I
 
 
 
 ELIZABETH STUART, 
 
 QUEEN OF BOHEMIA, 
 
 DAUGHTER OF KING JAMES THE FIRST. 
 
 INCLUDING 
 
 SKETCHES 
 
 OF THE 
 
 STATE OF SOCIETY IN HOLLAND AND GERMANY, 
 
 IN THE 1?TU CENTURY. 
 
 BY MISS BENGER, 
 
 AUTHOR OF MEMOIRS OF ANNE BOLEYN, MEMOIRS OF MARY 
 QUEEN OF SCOTS, &C. &C. 
 
 IN TWO VOLUMES. 
 
 VOL. I. 
 LONDON: 
 
 VKISTED FOR 
 
 LONGMAN, HURST, REES, ORME, BROWN, AND GREEN, 
 
 FATKKNOSTER-KOW. 
 
 1825.
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 IT has been suggested by more than one 
 sensible writer, that the life of Elizabeth, the 
 daughter of James the First, presents an 
 inviting subject to the biographic pen. 
 The task has hitherto been unattempted ; 
 and, among other singularities in the des- 
 tiny of this princess, it is not the least ex- 
 traordinary, that she who, in Germany, had 
 impelled so many Protestant heroes to take 
 the field, should occupy so small a space in 
 the history of their achievements ; that the 
 royal lady, for whose smile the chivalry of 
 Britain had emulously contended, should 
 have been doomed, during two- thirds of her 
 existence, to subsist on the bounty of a re- 
 
 Ad 
 
 2065246
 
 VI PREFACE. 
 
 public ; that the best-beloved of the Stu- 
 arts, in whose cause alone the Cavalier 
 and the Puritan exchanged the pledge of 
 fellowship, long outlived the enthusiasm 
 she had once inspired, and finally returned 
 to England, only to find her partizans 
 disgraced, and herself in a manner ban- 
 ished from remembrance. These fluctu- 
 ations in her popularity may be, in part, 
 referred to the extraordinary aspect of the 
 times in which she lived an age fertile in 
 political revolutions, and not more familiar 
 with examples of romantic heroism, than 
 enamoured of mystery and eccentricity, of 
 subtle schemes and marvellously bold achieve- 
 ments. The critical position of the political 
 parties, in England, contributed also to the 
 diminution of Elizabeth's influence. Ori- 
 ginally idolized by the Puritans, she early 
 became an object of jealousy to the minis- 
 ters of James and Charles the First. Dur- 
 ing the civil wars, many of those ardent 
 friends were alienated from her interests ; 
 and, at the Restoration, she found them 
 
 16
 
 PREFACE. Vll 
 
 without the ability, or even the inclination 
 to serve her. 
 
 It is less difficult to account for these al- 
 ternations in popular feeling, than to excuse 
 the posthumous neglect which succeeding 
 times have offered to Elizabeth's memory. 
 It is notorious, that volumes have been 
 written to illustrate the descent, or emblazon 
 the achievements, of the House of Bruns- 
 wick, whilst of the maternal stem, by which 
 alone it aspires to the triple crown of Bri- 
 tain, no memorials are exhibited. This 
 descendant and progenitrix of kings is com- 
 memorated only in the epistolary and poet- 
 ical essays of her contemporaries, as afford- 
 ing an apt illustration of human vicissitudes, 
 and still more rare example of female mag- 
 nanimity. But, however contemned by the 
 court of Charles the Second, the daughter 
 of James the First was never wholly for- 
 gotten by the people. In the absence of 
 authentic memoirs, romantic traditions were 
 multiplied respecting her adventures, to 
 which highly respectable writers have not 
 A 4
 
 Vlii PREFACE. 
 
 scrupled to lend their sanction. By one of 
 these (Pennant), she is said to have accom- 
 panied Frederic to Germany, and to have 
 visited the camp of Gustavus ; by another 
 (Whitaker), she is stated to have returned to 
 England, in the reign of Charles the First, 
 with the Earl of Craven, which is an equally 
 palpable blunder, since Lord Craven himself 
 was at that time constantly engaged in the 
 Dutch service. A French writer * ascribes 
 to her learning and metaphysics, to which 
 she never aspired. Even the editor of Eve- 
 lyn's Letters attributes to her a rivalship with 
 Christina, queen of Sweden, the friendship 
 of Descartes, and the correspondence of 
 William Penn. t But, however erroneous 
 may have been the statements respecting 
 Elizabeth's life, her fine qualities have been 
 generally admitted ; and, with the excep- 
 
 * Vie de Ilenec Descartes. 
 
 j- Since writing the above, the author has been fa- 
 voured with the sight of Mr. Lodge's Portrait of Eli- 
 zabeth, eminently distinguished by the succinct ele- 
 gance, the perspicuity, and discrimination which be- 
 long to that excellent writer.
 
 PREFACE. IX 
 
 tion of one fictitious anecdote*, to which the 
 illustrious Schiller has inadvertently given 
 importance, there is not a single passage in 
 history which reflects not honour on her 
 memory. It is not necessary for her exalt- 
 ation, to compare the conduct of Elizabeth 
 with that of other female politicians of her 
 day, who mingled in the intrigues of states- 
 men, or dictated in the councils of kings 
 of whom some were devoted to party, and 
 others enslaved by faction the Longue- 
 villes and the Contis, who were animated 
 by love, or the Louisa Sidonias, whose 
 supreme object was the gratification of their 
 ambition. To Elizabeth alone belongs 
 the unequivocal praise, that she was actu- 
 ated by sentiments of generosity and bene- 
 volence, and that even her ambition was 
 
 * This anecdote has been borrowed from Larrey, 
 a French writer, who makes Elizabeth say to her con- 
 sort, " she would rather eat bread and water as a 
 " queen, than fare sumptuously as an electress." The 
 speech is not to be found in contemporary historians ; 
 and there is in it a flippancy which Elizabeth never 
 displayed on any other occasion.
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 ennobled by principles of rectitude, and an 
 immutable love of justice. It is scarcely 
 necessary to add, that the character of this 
 princess has lately received an appropriate 
 tribute from an eloquent female pen, emi- 
 nently successful in the delineation of high 
 chivalric sentiment. In the novel of Duke 
 Christian of Luneburg, we are presented 
 with an enchanting portrait of Elizabeth, 
 in the golden days of youth, surrounded 
 by all that could lend attraction to female 
 existence. This was precisely the moment 
 adapted to the poet or the novelist, who 
 has not, like the biographer, to measure 
 over the tedious ground which his heroine 
 has traversed ; and to whom it is permitted 
 to introduce his personages with that at- 
 tention to picturesque effect, which can 
 alone delight the imagination. Nor does 
 it deduct from the value of this popular 
 illustration of the royal heroine's character, 
 that it exhibits the splendid embellishments 
 of fiction, since, as might be expected from 
 the efforts of such a pencil, the accomplished
 
 PREFACE. XI 
 
 artist has 'blended in her Composition the 
 strength and individuality of historical line- 
 aments, with the more touching graces of 
 poetical expression, and breathed into the 
 plastic forms of the imagination, the glow of 
 nature and truth. 
 
 The trials of Elizabeth's life began early 
 and continued late. The battle of Prague 
 was the first, perhaps the most severe, of a 
 series of calamities such as few indivi- 
 duals have experienced. By that event she 
 was not only precipitated from a throne, 
 but cast upon the kindness of friends, the 
 bounty of kinsmen, the benevolence of 
 strangers. The magnanimity with which 
 she sustained this trial, was but a prelude to 
 the firmness which she displayed during 
 succeeding years of sorrow and calamity, 
 such as, at that moment, she would have 
 pronounced beyond the limits of human 
 endurance. If the battle of Prague dis- 
 solved her dreams of glory, the fall of 
 Gustavus destroyed her hopes of greatness ; 
 whilst the loss of Frederic annihilated her 
 prospects of happiness. Even then the
 
 Xli PREFACE. 
 
 cup of bitterness was not full. She was 
 reserved for afflictions which, if not equally 
 intense, were even more overwhelming. It 
 was in suffering the pangs inflicted by filial 
 ingratitude, in reproaching the apostasy of 
 an Edward, or deploring the proscription 
 of a Philip ; in mourning over the untimely 
 end of a meritorious son, or the desertion 
 of a favourite daughter, that Elizabeth felt 
 herself utterly bereaved and desolate. 
 Of such moments the historian takes no 
 cognizance. From such realities the poet 
 recoils with impatience, and even the bio- 
 grapher, touched, perhaps, by painful re- 
 collections of ordinary life, hastens to bury 
 them in oblivion. 
 
 To retrace a series of disappointments 
 and sufferings would be an unwelcome, al- 
 most an invidious task ; but that the trials 
 of Elizabeth are intimately connected with 
 certain interesting passages of history, of 
 which a succinct, rather than a satisfactory 
 view, has been hitherto presented to the 
 English reader. The occasional illustra- 
 tions thus afforded of a period perhaps the
 
 PREFACE. Xlll 
 
 most peculiar of any that has arisen in 
 modern times may, it is hoped, relieve the 
 gloom which must otherwise be too pre- 
 dominant. 
 
 It remains to state that the idea of this 
 work was several years ago suggested to the 
 author by the perusal of Harte's Gustavus 
 and Bromley's Royal Letters. * At that 
 time she was little aware of the labour and 
 difficulty inseparable from such an under- 
 taking, or that it would be absolutely ne- 
 cessary to have recourse to books, which 
 are with difficulty to be procured in this 
 country. By a kindness and liberality, for 
 which she has no adequate thanks to offer, 
 she was enabled to refer to Kevenhuller, 
 and other German writers contemporary 
 with Frederic and Elizabeth. Many other 
 important documents are derived from the 
 invaluable treasures of the British Mu- 
 
 * In that collection there is, unfortunately, so much 
 confusion with regard to dates, and cyphers, and ar- 
 rangement, that it is not easy to connect the cor- 
 respondence, which is otherwise most precious and 
 important.
 
 XIV PREFACE. 
 
 seum; and although, from the circumstances 
 under which she has been compelled to 
 make her references, it was impossible that 
 she should be able to register the pages to 
 which she has had occasion to refer, she 
 will venture to affirm that authorities are 
 rarely withheld, and that, in general, the 
 particular volume is noted, from whence 
 the quotation is taken. Many inaccuracies 
 must undoubtedly be discovered by an his- 
 torical reader, if any such should ever hon- 
 our these pages with perusal j but, as the 
 most intelligent are ever disposed to lenity 
 and indulgence, she has, perhaps, least rea- 
 son to deprecate severity from those who are 
 most competent to pronounce judgment. 
 
 It is proper to observe that in one part 
 of Elizabeth's domestic history, namely, her 
 supposed union with Lord William Craven, 
 the author has been unable to arrive at any 
 satisfactory conclusion. Of the marriage, if 
 it ever took place, no document appears to 
 exist j it is unauthenticated by contempo- 
 rary writers ; and is simply one of those 
 popular traditions, of which the existence
 
 PREFACE. XV 
 
 may be accounted for by the munificent 
 friendship which Lord Craven displayed 
 to the Palatine family. This nobleman 
 was twelve years younger than the Queen 
 of Bohemia : by him her two elder sons 
 were initiated in the art of war; and it 
 was at the entreaty of their mother that 
 he engaged in a perilous, and to him 
 ruinous service. During many succeeding 
 years his kindness was her best resource j 
 for which, at her death, she evinced her gra- 
 titude by bequeathing to him all she had to 
 bestow, namely, her books and pictures. 
 That Elizabeth should have submitted to 
 become the mistress of Lord Craven is a 
 suspicion which the purity of her character 
 repels, and which it would betray thegrossest 
 ignorance of the moral and religious state of 
 society in Holland at that period to conceive 
 to be possible. To the marriage itself no legi- 
 timate objection could have existed: unequal 
 alliances were not unprecedented, and it was 
 unworthy of Elizabeth's character to con- 
 ceal the union, if it actually took place. 
 But the question is far less important to
 
 XVI PREFACE. 
 
 Jier character than to that of Lord Craven. 
 Regarded as the husband of Elizabeth, he 
 appears eminently amiable ; but as her faith- 
 ful friend her generous, disinterested 
 protector he becomes one of the most 
 interesting personages that history has ever 
 presented, or romance produced. 
 
 In the present day such pretensions to 
 generosity and disinterestedness will pro- 
 bably be rejected with contempt by indivi- 
 duals of his own sex. But let it be recol- 
 lected that Lord Craven lived in a romantic 
 age, that he had been imbued with the 
 spirit of chivalry, that he was contemporary 
 with the generous Christian of Brunswick, 
 and once served under the great Gustavus. 
 If, however, his claims to disinterestedness 
 be contemned by men, let his cause be re- 
 ferred to female judges, to whose honour be 
 it averred, examples of nobleness, generosi- 
 ty, and magnanimity, are ever delightful, 
 because, to their purer and more susceptible 
 souls, they are not incredible.
 
 CONTENTS 
 
 OF 
 
 THE FIRST VOLUME. 
 
 CHAP. I. 
 
 Brief account of the rise and progress of the Palatine 
 family ..........Page 1 
 
 CHAP. II. 
 
 Birth and education of Elizabeth. Residence at 
 Combe Abbey. Superintendence of Lord and Lady 
 Harrington. Correspondence with her brother 
 Prince Henry. Their mutual friendship. Con- 
 tract of marriage with the Elector Palatine...... 64 
 
 CHAP. III. 
 
 Sketches of Prince Maurice of Nassau. His sister. 
 The Grand Pensionary, Barnevelt. Frederic's 
 VOL. i. a
 
 XVU1 CONTENTS. 
 
 arrival in England. Favourable reception. Death 
 of Prince Henry. Frederic betrothed to Elizabeth. 
 Marriage. Departure Page 111 
 
 CHAP. IV. 
 
 Elizabeth's bridal tour through Holland to Cologne. 
 Embarkation on the Rhine. Reception at Frank- 
 enthal and Heidelberg 165 
 
 CHAP. V. 
 
 Domestic happiness of Frederic and Elizabeth. 
 His position as Chief of the Union. Juliana's re- 
 treat from court. Garden planted for Elizabeth. 
 Disturbance in Holland, ending in the death of 
 Barnevelt .. 205 
 
 CHAP. VI. 
 
 Count Thurm and the revolution of Prague. Peril 
 of King Ferdinand. Generous conduct of Frederic. 
 Chosen by the States of Bohemia. Divisions in 
 his council. Different sentiments of Juliana and 
 Elizabeth. Frederic's acceptance of the crown-of 
 Bohemia, and departure for Heidelberg 245
 
 CONTENTS. XIX 
 
 CHAP. VII. 
 
 Journey of Frederic and Elizabeth to Prague. The 
 three towns. The various inhabitants. The co- 
 ronation. Various congratulations. The birth of 
 Prince Rupert Page 293 
 
 ADDITIONAL NOTES 335
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 INTRODUCTORY. 
 
 BRIEF ACCOUNT OF THE RISE AND PROGRESS OF 
 THE PALATINE FAMILY. 
 
 THERE are few women who have inspired 
 in their contemporaries so strong an inte- 
 rest as Elizabeth, the daughter of James the 
 First, better known by the appellation of 
 " the unfortunate Queen of Bohemia." Born 
 to experience the vicissitudes of fortune, 
 she was destined also to be the primum mo- 
 bile of the most extraordinary and long pro- 
 tracted war that had ever arisen in Modern 
 Europe ; but of which the results were no 
 less salutary than the origin had been ca- 
 lamitous. If the German matrons had cause 
 to mourn for those hostilities which the am- 
 bition or enthusiasm of the British princess 
 
 VOL. I. JJ
 
 had kindled, their sons might rejoice in the 
 religious freedom and toleration which were 
 thus nobly purchased for themselves and 
 their children. 
 
 As the history of Elizabeth's life is indis-* 
 solubly connected with that of her wedded 
 consort, it appears necessary to prefix a brief 
 account, of the family into which she was 
 by marriage transplanted, and which has 
 since given a new dynasty to the British 
 throne. 
 
 The Palatine princes gloried in a descent 
 which, if certain courtly antiquaries might 
 be credited, was derived from a royal stock 
 that flourished in Bavaria three hundred 
 years before the era of Charlemagne.* 
 By modern historians those extraordinary 
 
 * (See the extract from Stowe at the end of the 
 volume.) The more accurate Shannat, in his Histoire 
 Abr^ge'e de la Maison Palatine, traces the descent to 
 a family that flourished under the Carlovingian princes. 
 " It would argue extreme ignorance of history," says 
 Spanheim, in his Me"moires de 1'Electrice' Louise Ju- 
 liane, " not to know that the Palatine House is one of 
 the most antient and honourable in Europe." 
 
 21
 
 8 
 
 pretensions have been reduced to a dynasty 
 that took its rise under the Carlovingian 
 kings, whose authority and title were de- 
 rived from the hereditary office of the Count 
 Palatine Comptroller, or Seneschal of the 
 royal household. In the ninth century, this 
 officer was transferred to the provinces bor- 
 dering on the Rhine, which, by the annex- 
 ation of other contiguous lands, insensibly 
 formed an extensive and flourishing prin- 
 cipality. Leaving the remote origin of the 
 Palatine House to the antiquarian whom it 
 may interest, it is incontestable that the 
 Counts Palatine of the Rhine were depend- 
 ent on the Emperor alone, and disclaimed 
 any intermediate authority ; but it is no less 
 true, that, from domestic functions attached 
 to the court of Charlemagne, originated the 
 personal and royal prerogatives afterwards 
 assumed by those princes in the empire. 
 
 The first dynasty ended in Herman, a count 
 of Scheyren*, who having incurred the dis- 
 
 * The sepulchres of the Counts of Scheyren at- 
 tested the antiquity of their family. In those vaults 
 B 2
 
 pleasure of the Emperor Frederick the First, 
 was not only deprived of his estates, but 
 condemned to carry dogs on his shoul- 
 ders, an ignominy which he avoided by 
 withdrawing to a monastery, where he soon 
 died of grief. After his disgrace, the Pa- 
 latinate was transferred to Conrad, of the 
 house of Suabia ; from thence by marriage 
 to a prince of Saxony. At length, in 1 128, 
 the Upper and Lower Palatinate were united 
 in the person of Otho of Wittelspach, 
 Duke of Bavaria, generally considered the 
 founder of the Palatine House, or at least 
 the author of its prosperity. To this prince 
 also, whose character was equally marked 
 by energy and ungoverned passion, is traced 
 the rise of that long-standing rivalry be- 
 tween the Bavarian Dukes, and the lords of 
 the Palatinate ; yet so little of a political 
 calculator was this valiant chief, that, by his 
 testamentary dispositions, he sapped the in- 
 reposed the ashes of sixty ancestors of the unfortu- 
 nate Herman. (Shannat's Histoire Abregce de la 
 Maison Palatine.)
 
 tegrality of his dominions. Otho was thrice 
 married; nor did the tragical end of his 
 second wife, whom he killed in a paroxysm 
 of jealousy, prevent his obtaining the hand 
 of Matilda, the sister of the Emperor Ro- 
 dolphus, in compliment to whose rank, be- 
 fore his sons had arrived at maturity, he 
 admitted them to a participation in his 
 authority ; a pernicious precedent, subse- 
 quently supposed to authorise a partition 
 of the principality, Rodolphus the elder 
 succeeding to the Palatinate, to which 
 was annexed the electoral privilege ; Louis 
 the younger took possession of Bavaria, 
 and soon after became a successful candi- 
 date for the Imperial diadem> in opposition 
 to another prince, to whom his brother had 
 previously given his suffrage. Having tri- 
 umphed over his rival, Louis revenged the 
 affront he had received from Rodolphus by 
 putting him to the ban. of the empire, and 
 entailing banishment and degradation on his 
 posterity. 
 
 In this extremity, the unfortunate Pals* 
 B 3
 
 grave had no alternative but to flee to Eng- 
 land, his wife's native country, where he 
 long languished in neglect, and died at 
 length in poverty. After his decease, his 
 mother, Matilda, privately invited his child- 
 ren to return to Germany; and, by her 
 mediation, during a season of festivity, when 
 Louis kept wassail in the Castle of Heid- 
 elberg, the family of his brother suddenly 
 presented themselves before him, in the 
 garb of suppliants, imploring pity and for- 
 giveness. To this appeal the victor soft- 
 ened, and not only consented to revoke the 
 ban, but invested his eldest nephew with the 
 Upper and Lower Palatinate, to which he 
 superadded the electoral dignity ; not, how- 
 ever, without annexing to the grant a con- 
 dition, afterwards the source of mischievous 
 dissensions namely, that the electoral pri- 
 vilege should be alternately exercised by 
 the Bavarian princes, and the Counts Pala- 
 tine. In subsequent arrangements, some 
 disputes having arisen between the de- 
 scendants of Rodolphus, Count Robert, the
 
 7 
 
 rightful heir, with a generosity of which 
 history offers few examples, voluntarily ab- 
 dicated in favor of a younger brother ; even 
 this disinterestedness prevented not domes- 
 tic discord and at one period there were 
 four princes who alternately aspired to su- 
 premacy in the province.* It was, how- 
 ever, reserved for the son of that virtuous 
 Robert, to re-unite these opposing claims in 
 his own person ; and, being the most en- 
 lightened individual of his race, or perhaps 
 of his country, he cultivated letters, invited 
 to his court learned men, and munificently 
 founded, on the model of the University of 
 Paris, the College of Heidelberg.t Fi- 
 nally, to prevent any future dismember- 
 
 * Of the Upper Palatinate the principal place was 
 Amberg. In the Lower Palatinate were many flou- 
 rishing towns : Frankenthal, strongly fortified ; Man- 
 sheim, Oppenheim. According to Stowe, the whole 
 country comprehended a tract two hundred miles in 
 length. 
 
 t The professors were for theology, medicine, ju- 
 risprudence, and philosophy. The university of 
 Prague was founded in the same century. 
 B 4
 
 8 
 
 ment of the Palatinate, lie procured an Im- 
 perial decree, which limited to one prince 
 the possession of sovereign authority. Af- 
 ter a long and prosperous life, Robert was 
 buried in the church of Neustadt ; and his 
 successor, not less enlightened than himself, 
 ascended the Imperial throne in place of 
 Wenceslaus, King of Bohemia, who in the 
 year 1400 had been solemnly deposed. 
 
 Robert justified the electoral suffrage by 
 his valour, and the prudence that directed 
 his conduct. According to the custom of 
 that age, he journeyed to Italy to be 
 crowned by the Pope, who, by a prepos- 
 terous fiction, still assumed the right of con- 
 ferring the Roman sceptre, though of the 
 Roman empire nothing remained but the 
 name, and certain classical superstitions 
 traditionally transmitted to the people. The 
 peaceful reign of Robert soon terminated. 
 His son Louis rivalled his military skill, 
 without possessing his intellectual accom- 
 plishments ; and having been disappointed 
 in his views of succeeding to the empire,
 
 9 
 
 made a crusade to Palestine, from whence 
 he returned, inflated with zeal and bigotry, 
 to preside at the Council of Constance, 
 which passed sentence of death on those 
 martyrs to religious freedom, John Huss and 
 Jerome of Prague. 
 
 It is worthy of remark, that the college 
 of Prague, nearly coeval with the university 
 of Heidelberg, was at this period crowded 
 with students, to whose learning and elo- 
 quence the rapid progress of the original Re- 
 formers (designated the Hussites) was with 
 reason attributed. In the University of 
 Heidelberg, on the contrary, prevailed the 
 most servile devotion to the authority of the 
 Romish church. But, although neither the 
 Emperor Robert, nor his son Louis, lent 
 any countenance to heretical innovations, 
 the latter scrupled not, in obedience to the 
 Emperor's mandate, to become the gaoler 
 of Pope John the Twenty-third.* After 
 which memorable circumstance, all we know 
 
 * This was during the schism produced by the elec- 
 tion of three contemporary Pontiffs.
 
 10 
 
 of this Elector's history is, that he died in the 
 castle of Heidelberg, in the same chamber 
 in which he first saw the light. 
 
 The records of the Palatine House afford 
 several pleasing examples of that good faith 
 and respect for the claims of consanguinity, 
 which have ever formed a strong feature in 
 the German character. Thus, it may be re- 
 marked of Louis, who had married Blanche, 
 the daughter of Henry the Fourth of Eng- 
 land, that he had no diffidence in leaving 
 his son to the care of his brother Otho, who, 
 after having fitted his nephew for govern- 
 ment by an excellent education, cheerfully 
 resigned his delegated authority. Many 
 similar traits of integrity might be produced 
 in the annals of Germany, which are un- 
 stained by the crimes of a perfidious John, 
 or ferocious Richard. 
 
 The grandson of Louis, the young Count 
 Otho, was in like manner protected by his 
 uncle Frederic, but with this single devia- 
 tion, that the States vested in him exclu- 
 sively the administration during his life ; in
 
 11 
 
 I 
 
 return for that concession, Frederic gua- 
 ranteed to his nephew the reversionary suc- 
 cession of all his own estates ; and, effectu- 
 ally to remove any apprehensions of a dis- 
 puted inheritance, assumed the habit of a 
 Franciscan monk, with its concomitant ob- 
 ligation to celibacy. In the sequel he re- 
 nounced this vow, to espouse with the left 
 hand a young lady of noble family, Clara of 
 Dillingen.* Yet, though fondly attached to 
 the woman of his choice, he contracted with 
 her a left-handed marriage ; and, in con- 
 formity with the engagements he had formed 
 with his nephew Philip, his sons were actu- 
 ally deprived of their patrimony ; but the 
 rights of blood remained, and they were 
 
 * Many illustrious houses were derived from those 
 offsets from royalty ; nor were the offspring of left- 
 handed marriages to be classed with bastards ; neither 
 did the laws allow, either to prince or noble, the prero- 
 gative of having a right and left-handed wife at the same 
 time. At the commencement of the reformation, cer- 
 tain irregularities had been occasionally permitted, 
 but were soon repressed. (See Brandt's History of 
 the Reformation ; Hciss Empire Romaine.)
 
 allowed to form another irregular branch of 
 the family. The history of Frederic's ne- 
 phew, Philip, is chiefly remarkable for the 
 struggle which was made by the contempo- 
 rary Duke of Bavaria to recover the electoral 
 privilege, or rather that alternate exercise 
 of it which had been stipulated three hun- 
 dred years before. In the sequel, however, 
 the privileges of the Palatine family were 
 solemnly confirmed ; and Philip had even 
 the address to obtain the favour of the Em- 
 peror Maximilian, to the prejudice of his 
 rival. Equally fortunate were the successors 
 of Philip, Frederic the Second and Third; 
 and, amidst the revolutions which the re- 
 formation produced in Germany, the inha- 
 bitants of the Palatinate enjoyed undisturbed 
 tranquillity. For this enviable distinction 
 they were indebted in part to the modera- 
 tion of their princes ; but chiefly to the po- 
 licy of Charles the Fifth, who, though he 
 visited with terror and oppression the he- 
 resies maintained in Hesse and Saxony, con- 
 nived at the promulgation of Lutheranism
 
 13 
 
 in the Palatinate, and occasionally admitted 
 the mediation, whilst he openly respected 
 the neutrality of its sovereign. During this 
 happy interval, the country was enriched 
 the capital embellished civilization rapidly 
 increased the university of Heidelberg 
 flourished the court was an asylum for 
 fugitive Hugonots and its Elector be- 
 came the best friend of those illustrious cri- 
 minals, whom the bigoted counsels of Henry 
 the Second of France consigned to destruc- 
 tion.* It was afterwards the happiness of 
 this prince to afford protection to a young 
 lady of the royal house of Bourbon, whose 
 romantic story is too nearly connected with 
 the destiny of Frederic the Fifth to be 
 passed over in silence. 
 
 It is well known, that on the rise of Cal- 
 vinism in France, its doctrines were secretly 
 embraced by many ladies of high rank, 
 whom the authority of a husband or father 
 restrained from renouncing the ancient 
 
 * See De Thou.
 
 14 
 
 worship. Among these was Jaqueline de 
 Longwi, the wife of Charles de Bourbon*, 
 Duke de Montpensier, one of the first princes 
 of the blood, and also one of those intole- 
 rant bigots of the court who sanctified 
 the vices of departed youth by unrelenting 
 cruelty to heretics and reformers. Dis- 
 gusted with his brutality, Jaqueline, who 
 had obtained an ascendant at courtt, secret- 
 ly lent her support to the new doctrines, 
 and even contrived to effect a marriage be- 
 tween her eldest daughter and the Prince 
 of Sedan, who was notoriously attached to 
 the Calvinistic party. In revenge for this 
 offence, the Duke de Montpensier consigned 
 their youngest daughter to the cloister, 
 where the dignity of a lady abbess awaited 
 her acceptance. It was in vain that Jaque- 
 line sought to counteract his purpose, bv 
 
 * The reader will recollect that this prince was de- 
 scended from the common ancestor of the House of 
 Bourbon. 
 
 f It was through the interposition of Jaqueline that 
 the lives of the King of Navarre and the Prince de 
 CondS were spared by Catharine de Medicis.
 
 instilling into the mind of her favourite child 
 the tenets of the Protestant faith. Char- 
 lotte imbibed those opinions, but it was only 
 to be rendered more miserable, since she 
 was compelled by the duke, her father, to 
 pronounce the irrevocable vows, even be- 
 fore she had attained the age, or completed 
 the probation canonically prescribed. When 
 the fatal moment arrived, the princess, then 
 only thirteen years of age, by her mother's 
 direction, privately attested a protestation 
 against the engagement which she was con- 
 strained to ratify, partly from deference to 
 parental authority, and still more by solici- 
 tude to avert the evils of domestic discord. 
 After this preliminary, she retired to the 
 nunnery of Jouarre*, in which she resided 
 seven years ; and where, though neither the 
 rank nor dignity of abbess could reconcile 
 her to the deprivation of her mother's so- 
 ciety, she endured her fate with unrepin- 
 ing resignation. During that interval Ja- 
 queline died, without the consolation of 
 
 * Jouarre, in Normandy.
 
 16 
 
 beholding her beloved child the Hugo- 
 nots increased in number and in strength 
 hostilities commenced between the adverse 
 factions and, amidst a series of calamitous 
 events, by which millions were involved in 
 ruin, and a few restored to life and liberty, 
 Charlotte de Montpensier saw the gates of 
 her convent forced open by the Hugonots*, 
 for ever quitted her splendid but detest- 
 ed captivity, and having first escaped to 
 her sister, the princess of Sedan, was from 
 thence conducted to Heidelberg, and re- 
 commended to the special protection of the 
 Elector Palatine. In that sacred asylum 
 from persecution, she publicly abjured the 
 faith of Rome, and enrolled herself with the 
 strictest reformers. Nor would it discredit 
 her moral feelings to suppose, that her zeal 
 was in some degree animated by those ar- 
 dent sentiments of admiration, which she 
 had almost unconsciously imbibed for Wil- 
 liam Prince of Oranget, whose generosity 
 
 This took place in 1572. 
 
 f See De Thou. Memoires de 1'Electrice Louise 
 Juliane.
 
 17 
 
 and valour were idolized by the protestant 
 wdrld, and whose chivalrous heroism was 
 peculiarly calculated to impress a susceptible 
 and romantic imagination. Of that noble 
 prince, it is well known that he renounced 
 the favor of the greatest monarch in Europe, 
 to become the champion of a persecuted 
 sect, and an oppressed people and that his 
 eldest son Philip had been carried by force 
 from the college of Louvain, to be edu- 
 cated in Spain in catholic principles. Al- 
 though William had been many years en- 
 gaged in the unequal, yet glorious struggle 
 against the tyranny of Spain, he had scarce- 
 ly passed the meridian of life ; and, although 
 personally unknown to Charlotte, she sym- 
 pathisedinhis heroic sentiments, and passion- 
 ately desired to consecrate to him that life 
 which should seem to have been redeem- 
 ed from a monastic grave. On his part, 
 the prince was charmed with the intrepi- 
 dity and gentleness that united in Char- 
 lotte's character ; and if her youth and 
 reputed beauty prepossessed his fancy, 
 VOL. i. c
 
 18 
 
 her connexion with the house of Bourbon 
 was no less flattering to his ambition. But 
 various obstacles thwarted those mutual 
 views, and imposed on them a tedious pro- 
 bation. William having repudiated, for 
 infidelity, the heiress of Buren, had espoused 
 the daughter of Maurice of Saxony ; after 
 whose death he demanded the hand of Char- 
 lotte j but the first consort being still in ex- 
 istence, it was by some doubted, whether he 
 could again contract a legitimate marriage. 
 According to the protestants *, these scru- 
 ples were removed by the lady's death, to 
 whom the malice of certain catholic writers 
 has given a protracted existence. Another 
 and more serious impediment existed in 
 
 * In his vindication, the prince never mentions her 
 infidelity. See 1'Apologie du Prince Guillaume d'O- 
 range, published in 1581. He merely contends, that 
 his marriage was legally contracted and he speaks of 
 her as one who had been some time dead. It seemed 
 to have been another wife from whom he was divorced, 
 the daughter and heiress of the Count de Buren, by 
 whom he had two children, Philip, already mentioned, 
 and Mary, married to Count Holach, a brave com- 
 mander and excellent patriot. Du Maurier's Me- 
 moires. Spanheim's M&noires.
 
 19 
 
 Charlotte's extorted vows of celibacy ; but 
 these, after due formalities, were annulled 
 by the parliament of Paris. To obtain the 
 consent of the Duke de Montpensier was 
 the last effort of the persevering lovers, and 
 apparently the most difficult ; yet in this 
 also they succeeded. No longer stimulated 
 by opposition to his wife, the duke not only 
 granted his paternal benediction, but be- 
 stowed with it an ample portion. Nothing 
 now remained to retard their espousals ; 
 and three years after her departure from 
 the convent of Jouarre, Charlotte arrived 
 at Delft a beloved and happy bride. 
 
 From this auspicious marriage sprung six 
 daughters of whom the eldest, Louisa Ju- 
 liana, became the mother of Frederic the 
 Fifth, Elector Palatine. 
 
 During seven years, Charlotte enjoyed a 
 felicity such as few women are permitted to 
 taste. Devoted to the first hero of the age, 
 and by him requited with truth and tender- 
 ness, she gloried in his triumphs she lived 
 in his fame. She saw him idolized by the 
 c 2
 
 people ; and, whether envied or beloved, he 
 was in her eyes ever triumphant. But this satis- 
 faction was alloyed by his perilous situation. 
 The emissaries of Spain and Rome had 
 long marked him for destruction. And in the 
 year 1582, one of those miscreants, whom 
 the flagitious policy of Spain had subsidised, 
 inflamed by zeal and the promise of eighty 
 thousand ducats, attacked the prince's life, 
 by suddenly discharging a pistol at the 
 table where he was sitting with his family 
 in the castle of Antwerp. The ball enter- 
 ing beneath the left ear, passed out at the 
 right cheek. Believing the shot to be mor- 
 tal, William, with characteristic generosity, 
 exclaimed, " Spare the assassin I forgive 
 him." But, at that moment, he became in- 
 sensible, the princess fainted at the sight of 
 her husband's blood, and the murderer was 
 instantly sacrificed by the despairing attend- 
 ants. When William revived, he reproved 
 their rashness ; and, after some hours, the 
 wound assumed a better aspect. At the 
 expiration of a few days, it had even begun 
 18
 
 21 
 
 to heal ; when suddenly it re-opened, and 
 the blood rushed forth with a violence that 
 threatened immediate dissolution. In this 
 distressing crisis, when all the resources of 
 surgical skill seemed unavailing, it was pro- 
 posed to suspend the effusion, by keep- 
 ing the artery closely compressed by some 
 attendant.* During several days, this ser- 
 vice was constantly rendered in the pre- 
 sence of his anxious wife, or the Countess 
 of Schwartzenbourg, his sister, who never 
 quitted his apartment. By this simple pro- 
 cess, when all other means had failed, was 
 the danger averted, and the prince restored 
 to the prayers of his relatives and the sup- 
 plications of the people, who seemed to 
 form with them but one family. 
 
 A solemn thanksgiving was ordered in the 
 church of Antwerp, at which Charlotte, her 
 
 * Spanheim relates, that the method employed was, 
 " de tenir les veines bouch^s du poulce de quelqu'un 
 des assistans, qui se soulageant par intervalles les uns 
 Jes autres, et opposant une vigueur ferme a ce flot jour 
 et nuit, firent en sorte que le sang se cailla enfin a 
 1'orifice des veines." 
 
 c 3
 
 soul overflowing with love and gratitude, 
 assisted ; not perhaps without a secret pre- 
 sage, that this day of happiness was to be 
 almost the last of her existence. Exhausted 
 with fatigue, and still more with those alter- 
 nations of hope and fear she had lately suf- 
 fered, she sunk under the conflict of con- 
 tending emotions ; " too happy," says Span- 
 heim, " to have sacrificed her remaining days 
 to preserve an existence far dearer than her 
 own ; and having once raised her eyes with 
 thankfulness to heaven, she closed them for 
 ever." * The sensibility and enthusiasm of 
 this lady's temper, her graceful form and 
 dignified deportment, had completely cap- 
 tivated the hearts of the people, who evinced 
 the strongest sympathy in her husband's re- 
 gret. That she had possessed his affections 
 cannot be doubted ; yet, in the succeeding 
 year, he presented to his bereaved children 
 a step-mother, worthy to take her place, in 
 Louisa de Coligny, a woman of whom it has 
 been justly said, that she appropriated to 
 
 * Sec Du Mauner.
 
 23 
 
 herself whatever was excellent in the cha- 
 racter of either sex. With affections equally 
 susceptible and tender, she possessed more 
 firmness of character, and an understanding 
 more vigorous, and better cultivated, than 
 the Princess of Bourbon. 
 
 Formed under the superintendence of her 
 father, the virtuous Gaspar de Coligny, she 
 had enjoyed a cloudless childhood, and even 
 a happy youth, until that fatal eve of St. 
 Bartholomew, in which her father and hus- 
 band were both sacrificed by the faction of 
 Charles the Ninth. After that mournful 
 event, she retired with her mother to a 
 southern province, where she lived in a se- 
 clusion that perhaps fortified, but could not 
 conceal her virtues ; and such was the ad- 
 miration her character inspired in William 
 of Nassau, that he made her proposals of 
 marriage, which she appears to have accept- 
 ed, less from motives of ambition, than those 
 sentiments of gratitude and enthusiasm 
 which that heroic prince had awakened in 
 all lovers of freedom and humanity, 
 c 4
 
 24 
 
 When Louisa first arrived in Holland, she 
 was surprised to observe so little conformity 
 with the usages of her native country * ; and, 
 accustomed as she long had been to the 
 comparative rudeness of a remote province, 
 she could scarcely reconcile herself to carts 
 without springs, which were here substituted 
 for coaches, to the unostentatious custom 
 of walking without pages, or even lacquies, 
 along the streets, and to the extraordinary 
 homeliness and simplicity even of the royal 
 table. But these impressions were evanes- 
 cent, and she was the first to smile at the 
 uneasiness she had experienced. She soon 
 vied with the prince in affability, and almost 
 surpassed him in the art of winning popu- 
 larity. The simple republicans, by whom 
 the daughter of Bourbon had been ap- 
 proached with reverence, almost as a being 
 of another order, loved and confided in 
 Louisa de Coligny as in an affectionate and 
 honoured mother. In this admirable woman, 
 the prince found a companion, to whom he 
 
 * Du Maurier.
 
 might equally refer for counsel, for sympa- 
 thy, or amusement. But their mutual hap- 
 piness was of brief duration. Shortly after 
 the birth of a son, since well known by the 
 name of Henry Frederic of Nassau, the 
 Prince of Orange was assassinated at Delft 
 by a second emissary of Spain, more des- 
 perate than the former, and whose aim 
 proved but too successful. No sooner had 
 William received this fatal wound, than he 
 exclaimed, " My God, have mercy on this 
 poor oppressed people.*' With these words 
 he instantly expired, in the presence of 
 Louisa, whose fortitude sustained the trial, 
 but whose mind was ever after impressed 
 with mournful presages of calamity impend- 
 ing over the objects of her love. 
 
 To the daughters of William, his widow 
 faithfully discharged a mother's duty ; and 
 there can be no better proof of her merit, 
 than that even in his son, Maurice of Nas- 
 sau, she inspired confidence and respect. 
 From this admirable woman Juliana caught 
 those graces of deportment which the Conn-
 
 26 
 
 less of Schwartzeribourg had not to be- 
 stow. Under their mutual guidance, she 
 became, even in early youth, so eminently 
 distinguished for mental attainments, that 
 her alliance was eagerly courted ; and, finally, 
 the same country that had been her mother's 
 refuge, was destined to be her future home. 
 The Elector Palatine, Frederic the 
 Third, was no more ; his successor, Louis, 
 had also sunk into an early grave ; and 
 the grandson of the former, Frederic the 
 Fourth, was a minor, subjected to the 
 administration of his uncle, Prince Casi- 
 mir, who, having embraced the opinions 
 of Calvin, banished Lutheranism from the 
 University of Heidelberg ; and, effectu- 
 ally to silence the controversies which had 
 lately caused a schism in the churches of 
 the Palatinate, prudently determined to 
 unite his royal pupil to a princess who had 
 been educated in the principles of Calvin. In 
 his research, he could discover no royal lady 
 so well fitted to his purpose as Juliana, who 
 had been, deeply imbued with those tenets 
 which he upheld, and was connected, by
 
 27 
 
 the ties of blood and friendship, with the 
 most illustrious reformers. In other re- 
 spects the alliance was eligible : the half- 
 brother of Juliana, Maurice of Nassau, in 
 defiance of Gallic professions and English 
 pretensions, had obtained supreme com- 
 mand of the military and naval forces ; one 
 of her sisters was contracted to the Duke 
 de Bouillon, the favoured partizan of Henry 
 the Fourth, and the most able leader of 
 whom the Hugonots could boast. All were 
 rigid Calvinists ; and that single considera- 
 tion was sufficient with Casimir to decide 
 the marriage. 
 
 The character of Juliana appears to have 
 assimilated rather with that of her step- 
 mother than her own parent : she inherited 
 the sensibility of Charlotte de Bourbon, 
 without her romantic imagination, and her 
 generosity was tempered by the prudence 
 and fortitude of Louisa de Coligny. Reared 
 in a commonwealth, among a people with 
 whom merit took place of rank, and patriots 
 and heroes engrossed the honours of nobi-
 
 28 
 
 lity, Juliana had hitherto lived in ignorance 
 of the vices and luxuries incident to a volup- 
 tuous court, and was ill prepared to adopt 
 the feudal prejudices, or relish the domestic 
 habits which in Germany were universally 
 prevalent. On her arrival at Heidelberg, 
 with whatever gratification she might have 
 witnessed the pomp and pageantry displayed 
 at her nuptials, she was dismayed by the 
 intricacies of the genealogical tables ; and 
 unfitted, by her republican education, to 
 appreciate the minute punctilios to which 
 princes and subjects were equally restricted. 
 In reality, the political character of the 
 empire * had impressed a monotonous as- 
 pect on private society. Never was a more 
 artificial system established, nor could any 
 
 * It appears not that the Reformation had produced 
 any radical change in the national character. In 
 the protestant states the lofty turrets of the old clois- 
 tral edifices remained untouched, though their walls 
 were no longer tenanted by monks and nuns. The glory 
 of the Romish priesthood had departed, but under the 
 humbler names of pastors, ministers, or preachers, the 
 clerical order continued to exercise an influence almost 
 omnipotent over the minds of the people.
 
 29 
 
 constitution more ingeniously adapt itself to 
 the great end of despotism, that of keep- 
 ing the human race in perpetual tutelage. 
 Every thing was here regulated by prescrip- 
 tion j and, long after the darkness of the 
 middle ages had departed, its ignorance 
 was perpetuated, whilst its prejudices and 
 superstitions lingered with a chilling influ- 
 ence, which arrested the flow of knowledge 
 and civilization. 
 
 Appended to the system of the Germa- 
 nic constitution, was a voluminous code of 
 prerogatives and restrictions, immunities 
 and privileges, omitting only the interests of 
 the commonwealth, and the rights of the 
 community. Exclusive of the higher no- 
 bility, all honours and dignities, not excep- 
 ting the civil and legal functions, were ren- 
 dered hereditary. The passion for ancestry 
 tyrannized over the domestic affections. 
 Misalliance was ignominy ; and, to prevent 
 the debasement of the heraldic escutcheon, 
 the offspring of an unequal union were de- 
 prived of their paternal inheritance, and
 
 transferred to an inferior cast. Instances, 
 however, of such aberrations were not un- 
 frequent in persons of royal lineage ; and 
 in the Palatine House had given rise to 
 two or three new lines, some of which were 
 considered illustrious. 
 
 Among the nobility, the taste for joust- 
 ing had sensibly declined ; but hunting, 
 hawking, and fishing, were still pursued with 
 an ardour against which preachers and mo- 
 ralists declaimed in vain; and these rural 
 pastimes were in general associated with 
 jollity and drinking, inebriety being at that 
 time the predominant vice of the German 
 
 nation.* 
 
 > 
 
 * The Germans, says Schmidt, were no less addicted 
 to drinking than hunting. It was by them identified 
 with the duties of hospitality, and formed the bond of 
 fellowship. Impenetrable to reproof, they insisted 
 that the practice was sanctified by the example of their 
 forefathers; nor had the doctrines of the Reformation 
 sufficient influence to correct its excesses. It may 
 be observed", that Upper and Lower Saxony, which 
 produced the first staunch reformers, has also offered 
 examples of the hardest drinkers. In this respect, the 
 only perceptible improvement was that glasses were 
 substituted for metallic goblets ; nor should it be for
 
 Si 
 
 During the last century, the Palatine 
 princes had adopted the modes and cos- 
 tumes of more polished nations. They had 
 succeeded in planting oranges *, and in- 
 troducing silks'or laces : but they ventured 
 not to deprive the student of Heidelberg of 
 his strait vest and long cloak ; nor, had they 
 attempted, would they have succeeded, in 
 giving their loving subjects a relish for the 
 Italian opera, the French comedy, or even 
 
 gotten, that if the Germans took deep potations, they 
 mingled not poison in their drink, but uniformly mani- 
 fested abhorrence of duplicity and falsehood. Schmidt 
 Geschichte Alleman. 
 
 * The luxury of an orangery was confined to the 
 Duchy of Wirtemberg and the Palatine State. The 
 innovations in dress called forth the most envenomed 
 censures from the pulpit. The fardingale excited exces- 
 sive vehemence. The degeneracy of dress nevertheless 
 continued to be progressive. Thirty years after the in- 
 troduction of silk stockings by Queen Elizabeth, they 
 became eommon even to persons of middling life. 
 Maidens went bare-necked, and wore high heels ; 
 daughters dressed as gorgeously as their mothers ; the 
 professor, like his wife, wore under his gown a stiff 
 whalebone. The expence of hats, amulets, and neck 
 chains, was enormous. Doctors and professors wore 
 a rapier and small dagger, velvet shoes, and large 
 bands. Schmidt.
 
 32 
 
 the masqued ball, which in England was 
 become a favourite amusement. The court 
 of Heidelberg was not less observant of 
 etiquette than that of Madrid, nor less ena- 
 moured of pageantry than that of St. James. 
 To a Spanish princess it might occasionally 
 have appeared imposing : a French or Eng- 
 lish lady must have pronounced it dull and 
 monotonous. To the modest, religious, in- 
 tellectual Juliana, the fabric of domestic so- 
 ciety must have been uncongenial, if not 
 offensive. 
 
 In the reformed states of Germany, the 
 absence of religious processions diminished 
 the splendour, and even checked the gaiety, 
 of the people. Nor did the protestants al- 
 low of any recreations, hunting and dancing 
 excepted, in which women might decorous- 
 ly participate. It was only at a wedding, 
 or a christening, or some public festival, 
 that the young met in the dance. Even 
 then the ball was but the supplement of 
 the feast.* The accomplishment of music 
 
 * On extraordinary occasions the feasting was pro- 
 longed for days, weeks or months ; and of such entertain-
 
 33 
 
 was rare it was England that supplied the 
 minstrels who played even at the festivals. 
 The refinements of society, the flow of fancy, 
 the charm of sprightly conversation were all 
 wanting. The studies of the German princes 
 were exclusively directed to military and 
 polemical subjects. The college of Heidel- 
 berg was crowded with scholars, and distin- 
 guished by learned men ; but as they wrote 
 
 ments, some idea may be formed from what was ex- 
 hibited at the nuptials of William of Rosenburg with 
 Anna, Margravine of Baden, where there were 4O 
 bucks, 50 does, 20 haunches of venison, 2 1 30 hares, 
 250 pheasants, and only 30 woodcocks, 2050 partridges, 
 150 oxen, 546 calves, 654- swine, 450 sheep, 3135 
 geese, 5135 fowls, 18120 carps, 10289 pikes, 6380 
 trouts, 5200 crabs ; of smoked fish, 7690 stock-fish, 79 
 lampreys, 4 jacks, 78 herrings, thirty thousand eggs, 
 (oysters were yet unknown in Bohemia.) Of wines, 
 Rhenish, Austrian, Tyrolese, eleven hundred vats ; of 
 Spanish wine, forty tons, including Greek wines import- 
 ed from Candia to Venice ; of Bohemian beer, 900 
 casks. The horses consumed 3703 measures of oats. 
 Of the guests the principal were the bride's mother, 
 Philip Margrave of Baden, the Dukes of Bavaria, Al- 
 bert and William, who in 1596, abdicated to his son 
 Maximilian The feast lasted from the 26th of Jan- 
 uary, until the 1st of March. 
 
 VOL. I. D
 
 34 
 
 and conversed in Latin, there were, conse- 
 quently, no national writers, and scarcely 
 any standard works in the native German 
 the bible and Luther excepted. 
 
 How far Juliana really enjoyed happi- 
 ness, in her conjugal connection, must 
 be left to conjecture ; but, during some 
 years she experienced uninterrupted pros- 
 perity. Exclusive of the duchess de Bouil- 
 lon, she saw three of her sisters establish- 
 ed in marriage * ; her brother Maurice, 
 through the friendly offices of the patriot 
 Barnevelt, raised to pre-eminence in the 
 states ; her elder brother, Philip, so long 
 detained in Spain in joyless captivity, libe- 
 rated, and restored to the principality of 
 Orange ; whilst Henry Frederic, the son of 
 Louisa de Coligny, already displayed talents 
 not unworthy of his illustrious father. Nor 
 
 * Of these, the third sister, Catherine Belgique es- 
 poused the Count of Hanau the fourth, the Duke de 
 la Trimouille, fifth, Charlotte, who had returned to the 
 bosom of the catholic church, became the abbess of 
 of St. Croix in Poitou, the sixth Amelia, like Juliana, 
 was transplanted to Germany, by marrying a kinsman 
 to the Elector Palatine, the Duke of Lansberg,
 
 35 
 
 was the domestic circle of Juliana less rich 
 in blessings. She had become the mother 
 of several promising children ; and that she 
 had acquired considerable influence over 
 the mind of her consort, may be inferred 
 from his permitting her to new model her 
 household, and to introduce among the 
 courtiers more politeness and decorum. But 
 her influence .was employed with still bet- 
 ter effect, in regulating the education of her 
 eldest son j and it was at her suggestion he 
 was sent to the castle of Sedan, the court of 
 the Duke de Bouillon, confessedly one of the 
 most able princes of the age, who, under four 
 successive administrations in France, main- 
 tained his place in the cabinet, and disputed 
 precedence with the most powerful leaders 
 of the reformers. 
 
