478 THE FELICITIES OF QUEEN ELIZABETH. 



her majesty ; neither did they make her less apt for 

 government, or chock with the affairs and businesses 

 of the public , for such passages as these do often 

 entertain the time even with the greatest princes. 

 But to make an end of this discourse, certainly this 

 princess was good and moral, and such she would be 

 acknowledged ; she detested vice, and desired to 

 purchase fame only by honourable courses. And 

 indeed whilst I mention her moral parts, there comes 

 a certain passage into my mind which I will insert. 

 Once giving order to write to her ambassador about 

 certain instructions to be delivered apart to the 

 queen-mother of the house of Valois, and that her 

 secretary had inserted a certain clause that the 

 ambassador should say, as it were to endear her to 

 the queen-mother, M That they two were the only 

 &quot; pair of female princes, from whom, for experience 

 &quot; and arts of government, there was no less expected 

 &quot; than from the greatest kings.&quot; She utterly dis 

 liked the comparison, and commanded it to be put 

 out, saying, &quot; That she practised other principles 

 ef and arts of government than the queen-mother 

 &quot; did.&quot; Besides, she was not a little pleased, if any 

 one should fortune to tell her, that suppose she had 

 lived in a private fortune, yet she could not have 

 escaped without some note of excellency and singu 

 larity in her sex. So little did she desire to borrow 

 or be beholding to her fortune for her praise. But 

 if I should wade further into this queen s praises, 

 moral or politic, either I must slide into certain 

 common places, and heads of virtue, which were not 



