contrast to 
 
A Queen s Favourite 105 
 
 the drooping lids of my many servile flatterers. I 
 have seen but one pair that can match them, and 
 that but recently, and strange to say they shine 
 from underneath the lofty brow of our new aspirant 
 for fame, the gentle Will Shakespeare." 
 
 Anne flushed but said nothing, and the Queen 
 stepped quickly to the wall near the head of her 
 canopied bed. She fumbled for a moment until 
 she pressed a hidden spring, and a secret panel flew 
 open, disclosing a dark passageway that descended 
 abruptly from her apartment. 
 
 Elizabeth stepped aside and Anne passed her and 
 entered the corridor, holding high a flickering taper 
 to dissipate the gloom. The Queen followed, clos 
 ing the panel with a sharp click, and they proceeded, 
 cautiously feeling the way until the candle disclosed 
 a long flight of steps, which they descended and 
 which brought them to a stone-walled tunnel, whose 
 damp blocks were covered with slime, and whose 
 dripping ceiling rendered its passage most distaste 
 ful. The Queen shuddered, but they went on until 
 the floor sloped upward and became much dryer, 
 and at last they were brought to a halt by coming 
 in contact with a huge iron door. Anne produced 
 the key and inserted it in the lock, which grated 
 rustily and turned at her pressure. She extinguished 
 her taper and opened the door, while a feeble ray 
 of the gray dawn filtered through a grating opposite 
 them and shed a sickly light upon the dead cardinal s 
 burial-place. 
 
 They had entered the famous "tomb-house" con 
 structed by Elizabeth s royal father, Henry the 
 Eighth, for the great Wolsey before the prelate had 
 
106 The Romance of Gentle Will 
 
 fallen into disfavour with his master, but which has 
 stood through the ages as a monument to his fame. 
 
 As their eyes became accustomed to the gloom 
 they made out the cloaked figure of a man standing 
 dimly outlined at the head of the tomb. 
 
 "Anne, if you will stand apart, and see nothing 
 or hear nothing save the approach of some prying 
 interloper, your Queen will recompense you most 
 liberally." 
 
 The maid walked swiftly to the farther side of 
 the roomy vault, and took her station at the grating, 
 with her face pressed to its iron bars and her eyes 
 scanning closely the deserted courtyard and the 
 castle walls. 
 
 The Queen threw aside her hood and seated her 
 self upon the low tomb. 
 
 "Ah, Robert," said she, "I have kept you waiting." 
 
 The man strode quickly to her, and sitting by 
 her side he seized her yielding hand, which he kissed 
 and continued to hold in his strong clasp as he made 
 answer. 
 
 "My Queen," said he, "the delay was sweet, for 
 twas spent in contemplation of your approach ; and 
 the anxiety that troubled my breast, the fear that 
 you would forget your tryst, has made my reward 
 doubly dear." 
 
 "Dudley, have I ever broken my word with you?" 
 
 "Never, never, Elizabeth. There is one word 
 alone that I have never yet been able to obtain from 
 your dear lips, and that is a final answer to my suit. 
 With you as my wife, and w r ith our combined 
 strength behind the throne, we might even yet 
 become the masters of the world. With Drake upon 
 
A Queen s Favourite 107 
 
 the high seas, myself in command of our armies, and 
 your firm hand and steady brain directing the des 
 tinies of the royal court, we could form a mighty 
 triumvirate the like of which the world has never 
 known. What say you, my liege? Does it not 
 tempt you to unbend ?" 
 
 "Leicester, ever since I was a child and the noble 
 Seymour offered his heart and hand to the little 
 princess of scarce fourteen years, I have had suitors 
 by the score, princes and kings, ministers and earls, 
 courtiers and fools; but never until you burst upon 
 my life like the fierce sun upon the purple morning- 
 glory s eager breast have I been wooed by a man. 
 I am sore tempted by your pleading, and though my 
 heart finds ready answer my good sense holds me 
 in restraint." 
 
 "Elizabeth, my dear love, will you ever cease 
 to be a slave to your one idea of the divine right of 
 kings ? Admitting I am of lowly birth I have risen 
 to the heights of fame through my own untiring 
 zeal. I have even made my impress on your queenly 
 heart, and what need we care for the opinion of the 
 world? Full many times ere this considerations of 
 rank have bowed before the promptings of love, 
 and kings and queens have taken as their consorts 
 persons of most humble station. And history has 
 yet to show us wherein such marriage has been 
 attended by unhappiness. 
 
 "Ah, Elizabeth, let your soul whisper through 
 your loving lips the truth which I see shining in 
 your eyes. Come to me, my love. I care not for 
 your throne. Twere better far were Mary Stuart 
 at the helm to banish you to some distant shore, 
 
108 The Romance of Gentle Will 
 
 where I could woo you and thence remove my own 
 considerable household, which I d place beneath 
 your sway and let you rule forever, not England s, 
 but Leicester s Queen. " 
 
 "In faith, you plead well, Dudley; I am like to 
 lose my reason in this dismal tomb. Know you not 
 that Philip II most ardently does demand my 
 hand? I have kept him at bay for a month past, 
 but I can put him off no longer. He refuses to 
 submit to the delay, and presses me to give him 
 answer straightaway. Would it be politic to antag 
 onize so powerful a monarch?" 
 
 The Queen felt Leicester s form stiffen at her side. 
 
 "Bess/ he said, "I pray God a better fate awaits 
 you than marriage with this Spanish fiend. You 
 know the dreadful tortures his cruelties inflicted 
 upon his victims of the Inquisition, and his vile 
 sanction of the au-to-da-fe. His yellow face, his 
 evil eyes gloating upon your queenly form, and 
 his greedy heart desiring the wealth of your broad 
 lands, so sicken me that at times when I see him 
 sitting, an uncouth mass of flesh, at your right hand, 
 I am sore tempted to unsheath my sword and plunge 
 it into his wicked breast." 
 
 "But," mused Elizabeth, "he might find he had 
 lost his power did I but consent to take his hand. 
 Methinks twould be a royal game to tame this 
 monarch; he d find for once a woman s will was 
 stronger than his own." 
 
 "Nay, nay, my Queen. He d be thy humble slave 
 as long as it did suit him to thus act, but when he 
 had annexed your throne and sown the seeds of 
 his Catholicism most broadly in your Protestant 
 
A Queen s Favourite 109 
 
 land, he d then flash forth his Satan s hand; and I 
 am as certain that he would have you slain if you 
 did attempt to balk his plans as I am that I love 
 you with all the vigour of my troubled soul. 
 
 "Elizabeth, Elizabeth, dismiss him to his Spanish 
 throne; tis even dangerous that he lingers in yo;ir 
 court. Why, but yesterday I overheard the Duke of 
 Alva and the minister, Don Gomez, conversing in 
 Spanish, of which they thought my mind was igno 
 rant. I could catch but a word here and there, but 
 the Queen of Scots and Norfolk s name fell often 
 from their lips. Who knows what scheme their 
 fertile brains may be contriving in reference to your 
 fair prisoner? We d better have them watched, 
 Elizabeth." 
 
 "Let him take care, Dudley, how he meddles at 
 my court !" angrily replied the Queen. "He will 
 awaken a demon in my breast that is not easily sub 
 dued. He is in my stronghold now, and his armies 
 are in distant Spain; he is like to find himself in 
 the same predicament as his victims of the Inquisi 
 tion." She shook off Leicester s hand and arose, 
 stamping her foot and pacing back and forth in 
 the narrow vault in her fury. 
 
 A gleam of joy flashed in Leicester s eyes but he 
 spoke in soothing tones : 
 
 "Nay, Elizabeth, the torture is a relic of bygone 
 years, and this is a more civilized court than that 
 of barbaric Spain, but you may send him scuttling 
 to his home with a message in his ear that will 
 keep the sea forever between you." 
 
 "Robert, my ministers do plead most strongly 
 for this union. Sir Thomas Hatton, my chancellor, 
 
110 The Romance of Gentle Will 
 
 is set on it ; Walter Raleigh and Amias Paulet recog 
 nize the advantage of so powerful an ally to our 
 forces; and did not this question of religion inter 
 vene I am sure I could not hope to scape the enor 
 mous pressure that would be brought upon me from 
 all sides. Though he would be husband in name 
 alone, for as I have told you, if I am to be joined 
 to a man I do not love I would soon show him what 
 it cost to secure the reins of power." 
 
 ".Then you confess that you would avoid this 
 match?" 
 
 "Leicester, I am but a woman after all. Do not 
 press me further," she said, and leaned weakly 
 against the tomb, resting her elbow on its marble 
 slab. 
 
 The Earl dropped to his knee and seized her 
 hand, a world of passion throbbing in his voice as 
 he pleaded his cause: 
 
 "O Bess, my darling Queen, my heart s desire! 
 can you not see that I am near mad for love of thee? 
 Away with thoughts of rank and fame. Let love 
 outshine them all and make of this damp tomb a 
 monument in the temple of my memory to designate 
 the hour of your surrender. Come! Come! Let 
 me hold you in my arms, and with kisses hot upon 
 our lips we ll plight our troth, while the shade of 
 your father s great Cardinal nods approval, though 
 we see him not." 
 
 He attempted to draw her to him, but she sadly 
 shook her head. 
 
 "Robert," said she, "we are both of us past the 
 prime of life, though you look not your age by 
 twenty years. Our hearts alone are young, but our 
 
A Queen s Favourite 111 
 
 bodies are not proof against the ravages of time. 
 Why, the extremest art of my hand-maidens is 
 required to restore the roses to my cheeks, to arch 
 my lips, and to smooth the wrinkles that come on 
 apace, and they do deftly dress my hair, most cun 
 ningly concealing here and there a streak of gray. 
 
 "Ah! Dudley, Dudley! We are a pair of fools. 
 I ve known you long and reverenced you much, 
 but I must say twere better far that we were in 
 our beds, displaying the sense that is due us through 
 our years by seeking peaceful slumber. Alas ! I was 
 romantic ever, and will be until I die." 
 
 Dudley arose and stood before his Queen. 
 
 "Elizabeth," said he, "you know full well the 
 outer shell counts naught with me. Despite your 
 years you are still more beautiful than all the ladies 
 of your court to my eyes. Tis your soul of souls 
 that I worship. Our hearts have been in close com 
 munion since first we met, and you are my Queen, 
 and I am your King by all the laws of nature and 
 of love, though we may never appear as such in the 
 eyes of the world. 
 
 "What matters it that we may never give our 
 progeny to England to consummate a line of Kings 
 that, bred in loving wedlock instead of royally ar 
 ranged affairs of state, inheriting the better qualities 
 of their sire and noble dam, would change the his 
 tory of our land and revolutionize the world ? What 
 matters it that we may never know the loving touch 
 of infant hands upon our silvering locks, that we 
 may never hear the sound of childish voices calling 
 us to join them in their sports? We ll have each 
 other forever and for aye. Elizabeth, deny your 
 
112 The Romance of Gentle Will 
 
 heart no longer, but take shelter on my breast, the 
 only one in all your court that is sincere." 
 
 His eyes filled and he could speak no more, but 
 opened wide his arms in passionate appeal to the 
 Queen. 
 
 Elizabeth faltered and seemed about to turn away, 
 but her love for the handsome Earl surged upon her 
 in all its mighty force, o erleaping her reason, and 
 taking possession of her very soul. She fought 
 against its influence for a space, but it was too 
 strong, and with a happy sigh she bowed her head 
 and fell into her lover s eager arms. 
 
 He gave a glad cry of exultant joy, and lifting 
 her dear face rained fervent kisses upon her sub 
 missive lips. 
 
 "At last ! At last ! My Queen !" he murmured. 
 "Your King shall go home now, but he will sail 
 without his bride. Let me hear your dear lips once 
 proclaim the old sweet token of all womankind." 
 
 Elizabeth looked up, her moist eyes shining like 
 twin stars. 
 
 "Robert, I love thee! I love thee! I love thee!" 
 she repeated, and caressed his face with her gentle 
 hands. 
 
 "And you will be my wife, my love?" 
 
 The Queen looked into his eyes long before she 
 answered : 
 
 "Robert, you have won your conquest of my 
 heart this morning, and I have freely confessed my 
 love for you. I swear to you o er this sacred grave 
 that I will never marry other man but you; but 
 let me have one year of respite ere I give answer 
 to your second prayer." 
 
A Queen s Favourite 113 
 
 " Tis an eternity, my love !" he argued. 
 
 "Nay, twill pass quickly; and Dudley, do not 
 fear, my heart tells me, though I will not allow my 
 lips to frame, our future fate." 
 
 He folded her in his loving embrace as Anne, 
 who had been peering anxiously through the grat 
 ing, uttered a warning "S-sh!" 
 
 "Your Majesty," said she, "windows are opening 
 in the palace, and the courtyard is becoming peopled 
 with the guard." 
 
 "I must leave you, Dudley," said the Queen. 
 "Some inquisitive soldier may take it into his head 
 to peep into the vault." 
 
 "Must our period of bliss end so soon, my love? 
 Tis but seldom that we are allowed to hold our 
 tryst, and even here we are attended by your dis 
 creet maid. My heart is hungry for your company. 
 Might I not be custodian of the key to yon iron door 
 that I might gain access to your presence when my 
 love could no longer be denied?" 
 
 Elizabeth gently shook her head as she looked 
 at him with an expression of reproach in her loving 
 eyes. 
 
 "My Lord," said she, "I ve lost my heart, but I 
 will keep my honour." 
 
 He bowed low at her rebuke and gently kissed 
 her hand. 
 
 Anne lighted the taper and entered the passage 
 way. Elizabeth drew on her hood and followed, and 
 as the iron door clanged and the bolt was shot, 
 Leicester stood with folded arms until their foot 
 falls died away. 
 
114 The Romance of Gentle Will 
 
 Anne and Her Majesty entered the secret panel, 
 and the maid drew off her mistress s cloak and has 
 tily concealed it behind a tapestry. She then assisted 
 her to disrobe, and when the other maids appeared 
 at her summons to assist in Her Majesty s toilet, 
 their Queen was sitting up in her silken bed, 
 yawning and smiling sleepily at their deferential 
 greetings. 
 
CHAPTER IX 
 THE CHANCELLOR AND THE FOOL 
 
 The day of the Queen s great festival upon the 
 Thames had arrived and the river was dotted with 
 myriads of boats and barges, decked in gay colors, 
 and flying banners adorned with the royal arms. 
 Workmen were putting the finishing touches to an 
 enormous stage that was built upon a score of floats 
 firmly lashed together, and the whole structure was 
 anchored to the farther bank by a massive chain 
 at either corner. It was festooned with wires, from 
 which were hung innumerable torches and painted 
 lanterns for its illumination in the evening. The 
 trees upon the shore formed a sylvan background, 
 and a novel green-room where the actors might 
 await their cues. 
 
 The royal court was to be entertained by Will 
 Shakespeare s latest play, a ballad of the forest, in 
 which were many gnomes and mystic sprites, the 
 denizens of the leafy world, who were ever Eliza 
 beth s favourite characters. J Twas predicted that 
 the famous bard had outdone himself in this last 
 creation, and the courtiers were a-buzz with whis 
 pered prophecies and excited expectations of the 
 evening s pleasure. 
 
 The royal barge was tied directly opposite the 
 stage, and it had been draped with handsome tapes- 
 
116 The Romance o Gentle Will 
 
 tries and provided with many seats and covered 
 canopies to insure the comfort of the Queen and 
 her suite. 
 
 As its decoration had been completed, there were 
 none on board save an armed guardsman of Sir 
 Walter Raleigh s company, who had been stationed 
 there to keep away the curious and to protect the 
 rich draperies from thieving vandals who might 
 attend the festival. 
 
 However, the morning sun beat down fiercely 
 upon the river, and it was deserted save by the work 
 men upon the platform; and the guardsman, who 
 was none other than our friend Roger Covert, 
 yawned and seated himself upon the step of the 
 Queen s dais. He fanned his face with his broad 
 hat and muttered imprecations gainst the heat. 
 
 " Tis beastly luck," said he, "that I was picked 
 to watch this craft. The sun will be low ere I shall 
 be relieved, and there s never a morsel of food or 
 drop to drink aboard, and no way in which to obtain 
 the same. There s not a soul in sight, nor like to 
 be any. This bobbing float is as safe as though 
 twere in the mighty sea. I ll lay me down in the 
 shade of the royal tapestry, but will keep my eyes 
 and ears wide open that I may discover the approach 
 of some spying varlet who might contrive a repri 
 mand for me from my captain. I wish my laun 
 dress were here with me to beguile the weary hours 
 away. But I will most strictly live up to my old 
 name, and will be Roger Under Cover in sooth." 
 So saying, he let down a canvas canopy at one 
 corner of the barge, thus forming a narrow space 
 between the awning and the tapestry at the rear, 
 
The Chancellor and the Fool 117 
 
 and crawled therein, leaving the canvas raised an 
 inch or two, so that he might survey the winding 
 river. 
 
 "Ah, there is comfort," said he. "I ll rest my 
 weary bones, and natheless be on guard, and will 
 be freshened for the eventide s delights." 
 
 He lay for a long time and nothing occurred to 
 interrupt the current of his thoughts. The cool 
 repose of his retreat brought drowsiness to his lids, 
 and he caught himself blinking and nodding in his 
 efforts to conquer his desire to sleep. 
 
 "This will never do," he said, stretching him 
 self. "I must walk upon the deck again or I will 
 prove false to my trust." He was about to arise 
 when his eye caught the flash of an oar some little 
 distance down the river, and he lay still, peering 
 neath the awning in sleepy wonderment. 
 
 "Why, tis a boat, and heading this way," he 
 said. "I ll bide a while." 
 
 As the craft came nearer his eyes opened wide in 
 astonishment, and he gave a low whistle of surprise. 
 
 "That villain Cordes. And the jester is his oars 
 man. There must be some deviltry afoot." 
 
 The boat drew up to the barge and the fool passed 
 a cord around the canopy s rod, and the pair clam 
 bered on board. 
 
 "We are in luck," said Pulsifer Kyd, "the float is 
 deserted." 
 
 "Ah, tis a great barge. There will be many 
 nobles to-night on board," said the Spaniard. 
 
 "If you could speak the Queen s English more 
 smoothly, you and I might get along better," 
 snapped the jester. 
 
118 The Romance of Gentle Will 
 
 The Spaniard shrugged his shoulders but said 
 nothing. 
 
 "My master wants a man he can depend upon 
 to do a dangerous piece of work, and casting about 
 for a tool he came to me, who suddenly took thought 
 of your foul visage, and suggested you to him. I 
 know not full particulars as yet, but it is a matter 
 of disposing of a certain person who is an obstacle 
 in his path. 
 
 "Can you be counted on, even to the taking of a 
 life?" 
 
 "I will kill a many men if he does make much 
 reward." 
 
 "You need have no fear; he ll pay you well and 
 will get you safely out of England. Can you 
 swim?" 
 
 "Like a water snake." 
 
 "By my faith, you look the part. But we must 
 hasten. He ll have a boat a hundred yards down 
 stream, and if you reach it your safety is assured. 
 I am to meet him in the Queen s deserted throne- 
 room an hour before the set of sun, and there I will 
 be given the details of his plan. Join me in the 
 scullery when the attendants are at table and I will 
 disclose the plot." 
 
 The Spaniard nodded his assent, and after an in 
 spection of the rear bank, and several muttered 
 directions on the part of the fool, they clambered 
 over the side and pushed off the boat, rowing 
 swiftly for the shore. 
 
 Roger could scarce control his excitement until 
 the villains had hauled their craft upon the bank 
 and had disappeared in opposite directions beneath 
 
The Chancellor and the Fool 119 
 
 the trees. Then he scrambled forth hastily and 
 paced up and down the deck of the barge, his drow 
 siness entirely dissipated by the startling visit of 
 the evil pair. 
 
 "An hour before sunset, in the throne-room," he 
 muttered. "Well, Roger Under Cover will be 
 there, though it will necessitate a swift stretch of 
 my legs and a woful neglect of my belly if my relief 
 is late." 
 
 He sought no more his cool retreat, but spent the 
 remainder of the day on the unshaded deck, occa 
 sionally moistening his parched lips with his tongue, 
 and cursing at his carelessness in neglecting to pro 
 vide himself with food and drink. 
 
 The hours passed with interminable slowness, and 
 when the boat arrived, bringing the soldier who was 
 to stand watch until the arrival of the royal party, 
 he fairly leapt upon him, snatching his flask and 
 draining its contents despite his angry protests. 
 Then he jumped into the boat, cursing and shouting 
 to the startled oarsmen to make haste. His action 
 had the desired effect, for they pulled like mad, 
 thinking that he had become crazed by the heat 
 of the sun, and fearing that he would leap into the 
 river before they reached the shore. 
 
 Ere the bow of the boat touched the landing he 
 was out, and wading knee-deep in the water, rushed 
 up the bank and through the trees as though the 
 Devil were after him, then cursed himself again and 
 again as he realized that his wet boots would leave a 
 tell-tale trail. 
 
 He hurried to his quarters, and throwing them 
 aside, drew on a dry pair over his damp hose, then 
 
120 The Romance of Gentle Will 
 
 skirted the barracks wall and darted unnoticed into 
 one of the many doorways of the castle. 
 
 He threaded the winding corridors until he came 
 to the main hall, then tiptoed cautiously to the en 
 trance of the throne-room, and could hardly keep 
 from shouting in his delight at finding it empty. 
 
 He ran across the polished floor until he arrived 
 at the dais of the throne. Clearing its steps at a 
 bound, he darted behind the heavy arras in the rear, 
 and clutching its folds leaned against the paneled 
 wall and panted heavily. 
 
 He had barely got his breath when the odd figure 
 of the jester pranced in at the door and capered 
 toward the throne. The shrewd rogue was grimac 
 ing and muttering silly rhymes in case some unwel 
 come member of the royal household should walk 
 in upon him, for he knew that he was considered 
 a privileged person, and that his presence in the 
 room would be attributed to some strange freak of 
 his misshapen brain. 
 
 He stopped in front of the throne, then after a 
 moment climbed the steps and seated himself in the 
 Queen s allotted place, crossing his legs and bob 
 bing his head as he crooned a meaningless tune. 
 Covert stealthily drew aside the arras to watch the 
 grotesque fool, but dropped it quickly as he saw 
 the tall figure of a man step through the entrance. 
 The stranger turned and drew the hangings, then 
 strode rapidly to the throne. 
 
 Kyd stretched out his hand in mock anger, 
 reciting : 
 
The Chancellor and the Fool 121 
 
 "My Chancellor is late, 
 What can he mean ? 
 Most humbly bend your knee, 
 I am thy Queen." 
 
 "Have done with your fooling!" angrily said the 
 new-comer, "we are here on sterner business. Hast 
 seen the Spaniard?" 
 
 "Yes, Sir Thomas," said the jester, laying aside 
 his buffoonery, and speaking as intelligently as the 
 nobler conspirator. "I had him on the royal barge 
 to-day and explained to him all I knew of your 
 plan." 
 
 "Did he agree to it?" 
 
 "Yes, my Lord, you can buy him body and soul 
 for a few pounds. Twill be good to get him out 
 of the country before he slits the throats of more 
 of us. I am to meet him at the scullery in an hour 
 and there will post him as to the final details. You 
 know you have kept me in the dark concerning your 
 intended victim." 
 
 "Pulsifer, it were not the part of wisdom to name 
 our man until the compact has been sealed, but at 
 tend me close and carry out my directions and you 
 will not go unrewarded." 
 
 "I am your slave," said the jester, as he folded 
 his hands. 
 
 The Chancellor placed his foot upon the step and 
 leaned his elbow upon his knee as he proceeded in a 
 low voice, which was distinctly audible to the hidden 
 guardsman, with his nefarious scheme. 
 
 "Kyd," said he, "as you know, my suit of the 
 Lady Anne Hathaway was progressing most favour 
 ably until it received a sudden check by the arrival 
 
122 The Romance of Gentle Will 
 
 of this romantic playwright at court. I know not 
 if she loves him, and tis certain that he seems too 
 deeply immersed in the production of his plays to 
 give much heed to the caprices of Cupid, but the day 
 of his advent marked a change in her demeanor 
 toward me. 
 
 "Previously she was all smiles, and welcomed my 
 approach with merry jest and my sallies with maid 
 enly repartee ; but now she avoids me at every turn, 
 and though I have sought speech with her for a 
 month, I have never once met with success." 
 
 "She must be bewitched, my Lord." 
 
 "By my faith, fool, I believe she is. But you 
 know full well how dangerous it is to balk my plans. 
 I am as determined to wed the fickle maid as I am 
 that this interloper shall witness his last triumph 
 to-night. The programme is this, Pulsifer: To 
 night I am in charge of the disposition of the 
 Queen s suite upon the royal barge. I have so 
 arranged that this fellow, Shakespeare, will be seated 
 at an extreme corner of the float in company with 
 several of the Queen s ladies, while Raleigh, Essex, 
 and the other courtiers will rest at some distance 
 across the platform. We will dress Cordes in the 
 garb of an attendant and let him stand at his vic 
 tim s elbow. 
 
 "During the final tableau of the play, while the 
 attention of the courtiers is riveted upon the stage, 
 let him quickly stab the poet to the heart, and leap 
 ing backward into the river, draw the body with him 
 and the waves of the Thames will make final dispo 
 sition of this stumbling-block in my path. He may 
 then swim down stream, where the sailors will await 
 
The Chancellor and the Fool 123 
 
 him, all ignorant of his deed, and will carry him 
 and his reward on board of a trading-vessel which 
 sets sail for Spain with the morning tide." 
 
 "What recompense will you make him, and how 
 are we to deliver it to him?" 
 
 " Tis worth a hundred pounds, Kyd. The price 
 is cheap if it will bring me my bride, and I ll draw 
 it on Elizabeth s coffers, and charge it to expenses 
 of the festival. Twill be a grim jest, Pulsifer." 
 
 "Aye, but whose hand will convey it to Fer 
 nando?" 
 
 "That will be your duty. Tis the one sticking- 
 point. If you pay him in advance, think you that 
 the Spaniard will carry out his contract?" 
 
 "My master, I will answer for that. We ll own 
 his soul by your lavish expenditure. Besides, his 
 evil heart does so delight in the love of killing that 
 I swear he would not forego the joy of twisting 
 his knife in Will Shakespeare s back and dying his 
 saffron hands in the playwright s blood, for the 
 doubling of his bounty." 
 
 " Tis well, Pulsifer. I will place the amount in 
 your hands, and you may secretly deliver it to him 
 in the scullery. But have him closely guarded until 
 he is placed upon the barge. He may fall victim to 
 a craving for the wine-cup, and expend a portion of 
 his wealth in wild carousing, and thus undo our 
 hopes." 
 
 "You may trust me, Sir Thomas. I am indeed 
 a silly fool before the court, but it takes a wise man 
 to pull the wool over their eyes, and they suspect 
 me not. Get me the purse, my Lord, that I may keep 
 my tryst in the kitchen betimes." 
 
124 The Romance of Gentle Will 
 
 The jester slid down from the throne, and Hatton 
 thought a moment before replying: 
 
 "Wait here, Pulsifer," he said, "and I will hasten 
 by the private stairway to the vaults of the royal 
 cofferer. He will not question my order for the 
 funds, and I will return forthwith." 
 
 He quickly mounted the dais and stepped to 
 Roger s hiding-place, laying his hand upon the arras 
 to draw it aside. 
 
 Covert s heart leapt into his throat and he clutched 
 the hilt of his sword, determined to slay the Chan 
 cellor and his jester too, for he knew that discovery 
 would mean his quick and certain death if Hatton 
 was spared breath enough to give an order. 
 
 As the folds wrinkled in Sir Thomas s hand 
 Roger straightened himself to deliver the fatal blow, 
 but a sudden interruption came from the jester. 
 "My Lord/ he whispered, " twould be safer to 
 take the longer way. You might meet some secret 
 messenger of the Queen upon the stairway, and 
 twould attract suspicion, as you are known to be 
 directing the arrangements on the river." 
 
 "True, true, Pulsifer," said Sir Thomas, dropping 
 the arras; "in sooth, you are no fool. I will go 
 boldly through the castle, where none dare question 
 me, and you may wait in my apartment for the 
 purse." 
 
 He left the dais, and accompanied by Kyd, pro 
 ceeded across the floor and out of the doorway, 
 while Roger Covert heaved a mighty sigh of relief. 
 
 "Whew, but it was a close shave!" he muttered; 
 and after waiting a sufficient interval to avoid all 
 chance of being seen by the villains, he left his 
 
The Chancellor and the Fool 125 
 
 hiding-place and quickly quitted the scene of the 
 foul conspiracy. He hurried to Will Shakespeare s 
 rooms and was lucky enough to find him in. Will 
 looked up in wonderment at his troubled visage. 
 
 Forgetting all respect he threw himself on a seat 
 by the window, saying: 
 
 "O Master Shakespeare, I can now somewhat 
 repay you for the kindness you did a poor varlet 
 when you carried him home and healed his wounds, 
 full many months ago !" 
 
 "What do you mean, Roger? Twas nothing, 
 and twas trebly repaid the day you saved Earl Dud 
 ley on the highway." 
 
 "Nay, but this is a serious matter, master. I over 
 heard a plot between the Queen s Lord Chancellor 
 and her fool to have you killed during the entertain 
 ment on the Thames to-night." 
 
 Shakespeare paled, and he eyed the guardsman, 
 wondering if he had become suddenly bereft of his 
 sense. 
 
 "Tis God s truth," said Roger; and he related 
 from beginning to end the details of the dastardly 
 scheme. 
 
 "Now, my master," he said, "if you will seek 
 Mistress Hathaway and tell her all, she may quickly 
 place the Queen in possession of the facts, and 
 their plans will be thwarted, and my Lord Hatton 
 may find a clear path to. the headsman s block, while 
 you may be free to woo Mistress Anne." 
 
 Shakespeare s form stiffened at this phase of the 
 case, and he shortly made answer : 
 
 "Nay, Roger, I refuse to take such base advan 
 tage. There must be another way to escape their 
 treachery." 
 
126 The Romance of Gentle Will 
 
 "The time is too short. All the nobles, with 
 the exception of the Queen s escort, have already 
 left the castle." 
 
 "Then, Roger, I command you to seal your lips. 
 We will attend the festival as though nothing had 
 happened, and take our allotted places on the barge. 
 Forewarned will be forearmed, and as we know the 
 moment of his intended treachery, we may easily 
 avoid his hand." 
 
 "Nay, Master Will, you will be slain. What 
 chance have you against this Spanish desperado, 
 with knife in hand, intent upon your life? You will 
 be in the midst of a bevy of panic-stricken women 
 who will hamper your movements, and he may 
 strike you down and make his escape ere any of 
 the royal guards can reach your side. I beseech you, 
 let me carry this message to Mistress Hathaway 
 myself." 
 
 "Roger, you know me well enough to abide by 
 my command when once tis given. I assure you 
 I will be alert, and something tells me I am to be 
 reserved for a better fate. As the hour of the enter 
 tainment is drawing near, I beg that you will break 
 your fast, and then attend me, that I may be quickly 
 garbed for my departure to the royal barge." 
 
 "I have no mind for eating, Master Will," said 
 Roger. "I am sore afraid that I will lose you, and 
 I must contrive in some way to be near at hand." 
 
 Shakespeare insisted, however, and he gloomily 
 left the room. 
 
 Will sat in his chair, musing over the warning 
 of the faithful guardsman, and planning how to 
 avoid the dagger of the assassin. 
 
The Chancellor and the Fool 127 
 
 In a few moments he heard heavy footsteps in 
 the passage, and Roger entered, bearing a bundle 
 wrapped in his soldier s cloak. 
 
 He kneeled on the floor and proceeded to unroll 
 the garment. 
 
 "Have you dined so quickly?" asked Shakes 
 peare. 
 
 "Nay, master, I have been better employed," he 
 said, as he shook out the folds of the cloak. "Here 
 is a steel shirt of mail that I found in the armory, 
 and which I spirited away. I pray you, let me array 
 you in this good armor. Twill never be suspected 
 neath your jerkin, and your serving-man will wit 
 ness your play with calmer nerves. Perhaps a Span 
 ish knife may dull its flashing point to-night." 
 
 Will laughingly arose, and his faithful squire 
 assisted him to dress, putting on the mailed shirt, 
 which fitted him closely, and carefully concealing 
 its gleaming links neath the folds of his velvet 
 blouse and heavy cloak. 
 
CHAPTER X 
 A STRANGE FISH IN THE THAMES 
 
 In a dingy little shop in Prince s Lane, close to the 
 rear wall of the Blackfriar s Playhouse, a venerable 
 Jew was diligently dusting- his wares and queru 
 lously muttering to himself. 
 
 "By the beard of Moses ! never in my memory was 
 there such a season. Here I lay me in such fine 
 masks, such expensive robes, such glittering cos 
 tumes, and I think me that the great noblemen will 
 crowd my shop in their eagerness to purchase my 
 disguises, but it is already the eve of the festival, 
 and not one of all the court has come to visit me. 
 Except a few papier-mache heads for the play-actors 
 I have sold nothing, absolutely nothing. 
 
 "In other years my little room was filled at this 
 hour with bartering courtiers, who hesitated not to 
 pay my price for these odd conceits. Mayhap they ve 
 changed the vogue and do not masque as formerly. 
 Do they become straight-laced and give up their pur 
 suit of the coy damsels of the court, and direct their 
 sober attention to the performance on the stage? 
 
 "Ach ! I lose me much moneys. My profits of two 
 seasons I expend, and I think me I will get rich 
 quick, but I am fooled, fooled, fooled! O Abra 
 ham, your gray head has lost its cunning. I grow 
 old, and keep not up with the changing times." 
 
A Strange Fish in the Thames 129 
 
 He was interrupted by the sound of galloping 
 hoofs in the distance, and hobbling up to the door, 
 was just in time to see a horseman dash furiously 
 into the lane and make directly for his door. 
 