 Henry de la Tour, Viscomte de Turenne, 
 was the son of that brave nobleman, who, 
 in the reign of Henry the Second, espoused 
 the daughter of the Constable Montmo- 
 rency, and was killed at the battle of St. 
 Quintin. Involved in the misfortunes of 
 D 2
 
 36 
 
 his mother's family, the young viscomte at- 
 tached himself to the Hugonots, and to the 
 person of -Henry of Navarre, by whom his 
 services were afterwards requited with a 
 Marechal's staff) and the heiress of the house 
 of Mark, (the Princess of Sedan, the grand 
 daughter of Jaqueline de Longwi, and con- 
 sequently a cousin-german of Juliana,) in 
 whose right he was permitted to assume the 
 rank of Duke de Bouillon. After her de- 
 mise, he married the sister of the Electress 
 Palatine, an alliance that, by extending his 
 influence with the French Protestants, ne- 
 cessarily increased his importance in the 
 royal cabinet; an advantage which some- 
 times enabled him, in spite of the princes of 
 the blood or the minister, to become su- 
 preme dictator in the council. 
 
 From the court, this brilliant statesman 
 often retired to Sedan, then the seat of learn- 
 ing and science, to which resorted the flower 
 of the protestant youth of France and 
 Switzerland, not merely to pursue their aca- 
 demical studies, but to be trained in martial
 
 37 
 
 and knightly exercise, and to acquire that 
 gallantry and elegance of deportment, which 
 were proper to adorn an exalted station. 
 Even in this retreat, surrounded by scholars 
 and philosophers, princes and nobles, the 
 Duke de Bouillon was incessantly occupied 
 in elaborating some new project for confirm- 
 ing the interests of the Calvinistic party, 
 which he espoused, and for which, by his 
 eloquence and address, he insensibly pre- 
 pared the minds of his youthful pupils. It 
 was here, if contemporary writers may be 
 believed, that, in conjunction with Henry 
 the Fourth, this able statesman organised 
 the plan for the union of the protestant 
 princes of Germany so called because 
 Calvinists and Lutherans were invited to 
 coalesce, under the general appellation of 
 correspondents for the common good; 
 and, whatever might be the result of this 
 measure, it was unquestionably a scheme 
 than which none could be more comprehen- 
 sive in its object, or better fitted to oppose 
 a barrier to Austrian oppression. Unfor- 
 
 D3
 
 38 
 
 tunately, the attention of the Duke de 
 Bouillon was diverted from the great objects 
 of an enlightened policy, by his collision 
 with ministerial intrigues, and the dissen- 
 sions of the Reformers ; the artifices which 
 he employed to maintain pre-eminence, and 
 the voluminous secret correspondence which 
 he maintained with every court in Europe ; 
 from all these causes few of his speculations 
 were realized, and even of his most pros- 
 perous undertakings the greater part ended 
 in mortification and disappointment. Of 
 his youthful pupils, Frederic appears to 
 have most engaged the duke's attention, not 
 merely from the claims of relationship, but 
 because his penetrating eye discovered, in 
 the Palatinate, a nucleus for that compen- 
 dious revolution in Germany which he al- 
 ready meditated. It was, assuredly, with no 
 political views that Juliana consigned her son 
 to the Duke de Bouillon ; however, by this 
 step she not only removed him from entice- 
 ments to intemperance and dissipation, but 
 supplied associates of equal rank, calculated 
 to inspire generous emulation, and to form
 
 39 
 
 his manners and sentiments to a higher 
 standard than could have been found in 
 Germany. The result was such as justified 
 her calculations. With a competent share 
 of classical learning and scholastic theology, 
 Frederic not only acquired the accomplish- 
 ments suited to his station, but, what was 
 of far greater importance, imbibed senti- 
 ments of honour and humanity, an ardent 
 attachment to the interests of protestantism, 
 and a manly ardour to resist the encroach- 
 ments of Austrian despotism. In after life, 
 however, this prince often lamented that he 
 had not rather been subjected to the vicissi- 
 tudes of a camp, than fostered, with the 
 delicacies of classical literature, in the aca- 
 demy of Sedan, where, if he contracted no 
 improper propensities, he was neither in- 
 ured to hardships, nor stimulated to exer- 
 tion. But it was a more positive evil of his 
 situation, that, without commensurate ta- 
 lents, he was prepared, by the lessons of his 
 great master, to become the agent of a po- 
 litical enterprize, which required a rare com- 
 D 4
 
 40 
 
 biriation of- energy and prudence, such as 
 few men, and yet fewer princes, even in 
 that age of statesmen and warriors, were 
 found to possess. 
 
 In his occasional visits to Heidelberg, 
 the young Frederic, without neglecting clas- 
 sical studies, redoubled his attention to the- 
 ology. Juliana had introduced among her 
 female attendants the custom of reading 
 daily a portion of the scriptures, which at 
 that time supplied themes of familiar dis- 
 course for lawyers and soldiers, ladies and 
 courtiers. To these subjects, the peculiar 
 disputes existing among protestants gave a 
 lively interest, since it was incumbent on 
 every Calvinist to be able to explain the 
 grounds, and justify the motives of separa- 
 tion from the Lutheran church ; a task that 
 was facilitated at Heidelberg by the preroga- 
 tive which each German sovereign assumed, 
 of regulating public worship, no Lutheran 
 church being permitted in the Palatinate.* 
 
 * It was perhaps this intolerance which caused the 
 Lutherans to approximate to the Catholics much more
 
 4,1 
 
 It must not be supposed that Juliana af- 
 fected a singular austerity, or that the se- 
 rious habits of her household presented 
 any marked dissimilarity to those of other 
 German courts. In reality, the catholic 
 princes of Europe, those of France and 
 Spain excepted, were the avowed enemies 
 of gaiety and pleasure. Duke William of 
 Bavaria, who had abdicated in favour of his 
 son Maximilian, spent his last years in a 
 monastery, incessantly occupied with pray- 
 
 than to the rival sect. The imperfect state of civili- 
 zation, arising from feudal institutions, rendered the 
 dissemination of liberal opinions impracticable. Nei- 
 ther were the Germans, in this point, more narrow 
 than the States of .Holland, in other respects the land 
 of liberty and virtue. In the Palatinate alone there 
 had been already three alternations of Lutherans and 
 Calvinists. How far the Protestant union formed by 
 Henry the Fourth and the Duke de Bouillon might 
 have corrected those petty feuds, can only be conjec- 
 tured. The death of that monarch, and the vacilla- 
 tion of the French cabinet under Mary de Medici's, 
 rendered the measure not merely inefficient, but injur- 
 ious to its object, inasmuch as it excited alarm in the 
 Catholics, and led to the formation of that second 
 Catholic league, of which the artful Maximilian was 
 the chief and conductor.
 
 ers, schemes, and negociations, for the ex- 
 tirpation of heresy. His sister Beatrice, the 
 mother of the Archduke Ferdinand of 
 Gratz, had instilled the same principles into 
 her son, who had been educated more like a 
 monk than a prince, with his cousin Maxi- 
 milian of Bavaria, in the Jesuits' college of 
 Ingolstadt. To the honour of Juliana's un- 
 derstanding, it should be observed, that she 
 not only laboured to inspire sentiments of 
 piety, but to introduce habits of order and 
 decorum. With her own sex she succeeded ; 
 but all her efforts failed to correct the epi- 
 curean propensities of the nobles ; and if 
 public festivals began with hymns and pray- 
 ers, they commonly closed, like private 
 feasts, with intemperance and inebriety. 
 
 The Elector, Frederic the Fourth, dying 
 in 1610, the administration was conferred 
 on his kinsman, the Duke de Deuxponts, 
 who, being young, constantly referred to 
 Juliana's superior judgment; and, in the 
 sequel, obtained in marriage her eldest 
 daughter, Louisa, a princess who, without 
 aspiring to her mother's talents, inherited
 
 43 
 
 her virtues. The supremacy of Juliana be- 
 ing tacitly admitted, she proceeded with 
 the reformation she had before attempted, 
 abridging offices, retrenching expences, and 
 enforcing moral conduct; but, even in its im- 
 proved state, she considered the court as no 
 proper residence for the young elector, whom 
 she once more dismissed for Sedan ; where, 
 as the mind of Frederic expanded, he im- 
 bibed with ardour the sentiments instilled 
 by the political conversation of the Duke de 
 Bouillon, not perhaps without receiving 
 certain vague impressions of a splendid 
 destiny, which the participation of his kins- 
 man's talents could alone have verified to 
 the possessor. 
 
 At this period occurred an event, that led 
 to a new series of political calculations, the 
 death of the Emperor Rodolph * with- 
 
 It should be recollected that Rodolph and 
 Mathias had long been hostile to each other, yet that 
 Rodolph, by pusillanimity, was compelled to resign 
 to the brother he detested, Hungary and Bohemia, 
 and to see him crowned King of the Romans. It is 
 remarkable that the same fate awaited Mathias, who,
 
 44 
 
 out issue, and the elevation of his brother 
 Mathias, king of the Romans, who was also 
 childless, to the imperial throne. Both 
 these princes were descended form Ferdi- 
 nand the First, the brother of Charles the 
 Fifth. It naturally became a question of 
 infinite importance to Europe, to consider 
 whether the chief of the Germanic em- 
 pire, whose interests, since the reign of 
 Charles the Fifth, had been virtually iden- 
 tified with those of Spain, should be sought 
 in the issue of Ferdinand's younger sons, 
 in the manner of a fixed hereditary succes- 
 sion ; or whether, according to its legiti- 
 mate constitution, he should be sought 
 among the princes of the empire, and cho- 
 sen by the electoral college. To admit the 
 former, was to renounce for ever the only 
 shadow of resemblance to the Roman em- 
 pire which had ever existed in the German 
 hierarchy. There were two presumptive 
 heirs of Mathias : of these, the Archduke 
 
 in like manner, found himself compelled to adopt the 
 Archduke Ferdinand of Gratz.
 
 45 
 
 Albert was married to the Governess of the 
 Netherlands, and like her advanced in life ; 
 the other, Ferdinand of Gratz, who had 
 succeeded in his father's right to Stiria, 
 Carinthia, and other hereditary provinces, 
 having been fostered by the Jesuits, was 
 already known to the protestants, by the ex- 
 pulsion of heretics from his dominions. 
 
 On the other hand, as the catholics saw 
 no other means of securing to their party 
 the ascendancy they had hitherto possess- 
 ed, the future election of Ferdinand was by 
 them already decided ; and, as their efforts 
 were sure to be vigorously sustained by 
 the court of Spain, it was little probable 
 that the result of the contest should not be 
 favourable to their wishes. 
 
 Whilst the administrator of the Palatin- 
 ate, in conjunction with the Duke of Sax- 
 ony, entered on the office of the vicariate, 
 the Duke de Bouillon employed his active 
 mind in speculations, * in which the personal 
 interests of Frederic were not overlooked, 
 
 * SeeLe Vassor, Regne de Louis treize.
 
 46 
 
 for dissolving the league between Austria and 
 Spain ; and, whether the Austrian dynasty 
 should be deprived of its hereditary chief, 
 or dismembered by the alienation of one of 
 its most splendid provinces, he hoped to 
 invest his nephew with a regal crown, and 
 an extensive monarchy. It appears not how 
 far Frederic shared in these anticipations, 
 in 1612, when he departed from Sedan, to 
 attend the coronation of Mathias at Frank- 
 fort, to which he repaired incognito, but 
 not without a magnificent train, such as uni- 
 formly attended a German prince. On that 
 day," however, he found himself little dis- 
 tinguished from other petty sovereigns; for, 
 whilst the Duke de Deuxponts officiated as 
 great seneschal, or arch-treasuer, Frederic, 
 as became a minor prince, retired to a gal- 
 lery, from whence he had an ample view of 
 the whole expanse of royalty and nobi- 
 lity * included in the German empire, 
 
 * It was the saying of Charles the Fifth, that in 
 other dominions he was obeyed by subjects, but in 
 Germany he commanded kings. In that fictitious com-
 
 from the abbot or abbess, who governed 
 a town or hamlet, to the marquis, count, 
 duke, prince, who formed, in a manner, 
 the steps to the electors, who were the 
 very pillars of the imperial throne.* The 
 electors claimed equality with kings ; but 
 the important function of the vicariate at- 
 tached to the Counts Palatine, were simply 
 derived from domestic services personally 
 
 mon wealth, however, nothing like equality was repre- 
 sented since the enviable privilege of nominating to 
 the empire was limited to seven princes, the three ec- 
 clesiastical and four secular electors, the former of 
 course Catholics of the latter, the Duke of Saxony, 
 the Elector Palatine, the Margrave of Brandenburgh, 
 were Protestants, the suffrage of the King of Bohe- 
 mia was lost in the emperor's person hence both par- 
 ties were numerically equal ; but the Catholics had the 
 advantage in unity ; the Protestant princes being di- 
 vided into Calvinists and Lutherans, who were often 
 opposed to each other. Undoubtedly, the electoral 
 college possessed considerable authority, the collision 
 of religious parties, the impulse given by Protestant- 
 ism, had doubled the importance of the electors' pre- 
 rogative. 
 
 * At the coronation of Mathias, 2000 coaches follow- 
 ed in procession, some of the princes had several hun- 
 dred retainers.
 
 48 
 
 rendered to Charlemagne. To a philoso- 
 pher, it might have been amusing to observe 
 the ambitious assumption of the Roman 
 name, in an empire which, in the compli- 
 cated gradations of its privileged ranks, pre- 
 sented a marked contrast to the dignified 
 simplicity of the Roman character. * Yet 
 Frederic and his partizans might with rea- 
 son indulge in patriotic feelings of exulta- 
 tion, from the contemplation of the Protest- 
 ant princes, who now equally divided the 
 electoral college with the Catholics : nor let 
 them be charged with presumption, if, mea- 
 suring the future by the past, they looked 
 forward to the period when they should 
 have even taken place of their too formida- 
 ble opponents. 
 
 To recall the spirit of a departed age 
 were a vain attempt : domestic scenes may 
 
 * Ancient nobility was derived from personal quali- 
 ties, and announced by a simple epithet ; modern no- 
 bility originated in servitude and dependence, and in 
 Germany this feature of modern society was even ex- 
 aggerated.
 
 49 
 
 be portrayed : historical events are regis- 
 tered, but the momentary passions, that gave 
 to them their interest and intensity, have 
 passed into oblivion. To those who recol- 
 lect that the Protestants had lately comme- 
 morated the revolution of the century that 
 had elapsed since the era of Luther's apos- 
 tasy, it will not appear surprising that they 
 should have attributed to themselves an al- 
 most superhuman power, in , surmounting 
 whatever obstacles might impede their fu- 
 ture progress. Never,, perhaps, had the 
 revolution of a single century produced 
 changes more extraordinary, more import- 
 ant. A few sects had expanded to as many 
 nations : those innovators who had been 
 scarcely endured, were now tolerated, dread- 
 ed, or triumphant. The Catholics had still 
 exclusive possession of Spain, Portugal, and 
 Italy ; but England, Sweden, Denmark, and 
 Holland defied their omnipotence In Swit- 
 zerland and France the two parties were 
 divided ; in Germany the reformers had 
 VOL. i. E *
 
 50 
 
 gained too much to remain in security, un- 
 less they could establish independence. 
 
 Unhappily for the Protestants, the genu- 
 ine spirit of liberality had not kept pace 
 with the progress of the new opinions ; since 
 it appears, according to an intelligent writer*, 
 " that the lights scattered by the Reforma- 
 " tion were, in Germany, concentrated in 
 " religious controversy. It was the scholas- 
 " tic who wrote, and the erudite who read. 
 " The national language was abandoned to 
 " the ignorant, and, with the exception of 
 " the Bible and Luther, no popular litera- 
 " ture existed. The study of that sacred 
 " volume had, however, produced an ex- 
 " traordinary developement of the mental 
 " faculties : its sublime poetry imparted to 
 " the preachers whatever graces they pos- 
 " sessed. To the illiterate and learned its 
 " pages were alike familiar : scriptural ex- 
 " am pies were employed by soldiers and 
 " women to illustrate their arguments j and 
 
 * Schmidt. 

 
 51 
 
 " even the language of the court was im- 
 " pregnated from the same source. The 
 " luxuries of sentimental poetry, or the 
 "graces of dramatic composition, which, 
 " in England, diffused some sweetness amid 
 " the thorns of controversy, were here nei- 
 " ther cultivated nor even relished. The 
 " superb library which the Elector Palatine, 
 " Frederic the Fourth, had erected*, con- 
 " tained some of the rarest specimens of 
 " ancient literature, but they were useful 
 " only to scholars ; to the people they com- 
 " municated nothing ; nor did any popular 
 " bards, as in parallel eras of civilization in 
 " England, France, and Italy, excite the 
 " public mind." The aristocratic constitu- 
 tion of the States had given a hard and 
 monotonous aspect to society, and the feu- 
 dal usages, the unbending spirit of German 
 policy, continued to resist, as innovations, the 
 changes essential to progressive improvement. 
 It has been justly observed, that there is an 
 
 * At Heidelberg.
 
 important difference between the artificial 
 polish of courts and the natural process of 
 civilization spontaneously produced from 
 a healthy and vigorous constitution of so- 
 ciety. It is not surprising that, at the com. 
 mencement of the seventeenth century, the 
 monarchs of Europe should have been for- 
 ward in cultivating the arts connected with 
 luxury and wealth ; but it is a singular fact, 
 which is only to be explained by the ambi- 
 tious emulation of the various Christian 
 sects, each struggling for pre-eminence, 
 that, at this period, whether the sovereign 
 were Papist or Protestant, he held himself 
 bound to maintain pretensions to religion 
 and decorum, such as, thirty years before, 
 and thirty years after, the present epoch, 
 would have been regarded with contempt. 
 In the courts of France and Spain, it is true, 
 the veil of decency was but superficial : in 
 the court of James austerity was not even 
 affected : in Austria, and the greater part 
 of Germany, the serious professions of either 
 sex appear to have been sincere v But it was
 
 53 
 
 in the Netherlands that propriety of de- 
 meanour was most uniformly preserved in 
 union with religious principle ; and neither 
 in the Catholic court of Brussels, or the 
 Protestant cities of Holland, was relaxation 
 in morals allowed. The Infanta Isabella 
 appears to have been equally correct, though 
 less enlightened, and consequently less ca- 
 pable of the higher virtues, than Louisa Co- 
 ligny. The general tone of society in Hol- 
 land was infinitely superior to that of any 
 Catholic country j a privilege for which it 
 was also in part indebted to the generous 
 spirit of liberty, and the influence of its civil 
 and political institutions, but still more per- 
 haps to the moral energies inspired by its 
 strenuous and successful conflict, with the 
 gigantic power of Spain. 
 
 " If there be a single spot in Europe," 
 says Spanheim, " worthy to command the 
 " admiration of the spectator, it is Holland, 
 ." which presents, in small compass, an epi- 
 " tome of the wonders of the world. Such 
 " is its position, its prosperity, its wealth, 
 E 3
 
 54 
 
 " its fertility, that its manufactures, the 
 " number and the industry of its inhabitants, 
 " are more proper to excite astonishment 
 " than admiration. It is here that, within 
 " the circumference of sixty leagues, we 
 " find a more numerous population, more 
 " magnificent towns, more immense ship- 
 " ping, than are elsewhere to be discovered 
 " in whole kingdoms. The sea is here sub- 
 " jected, the winds are rendered tributary 
 " to the people, the land inundated, the 
 " fields navigated, the lakes tilled, the whole 
 " face of nature changed and transposed at 
 " the fiat of man, the universal ruler. Under 
 " his auspices the country becomes delight- 
 " ful ; the cities are rich, the villages in- 
 " viting, the pastures incomparable, the 
 " flocks admirable, the fertility incredible. 
 " This nation has to thank the Spaniards 
 " for having learnt to know its internal 
 " strength, and the passage to the new cori- 
 " tinent. Its merchants are princes, its navi- 
 " gators are Argonauts ; its fleets the scourge 
 ' of Castile, and the foragers of the eastern
 
 55 
 
 " ocean ; its citizens apt for government, 
 " and incapable of submitting to servitude. 
 " Of all the regions of the earth it is that 
 " country to which nature has been at once 
 " the most sparing and the most munificent. 
 " In fine, it is this little mole of earth that 
 " forms a dyke to the sea, the boundary of a 
 " mighty empire, and a bulwark to the liber- 
 " ties of Europe." * 
 
 * During the last fifty years, the German princes had 
 vied with their French and English neighbours in pro- 
 digality of expense ; but, destitute of taste, they arrived 
 only at a gorgeous and inelegant luxury. " It was re- 
 " served for Frederic Duke of Wirtemberg," says 
 Schmidt, " to whom James the First had (in 1603) sent 
 " the order of the garter, to testify his sense of the 
 " obligation, by giving a feast not less voluptuous than 
 " the banquet of Lucullus in his Hall of Apollo, and 
 " even more superb than that which Wolsey presented 
 " at Hampton Court. It was in the great hall of Stutgard 
 " that this entertainment was theatrically exhibited. -J- 
 ' At one extremity of that apartment was prepared a 
 " table for the absent guest King James, covered with 
 " ninety dishes, to which air, earth, and water had 
 
 f This account has been extracted by Schmidt from the his- 
 tory of the two Dukes of Wirtemberg, printed in 1609. 
 
 E 4t
 
 56 
 
 t( each furnished the most exquisite productions. Nor 
 " were these epicurean rarities for the palate alone ; 
 " the eye and the ear were allured, and satisfied : 
 " every dish was profusely garnished with spices, and 
 **' no sooner were the silver covers removed, than a 
 " volume of aromatic odours, like a cloud of incense, 
 " diffused through the hall its voluptuous fragrance. 
 " During each course, various shows were presented to 
 " amuse the spectators ; some as appended to the ban- 
 " quet, others purely for mental entertainment. To 
 " the former class belonged pasties of every imaginable 
 " form, of every visible tint, and filled with every 
 " thing that earth or water could supply. After these 
 " were seen birds, such as swans ; cranes, erect on 
 " their feet, their necks stretched forth ; the gaudy 
 " peacock, so placed as apparently to be lost in the 
 *' contemplation of his own beautiful plumage. Fish 
 " were exhibited partly in the natural form, partly 
 " embellished with gold and silver tints. After this 
 " came other shows, or pageants. At the upper end 
 " of the royal British table presided Hercules, re- 
 " presented by a masculine statue of colossal pro- 
 " portions ; prostrate at whose feet lay four men, 
 " against whom the divinity raised the jaw-bone of an 
 " ass. What intense power in the eyes, what force in 
 " the attitude ! exclaims the eye-witness of this 
 " scene; at a single glance the Herculean mind of 
 " King James was exhibited ! At Duke Frederic's own 
 " table was placed the statue of Minerva, to convey 
 " an idea of his love of science and letters. At the 
 " table of the British ambassador stood Mercury, 
 '* confronted by satyrs, whose figures were chiefly 
 
 16
 
 " composed of wax. These wild men were bound 
 " with branches of the orange tree, which flour- 
 " ished only in the royal gardens of Wirtemberg 
 " and Heidelberg. To delight the ear, the duke's 
 " band played alternately with that of the British 
 " ambassador ; and there was a conflict of sweet 
 " sounds, an emulation of harmony in songs and 
 " instruments, the violin, the lute, and the harp : 
 ' not more heavenly had been the strains breathed 
 " by Apollo in concert with the Muses. The Eng- 
 " lish minstrels were few, but for this they amply 
 " atoned by superior skill ; for England, adds this 
 " relator, abounds in exquisite musicians, and also 
 " the best players, of whom numbers congregating 
 " together, leave their father-land, to exercise their 
 " talent in foreign courts. It is not long since such a 
 " company displayed their skill at the different courts 
 *' of Germany with such success, that each was soon 
 " able to return to his country with a competent 
 " fortune. Exclusive of the trumpets, the Duke's 
 " band comprised sixty musicians ; so that it yielded 
 " to no monarch's company. The dinner over, there 
 " was a royal dance, beginning in the old German 
 " style, with one couple, having two to lead, and two 
 " to follow. After these followed five princes, and as 
 " many princesses. The parents sat with the ambas- 
 ' sadors, watching the movements of the illustrious 
 " performers." 
 
 According to Schmidt, the Duke of Wirtemberg 
 was rivalled in his love of music by the Dukes of Ba- 
 varia; but the prince who most ardently patronised it
 
 was the Emperor Ferdinand the Second, who had a 
 band of eighty performers. 
 
 Fireworks were at this period little common ; yet, 
 fifteen years after they formed a principal part of 
 every royal gala. 
 
 Hospitality was a strong feature in the old German 
 character, pervading every station. The palace was 
 crowded with guests, the tables were oppressed with 
 abundance. An immeasurable fondness for pomp was 
 no less prevalent. The dignity to the prince was mea- 
 sured by the number of his retainers and domestics. 
 Duke Frederic of Wurtemberg appeared at the assembly 
 of the States with a little army of seven hundred retain- 
 ers. In the procession for the Emperor Matthias on 
 the day of his coronation, followed two thousand 
 coaches, independent of three thousand cavaliers on 
 horseback. Even nobles of inferior rank deemed it 
 creditable, in taking half-a-day's journey, to muster a 
 company of attendants. Although these ancient 
 usages continued in full force, they did not prevent 
 the introduction of new and more expensive modifica- 
 tions of luxury. 
 
 In 1609, Christian, Elector of Saxony, defrayed for 
 sixteen hundred guests, who, at the sound of the trum- 
 pet, saw the table covered. The Elector himself re- 
 mained at table six hours ; and during that time no- 
 thing was done but to contend which of the party 
 should eat the most and drink the longest. The cus- 
 tom of feasting was not confined to the great ; all ranks 
 participated in the sensual propensity ; against which 
 sumptuary laws proved wholly unavailing. In the town 
 of M unden, in Brunswick, it was ordained that the dia*
 
 ner should not last above three hours, and that even a 
 wedding-feast should not exceed twenty-four dishes, 
 allowing ten persons to every dish. To enforce obedi- 
 ence to these rigid laws, the Stadt Arme stood before 
 the house, and were also to be regaled ; whilst the sick 
 people were placed behind expecting an alms of 
 kindness. In Saxony, whenever a marriage-feast was 
 to be celebrated, application was made to the magis- 
 trates, who regulated the number of dishes. 
 
 The Lutherans affected not the austerities of the 
 Calvinists ; and as they partially retained the worship, 
 they allowed themselves many of the indulgences en- 
 joyed by the mother church. In Saxony and Branden- 
 burg the men were notoriously addicted to drinking and 
 jollity ; nor were the women always unsuspected of gal- 
 lantry. It was not, therefore, entirely without reason, 
 that Calvinistic parents sought to retain their children 
 in a communion in which moral conduct was fortified 
 by the strict discipline that continued to be enforced 
 by its pastors and ministers. To return once more to 
 the subject of courts, it must be remarked, that the 
 Archduke Albert and his consort, the Infanta Isa- 
 bella, maintained at Brussels, among the nobles, the 
 same decorous regularity which had long charac- 
 terized Flemish citizens. The mornings were given 
 to exercise, to business, or devotion ; in the evening, 
 the men talked or played at cards ; some of the women 
 worked with the Archduchess, in the manner of Ca- 
 tharine, queen consort of Henry the Eighth of Eng- 
 land. 
 
 The court of Munich, like that of Vienna, was re- 
 markable for gravity and dulness. Maximilian had
 
 60 
 
 received from his parents a most religious and strict 
 education. Having been associated with the Arch- 
 duke Ferdinand of Gratz in the college of Ingolstadt, 
 and, like him, imbued with unbounded veneration for 
 the Roman pontiff, and excessive complaisance for 
 the Jesuits. In the sequel, however, neither the rigid 
 Maximilian, nor the scrupulous Ferdinand, ever sacri- 
 ficed personal interests to religion. The latter was 
 shrewd and ingenious, a lover of letters and the arts, 
 passionately fond of architecture, in which he dis- 
 played no ordinary degree of taste. Of the serious 
 character that prevailed at this court, some idea may 
 be formed from the grand festival exhibited at the 
 consecration of St. Michael's church ; at which Fer- 
 dinand of Gratz, his mother, Beatrice, and all the 
 princes of the Austrian house, assisted. The dinner was 
 served in the college to four tables, at one of which, 
 prepared for royal guests of both sexes, a cardinal 
 expounded an edifying Christian discourse : whilst, at 
 each of the other tables, a learned Jesuit harangued, 
 in Latin, Greek, or Hebrew. 
 
 On the following day was represented a tragi-comic 
 religious mystery, for which a temporary theatre had 
 been constructed, the subject Michael and the dragon ; 
 the former furnishing an apt allusion to the apostolic 
 church, the other to the heresy of Luther and Calvin. 
 The fable was relieved by various agreeable episodes, 
 or interludes, which filled up an interval of four days, 
 during which an incessant rain had suspended the 
 finale ; but at length the skies cleared, and a shower 
 of fire from the dragon's mouth portrayed the extir- 
 pation of heresy to the delighted spectators.
 
 61 
 
 The following atklitional observations, extracted, 
 like most of the foregoing, from the excellent history 
 of Schmidt, may not be unacceptable to the general 
 reader : " Germany abounded in scholars, but they 
 ".were considered more eager to teach than to learn, 
 " more ready to dispute than instruct, and were con- 
 " fessedly more disposed to value themselves on the 
 " number than the quality of the volumes they pro- 
 (t duced. The subjects of their disquisitions were ill 
 " calculated to expand the mind : with the rugged 
 " themes of polemical controversy were intermingled 
 " the legends of witcheries and demonology. The 
 " doctrines of Luther were strongly impregnated with 
 " popular traditionary superstitions. Naturally pre- 
 " disposed to gloomy impressions, that great man was 
 " accustomed to refer to the agency of demons every 
 ' crime, every injury, that disturbed public or private 
 " tranquillity. The seditions of the anabaptists, the 
 " explosion of the mines, were all traced to the same 
 " source." 
 
 The Reformation had produced a greater change on 
 the manners and modes than the original habits and 
 character of the Germans. At its commencement, 
 much mischief was predicted by alarmists from the 
 abolition of fast-days, the increasing demand for flesh, 
 which could only be procured by the importation of 
 cattle from Hungary and Poland. 
 
 In common with other European nations, the Ger- 
 mans saw many articles of native produce superseded 
 by those American plants which the discoveries of 
 Columbus had introduced ; the woad was supplanted 
 by the indigo ; the exportation of gold and silver for
 
 62 
 
 silks and velvets was heavily arraigned by their eco- 
 nomists. To prevent this, the culture of silk worms 
 was attempted without success. In former times it 
 had been the pride of the potentates to preserve the 
 current coin in uncorrupted purity; and it was the 
 saying of the old Landgrave, Philip of Hesse, that 
 the true sovereign was to be known by clean streets, 
 punctual observance of his word, and an unadul- 
 terated coinage ; but the good faith which prompted 
 this tenacity of principle, yielded to expediency and 
 the prevalence of example ; and after the commence- 
 ment of the first religious war, little was to be seen to 
 sanction the scrupulosity of Philip or his successors. 
 
 The depreciation of the coin was pathetically de- 
 ploredby the moralistsof a succeeding age : "Nolonger 
 " can one give a penny to the poor, no longer offer 
 " an oblation of piety, nor deposit aught in the Lord's 
 " treasury : the coornb of corn that but three years 
 " since could be purchased for two dollars, now ex- 
 " torts fourteen ! for the herring that was offered for 
 " two pennies, we now pay tenpence. Oh when, if 
 " ever, shall the pennies or Jacobusses come again !" 
 
 Without the strength which is derived from political 
 union, Germany possessed in its military population 
 sufficient physical force to render it formidable to the 
 rest of Europe. Soldiers swarmed in every district, 
 and there was scarcely an armament in Christendom 
 in which Germans were not enlisted. In their native 
 country the camps were the resort of women, the ma- 
 trons still preserving, in this respect, the usage of 
 ancient times. Children were often born in the camp, 
 and so regularly were they all bred to arms, that it
 
 was not uncommon to see not only compatriots but 
 townsmen opposed as enemies. It was remarked that 
 their favourite weapons were the pike and sabre, with 
 which they succeeded better than with the musket. 
 War was the favourite pursuit, and, to the noble and 
 peasant, equally profitable. It was remarked by Philip, 
 Landgrave of Hesse, that, without pay, German troops 
 became mutinous, and that when money was wanting, 
 it would be more easy to manage devils than govern 
 soldiers.
 
 CHAP. II. 
 
 BIRTH AND EDUCATION OF ELIZABETH. RESIDENCE 
 
 AT COMBE ABBEY. SUPERINTENDENCE OF LORD 
 
 AND LADY HARRINGTON. CORRESPONDENCE 
 WITH HER BROTHER PRINCE HENRY. THEIR 
 
 MUTUAL FRIENDSHIP. CONTRACT OF MARRIAGE 
 
 WITH THE ELECTOR PALATINE. 
 
 ELIZABETH STUART, the eldest daughter of 
 James, King of Scotland, and Anne of 
 Denmark, was born in the palace of Falk- 
 land on the 19th of August, 1696, and con- 
 sequently was nearly coeval with Frederic 
 Count Palatine, who, if we may credit cer- 
 tain political traditions, was even in the 
 cradle designated her future consort.* 
 
 * See Bougeant, Histoire des Ndgociations qui pre"- 
 ce"derent le Trait de Westphalia. 
 
 It is pretended, that this arrangement originated in 
 a secret negociation, of which the Duke de Bouillon 
 and Prince Maurice were the primary authors, their 
 object being to circumscribe the enormous power of 
 Austria.
 
 65 
 
 Without investigating this question, it is 
 a well attested fact, that the education of 
 the prince and princess was in all essential 
 points well calculated to form them for each 
 other. At an early period of her existencej 
 Elizabeth, like her brother Henry, was con- 
 fided to the care of persons cordially at- 
 tached to Protestant principles. On her 
 transplantation to England in 1603, she was 
 for a few months transferred from Lord 
 Livingston to the Countess of Kildare*, a 
 daughter of the Lord High Admiral, Howard 
 Earl of Nottingham. Of that lady's mental 
 qualifications nothing is known j nor can it 
 
 * Frances Howard, third daughter of the Earl of 
 Nottingham, was first married to Henry Fitzgerald, 
 Earl of Kildare ; after whose demise, she espoused the 
 unfortunate Lord Cobham, who, shortly after the ac- 
 cession of King James, was involved in the troubles of 
 Lord Grey and Sir Walter Raleigh. The Countess of 
 Kildare was still designated by the title of her former 
 consort. She left Lord Cobham in disgust, to return 
 to her father's protection ; nor did she, when he was 
 suffering the utmost distress, make the slightest effort 
 for his relief. See the Peers of James the First, by 
 Sir Egerton Brydgcs. 
 
 VOL. I. T
 
 60 
 
 be doubted she was indebted for the pro- 
 bably titular office of governess to her high 
 connexions : during the short period that 
 she retained her trust, the young princess 
 appears to have engaged much of the king's 
 attention j her elementary progress was by 
 him carefully inspected and no sooner 
 had she learnt to use the pen, than he 
 encouraged her to employ it in composing 
 infantine epistles, addressed to himself or 
 Prince Henry, a practice not more useful 
 than pleasing, which cemented the union 
 of the Royal children, and confirmed the 
 ties of blood by the sympathies of friendship. 
 At the close of 1603, King James, in con- 
 formity to the plan of education adopted for 
 Royal families both in Scotland and France, 
 consigned his daughter to the exclusive care 
 of Sir John Harrington,* recently created 
 
 * Cousin-german to the witty Sir John Harrington, 
 well known for his epigrams, his translation of Ariosto, 
 and the favour he enjoyed with Elizabeth. (See Miss 
 Aikin's Court of Elizabeth.) This witty Sir John 
 Harrington was averse to the Puritans, and, to judge 
 from his writings, on no cordial terms with the cour-
 
 67 
 
 Baron of Exon, to be, by him, educated and 
 maintained until she should have attained 
 maturity. By this arrangement, Elizabeth 
 was separated from her brother, a circum- 
 stance which caused probably the first, cer- 
 tainly the deepest chagrin, she had ever 
 experienced.* But, however painful might 
 be this removal to her warm affections, she 
 had afterwards sufficient reason to revert 
 with gratitude to the judgment and dis- 
 crimination that had directed the King's 
 choice of her future home. In the chronicle 
 
 tiers of James the First. " My cousin, Lord Harring- 
 " ton of Exon," he writes (in 1606), " doth much 
 " fatigue himself with the royal charge of the Princess 
 " Elizabeth ; and midst all the policy of these times, 
 " hath much labour to preserve his own wisdom and 
 " sobriety." Harrington 's Nugce Antiques. 
 
 * The few lines addressed to Henry on this occa- 
 sion evince her unwillingness to be separated from 
 him: 
 
 " My dear and worthy brother, I most kindly salute 
 " you, desiring to hear of your health ; from whom, 
 " though I am now removed far away, none shall ever 
 " be nearer in affection, than your most loving sister, 
 
 " ELIZABETH." 
 
 The Princess was now eight years of age. 
 F 2
 
 68 
 
 6f the times, Lord Harrington is scarcely 
 mentioned but as a courtier, who took his 
 place in a tilting match, or assisted at a grand 
 spectacle. Enslaved by no party, adverse 
 to all intrigue, though recently ennobled, he 
 might be considered a representative of the 
 better order of old English gentry, who 
 united independence to dignity, and probity 
 to loyalty, and by their hospitality and mu- 
 nificence enriched and civilized the neigh- 
 bouring tenantry : descended from an an- 
 cient family, he had largely added to his 
 patrimony by his marriage with an heiress*, 
 in whose right he came into possession of 
 Combe Abbey in Warwickshire ; where, 
 contrary to the prevailing custom of migrat- 
 ing to different seats, he fixed his station- 
 ary residence. With more pretensions to 
 shine than her unassuming consort, Lady 
 Harrington possessed all the modest and 
 noble virtues which adorn the character of 
 
 * Anne, daughter of Richard Kelsaway, Esq., by 
 whom Gombe Abbey, and the large estates appended, 
 passed to the Harrington family.
 
 9 
 
 a British matron; and whilst her tasteful 
 dress and elegant deportment attracted the 
 smiles of the new Queen (the volatile Anne 
 of Denmark), she concurred in her hus- 
 band's plans for preserving order and deco- 
 rum in their numerous household, and sus- 
 tained her part with equal grace in public 
 and domestic life. In fine, Lord and Lady 
 Harrington were precisely such personages 
 as monarchs rarely attract to their court : 
 they ranked not as favourites, for they had 
 principle ; nor as courtiers only, since they 
 rose above the character ; nor as confidants, 
 since they too little participated in the fol- 
 lies of the sovereign j but as faithful, ho- 
 nourable servants, whose conscience offered 
 a guarantee for the discharge of their respec- 
 tive duties, with whatever inconvenience ac- 
 companied ; however poorly recompensed. 
 The habits of Combe Abbey * appear to 
 have been as regular as those of a religious 
 community. Lord Harrington, a Protestant 
 
 * Combe Abbey had been originally a monastery, 
 and its cloisters are still visible. 
 FS
 
 strictly attached to church and state, was, 
 politically speaking, an unexceptionable 
 guardian for the British Princess : his two 
 children, a son and daughter, were both 
 eminently distinguished the former, John 
 Harrington, well known as the correspond- 
 ent and bosom friend of Prince Henry*, 
 was of unblemished morals, but in his reli- 
 gious sentiments had imbibed an almost as- 
 cetic austerity : his sister Lucia, whom Ben 
 Jonson flatters for her beauty, and Daniell 
 
 * In the seriousness of his dispositions, John Har- 
 rington was not singular ; many well-educated youths 
 in that day, some of whom became the warm and up- 
 right partisans of the independents in the reign of 
 Charles the First, were equally characterised by strict 
 moral and devotional spirit. Since the reformation, 
 religion had formed the ground-work of all national 
 concerns : this at first sight appears to be a novelty, 
 but it should be recollected, that when the reformation 
 subverted this supremacy of the Roman Church, it 
 destroyed not the ecclesiastical spirit, which, even in 
 Protestant countries, obtained, or attempted the same 
 domination ; this spirit was combated only by those 
 \vho desired to separate spiritual concerns from mun- 
 dane transactions ; hence, the collision of opinions, 
 the endless controversies which seemed to be the very 
 gales of life to the whole community.
 
 71 
 
 commends for learning, is celebrated by 
 Donne and all the poets of the day as a 
 muse and a grace, and was unquestionably 
 a woman of rare attainments.* 
 
 At the commencement of Elizabeth's re- 
 sidence in Combe Abbey, young Harring- 
 ton, then in his sixteenth year, was finishing 
 his studies previous to travelling on the 
 continent, to explore the remains of Roman 
 antiquity being then regarded as essentially 
 necessary to a gentleman's education. 
 His intimacy with Prince Henry was 
 founded on mutual esteem and perfect har- 
 mony in their moral and religious princi- 
 ples. In the tastes and aptitudes of those 
 distinguished youths, there appeared to have 
 been little sympathy : imbued with the love 
 of letters and the arts, Harrington already 
 discovered literary abilities, of which Henry 
 gave no similar indications ; nor did his 
 quiet sedentary habits and meditative dis- 
 
 * See Sir Thomas Howe's letter on medals, and Sir 
 William Temple's commendation of Moor Park, which 
 had been laid out under her superintendence. 
 
 F 4-
 
 72 
 
 positions accord with the martial spirit 
 that had animated the prince from early 
 childhood.* In their fates alone is to be 
 traced a marked, though melancholy, re- 
 semblance ; both blasted in the spring of 
 life - long before either had verified the 
 predictions of their tutors, or repaid the 
 bounty of nature. 
 
 Lucia Harringtonf was, like her mother, 
 fitted to adorn a court, and, like her bro- 
 
 * According to the interesting account of John 
 Harrington in the Nugae Antiquse, he allowed but 
 five hours to sleep, and employed his waking hours in 
 useful exercises, in study, and devotion. In character 
 he resembled King Edward the Sixth rather than 
 Prince Henry. 
 
 f Lucia married Russel, Earl of Bedford, and after 
 her brother's death succeeded to his estates, which she 
 afterwards alienated to pay the debt incurred by her 
 prodigality. She was confessedly one of the most 
 cultivated women of the age ; of her charms we may 
 however doubt, in spite of Jonson's beautiful sonnet, 
 since Daniell lauds the preference she gives to learn- 
 ing, and expatiates on the imperishable graces of the 
 mind, a theme rarely chosen by any poet but in the 
 absence of those personal charms which draw universal 
 homage,
 
 ther, formed to enjoy retirement: she was 
 not only learned, but in a high degree cul- 
 tivated and ingenious, and so pre-eminently 
 gifted with the attributes of taste, that in 
 gardening, in architecture, and poetry, 
 her discriminating judgment was gene- 
 rally admitted. When Elizabeth arrived 
 at Combe Abbey, Lucia, who had scarcely 
 attained womanhood, was its inmate, and 
 the elegance of her mind and manners 
 must have been advantageous to the young 
 princess, who, like her, acquired a relish 
 for gardening and architecture ; and, had 
 her days flowed on in prosperity, would 
 probably have fallen under the reproach 
 incurred by Lucia for her immeasurable 
 indulgence of taste and munificence. Du- 
 ring her residence at Combe Abbey, the 
 favourite companion of Elizabeth was Anne 
 Dudley*, Lord Harrington's niece, with 
 
 * Anne Dudley was the second daughter of Edward 
 Sutton, Lord Dudley, and Theodosia Harrington : her 
 brother, Ferdinando Dudley, was made Knight of the 
 JJath at the creation of Henry Prince of Wales, 1600.
 
 74 
 
 whom she formed a friendship never to be 
 relinquished. Under this roof she was sur- 
 rounded by every object that could afford 
 healthful and varied gratification to child- 
 hood. " With God's assistance," writes 
 Lord Harrington, " we hope to do our 
 " Lady Elizabeth such service as is due to her 
 " princely endowments and natural abilities, 
 " both which appear the sweet dawning of 
 " future comfort to her royal father." That 
 the princess possessed quick parts was ob- 
 vious to the most superficial observer, 
 and had she, instead of Prince Henry, been 
 heir apparent to the British throne, it is 
 probable as much might have been recorded 
 of her infantine wit and wisdom. Her na- 
 tive powers appear not to have been in- 
 ferior to those of that promising youth ; 
 and she had over him one advantage, that 
 of not having been prematurely exposed 
 to the adulation of mercenary courtiers ; 
 her dispositions were affectionate, and 
 though often teazed and thwarted by Henry, 
 she never ceased to cherish him with equal
 
 75 
 
 fondness.* To her mother's care or ten- 
 derness she seems to have been little in- 
 debted ; but she inherited her fair com- 
 plexion, her graceful form, her vivacity, 
 facility, and affability, qualities which, even 
 in the absence of every thing respectable, 
 often ensure popularity to their possessor ; 
 exclusive of these, Elizabeth had, in her 
 name, a passport to the hearts of the English 
 people, by whom the memory of their late 
 illustrious queen was held in reverence. The 
 removal to Combe Abbey formed an epoch 
 in her life that, but for the deprivation of her 
 brother's society, would have been perfectly 
 happy. It was flattering to a child who 
 had scarcely numbered eight years, to see 
 herself placed at the head of a large estab- 
 lishment, and invested with the power of 
 conferring favours and dispensing pleasure ; 
 privileges, of which, to judge from her let- 
 ters and character, she was ever tenacious, 
 
 * See Life of Prince Henry, by Cornwallis.
 
 76 
 
 and which even then she appears to have 
 prized the most. 
 
 The situation of Combe Abbey, though 
 little attractive to the lovers of picturesque 
 scenery, was recommended by its richly 
 wooded parks abounding in game, its exten- 
 sive gardens, and opulent tenantry. Among 
 the revolutions which it had undergone, the 
 monastic aspect had been allowed to remain ; 
 but the cloisters were now occupied by the 
 numerous retainers in Elizabeth's household ; 
 and never did she issue from this mansion 
 unattended by her faithful guardian, and a 
 splendid retinue of both sexes. Nor was 
 this habitual pomp altogether useless in 
 preparing for that life of theatrical exhibi- 
 tion imposed on royal personages ; and that 
 Elizabeth had already acquired sufficient 
 self-possession to sustain her part with be- 
 coming ease and dignity may be gathered 
 from an account of her first visit to Co- 
 ventry, which is still extant in the registers 
 of that city.* 
 
 See History of Coventry,
 
 77 
 
 " On Tuesday, the 13th April, 1604, the 
 " Princess, Lady Elizabeth, the King's eldest 
 " daughter, came from Combe Abbey, no- 
 " bly accompanied : although scarcely eight 
 " years old, she was sufficiently expert in 
 " horsemanship to have headed an eques- 
 " trian's train in the old manner of the 
 " maiden queen ; but the fashionable usage 
 " of carriages attested the degeneracy of 
 " public taste, and instead of this graceful 
 " exhibition, was instituted a procession of 
 " coaches, in one of which sat the young 
 " Princess. The heads of the corporation 
 " omitted no attention that could bespeak 
 " attachment to the daughter of the reign- 
 " ing sovereign. The city poured forth 
 " men, women, and children to greet the 
 " royal child, whilst the mayor and alder- 
 " men, clad in scarlet robes, followed by the 
 " burgesses attired in gowns and hoods, all 
 " well mounted, proceeded to Jabet's Ash.* 
 
 * Jabet's Ash, at the extremity of the town. The 
 tree has long vanished, but its vicinity still retains the 
 name.
 
 78 
 
 " At Jabet's Ash the cavalcade halted. 
 " The worshipful mayor alighting, advanced 
 " to the Lady Elizabeth to kiss her hand ; 
 " then, remounting his steed, rode majesti- 
 " cally before her. The Lord Harrington 
 " and all his cavaliers followed bare-headed, 
 " the citizens standing in the holiday dress 
 " of gowns and hoods in respectful silence. 
 " In this manner they proceeded to St. 
 " Michael's church, all the burghers stand- 
 " ing on their arms. The master of the free 
 " school preached a sermon ; to which the 
 " little Princess had been taught to listen 
 " with profound attention. She was then 
 " conducted to St. Mary's Hall, where she 
 " dined, sitting for the first time in a chair 
 " of state, of which the novelty might in 
 " part perhaps atone for its uneasiness ; but, 
 " on being presented with a gilt silver cup, 
 " she was constrained to accept Lord Har- 
 " rington's aid to sustain the weight when 
 " she took it in her hand and received the 
 " civic pledge. From <St Mary's Hall, she 
 " went to the free school and the library ; 
 15
 
 79 
 
 " and thus made her progress through the 
 " streets, till she once more found herself 
 " at Jabet's Ash, where the mayor and 
 " aldermen, hitherto her constant satellites, 
 " with the usual ceremonies, took their 
 " leave/' * 
 
 It may be observed, that in this account 
 no attempt is made to ascribe to the little 
 Princess, those marvellous talents which the 
 courtiers of France and Scotland had de- 
 tected in her grandmother, the interesting 
 Mary, and which certain Scottish pedants 
 imagined in her father, the bonie King 
 James. Through the whole period of Eliza- 
 beth's childhood we find no mention of her 
 witty sayings or extraordinary eloquence ; 
 and it is the best eulogium of those who su- 
 perintended her education, that, as far as 
 was compatible with her high rank, it was 
 
 * The Princess received various proofs of liberality 
 
 and loyalty from the city of Coventry. 
 
 Extract from the Corporation Annals, 1605 : 
 " At new-year's tide, gave the Princess Elizabeth 
 
 " when at Lord Harrington's, a pair of fat oxen, value
 
 80 
 
 conducted with simplicity, and harmonized 
 exactly with the character of an English 
 lady of that age. 
 
 To the city of Coventry, Elizabeth was, 
 on the following year, 1 605, conveyed for 
 safety during the panic universally excited 
 by the discovery of the gunpowder plot, in 
 which she was unconsciously implicated, 
 the conspirators having intended to seize her 
 person, and place her by compulsion on the 
 vacant throne. Nor was this precaution 
 superfluous, since, if we may credit Lord 
 Harrington, himself and all his household 
 were involved in the common danger. After 
 the event he writes, " I am not yet recover- 
 " ed from the fever occasioned by these dis- 
 " turbances. I went with Sir Fulke Greville 
 " to alarm the neighbourhood, and surprise 
 " the villains, who came to Holbach ; was 
 " out live days, in peril of death, in fear for 
 " the great charge I left at home. Wynter 
 " hath confessed their design to surprise the 
 " princess at my house. If their wickedness
 
 81 
 
 had taken place, in London, some of them 
 say, she would have been proclaimed queen. 
 Her highness doth often say, what a 
 queen should I have been by this means ?' 
 and, * I had rather have been with my fa- 
 ther in the parliament house, than wear his 
 crown on such terms.* ' 
 
 On this occasion vigorous measures were 
 taken by the spirited corporation of Coventry ; 
 and from a municipal record still extantt, 
 
 * See Nugae Antiquae. Second volume. 
 
 f Extract from the Corporation Annals, 1605 : 
 
 " Nov. 7th, 1605. Delivered forth of the armory, 
 for the Lady Elizabeth's guard, when she lay at Mr. 
 Hopkins 
 
 To Mr. Breeres, 3 pykes, 1 partisan, 2 black billes. 
 
 To Mr. Showell, 2 corslets, 3 pykes, a partisan, and 
 2 billes. 
 
 To Mr. Richardson, 1 corslet, 1 pyke, 3 black billes. 
 
 To Mr. Hencute, 4 pykes, 1 corslet, 3 billes, 1 par- 
 tisan. 
 
 To Mr. Walden, 2 pykes, 2 black billes, 1 glaive. 
 
