of the queen's fond attachment towards him, took occafion to regret, that the necessity of her service required him often to be absent from her person, and exposed him to all those ill offices, which his enemies, more affiduous in their attendance, could employ against him. She was moved with his tender jealousy; and making him the prefent of a ring, defired him to keep that pledge of her affection, and affured him, that, into what ever disgrace he should fall, whatever prejudices fhe might be induced to entertain against him, yet, if he sent her that ring, she would immediately, upon the fight of it, recall the former tenderness, would afford him a patient hearing, and would lend a favorable ear to his apology. Effex notwithstanding all his misfortunes, referved this precious gift to the last extremity, but after his trial and condemnation, he refolved to try the experiment, and he committed the ring to the countess of Nottingham, whom he defired to deliver it to the queen. The countess was prevailed on by her husband, the mortal enemy of Effex, not to execute the commiffion; and Elizabeth, who ftill expected, that her favorite would make this last appeal to her tenderness, and who afcribed the neglect of it to his invincible obstinacy, was, after much delay, and many internal combats, pushed by refentment and policy to fign the warrant for his execution. The countess of Nottingham, falling into fickness, and affected with the near approach of death, was feized with remorfe for her conduct; and having obtained a vifit from the queen, fhe craved her pardon, and revealed to her the fatal fecret. The queen, aftonished with this incident, burst into a furious paffion. She fhook the dying countess in her bed; and crying to her, That God might pardon her, but she never could, the broke from her, and thenceforth refigned

1

But sighs

herself over to the deepest and most incurable melancholy. She rejected all confolation; She even refused food and fuftenance: and throwing herself on the floor, fhe remained. fullen and inmoveable, feeding her thoughts on her afflictions, and declaring life and existence an infufferable burthen to her. Few words fhe uttered; and they were all expreffive of fome inward grief, which she cared not to reveal. and groans were the chief vent, which fhe gave to her despondency, and which, though they discovered her forrows, were never able to ease or assuage them. Ten days and nights fhe lay upon the carpet, leaning on cushions which her maids brought her; and her phyficians could not persuade her to allow herself to be put to bed, much less to make trial of any remedies, which they prescribed to her. Her anxious mind, at last, had fo long preyed on her frail body, that her end was vifibly approaching; and the council, being affembled, fent the keeper, admiral, and secretary, to know her will with regard to her successor. She answered with a faint voice, that, as she has held a royal scepter, fhe defired no other than a royal fucceffor. Cecil request. ing her to explain herself more particularly, the subjoined, that she would have a king to fucceed her; and who should that be but her nearest kinsman, the king of Scots? Being then advised by the archbishop of Canterbury to fix her thoughts upon God, fhe replied, that he did fo, nor did her mind in the least wander from him. Her voice foon after left her; her senses failed; the fell into a lethargic flumber, which continued fome hours; and fhe expired gently without further struggle or convulfion, in the seventieth year of her age, and forty-fifth of her reign.

So dark a cloud overcaft the evening of that day, which had fhone out with a mighty luftre in the eyes

of

of all Europe. There are few perfonages in history who have been more exposed to the calumny of enemies, and adulation of friends, than Queen Elizabeth; and yet there fcarce is any, whofe reputation has been more certainly determined by the unanimons confent of posterity. The unusual lenght of her adminiftration, and the ftrong features of her character, were able to overcome all prejudices; and, obliging her detractors to abate much of their invectives, and her admirers fome what of their panegyrics, have at laft, in fpite of political factions, and what is more, of religious animofities, produced an uniform judgment with regard to her conduct. Her vigour, her conftancy, her magnanimity, her penetration, vigilance, and addrefs, are allowed to merit the highest praises, and appear not to have been surpassed by any person who ever filled a throne: a conduct less rigorous, less imperious, more fincere, inore indulgent to her people, would have been requifite to form a perfect character. By the force of her mind, fhe controlled all her more active and stronger qualities, and prevented them from running into excess: her heroism was exempt from all temerity, her frugality from avarice, her friendship from partiality, her enterprize from 'turbulency, and a vain ambition. She guarded not herself with egual care or egual fuccefs from leffer infirmities; the rivalship of beauty, the defire of admiration, the jealoufy of love, and the fallies of anger.