 The rider, who was a soldier of the Queen s guard, 
 reined his steed up with a jerk, and leaping off his 
 back strode into the shop, the Jew bowing and cring 
 ing servilely before him. 
 
 "Ah, my fine gentleman," he said, "vat can I do 
 for you ? Shall I show you a domino or a disguise 
 for the festival to-night? Surely a noble lord like 
 yourself will wish to buy something handsome to be 
 guile the pretty damsels, eh ?" 
 
 "Enough of your flattery, old crook-nose. You 
 know as well as I do that I am nothing but a common 
 guardsman. You need not try to wheedle me out of 
 my purse by use of your high-sounding titles." 
 
 "Veil," said the Jew, his countenance falling a lit 
 tle, "I have cheap masks, too, if you will deign to 
 look at them." 
 
 "Trot out your stock, Abraham. I have ridden 
 hard from Windsor Castle, and I must be at my sta 
 tion on the river ere the last act of Shakespeare s 
 play. I keep tryst with a maiden, and I am like to 
 lose her love if I appear not at the appointed time. 
 The carnival is to be held on the water after the 
 show. Hast anything appropriate to mask me for its 
 merry crew, and to give me a pleasing aspect in the 
 eyes of my maid ?" 
 
 "Ah, yes, your lordship," said the wily Jew, pull 
 ing out some shopworn figures. "See. I have here 
 such a fine frog, and here a lizard, and here a snake, 
 any one of them suitable to appear on the barges; 
 
130 The Romance of Gentle Will 
 
 and if in the merry-making they should fall into the 
 water their skin coverings will dry quickly and they 
 will not be spoiled." 
 
 "Good," muttered the guardsman, under his 
 breath. 
 
 "See. You put them on over the head, so ; and put 
 the arms into the reptile s legs, so. By the beard of 
 the Prophet! tis as natural as life. Tis just what 
 you want, noble captain." 
 
 "Hold a bit, old skinflint, and captain me not. 
 Dost think to pass off your bruised and battered and 
 ill-fitting head-pieces on a royal guardsman ? Bring 
 forth something worth my while, or I will lay the 
 flat of my sword on your bony shoulders ere I take 
 my leave." 
 
 "Ah, you would not be so cruel, young master. 
 But stay. I think me of two figures which I did but 
 yesterday buy at heavy cost, but which I sell you 
 cheap. You are such a pleasing gentleman, and 
 either one would become you much, and make your 
 lady the envy of all the maskers." 
 
 So saying, he went to the rear of the shop and re 
 turned with two enormous bundles, which he unroll 
 ed, and displayed to the guardsman two monster 
 fishes heads, one green and one gold, with rolling 
 eyes and fins attached to conceal the arms of the 
 wearer, and tight-fitting elastic cloth, matching in 
 color, to pull down as far as the doublet of the 
 masker. The soldier s eyes sparkled at sight of them, 
 which did not escape the notice of the Jew. 
 
 "See," he said, holding one up. "They are as light 
 as feathers." He drew the mask over the guards 
 man s head, and fitted his arms into the fins, the 
 
A Strange Fish in the Thames 131 
 
 hands passing through an ingenious contrivance on 
 the under side which gave them perfect freedom of 
 action without their being seen. He then led him to 
 a dingy mirror and descanted on the beauties of the 
 monster. 
 
 "Oh such a fine figure! See the eye-holes in the 
 throat where you can look out, and the opening 
 through which you can breathe. Why, tis made so, 
 if the masker wishes, he may enter the water, and 
 breathing through a reed which passes upward to the 
 fish s nose, he may disport himself as a monster of 
 the deep, and greatly mystify the startled beholders." 
 
 The guardsman drew off the green head, and 
 holding it in his hands addressed the Jew : 
 
 "Name your price, Abraham." 
 
 "Well, I paid me five and twenty pounds, but I 
 was disappointed in their sale, and as the hour for 
 the festival draws close, it shall be yours for twenty, 
 no more, no less." 
 
 "Twenty devils, old Israelite ! Dost think I am a 
 fool? I d best mount my horse and hie me to the 
 carnival unmasked"; and the soldier turned on his 
 heel. 
 
 "Stay, master," said the Jew, "I had my mind 
 upon the wrong fish. Twas the gold one that was 
 twenty pounds, the coloring costs much more. You 
 shall have the green one for ten, and I lose me half 
 the cost." 
 
 "I ll give you five pounds for the head. Come 
 now, Jew, is it a bargain ?" 
 
 "Seven pounds, or I wrap them up," said Abra 
 ham, stooping to draw the coverings over the masks. 
 
132 The Romance of Gentle Will 
 
 "By the Gods !" threatened the impatient guards 
 man, "you ll change me the monster for my five 
 pounds, or I will take it from you by force and gag 
 you with my sword belt and bind your skinny claws 
 with my stirrup-leather. Besides, tis all I have, and 
 low sale is better than no sale. Tis your last chance. 
 Speak, ere I pull your musty robe over your ancient 
 pate." 
 
 Abraham held up his hands in mock horror. 
 "Shades of my forefathers!" said he, "I disgrace 
 their memory. But you are not to be resisted, gen 
 tle master. The fish is yours. I shall bind it with 
 stout cord that you may carry it safely to the river." 
 
 The exchange was made quickly, and as the sol 
 dier spurred away furiously with the bundle fastened 
 to the saddle behind him, the Jew rubbed his hands 
 and emitted a happy chuckle. 
 
 "Not so bad, not so bad," he muttered. "It profits 
 me four pounds clear. Tis a balm to my disap 
 pointment and an incense that will make my sleep 
 peaceful to-night." 
 
 The guardsman galloped through the dark and 
 narrow streets with little thought of mercy for his 
 faithful steed, whose heavy breathing indicated that 
 he had already traveled far and fast. At last they 
 entered the road that stretched along the bank of the 
 Thames, extending far southwest toward the castle. 
 The moon was peeping over the gently waving tree- 
 tops and the river reflected its soft radiance and 
 served to light up the deserted highway. 
 
 With a murmur of thankfulness for the dissipa 
 tion of the darkness, and a muttered prayer that he 
 might be in time, the guardsman leaned far over his 
 
A Strange Fish in the Thames 133 
 
 horse s neck, sparing him not, but spurring him on 
 and on, until at last the dark walls of the castle 
 loomed up in the distance. He entered the barracks 
 gate and turned his jaded steed loose in the yard. 
 The animal, with unerring instinct, sought the open 
 stable and the company of his tethered mates, while 
 his rider threw his saddle on a pile of trappings, and 
 clasping his precious bundle in his arms hastened to 
 the river, seeking a secluded spot on the bank at a 
 little distance above the scene of the festival. 
 
 He drew a small canoe from its hiding-place in the 
 thick foliage, and casting his burden into the boat 
 took his seat in the stern and swiftly paddled out 
 into the murky stream. He rested on his oars at a 
 point where the tall trees cast a deep shadow on the 
 water and which was some three hundred yards 
 above the royal barge. He could hear the sounds of 
 merry laughter and could see the actors on the stage, 
 though he could not distinguish their voices. He 
 judged that the performance was drawing near its 
 close, and hastily seized the stone which was used 
 as an anchor, swiftly paying out the restraining rope 
 until its slack denoted that the bottom was reached. 
 
 As the boat swayed with the tide he unwrapped 
 his bundle and pulled off his jack-boots and his 
 jerkin and doublet. Throwing them in the bottom 
 of the canoe he fitted the fish s head upon his should 
 ers, drew the elastic cloth closely around his waist, 
 adjusted the fins so that he might have the freedom 
 of his arms, and assuring himself that his dagger 
 was in his belt, he closed his teeth upon the air-ad 
 mitting reed and dropped quietly into the water, 
 
134 The Romance of Gentle Will 
 
 swimming with swift but silent strokes in the direc 
 tion of the Queen s float. 
 
 After Roger Covert had assisted Will Shakes 
 peare to robe himself for the festival he hastily left 
 the room and disappeared in the courtyard, much to 
 his master s wonderment, who finally decided that he 
 had departed thus abruptly to stay the pangs of hun 
 ger caused by his long vigil on the float. 
 
 Will proceeded to the landing and joined the 
 Queen s suite, and ere long the oarsmen transported 
 them to the barge. The royal train was seated 
 according to Sir Thomas Hatton s plan, and its 
 members were soon busily discussing the wonders 
 of the festive scene and expressing their anticipa 
 tion of the delights of the play. 
 
 Shakespeare was much envied by the noble gal 
 lants, for he sat close to a bevy of the Queen s 
 ladies, who conversed eagerly with him, questioning 
 him about the performance and slyly plaguing him 
 for his modesty. Anne Hathaway was in an ex 
 tremely gracious mood. She forbore to enter into 
 the other maidens jests, but spoke frequently to him, 
 calling his attention to the beauties of the many 
 floats and the thousands of sparkling lights that dot 
 ted the river and its banks. 
 
 The Queen noticed the attention her hand-maiden 
 was bestowing upon the poet and she turned her 
 sharp eyes toward Sir Thomas Hatton, scanning him 
 closely for a sign of disapproval ; but for once in his 
 life his brow had lost its scowl and he was smiling 
 blandly, apparently oblivious of Anne s presence on 
 the float. The Queen was puzzled, but soon forgot 
 
A Strange Fish in the Thames 135 
 
 the twain and entered into an animated discussion 
 with the Earl of Leicester, who was seated at her left 
 hand. The King of Spain occupied his usual station 
 on her right, and sat moodily biting his lips and 
 gnawing his beard, apparently unnoticed by the other 
 members of Her Majesty s suite. 
 
 The rise of the curtain was long delayed, and at 
 last a silence fell upon the occupants of the barge and 
 they awaited eagerly the opening of the play. The 
 jester, seated on the step at Leicester s feet, began 
 mouthing and grimacing to draw attention to him 
 self, and soon raised his uncanny voice and hummed 
 a weird tune. 
 
 Elizabeth clutched Leicester s arm as she listened 
 to his strange refrain, and the courtiers ceased their 
 whisperings and attended with straining ears. The 
 fool s voice sang louder and louder, and this much 
 of his tune was audible to the Queen : 
 
 "A humorous wight I know, 
 
 And one you much despise ; 
 Tis said that he 
 All royalty 
 
 Most openly decries. 
 
 His occupation odd 
 Is tasting queenly fare. 
 
 If poison lies 
 
 Within the pies, 
 He quickly dies, so there. 
 
 Your Majesty is safe; 
 
 But count him not a fool, 
 He keeps a cat 
 To nibble at 
 
 The viands fat, a rule 
 
136 The Romance of Gentle Will 
 
 That augurs very well 
 
 For his life and full years ; 
 And thus you see 
 He tastes boldly, 
 
 His stomach free from fears. 
 
 The danger does not lie 
 
 At this cute yarlet s door, 
 But in your suite 
 Is found the root 
 
 Of intrigue s fruit galore. 
 
 Your Majesty, I pray, 
 
 Gainst treachery take pains, 
 
 And count above 
 
 Pretended love 
 The poison of men s brains." 
 
 He ceased and blinked his little eyes, swaying- his 
 body back and forth, and looking at the courtiers in 
 expectation of applause, until his glance fell upon 
 my Lord Hatton s face, which wore an ominous 
 frown, at whidi he quickly subsided and sat motion 
 less at Dudley s feet. The Queen looked at him with 
 an expression of anger. 
 
 "Who has been putting you up to this, fool?" she 
 questioned. Surely some rhymester has been drum 
 ming this warning, if warning it be, into your shal 
 low memory." 
 
 "Nay, your Majesty," answered the jester, " twas 
 writ for me by a little fellow whom I have known 
 since birth, though he has ever been the inmate of a 
 narrow prison cell. And he is much my friend, 
 though I have never set eyes upon him." 
 
 "You, mystify us, Kyd, by your mouthings. Un 
 riddle us this fancy of your crooked brain." 
 
A Strange Fish in the Thames 137 
 
 " Tis the same tiny prisoner to whom I do refer, 
 your Majesty, that misshapen brain of mine. The 
 words are his own and his prison is my bony skull. 
 What think you of the simile, your Majesty?" 
 
 The Queen laughed heartily and, turning to Lei 
 cester, said : 
 
 "This only goes to show how crazed the varlet is, 
 my Lord, though in truth his strange conceit does 
 deserve some attention. He amuses me much at 
 times and is a welcome addition to the court." 
 
 "Mayhap he is not so much of a fool as he looks," 
 answered Dudley, who had been closely scrutinizing 
 Pulsifer s stupid features. 
 
 The jester s sharp ears overheard his reply, and 
 he stuck out his tongue drolly and wriggled his ears 
 until the Queen chuckled in delight. 
 
 "Nonsense, Leicester," said she, "he is an absolute 
 idiot. Didst ever see such a mask? If he but had 
 his senses he would be a valuable addition to Master 
 Shakespeare s company of players. There s never a 
 gnome nor a sprite in the whole band with so un 
 couth a figure. But the performance is much delay 
 ed. Let a trumpet be sounded to signify our impa 
 tience." 
 
 Leicester summoned a herald to his side and gave 
 him a whispered command. The man stood apart 
 and blew three long blasts on his horn, and the cur 
 tain of the stage was quickly pulled aside and a head 
 was thrust out. The blasts were repeated and the 
 head was suddenly withdrawn, and at the end of a 
 very brief interval the curtain was raised and the 
 performance began. 
 
138 The Romance of Gentle Will 
 
 Like Shakespeare s first comedy it immediately 
 caught the attention of the audience, and his success 
 was more than duplicated, the smiling faces and the 
 glances of envy that were turned in his direction 
 affording ample proof of his rise to fame. 
 
 The sun shines on us in our prosperity, but let our 
 popularity once wane and e en the cold rays of the 
 lesser lights are turned away, and we are compelled 
 to seek comfort in the warm bed of our memory. 
 
 A motionless attendant, dressed in the attire of a 
 page, stood near the bevy of maids of honour and di 
 rectly behind Shakespeare s seat. His dark face con 
 trasted strangely with his gorgeous doublet and hose, 
 but Sir Thomas Hatton had advised dressing Fer 
 nando in this garb and stationing him on the barge 
 as a mark of respect to the Spanish King. 
 
 As the play progressed the Lord Chancellor 
 watched him narrowly, and a meaning flash from the 
 villain s eyes assured him that he would act his part. 
 
 The last scene of the play was coming to a close 
 when a queer-looking snout was thrust out of the 
 water near the corner of the barge and directly be 
 neath Cordes s station. It was all unobserved by the 
 occupants of the float, so enthralled were they in the 
 wonderful play. 
 
 As the final tableau was being formed the Span 
 iard drew his knife, and raising it on high struck 
 Shakespeare a terrific blow beneath the shoulder; 
 but as the two broken pieces of his dagger fell to the 
 floor of the barge and bounded off into the dark 
 river, he felt himself clutched round the ankles in an 
 iron grasp, and as he fell into the water with a 
 
A Strange Fish in the Thames 139 
 
 mighty splash he gave vent to a piercing scream that 
 filled the souls of all on board with terror. They 
 turned to ascertain the cause of their fright, but the 
 Spaniard had disappeared, the river was still, and 
 Shakespeare said nothing to enlighten them. 
 
 Suddenly Anne Hathaway, who had arisen in her 
 alarm, and was standing by her chair, screamed ex 
 citedly and pointed down the stream : 
 
 "Look ! Look ! A monster fish ! And as the Queen 
 and courtiers turned their eyes to where she gazed 
 they saw the scaly head of a terrible denizen of the 
 deep rise far out of the water, its red jaws and roll 
 ing eyes, causing their hearts to become sick with 
 fear, and they caught a glimpse of Fernando s limp 
 form in its clutches, and saw the red blood streaming 
 from his pallid throat. 
 
 As they stared in horror the fish slowly sank be 
 neath the waves and they never saw the monster or 
 his victim more. 
 
 Of all on the royal barge Sir Thomas Hatton 
 seemed the most affected, and even the Queen rallied 
 him on his state of collapse. He answered not, but 
 entered the first of the boats that carried the royal 
 party to the shore, and hastily made his way to his 
 own apartment in the castle. 
 
 Some three hundred yards up the stream, in a boat 
 under the shadow of a tree, a royal guardsman drew 
 the papier-mache head of an enormous green fish 
 over the shoulders of a dead Spaniard, then taking 
 the heavy stone that served as an anchor, he fastened 
 it securely to the body, winding the rope tightly 
 around the stiffening corpse, and lifted anchor, 
 
140 The Romance of Gentle Will 
 
 mask, and man over the rail, silently watched the 
 ripples that closed forever above the villain s form. 
 
 He then turned and counted some gold coins 
 which he had taken from his victim, and as he 
 dropped them in his pouch he chuckled heartily in 
 his glee. 
 
 " Tis more money than I ever possessed in all 
 my life before. Roger Covert is richer by one 
 hundred pounds for this night s work," he said. 
 Then drawing on his jack-boots and jerkin, he lifted 
 his oars and silently rowed away. 
 
CHAPTER XI 
 AT THE WHIPPING POST 
 
 A feeble ray of the early morning sun shone on a 
 deserted corner of the courtyard which was piled 
 high with rubbish and cast-off equipments of the 
 Queen s soldiers and servants. The adjacent por 
 tion of the castle had long ago fallen into disuse and 
 the queer structure that stood in the court opposite 
 the face of a frowning bastion was a relic of the time 
 of King Henry the Eighth. Twas a heavy post 
 with a cross-piece at the height of a man s shoulders, 
 and twas here that Bluff King Hal witnessed the 
 punishment of many of his offending varlets and 
 mayhap of some of his inoffensive wives, though 
 history does not enlighten us on that score. Eliza 
 beth was of more tender heart than her royal father, 
 and frowned down the use of the whipping-post 
 except on rare occasions when the extremity of the 
 offense warranted the lash. 
 
 Several years had elapsed since a culprit had been 
 flogged in the courtyard, and as Her Majesty 
 loathed the sight of the cruel instrument of torture, 
 spreading its arms as if in mockery of the cross 
 whose form it bore, the corner had been walled in, 
 though a door, which was never locked, had been 
 fixed in the wall. A general superstition pervaded 
 the castle that the ghosts of many of King Henry s 
 
142 The Romance of Gentle Will 
 
 victims haunted this scene of their punishment, and 
 in consequence the place was seldom visited except 
 in broad daylight when the servants came at weekly 
 intervals to dispose of the sweepings and the refuse 
 of the kitchen. 
 
 The palace was cloaked in silence, and the royal 
 suite, in consequence of their attendance at the 
 Queen s festival the night before, were deep in 
 slumber and high noon was more than likely to find 
 them in their downy beds. 
 
 Suddenly two guardsmen appeared around an 
 angle of the wall and made for the door of the 
 deserted court. They dragged between them a limp 
 and pitiful figure who was cringing and moaning 
 in vain appeals for mercy. Directly behind them 
 followed the Lord Chancellor. His noble figure had 
 somewhat lost its grace, and the dark rings that 
 encircled his heavy eyes indicated that he had passed 
 a sleepless night. In one hand he bore a heavy whip 
 whose knotted cords of many cruel strands formed 
 a fiendish implement of torture. 
 
 The party entered the door in the wall and Sir 
 Thomas turned and closed it after him. Then at 
 his orders the guardsmen tore off the victim s jerkin, 
 and baring his shoulders, lashed his arms to the 
 cross-piece of the post. When he had been securely 
 fastened the Chancellor ordered them to stand apart 
 that he might speak privately with the trembling 
 wretch. The soldiers withdrew behind the bastion, 
 and the jester, for the man at the post was none 
 other than the poor fool, whimpered afresh and 
 renewed his plea for mercy. 
 
At the Whipping Post 143 
 
 My Lord Hatton laughed harshly at his cries. 
 
 "Kyd," said he, "didst ever know me to brook a 
 failure or to fail to reward success? You made 
 a most pitiful mess of our plans last night, and have 
 caused me to walk the floor in an agony of sleep 
 lessness these many hours. You ll suffer dearly for 
 your bungling." 
 
 "Master, master/ begged the fool, "I ve served 
 you faithfully; I ve spied out the secrets of the court 
 and carried them to your eager ears, and in this 
 matter of the Spaniard twas all arranged without 
 a hitch. I met him in the scullery and gave him the 
 hundred pounds, and tis not my fault that Provi 
 dence interfered and that he was prevented from 
 carrying out the plot." 
 
 "Nevertheless, twill not prevent your being 
 soundly whipped. I would have flogged you at any 
 rate for the failure, but now I am convinced that 
 twas through your babbling tongue that the con 
 spiracy was discovered." 
 
 "Why, master, twas well arranged, and I swear 
 I oped my mouth to no one. The awful fish seized 
 Fernando, as all on board the barge bore witness, 
 and surely you do not hold me accountable for that." 
 
 "This fable of the fish is well enough, for courtiers 
 and fools. Had not the eyes of the royal train been 
 magnified by terror they might have seen that twas 
 but a mock monster. Tis but an hour since that 
 a sweating horseman sought me privately in my 
 apartment, and ere the sun was up gave me a mes 
 sage from Abraham, the Jew costumer, in which 
 he related the sale of just such a green fish s head in 
 the form of a mask late last night to an unknown 
 
144 The Romance of Gentle Will 
 
 soldier of Raleigh s guard. The news of the terrible 
 occurrence has spread even through London, and he 
 sought to curry favour by his revelation. Tis lucky 
 that he came to me. I despatched an answer enjoin 
 ing his further silence under penalty of death, for 
 twould never do for me to take any step toward 
 the solution of the matter. T would serve to in 
 criminate me, and I must now be constantly on my 
 guard against the unknown sharer of our secret." 
 
 "Master, I have been as silent as the grave. If 
 any one betrayed the plot twas the Spaniard him 
 self." 
 
 "Nay. I am sure he held communion with none. 
 I might even have spared you had it not been for 
 the rendition of your silly verse on the barge last 
 night. Why, it conveyed a subtle meaning to the 
 Queen, and for the first time in her life I am sure 
 she looked at me with a flicker of suspicion in her 
 eyes. What devil out of hell entered your head and 
 caused you to sing your croaking tune at such a 
 time?" 
 
 "My Lord, twas only your guilty conscience that 
 accused you. Twas no warning that I meant. I 
 was elated at the success of our plans and at thought 
 of my reward, and the words formed themselves 
 unmeaningly in my brain. There was a lull before 
 the rise of the curtain and in my eagerness to amuse 
 the Queen they popped out of my mouth with never 
 a thought of harm until I caught sight of your for 
 bidding frown. Had you been innocent of evil 
 intent you would never have noticed them." 
 
 "What!" hoarsely roared the Chancellor, "do you 
 dare to mock me to my very teeth? I ll flog you 
 
At the Whipping Post 145 
 
 within an inch of your life for this"; and he called 
 to the soldiers to approach. 
 
 "You ll rue the day, my Lord !" loudly screamed 
 the fool. "I ll publish your treachery throughout 
 the castle and expose your plot to the Queen her 
 self/ 
 
 Sir Thomas laughed. 
 
 "I think not," said he. "Your long legs will 
 never move you from this narrow court, for what 
 life is not flogged out of you will be scorched out 
 of you by the sun s rays or drowned out of you 
 by the evening s damps, for you ll hang on this 
 pretty pole a week or more ere some scullion of the 
 kitchen happens on your rotting carcass. The Queen 
 will wonder what has become of her merry fool, but 
 the Lord Chancellor will produce another and one 
 more faithful to his generous master." 
 
 The jester screamed in his terror, but the har 
 dened nobleman handed the lash to one of the 
 guardsmen who had answered his call, and ordered 
 him to lay it on his victim s shoulders with all the 
 force of his athletic arm. 
 
 As the cruel blows cut the fool s flesh and the 
 blood spurted from his wounds and covered his poor 
 back, his master stood with a hard smile upon his 
 lips, and when the soldier s efforts began to flag he 
 directed his comrade to continue with the flogging. 
 Kyd howled lustily at first and writhed in the 
 agony of his pain, but as the whip continued to fall 
 he ceased his crying and began to mutter prayers 
 to his Maker to receive his soul and to punish his 
 tormentor. He fully believed that he had met his 
 doom and prayed that he might die under the lash 
 
146 The Romance of Gentle Will 
 
 rather than be subjected to the torture of the long 
 hours that would attend his slow death of torment 
 and starvation if left alone on the post. 
 
 At last the merciful relief of unconsciousness 
 came to him and his limbs collapsed and his head 
 dropped on his shoulder as his senses left him. 
 
 Hatton kept his men at their task until their blows 
 had lost their force. Then he commanded their 
 silence under penalty of losing their heads, and tell 
 ing them to see that the fool was tightly bound to 
 the post, he left them in the court and made his way 
 back to the inhabited portion of the castle. 
 
 When he had gone, the soldiers, who still had 
 some traces of feeling, but who had long been tools 
 of the Chancellor and feared him more than the 
 Devil himself, looked at the poor fool s bleeding 
 back in pity. 
 
 "He s almost gone/ said one. " Tis a great 
 shame, for he was a comical wight and caused many 
 a laugh with his huge ears and his merry jests." 
 
 " Tis so," answered his companion. "I wish we 
 dared to cut him down. He might have a spark of 
 life left in him, enough to carry him out of the 
 courtyard and to some safe hiding-place. But tis 
 as much as our lives are worth, poor devil." 
 
 "By Gad, do you but loosen one of his arms and 
 I ll undo the other, and we ll let him drop upon the 
 ground. No doubt he ll die there, and at any rate 
 Sir Thomas will not hold us under suspicion. We ve 
 done his dirty work too many times before, and we 
 did but now lay on so lustily that he thought we 
 much enjoyed it." 
 
At the Whipping Post 147 
 
 " Tis a chance for the fool and I ll do it ; but we 
 must stoutly maintain that we left him neatly triced 
 to the post, if we are questioned." 
 
 With trembling hands they nervously unloosed 
 the jester s bonds, letting him slip downward to the 
 floor of the yard, where he lay motionless upon his 
 face. One of them seized the whip and made his 
 way out of the court, while the other followed and 
 closed the door after him. They hastened guiltily 
 away, while the rays of the ascending sun baked 
 the blood on the back of the unconscious fool. 
 
 Some two hours after the scourging of the jester 
 Robert Devereux and Will Shakespeare were walk 
 ing in the castle yard attended by Roger Covert, who 
 kept at a respectful distance in the rear. 
 
 "Are you in a mood for exploration this morning, 
 Will?" asked Essex. "In all the months of your 
 sojourn in the Queen s household you have scarce 
 poked your nose out of doors save for a brief stroll 
 on the terrace. I tell you, man, you must take the 
 air more frequently. You have become so feverishly 
 engrossed in the construction of your wonderful 
 plays that your health suffers in consequence. Your 
 pale face and hollow eyes denote a scant acquaint 
 ance with that mighty doctor of the human race, 
 the glorious sun. 
 
 "In sooth, you must join Southampton and my 
 self in a pilgrimage to the Mermaid Inn. Twill 
 do you good and furnish an agreeable change of 
 occupation for your weary brain. In discussion 
 with the famous wits who gather there we will 
 somewhat lighten the tedium of your drudgery at 
 the comedies. 
 
148 The Romance of Gentle Will 
 
 "The performance last night was a great success, 
 but the final act was sadly marred by the fate of 
 the Spaniard. Tis a lucky escape for you, Will. 
 He was between your station and the fish or you 
 might have met an awful death. You should in 
 scribe a tablet of gratitude to his memory." 
 
 Shakespeare smiled and changed the subject. 
 
 "You spoke of an exploring expedition. What 
 points of interest are there near that I have failed to 
 visit?" 
 
 "Why, let me see. There is Wolsey s tomb- 
 house, though tis like many another gloomy vault ; 
 and then there is the famous whipping-post of King 
 Henry." 
 
 "Does the barbarous relic still exist? Twould 
 interest me much. I ll weave an incident of its cruel 
 reign in some future play." 
 
 "I ve seen it once, Will, but its exact direction 
 escapes me now. .Tis in a distant angle of the court. 
 Covert," he said, turning to the guardsman, "know 
 you the location of the whipping-post?" 
 
 "Full well, my Lord," answered Roger. I ll guide 
 you thither, though tis an unclean spot, reeking 
 with the odors of much filth and garbage." 
 
 "Lead the way. We ll suage the insult to our 
 nostrils with baths of scented water on our return 
 to the castle." 
 
 They followed the soldier through the devious 
 windings of the numerous small courts till at last 
 they came to the door in the wall. As Roger laid 
 his hand upon the rusty knob a hollow groan issued 
 from the interior, and the guardsman fell back 
 a-tremble with fear. 
 
At the Whipping Post 149 
 
 "Lead on, Covert," commanded the dauntless 
 Essex. "What need have three live men to be afraid 
 of one poor ghost? And spirits do not seek the 
 light tis some poor wounded animal has crawled 
 in there to die." 
 
 Thus reassured, Roger threw the door wide 
 open, and they stood in stupefied astonishment at 
 the sight that met their eyes. 
 
 They saw the body of a man lying on his face 
 beneath the ancient post, his bared back crossed with 
 raw and bleeding stripes, his head twisted on his 
 shoulder, to all appearances dead, though the groan 
 that had welcomed them to the court indicated that 
 a spark of life remained. 
 
 Roger, his fears dissipated at the sight of a human 
 being s plight, ran forward and turned him on his 
 back. 
 
 "Why, tis the Queen s fool !" he exclaimed. 
 
 Essex and Shakespeare bent over the jester and 
 the poet turned faint as he saw the ghastly features 
 of the unconscious man. His wits acted quickly, 
 however, and he was the first to break the silence. 
 
 "Roger," he commanded, "run straightway to 
 the scullery and demand a flask of rum. Plead any 
 cause save the true one. There is some villainy 
 afoot and we must proceed with caution." 
 
 Roger sped away as fast as his legs could carry 
 him, while Essex and Shakespeare seized each a 
 hand of the fool, gently chafing them and watching 
 his face for a sign of returning consciousness. In a 
 few moments Covert returned with the rum, saying : 
 "I told them Master Shakespeare had wrenched his 
 
150 The Romance of Gentle Will 
 
 ankle, and his name was indeed an open Sesame* 
 to the liquor vault, though it was hard to scape 
 their solicitous questionings." 
 
 He forced open the jester s mouth and poured an 
 enormous draught of the fiery liquid down his 
 throat. A shudder ran through the senseless form, 
 and Pulsifer s eye-lids slowly opened and he stared 
 at his good ministrants in feeble wonder. 
 
 "How came you here, Kyd?" questioned Essex. 
 "What dastardly trick has brought you to this piti 
 able state?" 
 
 The fool shook his head and moaned faintly. 
 Shakespeare leaned over the poor wretch, and plac 
 ing his arm under his shoulders, raised him to a 
 sitting posture, and taking the flask from Covert 
 held it to his grateful mouth, all unmindful of the 
 blood and grime that stained his own apparel. 
 
 As the reviving liquid coursed through his veins 
 Hatton s victim looked with amazement on the gen 
 tle features of his rescuer. 
 
 At last he whispered, though his voice was not 
 audible to Essex s ears: 
 
 "And I would have had you killed last night! 
 You do punish me most fittingly for my treachery." 
 
 "Hush, my poor fellow," said Will, "we ll not 
 think of that now. Let it suffice that I was fore 
 warned and escaped. But we must get you away 
 from here and summon the chirurgeon to attend 
 you." 
 
 "Nay, nay, twould be my death," said the fool 
 in louder tone. "What faint hope of life is left me 
 lies in the security of some private hiding-place. 
 But waste not your time on me, kind masters. 
 
At the Whipping Post 1 51 
 
 Twere better that you let me die. Twould spare 
 a noble lord much pains. I will no doubt be sought 
 out, no matter where you take me, and my dis 
 covery will result in my speedy execution." 
 
 "Nonsense, man," protested Essex, "you ll find 
 we re made of sterner stuff. Covert, have not your 
 adventures in the court acquainted you with some 
 safe retreat where we may bear this poor sick varlet 
 and nurse him back to health?" 
 
 Roger studied deeply for a moment, then snapped 
 his fingers and uttered an ejaculation of delight. 
 
 "The laundry is the very place. Tis separate 
 from the rest of the court and tis piled high and 
 hung thickly with soft linens. And besides, the 
 laundress is my lady-love. We ll bear him thence, 
 and will she or nill she, Anne Holcombe we ll com 
 pel to take him in and give him shelter. We ll cur 
 tain off a space with queenly sheets and on a soft 
 couch of sweet-smelling clothes, fresh from her 
 steaming tubs, we ll lay our jester and twill be my 
 duty to attend him every day. Twill be the last 
 place they will think to search, for none but the 
 maids of the royal household visit the laundry with 
 the soiled linen. And e en my trips to the domicil 
 of my love are taken under cover of darkness or 
 only after I have made certain that no prying eyes 
 are fastened on my stealthy movements." 
 
 " Tis a clever thought, Roger," said Essex. 
 "Your laundress will be rewarded well, and your 
 master s rise at court may profit much by this visit 
 to the whipping-post." 
 
152 The Romance of Gentle Will 
 
 They wrapped the jester s jerkin round his bleed 
 ing shoulders, and pulling some rotting boards from 
 out a heap of rubbish in the yard, they formed a 
 rude litter, and soon the noble Earl, the gentle poet, 
 and the humble serving-man bent their backs in 
 common cause, and skirting an obscure portion of 
 the wall, bore the fool s limp form through the de 
 serted court-yard to the laundry, where Roger went 
 inside to explain their plan to his mistress. 
 