 To Mr. Bedford, 2 horsemen's staves, a corslet, 2 
 bowes. 
 
 To Mr. Grovenor, 1 corslet, 2 pykes, 2 billes. 
 
 To Mr. Rogerson, 3 billes, 2 pykes, 1 corslet. 
 
 To Mr. Letherbanow, 3 billes." The above vrea- 
 VOL. I. G
 
 82 
 
 it appears that pikes, partisans, black bills, 
 bows, and corslets were issued from the 
 city armoury to the corporation and prin- 
 cipal citizens, in order to form a guard 
 of honour for the Princess. The danger 
 was no sooner averted than Elizabeth was 
 reconducted to Combe Abbey, from whence 
 she wrote to her brother a french billet, 
 concluding with this simple and natural ex- 
 pression of piety, " If God be for us, who 
 can be against us ?" With this artless pa- 
 thos is strikingly contrasted an elaborate 
 congratulatory epistle penned by Frederic 
 Count Palatine, in which he avers a firm con- 
 viction, that the wicked conspiracy proceeded 
 from the direct agency of Antichrist. To ac- 
 
 pons appear to have been delivered to certain mem- 
 bers of the corporation and principal inhabitants -- 
 as a guard of honour to the princess, when she came 
 from Combe to Coventry, as a place of security, 
 upon the discovery of the gunpowder plot. As 
 several of the conspirators were in the neighbourhood, 
 waiting the issue of the impending blow in London 
 had that succeeded, their intention was to secure the 
 person of Elizabeth, and place her on the throne.
 
 S3 
 
 count for this difference of style we have 
 only to recollect, that this little theologian 
 (nine years of age) was pursuing his studies 
 at Sedan, the very focus of controversy, 
 and that he had been tutored by those po- 
 lemical dogmatists, who swarmed in every 
 German court : whilst Elizabeth was do- 
 mesticated with a sensible, rational family, 
 in a country where the Protestant religion 
 being firmly established, its professors were 
 less accessible to fanaticism and visionary 
 delusions. Although the daughter of James 
 vied not in intellectual capacities with a 
 Jane Grey, or her illustrious namesake of the 
 house of Tudor, or even her ill-fated grand- 
 mother, her various attainments were such 
 as might satisfy any judicious instructor. 
 Female learning was no longer patronised at 
 court, yet she commenced her classical 
 studies, and was perfectly familiar with the 
 French language, which she both spoke and 
 wrote with ease and grace. To her tutors 
 she was docile ; but the master whom she 
 most loviA and honoured, and who more
 
 84 
 
 than any contributed to the developement 
 of her character, was her brother, Prince 
 Henry, whose example seems to have in- 
 spired in her guileless bosom the most ar- 
 dent emulation untainted by jealousy, whilst 
 his perfections, real or imagined, were the 
 inexhaustible themes on which she delighted 
 to expatiate. To this beloved brother she had 
 been from infancy accustomed to yield a de- 
 ference which seemed to augment her sisterly 
 fondness, and to him she intuitively looked 
 as the standard of virtue and wisdom j every 
 little attention by him bestowed drew 
 forth expressions of rapturous gratitude, 
 and she was afflicted by the apprehen- 
 sion of his displeasure or estrangement. " I 
 give you," says she, " a million of thanks for 
 the servant you sent, but more for your 
 kind letter, taking few things so joyfully as 
 to hear of your health ; and though I cannot 
 requite you with so pleasant a token, yet 
 are these few lines a testimony of the affec- 
 tion of her whom you shall ever find your 
 Joving sister.
 
 85 
 
 " I received your most welcome letters *, 
 " highly esteeming them as delightful me- 
 " morials of your brotherly love, in which 
 " assuredly I will ever endeavour to equal 
 " you, esteeming that time happiest when 
 " I enjoyed your company, and desiring no- 
 " thing more than the fruition of it again, 
 " that as nature hath made us nearest in 
 ** our love together, so accident might not 
 " separate us from living together; neither 
 " do I account the least part of my present 
 " comfort, that though I am deprived of 
 " your happy presence, yet I can make these 
 " lines deliver this true message that I will 
 " ever be during life yours."t 
 
 Although there is in this letter nothing 
 that might not flow from an affectionate 
 
 * Several of these early letters are in the Harleian 
 MSS. Some of them have been published in Birch's 
 life of Prince Henry. 
 
 f Sealed with wax fantastically ornamented with 
 floss silk ; sometimes the name of Elizabeth inscribed 
 in letters of gold ; green or golden threads were en- 
 twisted with the wax. The young princess had already 
 acquired a fondness for ornament which never left her, 
 
 G 3
 
 86 
 
 heart, the language of Elizabeth, like that 
 of other royal contemporaries, was marked 
 by an ambitious gravity, more suitable to 
 riper years. The children of that day as- 
 sumed, with the costume and manners, the 
 language of maturer personages. Such was 
 the prevalence and such the keenness of 
 religious controversy, that it was considered 
 necessary not only to imbue the infant mind 
 with sentiments of piety, but to indoctrinate 
 it with the knowledge of theology, in order 
 that the puerile disputant might be qualified 
 to discuss the popular subjects of transub- 
 stantiation, grace, election, unity, and repro- 
 bation. Neither Catholic nor Protestant tu- 
 tor felt acquitted of his duty, who had not 
 rendered his pupils capable of sustaining an 
 argument before he was ten years old. Even 
 in England, that country which appears to 
 have engrossed almost exclusively whatever 
 moderation and good sense were to be dis- 
 covered in Europe, the cultivation of this 
 intellectual gladiatorship formed a promi- 
 nent object of education, whether public or 
 15
 
 private*, and for a time checked the diffu- 
 sion of science and taste. Nor ought this 
 to excite astonishment, when we recollect 
 that perfidy to heretics was sanctified by 
 papal benedictions; that Lutheran wrest- 
 led with Calvinist, and Gomarists circum- 
 vented Arminians. At such a moment 
 it must have been of the last importance, on 
 either side, to attach proselytes or enlist 
 defenders. The Protestant zeal of Prince 
 Henry is well known to have been his first 
 principle, or rather his ruling passion j and, 
 as might have been expected, his sister im- 
 bibed from him an abhorrence of Popery, 
 that rendered her the idol of the Puritans. 
 At this period the sensibility of her tem- 
 per appears not unfrequently to have been 
 the source of painful feelings ; and in her 
 correspondence with Henry, she impatiently 
 laments his somewhat unkind silence : nor 
 
 * Thus it appears that Prince Charles acquitted him- 
 self with credit in a public examination in theology 
 before he was eleven years old. See Winioood's Me- 
 morials. 
 
 o 4
 
 88 * 
 
 is it to be denied, that this beloved bro- 
 ther, participating in that contempt for the 
 female sex which his father notoriously 
 avowed, often took pleasure in thwarting 
 her wishes, in tantalizing her expectations, 
 or even in tyrannizing over her sisterly af- 
 fections.* In one instance, Elizabeth, evi- 
 dently wounded by his indifference, thus 
 addresses him : " Let us suspend, I con- 
 jure you, the silence that has but too long 
 estranged us. Separated in our persons, in 
 our letters let us still meet and commune 
 together ; and let me hope that my dearest 
 brother will accept mine as a pledge of the 
 affection with which I would fain dedicate 
 to him my future life.'* 
 
 In another she again complains, though 
 respectfully, often alluding to the compara- 
 tive monotony of her pursuits and amuse- 
 ments.! In the following she even hazards 
 
 * See Cornwallis. 
 
 f Some of her letters are not untainted with the af- 
 fectation of the age. In oue of these she tells him, 
 " that her mind continually dwells upon his divine per-
 
 89 
 
 some gentle raillery on the tardiness of his 
 communications : " I would fain hope the 
 same good fortune may accompany this on 
 its flight to Royston that attended its pre- 
 decessor, which followed, or rather pursued 
 you to Newmarket. These winged messen- 
 gers of mine, continually fluttering round 
 your highness, have at least the fleetness of 
 the dove, and afford ample proof that they 
 are unencumbered with substance." 
 
 The personal intercourse of the princess 
 with her brother was renewed in 1 609, when 
 she visited London with Lord Ifarrington's 
 family, and occupied, with them, apartments 
 
 fections, and that such is the love which is seated in 
 her heart, that a million of streams would not suffice 
 to exhaust the source." In another she says, " I be- 
 seech you to believe that these lines with which I 
 trouble you, and which, primajacie, might be stigma- 
 tized for idle babble, are but so many streams flowing 
 from the great ocean of my affections, and the pledges 
 of that obedience which I am ready to yield to your 
 mandates." This letter was written from Combe 
 Abbey ; and it might almost be suspected that Eliza- 
 beth had, for the moment, caught the quaintness, 
 without the learning, of Lucia, Countess of Bedford.
 
 90 
 
 in the Palace. Although still engaged in 
 prosecuting her studies, she was now per- 
 mitted to share in the amusements of the 
 court, and is by Stowe included in the 
 royal party that visited the Tower, ex* 
 pressly to witness the tremendous con- 
 flict of a lion with a bear and four dogs *, 
 a spectacle which not only the volatile 
 Queen, but the delicate Arabella Stuart, ap- 
 pear to have contemplated with much com- 
 placency. So flexible is human sympathy, 
 that even objects, in themselves the most 
 revolting, when associated with agreeable 
 circumstances, are capable of producing 
 pleasurable emotions. It may also be re- 
 marked, that it was modesty, not timidity, 
 which formed in that day the point of female 
 attraction ; and courage was no less indis- 
 pensable than dignity, to complete the por- 
 trait of an accomplished lady. Of the arti- 
 
 * A minute account of this conflict is to be found 
 in Stowe ; who states that the dogs rushed on the lion 
 with the utmost intrepidity, that the bear was sneak- 
 ing, and the lion sulky.
 
 91 
 
 ficial system of manners since adopted, evi- 
 dently derived from the voluptuous effemi- 
 nacy of oriental countries, few examples 
 were then to be found ; and whilst the Eng- 
 lish ladies participated with the other sex in 
 the rude sports of hunting and shooting, the 
 high born dames of France followed their 
 cavaliers to the camp, enlivened its hard- 
 ships, and even soothed its dangers, super- 
 adding to the toils and struggles of war the 
 conflicts of passion and the smiles of beauty. 
 In England, the example of the late illus- 
 trious virago, as she was sometimes pedan- 
 tically designated, might have lent a sanc- 
 tion, not merely to manly pursuits,but mas- 
 culine manners ; but it may be presumed 
 the sex too well understood their interests, 
 or at least their influence, to adopt them, 
 and in reality there appears to have been 
 always a certain line of demarcation pre- 
 served between cavaliers and ladies of 
 good taste : that they rather sympathized 
 than assimilated is obvious ; and in this 
 perhaps resided the secret of their mutual
 
 92 
 
 attraction. High spirited and heroic, Eliza- 
 beth affected not any singularity, nor ar- 
 rogated any consequence that was not due 
 to her sex and station j neither were her 
 habits different from those of other young 
 ladies of high quality : naturally frank and 
 ardent, she surrendered herself to the im- 
 pulse of the moment, with tnat vivacity 
 which belongs to a sanguine and unsus- 
 picious temper; but she never exceeded 
 the limits that custom prescribed : even when 
 she exerted her strength and address, it 
 was with a feminine sportiveness, that added 
 to her attractions. 
 
 In whatever amusements Elizabeth was 
 allowed to participate, they effaced not 
 the serious impressions she had received 
 during her residence in Combe Abbey ; 
 and, on returning to that retirement, she 
 addressed to her guardian a poem *, fraught 
 with devotional sentiments, in which she 
 
 * This is joy, this true pleasure, 
 If we best things make our treasure. 
 
 See at the end of the Volume.
 
 seems for the moment to have caught the 
 serious spirit of Lady Jane Grey. These 
 meditations did not, however, unfit Eliza- 
 beth for relishing the gaieties of the masque 
 produced in honour of the creation of the 
 Prince of Wales. As the ceremonial to 
 be adopted was a subject that occupied all 
 the idle, and some of the wiser retainers of 
 the court, it was not surprizing that a youth- 
 ful princess should feel deeply interested, 
 more especially as, in common with other 
 ladies, she had to study the part allotted 
 to her in the entertainment. The absence 
 of Henry occasioned her serious uneasi- 
 ness, and she dispatched a special mes- 
 senger to recall him to court. " My let- 
 ters," she writes, " follow you every where, 
 and I would they were as agreeable as 
 they are frequent. I am well aware they 
 have nothing to recommend them, unless I 
 venture to remind you that the ballet is 
 about to be enacted, and that, in an affair 
 of such serious moment, your presence is
 
 94 
 
 absolutely indispensable. I entreat you, 
 therefore, to quit, whatever it may cost you, 
 without delay, to quit the country and all 
 its allurements, and hasten to your sister 
 Elizabeth." This importunity was probably 
 dictated by the queen, her mother, who 
 married in early youth, and prematurely 
 ushered into the world, retained to her last 
 hour the frivolous tastes of childhood. Since 
 her residence in England, she had become 
 passionately addicted to the amusement of 
 the masque *, or ballet, and delighted to 
 exhibit her really handsome person to the 
 
 * The masque was a sort of dramatic dance, or 
 ballet, first introduced by Catherine de Medicis in 
 France, and now rendered more than ever popular and 
 magnificent by Mary de Medicis. The Queen of 
 Great Britain aspired not, like that princess, to the 
 honour of invention : leaving to the poet, the artist, 
 and the architect the arrangement of the scenes, she 
 contented herself with lending to them the embellish- 
 ments of her toilette. The poetry was often supplied 
 by Ben Jonson, and other popular bards, whom indi- 
 gence compelled to endure the degradation. A most 
 animated description of these spectacles is given in 
 Miss Aikin's Memoirs of the Court of James.
 
 public. In reply to Elizabeth's messenger, 
 Henry wrote to announce his arrival in 
 London ; a condescension which called 
 forth a transport of gratitude from his en- 
 thusiastic sister : " I hear, with unspeak- 
 able satisfaction, of your return to London ; 
 et cosa e bella e finita. If you do not un- 
 derstand my Italian, I will give you an in- 
 terpretation at our next meeting, in ex- 
 change for that you promised of your La- 
 tin."* 
 
 * Je suis contente de m'avouer aucunement rede- 
 vable de 1'honneur de votre lettre a 1'importunite de 
 mon homrae et a la laideur du temps comme a causes 
 secondes suis je m'en confesse obligee a votre singu- 
 liere bienveillance comme a la seule cause principale 
 sans la quelle les autres deux n'eussent seu produire 
 un si agreable effet. Je vous en envoye mille graces 
 et vous dis brivement que je sens un extreme contente- 
 ment de votre retour por de^-a, et cose e bella e finita 
 si vous n'entendez mon Italian je vous en donnerai 
 1'interpretation a notre prochaine rencontre, en contre 
 echange de celle que me promettez de votre Latin, 
 cependant n'oubliez pas que comme je tiens de la na- 
 ture la qualite de votre cceur unique aussi tiendrai pour 
 toujours de vos merites et de mon. See Royal Letters 
 in the British Museum.
 
 96 
 
 At this period the most perfect confidence 
 dwelt between the youthful pair : the manly 
 firmness of Henry's character had produced 
 a corresponding energy in his vivacious 
 sister; had he possessed literary talents, she 
 would probably have been no less cultivated 
 than her friend Lucia Harrington : but the 
 prince had no relish for sedentary pursuits ; 
 his active spirit thirsted for enterprize, and 
 he insensibly imparted to Elizabeth his ro- 
 mantic passion for martial glory. History 
 was his favourite study ; the state of Europe 
 already engaged his serious attention j above 
 all, the state of Protestantism, to which he 
 was ready to devote himself with an ardour 
 that disdained caution or even calculation. 
 Of the influence which the spirit of party 
 exercises even over the most correct minds, 
 there can scarcely be a more striking proof 
 than that the pious, virtuous Henry, by 
 whom the allurements of vice were shunned 
 and abhorred, not only idolized the name of 
 Henry the Fourth of France, but contem- 
 plated his example as a model of political
 
 97 
 
 conduct. With the zeal of a partizan, Henry 
 had infused into his sister's mind the same 
 devotedness to the welfare of the protestant 
 party, by which he was himself actuated. 
 Even in their pleasurable excursions of 
 hunting or sailing, there is reason to believe 
 that this subject was often canvassed by 
 the youthful pair, and that they mutually 
 pledged themselves never to renounce their 
 religious faith, or withhold their aid from 
 the persecuted Reformers. It is at least 
 certain that Henry's opinions continued to 
 operate on Elizabeth's mind, and even to 
 influence her conduct, long after he had 
 sunk into an untimely grave. 
 
 With whatever contempt the prince shun- 
 ned the fopperies of the court, he was pas- 
 sionately fond of one of its amusements : 
 this was tilting, in which he excelled 
 most of his juvenile compeers. It was at the 
 gala given in honour of the creation of the 
 Prince of Wales, that he first distinguished 
 himself in this chivalrous exercise ; and at 
 
 VOL. I. H
 
 98 
 
 the queen's masque, Elizabeth and her 
 young brother, the Duke of York, entered 
 on the scene, followed by several young- 
 ladies, and, among others, the ill-fated 
 Arabella Stuart, at that time familiarly 
 associated with Elizabeth, and by Henry 
 treated with a respectful kindness, far dif- 
 ferent from the capricious insolence of Anne, 
 or the rudeness of the fickle James. 
 
 Of the innumerable women who have 
 been the victims of tyranny and oppression, 
 never was any more innocent, more unre- 
 sisting, than the gentle Arabella, and never 
 were the rights of blood more barbarously 
 outraged than in the persecution this un- 
 happy lady was destined to experience. It 
 is well known with what bitterness the clan- 
 destine union of her parents, Charles Len- 
 nox, the younger brother of Darnley, and 
 Elizabeth Cavendish, the daughter of the 
 Lady Shrewsbury, was resented by Queen 
 Elizabeth, who entertained a violent and not 
 altogether unreasonable suspicion of such 
 royal alliances as approached her throne. 
 21
 
 99 
 
 The death of the two primary offenders 
 seemed, however, to disarm her resentment, 
 and she actually drew Arabella from her 
 retreat, to be educated under her especial 
 superintendence ; and, after the death of 
 Mary, affected to consider her as presump- 
 tive heiress to the crown. * It is, however, 
 evident that the queen never had any seri- 
 ous intention in favour of Arabella, and that 
 the latter was equally without the inclination 
 to become a sovereign. With considerable 
 intellect and cultivation, she had neither the 
 energy, nor even the ambition, to fit her for 
 the conflicts of political life : gentle and af- 
 fectionate, she delighted in the refined pur- 
 suits of literature, in the elegant arts, which 
 give a zest to retirement, and in the society 
 of a few chosen friends, with whom she 
 
 See MSS. Bethune Arabella, then twelve years 
 of age, was retained at court when the queen said to 
 the French Ambassadress, " Do you see that little 
 girl ? simple as she looks, she is one day to sit in this 
 very chair of state, and take my place." Life f>fEger- 
 ton. 
 
 H 2
 
 100 
 
 could indulge dreams of romantic felicity. 
 Leaving to other women the career of pride 
 and vanity, Arabella was formed only for 
 virtuous love. In her early youth several 
 matches were proposed for her, which had 
 been all negatived by the queen and coun- 
 cil. On the accession of James, she might 
 naturally anticipate some favourable change 
 in her situation j but she soon discovered 
 that the kinsman of Elizabeth adhered to 
 the principles which he had reprobated in 
 his predecessor, and that the only part of 
 her conduct he ever imitated was that mean 
 suspicion, for which the peculiar circum- 
 stances of her birth suggested some pallia- 
 tion. 
 
 Poor and dependent, Arabella, by her 
 guileless conduct, had succeeded in extort- 
 ing some marks of favour even from King 
 James, and many tokens of esteem from 
 Prince Henry ; when she was unfortunately 
 induced to listen to the addresses of Mr. 
 Seymour, a younger son of the Earl of 
 Hertford, who, after an interval of several
 
 101 
 
 years, renewed the professions lie had first 
 offered to her youthful charms. It has been 
 justly remarked, that few women remain 
 insensible to proofs of constancy in the other 
 sex ; and, least of all women, was Arabella 
 capable of requiting so rare a quality with 
 indifference. The forlornness of her situa- 
 tion, which had nothing of royalty but its 
 chains, might excuse the facility with which 
 she yielded to her lover's importunities for 
 a clandestine marriage. She was even cre- 
 dulous enough to believe that the little- 
 minded James would evince a generosity of 
 which the great Elizabeth had been wholly 
 incapable ; but the fallacy of these expect- 
 ations was demonstrated, when she saw 
 herself separated from Seymour, who was 
 committed to the Tower, whilst she was her- 
 self, by the intercession of Prince Henry, 
 permitted to remain in safe custody at High- 
 gate. After having long languished in this 
 restraint, a feasible project was at length 
 devised for her liberation: the friends of 
 Seymour had provided a vessel in readiness. 
 
 H3
 
 102 
 
 to sail for France : Arabella eluded the vigi- 
 lance of her guardians, and, in masculine 
 attire, ill suited to her timid nature, flew to 
 the appointed place. Not finding Seymour, 
 she concluded that he had fallen into the 
 hands of his enemies, and positively refus- 
 ing to sail without her beloved husband, 
 suffered herself to be retaken, and, in a state 
 bordering on distraction, was conducted to 
 the Tower, from whence she never depart- 
 ed.* Seymour, in the meanwhile, though 
 equally disappointed in the expectation of 
 meeting his wife, more rationally embraced 
 the means of escaping to France ; from 
 whence, after Arabella's death, he was at 
 length permitted to return, and soon solaced 
 himself for her loss with another bride, 
 whose eldest daughter was named after the 
 unfortunate object of his first love. 
 
 The adventures of Arabella were pro- 
 tracted during several years ; and long be- 
 fore their melancholy termination, the fate 
 
 * See the touching history of Arabella in Mr. D'Is- 
 raeli's Curiosities of Literature.
 
 103 
 
 of Elizabeth was decided. Already, though 
 she had scarcely reached her sixteenth year, 
 several overtures of marriage had been made 
 and rejected. The disposal of her hand was 
 a subject of contention to her parents, the 
 queen insisting that her daughter should 
 never bestow her hand without obtaining a 
 regal crown ; the king, on the contrary, 
 affirmed that a splendid alliance was un- 
 desirable for his daughter, though indispens- 
 able to the Prince of Wales. It is probable 
 that Anne would ultimately have prevailed, 
 but for two enlightened statesmen, Sir Ralph 
 Win wood and Sir Dudley Carleton, who, by 
 the intervention of Maurice of Nassau, in- 
 duced the king's acceptance of the young 
 Elector Palatine. It is worthy of remark, 
 that during the king's reign this was the 
 only measure addressed to the Protestant 
 interests truly acceptable to the feelings of 
 the people. It appears not, however, that 
 James was actuated by religious zeal in 
 sanctioning this marriage : it should rather 
 seem, that finding his daughter's inclin- 
 H 4
 
 104. 
 
 ations harmonize with the views of his minis- 
 ters, he was not displeased to purchase 
 popularity on the easy terms of disappoint- 
 ing his queen, and incurring her reproaches. 
 He calculated also on extorting money from 
 the Parliament, in return for his concession 
 to their principles, and anticipated, with 
 complacency, the ascendancy which an al- 
 liance with Maurice of Nassau might ensure 
 him with the States of Holland, which hav- 
 ing lately redeemed the debt contracted 
 with Queen Elizabeth, and resumed the 
 cautionary towns surrendered to that prin- 
 cess, might in future not merely assert, but 
 maintain their independence of the British 
 empire. 
 
 To the Prince of Wales, although his 
 opinions had never been consulted, the pro- 
 posed connection was in every respect ac- 
 ceptable. Educated under the Duke de 
 Bouillon, it was impossible but that the 
 young Elector, like himself) must be a poli- 
 tical disciple of the illustrious Henry the 
 Fourth, and, as the ostensible chief of the
 
 105 
 
 Union, might hereafter take a prominent 
 part in vindicating the liberties of Protestant 
 Europe. This consideration was alone suffi- 
 cient to secure Henry's suffrage ; and when 
 lie reflected that Frederic, on the mother's 
 side, drew his descent from the glorious 
 William of Nassau, he could not hesitate to 
 prefer this prince to the son of any monarch 
 in Europe, not even excepting the young 
 Gustavus of Sweden. * 
 
 Finding the Prince of Wales impracticable 
 to her wishes, the Queen appealed to her 
 daughter's pride, whether she would like to 
 be stigmatized as Goody Palsgrave ; but she 
 soon found that Elizabeth, though not in- 
 different to pomp and splendour, adhered 
 to her brother's principles, since she re- 
 plied, with his firmness, " I would rather 
 espouse a Protestant Count than a Catholic 
 Emperor." t 
 
 It was impossible but that the approach- 
 
 * It is pretended that proposals were made by this 
 prince for Elizabeth. (See Hart's Gustavus.) Over- 
 tures were also made by the Duke of Savoy. 
 
 f "VVinwood.
 
 106 
 
 ing separation should excite painful feelings 
 in Henry and Elizabeth ; but with the san- 
 guine spirit of youth, they seem to have en- 
 joyed still more intensely the brief interval 
 that they should be permitted to spend to- 
 gether. There was, however, a marked dif- 
 ference in the manner in which the prince 
 sometimes condescended to adopt his sister's 
 tastes, whilst she scarcely waited for invita- 
 tion to enter with ardour into his pursuits, 
 however opposed to her ordinary occupa- 
 tions j ship-building and navigation having 
 long engaged Henry's attention, she be- 
 came eager to inspect the dock-yards, and 
 was even ready to prefer a ship launch to a 
 birth-day ball. But she gave a still more 
 pleasing trait of sympathy, in distinguish- 
 ing with kindness those who shared her 
 brother's patronage, more especially those 
 whom he had protected from unmerited 
 hostility. Among these the well-known 
 Phineas Pett *, one of the most ingenious 
 
 * Phineas Pett was born at Deptford, and, educated 
 at a tree school, had risen by his own efforts from
 
 10? 
 
 naval architects of his day, has left a re- 
 cord of the favours conferred on his wife 
 
 indigent obscurity. In 1603, being in distress, he was 
 advised to build a yacht for the young Prince Henry, 
 for his own private recreation. This vessel having 
 been finished in two months, was presented to the 
 prince, by whom Pett was graciously received. He 
 then worked a model, which was shown to James ; 
 after which he was generally favoured at court, until 
 by the artifices of rival shipwrights, strong distrust was 
 excited of his ability, and he was summoned by the 
 Lord Admiral to answer, at a public examination, the 
 charges preferred against him, the King, Prince of 
 Wales, and several officers of state being present. 
 During this mock trial, which lasted twelve hours, the 
 shipwrights were ranged on the one side of the room, his 
 Majesty and his officers on the other. At one o'clock 
 his majesty called for his dinner, after which the debate 
 was resumed, and Pett continued to debate article by 
 article on his knees. " The dispute was begun," says 
 Pett, " by Lord Northampton and sometimes by Baker, 
 "sometimes by Stevens, Beight, Clay, all ship- 
 " wrights, sometimes confused by all, and, which was 
 " worse, his majesty's countenance still bent on me, 
 " so that I was almost disheartened and out of breath : 
 " albeit, the prince's highness standing near me, from 
 " time to time encouraged me as far as he might witli- 
 " out offence to his father, labouring to have me eased
 
 108 
 
 by the Lady Elizabeth, to which he was, 
 perhaps, the more sensible, since they 
 were administered at a moment when he 
 saw himself exposed to the malice of his 
 enemies. In the sequel, Pett triumphed, 
 and Prince Henry, whose generous heart 
 yearned to offer reparation to his wounded 
 feelings, induced his sister to accompany 
 him to visit his humble abode at Woolwich, 
 where she lavished on his wife the most 
 cordial demonstrations of kindness. After 
 his acquittal *, Pett was employed in build- 
 
 " by standing up ; but his majesty would not permit 
 " it. His majesty afterwards examined the materials 
 " which had been depreciated, declaring, the cross 
 " grain was in the men, not in the timber" 
 
 The king continued to investigate, pretending to 
 be competent to decide on the subject, and finally 
 declared that the ship was right in every point, and 
 the accusation groundless. Upon which the prince ex- 
 claimed aloud, " Where be those perjured fellows 
 " that dare abuse the king's majesty with their false 
 " accusations ? Do they not worthily deserve hang- 
 " ing ?" 
 
 * Archaeologia llth volume.
 
 109 
 
 ing a man-of-war, which was launched in 
 the summer of 16 12, a few weeks before 
 the public announcement of Elizabeth's 
 intended espousals ; and in this ship, 
 called from its illustrious sponsor, the 
 Prince, was the royal bride afterwards waft- 
 ed from her native shore. Little did the 
 princess imagine, on that day when she 
 sat on the deck by Henry's side, in anxious 
 expectation of a propitious tide that 
 she should so soon enter it bereaved of 
 him, who had been at once the playmate, 
 the brother, the friend of her happy child- 
 hood, almost the only being with whom 
 she could'enjoy that equality which is essen- 
 tial to perfectly harmonious friendship. 
 
 The sympathy in their principles and 
 dispositions is alluded to by Donne, in the 
 following lines, extracted from the monody 
 on Prince Henry. 
 
 Oh ! may I since I live, but see or hear, 
 That the intelligence which moved this sphere. 
 I pardon fate, my life whoe'er thou be 
 Which hast the noble conscience, thou art she,
 
 I conjure ilice by all the charms he spoke, 
 By the oaths which only you two never broke, 
 By all the souls ye sighed, that if you see 
 These lines, you wish, I knew your history, 
 So much as you two mutual heavens were here, 
 I were an angel, singing what ye were !
 
 CHAP. III. 
 
 SKETCHES OF PRINCE MAURICE OF NASSAU. HIS 
 SISTER. THE GRAND PENSiONARY, BARNEVELT. 
 FREDERIC'S ARRIVAL IN ENGLAND. FAVOUR- 
 ABLE RECEPTION. DEATH OF PRINCE HENRY. 
 
 FREDERIC BETROTHED TO ELIZABETH. MAR- 
 RIAGE. DEPARTURE. 
 
 FROM the sketch which has been already 
 given of Frederic's education, it is evident 
 that no plan could have been more judici- 
 ously selected for combining the advantages 
 of the court and the college, unincumbered 
 with the vices of the one, or the pedantry 
 of the other. At Sedan, Frederic had not 
 only acquired the accomplishments of a 
 prince and a cavalier, but the manners and 
 sentiments of a fine gentleman and in 
 comparing her son with other german
 
 princes, Juliana had reason to felicitate her- 
 self on his improvement ; nor was his con- 
 duct less unexceptionable than his deport- 
 ment his religious principles were con- 
 sistent, his dispositions mild and affection- 
 ate, and, to complete her work, his mother 
 had only to obtain for him an illustrious 
 and amiable bride. This boon was also 
 granted to her prayers, since Frederic was 
 permitted to visit England as Elizabeth's 
 suitor, and she could scarcely doubt of his 
 ultimate success. That nothing, however, 
 might be wanting to accelerate those ad- 
 vantageous views, he quitted Heidelberg 
 with a truly princely suite of 420 persons, 
 including thirty nobles, of whom twelve 
 were of royal lineage and a train of 
 knights, pages, esquires, and menial attend- 
 ants. For the juvenile part of this com- 
 pany was provided a schoolmaster and 
 for the whole community a chaplain, who 
 was no other than Abraham Scultetus, 
 afterwards unfortunately notorious at the 
 synod of Dort. Born in Silesia, and educated
 
 113 
 
 in the principles of the Hussites *, this man 
 had originally quitted his native country, 
 partly perhaps to avoid persecution, but 
 chiefly, it may be presumed, to acquire fame 
 and fortune. A happy chance directed him 
 to Heidelberg, where his learning and elo- 
 quence attracted notice, and the strictness 
 of his morals induced Juliana to place him 
 near her son in the capacity of domestic 
 chaplain, or, in other words, his spiritual 
 director ; a dangerous confidence when ta- 
 lents and experience concurred with an en- 
 terprizing spirit to controul the credulous 
 youth and facile mind of Frederic. Deeply 
 imbued with the scholastic erudition of his 
 day, Scultetus sympathized in the dreams 
 of certain biblical fanatics, who, by a 
 strange combination of astro - theological 
 science and superstition, extracted from the 
 Apocalypse predictions favourable to their 
 peculiar tenets, and boldly announced the 
 
 The immediate descendant of the disciples of 
 Wickliffe, with whom commenced the Reformation in 
 Bohemia. 
 
 VOL. I. I
 
 114 
 
 approaching triumph of their sect, and the 
 downfall of the Antichrist. In Scotland, 
 and in England, there existed several of 
 these scholastic visionaries, already known to 
 Scultetus by name, and with whom he 
 eagerly anticipated the delights of personal 
 intercourse : even without their encourage- 
 ments, the minister had wrought himself 
 into a conviction that the English alliance 
 was destined to produce an astonishing 
 change in the religious state of Christen- 
 dom. The sight of Holland, the birth- 
 place of liberty in modern times, was in it- 
 self sufficient to awaken enthusiasm. Dur- 
 ing fifty years this mound of earth, 
 shored with dykes, had presented a series 
 of revolutions unexampled in Christian 
 Europe. And in Contemplating the wonders 
 achieved in its infancy by the rising com- 
 monwealth against the navies and armies, 
 the treasures and intrigues of Spain, even 
 catholics would not withhold the tribute 
 of admiration. 
 
 The aspect of this country was not more
 
 115 
 
 peculiar than the system of manners and 
 society which had insensibly superseded, or 
 incorporated itself with ancient institutions. 
 Here, as in Germany, the nobles preserved 
 their hereditary rank and heraldic distinc- 
 tions ; but divested of those feudal prero- 
 gatives which had rendered them oppressive 
 to other orders of the community ; no serfs 
 were here rooted to the soil, no abject 
 "vassals, no swarms of retainers. The hum- 
 blest citizen challenged respect ; the rustic 
 boor was free. Of the antiquated seignories, 
 no vestige remained, but in the immense 
 parks which were still preserved for the 
 favourite pastime of hunting. The crowds 
 of lazy and superfluous domestics, that in 
 other countries infested the halls of nobi- 
 lity, were here unseen, even beneath a royal 
 roof.* Hence, habits of industry and act- 
 ivity were communicated to the citizen and 
 the peasant, and throughout the commu- 
 nity prevailed a spirit of perseverance and 
 independence, a rational and laudable am- 
 
 * Howell's Letters. 
 I 2
 
 116 
 
 bition, which stimulated to enterprise, in- 
 spired patriotism, and ensured its recom- 
 pence. 
 
 The formation of this novel system of 
 policy was, however, rather to be ascribed 
 to accident, than to profound political spe- 
 culations. It was a glorious experiment ; 
 but whether it should eventually succeed, 
 was a question time only could determine. 
 In the federative union of the states, each 
 of which retained its own laws and prescrip- 
 tive privileges, there was evidently a want 
 of compactness, of harmony, and unity, so 
 essential to a republican government. That 
 hitherto these defects had been undis- 
 covered was to be ascribed to the extraordi- 
 dinary men who presided in the republic. 
 The grand pensionary of Holland, who 
 watched over the popular interests, was John 
 Barnevelt, the contemporary, the friend, the 
 coadjutor of William of Nassau, and the 
 protector of his son, who by his efforts in 
 opposition to French and English intrigues 
 had been placed at the head of the republic, 
 16
 
 117 
 
 whilst Barnevelt still retained his office, and 
 the confidence of his fellow citizens, living 
 with patriarchal simplicity surrounded by his 
 friends and his children. Faithfully devoted 
 to his country, he had lately set the seal to 
 national independence, by redeeming from 
 the British government the cautionary 
 towns which had been given in pledge for 
 the sums lent by Elizabeth. Exulting in 
 this consummation of his labours, the pa- 
 triot lived in peace, delighted with the 
 rising talents of Hugo Grotius, honouring 
 Louisa de Coligny, loving her son Henry 
 Frederic, and wishing well even to Maurice, 
 (of whose ambitious views he was, however, 
 fully aware,) for the services he had render, 
 ed to the Commonwealth. 
 
 It was Barnevelt who had detected in 
 this prince, when only eighteen years of 
 age, the qualities of a chief and a statesman. 
 The result justified his predictions. Mau- 
 rice equalled his father as a military com- 
 mander ; as a politician, surpassed him ; as 
 the high-minded patriot, the magnanimous 
 i 3
 
 118 
 
 ehristian, he was inferior, or rather utterly 
 dissimilar. Born and educated in the school 
 of adversity, he had early acquired lessons 
 of caution and distrust never to be eradi- 
 cated. Like his grandfather, Maurice of 
 Saxony, he descended to simulation when it 
 accorded with his views j and under the 
 semblance of a frank and careless nature, 
 disguised the most subtle policy and un- 
 measurable ambition. It is but just to 
 add, that if he sympathized not in his 
 father's chivalrous sentiments, he was no 
 less exemplary in his domestic affections ; 
 separated from his elder brother, he after- 
 wards voluntarily restored to him the estates 
 which had been thirty years in his occupa- 
 tion ; to his uterine sister, Emilia, he was 
 a paternal protector, till she incurred his 
 displeasure by marrying the son of king 
 Antonio of Portugal, an expatriated prince, 
 to whom nothing remained of his paternal 
 rights but the religion which Maurice and 
 his sister equally rejected. On this occasion, 
 Maurice evinced the kindness of his nature 
 
 17
 
 119 
 
 by readmitting Emilia to favour, for her 
 sake even receiving as a brother the prince 
 Emanuel, to whom he allotted a mainten- 
 ance suitable to his birth, without attempt- 
 ing to establish him in any department of 
 the state, for which, as a papist, he was by 
 law disqualified. If with Emilia he acted 
 with generosity to Henry Frederic his 
 younger brother, he performed a father's 
 part, and nobly fulfilled the promise he 
 had made to Louisa de Coligny, in adopt- 
 ing him as his only son. In the spirit of a 
 German Prince, he not only refused to 
 marry, lest he should prejudice his bro- 
 ther's interest in the state, but even refused 
 to legitimate two sons sprung from a clan- 
 destine connexion, to whose mother he was 
 faithfully attached, and who had sig- 
 nalized their valour in the wars of the re- 
 public. 
 
 Hitherto the character of Maurice has 
 
 been contemplated in its fairest phasis. 
 
 Success had crowned his efforts ; that which 
 
 his father had begun was by him completed ; 
 
 i 4
 
 120 
 
 that which others had attempted it was re- 
 served for him to achieve. By him and 
 Barnevelt the cause of humanity and free- 
 dom had prevailed : the independence of 
 the republic was established; its flag tri- 
 umphed in every quarter of the globe. But 
 however delightful might be this reflection 
 to the patriotism of Barnevelt, it satisfied 
 not the ambitious mind of Maurice, who, 
 though born in Holland, inherited the aris- 
 tocratic feelings of a Prince of Orange ; 
 recollecting that his ancestors had en- 
 joyed almost absolute sovereignty over one 
 of the finest provinces of the new confed- 
 eracy, he scorned to owe to the States a 
 delegated and precarious authority.* In 
 his mind the passion for ancestry prevail- 
 ed over all the glorious associations de- 
 rived from the founders of a republic. To 
 aggrandize the House of Nassau was his 
 real aim, and to vest in it an hereditary and 
 
 * See Memoires du Maurier. Brandt Le Vassor, 
 Histoire du Regne de Louis Treize.
 
 121 
 
 legitimate sovereignty the ultimate end of 
 his labours. Sensible that unless Bar- 
 nevelt co-operated, this plan could not be 
 realized without considerable difficulty, he 
 authorized Louisa Coligny to propose to the 
 grand pensionary the measure he had long 
 contemplated, and to offer him any dignity 
 he might challenge for a recompence. Bar- 
 nevelt listened without surprise to the 
 proposition, explained his objections, and 
 with them pronounced his negative, pro- 
 testing that the completion of the design 
 would ultimately involve in ruin the prince 
 and the republic. Convinced by his ar- 
 guments, Louisa hastened to impart them 
 to Maurice, on whose mind they produced 
 a far different impression ; but, concealing 
 his resentment, he exclaimed, " It is all 
 well !" and dismissed the conversation with 
 a look afterwards too painfully recalled to 
 her remembrance. * 
 
 Regretting that he had ever confided in 
 
 * Maurier.
 
 122 
 
 Barnevelt, Maurice dissembled his resent- 
 ment, and sought only to lull the suspicions 
 which his overture must have awakened. 
 On his part, Barnevelt appears to have been 
 unchanged ; but his patriotism was now at- 
 tributed by Maurice to suspicion, his mag- 
 nanimity to malice, and his uprightness to 
 obliquity. The conclusion of the truce with 
 Spain in 1609, by circumscribing the autho- 
 rity of the Commander-in-chief, increased his 
 enmity to Barnevelt: even the redemption of 
 the debt incurred by the States to Elizabeth, 
 and the restoration of the cautionary towns 
 which had been pledged for its repayment, 
 which was also effected by Barnevelt, ob- 
 tained not his approbation. To accomplish 
 his original design was now an object in 
 which his pride and ambition were equally 
 interested ; it was a trial of skill, that, like 
 his favourite game of chess, absorbed his 
 faculties *. No longer confining himself to 
 sound national policy, he diverged into the 
 
 * The prince was always dejected if he lost a game 
 at chess. Du Maurier.
 
 speculations of the Duke de Bouillon, and, 
 like him, began to construct a new series 
 of calculations on his youthful nephew, the 
 Elector Palatine, whose projected marriage 
 appeared to yield him more satisfaction than 
 any recent triumph obtained by the repub- 
 lic. 
 
 To the politics of Maurice or Barnevelt, 
 it is not probable, either Scultetus or Fre- 
 deric lent attention ; but the minister was at- 
 tracted by a controversy which had begun to 
 shed its poison on this once happy people. 
 These unhappy commotions originated in 
 the discourses of Arminius, formerly profes- 
 sor in the University of Leyden, a man of ex- 
 emplary goodness, who had lived in literary 
 retirement till he became . distinguished as 
 a popular preacher j when in a series of dis- 
 courses, delivered expressly to elucidate the 
 doctrines of Calvin, he incidentally advanced 
 opinions essentially different from the famous 
 Catechism of Heidelberg.* For this aber- 
 
 * It is deplorable to reflect that these commotions 
 should have arisen among a people who had struggled
 
 ration he was vehemently attacked by one 
 Gomar, another student, who tenaciously 
 adhered to the old explanation. Too en- 
 lightened to be a bigot, and naturally averse 
 to controversy, Arminius was at first un- 
 willing to pursue the contest ; but the acri- 
 monious zeal of Gomar allowed him no other 
 alternative. He replied, his antagonist re- 
 joined, partisans enlisted on either side ; 
 and thus insensibly the dispute increased, 
 till, by the misguided zeal of the alarmists 
 
 for religious freedom. The rights of enquiry assumed 
 in one instance could not, without palpable injustice, 
 be refused in any other. And the vigorous attack of 
 Luther on Papistical despotisms, should for ever have 
 secured the Christian world from any new pretenders 
 to unity and infallibility, words of fatal import in the 
 lips of erring and fallible men : but it soon appeared 
 that a part of the old system was retained by the re- 
 formed, and in it the principles* of that domination 
 which had rendered the yoke of Rome insupportable. 
 Even in the States of Holland this chimera of unity 
 and infallibility, derived from dark times and corrupt 
 precedents, produced consequences repugnant to hu- 
 manity and justice, which indirectly had an intimate 
 connection with the fortunes of the Palatine family.
 
 125 
 
 and fanatics of the age, it was forced on the 
 attention of the States, by whose command 
 it was brought before a Synod held at Rot- 
 terdam. As this assembly was composed of 
 the clergy, they declared for the old and 
 orthodox exposition ; and consequently Ar- 
 minius had no resource but to appeal to the 
 grand council, in which statesmen and civi- 
 lians and honourable patriots presided ; and 
 where, as he had foreseen, he was exoner- 
 ated from the schism imputed to him by his 
 adversaries. With respect to the doctrines, 
 they contented themselves with reporting to 
 the States that the controversy turned on 
 abstruse points, in which neither the govern- 
 ment nor the people had any interest. 
 Shortly after, Arminius died as he had 
 lived, to exemplify the Christian virtues, 
 with peace in his soul and charity on his 
 lips. But the controversy was not buried 
 with him : exasperated by defeat, Gomar re- 
 newed the attack ; and, unfortunately, a dis- 
 ciple of Arminius, the learned Vorstius, who, 
 though virtuous, was not equally forbear-
 
 126 
 
 ing, published an elaborate defence of the 
 Arminian doctrine, which drew the atten- 
 tion of all the theologians in Europe, and 
 more especially of King James, by whom 
 it was rejected with an acrimony not infe- 
 rior to that which Henry the Eighth had 
 displayed in repelling Luther ; nor did the 
 monarch rest till having consigned the book 
 to the flames in England, he required of the 
 States to inflict punishment on its author. * 
 In the meanwhile, the Arminians, in their 
 own defence, drew up articles of their be- 
 lief, which they presented, with a remon- 
 strance, to the States : their opponents re- 
 plied by other articles, and the names of 
 remonstrants and contra-remonstrants de- 
 signated either party. In the progress of 
 the contest, several men of eminent attain- 
 ments, who had hitherto paid no attention 
 to theological subjects, but who could no 
 longer avoid giving their suffrage to one of 
 these belligerent parties, espoused the cause 
 
 * See Carleton's Letters.
 
 of the remonstrants. In this number were 
 Utenbogard, the chaplain of the princess 
 dowager, the princess herself) and the two 
 greatest men the States had ever produced, 
 the venerable Barnevelt and the young, 
 but already celebrated, Grotius. It was, 
 however, but too evident that a great ma- 
 jority, including all the credulous, the mer- 
 cenary, and indifferent, declared for their 
 adversaries. 
 
 In conformity to the spirit of that age, a 
 schism in the national faith was deprecated 
 as the most awful calamity: even Hugo 
 Grotius countenanced this opinion; to 
 which the powerful mind of Barnevelt alone 
 rose superior, and, though dissenting from 
 their tenets, he demanded for the Armi- 
 nians the rights of toleration. No sooner 
 had this great patriot openly protected the 
 remonstrants, than Maurice of Nassau began 
 closely to observe the movements of the 
 belligerent parties ; nor was he displeased 
 that James, who had lately intruded into 
 this dispute, by writing against Vorstius*
 
 128 
 
 now peremptorily demanded from the States 
 that he should be suspended from his office. 
 As the sentiments of Scultetus coincided with 
 those of Gomar and his partizans, he could 
 not but draw a favourable presage from 
 the zeal which had been manifested by the 
 British monarch, and was perhaps scarcely 
 less eager than the bridegroom elect to quit 
 the Batavian shore. 
 
 On the 16th of October the Elector em- 
 barked in a splendid yacht, with an adverse 
 wind, which, it was remarked, became sud- 
 denly propitious ; " a manifest sign," says 
 a contemporary journalist, " that the expe- 
 dition was well pleasing to God." * The 
 next day Frederic found himself at Graves, 
 end, where Sir Lewis Falkenor, the inde- 
 
 * Much of this account is extracted from a German 
 quarto printed in 1613, intituled, " Reiss der Emp- 
 fahlung dess ritterlichen ordem vol bringung des Hey- 
 raths, und glucklicher Heimfuhrung Wie auch der 
 anselnlichen Einfuhrung, gehaltener Ritterspiel und 
 Fruedenfests, des Durchleuchligsten. Hochgebornen 
 Fursten und Herrn, Hernn Friederichen dess Funften 
 Pfalsgraven bey Rhein. Anno 1623."
 
 129 
 
 fatigable master of the ceremonies (an officer 
 new to the British court), was in readiness to 
 conduct the prince to the Ship Inn, in which 
 apartments, royally garnished with tapestry, 
 were prepared for his reception. Here he 
 was permitted to rest till the next day, when 
 the Lord Hay (afterwards Viscount Don- 
 caster, so often employed in puerile embas- 
 sies, and notorious for his pomp and finery), 
 arrived to offer excuses and compliments. 
 On the following morning he was assailed 
 with a pressing invitation from James, pre- 
 sented by no less a personage than the Duke 
 of Lenox * , the veteran courtier, who had 
 been the king's juvenile favourite, and, 
 though long since superseded by less ho- 
 
 * Esrae Stuart, Duke of Lenox, suspected of 
 Catholicism in his youth, the personal favourite of 
 James, but never interfering with political affairs, for 
 which he possessed no ability. After his death, his 
 daughter Elizabeth took the liberty of marrying to 
 please herself, without consulting the reigning mo- 
 narch, Charles the First, who, following the arbitrary 
 maxims of his predecessors, committed her husband 
 to the Tower. 
 
 VOL. I. K
 
 130 
 
 nourable men, still retained his esteem and 
 confidence. After regaling this nobleman 
 with all the luxuries of his inn, Frederic 
 embarked with a train of cavaliers in a royal 
 barge, and had the satisfaction to discover 
 that his approach was neither indifferent nor 
 unwelcome to the British people who lined 
 the banks of the river, or crowded in boats, 
 to catch the first glimpse of the Protestant 
 Prince who was to espouse the fair Eliza- 
 beth. When he passed the Tower, he was 
 royally saluted, and the spectators assem- 
 bled in such crowds, that the elector, says 
 his journalist, in spite of the cold raw 
 wind, was constrained to sit with all the 
 windows open for their gratification. At 
 length the barge touched at Whitehall, and 
 on the stairs leading to the shore, Frederic 
 was wekomed by Prince Charles, then in 
 his eleventh year, and by him conducted 
 through rows of courtiers and their retain- 
 ers to the superb hall in which the king and 
 queen, prince and princess, were assem- 
 18
 
 131 
 
 bled.* It was a critical moment for Fre- 
 deric, conscious that he was exposed to rigid 
 scrutiny, to find himself in the presence of 
 the lady to whose favour he aspired, but 
 whose charms might not awaken love, and 
 by whom he might be rejected : he ad- 
 vanced, however, without trepidation to- 
 wards James, with grace to Queen Anne, 
 with frankness to the Prince, and with a 
 degree of elegance to the Lady Elizabeth. 
 Under such circumstances to have preserved 
 self possession was no mean praise. His 
 stature and carriage satisfied the ladies ; and 
 those who had been most anxious to create 
 a prejudice against the marriage, were forced 
 to admit that the Count Palatine was in 
 person unexceptionable, and that nothing 
 was wanting but that he should exchange 
 the electoral coronet for a regal diadem. 
 
 The first audience being over, Frederic was 
 conducted to apartments prepared for him 
 in St. James's palace. In the first interview, 
 
 * Winwood's Memorials.
 
 he had scarcely exchanged a glance with 
 his mistress ; but the following day he not 
 only met all the royal family with familiar 
 cordiality in the gallery at Whitehall ; but 
 was allowed to pay a private visit to Eliza- 
 beth, who still resided under Lord Harring- 
 ton's protection. Nothing was talked or 
 thought of but amusement and with all, 
 but the queen and her Spanish friends, the 
 elector was become a favourite : the king- 
 avowed his partiality, the prince more ar- 
 dently expressed satisfaction, Elizabeth al- 
 lowed him all modest maidenly encourage- 
 ment j and her ladies soon discovered that, 
 though by his graceful and discreet car- 
 riage he had conciliated the whole court, 
 it was in her society only that he delighted. * 
 The third day after her arrival she invited 
 him to a solemn supper, after which was a 
 play or rather a masque, since to Frederic, 
 an English composition would have been 
 wholly unintelligible. The youthful pair 
 
 * Winwood.
 