Her fingular talents for government were founded equally on her temper, and on her capacity. Endowed with a great command over herself, fhe foon obtained an uncontrolled afcendant over the people; and while fhe merited all their efteem by her real Virtues, fhe allo engaged their affections by her pretended ones. Few fovereigns of England fucceeded to the throne in

more

more difficult circumstances; and none ever conducted the government with such uniform success and felicity, Though unacquainted with the practice of toleration, the true fecret for managing religious factions, fhe pre ferved her people, by her fuperior prudence, from those confufions, in which theological controversy had involved all the neighbouring nations; and though her enemies were the most powerful princes of Europe, the most active, the most enterprizing, the leaft fcru pulous, she was able by her vigour, to make deep im preffions on their state: her own greatness meanwhile remained untouched and unimpaired. The wise mi. nifters, and brave warriors, who flourished during her reign, fhare the praise of her fuccefs; but, instead of leffening the applanfe due to her, they make great ad dition to it: they owed, all of them, their advance ment to her choice; they were supported by her confrancy; and with all their ability, they were never able to acquire any undue afcendant over her. In her fa mily, in her court, in her kingdom, fhe remained equally mistress: the force of the tender paffions was great over her, but the force of her mind was still fu perior; and the combat which her victory visibly cost her, ferves only to display the firmness of her refolu tion, and the loftiness of her ambitious fentiments.

The fame of this princefs, though it has fur mounted the prejudices both of faction and of bigotry yet lies still exposed to another prejudice, which is more durable, because more natural and which, according to the different views in which we furvey her, is capable either of exalting beyond measure, or diminishing the luftre of her character.

This prejudice is founded on the confideration of her fex. When we contemplate her as a woman, we

are

are apt to be ftruck with the highest adiniration of het qualities and extensive capacity; but we are also apt to require fome more softness of disposition, some greater lenity of temper, fome of those amiable weaknesses, by which her sex is diftinguished. But the true method of estimating her merit, is to lay afide all these & confiderations, and to confider her merely as a rational = being, placed in authority, and intrusted with the government of mankind.

We may find it difficult to reconcile our fancy to her, as a wife or a mistress; but her qualities, as a fovereign, though with some confiderable exceptions, are the objects of undisputed applause and approbation.

Robertson.

Dr. William Robertson, geb. 1722; geft. 1793, als Prin» cipal der Universität von Edinburg, und Hifforiograph ven Schotts land. Seine, des erhaltenen großen Beifalls gewiß würdigen, his florischen Werke find: Hiftory of Scotland, during the Reigns. of Queen Mary and of K. James VI. till to his acceffion to the crown of England Hiftory of the Reign of the Emperor = Charles I. with a View of the Progrefs of Society in Europe Hiftory of America An hiftorical Difquifition concerning the Knowledge which the Ancients had of India. Man hat diesen trefflichen Schriftsteller nicht mit Unrecht den Tizian der Geschichte genannt; denn in wahrer, lebendiger Schilderung und Bergegenwärtigung der Begebenheiten und Charaktere übertrifft ibn so leicht keiner. Aber was ihm nicht weniger Ehre macht, ist bie von ihm auf die genaueste Forschung der Quellen und die treueste Benußung der Hülfsmittel verwandte Sorgfalt, und die kühle, reife Beurtheilung, womit er seinen Stof wählte, ordnete und zu Einem schönen Ganzen bildete. In seiner Geschichte von Schottland gehört folgende Erzählung von dem Tode der unglück, lichen Königin Maria und die Schilderung ihres Charakterá zu den intereffanteffen Stellen.

Mean.