ENGLAND. 219 



Elizabeth in her old age grew distrustful, peevish, and jealous. 

 Though she undoubtedly loved the earl of Essex, she teased him by 

 her capriciousness into the madness of taking arms, and then cut off 

 his head. She complained that she had been betrayed into this san- 

 guinary measure ; and this occasioned a sinking of her spirits, which 

 brought her to her grave in 1603, in the seventieth year of her age, 

 and 45th of her reign, having previously named her kinsman James 

 VI, king of Scotland, and son to Mary, for her successor. 



We can scarcely require a stronger proof that the English began to 

 be tired of Elizabeth, than the joy testified by all ranks at the acces- 

 sion of her successor, notwithstanding the long inveterate animosi- 

 ties between the two kingdoms. James was far from being destitute 

 of natural abilities for government ; but he had received wrong im- 

 pressions of the regal office, and too high an opinion of his own dignity, 

 learning, and political talents It was his misfortune that he mounted 

 the English throne under a full conviction that he was entitled to all 

 the unconstitutional powers that had been occasionally exercised by- 

 Elizabeth and the house of Tudor, and which various causes had pre- 

 vented the people from opposing with proper vigour. Neither did 

 James make any allowance for the glories of Elizabeth, which, as' has 

 been observed, disguised her most arbitrary acts ; and none for the 

 free, liberal sentiments, which the improvement of knowledge and 

 learning had diffused through England. James's first attempt of 

 great consequence was to effect an union between England and Scot» 

 land ; but though he failed in this through the aversion of the Eng- 

 lish to that measure, on account of his loading his Scottish courtiers 

 with wealth and honours, he showed no violent resentment at the dis- 

 appointment. It was an advantage to him at the beginning of his 

 reign, that the courts of Rome and Spain were thought to be his 

 enemies ; and this opinion was increased by the discovery and defeat 

 of the gunpowder treason.* 



His pacific reign was a series of theological contests with ecclesi- 

 astical casuists, in which he proved himself more a theologian than 

 a prince ; and in 1617, he attempted to establish episcopacy in Scot- 

 land ; but the zeal of the people bafHed his design. 



James was all this while perpetually jarring with his parliament, 

 whom he could not persuade to furnish money equal to his demands; 

 and at last he agreed that his son should marry the princess Henri- 

 etta Maria, sister to Lewis XIII, and daughter to Henry the Great 

 of France. James died before the completion of this match ; and it 

 is thought that, had he lived, he would have discarded Buckingham. 

 His death happened in 1625, in the 59th year of his age, after a reign 

 over England of twenty-two years James encouraged and employ- 

 ed that excellent painter sir Peter Paul Rubens, as well as Inigo 

 Jones, who restored the pure taste of architecture in England ; and 

 in his reign poetical genius, though not much encouraged at court, 

 shone with great lustre. Mr. Middleton also at this time projected 

 the bringing water from Hertfordshire to London, and supplying the 



* This was a scheme of the Rom an -catholics to cut off at one blow the king", 

 lords, and commons, at the meeting of parliament ; when it was also expected that 

 the queen and prince of Wales would be present. Notwithstanding- this horrid 

 crime, the bigoted catholics were so devoted to Garnet, a Jesuit, one of the con- 

 spirators, that they fancied miracles to be wrought by his blood, and in Spain Ire 

 was considered as a martyr, 