 133 
 
 already discovered, that it was very plea- 
 sant to meet familiarly at the hours of re- 
 past without ceremony or restraint. Lord 
 and Lady Harrington were anxious to pro- 
 mote a marriage that promised fair for the 
 Protestant interest, and Elizabeth's young 
 female attendants, among whom one most 
 distinguished as her favourite, Anne Dud- 
 ley, openly advocated the elector's preten- 
 sions, whence it was justly to be inferred, 
 that they understood the inclinations of their 
 mistress. The civic feast at Guildhall on Lord 
 Mayor's day *, however superb, was pro- 
 
 * In the German quarto before alluded to is a co- 
 pious description of the civic solemnities. " First went 
 " the mayor in a stately barge, followed by an incredi- 
 " ble number of boats to Whitehall where, having 
 " taken an oath of fealty to the king ; he was by him 
 " created a knight after which he returned by water. 
 " Several officers of state preceded the mayor on 
 " their way to Guildhall chamber. The various com- 
 " panics walked in procession, clad in scarlet robes 
 " and armed with swords and shields the procession 
 " was enlivened by pictures or pageants, one of which 
 ' represented the fine arts, another the whole series of 
 " British mbnarchs." 
 
 K 3
 
 134- 
 
 bably less acceptable to Frederic than the 
 solemn supper, or unceremonious dinner he 
 had partaken with Elizabeth. The wooing 
 of royal personages is proverbially dull and 
 cold; but the young elector, to the un- 
 speakable delight of the ladies, betrayed the 
 symptoms of genuine love nor was this 
 surprising, since the object of his pursuit 
 possessed beauty and accomplishments to 
 satisfy a more fastidious taste. Her form, 
 though well proportioned, was light and 
 graceful; sprightliness and dignity were 
 blended in her movements. There was an 
 intelligent language in her eyes ; the glow 
 of life, of hope, and happiness, was diffused 
 over her countenance. There were many 
 contemporary princesses more beautiful, 
 some not less accomplished ; but none, who 
 like her passed alternately from sportive- 
 ness to enthusiasm, or so happily united 
 simplicity to embellishment. Although well 
 educated, she could not be called studious, 
 like the daughter of Henry the Eighth 
 she aspired not to the graces of the un-
 
 135 
 
 happy Mary Stuart ; nor had she the pensive 
 elegance of her persecuted cousin, Arabella. 
 Elizabeth affected not to be either a wit, a 
 scholar, or a musician and it was her all 
 prevailing charm, that she spoke and looked 
 withoutpremeditation, personifying youth in 
 all its airiness, and buoyancy, and suscepti- 
 bility of enjoyment. When she sprung upon 
 her palfrey it was like a nymph, when she 
 followed the chace, it was with an air of ro- 
 mantic triumph. With all this vivacity of 
 character, Elizabeth was not incapable 
 of serious reflection, her religious principles 
 were deeply rooted she had been fortified 
 by her brother's opinions, and it appears 
 probable they had in some degree influ- 
 enced her conduct, since she seldom ex- 
 hibited her person in the court masques like 
 her volatile mother never invited Frederic 
 to a ball during his visit to England. It was 
 Elizabeth alone who could have compensated 
 to the elector, for the various chagrins and 
 solicitudes that attended his residence in the 
 English courts. The queen withdrew not
 
 136 
 
 her opposition to the match, and he learnt 
 from Schomberg, his chamberlain and con- 
 fidant, that his dignity was not appreciated 
 by the nobility and that the motley group 
 of his attendants including men and boys, 
 with their reverend preceptor, the various 
 officers of his kitchen their foreign usages 
 and national prejudices, rather excited de- 
 rision than inspired respect in the opulent 
 citizens of London j and whilst Abraham 
 Scultetus attached himself exclusively to a 
 knot of theologians, Count Schomberg, 
 more zealous than politic, boldly maintain- 
 ed, that the Elector was superior to the 
 Queen's brother, Christian King of Den- 
 mark, inasmuch as he was entitled to take 
 precedence of a greater monarch, the King 
 of Bohemia. The dispute was reported to 
 the queen, who resented the disparagement 
 of her brother. But her attention was soon 
 called from that subject by the fatal illness 
 of the Prince of Wales, for whom she cer- 
 tainly felt more affection, or at least testified 
 
 more sorrow, than her consort. At the 
 15
 
 
 commencement of Henry's malady no dan- 
 ger was apprehended by Elizabeth j but her 
 anxiety once alarmed, was never to be ap- 
 peased, and, according to the German Jour- 
 nalist, she had no consolation but in the 
 sympathising tenderness of Frederic, who 
 was every evening privately admitted to her 
 presence. The influence of a common grief 
 is well known to be as potent in softening 
 enmity as in confirming attachments : even 
 Anne was touched with the genuine feeling 
 evinced by the Elector Palatine; whilst 
 James, having been apprised of certain 
 sinister rumours which prevailed, respecting 
 his indifference to the marriage, two days 
 after Henry's death publicly declared that 
 he should consider Frederic as sent by "God, 
 to console him for the son he had lost, and 
 that he wished him in future to be lodged, 
 like his two surviving children, within the 
 walls of his own palace. For this attention, 
 Frederic was not alone" indebted to the good 
 offices of his fair mistress, but to the sug- 
 gestions of Archbishop Abbot and other
 
 
 138 
 
 Zealous Protestants, who urged the necessity 
 of concluding a marriage more than ever 
 desired by the people. For the king's indul- 
 gence, however obtained, Frederic had suffi- 
 cient reason to be grateful, since etiquette 
 forbade the royal family to admit any vi- 
 sitor until after the funeral j and it was 
 only when placed under the same roof, that 
 the prince could be allowed to share the 
 sorrows of his beloved, to whom he was 
 inexpressibly endeared by the reflection, 
 that he had been preferred to every other 
 suitor by her lamented brother. During 
 their seclusion from the world, she discover- 
 ed in her destined husband so many amiable 
 qualities, and received from him so many 
 proofs of tender regard, that she had no 
 longer any hesitation in fulfilling an engage- 
 ment which was confirmed by mutual esteem 
 and sincere affection. The king having pro- 
 mised that the marriage should be solemn- 
 ised as soon as the elector was sufficiently 
 familiar with the English language to per- 
 form his part in the ceremony, he applied
 
 139 
 
 witli redoubled diligence to that study, in 
 which, it may fairly be presumed, Elizabeth 
 was his best instructress. 
 
 In the meanwhile the corpse of the la- 
 mented Prince of Wales, after three pro- 
 gressive removals from the chamber in which 
 he had breathed his last, was, on the 7th of 
 December, interred in Westminster Abbey 
 with unexampled pomp and magnificence. 
 Of this gorgeous pageant nothing perhaps 
 was so truly impressive as the air of sadness 
 universally pervading the spectators, and 
 that expression of heartfelt sorrow, which, 
 more than the martial ranks, the sable 
 plumes, or glimmering torches, imparted to 
 the spectacle an affecting and almost awful 
 solemnity. In the mournful procession, 
 which lasted from morn till evening, Fre- 
 deric, attended by twelve nobles, marched 
 after Prince Charles, and was himself the 
 distinguished object of popular sympathy. 
 Bereaved of their idolized prince, the na- 
 tion seemed to transfer to Elizabeth a por-
 
 140 
 
 tion of the enthusiasm that had been con- 
 secrated to Henry ; and, for her sake, the 
 Palsgrave, though a stranger, was adopted 
 to their hearts, and cherished as one of their 
 native princes. 
 
 From this period the Palatine party con- 
 tinued rapidly to increase j and, either from 
 inclination or policy, the King thought pro- 
 per to lavish honours on his son-in-law elect. 
 No time was lost in conferring on him the 
 Order of the Garter, with which he was pri- 
 vately invested at Whitehall, with as much 
 ceremony as decency permitted. Indepen- 
 dent of the honour attached to this ornament 
 of knighthood, its value was enhanced to 
 Frederic by the presence of his mistress, 
 who, clad in mourning weeds, had privately 
 witnessed the ceremony from a balcony pre- 
 pared for her accommodation. Deeply en- 
 amoured of chivalry, the youthful princess 
 no sooner saw her lover habited in the blue 
 vest, with the medallion of St. George sus- 
 pended from the shoulder, than she issued
 
 
 14,1 
 
 from her retreat, eager to be the first to wish 
 him joy and prosperity, and little suspecting 
 that she was hereafter to occasion the prin- 
 cipal misfortunes of his life. 
 
 Not satisfied with these demonstrations 
 of affection, the King, who seemed to ima- 
 gine nothing could be so interesting to his 
 courtiers as the subject of marriage, an- 
 nounced a public betrothment of the royal 
 parties, a ceremony which, on the 27th of 
 December, was duly celebrated, evidently 
 in imitation of the custom of the French 
 court ; but, with far less elegance and pro- 
 priety. From this spectacle, the queen 
 chose to absent herself on the plea of in- 
 disposition, which was, however, with rea- 
 son ascribed to her aversion to the con- 
 nection. The scene chosen on this oc- 
 casion was the audience chamber : in the 
 centre of that spacious apartment was erect- 
 ed a throne under a superb canopy of gold 
 and blue tapestry, in which was wrought a 
 picture of the Spanish Armada, represent- 
 ing the glorious victory of 1588, and en-
 
 circled by portraits of file chiefs and war- 
 riors of Elizabeth's illustrious reign. To 
 this apartment Frederic was conducted by 
 Sir Lewis Falkener, where he found the 
 King, the Prince of Wales, and his lovely 
 bride, surrounded by the fairest ladies of 
 the court. 
 
 The King sat in state, whilst the Arch- 
 bishop of Canterbury conducted the youth- 
 ful couple to a recess something like an 
 oratory, in front of the throne ; the Latin 
 secretary, Sir Thomas Leake then pro- 
 ceeded to repeat to each, in French, the 
 form of betrothment * , which was precisely 
 such as the ordinance of marriage. The 
 mutual responses were no sooner given, 
 than each presented a hand to the other ; 
 the prince saluted his bride, the archbishop 
 pronounced his benediction, and a loud 
 
 * Je Frederic, prens a femme toi, Elizabeth, a 1'avoir 
 et tenir des ce jourdhuy a jamais, pour bonne pour 
 mauvaise, pour riche pour pauvre, en sant et en ma- 
 ladie, t'aimer et cherir jusqu' a la mort, selon la saincte 
 ordonnance de Dieu. Journal,
 
 143 
 
 amen was re-echoed from the numerous as- 
 sembly. Congratulations succeeded, whilst, 
 the Duke of Lenox not trusting to a man 
 of Sir Lewis Falkener's inferior rank, to 
 comprehend the mysteries of etiquette, 
 whispered to Frederic that he must still 
 cede to the Princess the right hand ; and, 
 thus admonished, the bridal pair, arm in 
 arm, quitted the apartment. From thence 
 they proceeded to chapel, where they were 
 edified with a sermon, by the Bishop of 
 Bath and Wells, in which the reverend 
 prelate expatiated on the auspicious choice 
 of the day : namely, the 27th of December, 
 on which many other illustrious events had 
 been happily consummated. The sermon 
 being ended, dinner was served in the 
 council chamber, where the King presided ; 
 and, as decorum allowed not of any public 
 festivity, he endeavoured to compensate 
 for this deprivation by alternately repeating 
 his own jokes, and exercising the capacity 
 of his son-in-law, with whose knowledge
 
 144 
 
 and judgment in theology, he professed 
 himself' to be well satisfied. 
 
 No sooner was the elector recognised as 
 a member of the Royal Family, than he pro- 
 posed an interchange of friendly gifts on 
 new-year's day. This old custom since the 
 accession of James had been abolished ; but 
 it flattered the pride of Frederic to seize 
 the opportunity to display to the British 
 court his wealth and liberality. The pro- 
 position was accepted; and, on the morn- 
 ing of the 1st of January, 1613 *, when the 
 royal party, not without lively sensations 
 of curiosity, assembled to exchange mutual 
 congratulations, the Palsgrave first pro- 
 duced two drinking-bowls of jasper and of 
 agate, which he presented to the king; a 
 coronet of diamonds for the Queen ; a su- 
 perb carcanet for the Princess Elizabeth, 
 a tiara for her head, and, above all, the 
 pledge of love, the ring t ; to the Prince 
 
 * Winwood. 
 
 f Winwood states, that Frederic had also presented 
 to Lord and Lady Harrington, plate valued at two
 
 145 
 
 Charles, a dagger and a rapier splendidly 
 enriched with diamonds. In return he re- 
 
 NJ 
 
 ceived from the King, a rapier surmount- 
 ed with diamonds ; from the Queen a few 
 choice jewels ; from Elizabeth, who al- 
 ready shewed she was for him greedy of 
 honour, a portrait of St. George set in gold 
 and precious stones, and a highly orna- 
 mented band of the order of the Garter ; 
 from Prince Charles, who would not be 
 outdone in liberality, a costly diadem, and a 
 curious ring, inclosing a miniature resem- 
 blance of King James magnificently set in 
 diamonds. Frederic had no reason to be 
 dissatisfied with the reception given to his 
 presents; at the dinner-table were produced 
 the bowls from which the king not only took 
 repeated potations, but solemnly pledged 
 
 thousand pounds. He made liberal donations to all 
 her women, but to Anne Dudley, Elizabeth's favourite, 
 he gave a chain of pearls and diamonds, valued at 
 five hundred pounds. On Elizabeth he had lavished 
 in jewels alone, 35,(XXV. 
 VOL. I. L
 
 146* 
 
 the health of his son-in-law. The blue 
 ribands naturally called the King's atten- 
 tion to the subject of the Garter ; and, in 
 the exultation of his heart, he declared he 
 would hold a solemn chapter at Windsor 
 in the ensuing month, to which Prince 
 Henry of Orange should be invited. The 
 resolution was loudly applauded by the cour- 
 tiers, on whom it imposed additional ex- 
 pence, and secretly relished by the queen, 
 whose love of pageantry neither sorrow nor 
 anger could extinguish. To enhance her 
 gratification, she saw also her son Charles 
 admitted to the solemnity ; and, however in- 
 imical she had originally been to the Pals- 
 grave as her daughter's husband, she in- 
 sensibly became attached to his person, and 
 signified her gracious intention to assist at 
 the public celebration of the marriage. 
 
 To those who cherished the memory of 
 the prince so lately lost, so fondly deplored, 
 it might seem extraordinary, that his pa- 
 rents should be occupied with frivolous en- 
 tertainments ; but without reverting to this
 
 147 
 
 artificial pageantry which generally excludes 
 the tender affections of nature, policy dic- 
 tated to James, that he should continue to 
 testify his satisfaction in an alliance ob- 
 viously most acceptable to the people. Never 
 before had equal enthusiasm been mani- 
 fested for any nuptial festivity. The pro- 
 gress of civilization during the last century, 
 or rather the ripening of a national charac- 
 ter was distinctly marked in the active parti- 
 cipation which was in a manner claimed by 
 the gentry, the citizens, and above all, the 
 young students of the temple in their so- 
 vereign's choice of a son-in-law. Formerly, 
 spectacles had been exhibited by the sove- 
 reign to amuse or propitiate his subjects ; 
 but now, it was the subjects who conveyed 
 an intimation of their sentiments, by the 
 magnificence with which they felicitated the 
 sovereign. The court masques, produced 
 under the royal superintendance, were far 
 inferior to those exhibited by the students 
 of Gray's Inn ; but the gifts of the Lord 
 L 2
 
 148 
 
 Mayor to the princess far exceeded any 
 tribute she received from a noble donor. 
 
 The chapter of the Garter was held at 
 Windsor, previous to the arrival of the Prince 
 of Nassau, who reached England with a 
 splendid retinue just in time to officiate as 
 brideman to the Elector Palatine. The 
 marriage was fixed for the 14th of February, 
 partly, perhaps if not chiefly, for the agree- 
 able legendary associations suggested by 
 Valentine's day. * The nuptial entertain- 
 
 * Donne and Daniel and other poets, found in it a 
 most convenient key note for pretty fancies. The 
 following inharmonious lines are evidently suggested 
 by the political anticipations which at that time rested 
 on Elizabeth and Frederic : 
 
 " Thy happy bridegroom, Prince Count Palatine, 
 Now thy best friend, and truest Valentine, 
 Upon whose brow my mind doth read the story 
 Of mighty fame and a true future glory. 
 Methinks I do foresee already how 
 Princes and monarch* at his stirrup bow ; 
 I see him shine in steel, the bloody field's 
 Already won, and soon his proud foe yields. 
 God hath ordained him happiness great store, 
 And yet in nothing is he happy more
 
 149 
 
 ments preceding the ceremony, commenced 
 with a grand exhibition of fire-works at 
 Whitehall on the llth, and with a naval 
 fight on the 13th, in which was introduced 
 a distressed damsel according to the old style 
 of chivalry and the exploded pastimes of 
 Henry the VHIth. The next morning was 
 ushered in with ringing of bells, and the 
 discharge of guns; and at an early hour 
 was Elizabeth attired in a gorgeous robe of 
 white and silver studded with diamonds, 
 on her head she wore a crown of gold, her 
 long hair floating on her shoulders ; but in 
 those beautiful tresses, pearls and diamonds 
 were elaborately interwoven, worn with 
 
 Than in thy love, fair princess ; for unless 
 Heaven, like to man, be prone to fickleness, 
 Thy fortunes must be greater in effect 
 Than time makes show of, or men dare expect. 
 Yet notwithstanding all those goods of fate, 
 Thy mind shall ever be above thy state ; 
 For over and above thy proper merit, 
 Our lost Eliza grants her noble spirit 
 To be redoubled on thee ; and your name 
 Being both one, shall give you both one fame." 
 
 L3
 
 150 
 
 more magnificence than good taste * ; and 
 as she passed through, the covered gallery 
 to the chapel, her voluminous train was 
 borne by thirteen young ladies all dressed in 
 white, with flowing tresses. From hence, 
 she walked between the venerable Lord Ad- 
 miral (the Earl of Nottingham), and her 
 brother, Prince Charles j the former was still 
 popular as the hero of the Spanish Armada 
 which formed the subject of the tapestry 
 that covered the walls and floors of the edifice 
 prepared for the nuptial solemnities. Over 
 the altar were suspended three pieces of 
 tapestry, of which the central piece repre- 
 sented Peter and John healing the sick 
 
 * " It were no end," says Chamberlayne, " to write 
 " of the curiosities and excess of bravery both of men 
 " and women, with the extreme daubings on of the 
 " cost. Lady Wottou had a gown that cost fifty 
 " pounds a yard the embroidery. The Lord Montague 
 " bestowed fifteen hundred pounds in apparel on his 
 " two daughters. The Prince Charles, the bridegroom, 
 " the princess, dined in a room built on purpose for 
 " the marriage. The Spaniard was, or affected to be 
 " sick ; the Archduke's ambassador made an excuse." 
 Winiuood's Memorials, vol. iii. 
 
 17
 
 151 
 
 on the right side the good shepherd, and 
 on the left the marriage of Cana. 
 
 On one side of the altar stood the Bishop 
 of Bath and Wells ; and Abbot, Archbishop 
 of Canterbury, the steady friend and pro- 
 moter of the marriage, on the other. Fre- 
 deric had already arrived, conducted by 
 Prince Henry of Nassau and the Duke of 
 Lenox, and attended by several English 
 and German nobles, among whom was his 
 confident and chamberlain, Count Schom- 
 berg. The elector was much more taste- 
 fully dressed than his bride : having ad- 
 ded to the decoration of the George and 
 Garter a Spanish hat and mantle. " In 
 " his English part," says Winwood, " he 
 " performed reasonably well." The service 
 was somewhat tedious. After a sermon 
 by the Bishop of Bath and Wells, on the 
 institution of marriage, there was a long 
 prayer; to this succeeded a hymn. The 
 espousals were then performed ; and it 
 may be observed, that the nuptial vow 
 
 was the same to both parties; each was 
 L 4
 
 pledged to love, to cherish, and to honour 
 the other, but obedience was never named. 
 The nuptial benediction was given by the 
 archbishop; and it is by several writers 
 observed, that, towards the close of the 
 ceremony, certain coruscations of joy ap- 
 peared in Elizabeth's face, which were af- 
 terwards supposed to be sinister presages 
 of her misfortunes.* No sooner had the 
 bridal pair quitted the altar, than wine and 
 spices were presented. The herald-at-arms 
 proclaimed their titles ; and all quitted the 
 chapel as quickly as etiquette permitted. 
 The princess, escorted by the Admiral, and 
 the Duke of Lenox, received, with her 
 wonted ease, the respectful congratulations 
 of the nobility ; but gladly withdrew to 
 divest herself of her cumbersome robe, for 
 which was substituted a more becoming 
 dress. In the meanwhile, the trumpets 
 summoned to dinner, which was prepared 
 in the great hall for fifty-two guests, inclu- 
 
 * See note at end of the volume.
 
 153 
 
 ding Prince Henry of Nassau, all of whom 
 remained three live-long hours at the table. 
 In the evening was presented a ballet pre- 
 pared by Lord Hay, founded on the sub- 
 ject of Orpheus j but pronounced too long 
 by several hours. According to Winwood, 
 the same objection applied to almost every 
 entertainment produced on the occasion, 
 with the exception of the two masques pre- 
 sented by the students of Gray's Inn and the 
 Inner Temple. * 
 
 * " The Middle Temple and Lincoln's Inn gave great 
 contentment on Monday night, as much by their 
 graceful coming on horseback, as in all the rest of 
 their apt invention, apparel, and fashion ; and especially 
 their excellent dancing, wherewith the king was so 
 much delighted, that he gave them thanks and com- 
 mendations. But the next day Gray's Inn and the 
 Inner Temple had not the same fortune, though they 
 deserved no less for striving to vary from their com- 
 petitors. And their device being, the marrying of the 
 Thames to the Rhine, they made choice to go by 
 water to Westminster, from thence to Southwark, with 
 their boats and barges exceedingly well trimmed, and 
 furnished with store of lights that made a glorious 
 shew ; and three peals of ordnance at the taking water, 
 at the passing by the temple, and at their landing ,
 
 Amidst a succession of luxurious enter- 
 tainments, the king often betrayed weari- 
 ness, and the queen ill humour ; and, when- 
 ever this occurred, she vented her spleen in 
 addressing her daughter by the appellation 
 of Goody Palsgrave, For slightssuch as these 
 Elizabeth might somewhat be consoled by the 
 splendid testimonial of regard she received 
 
 which passage by water cost better than three hundred 
 pounds. But when they were landed at the court, by 
 what mischance I know not, they were fain to return, 
 or they went without doing any thing ; the reason 
 whereof, some say was because the hall was so full, 
 that it could not be avoided, nor room made for them, 
 and most of the principal ladies to see them land were 
 excluded ; but the most probable is, that the king was 
 so saturated with overwatching, that he could hold 
 out no longer, so was driven to put it off till Saturday, 
 when it was very well performed in the new ban- 
 quetting house, which, for some amends, was granted 
 to them, though with much repining and contradic- 
 tion. The next day, the king made them all a noble 
 supper in the new marriage room, and used them so 
 well and graciously, that he sent both parties away 
 well pleased with those great solemnities. There 
 was no creation of knights or nobles, the reason 
 whereof is diver sly interpreted." WinmoocTs Memo- 
 rials, vol. iii. ,., -* <,
 
 155 
 
 from the Lord Mayor and Aldermen, who 
 presented her with a chain of pearls, va- 
 lued at two thousand pounds. Nor had 
 Frederic any reason to complain of ne- 
 glect. In a visit to Cambridge, in which 
 he was accompanied by James, he was not 
 a little flattered by the honourable mention 
 of Heidelberg. The University of Oxford 
 also lavished on him civilities j but amidst 
 all these courtesies, the fickleness, or im- 
 providence of James inflicted on the bridal 
 pair a most severe mortification. Towards 
 the end of March, the Palatine household 
 was suddenly broken up, and two thirds of 
 the attendants unceremoniously dismissed, 
 on the flimsy pretence that they would be 
 too numerous, when combined with the 
 suite with which Elizabeth was to quit 
 England. This was confessedly a most un- 
 gracious procedure, and " the Lady Eliza- 
 " beth took it most grievously," says Win- 
 wood, " as well she might, but that neces- 
 " sity has no law." To soften, or, if pos- 
 sible, disguise the inhospitality, the king
 
 156 
 
 presented his son-in-law with a specimen of 
 English tilting, " in which," observes Wot- 
 ton, " in despite of a wet day, and the dis- 
 " grace of their plumes, the gallants per- 
 " formed nobly." 
 
 The next day Frederic and Elizabeth 
 visited the Tower, when the young Elec- 
 tress, to show that she emulated the cou- 
 rage of the late queen, insisted on herself 
 applying the match to the great cannon, 
 which was to be discharged in honour of 
 this event ; and to the surprise of the by- 
 standers, appeared to enjoy the explosion.* 
 All her gaiety of spirits scarcely availed, 
 however, to conceal her chagrin, when she 
 discovered that Lord Harrington's long- 
 standing claims for her maintenance were 
 not recompensed ; and, to the disgrace of 
 James, they were finally commuted, for the 
 mischievous privilege of issuing a brass coin- 
 age.t 
 
 With still more keenness did she feel the 
 contemptuous rejection of her consort's ap- 
 
 * German Journal. 
 
 f Winwood's Memorials, 3d vol.
 
 157 
 
 plication in behalf of Lord Gray, who, on 
 suspicion of having transmitted a verbal 
 message to the Lady Arabella Stuart, had 
 been committed to the Tower. In reply to 
 the Elector's intercession, James hadgravely 
 observed, that if he came to Heidelberg he 
 should not interfere with his government. 
 Too young not to be tenacious of his dignity, 
 Frederic complained that the king treated 
 him rather like a page than a son ; and 
 Elizabeth, who sympathised in his feel- 
 ings, was unable to remove the grievance. 
 There was also an everlasting vacillation re- 
 specting the number and quality of her at- 
 tendants * j but on this subject she seems 
 to have been passive, having secured the 
 solace of Lady Harrington's presence, 
 the society of her young favourite, Anne 
 Dudley, and the attendance of her precep- 
 tor, Dr. Chapman. It was notorious, that 
 the royal treasury was exhausted, and that 
 140,000/. f had been expended on the espou- 
 sals, a sum which trebled the bridal portion. 
 
 Winwood. t 40,0(Xtf. Rapin.
 
 1,58 
 
 Want of money always soured the temper of 
 James ; and his capricious affections were 
 suddenly withdrawn from the youthful pair 
 in whose happiness he had lately appeared 
 to sympathise : yet, with the inconsistency 
 that marked every measure in his reign, 
 Elizabeth, though dismissed as an outcast 
 from his court, was to be magnificently con- 
 voyed by a squadron of seven ships, com- 
 manded by no less a personage, than the 
 hero of the Armada, the Lord Admiral 
 (the Earl of Nottingham), whose last naval 
 service was to waft her from the British 
 shore. 
 
 In the meanwhile, James and Anne, ei- 
 ther to beguile the painful sensations inci- 
 dent to a solemn parting, or to conceal from 
 the world their indifference to a daughter 
 so generally beloved, accompanied Elizabeth 
 and Frederic to Rochester, in their way to 
 Margate, the place of embarkation.* The 
 two preceding days had been spent in the 
 
 * Winwood.
 
 159 
 
 comparative seclusion of Greenwich j to 
 which, however, myriads of citizens were 
 continually pouring from the metropolis, to 
 catch a last look of the beloved princess, and 
 to address a parting benediction. On the 
 13th of April the royal party proceeded 
 leisurely to Rochester, whose mayor pre- 
 sented the prince with a gilt cup, in testi- 
 mony of their respect. The next morning 
 they spent in visiting the ships and dock- 
 yards, though it was the last day they were 
 to see each other. At noon the queen de- 
 corously took leave of her daughter, choos- 
 ing to dine in her own apartment, either 
 because she was really visited with some 
 maternal regrets, or had good taste enough 
 to affect the feeling she did not possess. 
 With more cordiality, James partook of 
 dinner with his daughter, and then quietly 
 dismissed her with his blessing. In bid- 
 ding him farewell, Elizabeth wept with- 
 out control, whilst Frederic soothed her 
 griefs, and her brother was permitted to 
 attend her to Canterbury, where the elec-
 
 160 
 
 tor and herself were received with extraor- 
 dinary honours, and lodged in the dean's 
 palace several days ; during which Prince 
 Charles never quitted them. At length they 
 separated from him also, to pursue their 
 journey to Margate, where they were unwil- 
 lingly detained by an adverse wind ; " the 
 " princess being thus taught," says Wotton, 
 " that she is not exempted by her high rank 
 " from the caprices of fortune." During this 
 detention, much persuasion was employed 
 to prevent her sailing in the Prince Royal * 
 
 * The Prince Royal carried 54 guns, and accommo- 
 dated 600 men. On board this ship, exclusive of the 
 Elector and his consort, and the Lord Admiral, were 
 Lord and Lady Harrington and their suite. The Vice- 
 Admiral, Governor EfHngham, hoisted his flag in the 
 Royal Anne, in which embarked the Duke of Lenox, 
 the first royal commissioner. In the third of the squad- 
 ron, the Assurance, was the second commissioner, the 
 Earl of Arundel, accompanied by his Countess and 
 suite ; and it should be observed, that each of these noble 
 consorts was attended by two young ladies of quality, 
 corresponding with pages of honour. The fourth and 
 fifth ships were the Repulse and the Red Lion, and in 
 these were lodged, Viscount Lisle and General Cecil, 
 the other commissioners, In the sixth, called the
 
 161 
 
 Royal, to which certain sinister accidents 
 had occurred since it was launched at Wool- 
 wich under the auspices of her brother. 
 But Elizabeth rejected this suggestion with 
 characteristic firmness, either because she 
 conceived it to flow from envy to Phineas 
 Pett, or because she almost fancied she 
 should, in that bark, be under her beloved 
 Henry's approving guidance. 
 
 Among her English attendants were some 
 of the most enlightened and amiable person- 
 ages of the age. Of this class were the Earl 
 of Arundel, well known for his classical re- 
 searches, and his Countess, a daughter of 
 the Earl of Shrewsbury. The brave Gene- 
 ral Sir Edward Cecil, a grandson of Lord 
 Burleigh, was still more acceptable to Eliza- 
 beth's taste. The Vice- Admiral Lord Effing- 
 ham and the Lord Admiral were heroes 
 
 Destiny, was Dr. Martin, the legal commissioner ; in 
 the seventh, the Rear-Admiral, was Mr. Levin Monk, 
 the sixth commissioner. After these followed many 
 smaller vessels. German Journal. 
 VOL. I. M
 
 162 
 
 and courtiers of the old school. But the 
 principal solace of the princess in depart- 
 ing for a foreign country, was to be found 
 in her own domestic circle, composed of 
 the Harringtons, and their amiable niece, 
 Anne Dudley, afterwards the wife of Count 
 Schomberg. There were also in her suite 
 two or three charming little girls, who were 
 to be formed in her court ; one of whom, a 
 Mistress Apsley, continued in her service 
 several years, and participated in her various 
 fortunes. 
 
 At length the party embarked, but it was 
 only to return to Margate, to escape an im- 
 pending storm ; and so little was the safety of 
 Elizabeth regarded at court, that, whilst the 
 queen commenced a progress, the king 
 betook himself to Theobald's, where he re- 
 sumed his ordinary pastimes with augment- 
 ed delight. At this moment, when she 
 appeared to be renounced, if not forgotten, 
 at home, how grateful was the attention 
 evinced by Maurice of Nassau, in sending 
 from Flushing a pilot boat, and Professor
 
 163 
 
 More, an able navigator, purposely to guide 
 the British squadron to its destined port. 
 With his aid, the travellers once more quit- 
 ted the coast, and on the 27th of April, 
 anchored in the evening, within view of 
 Flushing. At that late hour Maurice came 
 on board to welcome his guests, a*nd as if 
 determined to win the smiles of his young 
 kinswoman, he remained in the ship till the 
 following morning, and then conveyed her 
 in his stately barge to Flushing ; whilst the 
 Admiral, the fleet, and the garrison sent 
 forth a tremendous welcome.* Aware of 
 her military enthusiasm, Maurice had pro- 
 vided no other music than the sonorous 
 trumpet j and no sooner had she landed, 
 than, with all her native gaiety, she walked 
 through the streets unveiled, unconscious or 
 regardless of the absence of that fastidious 
 court etiquette which existed not in the re- 
 
 * In the words of Stowe, " the town and garrison 
 " sent forth a volley, which the Lord Admiral an- 
 " swered with a volley, that made the heavens and 
 " earth to echo." 
 
 M 2
 
 public. Charmed with her youth and affa- 
 bility, the States, the soldiers, and citizens 
 vied in showing attentions to the daughter 
 of James ; and no sooner had she reached 
 the castle, than there was again a conten- 
 tion between the fleet, the garrison, and the 
 musquetry, to render her military honours. 
 During the banquet that succeeded, the im- 
 pression was prolonged by the trumpets, 
 which sounded like the heralds of victory. 
 In reality, however, it was not beauty but 
 patriotism that triumphed, and the States 
 gloried in receiving with magnificence the 
 daughter of a monarch, to whose predeces- 
 sors their oppressed country had owed its 
 preservation.
 
 165 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 ELIZABETH'S BRIDAL TOUR THROUGH HOLLAND 
 
 TO COLOGNE. EMBARKATION ON THE RHINE. 
 
 RECEPTION AT FRANKNETHAL AND HEIDELBERG. 
 
 IN preparing for the reception of the Pearl 
 of Britain, as by Scottish and German pa- 
 negyrists Elizabeth had been designated, 
 Maurice was sensible that it would be in 
 vain to oner the attractions of the French 
 or English capital : in reality, there was in 
 Holland no court, that is, no circle of no- 
 bility and royalty, sufficiently prominent to 
 give its peculiar impress to society. It was 
 the characteristic feature of the common- 
 wealth, that military and legislative talents 
 obtained the first rank, and that precedency 
 waited on desert. The camp was here the 
 court, and military gradations supplied to 
 M 3
 
 166 
 
 Maurice and his retainers the place of eti- 
 quette. With a sovereign contempt for lux- 
 ury* and effeminacy, he occasionally dis- 
 played gallantry and magnificence, when dis- 
 carding his ordinary dress of woollen cloth, 
 he assumed a Spanish habit, or a rich mili- 
 tary uniform, the plume pendent from his 
 hat, the chain suspended from his neck, and 
 his gilt sword attached to his waistcoat by an 
 embroidered girdle; of low stature, inclining 
 to corpulence, fair complexion, light eyes, and 
 a somewhat phlegmatic expression of coun- 
 tenance, Maurice was not unfrequently a 
 cynical satirist of epicurism and foppery ; 
 but he approached the blooming Elizabeth 
 in his holiday dress, affected the gallantry 
 of a cavalier, and by her was hailed as a 
 hero. 
 
 A tournament would here have been mis- 
 placed: no tilting match, no mockery of bat- 
 tle, could be relished in a country which du- 
 
 * Of this we have an example in the well-known 
 anecdote, of his having invited the luxurious Lord 
 1 Hay to dine upon two dishes, of which one was a 
 boiled, the other a roasted pig. Du Mourier.
 
 167 
 
 ringfifty years hadbeen the field of war, whose 
 soil had been fertilized by the blood of he- 
 roes, and whose vital principle was the love 
 of liberty and glory. In place of fictitious 
 combats, Elizabeth delighted to explore each 
 spot in which Maurice or his father had sus- 
 tained the honour of their house and the 
 interests of the Protestant cause against the 
 navies and armies, and gold and cruelty of 
 Spain, and her perfidious emissaries. She 
 was never weary of listening to his details 
 of the siege in which he had prevailed, of 
 the heroism displayed by the women, the 
 valour of the soldiers, the irresistible energy 
 and enthusiasm of the people. In this man- 
 ner she unconsciously revealed the ardour 
 of her own sentiments j and Maurice ob- 
 served with pleasure that she possessed an 
 aspiring mind, and by her courage, no less 
 than her charms, was likely to give a power- 
 ful impulse to his nephew's character. 
 
 In the mean time the elector had depart- 
 ed alone, avowedly to have more leisure to 
 visit Dort, which was the place of his mo- 
 M 4
 
 168 
 
 ther's nativity. From Flushing Elizabeth 
 proceeded with the prince in his barge, 
 leaving to her ladies the luxury of coaches. 
 When arrived at Middleburgh, she lodged 
 in the abbey, and attended public worship ; 
 but the observance of the Sunday did not 
 preclude the indulgence of festivity, since 
 she partook of a feast in the town-hall, at 
 which eighty persons of distinction of either 
 sex were present. The next day she had 
 to receive the farewell of the veteran Lord 
 Nottingham, who, with the Vice- Admiral, 
 departed for England, not without a pro- 
 fusion of acknowledgments from Elizabeth, 
 by "whom he was entrusted with a letter to 
 her father, evidently written under those 
 feelings of diffidence, not unmixed with 
 chagrin, which had been produced by his 
 late capricious conduct.* 
 
 . After the Admiral's departure, Elizabeth 
 embarked with Prince Maurice for Wilhelm- 
 
 * " SIRE, I know not any one so competent as 
 " the Lord Admiral himself to do justice to the ex- 
 *' traordinary courtesies with which I have been ho-
 
 169 
 
 stadt ; and from thence proceeded to Dort, 
 \vhere she failed not to visit the encamp- 
 ments ; from Dort she passed to Rotterdam, 
 where, doubtless, she paid due homage to 
 Erasmus ; and from thence to the Hague, 
 where she was welcomed by Frederic, al- 
 ready arrived, after having had the gratifi- 
 cation to explore the chamber in which his 
 mother Juliana had first seen the light. At 
 the Hague, Elizabeth found, exclusive of 
 her companions, Maurice, Count Henry, 
 and the Prince of Portugal, the Princess 
 
 " noured ; but I am so conscious that whatever favours 
 
 ' he has showered on me have been prompted by his 
 
 zeal for your Majesty's service, that it would afford 
 
 ' me the greatest happiness to be assured that his at- 
 
 ' tentions have obtained your Majesty's approbation. 
 
 ' I leave to my Lord Admiral to declare the affection 
 
 1 testified to me by the people of this country, and 
 
 " for which also I am solely indebted to the sentiments 
 
 " they entertain for your Majesty ; but it is neither 
 
 *' for him nor me to express with what devotion I 
 
 " shall eternally remain 
 
 " Your most affectionate obedient servant." 
 
 The French original of this letter is at the end of 
 the volume, and was one of the autographs lately sold 
 by Mr. Sotheby.
 
 170 
 
 Emilia of Nassau, who appears not to have 
 participated in the talent of her family, the 
 incomparable Louisa Coligny, who had re- 
 turned from Paris purposely to receive the 
 British princess, and, dearer than all of 
 these, her youthful kinswoman, Catharine of 
 Brunswick, lately married to CountErnest of 
 Nassau, an amiable princess, to whom Eliza- 
 beth felt herself so strongly attracted by 
 congeniality of character, that they became 
 inseparable companions, and through suc- 
 ceeding life continued to be intimate friends : 
 nor is it improbable but that it was Eliza- 
 beth's correspondence with this lady which 
 first rendered her an object of interest to 
 her brother, Christian of Brunswick. 
 
 At the Hague, according to Stowe, her 
 reception was not only royal, but her en- 
 tertainment luxurious. When she passed 
 through the streets, the burghers were under 
 arms, the guards were marshalled, and several 
 companies of soldiers gave a military salut- 
 ation. The Prince's banquet was sufficiently 
 superb to have satisfied the voluptuous Lord 
 
 22
 
 171 
 
 Hay ; and the evening crowned with the 
 representation of a French comedy. The 
 next day Maurice gave the Electress an 
 amusement still more agreeable to her taste : 
 this was a hunting party in the park, where, 
 eager to signalize her prowess in his pre- 
 sence, she shot a deerj an achievement 
 which, it may be presumed, was somewhat 
 remarkable, since it is recorded in the 
 historical journals of France, Italy, and 
 Germany.* The next day there was a pub- 
 lic assembly of the States, at which Eliza- 
 beth, though little fond of such meetings, 
 was present ; after which, she was again 
 consigned to the care of Prince Maurice ; 
 whilst Frederic, anxious to impress his Bri- 
 tish companions with respect for himself 
 and his country, took his departure for the 
 Palatinate, avowedly that he might super- 
 intend the preparations for the reception of 
 his beloved consort. 
 
 At the court of Prince Maurice, Elizabeth 
 spent another week ; " and so skilfully," 
 
 * Lc Mercure Francois, Theatre of Europe.
 
 172 
 
 says an English witness,* " did he con- 
 " trive to vary her pleasures, that vacuity 
 " was never perceived, and satiety never 
 " known, inasmuch as enjoyment never 
 " cloyed." Yet was there neither tilting, 
 nor masquing, nor carnival, nor holiday pro- 
 cession *no balls, for the prince did not 
 dance little music, for the trumpet was 
 his favourite instrument: his amusements 
 were either martial or intellectual j the game 
 of chess being the ordinary recreation of 
 Maurice, as the society of scholars and ora- 
 tors was the chosen pastime of his rival, Bar- 
 nevelt. In referring to the character of the 
 commonwealth it should be observed, that 
 women had acquired more influence, at least 
 obtained a more positive rank, than they 
 enjoyed in other contries, which affected a 
 far higher state of civilization. t 
 
 * See Stowe. 
 
 f The laws were favourable to the sex, since, to 
 the astonishment of French and English travellers, a 
 man was not allowed to strike a woman with impunity. 
 Parental authority, though still high, was not oppres- 
 sive, as in aristocratic countries. Mothers were treated
 
 173 
 
 During her visit to the Hague, Elizabeth 
 received from the States many superb gifts ; 
 and on the 12th of May, accompanied by 
 Prince Maurice and her cousin the Countess 
 Ernest, she passed to Leyden : without vi- 
 siting the college, the seat of controversy, 
 proceeded to Haerlem, already celebrated 
 for its manufactures ; and on the 13th 
 reached Amsterdam, then justly celebrated 
 as the pride of modern Europe, which had 
 already supplanted Antwerp, and bid fair 
 even to rival the commercial glory of Lon- 
 don. 
 
 In that emporium of Batavia, Elizabeth 
 was hailed with a studied magnificence that 
 
 by their sons with respect ; and the devoted love of 
 the adoring wife, such as Maria, the consort of Gro- 
 tius, was often recompensed by the undivided empire 
 of her husband's affections. The ladies, though less ac- 
 complished than in England, were sometimes learned ; 
 and those of the lower class conversant in the business 
 of life ; like the men, they entered with ardour into 
 the religious controversies of the day ; often with more 
 zeal than charity. See Hotvell's Letters* Les Dclices 
 de la HoUande, Life of Grotius.
 
 174 
 
 bespoke not only a warlike, but a rich and 
 polished people. From the barge to her 
 carriage she passed over a bridge richly 
 carpeted j and in front of the exchange was 
 complimented with a triumphal arch, in 
 which she was herself represented as Thetis, 
 the goddess-mother of Achilles. On the 
 bridge, towards the Prince's court, was 
 erected a theatre, in the disguise also of a 
 triumphal arch, in which were represented 
 pantomimic comedies without interlocu- 
 tors.* The next day, Elizabeth, with the 
 vivacity of youth, explored all the rarities of 
 Amsterdam; ascended to the summit of a 
 tower, from whence she descried thirty cities ; 
 and finally partook of a feast, at which the 
 sexes were associated as in France, t and 
 
 * The people of Amsterdam were at this time much 
 addicted to humorous representations, caricatures and 
 satires, which, during the riots created by the contra- 
 remonstrants, gave birth to many pasquinades. See 
 Brandt. History of the Reformation. 
 
 f It appears to have been only in France and Hol- 
 land that the ladies were associated with the gentle- 
 men, at the grand dinner, although they met freely at 
 the supper or the banquet.
 
 every health announced by a tremendous 
 discharge of artillery. 
 
 Little could it have been anticipated by 
 those who participated in the scene of fes- 
 tivity, that the fury of polemical controversy 
 was so soon to take place of this smiling 
 urbanity, and, for a time produce excesses 
 not less frightful than those which, in the 
 middle ages, had convulsed the Italian re- 
 publics. On the 17th, Elizabeth left Ams- 
 terdam, loaded with favours, and, attended 
 by her cousin of Brunswick, proceeded to- 
 wards the Rhine with Prince Maurice in his 
 yacht. On landing she was gratified by a 
 trait of gallantry in the two Princes of 
 Nassau that she little expected. On the 
 shore were drawn up several companies of 
 cavalry, whom Count Henry, with a com- 
 plimentary speech, presented as her own 
 soldiers, adding, that having in her name 
 obtained a signal victory, they came to lay 
 at her feet the trophies of their conquest. 
 In the town of Rhenen, she was in like man- 
 ner greeted by foot- soldiers, who escorted
 
 her to Arnheim. Within a mile of that 
 town, other companies approached to offer 
 similar homage. Every day was enlivened by 
 military evolutions : her journey was more 
 like a victorious march than a bridal tour j 
 but, perhaps, the most happy hours of her 
 excursion were those two days she spent in 
 her kinswoman's palace, from whom she af- 
 terwards separated at Emerick,* not without 
 mutual professions of attachment that in 
 after life were not forgotten. In her way 
 towards Netherwessel, Elizabeth received a 
 respectful embassy from the Infanta Isabella, 
 to which she replied in few words ; whilst 
 she welcomed, with her most exhilirating 
 smiles, the military deputation of young 
 nobles and burghers, by whom she was con- 
 ducted to the town in triumph. On the 
 22d, she received, for the first time, the 
 homage of a German Sovereign, in George 
 William of Brandenburgh, a youth addicted, 
 like most of his countrymen, to jollity and 
 
 * In Fricsland.
 
 177 
 
 drinking ; whose indolence, combined with 
 juvenile facility and good humour, served 
 to disguise the coarser traits of a selfish, 
 sordid character. Proud to be distinguished 
 as her kinsman, the young prince conducted 
 Elizabeth to Dusseldorf, where finding her- 
 self annoyed by ceremonious deputations, 
 she escaped to the fields, happy to be per- 
 mitted to take her repast under the spreading 
 beech trees. It was from this spot that she 
 descried the little fairy fleet, which the 
 tender solicitude of Frederic had provided 
 for her passage along the Rhine, one of 
 which, ingeniously constructed *, was fitted 
 up for her reception with romantic elegance; 
 in which, with a lover-like recollection of 
 
 * These vessels propelled by one oar, being more 
 ornamental than useful, were every night transferred 
 to a large yacht. Elizabeth's ship was divided into 
 several compartments, not less ornamented than the 
 galley on which Cleopatra was wafted on the Cydnus ; 
 the floor was so painted as to represent marble, and in 
 its structure corresponded with the form of an altar 
 encircled with a laurel wreath, and surmounted by 
 the arms of Britain. 
 
 VOL. I. N
 
 178 
 
 her favourite tastes, he had taken care that 
 gunners and ordnance should be appended. 
 It was here that Elizabeth took leave of 
 Prince Maurice, by whom she had been 
 treated, not only with friendship, but a 
 Leicesfrean homage, such as he never of- 
 fered to any other woman. Enchanted with 
 the scenery of these banks, she rejoiced 
 at night-fall to land, when she was either 
 lodged in an abbey or a castle ; and, in the 
 progress of her pilgrimage, occupied one of 
 thechambers in the former mansion of Hatto, 
 Bishop of Triers, whose tragi-comic fate has 
 been the theme of many fantastic traditions.* 
 Wherever she landed, she had ample proofs 
 of German hospitality t and the wild tra- 
 
 * The avaricious Bishop of Triers, who is said to 
 have been devoured by rats. 
 
 f Elizabeth was repeatedly presented with a Fuder 
 of wine. In the Journal a minute record is kept of 
 every meal. When Elizabeth visited a Catholic court, 
 she was regaled with fish and exquisite wine. She 
 appears to have little relished the tediousness of her 
 progress in Frederic's fairy fleet ; but she tolerated 
 the constraint for the sake of her own pretty chamber.
 
 179 
 
 ditionary lore, that so well accorded with 
 interminable forests and stupendous cliffs, 
 supplied her with inexhaustible entertain- 
 ments. Having thus passed Caub and 
 Baaccherah, she began to be weary of her 
 journey, " and, in the meanwhile," says his 
 chronicler, " the Palsgrave became im- 
 " patient to see his beloved consort, and 
 "having collected a troop of cavaliers, and 
 " four companies of soldiers, he transported 
 " himself to Gilsheim on the Rhine, where 
 " having learnt that his Princess was off 
 " Baaccherat, he entered a yacht, soon 
 " descried the fleet, and hastened to wel- 
 " come her whom he held most dear in the 
 " world. What joy it was to meet again 
 " it were needless to say. And now the 
 " elector conducted his spouse to Gilsheim j 
 " but lo ! her approach being rumoured, the 
 " princes and their vassals gather from all 
 " parts to the banks of the Rhine, and 
 " friendly invitations were poured in from 
 " every side. And this day did the Princess 
 " first arrive in the land of the Palatinate, 
 N 2
 
 " thanks to God, safe and sound, and gay, 
 "and most heartily welcomed." After this 
 fervent effusion, the journalist mentions the 
 arrival of the coaches, the exploits of the ar- 
 tillery, and, above all, expatiates on a mag- 
 nificent collation prepared alfresco, of which 
 all the royal party, including 150 personages, 
 were feasted to their full content. The arrival 
 at Mentz was no less auspicious j but the 
 first place in Frederic's dominions which 
 offered to Elizabeth the homage of a tri- 
 umphal arch was the town of Oppenheim ; 
 and it was here also, for the first time since 
 she had quitted England, that she was sa- 
 luted with a band of music. The loyalty of 
 the inhabitants was manifested in a variety 
 of presents, which were probably more 
 acceptable than the fulsome Latin orations 
 with which certain learned professors 
 edified the youthful pair. In passing 
 through Worms, they were again assailed 
 by the powers of oratory, but proceeded 
 without delay to Frankenthal, which, being 
 
 the principal place of Elizabeth's dower, was 
 21
 
 181 
 
 carefully prepared for her reception. Here, 
 as in other cities, the burghers were armed, 
 and tastefully habited in the costume of 
 Turks, Switzers, Germans, and Poles ; 
 the women and children strewed flowers 
 through the streets j and no sooner had a 
 peal of ordnance announced the approach 
 of Elizabeth, than, " in the twinkling of 
 an eye," every house was crowned with a 
 garland ; the air breathed fragrance, and 
 from every quarter resounded songs of glad- 
 ness. In the meanwhile, sixty burghers well 
 mounted in livery of blue and gold, with 
 grey hats and green plumes, with carabines 
 and spears, rode with streaming banners 
 from the town to meet the carriage in which 
 the Prince and Princess sat, and saluted the 
 whole cavalcade with a feu de joie. No 
 sooner had the royal pair passed the gate 
 than they were in like manner hailed by two 
 companies of musqueteers, of whom the first 
 personated old Romans, the latter modern 
 Turks, who filed off in opposite directions.* 
 
 * German Journal. 
 N 3
 
 182 
 
 In the centre of the market-square was 
 raised a triumphal arch, so painted as to 
 represent grey marble, but now over- 
 canopied with boughs of May. This arch 
 was but the first of a series repeatedly 
 presented to Elizabeth in her way to the 
 palace. Before that which was raised in 
 the market stood a young boy in a doctoral 
 habit, who recited a Latin poem. The last 
 arch was erected in front of the royal palace, 
 with an equestrian statue of Frederic, large 
 as life, in the costume of a Roman chief. 
 To this was appended an adulatory inscrip- 
 tion, worthy of the parasites of Louis the 
 Fourteenth, in which the Elector was mo- 
 destly compared to Mars, and his spouse to 
 Venus. After the learned boy before men- 
 tioned, followed two companies of musquet- 
 eers ; the first disguised as negroes, with 
 whimsical incongruity wearing short yellow 
 hose. On one side of the palace was a little 
 theatre, which the goldsmiths of Franken- 
 thal had fitted up at their own expence, in 
 
 which the prince and his consort were again 
 
 22
 
 183 
 
 regaled with delightful music. On its 
 summit was the figure of an angel blow- 
 ing vigorously on two trumpets.* In the 
 various compartments beneath, were intro- 
 duced personifications of the virtues of faith, 
 constancy, fortitude, magnanimity. In the 
 centre, was a picture representing Solomon 
 and his bride, the latter an obvious likeness 
 to Elizabeth in her nuptial dress ; a crown 
 placed on her head, her hair flowing on 
 the shoulders, the star of Britain on one 
 side, and the magnanimous Frederic on the 
 other. On entering the palace, the royal 
 party beheld from a balcony a rich and 
 really tasteful military procession, exhibiting 
 first the Roman casques ; then the jet black 
 bonnet of the Moors ; next the standard of 
 the Persians symbolized by the sun ; after 
 these, a company of youthful archers all clad 
 in green, and displaying on their standard 
 the auspicious words, Aliquando Majora. 
 Last of all came a company of mechanics 
 
 * German Journal. 
 N 4-
 
 184 
 
 rand artizans, dressed alike in sober livery, 
 .without any standard. 
 