CHAPTER XII 
 A STRANGER AT COURT 
 
 Robert Devereux and Will Shakespeare lounged 
 in the poet s study and filled the apartment with the 
 heavy fumes of Virginia tobacco. When the atmos 
 phere had become so dense that they could with 
 difficulty distinguish each other s forms, Will arose 
 and threw open a window, saying : 
 
 f Tis strange, Robert, the hold that this fashion 
 of smoking takes upon a man. Why, there s not a 
 courtier in the Queen s suite but does puff vigorously 
 at his long pipe; and they say that even Her Majes 
 ty demanded a pull at the hot bowl of Raleigh s 
 favorite clay tube, and was made pitifully sick in 
 consequence." 
 
 Essex laughed heartily. 
 
 "Elizabeth has many manly qualities," he said, 
 "but she will be content to let the sterner sex monop 
 olize this latest pastime, and no doubt does thank the 
 stars that she is a woman. In truth, the weed made 
 me ill when first I tried to suck its soothing vapor, 
 but now tis like a heavenly balm to my nerves. 
 Walter Raleigh conferred a great blessing on the 
 people of England when he brought over the dried 
 bales of the fragrant weed." 
 
154 The Romance of Gentle Will 
 
 "It does also much pacify the stomach after a 
 heavy meal," said Shakespeare, "and frequently at 
 the close of a long- day of laborious writing I throw 
 aside my parchment and take up my pipe, finding 
 rest and repose in its curling fumes, and through 
 my half-closed eyes seeing in its filmy smoke-clouds 
 many strange visions which I store in the vaults of 
 my memory for future use in the production of my 
 plays." 
 
 "You will be a mighty man, friend Shakespeare ; 
 you have attained wonderful success for one so 
 young. The Queen holds you in high favour and is 
 ever ready to enter into a delighted discussion of 
 your latest comedy. Ah, you are a lucky dog. Half 
 the women at court are in love with you, but you are 
 so entirely wrapped up in your dream-life that you 
 fail to see it. I pray God, Will, that some one of 
 them does not turn your head and spoil a brilliant 
 career." 
 
 "You need have no fear, Essex. The one woman 
 in all the world to whom I could consign my heart is 
 far beyond my reach, and would laugh at me were I 
 but bold enough to offer her my suit." 
 
 "Do not be so sure, Will. A sturdy attack will 
 sometimes batter down the citadel of the hardest 
 heart, and ofttimes a persistent arm is so stretched 
 in the reaching that at last it grasps the highest plum 
 upon the tree of love. Overcome your modesty and 
 strike boldly for your maid." 
 
 "Nay, nay, Robert, her heart is in another s keep 
 ing, though I am sure he ill deserves it. At times I 
 had some slight hope, but in my sober thoughts I re 
 alize that I must be forever wedded to my books." 
 
A Stranger at Court 155 
 
 He placed his pipe upon the window ledge and 
 looked sadly out upon the court-yard, while Essex 
 puffed away in his corner and mused upon the events 
 of the preceding week. Suddenly a thought struck 
 him and he broke the silence with an eager question. 
 
 "Will, what news have you of the fool?" he 
 asked. " Tis three days now since we found him in 
 the deserted court, and I have had no word as to his 
 welfare." 
 
 "He hovers between life and death, Robert. 
 Roger informs me that he has lain in a state of stu 
 pefaction ever since we carried him into the laundry. 
 He and his maid have bound the poor fellow s 
 wounds with soft bandages and attend him hourly, 
 and I fear that Covert sits up with him through the 
 night, though it is not necessary, for the jester lies 
 like a log upon his pallet, and they rouse him only 
 to give him nourishment, which he takes unknow 
 ingly and sinks again to sleep." 
 
 "Is there any attempt to discover his hiding- 
 place?" 
 
 "None that we know. Evidently his persecutor 
 rests secure in the belief that Pulsifer s dead body 
 lies withering neath the post." 
 
 "He may have a rude awakening, Will, if once 
 the fool gains power of speech. My blood boils at 
 the cruel treatment of this inoffensive knave, and I 
 will use my influence with the Queen to punish the 
 wretch who thus misused him, if we can learn his 
 name." 
 
 Will made no reply and their conversation drifted 
 to other subjects. As the twilight fell upon the 
 
156 The Romance of Gentle Will 
 
 court-yard Shakespeare spied a slender figure hur 
 rying through the gathering gloom and making di 
 rectly for his apartment. He jumped up, crying to 
 Essex : "Why, tis Henry Wriothesley, and coming 
 hither at full speed" ; and he ran to the door eagerly 
 to welcome the young Earl. 
 
 Southampton burst into the room, and his friends 
 caught the infection of his boyish spirits. He 
 greeted them warmly, and spying Shakespeare s pipe 
 on the window-ledge he ran and picked it up; and 
 dropping in a chair stretched out his legs and puffed 
 vigorously until he had restored bright life to the 
 dying embers, giving vent to his feelings in muttered 
 ejaculations of satisfaction and delight. 
 
 "O Will, you have saved my life," he said pres 
 ently. "My mouth so watered for the taste of smoke 
 that I was nearly frantic. But I came on greater 
 business." He pulled a folded sheet of scented paper 
 from his bosom. "A messenger from London hand 
 ed me a letter from the maiden, Juliet Florio, in 
 which she tells me that she is coming hither to take 
 up her residence at court with her father, who is to 
 turn his school over to his head instructor. He is to 
 be stationed permanently in the Queen s household 
 as director of Will Shakespeare s plays." 
 
 "Good !" chorused his auditors. 
 
 "The day after to-morrow will witness the arrival 
 of Juliet, and she may rest assured that I will be at 
 hand to attend her and to protect her from the ad 
 vances of the Queen s impudent courtiers." 
 
 His companions laughed heartily. 
 
A Stranger at Court 157 
 
 "You forget that she has a father," said Shakes 
 peare. " Tis possible that he may have some slight 
 intention as to the disposition of his daughter." 
 
 Wriothesley s face fell, and he sat by the window 
 an inarticulate picture of woe. 
 
 "Come, come; brace up, Henry," laughed Essex. 
 " Tis a little thing to give a man the vapours. Why, 
 you will drive us to the conclusion that you are in 
 love with the maid" ; and he winked slyly at Shakes 
 peare. 
 
 "That I am, Robert," answered the dejected Earl, 
 "and I care not if the whole world knows it. I am 
 suffocated and submerged by the billows of my af 
 fection. I am fathoms deep in the sea of my love, 
 and I will never struggle out of its surging tide as 
 long as there is a breath left in my body to proclaim 
 that she is the goddess at whose shrine I worship. 
 Though I am counted noble in the eyes of a sordid 
 court she far outranks me in the nobility of her gen 
 tle soul. If ever the light of faith and purity shone 
 from the eyes of a timid virgin, her bright eyes do 
 dissipate the darkness and the evil of the world. 
 Have you been so blind that you failed to fathom 
 my feeling for our master s daughter ?" 
 
 "Nay, Henry," said Essex, "you wore your heart 
 on your sleeve at the school, and no one save her 
 doting father was in ignorance of your affection." 
 
 "Is it true, Will?" asked the astonished youth, 
 turning to Shakespeare. 
 
 "Aye," answered the poet. "But if I needed 
 further proof, twas furnished me the eve of our 
 departure for court, when I took a final stroll in 
 
158 The Romance of Gentle Will 
 
 Florio s moonlit garden, and was the unintentional 
 witness of a tender scene at the vine-clad balcony. * 
 
 Southampton s face grew rosy red as he realized 
 that the secret of his heart had been laid bare to his 
 friend. He was too embarrassed to reply for a 
 moment, but seeing the friendly look of sympathy in 
 the poet s eyes he soon addressed him. 
 
 "Surely you do not hold it to my discredit, Will. 
 It is as sacred to me as my hope of future salvation, 
 and is engraven in my memory as the happiest mo 
 ment of my life." 
 
 "Nay, nay, Henry. Essex and I did but tease you. 
 I would have given worlds to have stolen away that 
 night. I felt like an evil interloper encroaching upon 
 forbidden ground, but I dared not move for fear 
 some crackling twig might betray my presence and 
 interrupt your plea of love. I have never before 
 mentioned it, not even to Robert, and you may rest 
 assured I love you all the more for your manly woo 
 ing of your lovely maid. Here is my hand, Wrio- 
 thesley. Essex and I will stand by you ever, in good 
 fortune or in bad. If you will but confide in us we ll 
 help you to wed your love, even if we have to take 
 her away from our dear old tutor by force; and in 
 open defiance of the Queen, carry the pair of you to 
 some obliging minister who will overlook your rank 
 and join your willing hands." 
 
 He stepped forward and placed his hand caress 
 ingly round his friend s shoulder. The tears came 
 to Southampton s eyes, and Essex, to cover his own 
 weakness, jumped up, and slapping Henry on the 
 shoulder said heartily: 
 
A Stranger at Court 159 
 
 "Come, Will, let us drink a cup to Wriothesley s 
 future happiness." 
 
 Shakespeare produced glasses and a sparkling de 
 canter of rare old Madeira. He filled for his friends, 
 and in answer to Essex s request of "A toast, Will," 
 he threw his leg upon the table and raised his glass 
 on high, as he leaned toward Southampton, his love 
 for the noble youth shining in his eyes : 
 
 "Here s to the wife of thy bosom 
 
 Who shares her life with thee ; 
 Here s to the happy children 
 
 Who will cluster round thy knee; 
 Here s to our age-long friendship, 
 
 Good comrades till we die; 
 And here s to your beloved self 
 
 Forever and for aye." 
 
 "Amen to that !" said Essex, as they drained their 
 glasses. 
 
 They smoked and talked until late at night, and 
 when at last the Earls arose to take their departure 
 Southampton stopped at the door and said : "Was 
 ever a man so fortunate in his friends ? Twas your 
 turn this time, but mine may come, and you may 
 count on me to the death, my comrades of The 
 Mailed Hand. 
 
 The three companions joined Master Florio in 
 welcoming his daughter to the palace, and they at 
 tended her presentation at court and completely 
 monopolized her company while in the throne-room, 
 much to the wonderment of the Queen s ladies, and 
 to the deep disgust of the courtiers, who pressed 
 round her in an endeavor to be presented and who 
 were eager to worship at the shrine of her rare 
 
160 The Romance of Gentle Will 
 
 beauty. They were kept at arm s length, however, 
 by her father s former pupils, and were at no pains 
 to conceal their chagrin. Elizabeth took to her from 
 the first and wanted to attach her to her person, but 
 the girl pleaded to remain with her father for a time 
 and the Queen gave in. 
 
 Juliet had been at Windsor for a fortnight, when 
 one morning, as she was sitting in the low window 
 of her father s apartments, she saw the figure of 
 Henry Wriothesley hurrying across the terrace. 
 
 He leaned upon the window ledge, and spoke 
 quickly in his excitement : 
 
 "Juliet," he said, "I am called away to-morrow 
 on some business of the estate that does attend my 
 coming of age, and I am here to say good-by." 
 
 Juliet turned pale. 
 
 "Will you be gone long, Henry ?" she asked, with 
 a gentle sigh. 
 
 "That I cannot say. Tis three months ere I at 
 tain my majority, and I may be compelled to remain 
 away from your dear presence until that time. I 
 cannot bear to leave you here exposed to the amorous 
 pleadings of these courtly beaus. I fear I ll lose my 
 love." 
 
 "You must think me shallow indeed, Henry." 
 
 "Nay, Juliet, but twill seem an age to me. Dar 
 ling," he said eagerly, "will you marry me before I 
 go? We must keep it secret from the Queen until 
 I am of age and then we can snap our fingers at her 
 displeasure. What say you, my love?" 
 
 "I dare not, Henry. What would my father say ?" 
 
A Stranger at Court 161 
 
 "We ll find that out ere the passage of a quarter- 
 hour," he said, and throwing all convention aside he 
 vaulted over the window-sill. Pressing a kiss on 
 Juliet s mildly resisting lips he took the maiden by 
 the hand, saying : 
 
 "My love has made me bold. We ll seek your 
 father and learn our fate, though I swear to have 
 thee for my wife despite the opposition of the whole 
 world." 
 
 He led his trembling sweetheart to the corridor 
 and across the hall to her father s room, and knocked 
 loudly on the door. In response to John Florio s 
 summons, he entered, still holding Juliet s hand in 
 his tight grasp. Master Florio, who was seated at a 
 desk and was marking some manuscript, looked up 
 at their arrival and a puzzled expression came upon 
 his face as they stood before him with their fingers 
 entwined. 
 
 "Master Florio," boldly began the Earl, "I ve 
 come to ask the hand of your daughter in honorable 
 marriage. I ve loved her long and my heart is eaten 
 out with impatience. I leave the court to-morrow 
 for a time, and I crave your permission to make her 
 my bride this very day." 
 
 "Softly, softly," said Florio, an amused light in 
 his gentle eyes; "she is far below your station and 
 you know not but that I have other plans for her 
 marriage with a man of equal rank." 
 
 "Oh, father!" protested his daughter. 
 
 "Besides, you are not of age, and the Queen is 
 warden of your estate till then, and you must needs 
 have her permission." 
 
162 The Romance of Gentle Will 
 
 "Let it be done secretly, Master Florio, and the 
 very day my bonds are loosed I ll proclaim her my 
 Lady to the world." 
 
 Florio leaned back in his chair and calmly sur 
 veyed the young Earl. 
 
 "Dost love him very much, daughter?" he said 
 at last, turning toward the girl. 
 
 "Oh! with my whole heart, father," answered 
 Juliet. "I cannot live without him." 
 
 The tutor chuckled heartily, and Southampton 
 knew that his cause was won. 
 
 "We do not die of love, Juliet, but young hearts 
 are not to be denied. You are the very pattern of 
 your beautiful mother, when I wooed her in Italy," 
 said Florio, with a sigh. "My daughter s happiness 
 is my soul s greatest desire. Ah, what a pair of 
 young fools you are. I watched your growing love 
 when you were scarcely more than children at the 
 school, and I gloried in it. Did any member of 
 the Queenly suite save Henry Wriothesley come to 
 me with this proposition of a secret marriage, I d 
 straightway spurn him from my presence; but I 
 know my pupil s honest English heart, and confide 
 to him my treasure, secure in the knowledge that he 
 will return to claim his wife, whom I will hold safely 
 for him until he is his own master in the eyes of the 
 law." 
 
 Juliet flew to her father and kissed him fondly, 
 while Henry knelt at his side and grasped his hand, 
 fervently muttering his expressions of gratitude. 
 
 "I will aid you still further," continued this in 
 dulgent parent, "for I know a discreet churchman 
 
A Stranger at Court 163 
 
 who greatly favours marriage even amongst the 
 clergy, and who will join you gladly, and will take 
 much joy in keeping your secret from the Queen." 
 
 "I venture I could call his name," said Wriothes- 
 ley. 
 
 "S-sh ! Do not let the folly of youth o erleap the 
 bounds of caution. Names are dangerous parts of 
 speech to parse within these castle walls." 
 
 "I ll heed your warning, sir; but truly I do wish 
 it could be arranged to have my bride accompany 
 me. Twill seem an eternity ere my return." 
 
 f Tis ever the way with lovers. Not content with 
 the moon, you do sigh for the sun. Juliet, what say 
 you ? Are you not surprised and more than satisfied 
 at the happy termination of your visit to your 
 father s study?" 
 
 "I I think I do sigh for the sun, too, father," 
 said the sweet maiden, as Florio arose, and taking 
 a hand of each of the children led them happily from 
 the room. 
 
 Late the same afternoon Will Shakespeare sat 
 idly on the terrace in the shade of a clump of holly 
 trees that formed an evergreen half-circle at the bor 
 der of one of the Queen s walks. He was thinking 
 of Southampton and his impetuous love for the fair 
 Juliet, when he heard steps on the walk and the liv 
 ing subjects of his day-dream stepped round the 
 trees and stood before him. He arose quickly to 
 greet them as Southampton spoke : 
 
 "We ve been looking for you everywhere, Will; 
 I wanted to commend Mistress Wriothesley to your 
 keeping." 
 
164 The Romance of Gentle Will 
 
 "Are you married, Henry ?" gasped Shakespeare. 
 Then, collecting his startled senses, he doffed his cap 
 and made a sweeping courtesy to the beautiful girl, 
 offering his heartfelt congratulations to the happy 
 pair. 
 
 "Yes. My Lord Bishop Kitchen wedded us at 
 noon at Master Florio s request, and will keep our 
 secret until my estate is released. During my ab 
 sence I will look to you and Essex to entertain my 
 bride. She is a stranger in a wicked court and there 
 are none save you two and her father who are fit to 
 touch her hand. I will even leave her with you now 
 for a short space of time while I seek my apart 
 ments and make some final preparations for my 
 journey, that I may spend this last evening in the 
 company of my love." He bowed low, then turned 
 and walked swiftly across the court. 
 
 Shakespeare and Juliet seated themselves upon 
 the bench and he told her of his delight in their 
 marriage ; of his love for Southampton ; of their first 
 meeting, when Henry gave him supper at the inn; 
 of their happy days at the old school in London ; 
 but with gentle tact he forbore all reference to his 
 eavesdropping and his vision of their first declara 
 tion of love. She laughingly told him of Henry s 
 boldness in the morning, and of her own trepidation ; 
 of the love that her good father bore for them ; and 
 of the eagerness of Kitchen to marry them, so disap 
 pointed was he in his attempts to force the Queen to 
 sanction his own marriage that it was balm to his 
 soul when he could exercise his ministerial power 
 and marry others gainst her will. 
 
A Stranger at Court 165 
 
 They laughed and chatted merrily, and failed to 
 note the light footfall of one of the Queen s ladies 
 who passed along the walk. She reached the clump 
 of trees and stopped suddenly as she heard their 
 happy voices. These words were born upon her list 
 ening ears : 
 
 "Ah, Master Shakespeare, tis strange you have 
 not wed ere this. There s many a lady of the court 
 would deem herself fortunate to become your bride. 
 And you were not in love even when we were at the 
 school?" 
 
 "Nay, I swear to you, Juliet, I knew not the mean 
 ing of the word love until I entered here." 
 
 There was a rustle of skirts, and Lady Anne 
 Hathaway appeared around the trees and approach 
 ed their bench. 
 
 Will Shakespeare arose, and raising his cap was 
 about to present her to his fair companion ; but she 
 opened wide her eyes and looked him through and 
 through with never a sign of recognition. Then she 
 elevated her chin and her lips curled with an expres 
 sion of supercilious scorn as she turned her back 
 upon the bewildered pair and swept proudly down 
 the walk toward the castle. 
 
CHAPTER XIII 
 THE JESTER S REVENGE 
 
 Pulsifer Kyd lay on an enormous pile of un 
 washed linen in a little curtained recess at one 
 corner of Anne Holcombe s laundry. The hang 
 ings were sheets so cleverly arranged as to give 
 them the appearance of having been hung there to 
 dry, and the innumerable articles of bed-clothing 
 and wearing apparel that hung on the lines between 
 his refuge and the door served almost to conceal 
 the corner from the view of a chance visitor. 
 
 In the hollow cheeks and attenuated form and 
 the gaunt head that appeared so ghastly against the 
 background of the white pillow it would have been 
 hard indeed to recognize the person of the capering 
 fool who had so often amused the Queen and court 
 by his flashes of wit. The first few days of stupe 
 faction had been followed by an attack of fever, and 
 it was due alone to the unceasing vigilance and 
 patient nursing of Roger Covert and his laundress 
 that the breath of life still remained in this emaciated 
 wreck of a man. He had become able to take a few 
 drops of nourishment at long intervals, and it was 
 due to their administration that a little strength was 
 coming back to him and that his power of speech 
 was now somewhat restored. The guardsman sat 
 
The Jester s Revenge 167 
 
 on an inverted tub by his resting-place and with 
 one arm supported his head while with the other 
 hand he fed him a few spoonfuls of a stimulating 
 broth. 
 
 "There now, Pulsifer," said he, "Anne s soup 
 will warm the cockles of your heart, and we ll make 
 a new man of you. We ll put the flesh back upon 
 your bones that is, all that was not stripped off 
 your back by your cruel master s whip and we ll 
 prepare to laugh again and oft at your merry sallies 
 before the Queen." 
 
 The fool looked at him with his staring eyes. 
 
 "Do you think, Master Covert, that there is some 
 slight chance for me to live?" he asked. 
 
 "Zounds, man!" answered Roger, "there s not a 
 doubt of it. Twould take more than a beating to 
 crush the vital spark in your droll and toughened 
 carcass." 
 
 "Nay, I misdoubt it much," said Kyd. "The 
 spirit within me is broken and I care not whether 
 I live or die. I served my Lord faithfully, even 
 though twas in an evil cause, and witness his re 
 ward. While you and your good master, against 
 whose life I plotted, do raise me up and succour me 
 in my affliction. I cannot understand it. Twould 
 have been more seemly had you left me there to 
 die." 
 
 "Nay, Pulsifer. You were but a tool and did 
 as you were bid. You owed your existence at the 
 court to him and were thus completely in his power. 
 And indirectly you did save Will Shakespeare s life, 
 for I overheard your conversation with Fernando 
 
168 The Romance of Gentle Will 
 
 upon the royal barge and warned my master forth 
 with of your conspiracy." 
 
 A light came into the jester s eyes and a faint 
 color mounted his cheeks. 
 
 "Then you were the soldier who bought the fish 
 from the Jew?" he asked eagerly. 
 
 "Aye," answered Roger, "the very same." 
 
 "I see it all now," murmured the fool. "I laid 
 the intervention in the poet s favor to supernatural 
 hands; but your explanation makes all clear and 
 much relieves my tired brain. But whether I am 
 to live or die I would make reparation for the wrong 
 I ve done a noble man, and I pray the breath of life 
 may remain within my lungs until it is accom 
 plished." 
 
 "You had best think only of getting well, Kyd. 
 Sir Thomas is unlikely to make another attempt 
 upon my master s life, especially since he knows 
 you are at large. I ve heard it whispered by my 
 comrades of the guard that he is searching every 
 where for you and has spread a tale amongst the 
 courtiers that you purloined his purse and dis 
 appeared in consequence. The Queen laughs at 
 him, saying that it is a good joke, and that you were 
 less of a fool than she thought. She even twitted 
 him with your warning on the barge, at which his 
 brow grew black and he was in a pestilent humour 
 for the rest of the day." 
 
 The jester smiled faintly. 
 
 ( Tis unlikely that he will find me in this snug 
 retreat," he said. "But tell me, Master Covert, does 
 he still seek the hand of the Queen s beautiful maid 
 of honor?" 
 
The Jester s Revenge 169 
 
 "You mean the Lady Anne Hathaway. Why, he 
 flutters round the flame of her bright eyes like the 
 deluded moth scorching his wings on a flickering 
 taper. For a time his suit seemed cold, and the 
 maiden would have none of him ; but she has turned 
 again, chameleon-like, and eagerly welcomes his 
 approach. They spend long hours together on the 
 terrace and ride and walk often in company, which 
 pleases the Queen o er much, as she has long desired 
 to mate the Chancellor and her haughty maid. 
 Meanwhile, my master, Will Shakespeare, of whom 
 I know not what to make, has plunged deep into the 
 writing of his books and seldom takes the air, and 
 when I catch sight of his glum face it makes me sad, 
 for he was ever a merry youth and withal a kind 
 master and of a gentle nature as you well know. 
 I would that I could cheer him up, though my efforts 
 would count for naught when those of Robert 
 Devereux and the beautiful Italian damsel prove 
 unavailing." 
 
 "Think you that Anne Hathaway loves the Chan 
 cellor?" 
 
 "That I cannot say, Pulsifer, though I am sure 
 that Will Shakespeare loves her." 
 
 "Then we can place a stumbling-block in Hat- 
 ton s path. Do you go to her, Covert, and inform 
 her of his treachery. Twill clear the way for the 
 poet." 
 
 "Nay," said Roger, shaking his head sadly, "my 
 master swore me to secrecy. I proposed it myself 
 the night of the festival, but he would not hear to it, 
 and I dare not break my oath." 
 
170 The Romance of Gentle Will 
 
 "O if this sick body of mine were of the inclina 
 tion of my brain," groaned the jester, "I would seek 
 the maid myself. There is no seal upon my lips, v.nd 
 it might result in the happiness of two young lives 
 and the downfall of a tremendous villain." 
 
 "Stay," said Covert. "Though I am pledged to 
 my master I will countenance the sending of a mes 
 sage to Mistress Hathaway; or better still, Pulsifer, 
 if we could only entice her here and let her see for 
 herself your pitiable state and your raw wounds, 
 your tale would indeed have much effect. I ll send 
 Anne Holcombe to you, that you may contrive some 
 plan to bring the proud beauty to your side, and 
 I will close my ears and thus observe the letter of my 
 master s faith." 
 
 He arose and was about to raise the sheet, when 
 he heard pattering steps, and the laundress darted 
 excitedly into their retreat. 
 
 "O Roger," she cried, "two guardsmen are speed 
 ing across the castle yard and head directly for my 
 door. What shall we do ? What shall we do ? The 
 poor jester will be discovered." 
 
 Covert said not a word, but raised Pulsifer s 
 gaunt frame in his strong arms and told Anne Hol 
 combe to move aside the heap of linen. When she 
 had done so he laid the fool gently upon the bare 
 floor, and they covered him with the clothing until 
 but a few pieces remained unused. Then Roger lay 
 carefully down upon the pile, saying : 
 
 "Cover me over lightly, Anne, and strenuously 
 plead your innocence when they approach. Use 
 
The Jester s Revenge 171 
 
 every endeavour to keep them away from the screen 
 and I am much mistaken if they do not take the 
 bait." 
 
 Anne placed the remaining garments over the 
 guardsman, and then ran to the door just as two 
 burly soldiers stamped into the room. 
 
 "My pretty laundress," said one, impudently 
 chucking her under the chin, "we ve come to search 
 your castle. Tis the last resort, for every other 
 nook and cranny of the court has been explored. 
 If you have been harboring the court fool, you had 
 better give him up or you may lose your laundry." 
 
 Anne dropped on her knees and wept bitterly as 
 she loudly proclaimed her innocence. 
 
 "Come now, stop your blubbering," said the sec 
 ond guardsman, "we are not harming women. We 
 want only the jester." He strode to the tubs and 
 poked the drying clothes, and suddenly espied the 
 drapery in the corner. "Oho," said he, "the trail 
 grows hot !" and he made for the retreat. The laun 
 dress ran to him and seized him around the knees, 
 tearing at his clothing in her efforts to restrain his 
 steps. He pushed her off with a curse and tore 
 the hanging sheet aside, giving a laugh of triumph 
 as he saw the great heap of linen. 
 
 "I think we ve found his lair," he said, and his 
 companion ran to his assistance, and together they 
 threw the soiled garments off the top of the pile. 
 In a moment they gave an exclamation of delight 
 as a heavy boot was exposed to view. They tore 
 furiously at the clothing, and soon uncovered the 
 
172 The Romance of Gentle Will 
 
 figure of a man, which sat up, disclosing to their 
 astonished view the features of their brother-guards 
 man, Roger Covert. 
 
 "Curse you !" said that worthy, in a violent tem 
 per; "cannot a man steal a few moments when off 
 duty to visit his lady love without the interference 
 of a couple of prying varlets, who compel him to 
 hide in this foul linen that he might save the maid 
 en s reputation from their prattling tongues ? I tell 
 you it is a sneaking trick to play upon your comrade, 
 and tis not soldierly to come with your bellowing 
 tale of a disappearing jester." 
 
 "Roger, Roger, we meant no harm!" cried the 
 first guardsman. "By my faith, if we had known 
 you were here we never would have meddled. I hope 
 you will not hold it against us. We sought the fool, 
 who has stolen Hatton s purse and has vanished 
 several weeks since, as you must know." 
 
 Roger seemed to become gradually appeased by 
 their protestations, and they solemnly gave him their 
 pledges of secrecy, which he was certain they would 
 keep, for they knew him of old and feared to anger 
 him. 
 
 "Faith, you live up to your old name of Roger 
 Under Cover, " said the second guardsman, as 
 they took their departure. 
 
 When they had disappeared in the court-yard, 
 Anne and Roger hastily removed the garments 
 from the poor jester and rearranged his couch and 
 made him comfortable once more. 
 
 Twas a narrow escape," said Covert. "You 
 are well-nigh smothered, Pulsifer; but you are in a 
 
The Jester s Revenge 173 
 
 fine sweat, which will be a God-send for the fever, 
 and we need have no more fear of searchers in this 
 quarter. My comrades will report that the laundry 
 is above suspicion. And now I will leave Anne 
 with you, that you may enter into your compact 
 concerning Mistress Hathaway." 
 
 He went to the door and stood overlooking the 
 castle yard and smiling to himself at thought of the 
 soldiers discomfiture. 
 
 An hour later the laundress knocked timidly at 
 the door of Anne Hathaway s apartment, which was 
 opened by the maiden herself. 
 
 "Why, who sent you here?" she asked in aston 
 ishment. "Your duties lie in the servants quarters." 
 
 "My Lady, I am the bearer of a message from 
 Pulsifer Kyd, the jester. He lies in hiding in my 
 laundry, and is sick nigh unto death." 
 
 "What has the fool to do with me. I will report 
 the thief s whereabouts to the Queen." 
 
 "Nay, my Lady, he is no thief, but a sadly 
 misused wretch, who has an important disclosure 
 to make to you concerning his master, Sir Thomas 
 Hatton." 
 
 Anne flushed, but listened with more attention 
 for the messenger s reply to her question : 
 
 "Of what consequence is Sir Thomas Hatton to 
 me, I pray you ?" 
 
 "That I know not, but I do know that he had 
 the jester beaten severely and left him to die, which 
 he would have done most promptly had not Master 
 Shakespeare intervened and saved his life." 
 
174 The Romance of Gentle Will 
 
 "I am of a mind to listen to his tale," said Anne 
 Hathaway, "if you will take me to him." 
 
 "He eagerly awaits you, my Lady," answered 
 the laundress, as Anne retired to her room for a 
 moment. She returned with a light shawl, and the 
 maidens swiftly threaded the corridors and stole 
 unobserved across the castle yard to Anne Hoi- 
 combe s domain. 
 
 The girl took the Queen s lady behind the screen 
 and left her alone by the bedside of the jester, 
 returning to her long-neglected tubs. 
 
 Anne Hathaway was horrified at the emaciation 
 of the poor fool, and a wave of pity surged over her 
 while the tears came into her eyes. 
 
 Pulsifer s quick eyes noted her emotion. 
 
 "Do not weep, my Lady," he said. "I deserve 
 your condemnation, not your tears. I am little bet 
 ter than an assassin, for I plotted to kill, and it is 
 not my fault that the poet Shakespeare does not lie 
 at the bottom of the Thames in place of that yellow 
 Spaniard, Fernando Cordes." 
 
 Anne clutched her heart in her excitement at his 
 revelation. 
 
 " Tis no wonder that Sir Thomas Hatton had 
 you flogged. Had I been Lord Chancellor your 
 carcass would have swung from the castle wall for 
 your conspiracy. But why do you make this evil 
 confession to me? I have no interest in William 
 Shakespeare." 
 
 Pulsifer looked blankly at the maid for a moment, 
 then his weak throat gave vent to a hoarse laugh. 
 
The Jester s Revenge 175 
 
 "Why, twas the Chancellor himself that planned 
 the murder and I was but his tool," he said; "and 
 for the failure of Fernando to despatch his victim, 
 I being the only dupe at hand, was made to suffer, 
 and as I threatened to expose him to the Queen 
 his lips pronounced the death sentence upon me, and 
 twas not his fault that I survived. 
 
 "Though you have no interest in the playwright 
 you have much in Sir Thomas Hatton, and it is an 
 act of mercy to warn you in time. See," he said, 
 as with the strength of despair he sat up on the 
 couch and tore the shirt and bandages from his back. 
 "Let no false feelings of modesty cast down your 
 eyes, but look upon these cruel stripes, the ghastly 
 souvenirs of his vengeful hate." 
 
 "My God ! Can this be true ?" shuddered the girl, 
 as she sank aghast upon the upturned tub. 
 
 "Alas ! too true, my Lady. .Tis said that the Lord 
 Chancellor seeks your hand and favors you much 
 with his loving advances. Think you that a man 
 who is capable of doing murder and of inflicting 
 punishment like mine on the lowest specimen of 
 humankind would make a gentle husband ? At that 
 I would not warn you, though my wounds cry for 
 vengeance; but his intended victim was my saviour 
 and I have some inkling that his sighs are cast in 
 your direction." 
 
 "Nay, Kyd, you are mistaken. He worships 
 at another shrine. But why should my Lord Hatton 
 seek his life?" 
 
 "Because he sought your love, and he imagined 
 that the poet stood in his way. Fernando Cordes 
 
176 The Romance of Gentle Will 
 
 was to stab him on the royal barge. I saw the knife 
 fall before the fish got him ; but Master Shakespeare 
 rose smiling and unhurt in the midst of the general 
 confusion, though I am at a loss to understand what 
 turned the dagger s edge, for the aim was true. 
 Some fairy hand must have clutched the assassin s 
 blade/ 
 
 "The arrival of the monster was a visitation of 
 Providence, Kyd?" 
 
 "Nay, twas prearranged. I have since learned 
 that his loyal serving-man overheard our plot and 
 garbed himself in this mask of the fish, though all 
 on board the float were fooled by its natural appear 
 ance in the dim light of the flickering lanterns." 
 
 "Why did he not inform the Queen and have the 
 wretch cast into the Tower? Twould have saved 
 him many pains and much danger." 
 
 "He did contend with Shakespeare and insisted 
 upon revealing the plot to Her Majesty, but the poet 
 most sternly refused to countenance such action, 
 holding that it would not be the part of honour to 
 bear a tattling tongue." 
 
 "And he went to the barge knowing full well 
 that his life would be attempted ?" 
 
 "Yes, my Lady. He decided to cope with the 
 assassin alone and unarmed, though he was sta 
 tioned apart from the other courtiers by Hatton s 
 order. He knew nothing of the guardsman s plan, 
 and the wonder is that he still lives." 
 
