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his wife. Count James set forth accordingly, for now 

 that his fair cousin wore a crown, he was proud to acknow- 

 ledge the connexion. It was otherwise a few years before 

 with the house of Luxemburg : they had not only chosen 

 to forget the mother of Elizabeth, because she married a 

 private gentleman, " though he was the handsomest man 

 in all England, and the duchess was an exceeding hand- 

 some gentlewoman." They had not only chosen to 

 withold their countenance, but had even spoken such 

 harsh words, that neither the knight nor lady dared to 

 claim kindred with them on the continent, for the fa- 

 ther of that same count, who was now in England, would 

 have slain them both, had they ventured within his reach. 

 All was now forgotten, and he who looks with the mental 

 eye through the long, long vista of past ages, may dis- 

 cern in the dim distance, gorgeous pageants, and tilts 

 and tournaments, ladies coming forth from their old 

 Gothic castles to grace the court, with chevaliers of 

 France and England, each from their baronial residences, 

 mingling in feats of arms and festivals. And then, beside 

 the small couch of a fair infant, are seen standing the 

 haughty Cicely of York, and the royally descended 

 Jaquetta of Bedford, grandmothers of the young scion, 

 made friends that day, as they bend with looks of love 

 over the unconscious sleeping one. Sleep on, fair child, 

 thy brow shall wear a crown, but weary years of woes 

 and wanderings are before thee.* 

 * Monstrelet. 