 In front of the palace stood the pageant 
 prepared for the fire-works hereafter to be 
 exhibited, representing the tower of Troy, 
 felicitously adapted to a dramatic spectacle. 
 At night the throne of Solomon was sud- 
 denly lighted by an hundred lamps, and the 
 castle of Troy illuminated by a magnificent 
 display of fire-works.* The spontaneous 
 plaudits that were given to this exhibition 
 by the English company delighted the Pals- 
 grave, who the next day left Frankenthal, 
 to prepare for their reception at Heidelberg ; 
 to which place he had collected almost all 
 the royalty and nobility of Protestant Ger- 
 many. Exclusive of the Duke de Deux- 
 ponts, who had espoused his eldest sister, 
 were all the members of the Palatine house 
 in its various ramifications. Countesses 
 and princesses were no less numerous ; but 
 of the ladies we find no name sufficiently 
 
 * This spectacle is mentioned with much commen- 
 dation in Stowe.
 
 185 
 
 marked to be rescued from oblivion. In the 
 other sex we discover, however, certain 
 military heroes, such as the old Count 
 William of Mansfeldt, and Christian, Prince 
 of Anhalt. 
 
 " It was now," says the Journalist, " in 
 " the lovely the amiable, month of June ; 
 " for so shall June henceforth be named, 
 " inasmuch as it hath witnessed the blessed 
 " union in the Palatine house with the king- 
 " ly race of Britain j and our prince has 
 " enriched himself With the costly pearl of 
 " Albion's Isle. It was on the seventh day 
 " of this happy month, hereafter to be called 
 " benignity and goodness, whose blessed 
 " sun has not only shone on the state of 
 " Heidelberg, but through all the adjoin- 
 " ing country diffused joy and felicity, that 
 '* our Palsgrave summoned his faithful 
 " people to receive with honour and loyalty 
 " the beloved princess. Precisely at the 
 " hour of twelve, the mighty prince, John, 
 " Palsgrave of the Rhine, accompanying 
 " him, he issued from the castle in gorgeous
 
 " array, with a band of royal knights and 
 " choicest chivalry, to conduct to her palace 
 " the queenly fair one. 
 
 " Before the first troop sounded three trum- 
 " pets ; then followed that buckler of ho- 
 " nour, that staff of the nobles, Philip Jacob 
 " of OfFenstein, Sub-marshal, with his brave 
 '* regiment. After him marched a goodly 
 " company gaily attired in red frocks, faced 
 " with white and silver, with swords and 
 " bandaliers composed of the Palsgrave's 
 " civil officers and most trusty counsellors. 
 " Then interposed three trumpets to intro- 
 " duce the royal huntsman, Philip Wolfe 
 " of Ottingen and his company, all clad in 
 " green, and all armed with sword and spear. 
 " Then rode twenty-four trumpeters divided 
 '* into two companies, belonging to the 
 " Palsgrave and the Duke of Wurtemberg. 
 " Then the Administrator, the Palsgrave, 
 " and Margrave of Anspach. After these 
 " rode the young Prince Louis, and Chris- 
 " tiah, Prince of Anhalt. The magnificent 
 " Duke of Wurtemberg followed, and other
 
 187 
 
 " princes equally great in suitable array ; 
 " their trains composed of nobles and court- 
 " iers, headed by Count William of Mans- 
 " feldt. An immense concourse of petty 
 " officers and subordinate gentry closed the 
 " procession. 
 
 " In the meanwhile, the English com- 
 " pany had reached the field of Heidelberg, 
 " and gazed not without admiration on its 
 " camp, its intrenchments, andmartial-look- 
 " ing soldiers * distributed in companies of 
 " three hundred each, some carrying the 
 " long sword, and others the musquet, all 
 " marshalled in battle array ; and no sooner 
 " was the English party descried, tlian from 
 
 * A regular encampment had been formed at La- 
 denburg, where there was a strong redoubt, with 
 other facilities for the military exhibitions that Fre- 
 deric had projected. The soldiers, chiefly drawn from 
 the peasantry, had been trained and disciplined in 
 three weeks. Royal purveyors were appointed for the 
 distribution of beer and table wine, to which was even 
 added, the product of a more luxurious foreign vintage. 
 German Journal. Much praise on this military 
 spectacle is bestowed by Stowe.
 
 188 
 
 " the nobles, the soldiers, and the peasants 
 " there was a simultaneous discharge of ar- 
 " tillery, as they advanced towards the bat- 
 " tery, where they took their station in 
 " silence. Then was every cannon pointed, 
 " and every sword brandished, every spear 
 " uplifted, the horses were then spurred to 
 " the field. Each horseman discharged 
 " his musket in air, all the cavaliers at- 
 " tending the English cavalcade, and every 
 " soldier fired also ; and not a carriage 
 " advanced or receded but received the 
 " same token of homage. At length the de- 
 " sire of all eyes appeared, the Princess Eli- 
 " zabeth in her slow moving equipage with 
 " eight horses ; when our gracious Lord, 
 " Frederic and his companions, each leap- 
 " ing from his steed, approached. Whilst 
 " the princess, springing from her car- 
 " riage, threw herself into her husband's 
 " arms, and exchanged with the other 
 " princes a friendly welcome." 
 
 Elizabeth was invited by her consort to 
 mount her palfrey ; and this being declined
 
 189 
 
 she was by him conducted to a state car* 
 riage magnificently decorated for her public 
 entry. The royal marshal then advanced 
 with his satellites all habited in scarlet 
 uniform to clear the way. In like manner, 
 came the chief huntsman with his troop 
 of archers clad in green. The nobles and 
 courtiers followed, counts and lords with 
 their numerous retainers ; the retinue of 
 the German Princes of Wurtemberg and 
 Anspach, the knights and nobles of the 
 Rhine. To these succeeded various officers, 
 military and civil, the body-guard of the 
 princess ; then rode one by one, gallantly 
 mounted, each of those princes whose equi- 
 page preceded the Princes of Anhalt, the 
 Princes Palatine of the Rhine ; the young 
 Princes of Wurtemburg ; and the English 
 commissioners ; a band of trumpeters he- 
 ralded the approach of the royal pair, who 
 with barbarous taste were in separate car- 
 riages, the Palsgrave sitting with the Duke 
 of Deuxponts, his consort with the coun- 
 tesses of Harrington and other ladies. On 
 approaching the town, they were presented
 
 190 
 
 with a sham fight also by the boats on the 
 Neckar, with the extreme beauty of whose 
 banks the party were so captivated, that 
 they pronounced the country a terrestrial 
 paradise. * 
 
 Having crossed the brook, they proceed- 
 ed towards the gates of Heidelberg. Over 
 its portal hovered an angel with broad ex- 
 panded wings, and the appropriate motto 
 Deus cwyunxit. The portico offered a 
 pictorial representation of the Rhine and 
 his tributary streams, with a quaint Latin 
 distich in honour of the fair stranger. In 
 the same language the city of Heidelberg 
 was made to offer a congratulatory ad- 
 dress, and on the gates were inscribed, 
 the words expectata vents. The streets 
 through which Elizabeth passed were strewn 
 with greensward, the roofs of the houses 
 were crowned with boughs of May. Along 
 the walls were suspended festoons of flowers; 
 and, but for the soldiers and their military 
 pomp, she might have fancied she was 
 
 * See Stowe.
 
 191 
 
 approaching Oberon's bower. Havingreach- 
 ed the free-school, she found her passage 
 arrested by a triumphal arch, in front sup- 
 ported by Doric pillars. As Elizabeth passed 
 under this arch, a crown, suspended by a 
 silken cord, was for a moment lowered on 
 her head, but instantly withdrawn ; a pretty 
 compliment, afterwards considered omin- 
 ous. Proceeding to the town-hall near 
 the cemetery, she beheld a series of arches, 
 each appropriated to one of the four col- 
 leges of the university ; of these the first 
 was dedicated to philosophy, appropriately 
 represented by globes and mathematical 
 instruments ; above was a balcony, in which 
 was placed a band of musicians, who played 
 on every stringed instrument; andamongthe 
 principal portraits was that of Philip Me- 
 lanchthon. The second arch was sacred to 
 the faculty of medicine ; over this was 
 raised a sort of Gothic turret of three stages, 
 loaded with grotesque ornaments, under the 
 portico of which stood the magnificent rector, 
 LudovicusGravius, wielding a silver sceptre,
 
 192 
 
 and wearing a sword, by which he was dis- 
 tinguished from the sub-professors. Be- 
 hind him stood bareheaded, with unfrilled 
 necks and strait bands, a goodly train of 
 doctors, each clad in a tight vest buttoned 
 close to the throat, enveloped by a cloak, 
 under which a sword or dagger might be 
 discovered. These all awaited in submis- 
 sive silence during the Latin oration, in 
 which their superior solicited the protec- 
 tion of the young Electress. At this mo- 
 ment, a boy, heavily encumbered with a 
 a long cloak, presented to her a basket of 
 fruit, saying in French, " Behold, madam, 
 the tribute of the goddesses Flora and Po- 
 mona ;" with which brief speech she ap- 
 peared well pleased, and apparently found the 
 nectarines still more to her taste. The facul- 
 ties of law and theology had each its tribu- 
 tary arch, in the latter, with little propriety, 
 were invoked the powers of harmony.* After 
 
 * It was also ornamented with scriptural distichs, 
 such as, " The king's daughter is all glorious within ; 
 her clothing is of wrought gold."
 
 193 
 
 these probationary stages Elizabeth ap- 
 proached the castle, the goal of her pil- 
 grimage j but not, alas ! the termination of 
 her labours. Of the palace of Heidelberg 
 she had already heard much, and was now 
 to explore those romantic towers to each of 
 which was appended a little volume of tra- 
 ditions. 
 
 The scite of the castle being elevated 
 three hundred feet above the town, its vene- 
 rable walls had long been distinctly visible. 
 The most ancient part of the edifice was a 
 tower raised on a cliff, on which had once 
 dwelt a prophetess called Jetha Behel, to 
 whose cell the people daily resorted to ad- 
 dress enquiries concerning future events, 
 to which she was accustomed, unseen, to 
 respond in oracular sentences. Such was 
 the reputation of her wisdom and prescience, 
 that it was owing to one of her predic- 
 tions that this spot was chosen for the erec- 
 tion of a new palace, in place of the old 
 castle, coeval with the days of Charlemagne, 
 
 VOL. i. o
 
 194 
 
 but which had been once struck with light- 
 ning, and was subsequently consumed by 
 fire. Jetha's tower was begun by the Elec- 
 tor Philip, and continued by many of his 
 successors. To this Gothic edifice was also 
 added a quadrangle of most magnificent 
 dimensions; on the eastern side, the ground- 
 floor was occupied by an immense room 
 called the royal hall, to correspond with 
 which, the late Elector, Frederic the Fourth, 
 had erected a room on the western side, 
 called the knight's hall, on the fa9ade of 
 which were sculptured portraits large as 
 life of all the Palatine princes from Otho 
 of Wittelspach to Frederic, the progenitor 
 of the present sovereign. The tower had 
 been converted to a library, and in it were 
 deposited some of the rarest books and 
 MSS. in Europe. The celebrated tun of 
 Heidelberg, constructed also by Frederic 
 the Fourth, was not inappropriately placed 
 on the broad terrace in front of the knight's 
 hall, the seat of festive hospitality. 
 18
 
 195 
 
 The castle of Heidelberg was of such 
 extent, that it appeared to comprise within 
 its limits a second town. Never had Eliza- 
 beth beheld a mansion so imposing ; never 
 had her British friends approached any place 
 better calculated to recall the image of old 
 German majesty. In the meanwhile, the 
 Dowager Juliana, and a train of twelve prin- 
 cesses, and many noble ladies, had taken 
 their station in the vestibule, one after 
 the other, forming a double row, which 
 extended to the silver chamber j and pre- 
 senting in gradations the several ages of 
 woman. Of these the first was Juliana ; the 
 second, the aged mother of the Duke of 
 Deuxponts ; the third, Louisa, the youth- 
 ful wife of the administrator j two or three 
 dowager princesses ; Amelia, the sister of 
 Juliana; Catharine and Charlotte, the junior 
 sisters of Frederic, and several infant prin- 
 cesses. The entrance to the travellers 
 was by a triumphal arch, the last and 
 most magnificent of all that had hitherto
 
 196 
 
 been presented *, through which Elizabeth 
 passed in her carriage to the court, from 
 whence she was borne in Frederic's arms 
 to the portal, where Juliana, with an im- 
 pulse of feeling too strong for etiquette, 
 rushed to receive her with every demonstra- 
 tion of maternal affection. The meeting of 
 
 * This arch, constructed under the immediate su- 
 perintendence of Frederic, presented, with consider- 
 able elegance and taste, at a single view, a complete 
 genealogical picture of the palatine princes, beginning 
 with Henry the Lion of Bavaria, and his consort Ma- 
 tilda of England, daughter of Henry the Second. This 
 bridal pair stood hand in hand, having at their feet 
 pictorial personifications of the Danube and the Thames, 
 and a succession of portraits of the Electoral princes. 
 In a niche placed opposite to Henry and Matilda, 
 was represented another bridal pair, Louis, Duke of 
 Bavaria, and Blanche, daughter of Henry the Fourth, 
 in the picturesque costume of the thirteenth century ; 
 with a long flowing veil thrown back, and falling like 
 a mantle on her shoulders. On either side was another 
 pictorial representation of the Thames associated with 
 the Rhine, and the following inscription : 
 
 Exemplum eodem (O blanda nominum omina,) 
 dementis ille digna, proles inclyti 
 Pius Britannae, candidse, gaudet Thoro.
 
 197 
 
 the mother and daughter-in-law was affect- 
 ing, each clasped the other to her bosom 
 shedding tears of joy. The British party 
 were cordially welcomed ; and Frederic was 
 repeatedly felicitated on the possession of his 
 magnificent habitation. The interior of the 
 palace, with its floors of porphyry and gilt 
 pillars, and cornice inlaid with gems, was su- 
 perb beyond description : the ceiling was 
 painted al fresco, the walls were hung with 
 tapestry ; and a suite often rooms, including 
 the knight's hall, the royal saloon, the silver 
 chamber, and ante-rooms, formed a com- 
 plete Gothic palace, which, during the sum- 
 mer, seemed the temple of pleasure. 
 
 On the following day, Scultetus preached 
 his thanksgiving sermon, after which Eli- 
 zabeth dined in state, served by twelve 
 princes *, whose attendance, it may be pre- 
 
 * Elizabeth (the queenly princess) sat at the upper 
 end of the table alone : on her left the Dowager Ju- 
 liana, and the other princesses ; on her right hand the 
 Duke of Lenox, after whom was left a space for a 
 noble carver ; after him the Elector Frederic. 
 
 o 3 

 
 198 
 
 sumed, she afterwards gladly remitted. It 
 should, however, be remarked, that on this 
 and twelve succeeding days the Elector 
 held wassail, and the same trumpets and 
 kettle-drums, which summoned the royal 
 party to the silver chamber, welcomed to 
 the hall rive thousand guests, for whose 
 use the great Tun was repeatedly drained 
 and replenished. * 
 
 In the meanwhile, Frederic presented his 
 visitors with a succession of amusements, 
 of which the principal was a tournament!, 
 
 * See Stowe. 
 
 f In the recreations of the court, jousting held a 
 high place, though of the old school of chivalry there 
 remained not the least vestige, more especially in the 
 tournament, which had other objects than to promote 
 cxpertness in horsemanship. Even this taste, how- 
 ever, began to decline among the nobility ; and in 
 place of the women performing journies on horseback, 
 it became usual even for men to accept the accom- 
 modation of coaches ; a practice which, in 1588, was 
 so prevalent, that Duke Julius of Brunswick thought 
 proper to issue an edict against it. In reality, the in- 
 troduction of fire-arms had rendered the lance and 
 sword of subordinate importance ; the youth were
 
 199 
 
 or rather a carousal, such as during the last 
 century had never been presented in Ger- 
 many, and which offered an ambitious imi- 
 tation of that lately exhibited in Paris at a 
 royal marriage. The scene of this grand 
 spectacle was the Royal Garden, in which 
 were splendid galleries for the ladies of the 
 court, and a commodious theatre for the 
 use of all orders of the court. Hece the 
 knights spurred to the field in splendid ar- 
 ray, the cartell was displayed in broad 
 
 now trained to shooting rather than fencing ; and as 
 cultivation advanced, they devoted some time to 
 drawing and music : new masters were added to the 
 old, without superseding them, and thus two systems 
 of education were combined at the same moment. Of 
 the dancing master no mention is made, but the fen- 
 cing professor appears to have been a prominent per- 
 sonage. The pursuits of the chace continued in 
 unabated strength ; the passion was even increased by 
 the facility which fire-arms presented for its gratifica- 
 tion. There were two modes of hunting : to beat 
 the bushes with the gun, or, with hawk and hound, 
 to scour over the hills and plains. The number of 
 hounds and the quantity of game were alike incredi- 
 ble. 
 
 04-
 
 200 
 
 characters, and various prizes distributed 
 according to the merit of the candidates. 
 The Marquis of Anspach challenged that 
 awarded by the ladies, but Christian, Prince 
 of Anhalt, obtained the first honours. It 
 should be remarked that the prizes were 
 not merely aspired to from sentiment, since 
 money was added to them, in sums propor- 
 tioned to the merit of the victor. * 
 
 On the morning the garden was also the 
 scene of another pastime, that of running at 
 the ring, with which was combined a sort 
 of melo-romantic pageant which appears to 
 have delighted the British spectators. The 
 subject was the Golden Fleece, the part 
 of Jason enacted by Frederic. On the 
 preceding day, that prince had taken his 
 place in the field attended by twelve squires, 
 each of whom was supposed to present some 
 tribute of chivalry to his bride ; but now, 
 his advent was preceded by a series of my- 
 thological pageants, beginning with Pallas 
 
 * See note at the end of the volume.
 
 201 
 
 seated in a car drawn by dragons, and end- 
 ing with Orpheus mounted on a unicorn. 
 At length, a melodious symphony heralded 
 his approach ; from the deep-toned voice of 
 an invisible speaker was pronounced a mys- 
 terious oracle ; and immediately appeared a 
 slow moving ship, the immortal Argo, in 
 which stood the victorious Jason and two of 
 his brave companions, each of whom, no 
 less than their lord, recited a complimentary 
 poem to Elizabeth. At this moment, when 
 all eyes were directed towards the youth- 
 ful pair, a fatal omen was detected yi the 
 Golden Fleece, the trophy of Jason's suc- 
 cessful labours, the whisper of superstition 
 produced an immediate impression on the 
 minds of the spectators, and those who had 
 most rejoiced were struck with unwonted 
 sadness. * The spectacles continued, and 
 all the graces and divinities of classical 
 fable were lavished on this entertainment; 
 
 * This anecdote is to be found in Frederic Span- 
 heim's Life of Baron Christophies D'hona.
 
 which lasted many hours. After one pa- 
 geant came another and another ; to the 
 inventor of each were thanks rendered by 
 the ladies. Nothing could be more ludi- 
 crous than some of these. Masculine per- 
 sonifications of the sun and moon came upon 
 Mount Parnassus, each sitting on a hand- 
 some courser ; the representative of the sun 
 was in gilt trappings, whilst the moon's 
 squire was clad in a suit of grey armour : 
 presently Mount Parnassus itself appeared in 
 motion with living animals springing through 
 its cliffs the eagle, the wolf, the bear, all 
 dwelling in concord. Apollo entered in a 
 long white gown, the Muses in green quilted 
 vests, playing on various instruments j Pan 
 piped ; Diana hunted j the old German hero 
 Arminius passed over the stage ; then came 
 the images of various celebrated rivers, as 
 the Danube, the Rhine, the Neckar. The 
 following day the amusement was resumed, 
 when the personifications were still more 
 preposterous, and the only thing that as- 
 pired to consistency was a series of songs,
 
 SOS 
 
 addressed to Elizabeth under the fictitioui 
 names of Orpheus, Venus, the heroes of 
 Elysium, and graces of Olympus.* 
 
 These grand exhibitions terminated in a 
 ball, or, as it is called by the German jour- 
 nalist, a dance of honour, exclusively com- 
 posed of princes and princesses, sufficiently 
 dull, but for the sentimental interest which 
 had been awakened in some of the younger 
 branches of royalty. Among these, George 
 
 * " Besides the 6000 trained footmen who staid 
 " during the solemnity, and were fed by the prince in 
 " the camp, there were every meal, whilst the com- 
 " missioners staid, furnished above five thousand ta- 
 " bles, above six thousand guests served and fed at 
 " his expence. But because this was extraordinary, 
 41 know that this court is ever great, for it hath one 
 " thousand persons in ordinary daily fed, and clothed 
 " twice a year at the prince's charge ; but he keepeth 
 " three hundred great horse ; besides his Highness 
 " hath many governors, lieutenants, deputies, receiv- 
 " ers, captains, and other officers, who have all large 
 " salaries, and are served in such state. At every meal 
 " a marvellous great kettle-drum striketh, and twenty - 
 " four trumpets sound the service. Wherefore, let 
 " envy, malice, and ignorance cease to carp at that 
 *' they cannot parallel, now they may know it, and all 
 " honest men rest satisfied therewith." Stow.
 
 204 
 
 William of Brandenburgh conceived a pas- 
 sion for the Palatine Princess Charlotte, 
 which afterwards led to their union: Count 
 Schomberg became the lover of Anne 
 Dudley, who required to be wooed ere she 
 would allow herself to be won. 
 
 At length the Lords Commissioners de- 
 parted, and Scultetus preached a second 
 sermon, in which was implied perhaps a 
 thanksgiving, not only for the marriage so 
 auspiciously concluded, but for the close of 
 its expensive and almost ruinous festivities ; 
 in which, according to moderate computa- 
 tion, were expended nearly three hundred 
 thousand pounds j a sum very far exceed- 
 ing the bridal dower, and almost equal to 
 the revenues of a kingdom.* 
 
 * See notes at end of the volume.
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 DOMESTIC HAPPINESS OF FREDERIC AND ELIZABETH. 
 
 HIS POSITION AS CHIEF OF THE UNION. 
 
 JULIANA'S RETREAT FROM COURT. GARDEN 
 PLANTED FOR ELIZABETH. DISTURBANCE IN 
 HOLLAND, ENDING IN THE DEATH OF BARNE- 
 
 VELT. 
 
 No sooner were the royal festivities con- 
 cluded, than Frederic prepared to take into 
 his own hands the administration hitherto 
 so prosperously conducted by the Duke of 
 Deuxponts. Never had any minority been 
 concluded under fairer auspices. The Pa- 
 latinate was at this period the most nourish- 
 ing district in Germany. Frederic, in ad- 
 dition to the dignities and prerogatives as- 
 sumed by his predecessors, saw himself re- 
 cognised as Chief of the Evangelic Union,
 
 206 
 
 a distinction enjoyed with security by hi* 
 father, but which, in the present state of 
 Europe, was not more honourable than 
 dangerous. It has been already remarked 
 of this Protestant confederacy, that Luther- 
 ans and Calvinists were, for the first time, 
 associated together, and that its rise is with 
 plausibility ascribed to Henry the Fourth 
 of France. By that monarch's untimely 
 death, its spirit seemed to have been re- 
 pressed, and hitherto it had achieved no- 
 thing worthy of its great author. 
 
 In the interval of tranquillity that had 
 lately prevailed in Germany, the succession 
 to the duchies of Cleves and Juliers excited 
 general attention. For that small territory 
 appeared three competitors, each claiming 
 in right of one of the three daughters of 
 the late sovereign. In the critical state of 
 the religious parties, the princes of the 
 Union could not be indifferent to the issue 
 of the contest, and, least of all, the Elec- 
 tor Palatine, who was nearly connected 
 with the two prominent candidates, the
 
 20? 
 
 Prince of Neuberg and the Elector of 
 Brandenburgh, and who, in common with 
 all the Protestants, was anxious to prevent 
 any new accession of power to the Catholic 
 princes. 
 
 Immediately after the departure of his 
 British guests, Frederic entered on his po- 
 litical functions, by sending deputies to 
 Ratisbon to remonstrate against certain en- 
 croachments on the Protestants ; and by this 
 spirited commencement, excited the jea- 
 lousy of the antagonist party, and of the 
 other princes of the Union, the most powerful 
 was his kinsman the Elector of Branden- 
 burgh, in whose dominions were compre- 
 hended a part of ducal Prussia, a part of 
 Pomerania, and the March of Branden- 
 burgh. * The Duke of Wirtemberg f pos- 
 
 * According to Heiss, the territories of this prince 
 were three hundred miles in extent, comprehending 
 ducal Prussia towards Poland, Upper Pomerania, the 
 March of Brandenburg. His authority was absolute, 
 and the decisions of his judicial courts without appeal. 
 
 f In Wirtemberg, was the celebrated University of 
 Tubingen.
 
 208 
 
 sessed a smaller, but more compact ter- 
 ritory, which, in the arts of civilization, 
 scarcely yielded to the palatinate. In the 
 constitution of its government was pre- 
 sented something like political liberty, since 
 the sovereign could neither impose laws 
 or taxes without consent of the States, 
 which was, however, rarely denied. The 
 reigning duke, whose taste for magnificence 
 and luxury has been already exemplified, was 
 still in the flower of his days, and by his 
 consort, Sophia of Brandenburg, had a nu- 
 merous and beautiful progeny. The third 
 member of this confederacy was the Mar- 
 grave of Baden Dourlach, who maintained 
 in his small principality despotic sway, not 
 unfavourable to military discipline. The 
 princes of his race were distinguished by 
 their lofty stature ; the sovereign and his 
 subjects seemed born for war. To these 
 was joined Philip, duke of Neuburg, an off- 
 set of the Palatinate House, who had small 
 possessions beyond the rank of a legitimate 
 prince, and his claims to the duchy qf 
 19
 
 Cleves. Neither the Landgrave of Hesse, 
 nor the Elector of Saxony, had embraced 
 the association. The former, a prince of 
 more prudence than enterprise, who adhered 
 to the Lutheran doctrines, and was conse- 
 quently jealous of the later reformers, was 
 yet politically disposed to embrace the coun- 
 sels of France, and to protect the liberties 
 of Germany. By the artifices of the im- 
 perial court, he had, however, been de- 
 tached from his former allies, and even 
 Wolfgang, the young prince of Neuburg, 
 was gained to the adverse party by a Ca- 
 tholic bride, who was no less a personage 
 than the sister of Maximilian of Bavaria. 
 
 The defection of this prince was not only 
 mortifying to the Palatine family, with 
 whom he was nearly connected, but injuri- 
 ous to the Protestants, who could ill afford 
 to spare an individual of abilities so promis- 
 ing. In reality, it was rather in moral than 
 physical energies that the party was want- 
 ing. The burthen of responsibility rested 
 
 VOL. i. p
 
 210 
 
 on a youthful prince, whobe knowledge 
 of men and public affairs was purely specu- 
 lative. Frederic had hitherto been a do- 
 cile pupil it remained to beproved whether 
 he would ever become a master in that 
 degree which the exigencies of the moment 
 required. In his dominions, which include 
 the fairest provinces* of Germany, his au- 
 thority though somewhat modified by the oc- 
 casional convention of the States was nearly 
 independent. He levied contributions on 
 the landholders, and, in ecclesiastical affairs, 
 maintained undisputed supremacy. By his 
 forefathers, the doctrines of Calvin had 
 been established to the exclusion of Lu- 
 theran tenets, and the university of Heidel- 
 berg had promulgated a catechism, which 
 was now the orthodox standard of the re- 
 formed churches in France and German v. 
 
 9 
 
 Unhappily the fanatics of the evangelical 
 party conspired with astrologers to impress 
 on the Elector Palatine the persuasion that 
 
 * Howell's Letters.
 
 he was born to achieve extraordinary great- 
 ness 5 but these splendid visions, however 
 they might haunt his fancy, prevented not 
 his enjoyment of domestic felicity ; and that 
 most fortunate year of his life which gave to 
 him Elizabeth, was crowned by the birth of 
 a son, afterwards known by the name of 
 Henry Frederic. 
 
 The notification of this event was received 
 in England with decorous demonstrations of 
 satisfaction by the court, with undissembled 
 joy by the gentry, and with rapturous ac- 
 clamations by the citizens ; whilst in Scot- 
 land it was celebrated by the Presbyte- 
 rians with an exultation probably calculated 
 to excite the jealousy of James and his 
 son. In the palatinate the event was cele- 
 brated as a triumph ; Frederic transmitted 
 circular letters to all the States in his do- 
 minions, summoning them to rejoice with 
 him for the safety of his beloved consort, 
 The ceremonial of the christening was per- 
 formed with such pomp and prodigality,
 
 as could scarcely have been exceeded even 
 for an heir to the house of Hapsburg. 
 The royal infant was carried to the great 
 church of Heidelberg in the arms of his 
 aunt, the Princess Catherine. The majesty 
 of the British monarch was represented by 
 the Prince of Anhalt, and magnificent do- 
 nations were offered by Frederic and his 
 mother to Elizabeth and her English house- 
 hold. * 
 
 During many days, the bells of Heidel- 
 berg resounded ; and, at the hour of noon, 
 the sonorous trumpet again summoned to 
 the castle several thousand guests. The 
 profusion displayed at the feasts and enter- 
 tainments exhibited on this occasion might 
 appear incredible, but for the well known 
 fact, that the prosperity of the people is not 
 to be measured by the splendour and page- 
 
 * In Stowe there is an account of this ceremony. 
 Frederic and Juliana made splendid presents to Eli- 
 zabeth's ladies, > particularly to her favourite, Anne 
 Dudley.
 
 213 
 
 antry of its sovereign ; and that penury and 
 misery are generally to be seen in the back 
 ground of regal magnificence. 
 
 It may be doubted whether this grandeur 
 always compensated to Elizabeth for the 
 monotonous tone of society, so different 
 from the variety to which she had in Eng- 
 land been hitherto accustomed. By her own 
 family she was treated with neglect. Her 
 father was too much engrossed by his plea- 
 sures to transmit to her any testimonies of 
 remembrance ; and though her mother, in 
 a visit which Frederic paid to England in 
 1614, had received her son-in-law with 
 courtesy, she continued to stigmatize the 
 connexion as degrading to her daughter's 
 dignity, and never was reconciled to its au- 
 thors and promoters. * 
 
 For this alienation, Elizabeth might in 
 part be consoled by unremitted proofs of 
 attachment from Juliana and her daughters, 
 
 * Anne is said to have shewn resentment to Secre- 
 tary Winwood, and Carlcton afterwards Lord Don- 
 caster. See ffowell's Letters. 
 p3
 
 and, still more, by the attentions of an en- 
 amoured husband, incessantly occupied in 
 devising schemes for her gratification. It was 
 a circumstance favourable to the felicity of 
 the youthful pair, that they were perfectly 
 congenial in their taste for magnificence, and 
 equally solicitous for the embellishment, or, 
 what they conceived to be the improvement, 
 of their dominions. One of Frederic's first 
 undertakings was to complete the fortifica- 
 tions of Manheim ; the next, to procure for 
 Elizabeth the recreation of a rural walk, 
 without crossing the river Neckar, which, 
 in the actual position of the gardens, was 
 necessary. Hitherto no Palsgrave had at- 
 tempted to plant a garden on the rocky site 
 of the castle of Heidelberg ; the uneven- 
 ness of the ground, the interposition of the 
 cliff, of which the rugged summit rose far 
 above even Jetha's tower, were sufficiently 
 discouraging. But these impediments were 
 surmounted by Frederic, who, regardless 
 of toil or expense, with lover-like ardour 
 caused the ridge to be levelled, the chasms
 
 to be filled, and the wild and irregular space 
 converted into a blooming paradise, to 
 which not only plants, but full grown trees 
 were transferred in moulds without injury 
 to their health or beauty. Exclusive of the 
 profusion of delicate exotics which in the 
 summer months embellished the borders, 
 limes and oranges diffused through the air 
 delicious fragrance. In one part, the um- 
 brageous foliage of an English orchard re- 
 freshed the eye ; in another, a mulberry 
 plantation chastened the more gaudy tints 
 of the ornamented parterres. In the centre 
 of the flower-garden was a fountain so in- 
 geniously constructed, as to furnish a con- 
 stant supply of water to irrigate the soil. 
 The garden was encircled with shrubberies, 
 which straggled along the cliff, whilst tall 
 forest trees skirted the sides of the hill, 
 whose naked summits formed a striking 
 contrast to the velvet lawns and trim walks 
 beneath. From the edge of the precipice 
 fell an artificial sheet of water, which ap- 
 peared to be a natural cascade ; by a still 
 p 4
 
 216 
 
 more felicitous contrivance, little silvery 
 streams were made to meander along the 
 lawns, whilst musical symphonies, supposed 
 to be breathed by nymphs or Naiads, sa- 
 luted the ear. The gravel walks were ter- 
 minated by ornamented gates ; over that 
 which gave immediate access to the garden 
 was raised an elegant triumphal arch, with 
 a simple Latin inscription, importing that 
 it was raised in 1615 by Frederic the Fifth 
 to his beloved wife Elizabeth. * 
 
 It might, perhaps, be objected to the art- 
 ist who created this charming scene, that 
 the glare of royalty was not sufficiently ex- 
 cluded from view j but the more contem- 
 
 * A description of this garden was printed in 1620, 
 by Solomon Caus, the projector, from whose work 
 the above is extracted. 
 
 On the arch or gateway, opening to the garden 
 which Frederic the Fifth, Elector Palatine, laid out for 
 his wife, Elizabeth of England, daughter of James the 
 First, is the following inscription : 
 
 FREDERICUS v 
 ELIZABETH 
 CONJUGI CARISS. 
 A,C. M.D.C.XV, F.C.
 
 217 
 
 plative were invited to explore the recesses 
 of a grotto from whence issued a stream of 
 melody, like that breathed from the haut- 
 boy or flute, but which was, in reality, pro- 
 duced by ingenious mechanism. The walls 
 of the palace were not concealed ; but the 
 only part of the edifice which formed a 
 prominent object, was the old ruinous turret 
 of Jetha Behel, which might alone suggest 
 volumes to the reflective mind. Such was 
 the familiar and daily haunt of Elizabeth ; 
 and here, whilst she often listened to ex- 
 positions of the Sybil's mysterious oracles, 
 or to the astro-theological predictions of 
 Abraham Scultetus, the sight of the river 
 Neckar flowing in tranquil beauty might 
 sometimes arrest the dreams of ambition, or 
 exalt them to an enthusiasm more worthy 
 of a noble mind. 
 
 Whilst Frederic was occupied in amusing 
 his consort, his mother realized a plan, long 
 since conceived, of withdrawing from the 
 court, to the lauds allotted to her dower.
 
 218 
 
 Her resolution was strenuously opposed by 
 the Elector, and still more ardently by the 
 Electress, who could not be insensible to 
 the charms of 'her manners, and ill brooked 
 the privation of such society. But Juliana 
 adhered steadily to her purpose ; as the 
 only expedient by which she could hope to 
 preserve the influence she had acquired 
 over the minds of her children. In her 
 estimation, it was rather a privilege than a 
 sacrifice to renounce the pompous vanities 
 of a court, and escape that puerile etiquette 
 to which she had never narrowed her mind. 
 Other considerations of a political nature 
 accelerated her decision. It required no ex- 
 traordinary penetration to discover that a 
 crisis was approaching, in which the Elector 
 Palatine must inevitably be involved. The 
 chiefs of the League were silently measur- 
 ing their strength against the leaders of the 
 Union. The Unionists had begun to con- 
 cert plans, infinitely more mischievous to 
 themselves than their adversaries j and,
 
 219 
 
 whether the ultimate object of their deli- 
 berations should be to give to the empire 
 a Protestant chief, or to dismember or alie- 
 nate part of its dominions from a Catholic 
 emperor, Juliana was not slow to perceive 
 that the inexperienced Frederic would be 
 unequally opposed to his kinsman, Maxi- 
 milian of Bavaria, a prince with ample ex- 
 perience, though still in the summer of his 
 days, and who was not only the docile pupil 
 of Jesuitical priests, but the confidential friend 
 of his brother-in-law, Ferdinand. Yet more 
 did she deprecate the effects of those am- 
 bitious counsels which Frederic had im- 
 bibed, and Elizabeth adopted; which Prince 
 Maurice approved, and the Duke of Bouil- 
 lon recommended. Against such a con- 
 federacy, she foresaw her maternal warning 
 would be given in vain ; nor had she any 
 alternative but to withdraw from a scene, 
 in which she must either dissent from those 
 she loved, or acquiesce in measures her 
 judgment condemned. The spot she had
 
 220 
 
 chosen for her retreat was Kaiser's Lau- 
 tern, so called for its singularly clear run- 
 ning water, which flowed through a valley, 
 no less remarkable for pastoral beauty. 
 The palace she was in future to inhabit, had 
 been erected by the Emperor Frederic Bar- 
 barossa, who, attracted by the streams and 
 woods in its vicinity, equally favourable to 
 the pastimes of hunting and fishing, had 
 made it his favourite retreat, and the depo- 
 sitary of his most valued rarities. * 
 
 The walls of this antiquated edifice were 
 castellated, and its spiral towers recalled to 
 the mind the stern aspect of the middle 
 ages. On entering the spacious hall, from 
 which every vestige of Romish rites had 
 
 * According to Spanheim, this monarch had intro- 
 duced a pike into the fish-pond, to which he had af- 
 fixed a ring, with an inscription, purporting that it 
 had been placed in that water by the hand of the great 
 Barbarossa in 1230. On the 6th of November 1497, 
 this identical fish, says Spanheim, was dragged from 
 the pond, and actually served at the electoral table. 
 The ring, he adds, is preserved in. the cabinet of na- 
 tural history at Mauheim.
 
 been effaced, this illusion vanished j yet 
 the genius of superstition lingered under 
 other forms, accommodated to popular 
 faith, and though monkish legends of mi- 
 racles achieved by saints were rejected with 
 contempt, the fantastic romances of the 
 north, the tales of genii, imps, witches, 
 and sorcerers, were swallowed with avidity,, 
 by the credulous auditors. In such an age, 
 he must have been a bold man, whose 
 heart totally disclaimed belief in demons or 
 apparitions ; but a still bolder who ventured 
 to proclaim such scepticism to his contem- 
 poraries. With impressions such as these 
 were intermingled more ancient traditions 
 derived from Pagan Rome, referring to 
 dreams, omens, and auguries, from which 
 the strongest minds were not wholly ex- 
 empted. Even Juliana heard not without 
 emotion that the Emperor's two favourite 
 eagles had died at the same moment ; an 
 incident from which speculative politicians 
 according to their party, presaged mischief 
 to the union, or subversion to the empire.
 
 In retiring to Kaiser's Lantern, Juliana re- 
 nounced not the active duties of life. Jn 
 her limited domain she was entitled to ab- 
 solute supremacy, or subordinate only to 
 the Palsgrave : as that prince was himself 
 amenable to imperial jurisdiction. Accord- 
 ing to Spanheim, she exercised her autho- 
 rity rather like a tender mother than a 
 German sovereign, attending personally to 
 the complaints of her subjects, healing 
 differences, and promoting concord. In 
 her palace she established rigid economy, 
 repressing pomp and finery, whilst her 
 charities attested her munificence. A por- 
 tion of every day was devoted to reading 
 or expounding the Scriptures to her do- 
 mestics ; but she also dedicated much of 
 her time to her numerous correspondents, 
 including her children, her sisters, and inti- 
 mate friends, an employment from which 
 she insensibly acquired a relish and aptitude 
 for literary composition. In her retreat 
 she was often visited by Frederic, and on 
 extraordinary occasions appeared at his
 
 court, when she omitted not to resume the 
 splendour which she knew to be acceptable 
 to her children. In 1614, she obeyed with 
 joyful alacrity, a summons to assist at the 
 espousals of her daughter, Charlotte, with 
 George William of Bran denburgh, whose sis- 
 ter Eleonora was hereafter to give her hand 
 to the heroic Gustavus of Sweden. Charlotte, 
 who inherited the talents of her mother, 
 soon obtained an ascendancy over her hus- 
 band's mind, which was conscientiously ex- 
 erted in drawing him from the Lutherans to 
 the reformed church, in other words, recon- 
 ciling him to the catechism of Heidelberg. 
 It should be observed, that women had 
 in this age no small share in transplanting 
 or upholding religious tenets. It was no- 
 torious, that the Archduke Ferdinand had 
 been confirmed in his zeal for the apostolic 
 church by his mother, Beatrice of Bavaria, 
 who, not satisfied with having immured his 
 youth in the college of Ingolstadt, contrary 
 to the express prohibitions of the Emperor 
 Rodolph, on her death-bed enjoined him
 
 to persevere in the true faith, as he would 
 hope for divine mercy, or a mother's bene- 
 diction. With less asperity of character, 
 Juliana had been no less careful to instil 
 into Frederic's mind an aversion for the 
 latitudinarianism of Lutheran principles, 
 which, in her estimation, were not far re- 
 moved from the corruptions of the Church 
 of Rome. It appears not how far the youth- 
 ful Electress participated in these opinions ; 
 but she began insensibly to take, in some 
 degree, the tone of the court of Heidelberg, 
 and, on receiving a visit from the poet 
 Donne, warmly commended his having de- 
 voted himself to a religious profession. The 
 gaiety of her temper was no less relished in 
 Germany than it had been in Holland ; and 
 it was remarked of her by Juliana, that 
 whilst by her generous sentiments she in- 
 spired respect, her sprightliness and affabil- 
 lity won the hearts of all her subjects. 
 
 During the first year of her residence in 
 Germany, Elizabeth was cheered by the pre- 
 19
 
 sence of her almost parental friends, Lord 
 and Lady Harrington. The declining health 
 of the latter induced him to hasten his de- 
 parture for England ; but he advanced no 
 farther than Worms, where his journey was 
 impeded by an illness which in a few days 
 terminated his existence. His son, John 
 Harrington, the admirable friend of Prince 
 Henry, survived but a few months ; and the 
 Countess, who had returned to England im- 
 mediately after her husband's death, appears 
 to have spent her remaining days in retire- 
 ment. Thus, of all the early friends that 
 imparted happiness to Elizabeth's child- 
 hood, the only remaining object was Anne 
 Dudley, Lord Harrington's niece, who con- 
 tinued with her, and having formed an at- 
 tachment to Count Schomberg, was perma- 
 nently separated from her native country.* 
 
 * It is remarkable that the only metrical composition 
 of Elizabeth is a poem (already alluded to) addressed 
 to Lord Harrington, written in 1609, at Combe Abbey. 
 It is inserted by Lord Orford, who allows Elizabeth a 
 place among his Royal Authors. 
 
 VOL. I. Q Verses
 
 226 
 
 Whilst Elizabeth was deploring the fate 
 of her most intimate friends, the tranquil- 
 lity of Juliana was inferrupted by the dis- 
 
 Verses by Elizabeth to Lord Harrington, 'written in her 
 thirteenth year. 
 
 This is a joye, this is true pleasure, 
 If we best things make our treasure, 
 And enjoy them at full leisure, 
 Evermore in richest measure. 
 
 God is only excellent, 
 Let up to him our love be sent ; 
 Whose desires are set and bent 
 On ought else, shall much repent. 
 
 Theirs is a most wretched case 
 Who themselves so far disgrace, 
 That they their affections place 
 Upon things named vile and base. 
 
 Earthly things do fade, decay, 
 Contentations not one day ; 
 Suddenly they pass away, 
 And man cannot make them stay. 
 
 All the vast world doth contain 
 To content men's hearts is vain, 
 That still justly will complain, 
 And unsatisfied remain.
 
 227, 
 
 tractions which had arisen in the land to 
 which she owed her birth, and the bitter 
 
 Why should vain joyes us transport? 
 Earthly pleasures are but short, 
 And are mingled in such sort, 
 Griefs are greater than the sport. 
 
 God, most holy, high, and great, 
 Our delight doth make complete, 
 When in us he takes his seat, 
 Only then we are replete. 
 
 O, my soul of Heavenly birth 
 Do thou scorn this basest earth, 
 Place not here thy joy and mirth, 
 Where of bliss is greatest dearth. 
 
 From below thy mind remove, 
 And affect the things above ; 
 Set thy heart and fix thy love 
 Where thou truest joyes shall prove. 
 
 To me grace, O father, send, 
 On thee wholly to depend, 
 That all may to thy glory tend ; 
 So let me live, so let me end. 
 
 In the copy of this poem, inserted in Harrington's 
 Nugae Antiquae, several additional stanzas are intro- 
 duced.
 
 hostility that had been kindled between the 
 brother whom she loved and the venerable 
 patriot who had been their common pro- 
 tector. As the consequences of this tran- 
 saction led to important changes in the for- 
 tunes of the Palatine house, it is necessary 
 to refer to a subject which, at the first 
 glance, might appear wholly unconnected 
 with the history of Frederic and Elizabeth. 
 
 The rise of the Arminian controversy has 
 been already mentioned ; whence, the rival 
 factions of remonstrants and contra-remon- 
 strants originated. To remedy those dis- 
 orders, an edict had been framed, partly by 
 the intervention of Grotius and Barnevelt, 
 prohibiting all future preaching or discus- 
 sion on the five disputed articles concerning 
 grace, election, and reprobation, which had 
 hitherto been the grounds of dissention. * 
 
 Neither Grotius nor Barnevelt appears 
 to have reflected on the impropriety com- 
 mitted by the Reformers in laying restric- 
 tions on the preachers of a people who had 
 
 * See note from Brandt at the end of the volume.
 
 zealously contended for religious freedom. 
 Seduced by their sympathies, and misled by 
 popular, or rather traditionary opinions, 
 these two great men in this instance argued 
 like the Catholics, that unity of faith was 
 essential to a Christian community. In 
 Grotius the oversight was excused by inex- 
 perience ; in Barnevelt the error was sancti- 
 fied by a generous patriotism that impelled 
 him to protect the weaker party.* That 
 he had erred in his calculations was, how- 
 ever, evident when the preachers of the 
 contra-remonstrant party, offended by the 
 restriction imposed on their discourses, for- 
 mally seceded from the churches, and the 
 populace, enraged at their exclusion, com- 
 mitted atrocious outrages on the supposed 
 authors of the grievance. No sooner was 
 the spirit of fanaticism excited, than houses 
 were plundered, individuals assaulted ; and 
 in the name of remonstrants and contra- 
 
 * Barnevelt declared, that though he accorded with 
 the other party, he protected the Arminians, because 
 all sects ought to be tolerated. See Carlctons Letters. 
 Q3
 
 230 
 
 remonstrants, factions were suddenly scat- 
 tered over the Batavian commonwealth. 
 Hitherto, Maurice had preserved neutral- 
 ity j but having ascertained that the contra- 
 remonstrants trebled their opponents, he 
 openly proclaimed himself their protector* j 
 happy to have discovered a simple and in- 
 fallible expedient for removing the obstacle 
 to his own views of aggrandizement, which 
 the influence of Barnevelt had hitherto pre- 
 sented. His first step was to secure a ma- 
 jority of votes in the States-general, that 
 great national assembly (composed of de- 
 puties from the individual states), in which 
 resided the supremacy of the commonwealth. 
 Having gained this point, he procured a 
 decree for convoking a general synod to 
 compose religious differences ; and, by vir- 
 tue of the authority vested in him as Go- 
 vernor-general, proceeded to displace what- 
 ever magistrates were of the Arminian 
 party. The remonstrants foreseeing the 
 
 storm, had taken measures to raise soldiers 
 
 i~ 
 
 * See Carfeton's Letters and Negotiations.
 
 231 
 
 in certain states well affected to their cause j 
 a measure which served only to furnish 
 their adversaries with a pretext for depriving 
 them of their chiefs, among whom were 
 Barnevelt, the grand pensionary of Holland, 
 and Grotius the pensionary of Rotterdam j 
 to these were added, JLeydenberg, the pen- 
 sionary of Utrecht, and Utenbogard, the 
 chaplain of Louisa Coligny and her most 
 esteemed friend. It is not probable that 
 Maurice would have ventured on an act of 
 such illegal tyranny, had he not been power- 
 fully seconded by the sinister prejudices 
 which fanaticism and malignity had cre- 
 ated against Barnevelt, who was preposte- 
 rously believed to have espoused the inte- 
 rests of Spain and Austria, in opposition to 
 those of the Protestant commonwealth. The 
 abrupt removal of the grand pensionary 
 seemed to paralyse the faculties of his par- 
 tizans. " What shall we say," exclaimed a 
 deputy, in the assembly of the States, " now 
 " that we are deprived of our head, our hand, 
 " our tongue ?" 
 
 Q 4
 
 232 
 
 Relieved from the interference of Barne- 
 velt, Maurice, affecting to sympathize with 
 the contra-remonstrants in the injustice of 
 turning them out of their churches, awed 
 with his presence the Arminian towns, re- 
 inforced their garrisons, deposed from the 
 magistracy all but men of Calvinistic prin- 
 ciples, and finally assembled the Synod of 
 Dort, of which the effects were long me- 
 morable in Europe. To this town came 
 deputies on the part of his Britannic Ma- 
 jesty, the reformed churches in France and 
 certain towns in Germany. For the Pala- 
 tinate, appeared Abraham Scultetus, dis- 
 tinguished above every other member for 
 the vehemence and asperity with which he 
 denounced the remonstrants. * The open- 
 ing of this assembly had been delayed by 
 various frivolous formalities. The deputies 
 of each nation adhered to the rules of pre- 
 cedence, and a council of theologians held 
 learned arguments -to settle minute points 
 pf etiquette. For the people, who eagerly 
 
 * See "Cnrletpn,
 
 233 
 
 awaited the result of their important inves- 
 tigations, all access was debarred to dis- 
 courses in which they were vitally inte- 
 rested, since the pleadings commenced and 
 ended in Latin, which was to them an un- 
 known tongue.* To the thinking few, it 
 was obvious that religion was here but the 
 mask of policy ; and that the particular in- 
 terests of James, of Maurice, of Frederic, 
 formed the real, though secret mechanism 
 of the pantomime enacted ; but whatever 
 motive influenced the synod, its decision, 
 as had been foreseen, was destruction to 
 the Arminian party on whom it denounced 
 the penal ties of fines, confiscation, or banish- 
 ment. 
 