 A queer look came into Anne Hathaway s eyes, 
 and she buried her face in her hands and sat in 
 silence for a long time. The jester, weakened by 
 
The Jester s Revenge 177 
 
 the excitement of the interview and the stirring 
 events of the day, lay exhausted on the linen, with 
 half-shut lids and with the beads of perspiration 
 shining on his clammy brow. 
 
 At last Anne raised her head and spoke : 
 
 "My poor fellow, I am under a heavy obligation 
 to you for my warning," she said. "I think Sir 
 Thomas Hatton will be read a bitter lesson when 
 next we meet; and what is more, Kyd, I will use 
 my personal efforts with the Queen to have you 
 restored to favour as soon as you are well, and I will 
 so arrange that you need have no more fear of the 
 Lord Chancellor." 
 
 "I fear that I am on the couch of Death, my 
 Lady," murmured the jester. 
 
 "Nay, nay, Kyd. You must keep up your cour 
 age. I will send you a chirurgeon and an attendant 
 with medicine and dainties, and we will have you 
 quickly nursed back to health and strength, though 
 you will ever bear the marks of Hatton s malice." 
 
 The fool mumbled his grateful thanks, and Anne 
 Hathaway left the laundry, going directly to her 
 rooms, where she threw herself upon a divan and 
 pondered o er the revelations of Hatton s duplicity. 
 
 "Coward! Assassin! Lover!" she said. "And 
 he thought to trick me with his protestations of af 
 fection. Even my Queen is befooled by his smiling 
 visage and his insinuating grace. And I, God help 
 me, was on the verge of yielding to his suit and 
 becoming his wife. I was dazzled by the glamour 
 of his high rank and his proud position at court. 
 I could have been one of the first ladies in the land, 
 
178 The Romance of Gentle Will 
 
 but I am spared an awful fate. Oh! the treachery 
 that is cloaked neath many a fair exterior. A nobler 
 heart beats in the breast of Shakespeare s humble 
 serving-man than ever stirred the pulses of the 
 wicked Chancellor. There is true faith for you, 
 Anne ; the love of this man for his master. He over 
 looked all thought of danger to himself and risked 
 his life to save his hero. 
 
 "The poet showed a courage which I never cred 
 ited to his gentle nature. Ah, Will Shakespeare, 
 if you were as steadfast in your love as you are in 
 your bravery, Sir Thomas Hatton might have cause 
 for jealousy. But I must despatch a note and de 
 mand the return of my garter. You are so enam 
 oured of your Italian doll that I fear the jewel may 
 change owners, and I swear no other woman shall 
 ever wear my precious buckle." 
 
CHAPTER XIV 
 A LADY AND A LORD 
 
 Four men sat in the bed-chamber of the Spanish 
 King and entered eagerly into a discussion of the 
 monarch s plans regarding his marriage. 
 
 They were the Duke of Alva; Alexander Farnese, 
 Duke of Parma; the Queen of England s Lord 
 Chancellor, Sir Thomas Hatton ; and the King him 
 self. 
 
 Although the hour was close to noon, Philip II 
 had but just arisen and had attired himself in a 
 faded dressing-gown and a pair of dingy woollen 
 slippers, looking anything but the ruling spirit of 
 the proudest Catholic realm in the world as he sat 
 with his long limbs crossed and blinked with bleary 
 eyes at his councillors. 
 
 "What success had you with Elizabeth?" asked 
 the King, addressing Hatton. 
 
 "Your Majesty, I most ardently plead your cause, 
 but she turned a deaf ear to my argument, saying 
 that she would not forsake her faith even for such a 
 prize as the King of Spain. She intimated that your 
 stay had been much prolonged at court and that 
 twould please her mightily when she saw the white 
 sails of your ship speeding down the Thames, and 
 set for home." 
 
180 The Romance of Gentle Will 
 
 Philip gnashed his teeth in his rage. 
 
 "Think you that our difference in religion is her 
 true reason, Hatton ?" he asked. 
 
 "That I cannot say, your Majesty. She is a 
 woman of many minds, but I am prone to believe 
 that her determination is steadfast on one point, her 
 desire to rule alone. I have heard her say to Ra 
 leigh, when first you came to England, that in mar 
 rying a King she would never be more than Queen ; 
 but in her single state she is both King and Queen, 
 her reign unhampered by the wishes of a royal 
 spouse, and free to play at Cupid s game with the 
 many changing nobles, courtiers, and even kings that 
 figure on her checker-board of love." 
 
 "She has ever been a fickle monarch," said Alva ; 
 "but, as age grows on apace, methinks she d much 
 prefer to give up the cares of state, and place the 
 reins of power in manly hands." 
 
 "Age enters not into her consideration," said Hat- 
 ton. "She ll be a lover until she dies." 
 
 "What part does the Earl of Leicester play in this 
 game of love?" asked the Duke of Parma. 
 
 "Upon my faith, I am convinced that you ve 
 struck the root of all this opposition. Since Eliza 
 beth first met him years ago, his power at court has 
 not waned, even for an instant. The ever-changing 
 courtiers come and go, but Robert Dudley remains 
 at her left hand and she ever bends a ready ear to his 
 councils. He never oversteps the bounds of dignity 
 while in the presence of her suite, but tis certain 
 that he holds her in some spell; and, though he is 
 
A Lady and a Lord 181 
 
 of lowly birth, the heart of the mighty Elizabeth in 
 clines more toward his love than that of the greatest 
 prince of Europe." 
 
 "Why the Devil does she not marry the upstart?" 
 snapped the King. "Surely the spoiled creature has 
 her own way in everything else. Twould be con 
 sistent with many other unqueenly acts." 
 
 "Indeed, tis a great mystery at court. Surely it 
 must be due alone to the perversity of her nature. 
 Realizing that she may, she will not have him ; but 
 if any one should dare to offer opposition to the 
 Earl no doubt she would wed him in much haste and 
 rule him too with a rod of iron." 
 
 "She would never rule the King of Spain," mut 
 tered Philip, "and the sly minx is too cute to put her 
 head into the trap. I am firmly convinced that we 
 waste our time in her court. She has put me off for 
 many weeks with her elusive answers, but I can see 
 that she is but the echo of Leicester s wish. I give 
 him joy in his conquest. I care not for myself, tis 
 the added power that I crave. Upon my soul, Mary 
 Stuart would make a more tender bride. She is a 
 good Catholic, and if I can but compass her release 
 I am certain that she will bestow her hand and also 
 her heart upon me as my reward. 
 
 "Why, this petulant Elizabeth did most shortly 
 refuse to grant me even a trifling favour. I demanded 
 the hand of one of her maids for Gomez de Silva, 
 who was infatuated with her beauty, and she curtly 
 advised me to send the minister to plead his own 
 cause, saying that she never interfered in the love 
 affairs of her ladies. Tis a great country, where 
 
182 The Romance of Gentle Will 
 
 the wishes of a sovereign go for naught. If we had 
 the maid in sunny Spain we d soon humble her 
 proud spirit." 
 
 "Who was the maiden that Don Gomez desired?" 
 asked Alexander Farnese of the King. 
 
 "The handsomest of all her attendants and the 
 haughtiest in her bearing. She is named Anne 
 Hathaway." 
 
 The Chancellor s ears pricked up and he straight 
 ened his shoulders as he addressed the King : 
 
 "I flatter myself, your Majesty, that a kinder fate 
 is in store for Mistress Hathaway. Elizabeth dis 
 sembled when she assured you that she never med 
 dled with her maidens loves. She has long openly 
 countenanced my suit of the lady-in-waiting, and ere 
 the sun sets on another day I am confident that I 
 will hold the plighted troth of the beautiful damsel. 
 She has been all smiles to me of late and most openly 
 welcomes my loving advances. No doubt she had 
 the Queen s ear in advance of your Majesty and told 
 her love for me to her indulgent mistress. 
 
 "Poor de Silva. After my interview with my 
 Lady I will offer him my condolence. King Philip, 
 your grandees cannot hope to cope with an English 
 nobleman upon his own soil. Natheless, he is a dig 
 nified gentleman and I hope that his suit may pros 
 per better in another direction." 
 
 The King smiled at his conceit, but changed the 
 subject. 
 
 "Hatton," he queried, "what know you of the 
 character of Mary Stuart s gaoler, the keeper of the 
 Tower?" 
 
A Lady and a Lord 183 
 
 "Sir Amias Paulet is a confiding soul, and very 
 much of a fool, your Majesty. So gentle is his nature 
 that he cannot bear to see even an animal suffer, 
 and his appointment as keeper of the prison was in 
 sooth an act of irony on the part of the Queen. If 
 he had his way, he would open wide the doors and 
 turn the unfortunate inmates out to perpetual free 
 dom." 
 
 "It augurs well for the plot to release Mary," 
 mused the King. 
 
 "Nay, your Majesty, there you are mistaken; for, 
 despite his kind heart, he is a man of inflexible hon 
 esty, and Elizabeth chose him well, for he would 
 cut off his good right arm before he would betray 
 his trust, no matter how his heart might bleed at his 
 poor prisoner s plight." 
 
 "Hatton, it is our last recourse, for I am deter 
 mined not to return bootless to Spain. Can you not 
 think of some plan to free the Queen of Scots, that 
 we might bear her away, to Elizabeth s great dis 
 may." 
 
 "It must be done through other means. I have an 
 idea. Norfolk is allowed to visit her frequently and 
 is much in love with her. We might prevail upon 
 him to slay Sir Amias by offer of our aid to secure 
 him his bride; and once she passed the portals of 
 the Tower you could whisk her aboard of your ship 
 and none would be the wiser." 
 
 "What of Norfolk?" asked the King. 
 
 "In my capacity of Lord Chancellor of the realm, 
 I would order his imprisonment, and would see to 
 it that his lips were sealed until I had obtained the 
 
184 The Romance of Gentle Will 
 
 Queen s signature for his execution. You may rest 
 assured I would lose no time in delivering him to the 
 headsman." 
 
 "By my faith," said Philip II, "you should have 
 been a Spaniard. You make a famous conspirator. 
 What say you, Farnese, to the plot ?" 
 
 The Duke of Parma shook his head. 
 
 "Your Majesty," he answered, "Norfolk is too 
 old a bird to be caught with chaff. Unless a suitable 
 guarantee could be given him that his bride would be 
 delivered into his hands he would make no attempt 
 to free her, but would rather carry the news of your 
 overtures to Queen Elizabeth in the hope of currying 
 favour at your expense and advancing his cause by 
 ridding England of your presence." 
 
 "You have a serpent s wisdom. Our hands are 
 tied in that direction," grumbled the King. 
 
 "Could we not effect her release ourselves, your 
 Highness?" asked Alva. "By bribing the food- 
 bearers from the kitchen, we might guise ourselves 
 in their uncouth apparel, and muffling our faces 
 might gain access to the Queen s cell. The keepers 
 would not dare to raise their hands, when once they 
 discovered your royal presence in the Tower, and we 
 could most easily slay them, and likewise this soft 
 hearted fool, Sir Amias Paulet. Sir Thomas could 
 so arrange that the way might be clear for our 
 escape." 
 
 The King shuddered at thought of exposing his 
 precious body to personal danger. 
 
 "Nay, Alva," he said, "I am not fitted for the ex 
 pedition. We must find some more subtle plan and 
 
A Lady and a Lord 185 
 
 free the Scottish Queen by stratagem. Hatton, can 
 you not think of a tool in all the castle who would 
 sell his very soul for a suitable reward?" 
 
 "Pulsifer Kyd, the jester, would have been the 
 man for us, your Majesty. He was a privileged 
 character and had access everywhere, but he has dis 
 appeared. I am at a loss to think of another who 
 would do." 
 
 "Name me over the list of attendants in the suite," 
 testily snapped the King, and sat with a frown, 
 checking them off on his fingers as the Chancellor 
 named the various servants in the castle. 
 
 He had finished with the scullery maids and 
 kitchen knaves and at last called the name of Anne 
 Holcombe, the laundress. 
 
 "Stop !" said Philip, as his evil eyes lit up with an 
 expression of delight. "I have the key to the solution 
 of our plans. Parma, can you have the ship in read 
 iness to sail for Spain with to-morrow evening s 
 tide?" 
 
 "Your Majesty, our sailors have been awaiting 
 your commands this week or more, and it but needs 
 the unfurling of the sails and a steady breeze to 
 speed us swiftly on our way." 
 
 "Good, good !" chuckled the monarch. "After all, 
 I have a mind to disguise myself, and we will yet 
 free Mary from her toils, and no one will be harmed. 
 
 "Hatton, I desire to break my fast. Will you give 
 orders that I may be served. Attend us this even 
 ing in my apartments and we will submit to you our 
 perfected plan." 
 
186 The Romance of Gentle Will 
 
 Hatton bowed low and left the king, who turned 
 to the Admiral, saying : 
 
 "Alexander, do you have the decks scoured and 
 the ship put in proper condition for the reception 
 of a royal dame. Whether we fail or not, we will 
 have to leave the shores of England, and that most 
 speedily. If we are unsuccessful, I have one last re 
 source, the German Princess, though her domains 
 are not as broad as I would wish. Alva, unfold me 
 that map of the Netherlands and let us see the width 
 of the Dutch possessions that we might add to the 
 Spanish crown." 
 
 The Duke took down the map and spread it out 
 before his King, and the three conspirators were 
 deep in its perusal when the attendants arrived with 
 His Majesty s breakfast. 
 
 Meanwhile, Sir Thomas Hatton betook himself 
 to his own rooms and summoned his barber, who 
 shaved him and dressed his hair and bathed him in 
 much scented water. He then garbed himself in an 
 elegant suit of white silken doublet and hose, fasten 
 ed his satin slippers with enormous buckles of gold, 
 clasped his jerkin with handsome jeweled brooches, 
 and putting on a broad hat with drooping plume 
 that matched his dazzling apparel, he threw a rich 
 cloak about his shoulders and set out in quest of 
 his lady-love. 
 
 Anne Hathaway sat on her favourite bench in the 
 Queen s garden and was thinking of the poor jes 
 ter s sad plight and wondering if he would recover, 
 when suddenly she espied the gorgeous figure of the 
 Chancellor as he entered the court and made his way 
 
A Lady and a Lord 187 
 
 across the terrace toward her seat. The lines of her 
 pretty mouth set in rigid determination and she 
 moved to the centre of the bench, spreading her 
 skirts so that there would be no room for Sir 
 Thomas to sit beside her. 
 
 The Lord hastened his step at the sight of the 
 maiden, and arriving in front of her station he doff 
 ed his hat and with a sweeping bow saluted her. 
 
 "Prithee, Mistress Hathaway, I am in great for 
 tune. I did not expect to find you here." 
 
 "For whom were you looking, then, Sir Thomas? 
 Methought you gazed anxiously about as you en 
 tered the garden," queried the girl, an odd twinkle 
 coming into her eyes, for she was determined to play 
 with this gay deceiver as a cat with a mouse ere she 
 placed him on the rack of his own duplicity. 
 
 Hatton s face colored, but he determined upon a 
 bold stroke. 
 
 "Well, to be frank, my Lady, I sought you. I 
 will not be tossed on the sea of hope and plunged in 
 the depths of despair any longer, but have come to 
 learn my fate." 
 
 Anne suddenly changed the subject. 
 
 "Why do you appear in this gorgeous array, my 
 Lord? Do you serve the Queen at some special 
 audience in the throne-room to-day?" 
 
 "Nay, I wait upon a lady fairer than Her Majesty. 
 I attend one who is a greater Queen to me, for she 
 is the Queen of my heart." 
 
 "See," said Anne, suddenly pointing to the lower 
 terrace; "a couple walk in the castle yard. They 
 have a familiar look." 
 
188 The Romance of Gentle Will 
 
 The Chancellor, in despair, turned his eyes in the 
 direction indicated. 
 
 "It is Master Shakespeare and the Italian maiden, 
 Juliet Florio," he said. 
 
 "So it is. What think you of the poet? Does he 
 not write beautiful plays ?" 
 
 "They are passable," said the agonized lover; 
 "but you keep me from my purpose. Why do you 
 so tantalize me with your tricks? You know full 
 well what I would say to you that my veins are 
 bursting with my love for you ; that I am longing to 
 take you in my arms and crush your dear form in my 
 close embrace ; and I do here and now most humbly 
 offer you my name and rank, and on my bended 
 knee do ask you to become my wife." 
 
 Anne looked coldly at him, as he knelt at her feet, 
 and tapped her foot impatiently upon the gravel 
 walk. 
 
 "Do I not mistake your meaning, my Lord?" she 
 said. "Perhaps when you said wife your tongue 
 tripped, for I am certain you meant slave/ " 
 
 Hatton looked at her in astonishment. 
 
 "Nay, I meant wife/ my true and honoured wife, 
 Anne." 
 
 She pierced him through and through with her 
 accusing eyes as she answered : 
 
 "Sir Thomas Hatton, I fear your love would 
 wane, and ere long my white shoulders might bear 
 the cruel marks of your lash, marks similar to well, 
 we will say to those on the back of Pulsifer Kyd, 
 the court fool." 
 
A Lady and a Lord 189 
 
 The Chancellor s face turned livid and his jaw 
 dropped as he arose and tremblingly gasped : 
 
 "What do you mean, girl?" 
 
 "I mean that you cannot pull the wool over my 
 eyes as you have done over those of Her Majesty 
 and the whole court. Your wickedness has found 
 you out, my Lord, and I thank God that I am spared 
 the fate of becoming your victim. Nay," she said, 
 as a murderous gleam came into his eyes and he 
 looked stealthily around the garden, "you may close 
 my lips, but it will be your undoing, for we are pre 
 pared. A half-dozen of us in the castle hold your 
 secret and the first hostile movement on your part 
 will be the signal for your exposure to the Queen." 
 
 "How found you this out?" stammered the Lord. 
 
 "We have your fool in our keeping." 
 
 "The villain lies ; he bears me malice." 
 
 "Nay, Sir Thomas, we have other proof. Your 
 plot was overheard the day of the Queen s festival, 
 and your murderous attempt upon the poet s life was 
 foiled." 
 
 The Chancellor grasped the arm of the bench, and 
 mastering his voice with a mighty effort, made a 
 final appeal to the maiden. 
 
 "All s fair in love, Mistress Anne," he said. "I 
 swear to you that I was so drunk with my affection 
 for you that it mattered not who stood in my way. 
 I would have killed the Queen herself and poisoned 
 the whole court, if by so doing I might have brought 
 you to my arms. Let me plead the demon of jeal 
 ousy as my excuse and beg you to reconsider your 
 decision. In the temple of my love I can atone for 
 
190 The Romance of Gentle Will 
 
 my sin and by my good actions for the rest of my 
 life live down this error of my passion. Besides, 
 you cannot overlook the fact that I am one of the 
 highest nobles in this mighty realm." 
 
 " Tis notorious throughout the court, Master 
 Hatton, that Elizabeth created you Lord Chancellor 
 because your graceful dancing took her fancy one 
 day when she was in a generous mood. Twas a 
 strange leap to fame and fortune, but I would have 
 you understand once and for all that when I wed, 
 my husband will be a man and not a jumping-jack." 
 
 The Chancellor s face paled at her words, and, 
 realizing that his suit was hopeless, he threatened 
 her in his rage. 
 
 "Take care, my Lady," said he. "Despite your 
 mockery, Sir Thomas Hatton is a great power at 
 court. Twould be well not to anger him too deeply. 
 You had best put a curb upon your tongue, wench, 
 or you will rue the day that you spurned the offer of 
 my heart and hand. 
 
 "My rejection is rendered less bitter by the sight 
 of yon poet billing and cooing with the Italian minx. 
 It must be a sorry vision for your eyes, Mistress 
 Hathaway. However, I assure you that I will be 
 fully revenged." 
 
 Anne answered him with a merry peal of laughter. 
 
 "My Lord/ she said, "your neck will be safe from 
 the executioner s block so long as you adhere to my 
 conditions. But the moment that you fail to keep 
 faith in the slightest particular Her Majesty will 
 be informed, and your head will part company with 
 your shoulders as surely as the bright sun shines 
 upon this lovely terrace." 
 
A Lady and a Lord 191 
 
 Hatton stood sullenly on the walk, and his droop 
 ing form and dejected air acknowledged his defeat. 
 
 "These are my terms," she said : "You will rein 
 state the jester as soon as he is well, and will pub 
 licly proclaim that you had mislaid your purse, and 
 tender him your apology. You will keep a still 
 tongue in your head and will not slander Master 
 Shakespeare or his friends to the Queen or her cour 
 tiers; and you will bestow the sum of one hundred 
 pounds out of your own private fortune upon the 
 laundress, Anne Holcombe, for her devoted care and 
 tender nursing of Pulsifer Kyd during a long and 
 wasting fever. In this way, my Lord, you may live 
 to a good old age, and somewhat atone for the wick 
 edness of your past life." 
 
 "Your conditions will be fulfilled," he said hum 
 bly. "But must I give up the one cherished hope of 
 my existence?" 
 
 Anne Hathaway arose with flashing eyes. 
 
 "You will leave me, Sir Thomas Hatton, now and 
 forever. And if you dare to address me again, 
 either in public or in private, I will lay my riding- 
 whip, my gauntlet, or even my naked hand, if the 
 conditions so demand, across your cowardly lips and 
 straightway will denounce you to the Queen." 
 
 She stamped her foot and pointed toward the cas 
 tle wall. 
 
 "GO !" she commanded. 
 
 The Chancellor dropped his eyes and hesitated for 
 a moment, then turned and slunk across the court 
 yard and passed forever out of the maiden s life. 
 
CHAPTER XV 
 THE LAUNDRESS AND THE RUFF 
 
 Anne Holcombe tiptoed across the floor of her 
 laundry and gently lifted the curtain of the jester s 
 retreat. She bore a steaming bowl of broth and a 
 large spoon with which to administer it, but she 
 stood for a moment in hesitation as she saw that the 
 fool was soundly sleeping. At last she crossed to 
 his couch and shook him gently, but he remained 
 unconscious of her touch. She determined to await 
 his natural awakening, and setting the bowl on the 
 tub by his bed she returned to her work. She was 
 bending over her ironing-table when she heard a 
 stealthy step at the door, and two heavily cloaked 
 figures crossed her threshold. 
 
 "This must be the place, Alva," whispered the 
 taller man; and espying the trembling girl he beck 
 oned her to approach as his companion turned and 
 carefully closed the door behind them. 
 
 Anne stood motionless in her terror at their mys 
 terious movements, until the tall stranger dropped 
 the cloak with which he was muffling his face and 
 displayed the cruel features of the crafty Spanish 
 King to her astonished vision. 
 
 The laundress stepped forward and dropped on 
 her knees at the monarch s feet. 
 
The Laundress and the Ruff 193 
 
 "S-sh !" he said, as he laid his finger on his lips, 
 "are there any prying ears at hand to overhear our 
 speech?" 
 
 "Nay, your Majesty," she answered. "But why 
 is the establishment of a poor laundress honoured by 
 this visit?" 
 
 "Listen, maid," he said, as he clutched her wrist 
 and raised her to her feet. "If you will serve us 
 faithfully your future is assured. .Tis in your 
 power to earn five hundred pounds in a short space 
 of time and with little trouble to yourself. What 
 say you ?" 
 
 "Why, tis a fortune," murmured the girl. "I 
 could wed my guardsman and we might live in com 
 fort for the rest of our days. How may I aid your 
 Majesty?" 
 
 The King looked cautiously around the room. 
 
 "Alva, take your station at the window," he said, 
 "and warn us quickly if an unwelcome visitor does 
 approach." He cast aside his dignity and seated 
 himself upon the ironing-table, bending over and 
 fixing the girl with his piercing eyes as he unfolded 
 his plan. 
 
 "We would free the Queen of Scots," he said, 
 "and bear her with us back to Spain. It will be a 
 very simple matter with your aid." 
 
 "Why, your Majesty, I fail to see how I can help 
 you. Besides, it would be treachery to my Queen." 
 
 "Nonsense, nonsense! Elizabeth desires her to 
 escape as much as we, but does not dare to set her 
 at liberty of her own free will ; and think, girl, think 
 of the fortune I will place at your command. And I 
 assure you there will be no risk." 
 
194 The Romance of Gentle Will 
 
 The laundress clutched her throbbing breast. 
 
 "What is the plan, your Majesty?" she asked. 
 
 "Do you wash the linen of Mary Stuart?" asked 
 the King. 
 
 "Yes, your Majesty, all the clothing of the royal 
 household and of the prisoners in the tower is 
 brought to my laundry." 
 
 "Hast any pieces of her apparel in your possession 
 at present?" 
 
 * Yes, I have just ironed her ruff and intended 
 to deliver it in person to-day." 
 
 "Good, good!" chuckled the King. "The fates 
 are with us in this adventure and I feel certain that 
 our success is assured." 
 
 "But still I fail to understand how I enter into 
 your plans." 
 
 The King laughed happily. 
 
 "My girl," he said, " tis the simplest thing in 
 the world. When the dial in the court-yard indi 
 cates the hour of two, do you take up the ruff and 
 pursue your way to Mary s prison. The sleepy gaol 
 ers will suspect nothing out of the ordinary in your 
 customary visit. When you have entered the pres 
 ence of the Queen of Scots, delay your departure 
 under pretense of gathering the soiled linen, and 
 quickly whisper in her ear to effect a change of gar 
 ments with yourself. Your shawl will conceal her 
 royal features and as she is of your identical build, 
 she may pass safely out of the Tower, bearing her 
 bundle of linen, and will fall into the hands of her 
 waiting friends who will be stationed at your laun 
 dry in the guise of guardsmen of Elizabeth. Note 
 
The Laundress and the Ruff 195 
 
 these details carefully, girl, for repetition to the 
 Queen. They will accompany her through the 
 courtyard, and to curious eyes it will simply 
 appear to be a love journey of two gay soldiers and a 
 coquetting maid. 
 
 "You will quietly remain in the Tower in her 
 place, and, long ere your discovery, my gallant ship 
 will have breasted the waves of the Thames, and 
 the Scottish Queen and the Spanish King will be 
 speeding on their way to the land of the Righteous 
 Faith and a conjugal throne." 
 
 "But, your Majesty, what is to become of me? 
 If I am found in the prison, the Queen will have 
 me beheaded." 
 
 "Nay, nay, girl, we have looked out for that, 
 and will better reward a faithful service. You will 
 be discovered by Sir Thomas Hatton, who will read 
 you a severe lecture before the gaoler, but who will 
 privily hand you the purse containing the five hun 
 dred pounds, and will dismiss you to your quarters 
 with a reprimand. He is all-powerful with Eliza 
 beth, and she will be compelled to wink at this 
 strategic move of her Catholic brother-in-law, while 
 you will be free to live a life of ease in the arms 
 of your lover." 
 
 "What guarantee have I, your Majesty, that I 
 will be set free?" 
 
 The King s eyes flashed as he slid clumsily from 
 the table and stood upon the floor before the girl. 
 
 "Is not my royal word enough for the empress 
 of the laundry?" he asked angrily. "Think you 
 that Philip II, King of Spain, would seek the dwell- 
 
196 The Romance of Gentle Will 
 
 ing of a humble menial of the English court and 
 take her into his confidence, if he did not intend to 
 carry out his compact. Twould profit me not, girl, 
 to have you killed ; and besides the Lord Chancellor 
 may have further use for you, if you prove yourself 
 shrewd in this adventure. Here," he said, as he 
 pulled a small purse from his belt and tossed it to 
 the abashed maiden, "is an earnest of my good faith. 
 Twill be a considerable addition to the sum already 
 promised. Can we count upon you, wench ?" 
 
 The laundress curtseyed low. 
 
 "Your Majesty," said she, "I will serve you faith 
 fully, and will bear a secret tongue. I am not proof 
 against the argument of the purse, and I believe 
 twill be an act of justice if the poor Scottish Queen 
 is removed forever from the shadow of the scaffold, 
 that she may live out her allotted life in a foreign 
 clime." 
 
 "You are a discreet maiden," chuckled the King, 
 "and do much to raise my spirits by your entrance 
 into our conspiracy. I wish you happiness with 
 your guardsman. Have you the directions for Mary 
 straight in your brain ?" 
 
 "I understand them fully," she answered. 
 
 The King stepped toward the door. 
 
 "Alva," he called, "let us take our departure to 
 the castle, where we may prepare for our flitting 
 this afternoon." 
 
 The noble opened the door and stealthily entered 
 the court-yard. Philip followed him, but turned 
 at the threshold. 
 
The Laundress and the Ruff 197 
 
 "I bid the future Queen of Scots farewell," he 
 said; and with a hearty chuckle he bowed low and 
 was gone. 
 
 Anne Holcombe stood for a moment in the cen 
 tre of her laundry, and could hardly realize that 
 she was awake and had not dreamed this strange 
 interview with the uncouth King. The sight of his 
 purse tightly clutched in her hand proved to her 
 the reality of his visit, and she gave a happy laugh 
 as she felt its jingling contents. Of a sudden, how 
 ever, her face paled in terror as she thought of the 
 jester behind the screen, whose presence she had 
 entirely forgotten in her confusion at the advent of 
 the cloaked figure. 
 
 She drew a gasping breath and ran quickly to 
 his retreat. He seemed to be in a state of complete 
 stupefaction, and she shook him long and earnestly 
 before he awoke and uttered a sleepy demand for 
 his breakfast. She patiently fed him the broth, and 
 when he had sunk back again upon his pillow she 
 ran to her table and resumed her ironing, not with 
 out first concealing Philip s purse in her bosom. 
 
 A half-hour later Roger Covert darted hastily 
 into the laundry and pressed a hearty kiss upon the 
 lips of his buxom sweetheart. 
 
 She ran around the table and shook her finger at 
 him over the pile of snowy linen. 
 
 "I am in no mood for love-making to-day," she 
 said. "I have many pieces to iron and must carry 
 this lace collar to the Scottish Queen. Take your 
 self away, Master Covert, and if you ll come again 
 when night falls I will tell you something that will 
 make you happy." 
 
198 The Romance of Gentle Will 
 
 Roger laughed. 
 
 "How is my wise friend, the fool, faring?" he 
 asked. 
 
 "See for yourself," pertly replied the maiden, 
 and Roger stepped behind the screen. At his en 
 trance, the eyes of the jester opened and he looked 
 at Covert shrewdly, motioning with his head for 
 the guardsman to approach. 
 
 Roger stepped to the side of his couch, saying : 
 
 "Why, the colour is coming back to your cheeks. 
 By my faith, you are much improved." 
 
 "S-sh !" cautioned the jester in a low voice ; "Mas 
 ter Covert, incline your ear to my lips. I have 
 something of great importance to impart to you, 
 but do not start or cry out or otherwise alarm the 
 maiden at her tasks." 
 
 Covert wonderingly bent his head, and the fool 
 spoke to him in an excited whisper : 
 
 "I was awakened from a deep sleep this morning 
 by the sound of a closing door and men s voices 
 in the laundry. Although they spoke in lowered 
 tones, I heard distinctly every word of a compact 
 that they made with the pretty laundress. The visi 
 tors were none other than King Philip and the Duke 
 of Alva. Alva stood on guard while the King per 
 suaded the maiden to enter his service by the offer 
 of a fat purse. She is to bear a ruff to the impris 
 oned Queen at two o clock to-day, and in the Tower 
 will change her habit for that of Mary Stuart, who, 
 in the guise of the laundress, will speed to freedom 
 and will seek this place and her waiting friends, 
 who will quickly bear her aboard ship and set sail 
 for Spain." 
 
The Laundress and the Ruff 199 
 
 "Great God! This is treachery," muttered the 
 soldier. 
 
 "Softly, softly," whispered Pulsifer. "The 
 maiden serves the King for love of you. She is to 
 receive five hundred pounds, and through Sir 
 Thomas Hatton s influence will escape punishment 
 and keep her laundry. She pities Mary Stuart in 
 her prison, and hopes to wed you when she receives 
 the purse." 
 
 "Anne Holcombe must be spared," said Roger. 
 "Natheless, I must warn the Queen." 
 
 "Speed rather to your master. Mayhap he will 
 find a way to block their plans by informing Eliza 
 beth s maid of honour, who will be easier of 
 approach." 
 
 "Tis a good idea, Kyd, and I will act upon it. 
 The hour draws nigh, and I must hasten. Do you 
 still feign drowsiness and I will make my excuses 
 to my love." 
 
 He left the bedside of the fool, and crossing to 
 where the maid was busily engaged in piling up the 
 finished garments, he snatched another kiss, saying : 
 "The jester sleeps, and you do not desire my pres 
 ence. I ll say farewell until to-night"; and he 
 quickly left the room. The girl s suspicions were 
 not aroused, as she was anxious to be alone, and to 
 have the coast clear for her departure for the Tower. 
 
 Roger hastened toward Shakespeare s apartment, 
 but found him on the terrace conversing with Juliet 
 Florio. He apologized for his intrusion and asked 
 for a few moments conversation apart with his mas- 
 
200 The Romance of Gentle Will 
 
 ter. Shakespeare excused himself to the maiden, 
 and Roger drew him to one side, telling him quickly 
 all he had heard at the laundry. 
 
 "I came to you, master, because you forbade me 
 to reveal Sir Thomas Hatton s plot upon your life, 
 and I feared to act without your instruction." 
 
 "This is a different affair," said Shakespeare, 
 half to himself. "I am sworn to protect Her Ma 
 jesty, and who knows but that the escape of Mary 
 Stuart and her union with the Spanish King would 
 not result in the fall and execution of our Queen? 
 My duty is plain. I must warn Elizabeth. But the 
 minutes fly and I know not how to approach her 
 in time." 
 
 "Seek her favourite hand-maiden, master. She 
 has access to her at all times and the conspiracy may 
 be blocked. And if I may have been of any small 
 service to you during the last few years, I beg you 
 thereby to plead for the release of my sweetheart, 
 Anne Holcombe." 
 