 The arrest of the grand pensionary had 
 been considered a measure of caution, to 
 facilitate to the prince and his partisans the 
 overthrow of the remonstrants. It was 
 
 * In Holland, at this period, almost every class read, 
 and descanted on subjects of theology. According 
 to Brandt, the barbers' shops were the resort of men, 
 women, and children, all talking together against 
 Vorstius or Gomar.
 
 known but to the English and Palatine am- 
 bassadors, and their confidants, that his death 
 was sealed ; even Barnevelt had no surmise 
 of the truth.* Accustomed to despise dan- 
 gers, and above suspicion, this consummate 
 statesman had suffered himself to be en- 
 snared by the machinations of a man his 
 inferior in every thing but knowledge of 
 the world and a capacity for artifice and in- 
 trigue. But for that fearlessness of temper 
 which results from well-founded confidence 
 in a powerful mind, Barnevelt might have es- 
 caped the malice of his foes. When the synod 
 was first proposed (in 1613), he meditated 
 retreat ; but when the States of Holland im- 
 plored him not to withdraw his protection, 
 the venerable patriot pledged himself to 
 watch over their interests until death j and 
 from that hour, until the day on which he 
 was conveyed to prison, remitted not his 
 personal exertions. No suspicion was en- 
 tertained by his family of the impending 
 
 * Carleton's Letters.
 
 evil ; and he was walking with his wonted 
 expression of benignity, when a messenger 
 from the Prince of Orange desired his at- 
 tendance. On reaching the apartment, he 
 was arrested on a charge of treason, but 
 treated with respect, being committed only 
 to private custody. During this interval, his 
 countenance was unaltered ; yet, hearing 
 that Grotius and Leydenberg were also ap- 
 prehended, he exclaimed with a sigh, " That 
 " is a pity, for they are young enough to do 
 " the state service." * He next inquired 
 somewhat anxiously how the people relished 
 the transaction ? a superfluous question 
 he soon learned that the fallen patriot has 
 few friends. It was not till he found himself 
 conducted to a prison within the walls of the 
 castle, that he admitted any serious appre- 
 hensions of his danger ; but on passing that 
 ill-omened threshold, he suddenly exclaimed, 
 " My sins ! my sins !" as if he intuitively 
 divined that his days were numbered j but, 
 
 * Carleton.
 
 236 
 
 banishing this idea, he concentrated his at- 
 tention on the welfare of his country, de- 
 manded the result of the prince's move- 
 ments, and, in particular, the progress of 
 the synod of Dort. It was not until after the 
 dissolution of that assembly, that Maurice 
 ventured openly to demand the sacrifice of 
 the venerable protector of his country. 
 Even then, he proceeded with cautious 
 steps : depositions were privately taken, and 
 a list of judges proposed, almost exclusively 
 invidious to the person, or inimical to the 
 party of Barnevelt. At length he was sum- 
 moned to the provincial court, within the 
 walls of the castle,, as a culprit ; where, al- 
 though his once majestic form was bent with 
 age and lameness, he still retained the wont- 
 ed dignity of his carriage, and, in passing 
 to the hall, chanced to meet at the door two 
 of his judges, who mechanically offered him 
 precedence, a token of involuntary homage. 
 During the trial he sat on a stool, or leaned 
 on his staff, apparently unconscious of his 
 situation : once only, on approaching the
 
 237 
 
 fire, where some of his judges were seated, 
 he was reminded that it became not a cri- 
 minal like him to sit with honest men. To 
 this outrage, Barnevelt replied with one of 
 those deep-searching looks, familiar to his 
 mild, meditative countenance ; and, leaning 
 on his staff, returned to his remote station 
 as quickly as his lameness permitted. Va- 
 rious were the deliberations respecting his 
 fate j and long as his sentence had been 
 predetermined, to demand the blood of one 
 so aged, so venerable, the memory of whose 
 virtues awed even his accusers, seemed im- 
 possible to his foesj but ambition and re- 
 sentment stimulated the Prince of Orange; 
 venality or cowardice swayed his adherents ; 
 the credulity of fanaticism blinded the popu- 
 lace ; the names of the King of Spain and 
 the Pope, of Austria and the League, suf- 
 ficed to sanctify with the name of justice 
 an atrocious outrage and Barnevelt was 
 doomed to die ! 
 
 When apprised of the sentence on Sunday 
 evening, after he had performed his devo-
 
 238 
 
 tions, astonishment at first held him mute. 
 At length he asked why, if the States re- 
 quired his life, they had so long detained 
 him in prison, adding, " it was new to him 
 " that a man should be condemned un- 
 " heard." The fiscal having replied, " You 
 " have been heard sufficiently," Barnevelt 
 exclaimed, "Had thy father known his son 
 " should bid me die, he would have wished 
 " thee still unborn." Then calling for pen 
 and ink, he began writing to his wife, but 
 was interrupted by the minister Walaeus, 
 who came to prepare him for his end. "I 
 " am old, and therefore should be pre- 
 " pared," said Barnevelt ; " you may spare 
 " your pains." Having dispatched his let- 
 ter, he entered into conversation with Wai- ' 
 aeus, protested his innocence, demonstrated 
 the injustice of his sentence, and finally de- 
 sired his companion to convey a message to 
 the Prince of Orange, and to obtain from 
 him a promise, that his wife and children 
 should not be deprived of his possessions. 
 
 Walaeus obeyed ; and by him the prince 
 19
 
 239 
 
 pledged himself to forgiveness and kind- 
 ness, a promise afterwards basely violated. 
 That night Barnevelt allowed himself not 
 to sleep. Of the few hours that remained, 
 none must be lost. He had been long occu- 
 pied in drawing up his defence, and had now 
 to apprize his friends that these papers were 
 concealed behind the arras. * At eight 
 o'clock he was conducted to the hall of 
 audience, where, being once more seated, 
 he listened in composed silence to the sen- 
 tence j but when, in the recapitulation of 
 his offences, he heard himself charged with 
 having accepted presents from foreign prin- 
 ces, he darted on the accuser " looks of 
 " ineffable contempt." This preamble hav- 
 ing been concluded, " with the loss of life 
 " and confiscation of goods," he said, with a 
 firm voice, " thirty- three years I have served 
 " the commonwealth as Advocate of Hol- 
 " land, and ten years before, I was the 
 
 * These papers were, however, intercepted, and 
 suppressed. See Carleton's Letters.
 
 240 
 
 " Pensionary of Rotterdam ; my fidelity 
 " and diligence might have claimed better 
 " recompence. If you must have my 
 " blood, yet methinks you might spare 
 " my goods, nor ruin, for my sake, my wife 
 " and my children." In uttering the last 
 words his voice faltered, and his counte- 
 nance became dejected. The president 
 telling him he had no alternative but to 
 submit, he rose from his seat, and, with his 
 wonted nobleness of demeanour, passed 
 through the great hall to the inner court, 
 and, without betraying the least emotion, or 
 casting a single glance towards the assem- 
 bled spectators, ascended the scaffold. * Here 
 the minister Walaeus repeated a brief prayer, 
 to which Barnevelt responded an audible 
 " Amen." Impressed, however, with the 
 belief that a tardy pardon must be intend- 
 ed, he at length raised his eyes to his confi- 
 dential servant, who whispered in his ear, 
 " No grace comes," " Despatch, then," 
 
 * Carleton's Letters,
 
 24 L 
 
 cried the despairing patriot, " despatch ;" 
 and, with the impetuosity of passion, he tore 
 off' his clothes, with his own hand put the 
 fatal cap on his head, and, trembling with in- 
 dignation, exclaimed, " Burghers, I die for 
 " my zeal to preserve your liberties. My 
 " fidelity is the only crime I have commit- 
 " ted." These were the last words uttered 
 by Barnevelt. Little did he imagine that, 
 among other concealed spectators, was the 
 Prince of Orange, who, stationed at a private 
 window, contemplated the immolation of 
 that early friend, guardian, and benefactor, 
 whom, for one noble trespass, he regarded 
 as his direst foe. It has been pretended 
 that the prince witnessed his last struggles 
 with indecent transports. But Maurice was 
 rather calculating than cruel. His hatred 
 of Barnevelt originated solely in his love of 
 power, and, as was naturally to be expect- 
 ed, he exulted in the prospects that were 
 opened to his views by the removal of that 
 patriot, whose influence had so often baffled 
 
 VOL. I. R
 
 his anticipations of personal and collateral 
 greatness, and whose principles were alike 
 impregnable to sophistry, flattery, or in- 
 timidation. 
 
 Maurice, released from this vigilance, 
 hoped, by the agency of the Calvinists, to ob- 
 tain for himself the reversion of absolute and 
 hereditary sovereignty ; for the States a pre- 
 eminence in commerce, and for his nephew 
 the possession of a kingdom. Too wary to 
 overlook any individual who was likely to 
 contribute to his success, the Prince had not 
 forgotten to lavish on Abraham Scultetus 
 whatever attentions could be gratifying to 
 a vain, enthusiastic mind j and that minister 
 returned to Heidelberg inflated with pre- 
 sumption, and eager to transfuse to his so- 
 vereign's breast those fantastic speculations 
 on which he had allowed himself to dwell 
 with complacency, until he began to con. 
 sider the suggestions of ambition and fana- 
 ticism as the secret inspirations of heaven. 
 At Heidelberg he was greeted with con- 
 gratulations by all but Juliana, who sympa-
 
 243 
 
 thized too deeply in the sentiments of Louisa 
 Coligny not to distrust the principles which 
 had prevailed in the Synod of Dort, and the 
 allegations adduced against Barnevelt and 
 his coadjutors. During the imprisonment 
 of that virtuous statesman, Louisa had not 
 dissembled her affliction ; and neither she, 
 or her son, Prince Henry, withdrew from 
 the Arminian preachers, with one of whom, 
 Utenbogard, she continued to live in cordial 
 intimacy. The ignominious death of Bar- 
 nevelt, which she had unavailingly sought 
 to avert, renewed the sorrows of her early 
 life, and, for the first time, yielding to des- 
 pondency, she pathetically complained that 
 since all whom she loved were marked for 
 destruction, she must prepare to see in her 
 son Henry the next devoted victim. As 
 she survived this mournful presage but two 
 years, she probably never renounced the 
 suspicion that had given it birth, and in this 
 single instance wronged the character of 
 Maurice, who, however exasperated by the 
 virulence of party, had never meditated hos-
 
 244 
 
 tility against the brother he had adopted as 
 a son. 
 
 It was from Louisa Coligny that Juliana 
 discovered the ambitious views which Mau- 
 rice and the Duke de Bouillon cherished 
 for her eldest son, but which her sounder 
 judgment utterly rejected. It was not, 
 therefore alone for the friend or benefac- 
 tor that she lamented Barnevelt's fate ; she 
 saw in it an intimate connection with Fre- 
 deric's destiny. Neither sense nor piety 
 had fortified her soul against those involun- 
 tary impressions of superstition in unison 
 with the spirit of the age j and even in re- 
 ceiving the congratulations of friends, and 
 witnessing the happiness of her children, 
 she doubted whether she ought not to de- 
 precate any new symbol of prosperity * as 
 an awful indication that the fortunes of the 
 Palatine House had arrived at that pinnacle, 
 beyond which they could not advance with- 
 out being precipitated in destruction. 
 
 * Spanheim's Mmoires de 1'Electrice Louise Ju- 
 liane.
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 COUNT THURM AND THE REVOLUTION OF PRAGUE. 
 PERIL OF KING FERDINAND. GENEROUS CON- 
 DUCT OF FREDERIC. CHOSEN BY THE STATES 
 OF BOHEMIA. DIVISIONS IN HIS COUNCIL. DIF- 
 FERENT SENTIMENTS OF JULIANA AND ELIZA- 
 BETH. FREDERIC'S ACCEPTANCE OF THE CROWN 
 
 OF BOHEMIA, AND DEPARTURE FOR HEIDELBERG. 
 
 THE first five years of Elizabeth's married 
 life had flowed in peaceful prosperity. She 
 had become the mother of three promising 
 children, of whom the youngest was a daugh- 
 ter, afterwards so celebrated by the name 
 of Elizabeth, Princess Palatine. During 
 this interval her person had been improved, 
 her character matured, the sportiveness of 
 extreme youth had given place to a more
 
 246 
 
 sedate and matronly deportment, and she 
 acquired the unlimited empire of her hus- 
 band's affection. Endeared to his mother 
 and his sisters, idolized by his subjects, to 
 whom her character was displayed only in 
 acts of kindness and munificence, she seemed 
 to be the favourite of felicity, and to have 
 engrossed whatever of good or fair was al- 
 lotted to female destiny. Formed for ac- 
 tive pursuits, the pomp and pageantry of 
 the court of Heidelberg could not long 
 satisfy her ardent character ; and she was 
 happy to escape from the porphyry columns 
 and silver chamber to the neighbouring 
 woods and hills, where her fame as the first 
 huntress of her age was universally acknow- 
 ledged, and, as Maximilian of Bavaria re- 
 marked of her, she was not better known 
 for her sylvan prowess than for her chari- 
 ties and munificence.* In those long and 
 often fatiguing excursions it must not, how- 
 ever, be supposed that Elizabeth's mind 
 rf i' . ." : :;; 
 
 * Wotton's Remains.
 
 24? 
 
 was wholly engrossed with rural pastime, 
 or that she was absorbed by the scenes 
 which met her eye. From childhood the 
 condition of the Protestants had been to her 
 the most interesting subject of speculation, 
 and the sympathy she had originally yielded 
 to their sufferings was now converted into 
 an enthusiasm more generous, and scarcely 
 less impassioned, than that of Abraham 
 Scultetus, without the limitation of secta- 
 rian zeal or the asperity of party feeling. 
 
 The state of Bohemia was now the theme 
 of universal discussion ; and from those who 
 flattered, or those who really participated in 
 her sentiments, Elizabeth failed not to re- 
 ceive an exposition calculated to inflame 
 her secret ambition. There was, however, 
 one individual from whom she was likely to 
 ascertain the truth j this was Baron Chris- 
 topher d'Hona, a young noble, distinguished 
 for his rare and admirable attainments, and 
 the numerous embassies he had conducted, 
 of which the number nearly equalled the 
 years of his life. Descended from an an-
 
 248 
 
 cient family residing in Prussia, and among 
 the younger of twelve sons, he had studied 
 at the Universities of Altorf and Heidelberg, 
 visited the Duke de Bouillon at Sedan, and 
 travelled through Italy and France, visited 
 the court of James, and that of almost every 
 prince in Europe. Having embraced the 
 religious opinions of Abraham Scultetus, he 
 had been attached to the service of the Pa- 
 latine family, and, after the marriage of 
 Frederic, was repeatedly employed by him 
 in political missions ; of which the most im- 
 portant was to make a progress through the 
 Upper Palatinate, ostensibly to report the 
 state of that province, but, in reality, to 
 watch the movements of the neighbouring 
 kingdom of Bohemia, and cultivate a corre- 
 spondence with certain nobles, who headed 
 the popular party. On returning from this 
 journey, Christopher was despatched to Sax- 
 ony and Holland, when a new object en- 
 gaged the attention of Europe j this was the 
 far-famed comet of 1618, which attracted 
 Ithe gaze of politicians even more than the
 
 249 
 
 notice of astronomers. So subordinate was 
 the rank which genuine science held in that 
 age to the reveries of astrology, that the 
 aspect of this wandering orb was anxiously 
 consulted as the type of fate ; and those 
 aberrations which to philosophic eyes re- 
 vealed or illustrated the secret harmonies 
 of nature, were in France supposed to fore- 
 shew another St. Bartholomew, in Holland 
 were believed to predict death to Barne- 
 velt ; and whilst at Vienna its fiery atmo- 
 sphere was contemplated as the symbol of 
 destruction to heretics, at Heidelberg it was 
 hailed as a harbinger of glory to the Pro- 
 testant Union.* Amidst this diversity of 
 
 * See Brandt's History of the Reformation, 2d vol. 
 Spanheim's Memoires de 1'Electrice Louise Juliane. 
 Kevenhull. Theat, Europ. 9th vol. From Howell's 
 Letters it appears, that the comet excited no less in- 
 terest in England, though referred to a most ignoble 
 cause, namely, the death of Queen Anne. " At this 
 " time," says Rushworth, " appeared a comet, which 
 " was variously interpreted ; by some supposed to por. 
 " tend wars, by others to foreshew the Queen's death." 
 Even in England the passion for judicial astrology and 
 the habit of detailing and interpreting dreams were
 
 250 
 
 opinions, the insurrection of Prague felici- 
 tously unfolded the object of the portentous 
 illumination. Previous to that great event a 
 commotion had been excited in Hungary by 
 the artifices of Bethlem Gabor*, an enter- 
 prising adventurer, originally a poor gen- 
 tleman of Transylvania, who, on the de- 
 position of its prince, Bathori, had suc- 
 ceeded to his power and dignity, and now 
 
 not uncommon ; but trifling were the superstitions of 
 this country compared with the infatuation that pre- 
 vailed on the Continent, more especially in Germany, 
 where astrologers, alchemists, visionaries, prophets, 
 and sorcerers contended with one another in extrava- 
 gance and violence. 
 
 Bethlem Gabor, whose real name was Gabriel 
 Bethlem, a native of Transylvania, was well descended, 
 though without patrimony, and long lived in such ob- 
 scurity that when he was thirty years of age he could 
 not gain credit for 20. His wife, like himself, was 
 allied to nobility, and though without a portion, ad- 
 mirably qualified by her economy to save a fortune. 
 Even after her husband's elevation, she disdained not 
 to superintend the culinary arrangements, being con- 
 sidered the best cook in Europe ; yet she sustained 
 with ease her share in his dignities, and was once ac- 
 tually on the point of being publicly crowned as Queen 
 of Hungary. Hart's Gustavus Adolphus, 
 18
 
 251 
 
 aspired to the possession of the kingdom of 
 Hungary ; the first example in modern 
 times (the elective kingdom of Poland ex- 
 cepted) of a private individual breaking 
 down the pale of royalty, and forcing his 
 way to supreme dominion. 
 
 Encouraged by the success of Bethlem, 
 the States of Bohemia, when convened ac- 
 cording to custom by the imperial deputies, 
 for the purpose of voting supplies, instead 
 of evincing docility, proceeded to the pa- 
 lace, where they addressed a spirited remon- 
 strance against the arbitrary interference of 
 the Jesuits and other ecclesiastical authori- 
 ties*, in violation of the privileges granted 
 to the Protestants, and confirmed to them by 
 the letters of majesty of the Emperors Ro- 
 dolph and Mathias. Their complaints were 
 received with a contempt which the chiefs 
 of the popular party could no longer brook 
 in silence, and by one of these the Em- 
 
 * The Archbishop of Prague had excluded Protest- 
 ant ministers from their churches. See Schiller's 
 Thirty Years' History.
 
 252 
 
 peror's first commissioner was dragged from 
 his seat to the window, from whence he 
 was precipitated into the street. The same 
 punishment was inflicted on two of his co- 
 adjutors; and, what was most surprising, 
 they all escaped injury by falling on a dung- 
 hill, which, to the disgrace of a magnificent 
 capital, had been collected under the win- 
 dows of the palace. 
 
 The long-gathering tempest had now 
 burst forth, and there was in Prague a man 
 well fitted to direct its progress, Henry 
 Mathias, Count Thurm, a native of Moravia, 
 who possessed large estates in Bohemia, and 
 in the wars waged against the Turks, had 
 given unequivocal proofs of valour and 
 fidelity. From early youth he had been 
 enamoured of glory ; but that passion was 
 now absorbed in patriotic zeal to oppose the 
 colossal tyranny of Spain and Austria. Even 
 now, that he was declining in years, he 
 glowed with enthusiasm to sustain the cause 
 of civil and religious liberty. From the bold- 
 ness of his speculations and the energy with
 
 253 
 
 whicli he announced them, lie appears to 
 have been far superior to his compatriots, 
 and nothing was wanting to his success, per- 
 haps, but that he should have found ten other 
 men of corresponding character, to have 
 co-operated in his undertaking. Fired with 
 the examples of Greece and Rome, he ad- 
 dressed the feudal nobles of Bohemia in a 
 style well calculated to flatter the pride, or 
 win the confidence of a generous people, 
 insisting that after the insult which had been 
 offered to the Emperor in the person of his 
 deputies, concession would be abject and 
 unavailing. " By our example," * he added, 
 " liberty shall spread to every part of the 
 " empire ; and though there be some ap- 
 " pearance of violence in our conduct, yet 
 " reason and piety will excuse the fact. 
 " There remains now no room for repent- 
 " ance, and no plea for forgivenness. The 
 " die is thrown. We must embrace free- 
 " dom or the scaffold ; men of principle, if 
 " conquerors, men of conscience, and in- 
 
 * See Nani.
 
 254 
 
 " dependent ; but, if overcome, poor per- 
 " fidious beings, peijured, and rebellious 
 traitors." 
 
 The effect of this oration was heightened 
 by the majestic aspect of the speaker, from 
 whose eyes emanated a glance of almost 
 super-human intelligence. The enthusiasm 
 of the nobles was quickly excited, and with 
 one impulse the whole assembly took a 
 solemn oath to be true to themselves, and 
 the constitution sacred to their fathers ; 
 and never to desist from their just preten- 
 sions. To enforce this resolution a provi- 
 sional administration was instantly formed, 
 composed of thirty directors, of whom Count 
 Thurm was in reality, the prime mover 
 and dictator, and under whose guidance 
 Prague instantly assumed a new aspect. 
 No sooner had the warlike tabor resounded 
 through the streets, than it was hailed with 
 rapturous acclamations by the people ; and 
 at the invitation of their chief, a capitation * 
 
 * A priest or pastor, paid one gross miess. 
 A school master 30 gross miess.
 
 255 
 
 was levied, from which neither man, nor 
 woman, nor even servants were exempted. 
 The Catholics concurred in the measure, 
 and by the wisdom or benevolence of 
 Thurm, with the exception of the Jesuits, 
 who had been indiscriminately proscribed, 
 not a single priest quitted the city. To each 
 sect, each class was toleration allowed. The 
 energy of Thurm, assisted probably by the 
 genius and disinterested patriotism of Count 
 Andreas Schlick, had suddenly developed 
 political philosophy and civilization in a 
 country hitherto enveloped in the prejudices 
 and ignorance belonging to an antiquated 
 system. The nation, that at least which was 
 included within the walls of the capital, 
 
 A cook, male or female, was assessed 3 miess. 
 
 A tailor, 1 miess. 
 
 A sempstress, 1 miess. 
 
 A washerwoman, 5 mites. 
 
 A fiddler or piper, 30 miess. 
 
 A jockey, a groom drover a wood cutter a 
 fowler with one gun a carrier with one cart, were 
 assessed in proportion. Kcvcnhullcr, vol. 9th.
 
 256 
 
 seemed to have passed at once from night to 
 day, from infancy to maturity. It might ex- 
 cite surprise, that Count Thurm never at- 
 tempted, after the example of the States of 
 Holland, to establish a republican govern- 
 ment ; but it appears probable he had dis- 
 covered that Bohemia was too partially en- 
 lightened, and without the energy or union 
 necessary to maintain, unaided, its indepen- 
 dence. It was still more honourable to his 
 sense and patriotism, that, instead of aiming, 
 like Bethlem Gabor, to appropriate to him- 
 self the kingdom he had wrested from the 
 imperial eagle, he sought only to transfer the 
 sceptre to a prince of his own persuasion, 
 the splendidly allied, and hitherto exemplary 
 Elector Palatine. Even for Frederic, how- 
 ever, he durst not immediately propose a 
 total separation from the Germanic empire. 
 In reality, there might be some who ad- 
 mitted the hereditary claims of Mathias * ; 
 
 * " That the kingdom of Bohemia,'* says the judicious 
 Le Vassor, " was originally elective cannot be doubted; 
 and that it never became an hereditary fief of the
 
 257 
 
 but there could be none, however, ill-in- 
 fbnned, who did not discover the illegality 
 
 empire is evident, since its sovereign was an Elector, 
 an office to which females were ineligible. In the 
 charters given by the emperor, it is expressly stated, 
 that the Bohemians enjoy the privilege of electing 
 their sovereigns. In referring to history, it appears 
 that the heirs male of Ottocarus (the first king) having 
 failed, the States chose* John of Luxembourg, son 
 of the Emperor Henry the Seventh, who, desiring to 
 exchange the kingdom for the Palatinate, was by the 
 States opposed on the ground, that such a procedure 
 militated against their privilege of election. In de- 
 fault of male issue to Sigismond, the last king in the 
 house of Luxembourg, the States chose the Arch- 
 duke Albert who had espoused his daughter. On 
 his death the crown was offered to the Duke of 
 Bavaria, by whom it was declined from a scruple 
 of conscience, and finally given to George Podiebrad 
 a powerful noble, after whose decease it was be- 
 stowed on Ladislaus, son of Casimir, King of Po- 
 land ; who had married a grand-daughter of Sigis- 
 mond. The States then elected Ferdinand, after- 
 wards Emperor, married to the daughter of Ladislaus, 
 from which epoch the crown of Bohemia reverted 
 to the house of Austria : but Ferdinand, and his suc- 
 cessors Rodolphus and Mathias solemnly acknow- 
 ledged that they owed the crown to the free choice of 
 the Bohemians. The election of Ferdinand the Se- 
 cond, previous to the death of Mathias, was notoriously 
 
 VOL. I. S
 
 258 
 
 of -Ferdinand's election. This prince had 
 originally succeeded to his hereditary do- 
 minions in Stiria andCarinthia, from whence 
 heresy had been speedily extirpated. At 
 the close of his reign, Mathias having ab- 
 dicated Bohemia, Ferdinand was by a few 
 nobles chosen and declared King. Shortly 
 after, he became King of the Romans ; but 
 both before and after the death of his pre- 
 decessor, had shewn himself adverse to the 
 protestants, and inimical to the civil liber- 
 ties of Bohemia. 
 
 In the meanwhile, Frederic, though not 
 displeased at the conduct of Count Thurm, 
 took a journey to Bavaria, purposely that 
 he might persuade Maximilian of Bavaria 
 to become^ a candidate for the empire, in 
 
 unconstitutional, having been accomplished by clan- 
 destine means, and without a fair representation of the 
 States, above all, without those solemn assurances, on 
 the part of the king, to preserve the laws and privi- 
 leges of the people, which had hitherto been deemed 
 indispensable to the engagement. (Le Vassor, His- 
 toire de Louis treize, pour 1'an 1619.)
 
 259 
 
 place of Ferdinand ; pledging to him, not 
 only his own suffrage, but the support of 
 all the princes of the union. But Maximi- 
 lian, though ambitious, was too wary to 
 suffer himself to be seduced from his fi- 
 delity to the house of Hapsburgh, by a 
 Prince who enjoyed those electoral privi- 
 leges for which his ancestors had so often 
 contended. An adept in duplicity, he 
 received, not without distrust, a proposi- 
 tion which he ascribed less to Frederic, 
 than to the suggestions of the Duke de 
 Bouillon, and Maurice of Nassau, to whose 
 aspiring views and refined policy he was 
 no stranger, and whose interference with 
 the German constitution he at once dread- 
 ed and abhorred. With measured courtesy 
 therefore, he declined the Elector's offer, 
 on the convenient plea, that conscience and 
 honour forbade him to listen to any over- 
 tures which militated against his engage- 
 ments to the Emperor, and the King of the 
 Romans. With this answer Frederic de- 
 parted, leaving Maximilian at no loss to
 
 divine that his kinsman would be tempted 
 to accept the crown of Bohemia, an enter- 
 prise from which he anticipated happy re- 
 sults to his own family. Satisfied with hav- 
 ing discharged his duty, the Elector re- 
 turned to Heidelberg, baffled, yet perhaps 
 secretly gratified with the conviction, that, 
 in spite of himself, he might hereafter be 
 compelled to accept a kingdom. Of that 
 kingdom, however, he was not yet assured : 
 the States of Bohemia were notoriously ad- 
 dicted to sudden sallies of passion and en- 
 thusiasm, which often assumed the charac- 
 ter of inconstancy and caprice. Conscious 
 that he was not the only prince to whom 
 they might be disposed to surrender their 
 crown, he despatched Baron D'Hona, to 
 ratify his concurrence in the election of 
 the Duke of Saxony, if such should be their 
 choice, reserving a veto only for a Catho- 
 lic sovereign. Having taken * these pre- 
 cautions, Frederic contented himself with 
 
 * Theat. Europe. Memoires de 1'Elecu-ice Louise 
 Juliane. Lc Vassor, Histoire de Louis Treize.
 
 261 
 
 looking on, whilst, with the common craft 
 of politicians, the directors of Prague, and 
 the cabinet of Vienna continued to tem- 
 porize each party affecting to throw the 
 blame on the other. The pen being bran- 
 dished, the sword was unsheathed the 
 States published an elaborate apology and 
 at the same time, appointed the celebrated 
 Ernest, Count Mansfield to organize the 
 army, upon the success of which they well 
 knew the validity of their pretensions must 
 ultimately depend. * 
 
 With no less duplicity, the Emperor and 
 King Ferdinand admitted the mediation of 
 
 * In conformity to popular prejudices, and na- 
 tional associations Count Tlmrm and the directors in- 
 sisted, that Bohemia was an elective monarchy ; al- 
 though it was their boast, that the succession had been 
 transmitted in the female line from Premislaus, du- 
 ring seven centuries. It was, however, well attested 
 that the bond between the sovereign and his subjects, 
 was founded on a solemn agreement to preserve, unin- 
 jured, the liberties of the people ; on this also had been 
 founded the letters of majesty, given to the Emperors 
 Rodolph and Mathias, which, in the late ecclesiastical 
 usurpations, had been grossly impugned.
 
 the Elector Palatine, but expedited a large 
 army to subjugate the rebellious province. 
 The States passed from petition and apology 
 to remonstrance and defiance ; until the dis- 
 solution of the Emperor Mathias put an end 
 to all negociation. By that event Bohemia 
 was held to be absolved from allegiance. 
 The election of Ferdinand had been forced 
 and unconstitutional; and this conviction 
 was strengthened by the discovery that the 
 late Emperor had actually bequeathed, by 
 will, the reversion of their kingdom to Spain, 
 in default of heirs to Ferdinand ; an out- 
 rage which, even to the scrupulous and the 
 timid, not only justified, but hallowed re- 
 bellion. 
 
 At this crisis the position of Ferdinand 
 was such as might have appalled the stout- 
 est courage : without friends or allies, dis- 
 trustful of his own safety, and even of that 
 of his children, he was suddenly besieged, 
 even in his palace, by a band of Bohemians, 
 one of whom abruptly rushing to his cham- 
 ber, fiercely demanded that he should either 
 17
 
 263 
 
 abdicate or sign the declaration of Bohemian 
 liberty. At this moment Ferdinand heard 
 the trumpet that sounded his rescue, which 
 a single company of Imperialists had effect- 
 ed. Too brave to become an assassin, the 
 noble rebel quitted the apartment, leaving 
 the monarch more than ever confirmed in 
 the belief which his mother's dying lips had 
 impressed on his mind, that intolerant bi- 
 gotry would inevitably secure him the fa- 
 vour of Heaven.* 
 
 * It appears, however, that Ferdinand, to amuse the 
 States, had previously written to them, offering the 
 very conditions he had refused to subscribe ; but as this 
 paper was not addressed to the directors, it was not an- 
 swered. An armistice was afterwards proposed to the 
 Bohemian generals, who referred it to the provisional 
 government. Lastly, Ferdinand demanded that a de- 
 putation should be sent to Vienna. To this Thurm 
 replied by marching a thousand men into Moravia 
 and enticing that province to join the confederacy. 
 From Moravia, Thurm passed into Austria, where he 
 met not the same success ; for though there were 
 Protestants in that province, yet, with the cautious 
 policy peculiar to their character, they pleaded their 
 obligations to the Archduke Albert, and remained 
 
 S 4
 
 264 
 
 Whilst Ferdinand opposed firmness to 
 danger, Frederic was at once dazzled and 
 dismayed with visions of greatness and glory. 
 He was no stranger to the projects of Count 
 Thurm ; and the probability of his ascend- 
 ing the throne of Bohemia had long been 
 forced on his mind by his two uncles, Mau- 
 rice of Nassau and the Duke de Bouillon, 
 both of whom treated with derision the idea 
 that such a kingdom ought to be rejected. 
 According to the judicious Puffendorfi 
 Louis Camerarius, the chancellor, voted 
 for his acceptance of Bohemia; for which 
 he adduced reasons more congenial to the 
 soldier than the jurisconsult. " Fortune," 
 said he to Frederic, " commonly declares 
 " for the brave ; and it would be unworthy 
 " of your rank to reject that which every 
 " other sovereign would be disposed to seek. 
 " Neither would such self-denial gain credit 
 " with mankind for moderation, but rather 
 
 neutral. It was after this ill success that he penetrated 
 to Vienna, where he had nearly surprised the Em- 
 peror. Schmidt's History of the Germans.
 
 " incur the odium of meanness andpusillani- 
 " mity. Yet, in reality, what evils have you 
 " to anticipate ? Who is the emperor you 
 " have to oppose ? Is he like Charles the 
 " Fifth, at the head of a victorious army ? 
 " No, but shut up in Gratz*, and conscious 
 " that he would be unsafe in Vienna. 
 " Bethlem takes from him Hungary ; Bo- 
 " hernia, Moravia, Silesia, Lusatia are ready 
 " to embrace your interests, Almost the 
 " whole of Austria is eager to shake off the 
 " yoke of Ferdinand. Where shall he find 
 * forces to attack you? The succours which 
 " he expects from Italy and the Low Coun- 
 
 " What alternative had Ferdinand but to cut his 
 " way through rebels, adversaries, and recreants to 
 * Frankfort ? What hope was left him, and who 
 " would have been bold enough to take his place ? 
 " There were even some of the Catholic party advised 
 " a compromise with the enemies of the Apostolic 
 " faith ; but never did that high-minded prince hesi- 
 " tate, never falter in his resolution to be true to that 
 " God, who, in a manner passing the understanding of 
 " men, has since brought him over the Red Sea, and 
 " made his adversary the herald of his triumph."- 
 Kevenhnllers Annals, ninth volume.
 
 " tries cannot easily pass to Germany. The 
 " States-General of the United Provinces 
 " shall presently furnish occupation for the 
 " Spaniards ; and although the truce with 
 " the Catholic King is about to expire, the 
 " Prince of Orange will raise both men 
 " and money to assist you. The King of 
 " Great Britain is your father-in-law, the 
 " King of Denmark your ally, the Pro- 
 " testant Princes of Germany will readily 
 " concur in an enterprize so glorious, so 
 " useful to the Reformation ; even the court 
 " of France, though at present hostile to 
 " your design, probably assumed thatrepug- 
 " nance to satisfy the Pope, when, in reality, 
 " it would rejoice to see Austria despoiled 
 " of so fair a possession. Whatever may be 
 " the result, it is impossible that France, 
 " England, Denmark, the United States, 
 " and the Protestant Princes of Germany 
 " shall remain tame spectators of the ruin of 
 " your house. In fact, there is here nothing 
 " for your highness to lose, and much to 
 " gain j but were there even more dif-
 
 26? 
 
 " culty and peril, it would well become a 
 " courageous prince to run some risk for 
 " glory."* 
 
 Far different was the sentiment of Louisa 
 Juliana, when, with tears in her eyes, she re- 
 presented the wealth and might of the House 
 of Austria, its disciplined armies, its able 
 generals, its moral and physical strength. 
 She observed, that " the affairs of the em- 
 " pire might soon be retrieved : and that 
 " the Pope would convoke all Catholics to 
 " defend the Emperor. The King of 
 " France, however inimical to Austria," she 
 added, " is not in a state to oppose its pow- 
 " er. The King of Spain will eagerly sus- 
 " tain it As to the King of Great Britain, 
 " believe me, you little understand him if 
 " you persuade yourself he will break with 
 " Spain for your interests. On my brother 
 " Maurice there is more reliance to be 
 " placed ; but the States will not sacrifice 
 " Holland for the Palatinate. What aid can 
 " you expect from the King of Denmark ? 
 
 * Le Vassor. Spahheim.
 
 " he is too far distant. The houses of Sax- 
 " ony and Bavaria are already jealous of 
 yours, and will heartily concur in driving 
 " you from Bohemia. Trust not too much 
 " to the Protestant Union. In an association 
 " composed of so many different interests, 
 " the movements must be slow, and the 
 " Union will easily be broken by the Em- 
 " peror's promises or threats. The Prince 
 " of Transylvania is fickle and inconstant : 
 " so long as success shall follow your banner 
 " he will be faithful ; but if you once en- 
 " counter defeat, he will desert you for the 
 " Emperor. Distrust still more the Bo- 
 " hemians. If they offer their crown, it is 
 " not that they love you better than ano- 
 " ther prince, but that they have no other 
 " resource. Do not flatter yourself they 
 " shall be more constant to you than they 
 " have been to Ferdinand j but even though 
 " you could depend on your kinsmen, your 
 " allies, your friends, your subjects, you 
 " have neither troops nor treasures adequate 
 " to the charges of war, and never can hope
 
 -269 
 
 " to obtain the general suffrage until you 
 " shall be insured against defeat." * 
 
 The arguments of Juliana prevailed over 
 the opinions of Camerarius ; and would 
 probably have decided Frederic's conduct, 
 but that they were counteracted by the more 
 powerful influence of Elizabeth, to whose 
 youth and sanguine temper, caution and pru- 
 dence assumed the aspect of meanness and 
 pusillanimity. Whilst he was thus vacilla- 
 ting, he heard, with no small consterna- 
 tion, that Ferdinand had forced his way 
 from Vienna to Frankfort, and was actually 
 on the eve of his coronation ; but soon con- 
 soled himself, or at least attempted to con- 
 sole Elizabeth with the assurance, that Fer- 
 dinand was generally detested ; and, if he 
 obtained the imperial diadem, must inevit- 
 ably forfeit two regal crowns, those of Hun- 
 gary and Bohemia, t 
 
 * Spanheim, Memoires de 1'Electrice Louise Ju- 
 liane. 
 
 f Bromley's Royal Letters. " Je n'ai rien eu 
 
 " de Boheme cette semaine, mail il y a apparence
 
 Again did Frederic send deputies to Frank- 
 fort to offer his suffrage to the Elector of 
 Bavaria or the Duke of Saxony; whilst 
 he transported himself to the frontier town 
 of Amberg, from whence he transmitted 
 fresh instructions to Baron D'Hona, at 
 Prague, purporting that if the election to 
 that kingdom should rather fall on the Duke 
 of Saxony than himself, he was ready to 
 signify his cheerful and cordial concurrence 
 in the nomination. In that event, he pro- 
 tested, and no doubt ought to rest on the 
 sincerity of his professions, that he was wil- 
 ling to support the pretensions of the Pro- 
 testant monarch. Unfortunately, Frederic 
 was not destined to find a single ally equally 
 honourable and faithful. During the last 
 three months his breast had been agitated 
 with conflicting passions : naturally aspiring, 
 he recoiled at the difficulties inseparable 
 from a great enterprize, and, with a tacit 
 
 " qu'en la place qui Ferdinand acquerra une couronnc 
 " a Frankfort, il en pourroit bien perdre deux Dieu 
 " lui en fasse grace." Amberg, Aout 1619.
 
 271 
 
 acknowledgment of inferiority, strove to 
 collect opinions, wasted in deliberation the 
 time that should have sufficed for decision 
 and action, and not unfrequently, after a 
 minute calculation of consequences, took 
 that part which had been least approved by 
 iiis better judgment. With Elizabeth it 
 was otherwise : naturally courageous, she 
 was little disposed to calculate or to shrink 
 from the consequences of an heroic enter- 
 prize, and scorned to pause between dan- 
 gers and glory. 
 
 Accustomed, from infancy, to consider the 
 establishment of the Protestant faith as the 
 noblest of human achievements, she could 
 ill brook the coldness with which Frederic 
 treated the intimation of his approaching 
 elevation. She rallied him on his caution j 
 and he was asked by his counsellors, how 
 he, who had aspired to a king's daugh- 
 ter, could refuse to make her, like her mo- 
 ther, a queen ?* Frederic was but too feel- 
 
 * In Larrey's History of England, it is pretended 
 that Elizabeth herself asked Frederic, " How he could
 
 272 
 
 ingly alive to ridicule ; but he could not 
 openly reject the affectionate counsels of 
 his mother, seconded by the Duke de Deux- 
 ponts and all his relatives, who represented 
 that neither the eloquence of the Duke de 
 Bouillon, nor the wisdom of Maurice of 
 Nassau, could preserve unanimity among 
 the Bohemians, notoriously fickle and in- 
 constant, and of whom the majority was 
 composed of Catholics and Lutherans, 
 equally inimical to the catechism of Heidel- 
 berg. 
 
 In listening to his mother, Frederic had 
 commonly acquiesced in her opinions ; but 
 a glance from Elizabeth repelled the cautious 
 convictions, so ill according with h er rom antic 
 character. By the one, he was warned not 
 to expose his country and his family to the 
 
 " dare to marry a king's daughter, if he feared to ac- 
 " cept a regal crown ?" But this passage is not to be 
 found in Kevenhuller, or that most impartial compi- 
 lation, the Theatre of Europe, nor in any contempo- 
 rary historian ; yet is it inserted by Schiller in his 
 Thirty Years' War.
 
 273 
 
 mischief of defeat ; by the other, he was 
 urged not to abandon that party to the 
 mercy of an unrelenting foe. Juliana be- 
 sought him not to sacrifice his hereditary 
 states for a chimerical possession ; whilst 
 Elizabeth appealed to his honour, as a prince 
 and a cavalier, and to his humanity as a 
 Christian, by the love he bore to his children, 
 by the esteem he hoped to merit from pos- 
 terity, not to abandon the great, perhaps 
 the only chance ever to be presented of 
 arresting the triumphant bigotry of Spain, and 
 sundering the chains of Austrian tyranny. 
 The Electress was powerfully supported 
 by Count Hohenloe and other military 
 commanders, who panted for distinction, 
 and were not indifferent to the profits de- 
 rived from war. Equally favourable was 
 the opinion of the Prince of Anhalt, 
 whose ambition was of a less sordid cast, 
 and whose son, Prince Christian, was idol- 
 ized for his chivalrous gallantry. With all 
 these auxiliaries, Elizabeth might have failed 
 in producing the conviction she wished, but 
 
 VOL. I. T
 
 for the agency of Scultetus, who laboured 
 to impress on his master's mind, that his 
 acceptance of the crown was a divine ordin- 
 ation. Prophets had lately arisen, to whose 
 visionary promises this preacher gave im- 
 plicit credence. A chapter of the Revela- 
 tions had already been so expounded as to 
 sanction the enterprise of Frederic, under 
 whose banner truth was to spread to the 
 most remote parts of the German empire ; 
 and by whose interposition all were to be 
 reclaimed from idolatry, to the pure and 
 uncorrupted faith of the gospel; 
 
 It was with a mind distracted by conflict- 
 ing counsels, that Frederic repaired to 
 Amberg ; and it was probably some relief 
 to his suspense, to anticipate the election of 
 the Duke of Saxony, and to resolve to be 
 true to his rival : but his magnanimity 
 was not put to this test ; George William 
 was negatived by the States, as were the 
 Duke of Savoy and the King of Denmark. 
 To the Duke of Savoy it was objected, 
 that he was a papist, and incompetent to 
 19
 
 275 
 
 their protection : to the King of Denmark, 
 that he could not reside within their 
 realm, and that their interests would be 
 sacrificed to those of his native dominions. 
 With regard to the Duke of Saxony, it was 
 remarked, that he would not be sufficiently 
 independent to maintain their cause against 
 an emperor ; and that, being a Lutheran, he 
 would naturally abandon the minor party 
 of Calvinists. In favour of Frederic, it was 
 maintained that his hereditary dominions 
 were fair and flourishing, and by their proxi- 
 mity to Bohemia, invited alliance ; that he 
 was in the flower of youth, of unexcep- 
 tionable morals, eminently good and pious, 
 nobly allied, unincumbered with debt, and 
 too rich to be oppressive to his subjects* ; 
 
 * By the ministerial partisans of James the First, it 
 is constantly maintained, that the crown of Bohemia 
 was rejected by the Dukes of Saxony and Savoy ; but 
 it appears from the Theatre of Europe, of which the 
 authority is founded on authentic documents, that both 
 these Princes were by the States pronounced ineligible. 
 It is, however, not improbable that a private applica- 
 tion had been previously made to them by the emis- 
 saries of the Bohemian States. 
 T 2
 
 276 
 
 that he was closely connected with the States, 
 in the confidence of the Duke de Bouillon, 
 and by marriage entitled to protection from 
 the King of Great Britain ; that in his reli- 
 gion he was indeed a Calvinist, but, as there 
 were comparatively few of that persuasion 
 in Bohemia, this difference would not be 
 found to militate against the welfare of the 
 community. These representations produ- 
 ced the desired effect, and the suffrages were 
 united in favour of Frederic. * 
 
 Although the Elector had been prepared 
 for this notification, he did not receive it 
 without agitation, conscious that he could 
 no longer evade the necessity of making a 
 decision, by which he must inevitably inflict 
 pain where he loved. " Alas," cried he 
 to the Duke of Wirtemberg, " if I accept 
 " of the crown, I shall be accused of am- 
 " bition if I reject it, I shall be branded 
 " with cowardice. However I may decide, 
 " there is no peace for me or my country."! 
 In uttering these words, he shed tears j but 
 
 * Theatre of Europe. t Wotton's Letters.
 
 277 
 
 immediately repaired to Rottembourg, to 
 submit the proposition to the princes of the 
 Union, and at the same time despatched 
 official letters to Heidelberg to his privy 
 council, with a private communication to 
 Elizabeth. The council immediately as- 
 sembled, among whom appeared the Duke 
 de Deuxponts, the prudent Camerarius, 
 John, Count of Nassau, and the brave 
 though ambitious Schomberg. * By some 
 of these, more especially the Duke de Deux- 
 ponts, the opinions of Juliana were urged 
 with force, and the majority evidently in- 
 clined to suspend the decision of the q*es- 
 tion, until advice should have been received 
 from the various parties consulted and 
 above all others, the king of Great Britain. 
 Alarmed at this intimation, and perfectly 
 comprehending from what motives delay 
 was recommended, the impetuous Count 
 Schomberg, who believed that his master 
 only sought a pretext to adopt the wishes 
 of Elizabeth, eagerly announced to the as- 
 
 * Moser's Patriotisch. Archiv. 
 T3
 
 sembly, that the Elector regarded the 
 invitation of Bohemia as a vocation from 
 God, and that he was internally persua- 
 ded he could not conscientiously resist 
 its dictates. * At this Camerarius ex* 
 pressed a similar conviction ; and other 
 councillors observed, it would ill become 
 the Elector, who had espoused a king's 
 daughter, to shrink from the consequences 
 of accepting a crown. The impulse was 
 now given to pride and principle, and hav- 
 ing concurred in the sentiments of Came- 
 rarius, the council broke up, with an una- 
 nimous assent. No sooner was the result 
 of its deliberations communicated to Ju- 
 liana, than, with a sad and overwhelming 
 persuasion of evil, she took to her bed, de- 
 vouring her grief in silence. 
 
 With far different feelings did Elizabeth 
 peruse the letter which demanded her opi- 
 nions ; to which, in conformity with Schom- 
 
 * It should seem from Moser's Patriotisches Ar- 
 chives (7th volume), that this reply had been previously 
 transmitted to Frederic at Ambejg.
 
 279 
 
 berg's declaration, she gave the following 
 prompt reply : " Since you are persuaded 
 " that the throne to which you are invited 
 " is a vocation from God, by whose Provi- 
 " dence are all things ordained and di- 
 " rected, then assuredly you ought not to 
 " shrink from the duty imposed; nor, if such 
 " be your persuasion, shall I repine what- 
 " ever consequences may ensue, not even 
 " though I should be forced to part from my 
 " last jewel, and to suffer actual hardships, 
 " shall I ever repent of the election." * In 
 these few words spoke the ardour, the cou- 
 rage, the confidence of Elizabeth ; nor let it 
 be suspected, that the religious style she em- 
 ployed was hypocritically adopted. Un- 
 practised in political manoeuvres, her inge- 
 nuous nature often precipitated her to an 
 imprudent frankness, the reverse of dupli- 
 city or deliberate falsehood. But she, per- 
 haps, deceived herself into the belief that 
 
 * Moser's Patriotisches Archiv. (See Note at the 
 end of the volume.) These were Elizabeth's own 
 words. 
 
 T 4
 
 the interest she took in Bohemia was purely 
 for the sake of religious liberty ; her sym- 
 pathies were excited, her enthusiasm ex- 
 alted by an ambition, originating less in the 
 desire of power than the love of glory. 
 Born in tempestuous times, amidst the 
 struggles of religious parties, she held it 
 base, if not criminal, to withhold from the 
 oppressed, the aid necessary to enable them 
 to resist the oppressor. Abhorring popery, 
 and the despotic sway which its priestly 
 rulers had so long assumed over mankind, 
 she fervently desired to become an instru- 
 ment in the great work of regenerating 
 Europe. She lived in an age familiar with 
 daring efforts and heroic achievements, 
 when all things seemed possible to the bold 
 adventurer, and nothing was wanting but a 
 powerful effort to trample down impedi- 
 ments, long held to be insuperable. The 
 spirit of proselytism, of independence was 
 afloat; the antient barrier of knowledge 
 was removed ; the fabric of the Gothic ages 
 was mouldering away; even the Moslems 
 were believed to have turned their eyes from
 
 281 
 
 the east towards the gospel light. If wise 
 men might be credited, the doctrines of Cal- 
 vin had penetrated to the Grand Seignior's 
 seraglio.* 
 
 At such a crisis, it was scarcely possible 
 the ardent Elizabeth should remain untouch- 
 ed with that religious enthusiasm, so conge- 
 nial to an aspiring soul. Educated in the 
 gay luxurious court of James, she delighted 
 in scenes of splendour, but still more in 
 anticipations of dignity to the father of her 
 children j and she passionately desired to see 
 him hailed as the chieftain of his party, the 
 deliverer of his sect, and the benefactor of 
 posterity. Naturally more sanguine than pa- 
 tient, she rejected with disdain those suspi- 
 cions of the Unionists and of the Bohemians, 
 which the experience of Juliana had sug- 
 gested. The very idea appeared to her to 
 attaint the honour of Frederic and of the Cor- 
 respondents. In Prince Anhalt and Count 
 Thurm she had equal faith ; and she lament- 
 ed that deliberations should take place of 
 
 * See Sir Thomas Roe's Letters and Negotiations.
 
 282 
 
 action, and chill that ardour which is the 
 soul of enterprize. If in this she was pre- 
 sumptuous, she grounded her convictions on 
 the judgmentof a great statesman, habitually 
 discreet and eminently fortunate in his va- 
 rious undertakings. Maurice, Prince of 
 Orange, in answer to some objections to 
 Frederic's acceptance of the crown of Bo- 
 hemia, facetiously exclaimed, " Is there any 
 " green cloth sold in Heidelberg .?" " To 
 '* what purpose ?" replied the interlocutor. 
 " Oh ! merely to make a fool's cap for the 
 " man that could propose such a silly 
 " question." In reality, had Maurice been 
 in the place of Frederic, he would probably 
 have conquered Ferdinand at Vienna, ere 
 he had joined the directors at Prague. In 
 a daring enterprize, the bold only can 
 achieve success. In a perilous position, it 
 is the elastic, not the cautious step that 
 avoids destruction. 
 