 "Mistress Hathaway may deny me speech, Roger. 
 She has acted strangely of late." 
 
 "Nay, master, you must approach her boldy and 
 command her attention." 
 
 " Tis the only way," sighed Will, and he dis 
 missed Covert, and accompanied Juliet to the apart 
 ment of her father. He then turned his steps toward 
 the Queen s garden. 
 
 As he entered the enclosure, he saw Anne Hatha 
 way in the midst of a bevy of court ladies who were 
 romping on the grass and making the most of an 
 hour of leisure. He strode across the walk and 
 boldly addressed them : 
 
The Laundress and the Ruff 201 
 
 "If her companions will permit me, I would have 
 a moment s private conversation with the Lady 
 Anne Hathaway." 
 
 The ladies chorused a laughing assent and quickly 
 ran away, leaving Anne standing on the grass as 
 rigid as though she were a marble statue. 
 
 "I hope you will forgive my intrusion," said 
 Shakespeare, "but I have come to speak to you on a 
 matter of vital importance." 
 
 The maid surveyed him coldly from head to foot 
 for a moment, then turned upon her heel and calmly 
 walked away. 
 
 The poet flushed, but ran quickly to her side. 
 
 "Mistress Hathaway," he pleaded eagerly, "I 
 speak not on my own account; but the life of the 
 Queen is in danger. My serving-man has unearthed 
 a plot to free the Queen of Scots, and it was neces 
 sary to act at once ; that is why I sought you here." 
 
 Anne stopped short and turned on him in amaze 
 ment. 
 
 "Why do you come to me?" she asked. "You 
 should have gone to Her Majesty at once." 
 
 "To save time, for moments are precious. You 
 may gain her ear more quickly and break the news 
 to her without alarming her." 
 
 The girl clasped her hands in perplexity. 
 
 "Tell me," she said, "the particulars of this 
 conspiracy." 
 
 "The King of Spain and one of his nobles visited 
 the Queen s laundress this morning and arranged 
 with her to bear a ruff to Mary Stuart in the after 
 noon. She is to clothe the Queen in her apparel and 
 
202 The Romance of Gentle Will 
 
 to remain in prison in her stead while she goes to 
 her freedom and the Spanish King." 
 
 "And does their plot include Her Majesty?" 
 
 "Not at present. They are to set sail at once for 
 Spain." 
 
 "God be praised for that!" said Anne. "The 
 Queen is not safe while the Catholic monster re 
 mains at court." 
 
 "I beg you to inform Queen Elizabeth at once, 
 Mistress Hathaway." 
 
 "Do you know the hour set for the intended 
 escape?" 
 
 "The laundress is to leave her tubs when the sun s 
 shadow falls upon the figure two on the dial." 
 
 "Then we must indeed make haste. .Tis now 
 past one o clock. You may trust me to have it so 
 arranged that the ship will sail without the Scottish 
 Queen," said Anne, as she gathered up her skirt 
 and turned toward the palace. 
 
 "Mistress Hathaway, I crave one boon of you 
 ere you depart," said the poet; and she stood still, 
 as a tremor of vague expectancy thrilled her heart. 
 "As a reward for his revelation of the Spaniard s 
 conspiracy, I beg that you will intercede with Queen 
 Elizabeth to spare the laundress, Anne Holcombe, 
 who is my guardsman s sweetheart, and who rea 
 lizes not the wrong she does." 
 
 Anne turned once more toward Will Shakespeare. 
 
 "If it lies in my power the girl shall go free," 
 she answered; "and I most humbly thank you on 
 behalf of my Queen for your information and your 
 interest in her welfare." She dropped him a low 
 
The Laundress and the Ruff 203 
 
 curtsey and departed, leaving him standing on the 
 walk with his cap crushed in his hand and looking 
 with loving but despairing eyes after her vanishing 
 form. She entered the castle and hurried to the 
 Queen s chamber. She raised her hand to tap upon 
 the door, when suddenly a strange thought struck 
 her, and she dropped her arm and hastened to her 
 own room. 
 
 "Why not manage this affair myself?" she mused, 
 as she stood excitedly before her mirror and clasped 
 the fastenings of her cloak about her throat. "If I 
 tell the Queen, she ll summon Hatton and rouse the 
 whole court, and she so dearly loves a fuss that to 
 keep her favour we, her maidens, will have to indulge 
 in hysterics for a week. Let me see. I must com 
 pose myself and wait until the laundress leaves for 
 the prison, then I will follow close upon her heels. 
 Twill be time enough to inform Her Majesty when 
 Mary s wings are clipped." 
 
 Shortly after two o clock, Anne Holcombe was 
 admitted to the Tower and the gaoler opened Mary 
 Stuart s cell and locked her in with the Queen, lazily 
 pacing up and down the corridor until he should 
 be summoned to let the maiden out with her bundle 
 of soiled linen. 
 
 She had scarcely climbed the stairs when Anne 
 Hathaway clanged the knocker of the prison door 
 and commanded the keeper to summon Sir Amias 
 Paulet. The man, recognizing one of the Queen s 
 ladies, hurried to the noble s lodging, and in a 
 moment the royal gaoler appeared in the hallway. 
 When he saw Anne he smiled indulgently, for she 
 
204 The Romance of Gentle Will 
 
 had ever been a favourite of his, and he welcomed 
 her cordially. 
 
 "To what am I indebted for this call ?" he asked. 
 { Tis seldom I am honoured by a visit from one of 
 the fair sex." 
 
 "O Sir Amias, Sir Amias," whispered the maiden, 
 "there is a wicked plot afoot. The laundress who 
 has just gone upstairs with a freshly ironed ruff 
 for your prisoner intends to take her place, and 
 Mary Stuart will soon come down disguised in the 
 woman s habit. Stop her, I pray you, and save the 
 throne of our Queen." 
 
 The keeper of the Tower held up his hands in 
 horror. 
 
 "Poor woman!" he said. "Why did you tell me 
 this ? Her neck is even now in danger of the heads 
 man s axe. Twere better far that she escaped. 
 Twould spare Her Majesty s conscience a heavy 
 burden." 
 
 "My Lord, you must not let your tender heart 
 stand between you and your duty. We are both 
 servitors of Elizabeth and may not prove false to 
 our trust." 
 
 "True, true," replied Sir Amias, and hurried to 
 the door of the prison. 
 
 The laundress came down the stairs, bearing a 
 large bundle on her shoulder. Her shawl was 
 pinned around her head and her face was almost 
 concealed by the arm that crossed it to support her 
 burden. The gaolers scarcely wasted a glance in 
 her direction as she passed down the hallway. 
 
The Laundress and the Ruff 205 
 
 She neared the door and her steps quickened. Sir 
 Amias stepped in front of her, saying : 
 
 "The laundress bears a heavy load to-day." 
 
 She nodded, and was about to pass on, but he 
 seized her arm and clasped it tightly. 
 
 "Surely those white hands were not meant to be 
 dipped in steaming suds, your Majesty," he said, 
 as he pulled aside her shawl and disclosed the fea 
 tures of the Queen of Scots. 
 
 Mary Stuart said never a word, but dropping the 
 clothing she faced about and walked calmly up the 
 stairs to her prison cell. 
 
CHAPTER XVI 
 THE CAPTAIN OF THE GUARD 
 
 Three months had elapsed since Mary Stuart s 
 attempted escape and the flight of the Spanish King. 
 The dignity of Her Majesty s court had been some 
 what relaxed. The daily audiences in the throne- 
 room were dispensed with for a time, and many of 
 the courtiers left the castle at intervals for short hol 
 idays in the metropolis, or to visit their estates; 
 while the Queen took a much-needed rest, spending 
 a great portion of her time in her garden, where she 
 was often attended by the Earl of Leicester, though 
 her ladies were always present at the interviews. 
 
 Juliet Florio (as we will still call her) was made 
 happy by the return of her husband, who had at 
 tained his majority, and who awaited but the re 
 sumption of the affairs of state to formally disclose 
 his marriage to the Queen. The young people lived 
 a blissful existence and Henry sadly neglected his 
 friends, Essex, and Will Shakespeare, though they 
 occasionally took him away from his wife s side for 
 an expedition with them to the city, jokingly telling 
 him that Mistress Wrio>thesley would tire of him if 
 he so constantly inflicted his presence upon her. 
 
 Christmas day, in the year 1586, dawned bright 
 and clear, but cold, and when the hand of the clock 
 
The Captain of the Guard 207 
 
 pointed to the hour of noon, the tap-room of the 
 famous Mermaid Inn in London presented a cheer 
 ful appearance. Here was gathered a choice com 
 pany of the most congenial spirits, famous wits, and 
 boon companions of Elizabeth s court. The many 
 tables were covered with decanters of rare wine, 
 mugs of ale and beer, and many different beverages 
 to suit the varied fancies of the assemblage, while 
 the atmosphere in the room was so thick with tobacco 
 smoke that the roaring flames in the fire-place shone 
 through the haze like a beacon in a dense fog. 
 
 At a table in the centre of the room sat Sir Walter 
 Raleigh with his protege, Edmund Spenser, a poet 
 of rising repute whom he sought to have presented 
 at court. With them were Beaumont and Fletcher, 
 both brilliant writers and wits. 
 
 Sir Francis Drake, with Governor Lane of the 
 American colony of Virginia, and Selden, Cotton, 
 and Doune occupied another table, and dotted about 
 the room were several laughing nobles, amongst 
 them Martin and Carew, while the Queen s Lord 
 Chancellor sprawled on a bench by the fire, content 
 edly sucking at his pipe and listening to the sallies 
 and flashes of repartee that constantly passed 
 amongst the merry revelers. 
 
 The landlord and his servants were kept busy at 
 tending to the wants of the thirsty company, whose 
 condition was considerably mellowed by its frequent 
 indulgence in the Christmas cheer. 
 
 The tap-room soon became so noisy that it was 
 impossible for the attendants to distinguish the cour 
 tiers orders above the roars of laughter and the 
 
208 The Romance of Gentle Will 
 
 sounds of clinking glasses, and they were compelled 
 to give up in despair, setting out flasks and decan 
 ters, and mugs and tankards indiscriminately, all of 
 which were quickly emptied, without protest, how 
 ever. 
 
 In the midst of the confusion, Sir Walter Raleigh, 
 the captain of the Queen s guard, arose and thunder 
 ed with his fist upon the table. His action had the 
 desired effect, and a state of comparative quiet en 
 sued. He raised his arm on high. 
 
 "Gentlemen," he said, "I give you the health of 
 our Queen"; and he drained his glass, while the 
 company, with a roar of approval, followed suit. 
 
 Fletcher filled his cup again and sprang to his 
 feet. 
 
 "And I drink to the destruction of her enemies !" 
 he shouted, and the tumult rose louder than before. 
 
 Sir Francis Drake pushed back his chair and stood 
 erect, as handsome a specimen of manly beauty as 
 ever graced a queenly court. 
 
 "I give you a third toast," said he : "To the 
 Devil with the Spanish King!" 
 
 In an instant every man in the room was on his 
 feet, and a mighty shout shook the rafters. Then 
 they drank long and deep and seated themselves in 
 silence. 
 
 "You can trust Drake to send a man to hell, if 
 ever he gets after him," said Beaumont; and a laugh 
 went up as Carew retorted : 
 
 "Let us hope you are not consigned to the same 
 dwelling, for your acrid tongue and King Philip s 
 
The Captain of the Guard 209 
 
 plotting nature, were they in combination, would 
 drive the Devil out of his abiding place." 
 
 "He has a torture chamber especially prepared for 
 you, and eagerly awaits your coming. Tis a room 
 where wits are converted into broiling bits," flashed 
 Beaumont. 
 
 Governor Lane interposed, as the controversy was 
 becoming heated : 
 
 "Gentlemen, I propose a song," he said. "Let 
 Edmund Spenser favour us." 
 
 His speech was greeted with shouts of approval, 
 while Fletcher, with a sweep of his arm, cleared the 
 centre stand of glasses and decanters, which crashed 
 in broken bits upon the floor. Martin, Cotton, and 
 Doune came forward, and seizing the poet s chair, 
 lifted seat and all and placed him on the table. A 
 foaming tankard was thrust into his hand, and the 
 eager courtiers drew closer to him and loudly shouted 
 for him to ope his lips. 
 
 He surveyed them good-naturedly. 
 
 "Of what shall I sing?" he asked. 
 
 "In honour of Sir Walter Raleigh, who is respon 
 sible for the fragrant vapours that fill this cozy 
 room," said Drake, "I would suggest that you eulo 
 gize his delightful weed." 
 
 His proposal was loudly seconded by the noisy 
 throng, and Spenser pressed his hand to his brow for 
 a moment, then arose, and placing one foot on the 
 chair and raising his tankard on high, he spiritedly 
 began : 
 
210 The Romance of Gentle Will 
 
 "Oh fill me the bowl of my long clay pipe, 
 
 And fetch me a mug of ale ; 
 They ll soothe the soul of a tired man 
 When all endeavours fail. 
 
 I ll find repose in the curling smoke 
 
 That wreathes my aching brain, 
 For sweet surcease 
 And dreams of peace 
 
 Attend Tobacco s train." 
 
 CHORUS. 
 
 "Then Oho, my lads, let us drain a cup 
 
 In worship at his shrine, 
 There are many mighty kings on earth, 
 
 But King Tobacco s mine, 
 Oho, 
 His brilliancy enslaveth me ; 
 
 Aye, King Tobacco s mine." 
 
 He repeated the chorus, in which his auditors 
 lustily joined, and in response to their repeated 
 clamours for another verse he went on : 
 
 "When Sir Walter brought the fragrant weed 
 
 From the fair Virginia shore, 
 A noble blessing he bestowed 
 On England, evermore. 
 
 And never a thought of damsel coy, 
 
 Of kings, or queens, or fools 
 Dares to intrude 
 With footsteps rude 
 
 While King Tobacco rules." 
 
 CHORUS. 
 
 Then Oho, my lads, let us join our hands, 
 
 And dance around his throne, 
 All minions of his scepter s sway, 
 
 We re King Tobacco s own, 
 Oho, 
 
 With smoke rings dim we re bound to him ; 
 We re King Tobacco s own." 
 
The Captain of the Guard 211 
 
 The revelers again joined in the second chorus, 
 and when they had finished he drained the tankard, 
 which was hastily taken from him and another full 
 one was thrust in his hand. In the midst of the 
 thunderous applause that followed, the tap-room 
 door opened, and three belated guests entered. They 
 were Robert Devereux, Will Shakespeare, and 
 Henry Wriothesley. Chairs were quickly placed for 
 them and they were served with liquors, and Lane 
 demanded another verse for the benefit of the new 
 arrivals. 
 
 Spenser, delighted at this chance to air his talent 
 in the presence of Shakespeare, sang again : 
 
 "In the Mermaid Inn you will ever find 
 
 Disciples of this great King, 
 A-blowing clouds of fragrant smoke, 
 Unheedful of time s wing. 
 
 For they re one and all his willing slaves, 
 
 This band of merry wights ; 
 They banish care 
 To empty air, 
 
 Through Nicotine s delights." 
 
 CHORUS. 
 
 "Then Oho, my lads, let us bow our heads, 
 
 Submissive to his power, 
 And offer up our gratitude 
 
 For King Tobacco s dower, 
 Oho, 
 A legacy of smoke, you see, 
 
 Is King Tobacco s dower." 
 
 As Spenser finished, he leapt to the floor, and the 
 new-comers heartily joined in the storm of hand- 
 clapping that was sweet music to his flattered ears. 
 
212 The Romance of Gentle Will 
 
 For a while the room was a-buzz with a lively dis 
 cussion of the song, but gradually the company 
 broke up into small groups and amused itself vari 
 ously at the different tables. Two or three of the 
 party, who had indulged too deeply, fell into a 
 drunken sleep and were stowed away beneath the 
 stands, \vhile their companions went merrily on with 
 their potations. 
 
 Finally an angry voice rose at the centre table and 
 attracted the attention of all in the room : 
 
 "I tell you, Drake, you are dazzled by his stand 
 ing with the Queen. Spenser is by far the cleverer 
 of the two, and I challenge any one to gainsay it." 
 
 Southampton s ears pricked up, and Essex laid a 
 restraining hand upon his arm, while Drake calmly 
 endeavoured to pacify the excited captain. 
 
 "You must remember, Raleigh, that I have seen 
 several of the playwright s comedies and heard his 
 verses, while this is the only time that I have listen 
 ed to your protege." 
 
 "Let him once enter the Queen s suite," loudly 
 said Sir Walter, "and Will Shakespeare s star will 
 quickly wane." 
 
 Wriothesley threw off Essex s hand and strode 
 in front of the captain. 
 
 "My Lord," he said coldly, "you will never see 
 that day." 
 
 Raleigh grasped the table and arose a trifle un 
 steadily. 
 
 "My young and impudent Earl," he said, "Ed 
 mund Spenser is Shakespeare s superior in breeding, 
 birth, and brain, and you dare not dispute it." 
 
The Captain of the Guard 213 
 
 "That is a lie, Sir Knight," quickly answered the 
 young noble. 
 
 Raleigh s face turned purple and he was sobered 
 instantly. He seized a glass of sparkling wine and 
 dashed it straight in Southampton s face, laughing 
 hoarsely as the amber liquid trickled over the youth s 
 embroidered doublet. 
 
 "We will soon see who is the better man of us 
 two," he said, as Wriothesley wiped the smarting 
 fluid from his eyes. 
 
 "The sooner the better, my Lord," answered 
 Henry. "The Earl of Essex will represent me. Will 
 you name your second, that they may arrange the 
 necessary details at once?" 
 
 "Sir Thomas Hatton, if he will act," said Raleigh, 
 stepping to the side of the Lord Chancellor. 
 
 Hatton quickly whispered in his ear : 
 
 "Sir Walter, I will arrange for a duel with the left 
 hand. You know that it is your strong point and 
 this youth will never have a chance against your 
 practised arm. Raleigh nodded and smiled grimly, 
 as Hatton walked to meet Devereux, who was cross 
 ing the room. 
 
 They bowed courteously as they met, and Hatton 
 was the first to speak. 
 
 "My Lord/ said he, "as all concerned desire a 
 speedy termination to this affair, and as my principal 
 is the challenged party, he names this room as the 
 meeting-place, the duel to be fought with rapiers; 
 and asserting his privilege, he selects the combat of 
 the left hand, the right wrist to be bound tightly 
 at the waist, that all present may be assured of fair 
 play." 
 
214 The Romance of Gentle Will 
 
 Essex paled visibly, but bowed. 
 
 "Sir Thomas/ he said, "if you will despatch the 
 inn-keeper for a chirurgeon we will prepare our 
 selves for the duello at once." 
 
 The guests eagerly joined the servants in clearing 
 the room. The chairs and tables were carried to 
 the kitchen, while the broken bits of glass were 
 swept from the floor, which was carefully sanded, 
 and the burning tapers were divided in equal num 
 bers and placed at the ends of the room. The 
 drunken courtiers were dragged before the fireplace, 
 while the rest of the revelers ranged themselves in 
 long lines on either side of the tap-room. 
 
 When the chirurgeon arrived the contestants were 
 stripped to the waist, and their right arms were 
 bound tightly to their sides, despite the protests of 
 several of the more prominent nobles at this novel 
 and barbarous style of combat. 
 
 Rapiers were selected from a stand that was kept 
 at the Inn in anticipation of a contingency like the 
 present one, and the stern captain and fair youth 
 faced each other and stood on guard in the centre of 
 the room. 
 
 Twas an odd picture as the flickering light fell 
 fitfully on the assemblage, the faces of the specta 
 tors showing paler in their trepidation than those of 
 the principals. 
 
 Sir Thomas Hatton and Essex took their stations, 
 and, as the word was given, the swords met with a 
 ringing clash of steel, and the sparks flew with light 
 ning rapidity from the flashing weapons. 
 
The Captain of the Guard 215 
 
 i 
 
 Southampton was more agile than his older oppo 
 nent, and circled around him, making many swift 
 lunges and passes which were dexterously parried by 
 Sir Walter s steady arm. Ere long the young Earl 
 was breathing heavily, though the captain had scarce 
 stirred from his original position, and it was soon 
 evident that the contest could have but one termina 
 tion. 
 
 Wriothesley, rendered furious by a laughing taunt 
 from Raleigh, forgot his caution and made a reck 
 less lunge. His adversary coolly stepped aside, and 
 as Southampton overbalanced and fell toward him 
 he quickly stiffened his arm, transfixing the poor 
 youth s neck with his rapier. 
 
 As a stream of blood spurted from Henry s throat, 
 he dropped his weapon and sank to his knees. The 
 captain drew his sword from the wound, and turn 
 ing toward the fireplace, calmly wiped the blood 
 from it upon the garments of one of the besotted wits. 
 
 Shakespeare, Essex, and the chirurgeon quickly 
 ran to Wriothesley s side, and began tenderly to 
 examine his hurt. 
 
 Raleigh strutted in front of the fire. 
 
 "If there be any other present who wishes to main 
 tain Will Shakespeare s superiority, he may do so on 
 the same terms," he challenged in a sneering tone. 
 
 Essex quickly lifted his head; then leaping to his 
 feet, he strode swiftly across the room and brought 
 his gauntlet with stinging force across the insolent 
 captain s mouth. 
 
 "I ll take Southampton s place," he said, as he 
 stripped off his jerkin and picked up the rapier of 
 
216 The Romance of Gentle Will 
 
 the vanquished Earl. "I need no second. If Sir 
 Thomas Hatton will bind my right arm, I ll give this 
 braggart lord a taste of cold steel for his Christmas 
 dinner !" 
 
 "You ll never live till the repast is served!" 
 fiercely answered Raleigh, as he stepped to the cen 
 tre of the room. "I am sorry for the other poor 
 fool s wound, but I will take delight in slaying you, 
 my dear enemy." 
 
 They fell too eagerly, and the spectators realized 
 ere long that here was indeed a contest to the death. 
 
 The moment that Sir Walter felt the touch of Es 
 sex s steel he knew that he was dealing with a mas 
 ter hand, and that he must use his utmost strength 
 and skill if he would come out of the duel unscathed. 
 
 Each contestant watched with hawklike eyes the 
 features of his opponent, and never a thrust was 
 made without a skilful parry or a quick recovery. 
 For some moments they stood in the centre of the 
 room moving only their left arms, while their feet 
 seemed fixed to the sanded floor ; then Raleigh drew 
 back stealthily and of a sudden made a furious onset, 
 striving to break down Essex s guard. 
 
 The Earl s sword was here, there, and every 
 where, though his face retained its calm smile 
 and his body scarcely turned, and Sir Walter soon 
 realized that his defense was impenetrable and 
 changed his tactics. He began to circle slowly 
 around his adversary, and to feint and change his 
 step with the hope of bewildering Devereux. But 
 he underrated his man, for Essex met him at every 
 point, then suddenly attacked the captain in return. 
 
The Captain of the Guard 217 
 
 Raleigh was forced to retreat rapidly around the 
 room, and it soon became evident that the famous 
 swordsman had met his match. 
 
 Essex, with a triumphant smile, closed in upon 
 him, seeking to deliver a finishing blow, when his 
 foot slipped in a pool of Henry Wriothesley s blood, 
 and he fell heavily to his hip upon the sanded floor. 
 
 With a hoarse cry of joy, the captain rushed for 
 ward with the intention of stabbing his prostrate 
 enemy to the heart; but with marvelous agility the 
 Earl raised his arm and caught his adversary s 
 sword upon his own blade, with a dexterous twist 
 sending it flying far across the room. A cry of ad 
 miration arose from the spectators, and there were 
 many hisses for Raleigh s cowardly action. 
 
 Essex got upon his feet and addressed the captain, 
 who stood sullen and ashamed before him. 
 
 " Twas a dastardly act," he said, "and by the 
 rules of the duello your life is forfeit to me through 
 your foul play. But I scorn to take advantage of the 
 code. Pick up your weapon, and I will give you 
 one more chance for your craven existence, though 
 you have no honour." 
 
 As Sir Thomas Hatton handed him his rapier, 
 Raleigh addressed the excited throng : 
 
 "In all my life," said he, "I have never before been 
 accused of cowardice. I tender my apology to the 
 Earl for my murderous act. My temper overleapt 
 its bounds, for which I am heartily ashamed, and I 
 thank him publicly for his forbearance." 
 
 A murmur of approbation attended his speech, 
 but Essex said nothing and they again engaged in 
 the duel. 
 
218 The Romance of Gentle Will 
 
 i 
 
 The captain s hand seemed to have lost its cun 
 ning, and Essex forced him around the room at will, 
 time and again scorning to take advantage of an 
 opening. At last he spoke. 
 
 "Sir Walter/ he said, "you are committing sui 
 cide. Tis a pitiful exhibition for the most expert 
 swordsman in England." 
 
 Again Raleigh s temper took fire, but his arm 
 stiffened and he made a fierce attack upon the Earl. 
 With desperate fury he hurled his heavy form upon 
 his lighter antagonist, and the excited witnesses were 
 surprised to see Devereux retreat before his assault. 
 
 The captain s eyes flashed with returning hope, 
 and, with a swift overhand thrust, he sought to end 
 the battle. Essex stooped quickly, and as Sir Wal 
 ter s sword missed him by a hairsbreadth his left arm 
 shot out and his rapier entered Raleigh s breast 
 above the heart, completely piercing his stalwart 
 frame, the point showing under his shoulder. He 
 fell backward, his own weight releasing Essex s 
 sword, which the Earl still tightly clutched ; and his 
 life-blood welled out in a crimson pool upon the 
 sand as his senses left him. 
 
 Devereux surveyed him calmly for a moment, 
 then turned upon his heel and walked to the side of 
 his injured friend, whose wound had been stanched 
 by the bandages of the chirurgeon. 
 
 "Another patient needs your attention," he said. 
 Then, bending over, he whispered in Shakespeare s 
 ear: 
 
 "Do you, Will, quickly summon a coach, that we 
 may bear Henry to a suitable lodging and provide 
 
The Captain of the Guard 219 
 
 him with the best of medical attendance. Then I 
 will remain with him while you proceed to Windsor 
 and break the news most gently to his wife, and if 
 she bravely bears the shock you must straightway 
 accompany her to his bedside. 
 
CHAPTER XVII 
 WHAT THE GREEN-EYED MONSTER DID 
 
 When Shakespeare and Essex had found a com 
 fortable lodging for their wounded friend in a quiet 
 inn near the old school, they summoned an eminent 
 doctor, who, after a careful examination of South 
 ampton s injury, pronounced his condition as ex 
 tremely dangerous but declared that with the best of 
 nursing he had a slim chance for life. Raleigh s 
 sword had missed a vital spot by but a narrow mar 
 gin, and the wound was very difficult to close. It 
 was well-nigh impossible for the Earl to swallow, 
 even liquid nourishment; and the doctor forbade 
 his friends to allow him to speak until he gave his 
 permission. He bled his patient, and left a sleep 
 ing-draught, with directions as to his care until 
 his .next visit. 
 
 When he had gone, Essex turned to Shakespeare, 
 saying : 
 
 "Will, you must hasten to Windsor as fast as a 
 good horse can carry you. Tis Juliet s right to be 
 at her husband s side, and her presence will soothe 
 him. If you waste no time you may return by night 
 fall and she may be brought here quietly, and I will 
 undertake that no suspicious eyes will witness her 
 approach." 
 
What the Green-eyed Monster Did 221 
 
 Shakespeare obtained a horse from the landlord 
 and set out for the palace as fast as the flying hoofs 
 could travel, and late in the afternoon he rode into 
 the empty court-yard. He sought his guardsman, 
 Roger Covert, whom he quickly found at Anne 
 Holcombe s laundry, and directed him to have two 
 of the best horses in the stables saddled and brought 
 to Master Florio s apartments at once. Covert ran 
 to obey, and Will hurried to the lodgings of his 
 old teacher. He found Juliet and her father in the 
 study, and as she saw his troubled face she sprang 
 to her feet with an intuition of disaster. 
 
 "Why, Master Shakespeare, where is Henry?" 
 she asked. "He told me that he was going to Lon 
 don for a few hours with you and Robert Devereux ; 
 that he wanted to purchase me a Christmas token 
 and would return early. Why do you come here 
 alone? Has any injury befallen him?" 
 
 "Your husband lies wounded at a tavern in Lon 
 don. I was the innocent cause of a duel between 
 Sir Walter Raleigh and himself. The chirurgeon 
 gives us much encouragement, but we feel that he 
 would rest more quietly were you at hand to-night. 
 I have come to take you to him at once, and with 
 your father s permission will arrange that you may 
 lodge at his school, where you will have your maid 
 ens to attend you." 
 
 The distressed bride gave way to a fit of violent 
 weeping at the news of this pitiful interruption of 
 her honeymoon, and John Florio took her in his lov 
 ing arms, caressing her gently and endeavouring to 
 soothe her with words of encouragement for her 
 husband s recovery. 
 
222 The Romance of Gentle Will 
 
 Shakespeare stood, uncertain what to do, until his 
 embarrassment was relieved by Roger s arrival with 
 the horses. Then he stepped to Florio s side and 
 took the beautiful girl by the hand, saying : 
 
 "Juliet, if you will change your habit, we will set 
 out for London at once. .T would not be well to 
 have darkness catch us ere we reach the town." 
 
 She was aroused at the thought of immediate 
 action, and quickly drying her eyes and stifling her 
 sobs, she ran into her room and soon emerged appar 
 eled for her journey. 
 
 Will assisted her to mount, and as they were 
 crossing the portion of the court-yard opposite the 
 royal apartments Anne Hathaway came to a window 
 to draw a tapestry and shut out the rays of the 
 declining sun from the Queen s chamber. The fig 
 ures of the riders attracted her attention, and as 
 she recognized the poet and the Italian maid setting 
 forth on the London road at this late hour of the 
 afternoon, she felt a sudden sinking at her heart, 
 and her bosom heaved with a strange emotion while 
 she stood staring through the castle gates long after 
 their forms had faded from view. 
 
 Finally she drew a sharp breath that sounded not 
 unlike a sob, and turning quickly, left the window, 
 all forgetful of the open blind, and sought her own 
 room. 
 
 On the road to the city Will Shakespeare told 
 Juliet the story of the duels, and her eyes filled anew 
 at his description of Wriothesley s bravery and his 
 unfortunate injury; but despite her agonized fear 
 for her husband s condition she could not refrain 
 
What the Green-eyed Monster Did 223 
 
 from clapping her hands when she heard of Essex s 
 action and the severe wounding of the captain of the 
 guard. 
 
 They arrived at the inn as the winter twilight 
 was falling, and not a soul espied their entrance 
 to Southampton s apartments. Essex opened the 
 door for them, and Juliet ran to Henry s couch and 
 threw herself upon her knees at his side. He was 
 wide awake and perfectly conscious, and stretched 
 out his hand, which she seized eagerly and covered 
 with her loving kisses. Though he could not speak 
 he communicated his love to her by a tight pressure 
 of her hands, and she arose and laid aside her cloak 
 with the determination of remaining with him 
 throughout the night. As her back was turned he 
 looked piteously at Essex, who interpreted his 
 glances. 
 
 "Nay, Juliet," he said, "it would not do for you 
 to stay. Twould cause talk if any one should find 
 it out ere your marriage is announced, and though 
 my Lord Bishop Kitchen might aver until he was 
 black in the face that he wedded you full three 
 months back, they would prefer not to believe it, 
 so dearly do they love to wag a scandalous tongue. 
 Henry is much cheered by your visit, and the doctor 
 has left a sleeping-potion which I will administer, 
 that he may have a long period of repose. 
 
 "Let Will accompany you to the school, and when 
 he returns he ll gladly share with me the pleasant 
 duty of ministering to your devoted lover and our 
 dear friend." 
 
224 The Romance of Gentle Will 
 
 Juliet silently took up her cloak and drew it round 
 her shoulders, saying : 
 
 "You are right, my Lord, and I am grateful for 
 your wisdom." 
 
 She knelt once more at Henry s bedside, and 
 clasping her dainty hands she bowed her lovely head 
 and uttered a short but fervent prayer for his 
 recovery. 
 
 "Surely a just God will not deny the appeal of 
 this innocent maiden," whispered Essex, as he stood 
 in mute admiration of her holy affection for her 
 youthful husband. 
 
 She arose, and stooping over the bed, pressed a 
 gentle kiss on Wriothesley s brow, then turning to 
 his friends she laid her hand confidingly on Shakes 
 peare s arm and departed with him for her father s 
 school. 
 
 "If ever an angel came to earth," said Essex, 
 "one walks in the guise of your beautiful wife, 
 Henry" ; and he gave Southampton the sleeping- 
 draught. 
 
 Wriothesley s wound healed slowly but surely, 
 and so strong was the power of life and love in his 
 youthful frame that, before January was a fortnight 
 old, Juliet felt justified in returning to her father 
 at Windsor, though she made frequent visits to 
 London in the company of Will Shakespeare, few of 
 which escaped the eyes of the vigilant Anne Hatha 
 way; though the other inmates of the royal house 
 hold seemed oblivious of their coming or going. 
 
 One day the Queen sent for her favourite maid, 
 and when Anne answered her summons she dis- 
 
What the Green-eyed Monster Did 225 
 
 missed the other attendants from the room. When 
 they were alone Elizabeth addressed the girl affec 
 tionately. 
 
 "Be seated, my dear," said she, "and let us ex 
 change confidences as though we were two simple 
 maidens. Forget for a while that I am a Queen. 
 Tis only by accident of birth that I rule England, 
 and no doubt were you in my place you would sur 
 pass me by the brilliancy of your reign." 
 
 "Nay, your Majesty," said Anne. "There was 
 never so popular a ruler in the history of the world. 
 From the first day of your ascendency to the throne 
 your subjects have loved you, and so gently have 
 you used the scepter of your power that you have 
 brought not only the courtiers and attendants of the 
 royal train in worship at your feet, but the lowest 
 peasant in this broad isle would gladly give up his 
 life, that he might be one of the many humble instru 
 ments to protect your kingdom from the forces of 
 an invading usurper." 
 
 "Do you love me so much, Anne?" 
 
 "You know that I am your slave. I love my 
 country, but I love my Queen more. And were such 
 an unforeseen event as your dethronement to occur, 
 I would quickly forsake England and ask nothing 
 better than to accompany you in your banishment 
 to some solitary region, where we might live our 
 lives anew, finding contentment in our memory of the 
 past and the power that had flown." 
 
 "May God prevent such a catastrophe!" shud 
 dered the Queen. "But is there not one of all the 
 nobles in my court to whom your heart inclines? 
 
226 The Romance of Gentle Will 
 
 The others of my ladies have admirers by the score, 
 and spend much of their time in love-passages with 
 their gallants; but you, my dear, are ever at my 
 hand, though I cannot understand your shunning of 
 the sterner sex. Surely it is not for want of suitors, 
 for you are the handsomest and haughtiest of all 
 my maids, and full many languishing glances have 
 I seen cast in your direction at the audiences in the 
 throne-room." 
 
 Anne Hathaway dropped her eyes in confusion, 
 but said nothing, and the Queen went on : 
 
 "First King Philip importuned me to bestow your 
 hand upon the Spaniard, Don Gomez de Silva ; and 
 though it irked me much to give the monarch of 
 fense, I loved you too well to sacrifice your happi 
 ness, and at your request I flatly denied his prayer. 
 
 "For which I am deeply grateful," murmured 
 Anne. 
 
 "But when another lover, nearer home, approached 
 me," said Elizabeth, "I was much inclined to en 
 courage his suit, for I believed that he would make 
 a worthy husband for my proud maid. Besides, in 
 your song before the good Lord Bishop, you led me 
 to believe that it was he whom you preferred to 
 Philip s minister." 
 
 "Nay, I referred to no one in particular, your 
 Majesty. I simply wished to be freed from the atten 
 tions of the odious Spaniard." 
 
 "And has the handsome Sir Thomas Hatton no 
 attraction for you, Anne? For a while he reveled 
 in the sunshine of your smiles and was a constant 
 attendant upon your moments of leisure. Methinks 
 
What the Green-eyed Monster Did 227 
 
 you gave him much cause to hope, but of a sudden 
 he has forsaken this portion of the court and I see 
 him but briefly, when affairs of business so demand, 
 and his usually smiling countenance wears a changed 
 and sobered look." 
 
 "O your Majesty, if I desired De Silva little for 
 a husband, I do desire Sir Thomas less. I pray you 
 that you will never countenance his suit, for I assure 
 you that he is unworthy to touch a pure maiden s 
 hand. I beg that you will not question me further, 
 but that you will believe that I have the best of rea 
 sons for never speaking to the base Chancellor 
 again." 
 
 The Queen raised her eyebrows in amazement. 
 
 "I suppose Hatton has his faults," she said, "but 
 you know that this is an age of much wickedness. 
 And you cannot expect to find a courtier of abso 
 lutely spotless character." 
 
 "Nay. But they are not steeped through and 
 through with wickedness. Oh, let us seek to forget 
 his existence. Don Gomez was a paragon compared 
 to him." 
 
 "Why, you open my eyes, maid. I must hereafter 
 be less confiding with my Lord. Since first I placed 
 him in office, he has had almost unlimited power at 
 court, and I have trusted many state secrets to his 
 keeping." 
 
 "Then do so no more, your Majesty; for though 
 I am but a humble attendant of your suite, I can 
 assure you that I have rendered you better, aye far 
 better, service than this treacherous noble." 
 
228 The Romance of Gentle Will 
 
 "Anne, if any other but you cast an aspersion on 
 the Chancellor s character, I would laugh him to 
 scorn; but the truth is ever shining in your fearless 
 eyes, and I will so hedge his office with trusted 
 guards that he will be powerless to injure me, 
 though he will remain in ignorance of my precau 
 tion. But we must find a husband for you. How 
 would you like the playwright Shakespeare for a 
 mate?"" 
 
 "No, no !" protested the maiden. "The poet least 
 of all. I do not consider him an honourable man." 
 
 The Queen stared aghast at the girl. 
 
 "Anne," she said, "what has got into your head 
 of late ? You are indeed hard to please. The young 
 man has ever seemed to me the most gentle and dig 
 nified of all my train." 
 
 "He is carrying on an intrigue with a poor de 
 luded maiden, your Majesty, as I discovered recently 
 by accident." 
 
 "Well, well, Anne, to find a good man for you 
 I am afraid that I will have to give in to Kitchen 
 and countenance marriage amongst the clergy. 
 Then we may pick out some sanctimonious bishop 
 who has lived the life of a recluse from the world. 
 Surely he will be untainted." 
 
 "Your Majesty, I want no man. I am satisfied to 
 remain in the single state, and what better reason 
 can I give than to take you for my illustrious ex 
 ample? You have never seen fit to wed, and your 
 life has ever been attended by fame and happiness." 
 
 The Queen arose, and walking to the girl s side, 
 took her chin in her hand, and raising her head, 
 
What the Green-eyed Monster Did 229 
 
 looked long and tenderly into her lovely face with 
 its downcast eyes. 
 
 "My dear," she said, at length, "I would cry aloud 
 in my happiness, I would wave my arms in defiance 
 of the whole world, and I would fairly dance for 
 joy, if I could this moment change places with you 
 for good and all and let you assume the cares and 
 duties of my throne. You would see how quickly 
 Elizabeth would hunt up a minister and marry the 
 man of her choice. Oh ! If I only dared, I would 
 snap my fingers at them all and make Robert Dudley 
 my lord and master without delay. 
 
 "The chains of royalty are fetters, my beauty; 
 and being once a queen I must always remain a 
 queen. But I cannot deny my hungry soul forever, 
 and if King Philip, and the Frenchman, and other 
 troublesome potentates will ever give me an in 
 stant s respite from their ardent wooing, I will that 
 minute wed my Earl, and casting all thought of 
 political complications to the winds, I will rely upon 
 his love and his strong arm to guide me and my 
 kingdom safely through the turbulent sea of their 
 wrath and disapproval." 
 
 "Anne s heart was stirred with sympathy for this 
 woman, who, though all-powerful in her mighty na 
 tion, was still powerless in the court of love. She 
 seized the Queen s hand and kissed it fervently, 
 saying : 
 
 "If I were in your place, my wonderful Queen, 
 and loved as you do, I fear I would sacrifice my 
 throne, my country, and even my friends to the 
 
230 The Romance of Gentle Will 
 
 strong fever of my passion. But, alas, the wedded 
 state is not for me. I care not enough for any man." 
 
 "Nonsense, girl. It is but human nature, and you 
 must be moved by its mighty force as well as I. 
 Why, your pretty face, your dimpling cheeks, your 
 ruby lips are an eloquent appeal for loving caresses. 
 
 "You wear a veritable mask of love, and so thor 
 oughly do I believe that our exterior graces are but 
 the mirror of our inward feelings, that I do declare 
 you are in love even now, though you deny it to 
 yourself. Didst ever notice the sweethearts at my 
 court, billing and cooing, sighing and pining; the 
 dainty wenches waxing prettier every day when fed 
 on Cupid s food to the neglect of their stomachs? 
 Their clear complexions, sparkling eyes, and rosy 
 cheeks all weapons to assist in capturing the amor 
 ous swains. But when, forsooth, they marry, and 
 turn their minds to material comfort, they soon 
 grow fat, and as they lose their romance become 
 great feeders. But you and I, girl, are not of that 
 ilk. We were born to love, we live in love, and will 
 die of love. 
 
 "There, Anne," she said, as the maiden looked 
 up in wonder, "I am a foolish woman, and should 
 leave philosophy to my Lord Bishop. Do you know 
 that I have a mind to transform you into a Queen 
 to-day, my dear, though but for an hour, alas ?" 
 
 "Why, what do you mean, your Majesty?" 
 
 Elizabeth ran to her wardrobe and took out an 
 elegant black robe that she frequently wore in her 
 apartments. 
 
What the Green-eyed Monster Did 231 
 
 "Come hither, and seat yourself by the bed," she 
 said. "Now, Queen Anne, I will be your maid and 
 you must let me robe you as I will." 
 
 She unfastened the wondering girl s gown and 
 slipped it from her form ; she then garbed her in her 
 robe and clasped its fastenings. Lifting an enor 
 mous ruff from the bed, she placed it around her 
 neck, and going to her dresser brought a large wig 
 of reddish brown hair which she always wore when 
 in the presence of her courtiers, and fitted it upon 
 Anne Hathaway s head. When she had finished, 
 she surveyed the girl with a look of approval. Then 
 she placed a small gilt chair near the window, turn 
 ing it so that it faced inward. 
 
 "Now, my dear, I think that you will do very 
 nicely/ she said. "Seat yourself in the chair, but 
 keep your back religiously turned toward the win 
 dow, and there is never a courtier or lady in my gar 
 den but will swear that the Queen did not forsake her 
 apartment this afternoon. Remain quietly at your 
 station until I return, and you will add another ser 
 vice to the many you have rendered me. I will lock 
 the door, and if any one knocks, do you answer that 
 I will not be disturbed." 
 
 "Whither do you go, your Majesty?" Anne 
 asked, as Elizabeth threw a cloak about her shoul 
 ders and pulled the hood over her face. 
 
 "I depart, as a simple maiden of your court, 
 Queen Anne, to keep tryst with my lover, Robert 
 Dudley, in Cardinal Wolsey s tomb-house. I go by 
 the secret passage, and this time I go alone." 
 
232 The Romance of Gentle Will 
 
 The panel flew open at her pressure, and as she 
 vanished it closed with a sharp click, and Anne 
 heard her faint footfalls in the dark and narrow 
 hallway. 
 
 "She is a brave woman," murmured the maiden, 
 "and she is fortunate in her love. The Earl of 
 Leicester will ever prove steadfast. Why am I 
 denied the love of a good man ? My heart cries for a 
 strong nature to rule and master me. O Will 
 Shakespeare ! I begin to realize that I had raised you 
 on a pedestal and was a worshipper at your shrine, 
 until the intoxicating beauty of the Italian girl won 
 your love and caused your fall; and now that my 
 idol is broken I care not who may seek my hand, 
 for I will love him not. Your gentleness appealed 
 to me from the first, though I wilfully deceived my 
 self, until your patient endurance of my insults and 
 your bravery on the barge brought me to my senses. 
 And now it is too late ! Too late !" 
 
 She sat for a long time with clenched hands and 
 tightly closed lips, until at last she could restrain 
 herself no longer, and the tears welled to her eyes. 
 
 "Oh, Will !" she sobbed. "Even now, after your 
 shameful adventures to London with your wicked 
 mistress, if you would come to me and say : Anne, 
 I want you for my wife/ I would raise my voice to 
 Heaven in joyful praise for my happiness, and 
 would fall gladly into your arms ; for God help me, 
 Will, I love you, I love you with all my heart, and 
 I care not how soon my miserable life ends since I 
 cannot have you." 
 
What the Green-eyed Monster Did 233 
 
 She burst into a violent fit of weeping, and, for 
 getful of her duty, of her Queen, of everything save 
 her love, she left her chair and threw herself upon 
 the royal couch, giving way to her despair in a tor 
 rent of tears. 
 
 When Elizabeth returned through the panel, she 
 was amazed to see her hand-maiden lying upon her 
 bed, her frame shaking with suppressed sobs; but 
 so wonderful was the chastening influence of her 
 own love upon her nature that she forbore even to 
 censure the girl for her dereliction of duty. 
 
CHAPTER XVIII 
 THE QUEEN OF SCOTS 
 
 Sir Amias Paulet entered Mary Stuart s prison- 
 room in Fotheringay Castle, where she had been con 
 fined ever since her trial and .conviction on the charge 
 of conspiracy against Queen Elizabeth s life. The 
 judges had passed the sentence of death with but one 
 dissenting voice. But Her Majesty had, as yet, fail 
 ed to sign the warrant of execution, evading the 
 issue whenever it was pressed upon her, and seeming 
 loath to take the life of the condemned woman. 
 
 "Your Highness," said Sir Amais, "I am in 
 receipt of a most cruel missive from Windsor, and 
 one that makes my very blood boil at the base 
 motives of its sender. Davison, the Queen s secre 
 tary, has requested me to act upon my own responsi 
 bility and to take your life, either by poison or by 
 having you smothered in your cell. Thus Elizabeth 
 would shift the odium of your death upon my 
 shoulders, and would no doubt reward me hand 
 somely, while declaring to the world that she 
 abhorred the act and had contemplated your pardon." 
 
 As Mary sat in her chair her cheek paled and the 
 chill of despair settled upon her heart, but she spoke 
 calmly : 
 
The Queen of Scots 235 
 
 "I am in your power, my Lord. You may do with 
 me as you will and I shall blame you not. Twill 
 indeed save much trouble to her officers and her 
 headsman." 
 
 "Nay. I am not so low as other servants who 
 urge my treachery. I sent the messenger back at 
 full speed to the castle, curtly telling them that I 
 would serve my Queen and my country as long as it 
 lay in my power honourably so to do, but that be 
 fore I would countenance your Majesty s execution 
 I demanded Elizabeth s signature and the great seal 
 of England upon the warrant." 
 
 "How can I thank you, Sir Amias? You may 
 lose your office and mayhap your life for this defi 
 ance." 
 
 "I care not ; for a clear conscience and the knowl 
 edge that I have acted an honourable part are more 
 to me than rank or fortune. But this attempt por 
 tends much evil. You must strike quickly if you 
 would avert the fate that they are preparing for you. 
 France and Spain have already interposed in your 
 behalf; and if you would send a messenger to the 
 Queen, I will do all in my power to set him speedily 
 on his road. Your minister, Sir James Melville, 
 who is visiting you, is a shrewd gentleman and well 
 known at the French and Spanish courts. He is 
 your loyal subject, and would lay down his life in 
 your service. Let him hasten to Elizabeth, and use 
 his best endeavours to soften her heart and cause her 
 to remit your punishment. If he advocates banish 
 ment to France, Her Majesty may so incline, for 
 there you will be unable to do her any harm." 
 
236 The Romance of Gentle Will 
 
 "And I wish her none," said Mary Stuart, 
 "though she has kept me a close prisoner for eighteen 
 years and robbed me of my health and beauty. Still 
 I would freely forgive her and pray for her salvation 
 if I might walk in the free air again and once more 
 see my son. But your advice is good, and I will 
 despatch Melville at once, though the fates tell me 
 that my doom is sealed." 
 
 "Be of stout heart, your Majesty. While there is 
 life, hope remains," said Paulet, and he departed in 
 search of the Scottish Embassador. 
 
 Late the following afternoon, as Elizabeth was 
 seated in her garden in conversation with the Earl 
 of Leicester, her secretary, Davison, hurried across 
 the terrace, and bowing profoundly, informed her 
 that an envoy had arrived from Mary Stuart and in 
 sisted upon seeing her at once. Her brows contracted 
 in an ominous frown and she stamped her foot im 
 patiently : 
 
 "I thought Paulet would have rendered her incapa 
 ble of sending messages ere this, Davison. Though 
 he is one of the company sworn to protect my life, 
 he is hike-warm in carrying out my express com 
 mand." 
 
 "Your Majesty, he refuses to act without your 
 commission, duly delivered in correct form." 
 
 "Does the damned, soft-hearted fool think to con 
 tinue in my favour if he thus mocks my authority?" 
 snorted the angry Queen. "Dudley, what think you ? 
 Shall we send this fellow scuttling back to Fother- 
 ingay accompanied by the bearer of his sovereign s 
 death-warrant ?" 
 
The Queen of Scots 237 
 
 "Nay, your Majesty. Twere wiser to receive the 
 message that he bears." 
 
 Elizabeth thought a moment. 
 
 "Davison," she said, "ask my ladies to withdraw, 
 and send Melville to me here ; nay, Leicester, I desire 
 your presence at the interview," she quickly inter 
 posed, as the Earl rose to depart with the secretary. 
 He reseated himself, and in a few moments Sir 
 James Melville was ushered into the garden. 
 
 The Queen was much struck with his manly 
 beauty and noble bearing, and smiled graciously in 
 response to his deferential bow. 
 
 "You come from Mary Stuart ?" she said, shortly. 
 
 "Yes, your Majesty. But I act also on the author 
 ity of the Kings of Spain and France, whose com 
 mission I bear. You have kept the Scottish Queen 
 a prisoner for many weary years, and we do now 
 most humbly petition that you grant her her life, on 
 condition that she will forever take up her residence 
 in France and add her vows to the king s plighted 
 word that she will never set foot upon English soil 
 again, or by word of mouth or secret act instigate 
 rebellion or interfere with your authority as Queen 
 of England and Scotland." 
 
 Elizabeth looked at Leicester. "By my faith, he 
 speaks fairly," said she, "and does much incline me 
 to a gracious mood. Eighteen years of prison life 
 must indeed have broken her indomitable spirit, and 
 if she were at Paris I need never trouble my head 
 about her again. Besides, Philip has no taste for 
 meddling with the affairs of France, and will not 
 
238 The Romance of Gentle Will 
 
 further press his suit upon Mary. Sir James, what 
 would you say if I granted pardon to your Queen ?" 
 
 "I would say that you have risen above all 
 thoughts of self in your nobility, and that I will ever 
 defend thy fame from its detractors, with my life if 
 need be, and I would humbly bow my head and kiss 
 the hem of your gown in gratitude for your clem 
 ency to my beautiful mistress." 
 
 " is she so beautiful, Melville?" 
 
 "As the day is long, your Majesty." 
 
 "Is she more pleasing to look upon than I ?" 
 
 Sir James, with ready wit, saw the tendency of 
 her remarks and determined to work upon her 
 vanity. 
 
 "Most noble Queen," he answered tactfully, "your 
 beauty is imperishable, and none dare hope to match 
 it." 
 
 Elizabeth smiled contentedly, and, picking up a 
 lute that lay on the sward by her chair, she softly 
 thrummed its strings for a moment and then sang 
 in a full rich voice a verse of a melodious love song, 
 while the minister bowed his head in rapt attention. 
 
 When she had finished she cast aside the instru 
 ment. 
 
 "And how does she compare with me in musical 
 attainments ?" 
 
 Sir James clasped his hands. 
 
 "Your Majesty is a veritable Loreley," he said, 
 "and would lure your hearers on to swift and certain 
 destruction with your wondrous notes." 
 
 The Queen simpered and reveled in his flattery, 
 though it was hard for the honest Scotchman to 
 
The Queen of Scots 239 
 
 conceal his disgust; but he had a part to act and 
 must proceed with caution if he would save his 
 mistress. 
 
 She then conversed with him in German, in Span 
 ish, and in French, entering into a discussion of the 
 peculiarities of each language, and asking him if 
 Mary Stuart was as expert a linguist as herself. 
 
 "Nay. Though she speaks each tongue moder 
 ately well, she does still mar them somewhat with 
 the Scottish accent, while the fluency of your Majes 
 ty s speech may not be disputed." 
 
 Elizabeth s nature expanded under his compli 
 ments. 
 
 "Leicester," she said, "I can see no danger in 
 this woman. She is so far beneath me in intellectual 
 accomplishments that surely none would turn to her 
 standard, even if she remained in England." 
 
 The light of hope shone in Melville s eyes, and 
 she arose and again addressed him : 
 
 "How does she compare with me in stature ?" she 
 asked. 
 
 "Mary Stuart is the taller of the two," he an 
 swered. 
 
 "Then she is wrongly proportioned," quickly re 
 torted the Queen, "for as all the world knows, I am 
 of exactly the right height for a woman, and of 
 perfect symmetry." 
 
 " Tis undisputed, your Majesty," said Melville, 
 with a bow. 
 
 Her next move almost took his breath away, and 
 caused even the imperturbable Leicester to frown. 
 She stepped to the centre of the walk and, drawing 
 
240 The Romance of Gentle Will 
 
 up her train, seized her skirts in both hands, and 
 raising them almost to her knees began stepping off 
 the measures of the latest court dance, which had 
 been recently introduced from France. As her 
 spirits arose in her enthusiasm she forgot all 
 thoughts of modesty, and whirled through its 
 mazes with much abandonment and a generous dis 
 play of queenly hosiery. 
 
 Melville was deeply shocked at this vulgar action 
 of the Queen, and when she stopped suddenly, and 
 holding her hand over her rapidly beating heart 
 turned her flushed face to him and panted : 
 
 "Does she rival me in the Terpischorean art?" 
 he could not help replying : 
 
 "My mistress does dance lower and more dis- 
 posedly than your Majesty." 
 
 Instantly he saw his mistake, for the Queen turned 
 upon him with flashing eyes, fairly screaming in her 
 rage. 
 
 "Then she will never dance again!" she shouted. 
 "Get you gone from my palace as fast as your 
 Scotch legs can carry you, and tell your mistress 
 to prepare her neck for the kiss of the executioner s 
 blade. Ope not your lips or I will lay my hand 
 across your mouth. I ll show the slut who is mis 
 tress of England." 
 
 Leicester rose to protest, but Elizabeth turned 
 upon him in her fury : 
 
 " Twill be time enough for your suggestions 
 when you share my throne, Robert Dudley," she 
 said; "and if you would not be dismissed with this 
 embassador forever from my court, you will seek 
 
The Queen of Scots 241 
 
 Davison at once and command him to bring me 
 Mary Stuart s death-warrant in readiness for my 
 signature." She turned upon her heel and entered 
 the palace, going at once to the royal chamber. 
 
 On the third day of February, Sir James Melville 
 rode dejectedly into the courtyard of Fotheringay 
 Castle, and gaining admittance sought his sovereign 
 at once. She greeted him eagerly, but his downcast 
 countenance quickly stifled the hope in her breast. 
 
 "Your Highness," he said, "you must prepare 
 yourself for the worst. I have failed in my attempt ; 
 and twere better that I had never sought the Queen, 
 for it was through the agency of my own faithless 
 tongue that your doom was finally sealed" ; and he 
 related to her the details of his strange interview 
 with England s ruler. 
 
 When he had finished, the Queen took both his 
 hands in hers and looked gently into his tearful 
 eyes. 
 
 "Nay, I know your faithful heart too well, Sir 
 James," said she; " twas through no fault of yours 
 that I am to die. Elizabeth but sought an excuse 
 to condemn me, and acted thus in mockery of your 
 attempt to save me." 
 
 "Do you fear the end, my Queen?" he asked. 
 
 "Nay. He is not worthy of the joys of Heaven 
 whose body cannot suffer the stroke of the execu 
 tioner, and I will welcome his sharp blade, for it will 
 set my tortured spirit free. No one knows the 
 agony I have endured through all the years." 
 
242 The Romance of Gentle Will 
 
 "There is one hope, your Majesty. If you will 
 renounce your faith, Elizabeth will be compelled to 
 spare your life." 
 
 Mary Stuart s eyes flashed fire, and she answered 
 Melville almost fiercely : 
 
 "I was born a Catholic, and I will die a Catholic. 
 I thought you a better friend than to counsel the 
 destruction of my soul s salvation. Though mortal 
 hands may sever the thread of my life, they cannot 
 prevent my triumphant spirit from dwelling in 
 immortality in the true faith." 
 
 Four days afterwards, the Earls of Kent and 
 Shrewsbury arrived at Fotheringay, bearing the 
 Queen s warrant for Mary Stuart s execution. 
 Though it was late in the evening, they commanded 
 Sir Amias Paulet to convey them to her chamber, 
 where with cruel abruptness they read to her the 
 fatal document. 
 
 Contrary to their expectation, she listened calmly 
 until they had done, and then gave a sigh of relief 
 and smiled sweetly, as though their visit was most 
 welcome. She asked the hour set for her death, 
 and, when told that she must be in readiness by 
 eight o clock the following morning, she bowed and 
 said, "I must arise early, my Lords," and turned 
 away. 
 
 When they had withdrawn she summoned her 
 weeping servants and divided her articles of jewelry 
 and personal adornment impartially amongst them. 
 She then dismissed them saying she had some let 
 ters to write, bidding only Sir James Melville to 
 remain. 
 
The Queen of Scots 243 
 
 She dictated her will to her sobbing minister and, 
 that done, directed him to bring her parchment and 
 a quill. The first epistle she indited was to Eliza 
 beth. It was brief and bore no malice. It read : 
 
 "DEAR MADAME: I freely forgive you for the 
 punishment you are inflicting upon me, and my last 
 prayer on the scaffold will be that you may be con 
 verted to my faith. You and I have both loved, and 
 it has been my destruction; but I entreat you to 
 make amends in honourable wedlock with Robert 
 Dudley for the long years that you have spent in 
 secret amours with the Earl. Tis the only way 
 in which you may hope to enter the Kingdom of 
 Heaven and avoid the tortures of hell. 
 
 "I most humbly thank you for my soul s release 
 from its earthly shell. My one regret is that I may 
 not embrace my boy, who will one day be the King 
 of England. 
 
 "Your sister Queen and resigned cousin, 
 
 "MARYE STUART." 
 
 She sealed the letter and requested Melville to 
 address it; then she wrote a brief farewell to the 
 French monarch, and a longer letter to the King of 
 Spain, closing it with the following paragraph : 
 
 "And I do beseech your Majesty to fit out a fleet 
 and to attack the Island at the earliest opportunity. 
 The parsimonious Queen does deny her ministers 
 appropriations for the outfitting of an army and for 
 the provision of proper defenses against besiegers. 
 The unprepared condition of her sea-coast, and the 
 
244 The Romance of Gentle Will 
 
 crews of her ships, turned mutinous by ill-treatment 
 and lack of pay, will render the contest simple for 
 your trained and mighty forces. I feel confident 
 that you will spread our faith throughout the Prot 
 estant Ruler s kingdom, and will consummate her 
 downfall, though I am denied the privilege of shar 
 ing your throne and your success. I will never see 
 you again upon this earth, but I die happy in the 
 knowledge that we will abide together in Eternity." 
 
 When she had entrusted her last letter to Melville, 
 she begged him to leave her, saying that she would 
 seek repose, and enjoined him to awaken her at sun 
 rise. He seized her hand and kissed it fervently, 
 sobbing like a child as he left the room. She sought 
 her couch as soon as he had gone and slept peacefully 
 until morning, when she was aroused by her mourn 
 ful attendants. She arose and robed herself with ela 
 borate care in a skirt and bodice of black satin, over 
 which she placed a long mantle trimmed with fur 
 and embroidered with gold. She wore a head-dress 
 of white crepe and a long veil trimmed with lace, 
 and around her neck she hung a chain of golden 
 beads, from which was suspended a heavy cross. 
 
 She had barely completed her toilet when there 
 was a loud summons at her door and the Earls en 
 tered to conduct her to the scaffold. She begged 
 their indulgence for a brief space, and, kneeling at 
 her altar, she prayed for the forgiveness of her ene 
 mies and her future salvation. Then she arose un 
 assisted and signified her readiness. Sir Amias 
 Paulet stepped forward and offered her his arm, 
 
The Queen of Scots 245 
 
 which she took with a murmured expression of her 
 gratitude, and holding her cross tightly in her free 
 hand was conducted to the Hall of Execution. 
 
 The great room was draped in black and in the 
 centre was a huge scaffold covered with black cloth, 
 on which rested a low stool and the headsman s 
 block. She walked firmly to the scaffold, ascending 
 it with Sir Amias s assistance, and seated herself 
 calmly upon the stool. As she surveyed the group 
 of nobles who had come to do the bidding of their 
 Queen, a ray of the morning sun, which struck 
 through an upper window, shone briefly upon her 
 handsome face and cast a dazzling reflection from 
 the golden cross in her hand. The witnesses were 
 amazed to see the change which her last imprison 
 ment had effected in the unfortunate Queen. Her 
 hair was as gray as a woman s of twice her age, 
 though her features still preserved their youthful 
 beauty; and a wave of pity thrilled the breasts of 
 every inmate of the chamber as she bowed her head 
 to listen to the reading of the death-warrant. 
 
 When it had been completed she raised her cross 
 on high and prayed in Latin to her Saviour, hearing 
 which the Dean of Peterborough stepped to her 
 side and offered her the consolation of his prayers. 
 
 "Nay," she said, "I am not of your faith. You 
 do not recognize the true cross, which is my com 
 fort, and which will be the last image in my glazing 
 eyes when the executioner has done his work." 
 
 He insisted upon serving her, but she turned to 
 Sir Amias Paulet, saying: 
 
246 The Romance of Gentle Will 
 
 "May I not be allowed to die in peace? I beg 
 you to spare me the mouthings of this minister." 
 
 Paulet curtly ordered the Dean to attend in silent 
 prayer, and as he drew apart she dropped to her 
 knees, and fervently kissing her cross raised her 
 hands to Heaven as she exclaimed : 
 
 "As thy arms, my God, were extended on a cross, 
 so receive me into the arms of thy mercy. Extend 
 to me thy forbearance and pardon me all my sins." 
 Then she slowly arose and seated herself upon the 
 stool. The executioner, his face covered by his black 
 mask, stepped forward and dropped upon his knees 
 at her feet, begging her, as was the custom of the 
 time, to forgive him for her death. 
 
 "I forgive you with all my heart," she said, "for 
 in this hour I hope you will bring an end to all my 
 troubles." 
 
 As he arose and laid his hand upon her neck to 
 unfasten her bodice she gently pushed his arm 
 away and calmly disrobed, removing her waist and 
 sleeves, and arranging her hair so that the heads 
 man s blade might have no obstruction. 
 
 As the executioner again approached, bearing his 
 cruel axe, she gave a start of surprise, for she had 
 fondly believed that she was to be accorded the privi 
 lege granted to the royal personages of France of 
 being beheaded by the sword. However, she said 
 nothing, and he assisted her to arise and conducted 
 her to the block, where she refused to allow her 
 arms to be bound, though she called her lady, Jane 
 Kennedy, who tearfully fastened a bandage around 
 her eyes. Then she knelt and laid her noble head 
 
The Queen of Scots 247 
 
 upon the block, and as the headsman s axe was raised, 
 her last words, "In manus tuas, Domine," rang 
 through the hall, and pierced the very souls of the 
 henchmen of Elizabeth. 
 
 As the cruel blade fell and snapped the thread of 
 her troubled life, the last obstacle to an uninter 
 rupted reign was swept from the path of England s 
 Virgin Queen. 
 
CHAPTER XIX 
 ROYAL IRE 
 
 The formal opening of the Queen s court at Wind 
 sor was to be attended by the presentation of Shakes 
 peare s latest and most ambitious play, in which it 
 was whispered that he dealt with the life and love 
 of Elizabeth s royal father, King Henry the Eighth. 
 Her Majesty had proclaimed the day a holiday at 
 the castle and had decreed that her pleasure was not 
 to be marred by the intrusion of any business affairs 
 or by the sight of her menials performing their 
 tasks, hence an air of quietude reigned in the court 
 yard and but few of the royal guardsmen were on 
 duty. 
 
 In a corner of Anne Holcombe s laundry, our 
 friend Roger Covert sat with chair a-tilt and feet 
 eocked up on an inverted tub, vigourously puffing 
 on a long clay pipe and sending up clouds of curling 
 smoke that soon hung in perfumed vapour above 
 the lines of bleaching linen. His sweetheart, w r ho 
 was sitting in a low chair and taking advantage of 
 her day of rest by working a lace kerchief for her 
 neck, suddenly arose, and walking quickly to Rog 
 er s side snatched the pipe out of his mouth and 
 dashed it upon the oaken floor, much to the sur 
 prise of her lover. 
 
Royal Ire 249 
 
 "I ll teach you," she said, "to scent the linen of 
 my Queen with the vile fumes of your rank weed. 
 Why, tis likely to cost me my laundry, if her dainty 
 nose perceives the odour of tobacco in her garments. 
 By my faith ! you ll not smoke in a lady s presence 
 when we are married, Master Roger. I must have 
 been beside myself to let you go so far." 
 
 "May the saints confound you, Anne, but you 
 have a villainous temper," protested Covert, as he 
 ruefully gathered up the broken bits of his precious 
 pipe. "I will smoke when we are married, or mar 
 ried we shall not be." 
 
 "Do you mean to say that you would give me up 
 before you would forsake tobacco?" 
 
 "Aye, and that I do," said the angered man. "I 
 know a handsome wench in the scullery who would 
 not object to my pipe, and she keeps a civil tongue 
 in her head, and I could live a life of peace and 
 quietness without being berated at every turn." 
 
 "You may go to her as quickly as you like," 
 loftily replied the laundress, "and I will not have to 
 seek far for a guardsman whose countenance will 
 lack the forbidding scar that disfigures your own." 
 
 Covert arose excitedly. 
 
 "Shame on you, Anne," he protested, "to taunt a 
 man with his ugliness. But for all their pretty faces 
 and winsome graces I much prefer my scar, for it 
 marks a turning-point in my life, the date of my 
 meeting with my good friend and master, William 
 Shakespeare, and the beginning of my reformation. 
 However, I will not offend your vision longer, but 
 will carry my foul features to some more hospitable 
 
250 The Romance of Gentle Will 
 
 threshold." He picked up his hat, and thrusting 
 it sullenly upon his head, strode rapidly to the door ; 
 but as he darted a quick glance over his shoulder he 
 saw the maid drop upon a pile of linen and bury her 
 face in its soft folds. He stopped and silently 
 stepped back into the room, closing the door with a 
 loud bang as he did so. Then he stood perfectly 
 still and awaited developments. 
 
 As soon as the door closed the girl burst into a 
 violent fit of weeping, muttering sobbing protesta 
 tions of her love for the guardsman. 
 