 From Amberg, Frederic passed to Rot- 
 tembourg to consult the Princes of the 
 Union, having previously despatched letters
 
 to King James, to the Dukes of Saxony 
 and Bavaria, and the ecclesiastical Electors, 
 to apprize them of the overture, and de- 
 mand their unequivocal opinion. 
 
 From the Dukes of Saxony and Bavaria, 
 Frederic received such counsels as are com- 
 monly administered by those who seek ra- 
 ther to secure indemnity to themselves, 
 than to afford support to their allies. John 
 George admitted the justice of his cause, 
 but besought him to reflect, that he might 
 hazard the loss of his own hereditary do- 
 minions. Maximilian addressed a gentle 
 dissuasive, tempered with professions of 
 esteem and friendship, which were well cal- 
 culated to lull into security his intended 
 victim. Like the Duke of Saxony, he re- 
 minded him that the Bohemians, though 
 vehement, were fickle in their attachments, 
 sooner lost than won, and that motives of 
 interest alone had determined their choice. 
 The spiritual Electors, who were all Catho- 
 lics, vehemently reprobated the measure, 
 whilst the Princes of the Union bestowed on
 
 284 
 
 it unqualified commendation, to which they 
 added, the most cordial assurances of sup- 
 port and co-operation. Under existing cir- 
 cumstances, those princes had obviously 
 no alternative, but to cede, to compro- 
 mise, or to overcome. Nor perhaps were 
 they displeased that Frederic should stand 
 foremost in the dangers of an enterprise 
 which at present wore an auspicious as- 
 pect ; but Irom which, if unsuccessful, 
 they should still have the power to retreat. 
 Encouraged by their suffrage, Frederic no 
 longer hesitated to notify to the States of 
 Bohemia his acceptance of their kingdom, 
 and hastened to Heidelberg to prepare 
 for his immediate departure. His meeting 
 with Juliana was painful j but although 
 he was sensible he had deceived her ex- 
 pectations, tears and sighs were her only 
 reproaches j [whilst the eyes of Eliza- 
 beth, radiant with hope and enthusiasm, 
 seemed to discredit all gloomy presages, 
 and infused into Frederic's more doubtful 
 mind, a portion of her own energy and con-
 
 28,5 
 
 fidence. That he was, however, unsatisfied 
 with his own decisions, or apprehensive that 
 they might subject him to censure, appears 
 from the extraordinary solicitude which he 
 displayed to sanctify with the name of re- 
 ligious necessity the desertion of his here- 
 ditary dominions; and the better to persuade 
 his subjects and allies, that he was alone 
 impelled by a sacred sense of duty to trans- 
 port himself to the scene of warfare, he re- 
 nounced all ordinary amusements, discard- 
 ed his dogs and horses, solemnly declaring 
 he must forego even the most innocent pas- 
 times until the great object of his mission 
 should be accomplished. 
 
 To provide for the concerns of his own 
 subjects, he reinstated the Duke de Deux- 
 ponts in the administration, and conjured 
 Juliana to resume her place in the council; 
 but it was with a mournful presentiment 
 that this wise and virtuous woman yielded 
 to his entreaties ; and little was she consoled 
 by an accession of dignity for the separa- 
 tion from her son, and the abandonment of
 
 28G 
 
 that peaceful retirement in which she had 
 hoped to spend her declining age. 
 
 During the few days that intervened be- 
 fore their departure, the royal pair paid 
 visits to those friends, who sympathised in 
 their present prospects ; for the last time, 
 Elizabeth walked among the beautiful plant- 
 ations which had been created for her de- 
 light, and once more listened to the water 
 music, and to those lulling symphonies 
 which had no power to suspend the stirring 
 dreams of fancy ; nor could she leave with- 
 out regret, the people by whom she saw 
 herself idolized, the home that many happy 
 recollections had endeared, and the adopted 
 mother, for whom she had never ceased to 
 cherish filial affection. 
 
 The day preceding that of their journey, 
 being the Sabbath, was spent in strict de- 
 votion. " A portentous gloom," says an 
 eye- witness*, " overspread the face of na- 
 
 * Letter written by an English visitor ; printed 
 in a volume of Tracts on German History, 1620.
 
 " ture tlie people wept, the clouds poured 
 " down torrents no where was seen the 
 " smile of joy. Early in the morning the 
 " Elector, with his eldest son, Henry Fre- 
 " deric, now in his sixth year, repaired to 
 " the great church of Heidelberg to offer 
 " oblation and sacrifice to the Most High. 
 " No sooner was this duty performed, than 
 " Frederic, riot without tears, pronounced 
 " a solemn valediction to the people, who, 
 " with an involuntary movement, clasping 
 " their hands in agony, implored for him 
 " and his house the divine benediction. 
 " When he passed through the church, sighs 
 " were sobbed forth, grief was audible ; 
 " every eye followed his steps, every heart 
 " dwelt on his parting accents j and when 
 " they no longer saw his form, they ex- 
 " patiated on his virtuous administration. 
 *, " Never had any sovereign been more truly 
 
 *^beloved/^ In like manner, Elizabeth 
 
 and her English household performed their 
 devotions in her private chapel, where a 
 
 i sermon was preached by Dr. Chapman, 
 AA Jv *
 
 288 
 
 which, in the judgment of the relator, ought 
 to have been heard at Paul's Cross : the 
 text, he observes, was not only appropriate, 
 but in a manner prophetic.* 
 
 In the afternoon, Frederic again repaired 
 to the church with his son, Henry Frederic, 
 and was again received with strong emotion. 
 The evening was spent in religious exercises 
 or in administering consolation to the be- 
 reaved Juliana ; and the next morning, at an 
 early hour, the royal family entered their 
 travelling carriage without pomp or state, 
 accompanied by their suite, who filled eigh- 
 teen other coaches, including all Elizabeth's 
 English ladies and a few young German 
 girls of high rank, among whom was Amelia, 
 the beautiful daughter of Count Albert 
 
 * " Go to now, ye that say to-day or to-morrow we 
 " will go to such a city, and continue there a year, and 
 " buy and sell, and get gain ; whereas ye know not 
 " what shall be in the morrow ; for what is your life ? 
 " it is even but as a breath, that appeareth for a time, 
 " and then vanisheth away : for that ye ought to say, 
 '* if the Lord will, we shall live and do this.'*
 
 289 
 
 Solms, afterwards much endeared to her 
 royal mistress. At this affecting moment 
 the visionary diadem appears to have been 
 no longer regarded : tears stood in Fre- 
 deric's eyes, when, for the last time, he heard 
 the prayers of his affectionate subjects, and 
 their grateful benedictions, mingled with 
 aspirations for his future welfare and felicity ; 
 to which all spontaneously echoed a solemn 
 amen. Abstracted from objects of ambition, 
 the fervour of genuine enthusiasm is irresisti- 
 ble, and even the little Prince Henry appears 
 to have caught its expression. " There was 
 " none," adds the witness, " but discerned 
 " something extraordinary in the aspect of 
 " this hopeful young prince ; but, above all, 
 " delightful was the demeanour of that great 
 " lady, who, the tears trickling down her 
 " cheeks, was mild, courteous, and affable, 
 " yet with a proper degree of state, like an- 
 " other Queen Elizabeth, the Phoenix of the 
 " world. Gone is that sweet princess, with 
 " her now more than princely consort, to- 
 " wards the place where his army attendeth, 
 VOL. i. u
 
 " shewing herself like that virago of Til- 
 " bury, another Queen Elizabeth ; for so 
 " she now is, and what more she may be in 
 " time, or her royal issue, is in God's hand, 
 " for the good and glory of his church.* 
 ** Such a lady going before, and marching 
 " in the front, who would not adventure life 
 " and covet death ? It is the manner of 
 " the Moors, in their deadly battles, to 
 " choose one of their fairest virgins to go 
 " before them in the field : for her to be 
 " surprised they would deem an everlasting 
 " shame, and therefore rather fight to the 
 " last man. And shall we suffer our prin- 
 " cess, our only royal infant a t to go to the 
 " field, and not follow her ? Then are we 
 
 * The writer of this poetical eulogium on Elizabeth 
 seems to have been impressed with a vague presenti- 
 ment that Frederic was to ascend the imperial throne, 
 and present to the world the phenomenon of a Pro- 
 testant Emperor. Nor was he in this, singular ; an in- 
 timation of the same extravagant character had been 
 made even at the period of Elizabeth's marriage, as 
 appears from the most prosaic, untunable lines quoted 
 in the third chapter.
 
 " worse than the very infidels, who, at the 
 "last day, shall rise in judgment against 
 " us." 
 
 The predilection inspired by Frederic's 
 late conduct in Heidelberg was not uni- 
 versal. To the Lutherans the Elector was 
 an object of distrust: the blind deference 
 he yielded to Scultetus, to whom was in 
 part imputed the intolerant sentiments of 
 the Synod of Dort, was already but too 
 well known ; and so unfavourable was the 
 impression produced in Saxony, that the 
 court chaplain pathetically deplored that 
 the election should have fallen on an Evan- 
 gelist. " Heaven have mercy on us," he 
 writes, " in what respect are these Evan- 
 " gelists better than the Papists ? And even 
 " more intolerant than the Papist shall we 
 " find the turbulent spirit of Calvinism, if 
 " it should once be established among us. 
 " Pity it is, and, in truth, thrice pitiful, that 
 " so many fine countries, and brave, stout- 
 " hearted people, should fall under the yoke 
 " of Calvin. What avails it to have been
 
 " released from Antichrist of the west, if 
 *.' his rival of the east be permitted to usurp 
 " over us?" 
 
 The prejudices of this honest Lutheran 
 will cease to appear extraordinary, when we 
 recollect that, by the decree of the Synod of 
 Dort, all Arminian preachers had been in- 
 terdicted in the Batavian States, and the 
 penalties of fine, imprisonment, or proscrip- 
 tion and confiscation, denounced on all who 
 should contumaciously persist either in pro- 
 mulgating or openly countenancing the de- 
 testable doctrines of the remonstrants.* 
 
 * Several thousands emigrated : a colony of Armi- 
 nians settled in Holstein. To the original friends and 
 partizans of Barnevelt no mercy was extended : the 
 sons of Barnevelt were deprived of their patrimony : 
 Hugo Grotius, condemned to perpetual imprisonment, 
 escaped by the spirited enterprize of his wife, whose 
 conduct, however meritorious, is not singular nor even 
 rare. To the honour of the female sex, our own times 
 have produced many corresponding examples of en- 
 ergy and conjugal attachment; in the far greater part 
 of which the effort was made, not for a devoted but an 
 unfaithful husband, and by whom the sacrifice was nei- 
 ther merited nor requited. 
 17
 
 $93 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 JOURNEY OF FREDERIC AND ELIZABETH TO PRAGUE. 
 THE THREE TOWNS. THE VARIOUS INHABIT- 
 ANTS. THE CORONATION. VARIOUS CONGRATU- 
 LATIONS. THE BIRTH OF PRINCE RUPERT. 
 
 IT was not until the jyth century that the 
 affairs of Bohemia became implicated with 
 the general concerns of Europe. During 
 many revolving ages their annals had been 
 interesting only to neighbouring countries. 
 With their early chronicles were intermin- 
 gled romantic fables, corresponding rather 
 with oriental traditions than the history of 
 a civilized people. In Prague, as in Heidel- 
 berg, the inquisitive and the credulous were 
 conducted to an antique tower where once 
 u 3
 
 294 
 
 had dwelt Lilybussa *, the heiress of Duke 
 Croceus, a prophetess, like Jetha Buhel, or, 
 as others affirm, an enchantress, but whose 
 arts and blandishments failed to reconcile 
 the Bohemians to a female sovereign. The 
 fair magician, who had secretly espoused a 
 peasant youth named Premislaus, had, how- 
 ever, the address to induce the Bohemians 
 to elect the object of her preference for 
 their rightful prince, with whom she was 
 associated as the partner of his sovereignty 
 The descendants of Premislaus were, like 
 himself, brave and prosperous. In 1060, 
 one of these princes, Duke Wratislaus, ob- 
 tained from the Emperor, Henry the Fourth, 
 the title of king, with the privileges of an 
 Elector of the Roman empire ; in return 
 for which concessions he did homage to that 
 chief, and acknowledged him his liege lord. 
 The dynasty of Premislaus and Lilybussa 
 continued to flourish until the 14th century, 
 when the last prince dying without heirs, the 
 sceptre passed into the House of Luxem- 
 
 * Kevenhuller's Annals, ninth volume.
 
 bourg, but afterwards, by marriage, was re- 
 stored to the race of Premislaus. It was first 
 united to the empire in the person of Charles 
 the Fourth, that sagacious monarch, who, 
 to win the hearts of his subjects, conversed 
 with them in their native language, whether 
 Flemish, German, or Sclavonian, and, to gain 
 the esteem of other princes, invited to his 
 court men of learning. Finally, he remodelled 
 the University of Prague on the plan of 
 that of Paris, with which he was familiarly 
 acquainted, and, by his enlightened muni- 
 ficence, accelerated the progress of civiliza- 
 tion. Under his auspices the collegial walls 
 of Prague, filled with able scholars and in- 
 telligent pupils, became also the school of 
 religious freedom. It was to this seminary 
 that John Huss, the disciple of Wickliffe, 
 transplanted the germs of the Reformation, 
 which took deep root in Bohemia, and sur- 
 vived the immolation of its illustrious foun- 
 der. Gaining strength from persecution, its 
 partizans soon kindled in the city of Prague 
 the flames of rebellion. It was in 141 9 that 
 u 4
 
 291) 
 
 Zisca, the great champion of the Hussites, 
 raised the standard of revolt against the 
 government of the Emperor Sigismond, on 
 whose pernicious ministers had been pre- 
 viously inflicted the punishment awarded by 
 national usage to flagitious statesmen, that of 
 being precipitated from the window. The 
 banner of Huss was victorious ; and its chief 
 was on the point of extorting advantageous 
 terms of peace, when either poison or pesti- 
 lence terminated his course.* Exasperated, 
 not dispirited, by the death of their great 
 leader, his ferocious followers, in the spirit 
 of the old Scythians, sounded the alarum 
 to war on a tambour which was said to be 
 covered with Zisca's skin ; and animated by 
 the belief that his spirit still watched over 
 their efforts, fought heroically to conquer or 
 die. Alarmed by their obstinacy, the Em- 
 peror had recourse to negotiation, or rather 
 to corruption. The cupidity of the chiefs, 
 and the arrogance of the nobles, conspired to 
 his design j and, finally, the Hussites were 
 
 * Kevenhuller.
 
 expelled from Prague. A small remnant es- 
 caping to the mountains, alone remained 
 to preserve from total extinction the sect 
 which had lately been powerful and tri- 
 umphant ; so little stability is to be found 
 in principles which have been dissemin- 
 ated by military fanaticism. At the era of 
 Luther's mission, the Hussites, or Tha- 
 borites, emerging from obscurity, contri- 
 buted essentially to the rapid progress of 
 the Reformation in Bohemia, from whence 
 it spread to Hungary and the neighbouring 
 provinces. Within the last fifty years a di- 
 versity of religious tenets had been tolerated 
 in Prague ; but this liberality was rather 
 derived from the habits induced by an ex- 
 tensive commerce with foreign nations, than 
 from the influence of knowledge and civili- 
 zation. It was remarkable that the late re- 
 volution had commenced with an outrage 
 on the imperial ministers, exactly similar to 
 that which, two centuries before, had ushered 
 in the insurrection of Zisca. To judge from 
 that example, the habits of general society
 
 298 
 
 should seem to be little ameliorated, and, 
 least of all, in the nobility, who, insulated 
 from the public by feudal privileges, for the 
 greater part retained the rudeness of their an- 
 cestors, and mingled with it the prodigality, 
 without the refinements, of more polished 
 contemporaries. Under the late Emperors 
 the academical institutions of Prague had 
 languished ; the University could no longer 
 boast of its thousand scholars, nor was a 
 John Huss or a Jerome to be discovered 
 in the capital. Even in the clergy there 
 was a dearth of talent : the Catholic priests 
 were bigoted and pompous, the Lutheran 
 ministers luxurious and suspicious ; the 
 minor sect of the Hussites displayed more 
 ability, but mediocrity was universal. 
 Among the burghers were few men en- 
 lightened enough to comprehend the pub- 
 lic good, or sufficiently virtuous to sacrifice 
 their petty passions to a common cause. 
 
 Fondly attached to the traditions of their 
 forefathers, the nobles, even while they 
 boasted of the line of princes descended from 
 18
 
 299 
 
 Preinislaus, insisted that the crown was ori- 
 ginally and essentially elective, and that in 
 deposing Ferdinand they merely resumed 
 the right so long suspended by the usurpation 
 of their Austrian lords. By Count Thurm, 
 and his more enlightened partizans, the 
 deposition of Ferdinand was, with reason, 
 grounded on the illegality of his election 
 under the late Emperor Mathias, and his in- 
 fringement of the letters of majesty granted 
 by his predecessors. Unable to communi- 
 cate to the States his own sound and liberal 
 views of policy, Thurm often succeeded in 
 kindling their enthusiasm by his impassioned 
 eloquence. " Woe unto you, Bohemians," 
 he exclaimed, " woe unto you and your pos- 
 ** terity, if ye shall allow Ferdinand to es- 
 " tablish himself on the throne of Bohemia. 
 " If ye embrace not this fortunate moment 
 " to break the yoke, in vain shall ye here- 
 " after struggle for release. Now, now 
 " only is the kingdom left in your hands 
 " life and death, freedom and slavery, are 
 " set before you choose as ye list j but
 
 " doubt not, if you be brave, you shall be 
 " successful in the contest ; if you ask, where 
 " your friends are to found, know they are 
 " numerous as your associates in faith and 
 " conscience. All Europe shall listen to 
 '* our plea. Strong emotions are as rivers 
 " that take their source from little mountain 
 " springs, which in their progress are en- 
 " riched by tributary streams of sympathy, 
 " flowing at last into the great ocean of po- 
 " pular, of universal feeling." * 
 
 It was notoriously the influence of Thunn 
 that determined the States to offer the crown 
 to Frederic, and, consequently, on that no- 
 bleman has fallen the censure of having been 
 actuated rather by personal than patriotic 
 motives in his choice of a sovereign. In 
 reality, however, his preference of that prince 
 was amply justified by the prosperity he had 
 witnessed in his hereditary dominions, his_ 
 alliances, his public and private virtues. 
 Whether he possessed energy and ability to 
 conduct an enterprize so arduous, was a 
 
 * Nani.
 
 301 
 
 question for experience only to resolve. Had 
 personal qualities been permitted to direct 
 their choice, the States should have prefer- 
 red to any other potentate the intrepid, in- 
 defatigable Bethlem Gabor, who, without 
 one noble kinsman or ally, had forced his 
 way to the sovereignty of Transylvania, and, 
 at the moment of Frederic's election, was 
 actually preparing to wrest from Ferdinand 
 the crown of Hungary. 
 
 During the last six years this ambitious 
 leader had often inspired terror in Vienna. 
 Courageous as prudent, his military habits 
 were rather those of a border chieftain than 
 of a civilized sovereign. Surrounded by 
 martial barbarians, he had but to sound 
 the tambour and an army was speedily col- 
 lected, not less rapid in their movements 
 than the ancient Huns, and almost as active 
 in spreading devastation through the empire. 
 Combining rudeness with magnificence, he 
 affected pomp and state. His days were 
 spent in a singular alternation of warfare and 
 negotiation, polemical controversy, and poli-
 
 302 
 i. 
 
 tical chicanery ; and he was not more prompt 
 
 to propose a truce than to conduct an in- 
 vasion. After having received from his dis- 
 creet and thrifty wife the produce of his 
 fine vineyards, he presided at the royal feast, 
 despatched a splendid embassy to the Porte, 
 or, vaulting into his saddle, departed on a 
 predatory excursion, from which he rarely 
 returned without ample spoils. 
 
 Such was the martial chief, the formidable 
 neighbour, and suspicious ally of Frederic, 
 who, far from imitating his celerity, con- 
 sumed something more than a fortnight in 
 leisurely progressing from Heidelberg to the 
 river Eger. Arrived on the frontier of Bo- 
 hemia, with the advice of his council he is- 
 sued his celebrated manifesto, by which he 
 promised unbounded toleration to religious 
 opinions, pledged himself to observe neutral- 
 ity with the respective sects, and invariably 
 to regulate his conduct by upright and liberal 
 principles.* On this spot Frederic was met 
 
 * " Now in these latter times, and among so many 
 lt different opinions in matters of faith and religion, it
 
 303 
 
 by three hundred horsemen, including a de- 
 putation of nobles from Prague, who came 
 to salute their new sovereign. On approach- 
 ing the town of Waldsach, they were wel- 
 comed by the knights, nobles, and burghers, 
 with demonstrations of gratitude and affec- 
 tion ; but the acclamations of the populace 
 were communicated in a language unknown 
 
 " has been effectually found, that according to the 
 " contents of the Holy Scriptures, and agreeably to 
 " the most anciently established principles of doctrine, 
 " men will not be led, driven, or forced with respect 
 " to conscience ; and that whenever such force or co- 
 " ercion has been attempted, though in the most pri- 
 " vate manner, it has always produced pernicious con- 
 " sequences, and occasioned great revolutions in the 
 " most considerable kingdoms and provinces." In 
 conclusion he added, " We solemnly protest, in the 
 " presence of God and the whole world, during our 
 " whole reign not to molest, trouble, or hinder any in 
 " the exercise of their formerly received religion, nor 
 " suffer them to be hindered or oppressed in the same, 
 ' not excepting even those of the Romish church, 
 " provided they submit to the laws and statutes of the 
 " realm, and especially if they behave themselves 
 '* peaceably and without offence." Could more liberal 
 principles have been assumed, even in the 19th cen- 
 tury ?
 
 304 
 
 to their guests, and it was only by her smiles 
 that Elizabeth could reply to them. When 
 they reached the town hall, they found the 
 sexes must be divided, and the Elector and 
 Electress were conducted to different apart- 
 ments. Frederic having taken his place in 
 the council room, Count Andreas Schlick, 
 a nobleman of no ordinary attainments, ad- 
 dressed him in a Latin speech, to which, 
 although somewhat tedious, the well-bred 
 Prince having listened with apparent satis- 
 faction, replied in a few words, expressive 
 of his readiness to devote himself to the 
 welfare of the people, which drew tears of 
 rapture from his more impassioned audit- 
 ors.* After this interview, the deputies pro- 
 ceeded in state to Elizabeth, to whom Baron 
 Rupa, addressing her in the French lan- 
 guage, offered thanks for her friendly me- 
 diation in their favour. In reply, the Queen 
 expressed her conviction, that the part she 
 had taken was a vocation of divine provi- 
 dence. These preliminaries adjusted, 'the 
 
 * Theatre of Europe.
 
 \vholeparty proceeded to the Great Church, 
 where Abraham Scultetus, with rare discre- 
 tion, preached a sermon inculcating the 
 popular theme of Christian unity, and 
 brotherly love among all reformers, of 
 whatsoever denomination. The sermon pro- 
 ved, as usual, but the prelude to a sump- 
 tuous feast, which was enlivened by martial 
 music. In the meanwhile, Elizabeth and 
 her ladies had fared even more luxuri- 
 antly in a separate apartment j and she al- 
 ready perceived an animation and vivacity 
 in the Bohemians *, which belonged to 
 
 * In Merian's Topography, we have the following 
 quaint description of Bohemia. The rays of the 
 morning sun penetrate to Bohemia from Moravia 
 and Silesia ; and are from thence transmitted to Ba- 
 varia, Voigtland and the Palatinate. To the South 
 lies Austria, on the North, Upper Lusatia. Half the 
 kingdom is encircled by Austria, its form is nearly 
 square, extending a three days' journey on either side. 
 The Stadt district of Eger, is the boundary of Bohe- 
 mia towards the Palatinate. 
 
 The original name of Prague is unknown ; it was 
 the residence of their ducal princes, and having been 
 erected at different eras, displays different orders of 
 architecture. Three towns are here combined and 
 
 VOL, I. X
 
 306 
 
 the national character. Lively in their im- 
 pressions, the women and children crowded 
 before the windows, to behold the great 
 Princess who had come to be their Queen ; 
 and no sooner had Elizabeth appeared, 
 than they would have kissed the hem of her 
 robe, or prostrated themselves before her 
 as a divinity. From Waldsach, the royal 
 party proceeded for the night to the Fal- 
 kenau, the beautiful castle of Count Al- 
 binus Schlick, where they were treated 
 with even more elegance than they had 
 anticipated. The next morning they 
 resumed their route, and at night were 
 again magnificently entertained in a Gothic 
 castle belonging to Baron Steinbach. What- 
 
 incorporated in one. Of the most ancient part the 
 architecture is purely Bohemian another is German, 
 and a third exhibits a mixed character. 
 
 It stands in the centre of the kingdom, on the banks 
 of the Moldau, in a broad pleasant valley at the foot 
 of the White Mountain in Weiss Berg, on the summit 
 of which is a hunting seat ended in a royal park, se- 
 veral miles in circumference.
 
 SO? 
 
 ever Elizabeth had seen of vast or grand, 
 was effaced by the extravagant dimensions 
 of those gothic edifices, and the forest-like 
 parks, with which they were surrounded. 
 The domestics of each household composed 
 a garrison, and there was a little army of re- 
 tainers attached to the domain, born but to 
 perform their master's will, and to defend 
 his person. Here, as in the Palatinate, the 
 stables vied in magnificence with the state 
 chambers. Never was the war-horse more 
 honoured than in Bohemia. On reaching 
 the town of Sanken, they were again im- 
 peded by a Latin oration, during which 
 old and young crowded to the gates. The 
 grave counsellor, the gallant cavaiier, min- 
 gled with humbler citizens, and damsels and 
 matrons strewed with flowers the ground 
 Elizabeth had to pass, and reverently bent 
 or knelt before her. To these attentions 
 the princess could only reply by smiles, and, 
 with reason, lamented her ignorance of their 
 language. The old Bohemian dialect was 
 still the vernacular tongue. It had been 
 x 2
 
 30S 
 
 the language of Zisca, and for his sake en- 
 deared and hallowed in the hearts of the 
 people, at once too proud or too unsophis- 
 ticated to relish a foreign medium of com- 
 munication *. 
 
 At length, on the 21st of October, the 
 new king and queen approached the capital 
 of Bohemia, at that time almost one of the 
 largest cities in Europe. For its picturesque 
 situation and stately palaces, it was then 
 compared with Florence t, which it is said 
 to have surpassed in extent and magnificence, 
 but fell short of its temperate climate and 
 brilliant skies. In reality, Prague wore the 
 aspect of an oriental metropolis, and, like 
 Ispahan, included within its walls an im- 
 mense space, romantically diversified with 
 hills and vallies, crowded streets and spa- 
 cious gardens j castle-like palaces, colleges, 
 and bazaars ; huts for the poorer citizens, 
 palaces for the horses of the great ; villas 
 were contiguous to cemeteries, and on the 
 
 * Theatre of Europe, first vol. first part, Kevenhuller. 
 | Edward Brown's Travels, 1620.
 
 309 
 
 site of the common burial-ground were 
 planted gardens, gay and luxuriant to the 
 eye. To account for this diversity of 
 scene, it is only necessary to recollect that 
 Prague was in reality composed of three 
 towns *, which were designated as the 
 
 * " Prague," says Merian. " is divided into three 
 " towns, the old, the new, and the lesser or minor 
 " borough ; each governed by its own laws and en- 
 " joying its peculiar privileges. The minor town 
 " connects the new with the old, and is surrounded 
 " by water ; the old town stands on the right of the 
 " Moldau, which is here strong and broad, and three 
 41 miles farther falls into the Elbe. Diverging into the 
 " expanse of valley, we descry Edissa, a palace built 
 " in the old style ; also a stately church dedicated to 
 ' our Lady. There is a college for the Jesuits, near 
 " the bridge ; also the free school, a college endowed 
 " by the Emperor Charles the Fourth. The senate 
 " or council house is also distinguished by its lofty 
 " spire, of which the arch is accounted a master-piece 
 " of architecture. It was remarkable, in this old town, 
 " that in the fish-market no flesh is ever exposed in 
 " the carcase. Along the water side the Jews have 
 " their residence. The old council-house is called 
 " Rhyta, the custom house, the hospital with the 
 " stone bridge ; also two palaces occasionally occu- 
 " pied by queens, in one of which money was every 
 " day coined for their especial usei fhe other is called 
 
 x 3
 
 S10 
 
 old, the netv, and the lesser borough, each 
 governed by its own laws, and enjoying 
 appropriate privileges. The minor town 
 intervenes between the old and new. The 
 ancient Prague stood on the right of the 
 Moldau, over whose broad expanse of wa- 
 ter was erected a stone bridge composed 
 of sixteen magnificent arches, at either 
 extremity fortified by a tower of which 
 the gates were constantly left open. 
 Within the circumference of Prague was 
 exhibited the architecture of different ages 
 and nations ; and amidst its superabundant 
 
 " the king's court. The bridge was the common road 
 " from the old to the new town. It was erected by 
 " Judith, queen consort of King Winceslaus, it is both 
 " long and broad, at either extremity fortified by a 
 " stately stone arch, under which the passenger pro- 
 " ceeds to the old town ; the bridge has sixteen arches. 
 " The old town is divided from the new by walls, and 
 " the tombs or cemetery which has, however, in part 
 "been broken up, and converted into a garden. 
 " Fields, orchards and gardens are interposed between 
 " the squares or places ; the palaces of the nobles 
 " being like villas. By the king's court stands a plea- 
 " sant tower called Strahoff dividing the towns." 
 (Merian's Topography.)
 
 311 
 
 population, might be discovered a sort of 
 casual reminiscence of several nations of 
 antiquity. The Pyrrhic dance, in which 
 the young men brandished naked swords, 
 was often exhibited by those to whom classic 
 Greece was wholly unknown. Pagan shrines 
 had been converted into churches, but the 
 temple of St. Weit or Faith, was a model 
 of old Gothic architecture. Even on the 
 bridge which had been the work of modern 
 times, and which formed the boast of the 
 present nation, the principal ornament was 
 a Pagan image which had been transferred 
 from an ancient temple, and by a pious so- 
 phistication was converted into a superb 
 representation of the crucifixion. * 
 
 The old town presented innumerable at- 
 tractions to the curious observer, there 
 stood the turrets to which lingered so many 
 romantic traditions of Lilybussa and her 
 enchantments ; the first Christian altar had 
 been raised within its limits ; and in this 
 
 * See Edward Brown's Travels, printed in 1660 
 X 4
 
 division was the palace occupied by the 
 Queens of Bohemia, in those golden days 
 when money was expressly coined for their 
 use each succeeding day. Although a strik- 
 ing diversity of manners and dress was 
 perceptible in this redundant population ; 
 the prevailing characteristics were gaiety 
 and enthusiasm. Men, women, and children 
 were of a lively temperament, prone to sud- 
 den impressions, easily transported with rage 
 or with rapture, and never was this suscep- 
 tibility more powerfully excited, than by 
 the approach of their newly elected sove- 
 reign. On this occasion the humblest citi- 
 zen vied with the princely Burgrave*, in 
 offering demonstrations of gladness. The 
 palaces, the colleges, the cloisters, the ba- 
 zaars, the gable-roofed cottages, and the 
 almost uncovered hovels, all poured forth 
 their motley garbed inhabitants. Even the 
 insulated dwellings of the Jews along the 
 water side were deserted j and they stood 
 
 * The Burgrave was the title given to the old na- 
 tional nobility.
 
 313 
 
 f 
 
 aloof to behold the procession in which 
 they were not permitted to take a part. 
 Catholics, Lutherans, and Calvinists, all 
 rushed forth as by spontaneous impulse, 
 towards that beautiful pleasure walk or park, 
 called the Etoile or star, at the foot of 
 Weissenburg. Towards this spot, confes- 
 sedly the most agreeable scene in the 
 environs of Prague, were marshalled the 
 directors of the government, and deputies 
 of the States, gallantly mounted on horse- 
 back, followed by fifty empty coaches, 
 which fell into the rear of the procession 
 about to enter the city in triumph. 
 
 It was here that Frederic and Elizabeth 
 alighted to take the first glance of their new 
 kingdom, the latter tastefully attired as be- 
 came a queen ; the former splendidly deco- 
 rated with the orders of Knighthood, not 
 omitting the Garter, looked rather the court- 
 ier than the hero. The day was beautifully 
 serene, the temperature, like the face of the 
 country, genial j the bright rays of the de- 
 clining sun, which gilded the mingling
 
 314 
 
 banners of Bavaria and Bohemia, cast on 
 every object a glow of gladness, and, if un- 
 clouded skies warranted a happy presage, the 
 heavens smiled auspiciously on the adventu- 
 rous enterprize. After partaking of refresh- 
 ments, which, whether prince or peasant, by 
 Bohemian hospitality were never omitted, 
 the line was marshalled, Elizabeth ascend- 
 ed a state coach, and Frederic mounted his 
 stately steed, when lo, from the antiquated 
 gate called Strahoff, which, according to an 
 old custom, the sovereign must not enter 
 without license from the citizens, issued 
 four hundred burghers habited in the un- 
 couth, but warlike style of Zisca, with steel 
 skull caps, steel armour, iron lances, and 
 broad bucklers ; above all, to designate them 
 as the representatives of the first champions 
 of religious liberty, they carried on their en- 
 signs the pewter cups and platters, which, in 
 those primitive times, formed all the luxury 
 of the citizens of Prague. The approach 
 of this company was distinctly notified by 
 their drums and tabors, whose incessant
 
 31,5 
 
 din overpowered all other sounds. Ad- 
 vancing to the courtly Frederic, their leader 
 or spokesman in a sonorous voice thus ad- 
 dressed him in the Bohemian dialect, " We 
 " come, Frederic in the spirit of our fa- 
 " thers, and with no less zeal and courage, 
 " are ready to fight for our faith and free- 
 " dom. With these swords we pledge our- 
 " selves to stand or fall by you j on this 
 " stout buckler we swear to devote our- 
 " selves, and our goods, body and soul 
 *' in weal or woe till we die." * The 
 orator having ended his speech, his com- 
 rades all rattled the cups and platters on 
 their ensigns with a deafening tintanamara, 
 which overpowered Frederic's gravity, and 
 in defiance of German decorum, he laughed 
 aloud ; but he should have rather blushed 
 in contrasting with his own gaudy habili- 
 ments the rude armour and martial habits 
 which were alone fitted for the perilous 
 position in which he was actually placed. 
 A little beyond the Strahoff at the en- 
 
 * Kevenhuller, Theatre of Europe.
 
 316 
 
 trance of the royal hall the king was greeted 
 by the burgesses of the three boroughs of 
 Prague. In token of this recognition a 
 single trumpet was sounded four times to 
 which the representatives of the old town 
 replied by another trumpet, which sounded 
 six times accompanied by a hautboy. In 
 like manner were heralded the deputies of 
 the new and the lesser Prague. With the 
 exception of these civic ceremonies, the 
 procession displayed no national peculiar- 
 ities j in a long train of three hundred 
 coaches, however superb, there was nothing 
 picturesque or impressive. But the eques- 
 trian cavaliers recalled images of ancient 
 times. Preceded by pages and trumpeters, 
 each mounted on a warlike steed, magnifi- 
 cently caparisoned, they had a spirited and 
 martial appearance.* Among the princes 
 who rode in the line, were the Dukes of 
 Mecklenburg and Wirtemburg, the Prince 
 Anhalt, and Frederic's affectionate brother 
 Count Louis Palatine j but the most in- 
 teresting object of the spectacle was Eliza- 
 * Theatre of Europe.
 
 beth in the flower of youth, her complexion 
 glowing with animation, and her eyes beam- 
 ing with an enthusiasm, which proclaimed 
 her sympathies for the people. Never, 
 since the days of their royal Saint Eliza- 
 beth*, alike endeared to Catholics and Lu- 
 therans, had any princess inspired senti- 
 ments of such impassioned affection in the 
 populace of Prague. The horses of her car- 
 riage were adorned with housings of gold and 
 silver, and she sat under a canopy of gold 
 and violet, not more splendid than becom- 
 ing to her fair complexion. Beside her rode 
 Frederic, with his head uncovered; beyond 
 him were interposed the royal guards, which 
 were, with bad taste, obtruded on view. The 
 king and queen should rather have been 
 seen alone, bespeaking, by voluntary con- 
 fidence, the grateful attachment of the peo- 
 ple. In another coach sat the little Prince 
 Henry Frederic, a quick and delighted ob- 
 server of the spectacle. His brother, Charles 
 Louis, followed in a third carriage, and 
 
 * See Note in second volume.
 
 318 
 
 amongst the beautiful ladies who lent grace 
 to this pageantry, were particularly distin- 
 guished, the daughters of 'Sir William Apsley 
 and of Count Albert Thurm, the fair and 
 fortunate Amelia. In the rear came the mar- 
 tial representatives of the old Bohemians, 
 incessantly rattling their cups and platters. 
 After them, and which was justly hailed 
 with sincere delight by spectators of every 
 class, was borne Frederic's Manifesto, in- 
 suring to all men the blessings of freedom 
 and toleration. After this bulwark of the 
 constitution, followed the twenty four di- 
 rectors, who had consummated their la- 
 bours, and willingly transferred the autho- 
 rity they had enjoyed. This day crowned 
 the wishes of Count Thurm, and had he 
 then closed his eyes for ever, it would have 
 been with such impressions of joy and gra- 
 titude, as might have recompensed a life of 
 hardships. 
 
 " Never, since the memory of man," 
 says an eye witness, " had such magnifi- 
 " cence been exhibited in Prague; and never
 
 319 
 
 " had such enthusiasm been excited in all 
 " orders of the community. In the mani- 
 " festo of Frederic, guaranteeing to all men, 
 " of whatever sect or persuasion, peace, 
 " and security, and concord, they seemed 
 " to receive a pledge of health and pro- 
 " sperity, a bond of brotherhood and free- 
 " dom, whilst in the presence of their royal 
 " champion and his consort they discovered 
 " a recognition of their national rights, alike 
 " flattering to their pride and patriotism. 
 " Never before had a foreign prince re- 
 " ceived a solemn invitation to ascend the 
 " throne of Bohemia, and ages had elapsed 
 " since the people had assented and justi- 
 " fied their original prerogative of creating 
 " kings. Enchanted with this evidence of 
 " their emancipation, they protested that, be- 
 " ingfree, they would defend their freedom, 
 " and the sceptre they had redeemed from 
 " their oppressors." 
 
 Even the Catholics were secretly gra- 
 tified by this exercise of their sovereign- 
 ty 5 nor did it perhaps displease them that
 
 320 
 
 the election had rather fallen on a prince 
 of the least prevailing sect, namely the 
 Hussite or Calvinist, than on any Lutheran 
 \vhom they regarded as the original trans- 
 gressor. To the latter, Frederic appears 
 to have been originally less acceptable, 
 than to the other parties, but at this mo- 
 ment even the spirit of theological contro- 
 versy was in a manner charmed to silence, 
 and retrospections and anticipations were 
 absorbed in positive enjoyment. It was> 
 the national jubilee, all were eager to par- 
 ticipate in its gladness, and for the first 
 time since the reformation had dawned in 
 Germany, the distinctions of Papist, Utra- 
 quist, and Calvinist, were all lost in the 
 endearing names of compatriot, citizen, and 
 Christian. The old and the young were 
 alike eager to manifest loyalty and attach- 
 ment. In their progress to the palace, Frede- 
 ric and Elizabeth beheld the windows, the 
 balconies, the turrets, even the steeples, 
 crowded with spectators. The aged thanked 
 God that they had lived to witness the 
 
 19
 
 321 
 
 regeneration of their country ; the stripling 
 swore to conquer or die for his sovereign ; 
 the young girls wore garlands, or strewed 
 flowers j matrons wept with delight ; lisping 
 children echoed the benedictions from their 
 mother's lips ; and, finally, the populace 
 manifested their triumphant zeal by affixing 
 to the walls of the tower a placard denoun- 
 cing the penalties awarded to treason and 
 rebellion on any one who should deny 
 that Frederic and Elizabeth were lawfully 
 King and Queen of Bohemia. * 
 
 The next day Abraham Scultetus preach- 
 ed in the High Church a sermon well calcu- 
 lated to harmonize with the tone of popular 
 feelings, in which he expatiated warmly on 
 the blessings of Christian charity and con- 
 cord, intimating his belief that Lutherans and 
 Calvinists would in future dwell together 
 in brotherly union, and that even Catho- 
 lics were not necessarily excluded from this 
 holy fellowship. At length kindling with 
 his theme, he broke into an impassioned 
 
 * Tracts on German History, 1620. Kevenhuller. 
 VOL. I. Y
 
 exclamation. " And is not this God's 
 " work ? that I am here in this church of 
 " Prague, that Frederic is now your elect- 
 " ed King, it is the decree of providence, 
 " and shall not God bring higher and great- 
 " er things to pass ?" 
 
 "Is it not a miracle that in the very 
 " country, where, during fifteen years, dis- 
 " couragement was thrown on whatever 
 " savoured of evangelical purity, is it not 
 ** the miracle of miracles, that even here in 
 " Bohemia we have an evangelic king? 
 " Even this is a miracle also, that I, poor 
 " persecuted outcast, stand in this pulpit, 
 " and preach of the omnipotence of the 
 " true church of God to freemen ; there- 
 " fore, say I, once more, the Lord is our 
 " God, and he ruleth over all the earth." * 
 
 In conclusion, he insinuated the probabi- 
 lity that Frederic should ultimately ascend 
 the throne of Caesar. How far such intima- 
 tion was relished by the Bohemians might 
 be doubtful j for the present they thought 
 only of evincing gratitude to their protector; 
 * See Schmidt, 9th vol. 

 
 323 
 
 and no sooner had the directors obtained 
 from the new sovereign a confirmation of 
 their privileges, than a Landtag was announ- 
 ced, at which the States voted to Frederic 
 in perpetuity the half of all imposts, contri- 
 butions, and duties, for the maintenance of 
 his royal dignity; and decreed that one- 
 fourth of the public revenue should be 
 granted for the same purpose to Elizabeth. 
 The next step was to prepare for the coron- 
 ation, a ceremonial attended with more 
 difficulty than had been expected. * It was 
 easy to substitute on public ensigns and the 
 royal plate the lion of Bavaria for the eagle 
 of Austria ; but it was" not easy, however 
 liberal might be the professions of Abraham 
 Scultetus, to conciliate the prejudices of hos- 
 tile sects, and to blend together opinions long 
 impracticable and dissonant. In the great 
 church of St. Weit, or Faith, the chaplain 
 of Frederic had beheld with dismay many 
 magnificent relics of Romish idolatry, which 
 he could not pass over in silence ; and pas- 
 
 * Schmidt.
 
 324 
 
 sionately as he desired to invest his sovereign 
 with a kingly crown, he indignantly refused 
 to be the minister of those abhorred rites, 
 which time and custom had hallowed, but 
 which savoured of Papistical, and even of 
 Pagan abomination. Unfortunately, the Bo- 
 hemians were bigoted in their devotion to an- 
 cient customs, and Count Thurm earnestly 
 forewarned Frederic that to departfrom them 
 materially, might endanger his possession of 
 the kingdom. In this perplexity even the 
 fanaticism of Scultetus yielded to worldly 
 policy ; the champion of evangelical purity 
 renounced the honour of placing on his mas- 
 ter's head the diadem, to preserve unim- 
 paired the authority he had long exercised 
 over his submissive understanding. The 
 Administrator of the Hussites, who had 
 hitherto been identified with the Calvinistic 
 party, readily accepted the office ; not, how- 
 ever, without experiencing many vexatious 
 interruptions from Frederic's Protestant 
 confessor, who often interposed an impera- 
 tive veto.
 
 325 
 
 In the meanwhile the standard of Bavaria 
 was hoisted on the third of November, the 
 day chosen for the august ceremony. In 
 the morning the inhabitants of Prague were 
 early in motion ; and whilst the citizens, in 
 martial array, paraded the streets, the chan- 
 cellor and barons proceeded to the palace, 
 where the former addressed the King in a La- 
 tin speech, in which he descanted copiously 
 on the duties of a sovereign. The barons then 
 demanded whether he was willing, on certain 
 conditions, to become their king ? To which 
 Frederic replied in the affirmative, and that 
 he was resolved to maintain their laws and 
 liberties. They then conducted him to the 
 great church, where, attired in royal robes, 
 he was conducted to the chapel of St. Win- 
 ceslaus, and from thence, attended by the 
 Administrator of the Hussites*, to the altar, 
 
 * The Administrator, or Vicar, of the Archbishop 
 of Prague, was George Manzorinus, and the senior, or 
 elder of the consistory, John Cyril, who officiated in 
 place of the Catholic bishop. Having entered the 
 chapel, the King was invested with royal robes : on
 
 on which the regalia were laid. Then there 
 was a solemn pause in the ceremony, whilst 
 the chief burgrave thus addressed Frederic : 
 " High and mighty prince, we have chosen 
 " thee to be our king ; yet, ere we set the 
 " crown on thine head, wilt thou swear a 
 " sacred oath, in our Bohemian mother- 
 " tongue, to maintain inviolate the laws of 
 " this realm ?" Frederic obeyed ; and after 
 a series of prayer, alternated with sacred 
 music, the Administrator at length placed 
 the crown on his head, accompanying the 
 
 leaving it, the Administrator pronounced a benediction, 
 and the King proceeded to the altar, where, having 
 received the sacrament, he was met by the principal 
 officers of state bearing the regalia. The Lord Chan- 
 cellor carried the sceptre, the Chief Justice the globe, 
 the Lord Treasurer the purse, the Lord Marshal the 
 sword. After these came the King between the Ad- 
 ministrator and the Chief Elder. At the altar, the 
 King kneeling down, a prayer was offered, and an an- 
 them sung ; during which the regalia were laid on the 
 altar ; and, after the Litany had been sung, a sermon 
 was preached from a text in the Epistle of Timothy. 
 The King was then conducted to the altar. Tracts 
 on German history, printed in 1620. Theat. Europe. 
 Mercure Francois. Kcvenhuller, 9th vol. 
 22
 
 327 
 
 action with an appropriate prayer, almost 
 the transcript of that employed in the in- 
 auguration of Catholic princes. In conclu- 
 sion, the Administrator prayed that the King 
 might be the father of his people ; like 
 Joshua, a victorious hero; and like Moses, all 
 truth and uprightness ; that, like David, he 
 might be devoted to the glory of God ; like 
 Solomon, teach wisdom; like Hezekiah, 
 manifest piety, or even as Josiah, the godly 
 King of Judah. 
 
 The King being at length crowned, artd 
 invested with the royal appendages, was 
 conducted by the Administrator to his 
 throne, where burgraves, knights, and ba- 
 rons, addressing him in the Bohemian 
 tongue, took the oaths of allegiance, solemn- 
 ly promising to be faithful to him and his 
 posterity. The crown was then raised, whilst 
 the Administrator, in defiance of Abraham 
 Scultetus, poured oil upon the king's head, 
 and then replaced the crown, not without the 
 apostolic rites of prayer and consecration. 
 Then each baron approached, and touching 
 y 4.
 
 328 
 
 with two fingers the crown, in token of 
 allegiance, held up the other two, to signify 
 that he stood pledged to defend it from 
 usurpation. The first burgrave then laid 
 his hand on the crown, in token that he so- 
 lemnly disclaimed any other for his sovereign. 
 His example was followed by a hundred 
 nobles of equal rank. The remaining lords 
 merely extended the two fingers. During 
 every pause of silence a symphony of sacred 
 music floated on the air. At length Te 
 Deum was chaunted, with corresponding 
 expressions of gratitude and devotion. The 
 service concluded with the prayer, or invo- 
 cation, from the Romish or Greek church ; 
 and no sooner was its consummation an- 
 nounced by a discharge of artillery, than 
 every belfrey in Prague sent forth a jubilant 
 peal. In every street the heralds proclaimed 
 King Frederic, and trumpets and hautboys 
 were overpowered by the shouts and accla- 
 mations of the soldiers, the citizens, the 
 people. The King marched from the church 
 in state, wearing the crown so dearly pur- 
 
 21
 
 329 
 
 chased, and which, in consideration of 
 the sacrifices he made, was secured to his 
 eldest son. He dined in public with his 
 nobles, and in the evening presided at a ban- 
 quet, remarkable for nothing but the fre- 
 quency and perseverance of the potations. 
 During the space of many hours, a fountain 
 spouted forth white wine to regale the po- 
 pulace. 
 
 Of tlu's ceremony Elizabeth had been 
 simply a spectatress ; but on the 6th of No- 
 vember her own coronation was celebrated 
 with equal magnificence. On this occasion 
 there appears not to have been any material 
 deviation from established usage ; whe- 
 ther that Scultetus considered his inter- 
 ference unnecessary, or that Elizabeth her- 
 self having been nurtured in English Epis- 
 copacy, was less scrupulous than her con- 
 sort, and more guarded in her attempts to 
 conciliate the Lutheran part of the commu- 
 nity. On entering the chapel of Wences- 
 laus, she was accompanied by Frederic, who 
 took his place by her side. When she ap-
 
 preached the altar, she was saluted by the 
 Administrator with the customary benedic- 
 tion; and when she knelt at the sacred 
 shrine, he prayed over her. The King was 
 next conducted to the altar, where, stand- 
 ing in front of the Administrator, he 
 said, in Latin, " Reverend Father, I be- 
 " seech thee to bestow, with thy benedic- 
 " tion, the crown on my beloved and de- 
 " serving consort, whom God hath given to 
 " be my helpmate, for the praise and glory 
 " of our Saviour, Christ." After this inter- 
 cession there was a symphony of music; 
 during which the Queen was conducted 
 to the throne, where she sat alone, whilst 
 the Litany was chaunted, omitting only 
 certain invocations that savoured too strong- 
 ly of Romish doctrine. These devotions 
 being ended, the assistant priest address- 
 ed to the new Queen a tedious homily, 
 to which the Administrator superadded a 
 still longer discourse, plentifully seasoned 
 with scriptural quotations, and concluding 
 with devout aspiration?, that the piety
 
 331 
 
 of the new queen might be rewarded with 
 the longevity of Sarah, the spouse of Abra- 
 ham j that in all her undertakings she 
 might be prosperous, as the beautiful Re- 
 becca; that she should prevail over her 
 enemies, like the intrepid Judith ; and be 
 meek and magnanimous as Queen Esther ; 
 finally,, that she might be persevering as the 
 Queen of Sheba in the search of truth and 
 wisdom, and, above all, be crowned with 
 spiritual gifts, like the blessed Salome, who 
 had been chosen and approved by the Sa- 
 viour of the world. To this peroration Suc- 
 ceeded another symphony of music, of a 
 higher strain, during which the Queen was 
 removed to the altar : from thence^the Ad- 
 ministrator took the crown, which he pre- 
 sented to the senior burgrave, whilst lie 
 anointed with holy oil the fair temples of 
 Elizabeth. He then put into one hand the 
 sceptre, and committed to the other the ball, 
 and finally consummated the work by setting 
 on her head the crown of St. Isabella. This 
 last act was accompanied by a prayer for her
 
 332 
 
 future felicity, to which, with a sort of elec- 
 trical impulse, thousands of voices respond- 
 ed amen j till, at the same moment, the walls 
 re-echoed " Vivat, vivat Elizabeth !" The 
 Queen was then made to resume her sta- 
 tion on the throne, and Te Deum, chaunted 
 with a choral and ineffable sublimity, con- 
 cluded the ceremony. The Queen dined 
 not in public, but held a court, and in the 
 evening presided at a stately banquet. Again 
 the bells rung merrily, bread and wine were 
 freely distributed to the populace, and the 
 young and gay of both sexes danced in the 
 streets for joy. On this day of jubilee per- 
 sons of either sex or condition were admit- 
 ted freely to the royal presence ; a privilege 
 of which the Jews, who had hitherto been 
 excluded from the honour, gladly availed 
 themselves to offer their homage. 
 
 Elizabeth was now a queen, and, under 
 other circumstances, might have been 
 amused to recal the bitter pleasantry with 
 which her mother had formerly greeted h$j> 
 as Goody Palsgrave j but alas ! that prin*
 
 333 
 
 cess no longer lived to share in her pride 
 or exalt her triumph. To her last mo- 
 ments she had shewn symptoms of dis- 
 pleasure to her daughter, to whom she be- 
 queathed no part of her property, nor even 
 one of those superb jewels, which, pro- 
 perly applied, might have been so useful 
 in preserving to Frederic and Elizabeth 
 their new kingdom. With her father, Eliza- 
 beth had uniformly kept up an affectionate 
 correspondence ; but either jealousy or 
 pusillanimity now alienated him from her 
 interests j and, whilst the ambassadors of 
 France, of Sweden, of Poland, the States of 
 Holland and Venice, presented congratula- 
 tions, James, the King of Great Britain, 
 transmitted only expressions of disapproba- 
 tion, regretting the Palsgrave's rashness, 
 and still more resenting that he had accept- 
 ed the crown the very day after he had 
 written for his advice respecting it. Irri- 
 tated by the Puritans, who manifested on 
 this occasion extravagant joy, James even 
 refused his son-in-law the title of king,
 
 protesting he would never aid and abet 
 rebellion. Frederic was not unprepared for 
 these animadversions, for which he was in 
 some degree consoled by the ardent con- 
 gratulations of his two uncles, the Prince of 
 Orange and the Duke de Bouillon. The 
 latter, elate with the result of his new po- 
 litical speculations, and confiding in the 
 consummation of his ultimate views for 
 Frederic, exclaimed with triumph, " I care 
 not who " makes Knights, since / create 
 Kings."* 
 
 * See Cardinal Bentivoglio's Letters.
 
 335 
 
 ADDITIONAL NOTES. 
 
 CHAP. II. 
 
 COMBE ABBEY was, by Edward VI., first granted to 
 John Earl of Warwick (afterwards Duke of Northum- 
 berland), and his heirs, June 22d, in the 1st year of 
 his reign ; and after his attainder, in the 3d and 4th 
 year of Philip and Mary, Robert Keylsway had a lease 
 of the site ; which Robert Keylsway, in the 23d of 
 Elizabeth, died, seised in fee of certain lands, belong- 
 ing to this monastery, leaving an only daughter, 
 Anne, his sole heir; married to Sir John Har- 
 rington, which Sir John Harrington, in the 1st of 
 James I., was created Lord Harrington of Exton, 
 county of Rutland. And, having the tuition of the 
 Lady Elizabeth, until her marriage with the Elector 
 Palatine, attended her into Germany, where, on his 
 return, he deceased at Worms, anno 1614, leaving 
 issue by Anne his wife (daughter and sole heir to R. 
 Keylsaway, Esq. surveyor of the Courts of Wards and 
 Liveries), one son, John, surviving (Kelsway, his eldest 
 son, died in his lifetime), and one daughter, named 
 Lucie. Which John, his successor, died without issue, 
 very shortly after, in the same year; whereby hit 
 sister Lucie became heir to a very great estate, and 
 wife to Edward Earl of Bedford ; but her profuseness 
 was such, that she wasted her own and not a little of
 
 336 
 
 his estate, selling Combe Abbey, with the estate be- 
 longing to it, to Sir William Craven, Knight, who, in 
 1611, served the office of Lord Mayor of London. 
 From Dugdales Warwickshire, and Bank's Dormant 
 and Extinct Peerage of England. 
 
 CHAP. III. 
 
 THB chronicle, or journal, referred to in the third 
 chapter, is extracted from an old scarce book pub- 
 lished at Frankenthal in 1613, and mentioned in Le-- 
 land's Collectanea. The author appears to have 
 derived his information in part from some persons in 
 the suite of the Elector Palatine, and in part from his 
 own observation. It is evidently quite distinct from a 
 pamphlet published in England in the same year, and 
 on the same subject, which is quoted by Leland. The 
 French account, printed at Heidelberg, is very super- 
 ficial, and, in reality, borrowed from this original 
 German work, of which very few copies are now ex- 
 tant. The description of Elizabeth's tour, of her re- 
 ception in Germany, and of the splendid entertain- 
 ments presented in her honour, occupy 205 pages, 
 curiously illustrated with prints, in which are correct 
 representations of the triumphal arches erected in com- 
 pliment to the British princess. To this is annexed a 
 copious appendix. In the details of the marriage 
 ceremony, the German Chronicle agrees with the trans- 
 cripts made from the official registers, which are pre- 
 served in Leland, and to which is added such informa- 
 tion as he had been able to collect from Stowe, from
 
 387 
 
 Sir John Finett, and a pamphlet published in London 
 in 1613. It as remarked by Leland, that he had never 
 met with the German work published in 1613 at Frank- 
 enthal or the French Journal printed at Heidelberg in 
 the same year. But he states, on the authority of a 
 pamphlet printed in England in 1613, that Elizabeth 
 " was clad in white satin, richly embroidered with silver. 
 " Upon her head a crown of refined gold, made impe- 
 " rial by the pearls and diamonds thereon placed, which 
 " were so thickly set, that they stood like shining pin- 
 u t nacles over her amber-coloured hair, hanging down 
 " over her shoulders to the waist. Between every plait, 
 " a roll or list of gold spangles, pearls, rich stones, and 
 " diamonds, of inestimable value, embroidered on her 
 " sleeves. The king, who was in a magnificent suit of 
 " black, wore a single diamond in his hat. The queen 
 " was in white satin, ornamented with a profusion of dia- 
 " monds. In the chapel, the king sat in the chair of 
 <{ state, onJ^ie right, wearing jewels valued at six hun- 
 " dred thousand pounds; opposite to him was the queen, 
 " whose jewels were supposed to be worth four hundred 
 " thousand pounds. The royal party were all placed on 
 " the haul pas or throne. None but persons of the first 
 " quality came into the chapel. First, thechoristerssung 
 " an anthem; then the Bishop of Bath and Wells preach- - 
 " ed a sermon, from the text referring to the marriage of 
 " Cana in Galilee. After the sermon another anthem 
 ** was sung, taken from the psalm, ' Blessed art thou 
 " ' that fearest God.' While the choir were singing 
 " this anthem, the archbishop and bishop robed ; and, 
 " having ascended the haut pas or throne, the young 
 " couple were married according to the form in tbe 
 roL. i. z
 
 338 
 
 " prnyer-book, the prince speaking in English. The 
 " king's majesty gave the bride away. After the ce- 
 " remony, the heralds having proclaimed largesse, 
 " the king gave the joy Ipocras : wine and wafers 
 " were produced from the vestry. After tasting the 
 " wafers, a health was begun to the prosperity of the 
 u marriage by the Prince Palatine, which was an- 
 " swered by the princess and others in their order." 
 
 Leland remarks, that the sixteen nobles who ac- 
 companied the Elector Palatine, were to designate 
 the number of his years. The same number of ladies 
 has by some writers been assigned to Elizabeth. Stowe 
 and Sandford mention but twelve ; the German book 
 thirteen. In Echard's History of England, there is 
 almost a poetical description of Elizabeth's appearance 
 on the morning of her marriage, written many years 
 after,in which it is pretended, that certain coruscations 
 were observed in her countenance, which were after- 
 wards supposed to foreshow her fate. 
 
 CHAP. III. Page 168. 
 
 Transcript of the Letter addressed by Elizabeth to her 
 Father on her arrival in Holland. 
 
 " SIRE, 
 
 " Je ne saurois faire choix de personne qui sert 
 " mieux rapporter a votre Majeste* les faveurs extra- 
 " ordinaires et courtois que j'ai re9ues de M. 1'amiral 
 " quelui-meme, qui m'a tellementhonord pour 1'amour 
 " de votre Majeste", que je m'estimerai le plus heureux
 
 339 
 
 " au monde, si pourrai m'entendre ci aupr&s que votre 
 " Majest^ en sache bon gre. 
 
 ' Monsieur 1'amiral declarera a votre Majeste" 1'af- 
 " fection de tous les peuples de ce pays, et 1'honneur 
 " que j'en recois a la consideration de votre Majeste ; 
 " ni lui, ni moi, ne s6mmes capables d'exprimer de 
 " quelle devotion je serai a tout jamais, 
 
 " Sire, 
 
 " Votre Majeste, 
 " Tres affectionnee, et servante tres humble, 
 
 " ELIZABETH." 
 
 N. B The original of this letter was sold a few 
 months since, in a collection of autographs, by Mr. 
 Sotheby. 
 
 CHAP. IV. Page 200. 
 
 Extract from the German quarto describing the Fetes 
 at Heidelberg. 
 
 " THE jousts and sports of chivalry were presented 
 " in the pleasure-gardens on the other side of the 
 " castle, where, in front of the barriers, was erected 
 " a pleasure-house, divided into two compartments ; 
 " one of which was appropriated to the royal dames, 
 " and in which were seats allotted to the mantenators 
 " and judges of chivalry; the other was allotted to the 
 " high German nobility. On the opposite side were 
 " balconies for the British suite and the dignitaries of 
 " the Palatinate ; and nearly in the centre was a booth, 
 z 2
 
 " sufficiently commodious to accommodate all other 
 
 " orders of the community, where men and women 
 
 " were permitted to sit together. The jousts com- 
 
 " menced at one o'clock, when thirty knights en- 
 
 " tered the lists, all arrayed in gaudy magnificence. 
 
 " The cavaliers wore gilt armour, having their helmets 
 
 " crowned with peacocks' plumes ; even their horses 
 
 " were in like manner embellished. The Palatine 
 
 " company were designated by a livery of green and 
 
 " white ; the Anspachers wore white and red ; the 
 
 " cavaliers of Wirtemburg exhibited white and gold, 
 
 " with a profusion of suns and stars. Various courses 
 
 " were run with lance, with spear, and sword, in which 
 
 " the magnificent Duke of Wirtemberg was pre-emi- 
 
 " nently victorious. On the evening of this day there 
 
 " was a grand display of fire-works on the Neckar, 
 
 " the effect of which was heightened by trumpets and 
 
 " hautboys, which, without intermission, were heard 
 
 " to reverberate from the high cliffs to the smooth waters 
 
 " of the Neckar. On the following Thursday, accord- 
 
 " ing to cartels published on the gates of the castle, a 
 
 " general invitation was issued to running at the ring, 
 
 *' which also commenced at noon in the royal gardens ; 
 
 " in addition to which there was a grand romantic 
 
 *' spectacle called the Argonauts, in which the Elector 
 
 " Palatine enacted the part of Jason, and each of the 
 
 " cavaliers appeared in the appropriate garb of Greek 
 
 " heroes. The idea was suggested by Baron Achatius 
 
 " d'Hona, to whose taste Frederic was indebted for the 
 
 " invention, for which he obtained the first prize from 
 
 " the ladies. This entertainment lasted several days, 
 
 '' and was varied by a series of inventions or fables, for
 
 341 
 
 " each of which the author or authors received thanks, 
 " and a prize of ducats, dollars, or florins, in sums 
 " proportioned to the ingenuity of the device, and the 
 " gallantry of the achievement. During this spectacle, 
 " a series of laudatory speeches and poems was ad- 
 " dressed to Elizabeth by the princes or nobles, sup- 
 " porting the characters of Pallas, Juno, Mercury, 
 " Orpheus, Jason and his companions. The metrical 
 " pieces were composed under the eye of the Baron 
 " d'Hona, and, probably, employed some of the most 
 " practised pens in Heidelberg. The following song, 
 " addressed by Jason to the royal bride, affords a 
 " specimen of the popular style of versification then 
 " prevalent in Germany : 
 
 " Ich bin der erst gewest dem das gliick wider fahren 
 Das er hab, ober meer in eim schiff dorffen fahren. 
 Itzt bin Ich auch der erst, der durch mein manlich 
 
 hand 
 
 Verdient hab, das Ich fahr in eim schiff ober land 
 Bin grossen schatz hab Ich das erste mahl gewonnen 
 Des gleichen gsehen hat Kein mensch unter der 
 
 sonnen 
 
 Itzund auf dieser Reiss, und gliech auf diesem platz, 
 Hab Ich, davon gebracht noch viel ein grossern schatz. 
 O schone princessin alle die dich ansehen 
 Mftssen mit mir zugleich bekennen und verjehen 
 Das der must sein der schatz der raich gefangen belt 
 Und tze dem Ich schatz gering die gantze welt. 
 
 From the golden mast of Jason's ship was uttered 
 " by an invisible speaker, the following oracle . 
 z3
 
 " ' When the young lion, sprung from the royal race 
 " ' of lions, shall steal from her native valley the royal 
 " ' lamb, and bear her in safety o'er the sea to his own 
 " ' sylvan lair, with transports of joy that shall shake 
 " ' the astonished earth, then shall be emblazoned the 
 " ' valour and praise of the new Jason, whose glory 
 ' 'bids fair to eclipse all the heroes of the earth.' 
 
 " After this followed a prophetic song, which, in 
 " the original, is not without spirit and harmony, and 
 " which boldly announced the conflicts and victories 
 " of the heroic Jason. To these succeeded the eulo- 
 " gies of Hercules, of Mars, of Penelope, and the 
 " Nine Muses. The knights who had personated Ar- 
 11 minius, and the native heroes of Germany, were next 
 ' introduced, to compliment or congratulate the roynl 
 " pair. The principal Rivers of Germany followed. 
 " Finally, the Goddess Fame was made to present the 
 " homage of the Sultans Bajazet, Selim, Achmet, 
 " Amurath, Mustapha, and Ochialis. Among these 
 " various essays in prose and verse, a solitary attempt 
 " at humour was made in the character of Don 
 " Quixotte, apparently with little success. At the 
 " German courts, wit was confessedly a rare commo- 
 " dity. 
 
 *' In the list of prizes, we find that the Elector Fre- 
 " deric, in a conflict with Marcus Coriolanus (Marquis 
 " of Anspach), won 100 florins. In like manner the 
 " Duke de Deuxponts won forty ducats, and Prince 
 " Christian of Anhalt fifty rix-dollars." 
 
 The German Chronicle concludes with the thanks- 
 giving sermon, delivered by Abraham Scultetus, in
 
 343 
 
 the High Church of Heidelberg, on the 18th of June 
 1613, which is little more than a commentary upon the 
 text taken from the 119th Psalm, " Praise the Lord." 
 Of the gorgeous magnificence and expence lavished 
 in this marriage, we have ample testimony, in the his- 
 torical continuations of De Thou and Meteren. In a 
 more modern German history, it is stated by Ludolph 
 (in his Theatre of the World), that during the nuptial 
 festivities, 5500 persons dined every day in the castle 
 of Heidelberg, and every day consumed above twenty 
 fuder of wine.* 
 
 CHAP. V. Page 228. 
 
 AN admirable account of the contentions between 
 the Arminians and the Calvinists is to be found in the 
 second volume of Brandt's History of the Reformation. 
 The tenets of the Reformed churches in the United 
 States had been originally Calvinistic, and in all essen- 
 tial points agreed with the Reformed churches in 
 France, and the articles of faith promulgated by the 
 Catechism of Heidelberg. Many of the ministers in 
 Holland had been fugitives from France. The Armi- 
 nians sprung up at Leyden, and were originally con- 
 fined to the congregation of the benevolent Arminius, 
 whose partizans increasing rapidly, excited such jea- 
 lousy and hostility, that even in 1605, they found it 
 necessary to solicit the protection of the Grand Pen- 
 sionary Barnevelt. Although the Reformers had de- 
 
 * Every Cyder of wine contained A thousand and twenty bottles. 
 
 z 4-
 
 rnon&trated the vain pretensions of the apostolical 
 church to infallibility, they assumed pretensions equally 
 arrogant and arbitrary, when they insisted on the neces- 
 sity of maintaining unity of faith and worship. Neither 
 were the established or orthodox ministers of the Re- 
 formed churches less dogmatic in their assumption of 
 rights and privileges unparticipated by the laity, than 
 the Catholic priesthood, from whose thraldom their 
 predecessors had been emancipated. A curious in- 
 stance of this theological tyranny occurred in the church 
 of Buren, to whose countess, the pious Mary of Nassau, 
 the Princess Emilia, the sister of Maurice, had recom- 
 mended for their pastor, Arnold Huttenus. Although 
 Huttenus implicitly adhered to the Catechism of Heid- 
 elberg, certain deacons and elders refused to accept a 
 woman's recommendation. The countess persisted hi her 
 choice ; and, after the usual probation, Huttenus was 
 elected : but the malcontents seceded from the church, 
 and finally compelled the unoffending pastor to with- 
 draw from Buren. 
 
 The contra-remonstrants more than trebled their 
 opponents, whom, according to Grotius, they were 
 sure to attack with the utmost violence in barber's 
 shops, then the common rendezvous for gossip ; and, 
 not content with branding them as heretics, attributed 
 to them treacherous communication with Spain and 
 the Papists. Even in that age of controversy, there 
 appeared an advocate for universal charity and tolera- 
 tion, in the eloquent Bucer, who wrote a book to prove 
 that all should be considered as brethren, by whom 
 God is reverenced as the common father, and that even. 
 Lutherans and Calvinists might communicate together.
 
 345 
 
 In defiance of reason and Bucer, the disputes continued 
 with much bitterness ; the ministers affecting the same 
 supremacy which had been usurped by the Catholic 
 clergy. " What should the magistrates know about 
 " religion ?" said one of these pastors. " Let us go 
 " to Rostock, to the doctors and superintendents, who 
 " can judge of a conference." The clergy also in- 
 terfered in political affairs ; and the people were ad- 
 monished from the pulpit, that they ought not to 
 give a vote for the election of a magistrate without 
 consulting their pastors. The Remonstrants became 
 alarmed, when they discovered that Maurice of Nas- 
 sau secretly favoured their opponents ; neither did the 
 protection of Barnevelt, and a few enlightened men, 
 avail them. In vain did the States-General pass a de- 
 cree for universal toleration. The people were not 
 sufficiently ripe to receive it ; the spirit of Catholic- 
 ism prevailed in those zealous Protestants, and under 
 another name, the satne prejudice was predominant. It 
 was in vain that Grotius contended for the rights of 
 the laity against clerical usurpation. " There are 
 " some," said he, " who dare maintain, that the know- 
 " ledge of certain controversial questions is necessary 
 " to salvation. But all things that are of such ncccs- 
 " sity are to be received by women as well as by men, 
 " by young as well as old, by the most ignorant as well 
 " as the most learned. How many plain, good men arc 
 " there in the church of Christ, who do not even know 
 " what the state of the question is ; much less, which 
 " party they ought to embrace ? And must we to 
 " such refuse salvation? God forbid." Even Grotius, 
 however, so far sympathized in the feelings of his com-
 
 340 
 
 patriots, as to conceive a schism in the church to be 
 dangerous to the state ; and he therefore deprecated 
 all polemical discussions on such subjects as were with- 
 in the pale of controversy. At this time a work ap- 
 peared anonymously, in which was introduced an in- 
 quiry, " Whether God had created man to damn him, 
 " and whether God calls any man to salvation whom 
 " He has previously ordained to perdition." This 
 work was burnt, and its publishers rigorously punished. 
 In 1617, the contra- remonstrants became clamorous 
 for separation. Triglandius having announced to the 
 Prince of Orange, " that if the churches were not 
 " filled to their liking, their ministers should preach 
 " in barns." " No, no," said Maurice ; " the churches 
 " are our's, and our's they shall be." Encouraged by 
 this intimation, the contra-remonstrants drove the Ar- 
 minian ministers from the pulpit. In 1617, the Prince 
 of Orange publicly joined the contra-remonstrants ; 
 his brother, Henry Frederic, and his mother, Louisa 
 Coligny, continued with Utenbogard ; whilst Barnevelt 
 was induced by Grotius to interpose in behalf of the 
 Remonstrants, although he secretly dissented from their 
 doctrines. During these dissentions, the disorders of 
 the people became every day more inveterate. The 
 Princess Dowager remarked, that there was some- 
 thing more than religion in those commotions; and 
 having forewarned Barnevelt of his danger, he claimed 
 justice from the States, who promised him their pro- 
 tection. Carleton, the British ambassador, appears to 
 have been apprized of the machinations against the 
 grand pensionary, who, by his redemption of the cau- 
 tionary towns, had given offence to the British govern-
 
 347 
 
 ment, and who was also an avowed enemy to the ag- 
 grandizement of Maurice, the ally of Britain. The 
 following communication from Carleton *, contains an 
 account of the manner in which the Prince of Orange 
 
 O 
 
 commenced his operations against Barnevelt, in con- 
 junction with the contra-reraonstrants : 
 
 " Those which go under the title of contra-remon- 
 " strants here at the Hague, having been put off these 
 " eight months past, from one assembly to another, 
 " without satisfaction to their demands, (which were 
 " either to have their ministers restored to their func- 
 " tion in the church, or else to have a private place of 
 " preaching allowed them, whereby to be freed from 
 " the incommodity of going to Ryswick,) and now see- 
 " ing this next assembly so long deferred, lost all pa- 
 " tience ; and having secretly hired a house here in 
 " this town, and fitted it for their purpose, intended 
 " there to have a sermon on Sunday last was fortnight, 
 " the 29th of the last ; but their purpose being disco- 
 " vered to their adverse party, they were hindered by 
 " the magistrates of the town, who sealed up the doors 
 " of the house by public authority ; which, notwith- 
 " standing, could not change their purpose, they going 
 ' from thence in troops and some disorder to a house 
 " of an officer of his excellency's, and there they had 
 " their sermon. 
 
 " The day following, six of their company, whom 
 " they had deputed for their affairs, were called before 
 " the provincial council ; and being there handled with 
 " some rough terms by the president, and willed to 
 
 * See CarJcton's Letters,.
 
 348 
 
 " desist until the next assembly of the States of Hol- 
 " land, refused absolutely, not fearing to return as high 
 " language both in their own defence, and disgrace of 
 " their adversaries. The council hereupon had re- 
 " course unto his excellency, and first desired of him 
 " part of his guard to keep these men in devotion until 
 " the next assembly; which he excusing, they required 
 " that he would send for soldiers from other towns, 
 " wherein they prevailed as little with him, he saying 
 " the one was for the guard of his person ; the other 
 '* for the defence of the frontiers against their enemies; 
 " and therefore should not be employed for offence of 
 " their friends. The magistrates of the town having 
 " been with him to the same effect, had the like answer. 
 " The Friday and Saturday following, which were the 
 " 2d and 3d of this present, all other affairs ceased, to 
 " attend this their high court of justice. Their provin- 
 " cial council and the chambre des comptes being all 
 " assembled together in the council-chamber of Hol- 
 " land, where the first day they debated the matter 
 " amongst themselves, and the next, in the morning, 
 "called his excellency Maurice to their meeting; 
 " where the business being laid open unto him in fa- 
 " vour of the remonstrants, and disgrace of the contra- 
 " remonstrants, they desired his advice. Whereupon 
 " he called for the register-book, wherein his oath was 
 " set down, which he took in the year 86 ; at which 
 " time he entered into the charge he now holds for the 
 " service of the State : which being read in all their 
 " presences, and therein this article noted in particu- 
 " lar, that both he and the States do mutually bind 
 (t themselves, even to the last drop of blood, for the de-
 
 " fence of the reformed religion, winch was the first 
 " ground of their quarrel, and for which his father lost 
 " his life. This oath,' said he, will I keep whilst I 
 " ' live, and this religion will I defend.' This caused 
 " much argument amongst them, in that all possible 
 " endeavour was used to persuade his excellency, that 
 " the introduction of these new opinions was no change 
 " of religion, they being such as might stand with the 
 " antient profession ; and, in opinion, they had left him 
 " well edified, gave him full authority to call the de- 
 " puties of the contra-remonstrants before him that 
 *' afternoon, in the chamber of the provincial council, 
 " where, sitting in the same chair, which was antiently 
 " the place of the counts of Holland, and where he 
 " first took his oath as governor-general, or lieutenant 
 " of these provinces, (and to this place he hath not 
 " been called before this time, since the year 86,) he 
 " required of them, by way of advice and intreaty, that, 
 " for the next day, which was the communion Sunday, 
 " they would, to avoid disorder, go to Uyswick, pro- 
 " mising them, upon his word, that the Sunday fol- 
 " lowing, they should have not only a house, but the 
 " chief church itself, for their sermons, with a preacher 
 " of their own choice, at such convenient hour, that 
 " the remonstrants likewise might have their turns ; 
 " with which they resting satisfied, went the next day 
 < a great congregation more than ordinary to Ilys- 
 ' wick ; where the sermon being ended, they made 
 " presently an election of deacons and elders amongst 
 " themselves : which precipitation gave advantage to 
 " their enemies to accuse them of schism ; and being 
 " called before his excellency the next day, they
 
 " maintained their act witli a constant asseveration, 
 " that they would have no communication with the re- 
 " monstrants, either by hearing their preachers, or 
 " admitting any officer of the church, which should 
 " be of their number, saying for themselves, that whilst 
 " they were at Ryswick, the alms, which were collected 
 " in the church of the remonstrants, were not distri- 
 " buted to any of the poor of their society ; so as 
 " in this they were but led by example. Much con- 
 " testation grew hereupon, betwixt the chief of the 
 " remonstrants (who are the chief in authority here) 
 " and his excellency, they saying, that he was now 
 " freed of his word, for giving the contra-remonstrants 
 " a church, since they manifestly tended to schism ; 
 " and he persisting, that he was bound to make it 
 *' good ; they grew then factious to an inrolling of 
 " their numbers, and comparing of their qualities ; and 
 *' it appeared the greater part of the Hague, and the 
 " better sort of men, to be remonstrants, which made 
 " the matter the more considerable, in laying so great 
 " an aspersion upon so many of so good quality, as 
 <( unfit men to be thought members of the true church. 
 " Whereupon, a resolution was taken to send express 
 4< messengers to all the towns of Holland, and to call 
 " the assembly of the States presently, which was ap- 
 " pointed in March next ; and provisionally order was 
 " taken, by consent of his excellency, whose authority 
 *' prevailed with the contra-remonstrants, that they 
 *' should have liberty to preach this last Sunday in 
 " our English Church, with the deacons of the other 
 *' part, for collection of alms ; which was accordingly 
 " performed, without interruption to our service, in
 
 351 
 
 " that they begun early in the morning, and had done 
 ' by ten of the clock." 
 
 By the same correspondent, the arrest of Barnevelt 
 is announced to the British minister as a signal triumph 
 to his court : 
 
 " I will now take the boldness withal to make you 
 " partaker of the common joy in these parts. You have 
 " heard, and I am sure are very well acquainted, with 
 " the practices that have been here for many years 
 " followed by our great advocate, Barnevelt, and his 
 " associates of the League ; as also, what credit and 
 " authority he hath had here and abroad. All this 
 *' greatness is suddenly fallen, and with it the bitterest 
 " enemy and the most dangerous to our state, besides 
 ** a contemner of his Majesty's person and actions." 
 
 The arbitrary actions of Maurice, in removing the 
 Arminian magistrates, and placing garrisons devoted 
 to his party, is detailed by Carleton with unqualified 
 approbation ; yet he does not deny but that the pro- 
 ceedings of the Synod manifested more intemperance 
 than wisdom. It was on the 13th of November, 1618, 
 that this assembly opened at Dort, consisting of French, 
 English, Palatine, and Batavian divines. The prayers 
 send discourses were in Latin. Abraham Scultetus was 
 one of the most indefatigable and intolerant disputant 
 speakers. Of the knowledge and liberality that pre- 
 vailed in this learned convention, some idea may be 
 formed from the following anecdote: It was debated, 
 whether the children of heathen parents in the service 
 of Christian masters might be admitted to the benefit 
 of Christian baptism. To this the English divines re- 
 plied in the affirmative, provided that they had been 
 lawfully purchased ; otherwise, not without making a
 
 public confession of faith, of which infants were in- 
 capable. By the other theologians the proposition was 
 wholly negatived. 
 
 By the decree of this Synod the remonstrants were 
 condemned, their books prohibited at the fair of Frank- 
 fort, and many of their ministers committed to the 
 rasp-house of Amsterdam. During many years these ill- 
 fated Non-Conformists being driven from Holland, as 
 the Hugonots afterwards were from France, wandered 
 in miserable exile, and, in 1629, planted a colony in 
 Holstein, to which they introduced their national habits 
 of order, industry, and sobriety. 
 
 CHAP. V. Page 212. 
 
 In Halve s Chronicle, page 105., is thejollotving account 
 of the christening of Henry Frederic, eldest son of 
 Frederic and Elizabeth : 
 
 " ON the 6th of March 161 4-, in the morning, there 
 " was sounding of trumpets and drums, and sundry 
 " other instruments of music, to announce the coming 
 " of the princes to the sermon. After the great bell 
 " had rung three times, the Prince of Anlmlt, as his 
 *' Majesty of Britain's ambassador, came into the 
 " church, having before him the high and sub mar- 
 " shals, with earls, barons, gentlemen, the administra- 
 " tor on the right hand, the Prince Palatine on the 
 " left, with a very rich canopy carried over him, so as 
 " the prince kept his chair advanced three foot higher 
 " than the others, and was attended by Thomas Levis- 
 " ton, Esq., cnp-boarer to the Princess Palatine. Af-
 
 853 
 
 " ter this, the electress-dowager, and life administra- 
 " trix, mother and sister to Frederic, came in, and 
 " conducted the Duchess-dowager de Deuxponts, with 
 " the same ceremony of marshals, and were placed 
 " under a canopy, against the Prince of Anhalt (then 
 " master of the horse.) The chaplain preached ; his 
 " sermon being ended, the marshals and nobility con- 
 " ducted the young prince into the chapel ; and, in 
 " the meantime, there was music in the church, as or- 
 " gans, cornets, voices, besides trumpets. At this 
 " time there was a new gallery built, over which was 
 " carried the young prince by the Princess Catherine, 
 " second sister to the Prince Palatine, conducted by 
 " the young Duke of Deuxponts, and the train of the 
 " child's mantle was borne up by the Countess of 
 " Hanau*, and over him a canopy, borne by four gen- 
 14 tlemen. Having entered the chapel, the Prince of 
 " Anhalt, alone, presented the child at the font, who 
 " was named ' Frederic Henry.' The ceremony being 
 " ended, the young prince was presented to the elec- 
 " tress-dowager, as godmother ; and whilst she held 
 " him, came the administrator on the right, and Prince 
 " Henry on the left, to stay and bear up the infant; 
 " and after he was delivered to the administatrix, was 
 " by her presented to the three deputies before men- 
 " tioned, who took him, and gave him to the Princess 
 " Catherine. Presently after the christening there was 
 " a peal of ordnance. The presents from the King of 
 " Great Britain were, a large bason and ewer of pure 
 " gold, weighing six hundred ounces. From Prince 
 
 * . Sister of Juliana. 
 VOL. I. A A
 
 354 
 
 " Maurice of Nassau, a ship of chrystal, valued at 
 " nine hundred pounds. From the States of Holland, 
 " two cups of gold, valued at thirteen hundred pounds, 
 " and a bar of gold of two hundred pounds, in which 
 " there was a bond for an annual pension of four huri- 
 " dred pounds sterling. From the nobility of the 
 " Palatinate, a goblet of gold, valued at 2000 ducats, 
 " with assurance of a thousand horse at need ; to his 
 " highness's sister a thousand pound of jewels ; to 
 " Mistress Anne Dudley, two hundred pounds in 
 " jewels ; to the rest of the gentlewomen of her high- 
 *' ness's chambers were jewels given also. The Duke 
 " of Deuxponts gave a bason and ewer and a standing 
 " cup, two hundred pounds value. The Electress Ju- 
 " liana gave twenty -four bowls, valued at four hundred 
 " pounds, and to every gentlewoman of Elizabeth's 
 " chamber, a standing cup with ewer. The free gen- 
 " tlemen of the county presented her highness with a 
 " chain of eight hundred pounds value." 
 
 List of the Company of the Elector and Electress Pala- 
 tine, Aprils, 1613.* 
 
 ELIZABETH, Princess of Great Britain. 
 
 The young lady, Anne Dudley. 
 
 Two little girls, named Terret and Apsley. 
 
 Eliza Dudley, Mrs. Dean. 
 
 Maria Smith. 
 
 Three laundresses. 
 
 Sir Jacob Sandeland, comptroller of the household. 
 
 * From the German quarto.
 
 355 
 
 Andrew Keith, master of the horse. 
 
 Elphenson, Esq. secretary. 
 
 Thomas Leviston, Esq. treasurer. 
 
 Ditto, Hiuxman. 
 
 Jacob Liviston, cup-bearer. 
 
 Bringel, Esq. carver. 
 
 Dr. Chapman, court chaplain. 
 
 Dr. Christian Rumpf, family physician. 
 
 Four pages of honour. 
 
 Mr. Gray, quarter-master. 
 
 John Spence, taylor. 
 
 William Short, ) 
 
 Lazarus Terence, } 
 
 The total number of persons in the suite of the 
 Princess amounted to seventy-five men and fifteen 
 women. The suite of the Duke of Lenox consisted 
 of forty-one persons ; the Earl of Harrington's com- 
 pany was not less numerous ; that of General Ceul 
 amounted but to half the number. 
 
 The comparative degree of state displayed by the 
 German and English princes and nobles, may be esti- 
 mated from the following list of persons and horses 
 accompanying the Marquis of Brandenburg on his visit 
 to Heidelberg, June 1613: 
 
 The Marquis was accompanied, first, by the Prince 
 of Anhalt, to whose suite were attached twelve men 
 and twelve horses. 
 
 Next, by William Count Mansfeld, his lord high 
 marshal, seven persons, ten horses. 
 
 Thirdly, by Henry William, Count of Solms, with 
 ten men, fifteen horses. 
 
 A A 2
 
 350 
 
 Fourthly, Wolfgang, Count of Eisenburg, eighteen 
 persons, twenty-one horses. 
 
 Fifthly, Ernest, Count Mansfeld, ten men, ten horses. 
 
 Sixthly, the Count of Grichingen, twenty "three men, 
 twenty-three horses. 
 
 Seventhly, Erasbus, Count of Limburg, seven men, 
 six horses. 
 
 Eighthly, The Lord of Flukenstein, ten men, eight 
 horses. 
 
 Henry of Gunterrocht, fourteen men and horses. 
 
 William of Goldstein, eight men, seven horses. 
 
 George of Lichenstein, seven men, seven horses. 
 
 Two gentlemen, with five men and horses ; divers 
 gentlemen, with four men and horses each ; nine gen- 
 tlemen, with three each ; exclusive of domestics and 
 personal attendants ; among whom we find a master of 
 inventions, a clerk of the kitchen, a dentist, trumpet- 
 ers, musicians ; with a long procession of coaches, 
 cars, and one-horse waggons, sufficiently numerous to 
 have transported the wardrobe and machinery of a 
 theatre. 
 
 Equally sumptuous was the retinue of the Duke of 
 Wirtemberg : there were twenty trumpeters and flute- 
 players, to beguile the tediousness of the journey ; and 
 there were also two barbers, one chaplain, and one 
 physician. 
 
 The company of Prince Christian of Anhalt (after- 
 wards but too well known as Frederic's generalissimo 
 in Bohemia) was moderate, but in it was the most cul- 
 tivated individual of the party, Baron Christopher 
 d'Hona, whose life has been written by Frederic Span- 
 heim, and who had lately returned from Italy with his
 
 357 
 
 gallant and accomplished pupil, the younger Prince 
 Christian. 
 
 The retinue of Magdalena, Princess Palatine, and 
 Dowager Countess of Vildenty, consisted but of thirty- 
 six persons and twenty-nine horses. 
 
 Anna, Dowager Margravine of Baden, was attended 
 by four maids of honour, a silver trumpeter, two pages 
 of honour ; in the total, forty-five persons, and thirty- 
 eight horses ; besides three large coaches-and-six for 
 the princess herself, two coaches-and-four for her la- 
 dies, and eight waggons for their baggage. Riding 
 appears to have formed no part of the amusements of 
 the German ladies ; they were unpractised in hawking 
 or hunting. The courage and activity of the British 
 princess astonished her own sex, and delighted the 
 other. 
 
 CHAP. VI. 
 
 THE publication of the private papers of the Prince 
 of Anhalt, under the title of " Secreta Principis An- 
 haltis Cancellaria," (printed in 1621,) was unques- 
 tionably intended to excuse the rigour, and justify the 
 tyranny, of the Emperor Ferdinand, who was resolved 
 to criminate the prince and traduce the party over 
 which he had lately triumphed. Of the unfairness of 
 the representation contained in this work, and of its 
 invidious object, there can be but one sentiment. 
 There is sufficient evidence that the Chiefs of the 
 Union corresponded with the principal directors of 
 Bohemia, and that Count Albinus Schlick, if not 10 
 A A 3
 
 358 
 
 prominent a personage as Count Thurm, was even more 
 strenuous, and equally efficient in accelerating the 
 revolution. At the present day it is not a little curious 
 to observe with what ingenious perversion the com- 
 pilers of those Anhaltine papers have worked up their 
 materials into a regular systematic usurpation of the 
 Catholic religion ; and it is worthy of remark, that 
 their accusations are levelled against the astute, over- 
 reaching spirit of Calvinism, politically passing over 
 the Lutherans in silence, although it was notorious 
 that Count Schlick belonged to their communion. 
 
 Among the more heavy charges adduced against 
 Frederic, it is pretended that he aspired to the im- 
 perial sceptre ; an accusation for which there is no 
 other authority than the visionary fancies of certain 
 self-elected prophets, and their fanatical partizans. 
 Another serious imputation is, that he had authorized 
 a mission to the Porte, and that the principles of Cal- 
 vinism had been disseminated to the Seraglio. That 
 the agents of Calvinism had been active in propagating 
 their opinions, is not to be denied ; but Frederic had 
 no participation in their labours, and, certainly, never 
 compromised the integrity of his Christian principles : 
 nor should it be ascribed to his ambition that certain 
 fanatics of his sect flattered themselves they were about 
 to extend their triumphs to the Mahometan realms of 
 Europe. With regard to another charge, on which 
 great stress is laid by the calumnious editors of the 
 Anhaltine papers, namely, that Frederic had concluded 
 a treaty with Bethlem Gabor, it is equally futile and 
 unjust, since the Emperor himself never scrupled to 
 negociate with that suspicious, but most important
 
 359 
 
 potentate; and Frederic had every possible induce- 
 ment to cultivate his friendship. 
 
 From these papers, and from other documents pre- 
 served in the national archives, it appears that the ma- 
 jority of Frederic's counsellors, including his chan- 
 cellor, Camerarius, and his chamberlain, Schomberg, 
 decidedly voted for his acceptance of the Bohemian 
 crown.' One of the circumstances mentioned throws 
 light on the subsequent correspondence of Frederic and 
 Elizabeth. It was recommended by the elder coun- 
 sellors that the young Queen should be sent to her fa- 
 ther, James, to solicit his powerful support in main- 
 taining Bohemia against the Emperor. It will hereafter 
 appear, that the celerity of the Duke of Bavaria's move- 
 ments precluded Elizabeth from making this effort, 
 which her own personal situation must have rendered 
 perilous. There is a passage in the letter written to 
 her father after the battle of Prague, which seems to 
 imply she had previously anticipated some proposition 
 for a separation from her husband, since she peremp- 
 torily declares she will never quit him, and that, if he 
 is to perish, she will perish also. 
 
 In dismissing the subject of the Anhaltine papers, 
 it may not be improper to add, that a masterly vin- 
 dication of Frederic was published by his secretary, 
 Rusdorf, afterwards his ambassador in England, under 
 the title of the " Cancellaria Bavarian ;" an account of 
 which is given by Harte in his Life of Gustavus Adol- 
 phus. 
 
 The Patriotisches Archives of Moser, referred to in 
 Chapter VI., contain many important official docu- 
 A A 4-
 
 860 
 
 ments, which throw considerable light on the manner 
 in which Frederic accepted the crown of Bohemia. It 
 appears that there were two parties even in the Pala- 
 tine family ; the one supported by the Electress Dow- 
 ager Juliana and her son-in-law, the late administra- 
 tor, the Duke de Deuxponts ; the other headed by 
 Camerarius, Schomberg, and Elizabeth, with which 
 Frederic himself secretly co-operated. Frederic had 
 no sooner been apprized of his election, than he dis- 
 patched messengers to Saxony, Bavaria, and England, 
 whilst he hastened to meet the princes at Rotten- 
 bourg ; and, that no time might be lost, the council 
 was assembled at Heidelberg, when the matter was 
 debated pro and con. The advocates for his election 
 contended, that he ought to embrace the overture for 
 the sake of religion, and because, having married a 
 king's daughter, it was proper he should invest her 
 with a crown ; and it was even urged, that King James 
 might with reason feel surprise and resentment at his 
 rejection of that honour which was tendered to his ac- 
 ceptance. 
 
 In spite of this rhetoric, the adverse party, which 
 recommended delay, was evidently the strongest ; when 
 Schomberg, believing that every thing depended on 
 promptitude, announced that the Palsgrave was him- 
 self impressed with the conviction, that his election 
 was a vocation from God, to which he was not justified 
 in offering resistance. This declaration silenced oppo- 
 sition, and the election was instantly confirmed. Pre- 
 vious to this transaction, it is said the Palsgrave had 
 written to his consort for her opinion, which she gave 
 jn the fqllowing words : " If you really believe and
 
 361 
 
 " feel that you have a vocation from God, to aid the 
 " people of Bohemia, then, doubtless, you should com- 
 " mit yourself to his providence, by whom are all 
 " things pre-ordained and directed. If such be your 
 " conviction, I am willing to abide by the consequences, 
 " whatsoever they shall be, even to part from my last 
 '' jewels, if need thereof should be, without murmur 
 " or repentance." 
 
 In the original are marked Elizabeth's own words. 
 It is also stated, that on hearing the final decision of 
 the council, the Electress-dcwager took the affair so 
 much to heart, that she became sick, and even took to 
 her bed, believing all was lost. Much of the foregoing 
 statement is corroborated in the Theatre of Europe ; 
 the same work contains several particulars respecting 
 the coronation of Ferdinand, at which was displayed 
 little of the splendour usually exhibited for the pretend- 
 ed successor of the Cesars. The Elector of Saxony 
 stood on his left hand ; but the other pillar of the em- 
 pire, the Elector Palatine, was wanting. After he had 
 received the crown, it was observed to totter : circum- 
 stances, in reality, arising from the confusion produced 
 by the absence of those princes, who, according to 
 established usage, should have been his auxiliaries and 
 supporters. It appears that Ferdinand spoke favour- 
 ably to the deputies, and affected to take a moderate 
 tone in religion. He rode on horseback, under a mag- 
 nificent canopy, and afterwards dined in public with 
 the princes of the empire. According to Sir Henry 
 Wotton, who saw him shortly after, he was easy of 
 access, affable to strangers, and ready to welcome in- 
 telligent foreigner* to hi table.
 
 362 
 
 CHAP. VII. 
 
 ACCORDING to the statistical statements of modern 
 writers, Bohemia must have declined in population 
 since the thirty-years' war. In a German work, pub- 
 lished in 1794-, intituled Ausfuhrliche Nachrichten, the 
 sum total of inhabitants is estimated at two millions 
 seven hundred persons. The population of Prague, 
 exclusive of its military, is stated at 77,000, of whom 
 8000 are Jews. " The number of houses is but 3191 ; 
 " but many of these are of vast dimensions, and a con- 
 " siderable space is occupied by convents, churches, 
 " cemeteries, public edifices, royal palaces, and the 
 " spacious gardens which are interposed between 
 " them. The position of Prague is admirably fitted 
 " for commerce ; but it exhibits the extremes of mean- 
 " ness and magnificence. The view from the bridge," 
 says one of their national writers, " is glorious, and 
 " never can the eye be wearied that wanders from the 
 " colossal arches to the castellated walls of the old 
 " or lesser Prague, to the beautiful park, the stupen- 
 " dous palace, that crowns the summit of the white 
 " hill, so memorable in the history of Frederic ; but, 
 " above all, lovely and glorious is the living picture, 
 " reflected by the waters of the Moldau, of towers and 
 " battlements, intermingled with forest trees, and ve- 
 " nerable spires, simultaneously illuminated with the 
 " crimson rays of the departing sun." 
 
 At the era of Frederic's election the nobles formed 
 a numerous part of the community ,; they were divided 
 
 13
 
 363 
 
 into six orders ; namely, dukes, princes, counts, barons, 
 knights, and gentlemen, of whom the last outnumbered 
 all the other classes, forming an elementary body of 
 nobility, from which its dignitaries were created. Pre- 
 vious to the thirty-years' war, these gentlemen, by 
 right of birth, might claim at the assembly of the States 
 a certain state or rank, with all its appropriate privi- 
 leges ; but the superior activity and intelligence which 
 this poorer order of nobles had manifested during the 
 revolution, determined Ferdinand the Second to de- 
 prive them of a privilege from which they had hitherto 
 derived so much importance. From this period they 
 were found to decline in energy and talent, and finally 
 dwindled into a class of poor gentlemen, completely 
 servile and insignificant. It is proper to remark, that 
 the title of even the higher order of hereditary nobles 
 was superseded by that of the Bourgrave, which was 
 derived exclusively from the civil and military func- 
 tions attached to the office. Thus the infant Prince 
 Rupert was carried to church in the arms of the Ouer 
 or Arch-Bourgravine, the chief lady in the kingdom 
 for birth and alliance, but whose consort was the first 
 Bourgrave of Prague. The Lord Marshal was next in 
 rank to the Bourgrave, who was consideied as the re- 
 presentative of the old popular nobles, such as claimed 
 precedence in the primitive days of their dukes, when 
 the title of king was unknown. In the honours paid 
 to the Bourgrave was implied a compliment to the tra- 
 ditionary prejudices of the people. Prior to the era of 
 Ferdinand Bohemia had produced many learned men, 
 the most able Jesuits and tenacious reformers sprung
 
 364 
 
 from this country. Here, also, arose that father of mo- 
 dern prophets, the singularly original Joseph Behmen, 
 who was a native of Upper Lusatia, born in 1577 of 
 poor and illiterate parents, by whom he was brought up 
 in such ignorance that, till he had attained his twentieth 
 year, he had not even learned to read. Behmen's first 
 and last studies were the Scriptures : it is even pre- 
 tended that, when his Aurora was published (in 1610), 
 he had never looked into any other volume than the 
 Bible ; but it is evident, from the language of that 
 fantastical work, that he had been addicted to the wri- 
 tings of astrologers and alchemists, whose crabbed 
 jargon was strangely amalgamated with his own mysti- 
 cal absurdities. At the period of Frederic's arrival in 
 Bohemia, mystics and seers were become familiar. 
 The harp of prophecy vibrates spontaneously in sea- 
 sons of national commotion. A few years after, the 
 same spirit was afloat in Britain, where superstition 
 and fanaticism equally abounded ; but where it was 
 powerfully counteracted by the spirit of commerce, 
 the industry, energy, and intelligence derived from 
 civil and municipal institutions. 
 
 The character of Bethlem Gabor, so differently re- 
 presented by contemporary writers, is sufficiently il- 
 lustrated by the history of Frederic. In policy or 
 subtilty, this chief was inferior to none of his contem- 
 poraries ; but was, perhaps, afterwards surpassed by 
 Cromwell. His acquisitions in learning have been 
 overrated by Harte, since it appears, from the Am- 
 bassades d'Angouleme, that he had but a smattering 
 of Latin, and knew only his mother tongue : he was
 
 365 
 
 fond of theological disquisitions : either felt or affected 
 vehement zeal for Calvinism ; yet was sufficiently ra- 
 tional to tolerate persons of another faith. He had 
 frequent correspondence with the Porte ; and, shortly 
 after Frederic's coronation, concluded a treaty with 
 the reigning Sultan, by whom he was addressed in the 
 following singular style : " I, Sultan Soliman, by the 
 " grace of God, Emperor of the Turks, swear by 
 " the Almighty, by him who is holy in his might, and 
 " mightiest in his holiness, by the immensity of his 
 " powers in the universe, by the sun, by the moon, by 
 " the stars, by this earth, and the shadows of earth, by 
 " the eye-brows of her who bore me, by the bread that 
 " sustaineth me, by the sword of my right hand, by all 
 " my faculties of body and soul, by the holiest Maho- 
 " met, by all the symbols of beatitudes and omnipo- 
 " tence, that I acknowledge thee my brother, thee, 
 " my son, even thee, Bethlem Gabor, to be King of 
 *' Hungary, whom I never will forsake in the hour of 
 " need ; and I devote myself, and my state, and my 
 " power, to thy defence; so that, though I should be 
 " left, peradventure, with but two or four Turks to up- 
 " hold this crown, even with these few will I not shrink 
 " from the vow I have vowed, or draw back from the 
 " pledge I have given, to protect thee and thine, and 
 " to further thy designs, whatsoever they shall be. 
 " If I forfeit this pledge, let the wrath of God light 
 " on my head ; let me be utterly destroyed and blot- 
 " ted out ; let the eternal transmute this body to stone ; 
 " let the earth open wide its jaws to swallow me from 
 " sight, so as that there shall be neither vestige nor
 
 366 
 
 " record of me or my armies among the sons of men. 
 " From our ^Imperial Court at Constantinople, NoVem- 
 " ber, 1619.'" 
 
 In the account of Elizabeth's reception, the Author 
 omitted to mention a book no less remarkable, and 
 still more rare, than the quarto journal published at 
 Heidelberg in 1613, and which contains a minute de- 
 tail of all the pageantry displayed by the good town 
 of Frankenthal in honour of their sovereign lady : but 
 the most striking passage in this work is a French 
 sonnet addressed to Frederic, which intimates the ge- 
 neral expectation that he was destined to ascend a 
 regal or even an imperial throne. At the entrance 
 of the first triumphal arch through which the royal 
 couple passed stood a young boy, elegantly attired, 
 who saluted them with the following lines: 
 
 " Te puissions nous voir, 6 prince valeureux, 
 
 Les cheveux tout grisons estre pere et grand pere 
 De tres nobles enfans, qui nous soyent pere, et mere, 
 
 Et du peuple Germain, Empereurs bien heureux. 
 
 Te puissions nous voir, 6 prince vertueux, 
 
 Vivre bien longuement, et exempt de impropere 
 A 1'empire Germain les ordonnances faire 
 
 Suyvant de les ayeuls, les pas victorieux.
 
 36? 
 
 " Te puissions nous voir, 6 prince magnanime 
 Tenir de fiers Remains, 1'universel regime, 
 Et tout peuple marcher dessous les estandars. 
 
 Te puissions nous voir, 6 prince debonnaire, 
 A 1'antechrist Remain rendre le droit salaire, 
 Et nous faire en tel cas devoir des vieux soldats/' 
 
 END OP THE FIRST VOLUMB. 
 
 LONDON : 
 
 Printed by A. & R. Spottiswoode, 
 New- Street- Square.
 
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