 "O Roger!" she wept, "I thought I was going 
 to be so happy with you, and now I have driven you 
 away. I but sought to plague you about your pipe, 
 but when you threatened me with your scullery maid 
 I knew not what I answered in my anger. I never 
 thought you unfaithful to me, but now you have con 
 fessed it of your own free will. Oh! But I ll 
 scratch the vixen s eyes out if ever I meet her in 
 your company." 
 
 Roger rubbed his nose and grinned in delight at 
 the maiden s repentance. 
 
 "If you only knew," she went on, "how I risked 
 my life to provide for our future happiness you 
 surely would not desert me because of a hasty word. 
 O Roger, Roger ! If you will only come back to me 
 I ll never speak crossly to you again, and you may 
 smoke to your heart s content, and colour the 
 Queen s linen to match the bowl of your pipe, for 
 all I care." 
 
Royal Ire 251 
 
 The guardsman chuckled softly, then tiptoed 
 carefully across the room and stood behind the weep 
 ing maiden as she still uttered her mournful plaint : 
 
 "I won t live without you. I ll go and drown 
 myself in the Thames, and when you view my poor 
 body after the waves have given me up, you may 
 feel sorry for the maid who loved you with all her 
 heart, and was true to you even till death." 
 
 Roger blinked furiously at her pathetic plea, and 
 as her tears burst out afresh he stooped gently and 
 kissed the back of her pretty neck with a resounding 
 smack. She sprang up with a scream, and as she 
 beheld her lover, her temper again arose at the 
 shame of being caught in her avowal and she deliv 
 ered a stinging slap upon the guardsman s cheek 
 with her open hand ; but, as he laughed heartily and 
 without resentment, her mood changed and she sud 
 denly threw herself upon his breast and flung her 
 arms around his neck, pressing her lips to his, and 
 kissing him again and again as she expressed her 
 happiness in little inarticulate cries of delight. 
 
 "Roger, you are a shameful fellow to make such a 
 mockery of me. I do not believe your story of the 
 other maid at all; but I care not what may happen 
 since you have come back to me, for it has taught 
 me a lesson and I will never tease you again." 
 
 "How about the other guardsman ?" asked Covert 
 slyly, and she gently laid her hand on his lips as 
 she answered : 
 
 "Nay. I spoke falsely, Roger, and you know it 
 full well. You are the only man for whom I ever 
 cared a snap of my fingers, and I am truly sorry for 
 
252 The Romance of Gentle Will 
 
 what I said about the scar. I love you all the more 
 for it, and it was cruel to wound your feelings." 
 
 "I care not how often you may hurt them, Anne. 
 They heal quickly under the wonderful balm of your 
 sweet lips. But what meant you when you spoke 
 just now of risking your life for me?" 
 
 "I do not remember it, Roger. It must have been 
 some flight of my imagination in my agony at your 
 departure." 
 
 "Ah, but you are a clever wench. What would 
 you say if I guessed the riddle?" 
 
 "I don t understand you." 
 
 "A certain maiden undertook to earn five hundred 
 pounds, that she and her lover might give up service 
 and live forever in luxury. But a fleeing monarch 
 returned to Spain alone, and the reward was never 
 paid. Am I not a wizard, sweetheart?" 
 
 "You are the Evil One himself!" gasped the girl, 
 as she drew away from him and sank on a tub in her 
 amazement. "You, too, must have been in King 
 Philip s confidence, for I swear that he interviewed 
 me in person and there were none to hear us save his 
 faithful servitor, the Duke of Alva." 
 
 "You forget that Elizabeth s jester lay sick nigh 
 unto death behind the sheets in yon corner." 
 
 A light broke upon the maiden and she exclaimed : 
 
 "The wretch ! He feigned sleep, and I was easily 
 gulled by his cunning. Twas an evil reward for all 
 my care and tender nursing." 
 
 "Nay. Twas the best thing could have happened, 
 for by his information my master was enabled to 
 
Royal Ire 253 
 
 warn the Queen and to save her throne from the con 
 spiracy of the Catholic rulers." 
 
 "But the Queen knows nothing of the plot. Roger. 
 True, twas her maiden, Anne Hathaway, that came 
 to the Tower and acquainted the keeper with Mary 
 Stuart s intended escape. He was very angry with 
 me and when I was brought before him he threatened 
 me with the direst punishment, but she interceded in 
 my behalf, and when she told him that Her Majesty 
 was to be kept in ignorance, and prayed most ear 
 nestly for my release, he relented and dismissed me, 
 first swearing me to allegiance in future, and telling 
 me that hereafter I would be closely watched. But 
 the poor Queen of Scotland is dead, alas, and all our 
 efforts went for naught. Besides, I lost my five hun 
 dred pounds and will have to work hard all my life." 
 
 "Nay, Anne, I will tell you a secret in my turn. I 
 have the neat sum of one hundred pounds stowed 
 away, and when we are married you may give up the 
 laundry, though of course I will remain in the serv 
 ice of my Queen." 
 
 "Surely you come not by it honestly?" 
 
 "Much more honestly than it was begotten in the 
 first place. Twas given by Hatton to the Spanish 
 assassin as his reward for killing Will Shakespeare, 
 and I did but save the pieces from rusting in the 
 muddy bottom of the Thames along with his evil 
 carcass, after the fish finished him." 
 
 The maiden put her arms once more around her 
 guardsman. 
 
 "Let us never quarrel again, Roger, for we love 
 each other truly, even if we are of humble station, and 
 
254 The Romance of Gentle Will 
 
 will live together more happily than any mighty king 
 or queen upon this earth. My one fear is that Pulsi- 
 fer Kyd will repeat his knowledge of my dealing with 
 King Philip, and if it once reaches the ear of Eliza 
 beth my head will pay the forfeit, for since the execu 
 tion of Mary Stuart two months ago the council has 
 amended the law and conferred upon her the abso 
 lute power of condemnation and execution without 
 even the formality of a trial." 
 
 "Never fear, sweetheart," said Roger, "the fool is 
 a good fellow, and despite his silly mask is wiser than 
 many of the highest nobles of the court. Besides, he 
 owes us a deep debt of gratitude which he will never 
 forget, but will help us in turn if ever it lays in his 
 power. What say you, my dear, if I ask my captain 
 for a fortnight s leave, and bring a minister with me 
 after the play is over to-day?" 
 
 "Your will is my law," said the laundress, as she 
 buried her head in his bosom. He laughed joyously 
 as he crushed her in his tight embrace, then released 
 her, and darted through the door and ran swiftly 
 across the court-yard, bound for Shakespeare s 
 apartments. 
 
 At two o clock in the afternoon, the royal pageant 
 entered the throne-room and was disposed accord 
 ing to the rank of its courtiers around the person of 
 the Queen. The nobles were somberly but elegantly 
 clad, the half-mourning that they wore being a mark 
 of respect to the memory of Queen Mary Stuart and 
 in imitation of their own ruler s example. However, 
 Elizabeth s black robe was studded with diamonds 
 and other precious gems ; and so relieved was she at 
 
Royal Ire 255 
 
 having forever disposed of her poor cousin that she 
 was determined to indulge herself to the utmost in 
 the delights of her court, and seriously contemplated 
 naming the day for her wedding with the Earl of 
 Leicester, who now, for the first time, and in viola 
 tion of all the established rules of court etiquette, 
 occupied the station at her right hand. 
 
 A buzz arose amongst the courtiers when they 
 saw the Queen wave Dudley to his seat, and her 
 quick ear caught their murmurs of disapproval, 
 which immediately threw her into an ugly temper, 
 and her suite soon felt the heavy weight of her dis 
 pleasure, which portended ill for the afternoon s 
 enjoyment. 
 
 Pulsifer Kyd, the jester, occupied his accustomed 
 place at the Queen s feet, looking fatter and jollier 
 than ever in his life before. He felt the impending 
 storm and endeavored to turn Her Majesty s mind 
 to thoughts of laughter by a merry quip at Sir 
 Thomas Hatton s expense, but she curtly told him to 
 hold his tongue, and he subsided. 
 
 Essex, Southampton, and Will Shakespeare stood 
 near the dais. The young Earl had fully recovered 
 from his wound, but still looked ill and pale as the 
 result of his long confinement to his couch. He was 
 gloriously happy, however, for he had asked and 
 been granted an audience with the Queen on the fol 
 lowing day, when he had determined to inform her 
 of his marriage. 
 
 Sir Walter Raleigh and Sir Francis Drake were 
 also in attendance, though the rugged captain wore 
 his left arm in a sling and never once glanced in Es 
 sex s direction. 
 
256 The Romance of Gentle Will 
 
 Elizabeth glared about the hall, determined to cre 
 ate a diversion and to remove attention from Leices 
 ter. Suddenly she spied Anne Hathaway, standing 
 quietly apart from the rest of the maidens, with eyes 
 downcast and lacking the color that usually flamed 
 on her fair cheeks. The Queen spoke shortly : 
 
 "My hand-maiden appears lonesome. Is there not 
 a gallant in all this simpering court to bear her com 
 pany? By my faith, I ll command some one of my 
 lords to wed this girl before the play, if the curtain 
 is much longer delayed." 
 
 A half-dozen eager nobles pressed quickly for 
 ward, but she feigned not to notice them. 
 
 "Robert Devereux," she commanded sharply, "do 
 you forsake your friends and entertain my lady for 
 the balance of the afternoon." 
 
 Essex had felt very bitter toward Anne Hatha 
 way ever since her snub of his friend Will Shakes 
 peare on the occasion of his first appearance at 
 court, and he was determined to have nothing to do 
 with her, so he calmly continued his conversation 
 and paid no attention to the order. 
 
 Elizabeth s eyes blazed in anger. "My Lord of 
 Essex," she said, "are you aware that you were ad 
 dressed by the Queen? You will comply with my 
 command at once or I will have you dismissed from 
 the court." 
 
 Essex nodded to Southampton, as though in re 
 sponse to some query, and facing about, deliberately 
 turned his back upon Her Majesty. At this insolent 
 and open defiance of her authority, the Queen s 
 smouldering rage burst forth in full flame, and 
 
Royal Ire 257 
 
 throwing her dignity to the winds she leapt from 
 her chair and strode down the steps of the dais, kick 
 ing the jester out of the way in her descent. She 
 rushed upon Essex and fetched him a sounding blow 
 upon either cheek, first with her right and then with 
 her left hand, cursing him furiously the while. 
 
 The Earl calmly turned and scrutinized her coolly 
 for a moment. 
 
 "If you were a man, your Majesty," he said, "I 
 might have the pleasure of dealing with you as I did 
 with your captain, Sir Walter Raleigh; but as you 
 are only a silly woman, and have violated all the 
 bounds of propriety by seating your favourite at your 
 right hand, you need not expect the submission and 
 service of your outraged courtiers. Go back to your 
 throne, and the next time you play at striking earls, 
 slap one nearer home." 
 
 For some unaccountable reason the bold woman 
 quailed at his daring thrust, and facing about, 
 walked quietly to her station, never referring again, 
 either in public or in private, to the incident, and 
 Anne Hathaway spent the remainder of the after 
 noon without the companionship of an escort. 
 
 The tension was relieved by the rise of the curtain, 
 and Shakespeare s friends fondly hoped that the un 
 pleasant episode would soon be forgotten in the 
 Queen s enjoyment of his play ; but they were doom 
 ed to disappointment, for during the first scenes she 
 was restless and abstracted, turning to Leicester fre 
 quently and conversing on some foreign subject. 
 
 At the entrance of Catherine of Aragon, however, 
 her attention became diverted and she listened breath- 
 
258 The Romance of Gentle Will 
 
 lessly to the words that fell from the noble Queen s 
 lips; but as the waning love of Elizabeth s royal 
 father and his amours with the beautiful Anne Boleyn 
 were depicted, her anger arose, and she would have 
 arisen and interrupted the play had not Dudley laid 
 his hand upon her arm and restrained her. When 
 the curtain fell upon the act, she turned quickly to 
 her favourite : 
 
 "Leicester," she said, "what think you of this inso 
 lence ? Why, the wrongs of Catherine are presented 
 most piteously, and she is pictured as a saint, while 
 my own martyred mother is made but little better 
 than a wanton. I tell you I will not brook such 
 license. If I but extend my hand in gracious favour, 
 tis turned upon and bitten by the curs. I ve treated 
 this fellow Shakespeare too well, and, by my faith, 
 should send him to prison for this infamy." 
 
 "Nay, nay, your Majesty. Tis but a play, and his 
 imagination has run riot. He means no disrespect. 
 Let us await the unraveling of the plot ere you pass 
 judgment." 
 
 The Queen subsided and witnessed the further 
 progress of the performance in sullen silence, and the 
 faces of her courtiers, taking pattern of Her Majes 
 ty s scowling visage, wore every one the aspect of a 
 frown. When the final scene opened, and, amidst a 
 flourish of trumpets, her own name was announced, 
 she grasped Leicester s arm, and a pleased smile 
 o erspread her face, and as the Archbishop of Canter 
 bury predicted his glorious future for the child 
 Queen she fairly beamed and forgot all her anger as 
 her vanity expanded under the spoken praise. 
 
Royal Ire 259 
 
 But her happiness was short-lived, and its knell 
 sounded when, following King Henry s interruption, 
 Cranmer uttered his fatal prophecy : 
 
 "She shall be, to the happiness of England, 
 An aged princess ; many days shall see her, 
 And yet no day without a deed to crown it. 
 Would I had known no more ! but she must die, 
 She must, the Saints must have her ; yet a virgin, 
 A most unspotted lily shall she pass 
 To the ground, and all the world shall mourn her." 
 
 She hardly waited till the close of the speech, ere 
 she was on her feet and storming so furiously that 
 the curtain was lowered before the rendition of the 
 last lines of the play. Her veins swelled purple upon 
 her temples, and raising both hands, she tore her 
 enormous ruff away from her neck in the excess of 
 her passion. 
 
 "Am I to be made sport of in my own castle by 
 this damned upstart of a poet !" she screamed. " An 
 aged princess, and yet a virgin/ Oh ! you ll rue the 
 day you mocked Elizabeth. And my very death is 
 flaunted in my face. Tis a crime to even think of 
 the death of such a Queen as I am, for, by the Gods, 
 the fates assure me that I am immortal. Immor 
 tal, do you hear! and yet this hell-hound cries my 
 death/ 
 
 She turned to Sir Thomas Hatton, and fixing him 
 with her out-stretched arm and pointing finger, com 
 manded in accents hoarse with rage : 
 
 "Hatton, you skulking varlet, run to my secre 
 tary, Davison, as fast as your treacherous legs can 
 carry you, and summon him to my presence with a 
 
260 The Romance of Gentle Will 
 
 warrant for Master William Shakespeare s convey 
 ance to the Tower, and his execution at dawn to 
 morrow morning. Leicester, you will see that he 
 is placed under guard forthwith. We ll see if Ra 
 leigh s poet, Edmund Spenser, may not consign this 
 fellow s memory to quick oblivion by his master 
 
CHAPTER XX 
 IN THE TOWER 
 
 As the April sun was sinking behind the gable 
 of the Tower, Sir Amias Paulet sat in his lodging, 
 to which he had been returned after the death of 
 Mary Stuart. He was sadly perusing a document 
 which called for the execution of the poet Shakes 
 peare at six o clock the following morning, when 
 his door suddenly opened and the heavily cloaked 
 figure of a woman swiftly entered the room. He 
 looked wonderingly at her muffled face until she 
 threw her hood aside and disclosed the features of 
 Anne Hathaway, then he arose quickly and prof 
 fered her a seat, which she refused, saying : 
 
 "Sir Amias, I have come to you with a simple 
 request. I pray you for a few moments of con 
 versation with your prisoner, and at once, for Her 
 Majesty will miss me if I linger here." 
 
 "It is impossible, my Lady," responded the keeper. 
 "By the Queen s express order I am enjoined to 
 deny admittance, absolutely. The Earls of Essex 
 and Southampton have both been here and most 
 vigorously demanded an interview with their friend, 
 and likewise his attendant, the guardsman Roger 
 Covert, who was hardest of all to dispose of; but 
 I was compelled to dismiss them, and the poor play- 
 
262 The Romance of Gentle Will 
 
 wright is to die without the comforting presence of 
 a single dear one or a friendly hand-clasp in fare 
 well." 
 
 "But, Sir Amias," she pleaded, "I have always 
 been a favourite with you; do not deny me the 
 only boon that I have ever asked ; none will find it 
 out, for I will be as secret as the grave." 
 
 "Nay, my dear, although it pains me much, I 
 must refuse. I esteem you dearly, but I hold my 
 honour proof against your pleading." 
 
 "And thereby you are in my debt, Sir Amias, 
 for you owe it to me that your honour still remains 
 untarnished and not unthroned." 
 
 "What do you mean, girl ?" 
 
 "Think you that Elizabeth would have spared her 
 gaoler, if the Queen of Scots had reached King 
 Philip s ship and sailed with him to Spain? Nay, 
 Sir Amias. You would have been degraded before 
 the whole court and your much-vaunted pride would 
 have been dragged in the dust, if an humble maiden 
 of the Queen had not sped to you and whispered a 
 word of warning in your ear." 
 
 Paulet spread his palms in dismay. 
 
 "You torture me, Anne," he said. "I realize that 
 you command my gratitude, but ask me any other 
 service and twill be gratefully rendered." 
 
 "Nay, tis the only favour I will ever demand. 
 Please, please, grant me this one request. Tis easy 
 of accomplishment, and your conscience may rest at 
 peace in the knowledge that you have brought some 
 comfort t the last hours of a dying man." She 
 stepped to his side, and as the elderly noble stood 
 
In the Tower 263 
 
 perplexed and uncertain, she placed her lovely arms 
 around his neck and pleaded earnestly for his acqui 
 escence to her prayer. 
 
 At last he gently took her hands in his, and releas 
 ing himself from her clasp, he sorrowfully spoke : 
 
 "It will be the cause of much unquiet for my 
 troubled breast, but I am constrained to yield. I ll 
 take you to the cell myself and stand guard outside 
 the door, so that no overzealous gaoler may become 
 aware of your visit. Oh! woman, woman! Thou 
 art the cause of many an honest soul s certain down 
 fall!" He turned abruptly, and taking a ring of 
 enormous keys from the wall, he proceeded silently 
 along the corridor and up the stairs, the Queen s 
 maiden following closely in the rear. 
 
 Shakespeare sat at a small table in his prison, 
 with arms outstretched and his head resting on them 
 in an attitude of despair. He had been shown the 
 Queen s order prohibiting the admission of his 
 friends, and even his request for the despatching 
 of a final message to them had been denied. He had 
 given up all hope of earthly intervention and had 
 become resigned to his doom. The many events of 
 his life crowded through his brain as he rested in 
 the dim light of his cell. He thought of his meeting 
 with Leicester on the highway, of his happy days 
 at school with Essex and Southampton, of his be 
 loved tutor, and of Henry Wriothesley s successful 
 wooing of his fair daughter. 
 
 The memory of his first success before the Queen 
 surged upon him and caused a thrill of joy in his 
 breast. Then the many triumphs that followed in 
 
264 The Romance of Gentle Will 
 
 quick succession danced before his vision. The 
 penalty of fame was illustrated in Sir Thomas Hat- 
 ton s jealous attack upon his life, which had been 
 so easily averted. And now he was to fall a victim 
 to a fickle monarch s ire. He had thought only to 
 interest her, but his play had given her an excuse to 
 vent her spleen and he was now in the shadow of 
 the scaffold, having lived his short life of unremit 
 ting toil upon the road of fame, unloved and unat 
 tended by a single creature of the gentle sex. And 
 did he love, in turn ? 
 
 Aye. He stifled a sob, as he realized that he would 
 have given up his future at court, his friends, his all, 
 could he but have been assured of the companionship 
 of the one woman amongst the many butterflies of 
 the Queen s train, for the balance of his life. But it 
 was not to be, and he closed his eyes, as a feeling of 
 welcome for the executioner s blade settled upon his 
 weary soul. 
 
 He failed to note the click of the opening lock, and 
 not until the closing door jarred his senses did he 
 arouse and raise his head. 
 
 He saw a woman s figure standing quietly in the 
 shadow of the falling twilight, and he sprang eagerly 
 to his feet and stretched out his hands in welcome. 
 
 "Juliet," he said, "how did you gain admittance; 
 and have you brought a message from my friends ?" 
 
 The cloaked form slowly shook its head and a 
 strangely familiar voice answered him : 
 
 "Nay, you are not favoured by a visit from the 
 beautiful Italian, though you must be sorely disap 
 pointed at this dashing of your hopes." 
 
In the Tower 265 
 
 As he recognized the tones of Elizabeth s hand 
 maiden, and the realization dawned upon him that 
 the woman for whom his soul had hungered stood 
 before him, he could not repress a cry of delight. 
 
 In a voice trembling with eagerness he addressed 
 her: 
 
 "What brings you here, Mistress Hathaway ?" he 
 questioned. "In the highest flights of my imagina 
 tion, I never dreamed that you would seek my prison 
 cell" ; and he drew the single chair forward, pressing 
 her to be seated. 
 
 "Nay," she said, "my visit must not be prolonged. 
 I have come after my garter, and to tell you that I 
 am sorry" ; and she stretched out her hand. He took 
 it gently and pressed a kiss upon it. Then, stepping 
 to the table, he took a silken packet from his 
 bosom. 
 
 "I did wrong in keeping it, my lady, and should 
 have sent it back ere this, but some dim hope that 
 you might ask for it in person stayed my hand. Tis 
 your right to have your buckle, and twould have 
 been a crime to have had it found upon my dead 
 body when the ruthless hand of the executioner 
 searched for his rightful booty." 
 
 He unwound the packet and laid its contents be 
 fore him upon the stand. 
 
 "These are my treasures," he murmured softly, as 
 he took them up one by one. "First, a knot of rib 
 bon that fluttered from a haughty lady s sleeve upon 
 the Avon highway, many, many years ago. Next, a 
 jeweled garter, most wrongfully stolen and treasured 
 by an erring man. And lastly, a little symbol of a 
 
266 The Romance of Gentle V/ill 
 
 mailed gauntlet tightly clutching an assassin s hand. 
 And though this last token has been of great service 
 to me since my advent at court, it is of the least value 
 of them all, for I prize the simple knot of ribbon 
 above any of my earthly possessions." 
 
 He picked up the tiny silken strand and pressed it 
 fervently to his lips, while the maiden sank into the 
 chair, her eyes opening wide in wonder. 
 
 "The garter comes next," he said, "though not 
 obtained so fairly. "These are the only tokens that 
 I have ever had of woman. The last is the gift of a 
 noble lord, and even now might save my life if I but 
 cared to avail myself of its mighty power. But life is 
 not worth the living, Mistress Hathaway, for I will 
 be soon forgot, and other poets will sing the great 
 Queen s praises to the plaudits of her admiring 
 court." 
 
 He lifted the buckle and stepped to her side. 
 
 "I return you your garter and express my pleas 
 ure in its brief ownership." 
 
 Anne Hathaway dropped her eyes. 
 
 "Nay, Master Shakespeare, I have changed my 
 mind," she said. "I knew not that you prized it 
 much, and doubted not that it now adorned the 
 knee of Juliet Florio." 
 
 The poet looked at her as he answered reproach 
 fully: 
 
 "Nay, I am not so base. The tutor s daughter 
 bears another name than Florio this six months 
 past." 
 
 A sickening fear caused the maiden to turn faint 
 in her chair. 
 
In the Tower 267 
 
 "Do you mean that you are wedded, Master 
 Shakespeare ?" she faintly gasped. 
 
 "Nay, but Juliet is. She became the bride of my 
 good friend Henry Wriothesley the day before he 
 departed for his estate and left her in my charge. 
 He would have announced his wedding long ere this, 
 but an unfortunate wound which he received in a 
 duel with Walter Raleigh kept him bedfast in Lon 
 don since Christmas day, though I attended his wife 
 on many visits of comfort to her husband. 
 
 "I pray you, Mistress Hathaway, to keep their 
 secret, for the news was to be announced to-morrow, 
 but may be still further delayed by my execution." 
 
 As he ceased speaking the tears burst from Anne s 
 eyes and coursed down her cheeks ; but she brushed 
 them away, and leaping to her feet, clasped her 
 hands, as she addressed him in a voice exultant with 
 joy: 
 
 "Thank God! Thank God, who in His mercy 
 brought me here to-day ! I have done a noble gen 
 tleman much injustice, and I have wilfully denied 
 my heart the measure that it hungered for." 
 
 "What do you mean, Mistress Hathaway ?" 
 
 "I mean, Will Shakespeare, that I love you with 
 all my heart, as never man was loved by woman; 
 that I have loved you from the day I first set eyes 
 upon you on the Avon road ; and that I will love you 
 until the grave enfolds me, and ever after through 
 the ages of Eternity. Though, alas, there can be no 
 answering chord within your bosom, for I have 
 surely crushed even your pity by my wayward and 
 disdainful actions." 
 
268 The Romance of Gentle Will 
 
 The poet grasped the table and staggered as if 
 struck by some mighty blow. Then, as the revul 
 sion of his feelings surged upon him, he stretched 
 forth his arms with a glad cry : 
 
 "Now, may I die happy!" he exclaimed. "The one 
 great boon for which my very soul has pined is 
 granted me. Or do my ears deceive me, and is this 
 but some vision of a troubled dream come to mock 
 me ere my dissolution?" 
 
 He dropped his arm and pressed his hands to his 
 throbbing temples. 
 
 The girl hesitated, then ran quickly to him, and 
 placing her arms upon his shoulders she pressed her 
 soft lips against his doubting ones and whispered : 
 
 "Nay, tis a reality, Will, though I little thought 
 you cared for me." 
 
 As the realization of her love swept on him, he 
 seized her in his glad embrace and strained her to his 
 breast as he wildly cried : 
 
 "You never thought I loved you, Anne ? Why, you 
 have been the one impulse of my worried brain since 
 first I beheld your lovely form. You have been the 
 inspiration of my plays, and whatever of success I 
 may have attained is due to the influence of your 
 spirit which has ever attended my labours. You have 
 been my Queen. I have never realized that there is 
 another in England, and I would not exchange this 
 eve of happiness before my execution for the assur 
 ance of a life full of years without your love." 
 
 He dropped his arms and leaned against the table. 
 
 "And did you believe that I was enamoured of 
 Juliet Florio?" he asked, laughing lightly. 
 
In the Tower 269 
 
 "Aye. I came upon you on the terrace and heard 
 your protestation of love, which I can now under 
 stand referred to another ; and when I saw you leave 
 the court together I thought you sought the city and 
 carried on your guilty amours in some secluded re 
 treat." 
 
 "Thank God that you have learned the truth ! he 
 exclaimed. "But you risk your life here, my darl 
 ing. If you are discovered, it will go hard with both 
 yourself and my gaoler. You had best bid me good- 
 by forever and seek the Queen, ere my loving em 
 braces bring disaster upon your beautiful head." 
 
 She looked at him passionately. Then taking him 
 by the arm she led him to the chair and gently pressed 
 him down until he sat before her, then she drew 
 her skirts about her and took her seat upon his knee, 
 laying her head upon his shoulder with a happy 
 sigh. 
 
 "You may take me in your arms," she murmured, 
 "and hold me there until night falls. You may do 
 with me as you will, for you are my lord and mas 
 ter; and when the Queen s minions find me with you 
 in the morning, I will demand to be taken before 
 Her Majesty, and will plead most strongly for your 
 life. She has ever held me in great favour and I 
 believe that I can move her obstinate heart." 
 
 "Anne, I love you too well," said he, "to let you 
 encompass your own ruin. Ere I would allow the 
 breath of suspicion to taint your fair name with its 
 scandalous vapours I would plunge this dagger 
 which they have carelessly left in my possession into 
 
270 The Romance of Gentle Will 
 
 my protesting heart, and with my last gasp would 
 call upon you, as you loved me, to return at once to 
 the palace!" 
 
 The girl burst into a fit of passionate sobbing, 
 and Will pressed her close to his breast, kissing her 
 soft hair, her lovely face, and luscious lips, and beg 
 ging her to restrain her tears and bow her head 
 in humble resignation to his fate. 
 
 As the evening shadows plunged the room in 
 deeper gloom, a muffled tapping fell upon the heavy 
 door and the faint accents of Sir Amias Paulet were 
 heard in protest at the maiden s delay. 
 
 "My Lady," he said, "if I remain much longer 
 in the corridor, the gaolers suspicions will be 
 aroused and they will institute a search." 
 
 She arose and stepped to the door, which he 
 opened slightly in response to her summons. She 
 put her lips to the crack and whispered softly : 
 
 "Surely a wife may spend a few hours with her 
 husband." And as the noble started violently, she 
 continued : "I ask but five minutes more, Sir Amias, 
 and then I will attend you. I have but one fare 
 well message to deliver." The gaoler said nothing, 
 but quickly bolted the door, and she returned to her 
 lover. 
 
 "Will," she said, as she dropped on her knees 
 before him, "you showed me a third token of a 
 clenched hand. What is its significance?" 
 
 "I am sworn to secrecy until death, my darling, 
 and may not reveal, even to you, the mysteries of 
 its association." 
 
In the Tower 271 
 
 "Nay, but you spoke of its influence with a lofty 
 noble. Will you not entrust me with your treasure 
 and let me bear its message to his ear? Perhaps it 
 may stay the penalty." 
 
 Shakespeare started violently and then arose and 
 lifted the jewel in his palm. 
 
 "By my faith, Anne," he cried, "there may be 
 one last desperate chance! Twas given me by 
 Robert Dudley, the Queen s favourite, and at its 
 presentation he entreated me to call upon him in 
 the hour of my need. That hour has come on swift 
 wings, my darling, though I fear that even his influ 
 ence will avail me naught." 
 
 "He has great power, Will. He must have cast 
 a spell upon Her Majesty, for, as you surely wit 
 nessed, he was seated to-day at her right hand in 
 the throne-room." 
 
 "In sooth he was, and twas the cause of all my 
 trouble," answered the poet; "for the courtiers so 
 plainly evidenced their dissatisfaction that she was 
 wrought up into a terrible state of temper before 
 the curtain rose upon the play." 
 
 "The time is flying, Will. Let me take the token 
 and hasten to the Earl, with a prayer for his inter 
 vention." 
 
 The poet drew her closely to him and pinned the 
 jewel upon her bodice directly over her heart, as he 
 said: 
 
 "Go to Dudley, my darling, and tell him that the 
 youth who saved his life upon the highway full 
 many seasons past does now demand his own life 
 in return. That, for himself, he would not move 
 
272 The Romance of Gentle Will 
 
 a finger to extend his worthless existence, but that 
 he has suddenly discovered his image mirrored in 
 the heart upon which he has set this seal of their 
 association; and that he now, by virtue of their 
 brotherhood and common cause, does loudly cry for 
 freedom, that that same heart may not break in 
 anguish at his death." 
 
 They were again interrupted by the gaoler s ham 
 mering upon the door and his impatient tones 
 calling : 
 
 "The time is up, my Lady." 
 
 Anne answered loudly : 
 
 "I am coming, Sir Amias" ; then, embracing her 
 lover, she gave him a farewell caress and sped 
 quickly to the door. As she reached the threshold 
 she turned, and raising her right hand on high, said 
 solemnly : "Dear husband of my soul, I bear your 
 message to the Earl; but if he fails me, I swear 
 before the God of all that I will save your life, even 
 though I have to forge Elizabeth s signature to 
 your release and murder the Queen to-night in the 
 royal bed-chamber. 
 
 She tapped on the door, which opened swiftly, 
 and wafting him a kiss from her dainty finger-tips, 
 she darted into the corridor. 
 
CHAPTER XXI 
 HER MAJESTY S SUMMONS 
 
 Anne Hathaway and the gaoler passed down the 
 deserted stairway, and were fortunately spared a 
 meeting with any of the prison attendants. When 
 they reached Sir Amias s lodgings she thanked him 
 fervently for his kindness and quickly left the Tower, 
 speeding across the dark court-yard toward the 
 Queen s garden. 
 
 As she turned an angle of the guards barracks 
 she ran blindly against the cloaked figure of a man 
 who was hurrying in the opposite direction. The 
 force of their sudden contact was so great that her 
 light form was thrown heavily to the stone flags of 
 the court, and the man staggered and uttered an im 
 precation under his breath. As a low feminine cry 
 informed him that the prostrate form was a woman, 
 he hastened to her side and gently raised her to her 
 feet, inquiring if she had been injured. She mur 
 mured a weak denial, and as the familiar tones of 
 her voice smote upon his ear he started and peered 
 searchingly beneath her hood. 
 
 "As I live, tis the Queen s hand-maiden," he said. 
 "What brings you in the court-yard at this late hour, 
 and unattended? Surely Her Majesty is in ignor 
 ance of your absence from the palace." 
 
274 The Romance of Gentle Will 
 
 The girl gave a cry of joy as she recognized the 
 very man on whose influence hung her lover s life. 
 
 "Oh, my Lord/ she said, "I have just left the 
 Tower and was on my way to seek you in your 
 apartment. This meeting is fortunate indeed, for 
 I much feared to find you gone." 
 
 "Do you bear a message from Elizabeth ?" 
 
 "Nay. I come from the prison cell of a noble gen 
 tleman, and I pray that you will use your favour with 
 Her Majesty to save Will Shakespeare s life." 
 
 "Do you mean to tell me that you have inter 
 viewed the poet without the Queen s permission? 
 Why, tis death for all concerned if this violation of 
 her order is discovered." 
 
 "But you will not betray me, my Lord. I have 
 kept your secret these many months." 
 
 "True, true," he muttered. 
 
 "And will you not help me?" 
 
 " Tis impossible, girl. If I but mentioned his 
 name, she would fly into a towering rage; and so 
 well do I know the influence of Her Majesty s in 
 flammable temper upon her entire being that it 
 might be as much as my own life is worth to broach 
 the subject." 
 
 "But she holds you in great esteem, my Lord. 
 Tis well known that you can move her when the 
 combined efforts of the highest nobles of the court 
 have failed. I earnestly entreat you to take some 
 slight risk in view of the services I have rendered 
 at your meetings in the tomb-house, and make one 
 last attempt to stay the executioner s hand." 
 
Her Majesty s Summons 275 
 
 "Why do you plead so earnestly for this man s 
 life?" 
 
 "Because I love him and would be his wife." 
 
 The Earl gave a great start of surprise. 
 
 "Surely this cannot be the truth," he said. "Why, 
 tis notorious in the court that you, of all the Queen s 
 suite, most openly insulted him and treated him 
 with scorn, though even Her Majesty bowed her 
 head in acknowledgment of his superior intellect ; and 
 there is not another lady of her train but would have 
 deemed it a high honour to have held a moment s 
 conversation with this shy and gentle author. You 
 are indeed a perverse maiden, and I am constrained 
 to believe that you act upon another s request, or else 
 do most shrewdly contrive this prayer as an excuse 
 and to- avoid the consequences of my discovery of the 
 Queen s lady in this dark court-yard. Never fear, 
 my proud beauty, I ll keep the secret of your amour, 
 for he is a fortunate man indeed who may sip the 
 honey of your luscious lips." He suddenly seized the 
 girl in his arms, and forgetting his Queen and his 
 conscience in his passion, attempted to press a kiss 
 upon her lovely mouth. 
 
 With a strength born of her indignation, she 
 wrenched herself free from his clasp, and stood be 
 fore him in as fine a fit of fury as ever seized her 
 royal mistress. 
 
 "Thank God," she said fiercely, "that I am more 
 faithful in my love than the Queen s favourite. 
 Shame on you, Lord Dudley! I never counted 
 you so base. Will Shakespeare is worth a dozen 
 Earls. What would Her Majesty say if this tale 
 
276 The Romance of Gentle Will 
 
 was carried to her ears? How long would the 
 mighty Leicester sways the destinies of England, 
 if she but dreamed his infidelity? Why, you would 
 meet a speedier fate than my poor lover, and your 
 proud head would roll in the dust, much to the joy 
 of many jealous courtiers who have long and secretly 
 cursed the day that Robert Dudley left Kenilworth 
 for Windsor Castle." 
 
 The noble recoiled and stood abashed before the 
 angry maiden. 
 
 "I pray your forgiveness, my Lady," he murmured 
 humbly. "I have underrated your character and 
 insulted your pride. It seems beyond belief that 
 Will Shakespeare can have captured your heart ; but 
 if he might be saved from his certain fate he would 
 live happy in the possession of the love of that rarest 
 of all creatures at a royal court, a virtuous woman. 
 My feelings made a villain of me, Mistress Hatha 
 way, and if I can do aught to atone, I pray that you 
 will command me." 
 
 "Then go at once to the Queen and demand my 
 lover s freedom." 
 
 "You are clever indeed, my Lady, and hold me at 
 a disadvantage; but tis the one step that I dare not 
 take. I am sorry indeed for your lover, for I have 
 ever considered him a true man amongst many shal 
 low and fickle courtiers. Ask any other favour and 
 it will be granted quickly." 
 
 "I desire naught but his freedom," sobbed the dis 
 tracted girl. 
 
 "Then, as I am powerless to serve you, I will take 
 my leave," said Dudley. "I hope that you will bear 
 
Her Majesty s Summons 277 
 
 your loss bravely, for grief, mercifully, does not 
 endure, and you may find solace in the love of some 
 more fortunate noble." He lifted his broad hat, 
 bowed low, and turned upon his heel. 
 
 Ere he had stepped three paces the maiden darted 
 to his side and fiercely clutched his arm. 
 
 "If you will not listen to a woman s prayer," she 
 hissed in his ear, "perhaps you will pay some heed to 
 the claim of Will Shakespeare s mute messenger 
 upon your memory." 
 
 As he looked at her wonderingly, she drew his 
 half- resisting form along the barracks wall to where 
 a dingy lantern shed its fitful gleam upon the deser 
 ted embrasure. She stopped beneath its ray, and 
 casting her cloak from her shoulders, said, as it fell 
 softly on the flags : 
 
 "Fix your eyes, my Lord, on the token that I wear 
 upon my heart. Does it not cry to you from the dim 
 recesses of the past and waken a thrill of gratitude 
 in your noble breast?" 
 
 The Earl stooped quickly and scrutinized the 
 jewel. 
 
 "Why, tis the badge I gave Will Shakespeare 
 nigh four years agone," he muttered. 
 
 "Aye. He saved your life then, Lord Dudley. 
 Will you not at least return the favour ? Though even 
 in his dire extremity he would never have appealed 
 to you had I not forced him through my love." 
 
 Leicester pressed his hand to his throbbing 
 temples, and stood uncertain and bewildered beneath 
 the lantern. 
 
278 The Romance of Gentle Will 
 
 "If it had not been for his brave action and his 
 ready aim, my bones might lie unburied and un 
 known these many years in some deserted waste. He 
 foiled my enemies, and I owe him much. I must, I 
 will use some endeavour to move Elizabeth to pity; 
 but I am all at sea to give a sufficient reason for my 
 interference." 
 
 "What if I could prove to you that the Queen 
 owes much aye, the safety of her throne and even 
 her life to his zeal and faithful service?" 
 
 The Earl eagerly clutched her arm. 
 
 "If such a thing were possible we might even yet 
 win the day, my girl," he answered. 
 
 "What would you say if I told you that Will 
 Shakespeare discovered a plot for the flight of Mary 
 Stuart with the Spanish King, and being too modest 
 to claim the credit, he chose me as his messenger to 
 Her Majesty, despite his harsh treatment at my 
 hands, and the Scottish Queen was intercepted at the 
 very threshold of her prison through his timely 
 warning; though I did not see fit to disturb the 
 Queen with a rumour of the intended escape." 
 
 "My God!" gasped Leicester, "can this be true?" 
 
 "I have never violated my honor by a lie, Lord 
 Dudley." 
 
 "Then we will save your lover, my girl, even 
 though we have to use force in compelling Her Ma 
 jesty s attention to our tale." 
 
 "The execution is set for sunrise to-morrow, 
 therefore your action must be taken at once or it 
 will be too late, and it is impossible to gain admis 
 sion to Her Majesty without the knowledge of her 
 attendants." 
 
Her Majesty s Summons 279 
 
 "True, true, my Lady," said the Earl ; "and if they 
 but announce my wishes tis certain that she will 
 deny the interview. Twill please her much, in this 
 abominable temper, to slight Robert Dudley." 
 
 "Oh! What are we to do, my Lord?" asked the 
 distracted girl. "May I not conduct you to her 
 presence? The other maidens recognize that I am 
 privileged, and would not dare gainsay me if I told 
 them twas Her Majesty s wish." 
 
 "Nay. Their babbling tongues would soon raise 
 sad havoc with Elizabeth s honour if we thus entered 
 her apartment." He frowned and stood in silence 
 for a moment, then sharply struck his hand upon his 
 thigh, saying: "By God s wounds, I ll do it! Do 
 you seek your room and remain there quietly until 
 the Tower clock strikes ten, then venture out into 
 the dark again and meet me on the step of Wolsey s 
 tomb-house. We ll find a way to the royal presence 
 through the secret passage." 
 
 The maiden sadly shook her head. 
 Twill not avail, my Lord, the door is locked," 
 she said. 
 
 "The Queen has at last yielded to my importuni 
 ties and but yesterday entrusted me with the key," 
 he answered shortly, as he picked up her cloak and 
 placed it around her drooping shoulders. 
 
 The girl s eyes lit up with a wondrous expression 
 of hope as she turned them upon the Earl. 
 
 "I freely forgive you, my Lord," she murmured, 
 "for your attempt upon my chastity; and if you 
 wish, you may in honour take a kiss of friendship 
 and of gratitude from my willing lips." 
 
280 The Romance of Gentle Will 
 
 "Nay, I would not poach upon the preserves of 
 my good friend the poet/ he said. "Let us hope 
 that he may be spared to take full measure of your 
 caresses ere to-morrow s sun has waned." 
 
 Shortly after the stroke of ten, Queen Elizabeth 
 was awakened from a light sleep by a muffled tap 
 ping upon the wall of her chamber, and as she sat 
 up in her bed with a startled cry, she was astounded 
 to see by the dim light of her single taper the panel of 
 the secret corridor fly open and the Earl of Leices 
 ter step quickly into the room. Her fear gave way to 
 a violent outburst of rage, and she hurled furious 
 anathemas at the intruder s head. 
 
 "How dare you violate the sanctity of my bed 
 chamber at this hour of the night, Robert Dudley? 
 I trusted you when I delivered you the key, thinking 
 that I might occasionally have your companionship, 
 undisturbed by the curious eyes and ears of my at 
 tendants; but I find that you are but a creature of 
 your vile passions and I despise you for it. Leave 
 my presence at once, and return the key to me in 
 stantly!" 
 
 The Earl opened his lips in protest, but she would 
 have none of it. 
 
 "Out of my sight," she commanded, "or I will 
 arouse my attendants and have you committed to the 
 Tower!"" 
 
 As she stormed, Anne, who had been standing in 
 the passage and had heard the angry words, think 
 ing that her presence would have a reassuring effect 
 
Her Majesty s Summons 281 
 
 upon her mistress, stepped into the chamber and 
 stood quietly at Leicester s side. 
 
 This last arrival was too much for the Queen, and 
 flinging aside all semblance of modesty along with 
 the royal bed-clothing, she leapt upon the floor and 
 strode across the room, her silken night-robe flying 
 wildly about her bare feet. Arriving in front of 
 Anne, she struck her viciously upon the cheek with 
 the flat of her hand. 
 
 "You infamous wench !" she said, as the girl sank 
 sobbing at her feet, "you, too, are in his confidence. 
 No doubt he has half the ladies of my court as his 
 mistresses, though he thinks to deceive me with his 
 lying tongue." 
 
 A dark flush mounted Dudley s brow, and he 
 seized the Queen s wrist in his iron grasp and looked 
 into her face with such a world of anger in his 
 glance that even this fearless woman quailed before 
 him. 
 
 "For shame, Elizabeth, to cast slander on this pure 
 maiden s name!" he said hoarsely. "I ll overlook 
 the foul accusation you hurled at my innocent head 
 and treat it with the scorn that it deserves, but this 
 poor girl s cup of sorrow is filled to overflowing by 
 the peril of the man she loves, and we come to you on 
 an errand of life and death that could not be com 
 passed by any other means." 
 
 "Well, what is it brings you here?" asked the 
 Queen in a milder tone. 
 
 "If you will garb yourself more fitly for an audi 
 ence, I will be pleased to enlighten your Majesty," 
 he answered, with a stiff bow. 
 
282 The Romance of Gentle Will 
 
 Elizabeth quickly turned her back upon him, and 
 the forgiving hand-maiden ran to her wardrobe, and 
 taking a long cloak of sable and ermine, she wrapped 
 it, round her mistress s scantily clad form, and 
 placed a pair of dainty slippers upon her naked feet. 
 Then, as the monarch seated herself in a chair by 
 the bed, looking indeed most regal in her rich furs, 
 the girl dropped meekly on her knees at her side, 
 though her cheek tingled smartly from the blow. 
 
 Leicester turned and closed the panel, then step 
 ped swiftly before the Queen. He placed his finger 
 lightly upon Anne Hathaway s bosom. "Do you 
 recognize that token, your Majesty?" he asked 
 sternly. 
 
 "Why, tis the badge of our great organization," 
 she answered, in surprise. "But how comes it that 
 this girl wears the jewel? Our members are all 
 men, save myself alone, and you have violated your 
 oath if you have entrusted her with the secrets of the 
 order."" 
 
 "It has no significance in her eyes, save that it 
 holds forth a promise for her lover s life." 
 
 "I tell you that the wayward chit has no lover, 
 Robert. You talk in riddles." 
 
 "And I assure you that she has, Elizabeth, and 
 that she and her sweetheart have both served you 
 faithfully and well, and have contrived much for the 
 furtherance of The Queen s Life. 
 
 "Then, in God s name, who is the man, my Lord ?" 
 she asked impatiently. 
 
 "The poet, William Shakespeare, whom you so 
 unjustly condemned to death this afternoon in a fit 
 
Her Majesty s Summons 283 
 
 of temper, and who, as you should know, though I 
 presume you have forgotten, wore the jewel upon 
 his sleeve the day he first appeared at court." 
 
 The Queen arose and answered him coldly : 
 
 "This is utter nonsense, Dudley. The girl de 
 spises him. Why, she told me with her own lips 
 that he was not a man of honour and intrigued much 
 with a certain woman. Nay. The royal word is 
 given. He dies to-morrow." 
 
 Anne clasped her mistress s knees. 
 
 "I was much mistaken," she sobbed, "he did but 
 guard the wife of his friend from Slander s tongue, 
 though I knew it not at the time. And I love him 
 with all my heart, as he loves me. Oh! my dear 
 Lady, you granted me his life the day he killed your 
 deer in Fulbroke Forest let your heart incline to 
 pity, and spare him once again." 
 
 He has insulted me most grossly !" angrily replied 
 the Queen, "and you waste breath, for I am deter 
 mined that he will never have another chance to lash 
 me with his venomous pen." 
 
 "And, as Mary Stuart is dead, you need him no 
 longer to protect you from her plots with Philip, 
 and to place a stumbling-block in the pathway of her 
 escape to the King s good ship." 
 
 Elizabeth looked at the Earl with a puzzled ex 
 pression. 
 
 "What the Devil do you mean, Robert?" she 
 queried. 
 
 "That if he had not warned Anne Hathaway of 
 a conspiracy that took place in your laundry, Mary, 
 Queen of Scots, would now be named Mary, Queen 
 
284 The Romance of Gentle Will 
 
 of Spain, and your ministers would be working like 
 bees to outfit an army for the protection of England 
 against their invasion, while Sir Francis Drake s 
 ships would speed across the mighty Main to engage 
 in deadly conflict with their formidable fleet." 
 
 The Queen s eyes opened wide. 
 
 "What fairy tale is this? Do not think to gull 
 me so easily. The poet has ever been too deeply im 
 mersed in his books to spy out plots within my court, 
 and Mary was so closely guarded that any thought 
 of her escape could never have been entertained." 
 
 She turned to Anne. 
 
 "Did you tell Leicester this lie, in the hope of sav 
 ing the fellow s life?" she asked. 
 
 The girl rose proudly to her feet. 
 
 "You know that I have never uttered a falsehood 
 in all my life, and you have often told me that you 
 trusted me alone of all your maids. Natheless, if 
 you will summon Sir Amias Paulet, the Keeper of 
 the Tower, whose honour no man can deny, he will 
 inform you that in consequence of my warning he 
 stopped a laundress at the prison gate and found the 
 face of Mary Stuart neath her shawl." 
 
 The Queen gasped and looked blankly, first at the 
 man and then at the maid, as the conviction of be 
 lief settled upon her. 
 
 "What shall I do, Robert?" she asked faintly. 
 
 "If all other prayers fail to move your Majesty, 
 still you are bound by the oath of our common 
 cause to heed this token of the gauntlet and to 
 answer the cry of a comrade for relief." 
 
Her Majesty s Summons 285 
 
 "True, true, Dudley," she said. "The poet s life 
 is saved. There, there, Anne !" she protested, as the 
 girl gave a cry of joy and fervently kissed her hand, 
 "my fingers may be put to better use. Fetch me 
 parchment, ink, and pen, and I will write a summons 
 to the gaoler." 
 
 The happy girl brought the desired articles, and 
 the Queen wrote as follows : 
 
 "Sir Amias Paulet : 
 
 "The execution is deferred. Send me the person 
 of William Shakespeare to the throne-room at eight 
 o clock to-morrow morning, and see that he is 
 strongly guarded. Tell him nothing of my change 
 of plan. 
 
 "(Signed.) ELIZABETH." 
 
 "Anne, my dear," she said, "you will sleep with 
 me in my own bed to-night and see that I awaken 
 early. Robert, bear my message at once to the 
 Tower, and rouse Sir Amias from his slumbers. 
 Attend me in the morning." 
 
 "What of the key to the secret passage, your 
 Majesty?" he asked, as his eyes twinkled. 
 
 "Do not lose it, Dudley," answered the Queen. 
 
CHAPTER XXII 
 THE POET S PRIZE 
 
 As the gray dawn filtered through the bars of 
 Shakespeare s prison cell it found the poet fully 
 dressed and awaiting the summons of the execu 
 tioner. 
 
 A silken packet lay upon the table beside three 
 folded missives addressed respectively to Mistress 
 Anne Hathaway, Robert Devereux, and Henry 
 Wriothesley. The prisoner had availed himself of 
 his gaoler s offer of parchment and a taper, and had 
 remained at the stand late into the night writing his 
 tender farewells and last messages to the sweetheart 
 and dear friends he loved so well. After he had 
 completed his letters he sat buried in sad thoughts 
 until the candle fluttered and went out, plunging the 
 room in total darkness. He laid his weary head 
 upon the table, and fitful snatches of sleep came to 
 soothe his spirit, until the chill of the morning pene 
 trated his frame and he arose and paced restlessly 
 up and down the floor, praying eagerly for the 
 speedy arrival of the gaolers and the release of his 
 harassed spirit. But as the minutes dragged 
 slowly on and the hour set for his death passed with 
 out the sound of their approaching footsteps, he be 
 came almost frantic at the delay, and drawing him- 
 
The Poet s Prize 287 
 
 self up to the iron-barred window ledge, closely 
 scanned the deserted court-yard, but there was never 
 a sign of life to greet his despairing vision. He 
 threw himself upon the floor in his distraction and 
 lay in a state of semi-stupor until the Tower clock 
 had struck the second hour since dawn. As the last 
 stroke of eight was ringing in his ears, he heard the 
 sound of clanking steps upon the stairs. He jumped 
 to his feet quickly, and with clenched hands and 
 shortened breath awaited the servitors of the heads 
 man. 
 
 The key turned in the lock, the door flew open, 
 and Sir Amias Paulet entered, attended by two 
 armoured soldiers of Her Majesty s guard. 
 
 "You have come at last, Sir Amias," said Shakes 
 peare. " Twas unlike your tender nature to keep 
 me in this cruel suspense. I have lived ages since 
 the dawn, and pray you speed me quickly to the 
 fatal block. I crave your assistance in the delivery 
 of these last messages to my friends letters each 
 for a loving maiden and two noble Earls, and a purse 
 for a faithful guardsman as a wedding-gift from his 
 master." 
 
 "Put your messages in your bosom," gruffly 
 answered the gaoler; "the time is not yet ripe for 
 their reception." 
 
 The poet looked wonderingly at Sir Amias; but 
 thinking that he did not wish to receive the letters 
 ere the headsman s block was reached, he thrust 
 them beneath his jerkin and answered nothing. 
 
 With a guardsman on either side and Sir Amias 
 Paulet leading the way he traversed the court-yard 
 
288 The Romance of Gentle Will 
 
 and entered the main corridor of the royal castle, 
 passing up the stairs and halting before the door of 
 Her Majesty s throne-room. 
 
 "Surely they would not be so cruel as to despatch 
 me here and make my death the sport of royalty, Sir 
 Amias," he said, completely bewildered by the turn 
 affairs were taking. 
 
 "Keep silent, and follow my directions," ordered 
 the noble, as he pushed open the door and strode into 
 the great hall. As they walked across the floor, 
 Shakespeare beheld the Queen, seated on her throne 
 and clad in her most regal gown, with crown upon 
 her head and an ominous scowl mantling her brow. 
 Save for Her Majesty s presence the great room was 
 entirely deserted, with never a sign of scaffold, of 
 headsman, or of block. Paulet and the guardsmen 
 escorted their prisoner to the dais and the gaoler 
 dropped upon his knee before the Queen. She sur 
 veyed the poet critically for a moment, but he looked 
 back into her beady eyes with never a waver of fear 
 in his steadfast gaze. 
 
 "Sir Amias," said Elizabeth, "you may take your 
 guardsmen and withdraw to the Tower. I will go 
 security for this man, and will summon you when I 
 am ready for his execution." 
 
 His escort left the room, and the Queen frowned 
 anew as she addressed the playwright. 
 
 "Did you think to ridicule Elizabeth and live, 
 Master Shakespeare ?" she asked. "Why, even Pul- 
 sifer Kyd, the fool, knows better than to risk his life 
 in jests at my expense." 
 
The Poet s Prize 289 
 
 "And thereby does mirror the image of your many 
 courtiers, who, less honest than myself, do train their 
 tongues to words of flattery and praise; sweet music 
 to your ears no doubt, for tis evident that they ad 
 vance much in your favour through this policy," 
 quickly retorted the doomed author. 
 
 The Queen s eyes flashed. 
 
 "By the Gods !" she said, "you do command still 
 further token of my displeasure. But though you 
 bear a rash tongue, tis indeed a brave one to court 
 death so openly." 
 
 "Life has ceased to interest me, your Majesty. By 
 your divine command twas forfeit two hours agone, 
 and I held your noble spirit in higher esteem than 
 to believe that you would countenance the plaguing 
 of a dying man. I appeal to you most humbly to 
 make an end of it all by summoning my executioner." 
 
 "And would you have me stain the polished floor 
 of this noble hall with your life-blood? Nay, nay, 
 there is a more fitting place for chopping heads ; and 
 though I insist upon your doom, I do not care to wit 
 ness your death." 
 
 "Then why am I brought before your Majesty?" 
 
 "Because I wish to hear the truth from your own 
 lips, and not through the medium of your plays. Do 
 you, in sooth, believe that I will die?" 
 
 "Your Majesty is one of God s creatures, even as 
 the humblest menial in your castle walls ; and as 
 surely as you are born in His image, so surely will 
 your body wither and answer nature s final call 
 when your life s allotted span has run its course. 
 
290 The Romance of Gentle Will 
 
 Immortality is found in the Temple of Fame and the 
 Halls of Love and Memory; never in the earthly 
 shell, most noble Queen." 
 
 The monarch sat back in her throne, abashed by 
 his reproving answer. 
 
 "And think you not that I am beautiful, most 
 learned sage?" she asked presently. 
 
 "Yes, but beauty will fade, and twill meet a 
 quicker death than that of mortal flesh," he said. 
 
 "You are the only man in all my court who has 
 ever dared to speak the truth," she answered 
 sharply. "Even those in whom I have unbounded 
 faith do falsify when my person is discussed, and I, 
 alas, give heed to them and befool myself by think 
 ing that I alone am favoured and imperishable. I 
 know not whether you do me a kindness or an 
 injury by destroying my faith; and though the 
 thought of death plays havoc in my breast, the wan 
 ing of my beauty does indeed give me much more 
 concern." 
 
 Twill endure many years, your Majesty, and 
 may you be preserved to a long life of happiness and 
 love." 
 
 "You speak me fair, Master Shakespeare. Is not 
 your heart filled with bitterness for my treatment of 
 you ? Have you not one last request to make ere I 
 send you to the scaffold ?" 
 
 Shakespeare bowed his head suddenly and dropped 
 upon his knee before the Queen. 
 
 "Your Majesty," he said, "there is a maiden in 
 your train whose beauty is the wonder of the court. 
 She has ever served you faithfully, aye, better than 
 
The Poet s Prize 291 
 
 you know, and I have reason to believe will be affec 
 ted by my death. I crave that you will bear with her 
 patiently, and that when her grief has passed you 
 will seek some fitting mate to keep her company on 
 Life s troubled voyage. Counsel her to wed , I pray 
 you, for twould be a sin to waste her youth and 
 beauty in the single state. 
 
 "If you will but comply with my last wish you 
 may in some measure repay her for her love and 
 watchful care. If she had been less zealous in her 
 service, your Majesty s fair neck might have suffered 
 the executioner s stroke long ere the presentation 
 of my play, and I might even now be free to wed the 
 maid, though I would not have it so, for England 
 would have suffered much with Mary Stuart 
 Queen." 
 
 "You are indeed a modest man, Master Shakes 
 peare, to plead another s cause, when twas through 
 your agency that the plot was foiled." 
 
 The poet arose amazedly to his feet. 
 
 "Your Majesty," he gasped, "I thought you were 
 in ignorance of the conspiracy !" 
 
 "Ah, my friend, the Queen knows all," she an 
 swered, nodding mysteriously. "All about the 
 guardsman and the laundress, the jester and Sir 
 Thomas Hatton, the fish and the assassin, the poet, 
 and Shall I go any farther ?" she queried. 
 
 "You are the very Devil himself," muttered 
 Shakespeare. "How learned you these many 
 secrets ?" 
 
 "Through the lips of that world-old tale-bearer, 
 a woman. My favourite hand-maiden slept last 
 night with me in the royal bed-chamber." 
 
292 The Romance of Gentle Will 
 
 Will answered not, but dropped his head upon his 
 breast and stood humbly awaiting his consignment 
 to the executioner, for he felt that the monarch was 
 but playing with him to make her revenge more 
 sweet and sure. 
 
 Elizabeth continued : 
 
 "Will Shakespeare, you display a courtly grace, 
 a noble figure, and a handsome face, and even the 
 Queen of England is not proof against the charms 
 of manly beauty." She looked nervously around the 
 room as though in fear of an eavesdropper, then 
 arose and walked rapidly down the dais and stopped 
 in front of the poet, while a rosy blush suffused her 
 cheek. 
 
 "Your life may be spared on one condition," she 
 said. "Can you not guess my secret ? Think you I 
 would have been so angered were I not in love ? I 
 am but a tender woman at heart, and since your 
 brilliant intellect first stirred my breast in admira 
 tion, which later turned to passion, I have longed for 
 your companionship. What say you if we cast pro 
 priety to the winds, and with you as ruler of my 
 heart and throne let the destiny of our country tend 
 which way it will ?" 
 
 "What of the Earl of Leicester, your Majesty?" 
 questioned the astounded playwright?" 
 
 "He irks me much, dear Will, and can easily be 
 disposed of, for I am all-powerful. With your brain 
 and my favour we may make this the most intellec 
 tual realm in the whole world. Come, my gentle 
 youth, and choose quickly. On the one hand life and 
 love and a Queen, on the other a flashing blade and 
 instant death. Do you hesitate?" 
 
The Poet s Prize 293 
 
 "Nay! Not for a moment, your Majesty! Send 
 me to the executioner, for life would be a dreary 
 waste without my sweet Anne s love. Shame on you 
 for a fickle wanton! I would that Robert Dudley 
 could hear your words, for he is an honest gentle 
 man and my good friend/ 
 
 "He needs no champion !" thundered a deep voice 
 behind the throne, and through the folds of the 
 heavy arras stepped Leicester himself, and strode 
 straight to the poet, holding out his hand as he said : 
 
 "Nobly spoken, young master. Would all lovers 
 were as true and friends as staunch as William 
 Shakespeare." 
 
 The Queen laughed merrily and shook her finger 
 at the Earl. 
 
 "Now, what do you think of my trick? By my 
 faith, it was a crucial test, though you hated much 
 to have me risk it. Did you fear to lose me, 
 Robert?" 
 
 "Nonsense!" muttered the Earl, as his face red 
 dened, while Shakespeare looked in dismay, first at 
 the Queen and then at the Lord. 
 
 "Well, well," said Elizabeth, "I hardly know what 
 to do with this troublesome fellow. I d best banish 
 him to some desert island where he may sing his 
 poems to the sea ; and though twill rage and roar as 
 I have, it needs must lap his feet at last and fall 
 away weakly to its coral bed. If I keep him here at 
 court I dare not prophesy to what great lengths his 
 audacity may carry him. He angered me so yester 
 day that I would have his life, though to-morrow he 
 may strike a balance and with some new antic of his 
 
294 The Romance of Gentle Will 
 
 fat fool, Falstaff, bring tears of merry laughter to 
 my eyes and crack my shaking sides with glee." 
 
 She beckoned to Leicester, who stepped to her 
 side, inclining his head as she whispered in his ear. 
 When she had finished he smiled and nodded, and 
 ascending the dais disappeared behind the arras. 
 
 The Queen mounted the steps to her throne, and 
 seating herself therein, leaned back with folded arms 
 and looked quizzically at the sadly troubled man. 
 
 "What do you think of my little comedy, my 
 friend ?" she asked. 
 
 "Is it not to have a tragical ending, your Ma 
 jesty?" he replied, as the light of awakened hope 
 gleamed in his eyes. 
 
 "Nay, twould be a sin to put to death the man 
 who scorns a Queen s love. I have a better fate in 
 store for you." 
 
 He stepped to the throne, and dropping humbly to 
 his knee bent to kiss the hem of Elizabeth s robe, but 
 she pulled it aside quickly. 
 
 "I am not worthy of such homage, my dear friend. 
 Reserve your kisses for your lady-love, for she is a 
 better woman than I, in that she brought me to my 
 senses and prevented me from doing a cruel and un- 
 queenly act." 
 
 As she raised him to his feet the arras was pushed 
 aside and Leicester again stepped forth, holding by 
 the hand the poet s sweetheart, Anne Hathaway, 
 who was clad in a simple robe of white and was 
 closely followed by the Queen s sleek minister, My 
 Lord Bishop Kitchen of Llandaff. They had scarce 
 descended the steps ere Pulsifer Kyd, the fool, 
 pranced gayly from behind the tapestry and dropped 
 
The Poet s Prize 295 
 
 at the feet of the Queen, winking grotesquely and 
 wiggling his ears at the fat churchman. 
 
 "I have a mind to name your wedding morn, 
 friend Shakespeare," said the Queen. "Is it not a fit 
 ending to your pilgrimage from the Tower?" 
 
 "But, your Majesty," he protested, "I am not fitly 
 clothed, and Anne will surely want some time for 
 preparation." 
 
 Didst ever hear the like of that, Kitchen ? And you 
 are always dinning marriage in my ears. Does it ap 
 pear to you that your sweetheart is not prepared 
 when she is summoned by a private stairway from 
 my apartment, where she has been waiting for an 
 hour with this minister ready at hand? And as for 
 your apparel you wear the rich mantle of love in 
 every lineament of your fair face and figure. What 
 finer garb could any maiden crave ?" 
 
 Shakespeare turned to his sweetheart. 
 
 "Do you wish to wed me now, my darling?" he 
 asked, as she turned her luminous eyes in love upon 
 him. 
 
 "Yes, Will," she said. "I have lost many precious 
 hours through my perverseness and my heart hung 
 ers for your company." 
 
 "So be it, then," he said. "Your Majesty, I hum 
 bly thank you for this noble favour and your forbear 
 ance. Let the churchman quickly marry us and I 
 swear that I will offend you no more, but will ever 
 offer you my humble service." 
 
 The Queen chuckled heartily and turned to Dud 
 ley. 
 
 "Do I pay my debts, Robert?" she asked. "Or 
 is there still a balance in the poet s favour?" 
 
296 The Romance of Gentle Will 
 
 The Earl shrugged his shoulders and smiled, 
 while she continued : 
 
 "And now, as I am still a virgin and eligible to the 
 office, I have a mind to act as bridesmaid to my lady. 
 And, Leicester, you may attend your friend, the 
 groom. Here, Master Shakespeare," she said, as she 
 drew a jeweled ring from her finger, "is a circlet that 
 will serve to join you twain and the display of which 
 will instantly command my service if ever tis re 
 quired. 
 
 "Were ever man and wife made one attended by 
 more royalty?" She looked wistfully at Leices 
 ter. "Pray God that Kitchen may do the same for us 
 ere long," she murmured, and the Earl muttered a 
 fervent "Amen." Then with a return of her buoy 
 ant spirits she said merrily: "And now I have a 
 mind to complete the pageant. Kyd, you may sum 
 mon the court." 
 
 Anne stepped quickly to her lover s side and 
 tightly grasped his hand, as the jester ran to the en 
 trance of the throne-room and opened wide the doors. 
 
 The Queen s entire suite, clad in rich array, 
 marched into the great hall under the leadership of 
 the somewhat disgruntled Lord Chancellor, and took 
 their places, ranging themselves in long lines on 
 either side of the abashed lovers. 
 
 Robert Devereux, with Wriothesley and his beau 
 tiful bride, pressed close to their friend s right hand, 
 and though they spoke no word their joy was plainly 
 written on their beaming faces. 
 
 Dudley s messengers had done their work well, 
 for though many of the courtiers had yawned sleep 
 ily and had protested mightily at being routed so 
 
The Poet s Prize 297 
 
 early from their downy beds, none dared violate the 
 royal command, and their drowsiness quickly left 
 them when they realized the occasion of their sum 
 mons. 
 
 The Queen and Leicester took their stations as 
 bridesmaid and groomsman, and the Bishop in his 
 churchly regalia read the marriage service that 
 joined the loving hearts of the poet and the maid 
 until death s parting. 
 
 As they knelt to receive his benediction, Elizabeth 
 whispered briefly to the Earl, and when the closing- 
 words fell from the minister s lips Dudley drew his 
 sword and presented it to the Queen, who stepped 
 in front of Shakespeare and tapped him sharply with 
 the blade, saying loudly : 
 
 "Arise, Sir William, and salute your bride. 
 
 "The poet Spenser needs must wait a space, 
 Ere we our knighted poet will displace." 
 
 As the courtiers and ladies of the Queen s suite 
 flocked eagerly around the fortunate pair, the jester 
 laughed shrilly and caroled in a cracked voice : 
 
 "The lovers are wedded, 
 
 The romance is past, 
 We cry, as the curtain falls, 
 For a kiss ever ready, 
 
 A love that will last 
 Till the voice of Eternity calls. 
 
 For an arm to protect 
 
 And a sweet voice to pray, 
 Close bond between husband and wife. 
 For children to bless them 
 
 And smooth the rough way 
 To the end of their journey of life." 
 

U.C.BERKELEY LIBRARIES 
 
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 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY