ENGLAND. <H9 
the time of her predeceflor, in the horrid indance which 
has been noticed in the preceding pages. 
Elizabeth, the daughter of Henry VIII. by Anna 
Boleyn, was dill leading a fugitive life at Hatfield, when 
the news reached her of her lifter’s death ; and flattening 
to London, was received by the multitude with univerfal 
acclamations. Elizabeth had received her education 
in that bed fchool, the fchool of adverfity ; and die had 
made a proper life of her retirement. Being debarred 
the enjoyment of pleafures abroad, die fought for know¬ 
ledge at home ; die cultivated her tinderdanding, learned 
the languages and fciences ; but of all the arts which die 
acquired, that of concealing her opinions, of checking 
her inclinations, of difpleafnig none, and of dudying judi- 
cioudy to reign, were the mod beneficial to her. This 
virgin monarch, as fome hidorians have called her, upon 
entering the Tower, according to the then cudom, 
A. D. 1558, could not refrain from remarking on the dif¬ 
ference of her prefent and her former fortune, when die 
was fent there as a prifoner, and from whence fhe had fo 
narrowly efcaped. She had no footier been proclaimed 
queen, than Philip, who had been married to Mary, but 
who had ever teftified a partiality for Elizabeth, ordered 
his atnbaffador in London, the duke of Feria, to make 
her propofals of marriage in his behalf. What political 
motives Elizabeth might have againd this conneftion, are 
not mentioned ; but certain it is, that die neither approv¬ 
ed the perfon nor the religion of her admirer. She was 
willing at once to enjoy the pleafures of independence, 
-and the vanity of numerous folicitations. But, while 
thefe were her views, fhe returned him a very obliging, 
though evafive, anfvver; and he dill retained fuch hopes 
of fuccefs, that he fent meffengers to Rome, to folicit a 
-difpenfation for that purpofe from the pope. 
Elizabeth had, from the beginning, refolved upon re¬ 
forming the church, even w'hile die was held in the con- 
ftraints of a prifon ; and now, upon coming to the crown, 
fhe immediately fet about the falutary work. But not 
to alarm the partifansof the catholics, die retained eleven 
of her fitter’s council ; and, in order to balance their 
authority, added eight more, who were known to be af¬ 
fectionate to the proteftant caufe. Her particular ad- 
vifer, however, was Hr William Cecil, fecretary of date, 
a man- more earnettly employed in the bufinefs than in 
the {'peculations of the times; and who was anxious to 
adopt any religion that he thought would contribute to 
the welfare of the ftnte. By his advice, therefore, fhe 
recalled all exiles, and gave liberty to all prifoners, con¬ 
fined on account of religion. She publidied a proclama¬ 
tion, which prohibited preaching without a licenfe, au¬ 
thorized divine fervice to be read in Englilli ; and forbad 
in future the elevation of the hoft. A parliament, 
A. D. 1559, completed what the prerogative had begun ; 
aft after aft was patted in favour of the reformation ; 
and in a fingle feflion the form of religion was eftablittied, 
as we have at prefent the happinefsto enjoy it. 
The oppolition at firft made by the clergy to thefe re¬ 
ligious eftablittiments, was very furious; yet of nine 
thoufand four hundred beneficed clergymen, which was 
then the number in the kingdom, only fourteen bittiops, 
twelve archdeacons, fifteen heads of colleges, and about 
eighty of the parochial clergy, chofe to quit their pre¬ 
ferments, rather than give up their religion. Thus 
England was feen to change its religious tenets four 
times fince the beginning of the reign of Henry VIII. 
“ Strange” fays a foreign writer, “ that a people fo 
refolute (hould be guilty of fo much inconttancy ; that 
the fame people who this day aflitted at the execution of 
heretics (houid, the next, not only think thofe heretics 
guiltlefs, but conform to their fyftems of thinking.” 
The queen, thus fixed upon a proteftant throne, had 
all the catholic countries of Europe to contend with ; 
and France, Scotland, Italy, and Spain, combinedagainlt 
her. Even her fubjefts of Ireland were concealed ene¬ 
mies ; and the catholic party in England, though profel- 
Vol. VI. No. 380. 
fing obedience, were ready to take advantage of her flight- 
eft misfortunes. In this fituation fhe had no other re- 
fources than the affeftion of her fubjefts, her own per- 
feverance, and the wifdomofher adminiftration. From 
the commencement of her reign, fhe aimed at two very 
difficult attainments; of being loved by her fubjefts, 
and feared by her courtiers. She refolved to be frugal 
of her treafury, and ftill more fparing in her rewards to 
favourites. This at once kept the people in good hu¬ 
mour, and the great in a conftant flare of dependence. 
In fhort, flie appeared to have ftitdied the people (lie was 
born to govern, and thence knew how to flatter their 
foibles, and fecure their affeftions. Her chief minifler 
was Robert Dudley, fon to the late duke of Northumber¬ 
land, whom (he feemed to regard from capricious mo¬ 
tives; for he poflefled neither abilities nor virtue. But 
to make amends, the two minifters next in power were 
Bacon and Cecil, men of great capacity and infinite ap¬ 
plication ; they regulated the finances, and diredled the 
political meafures with foreign courts, which were after¬ 
wards followed with fo much fuccefs. 
The affairs of Elizabeth wore every feature of genial 
fuccefs; but a (late of permanent felicity is not to be ex- 
pefted on earth. Mary Stuart, commonly called Mary 
queen of Scots, was the firft perfon that excited the ap- 
prehenfions of the magnanimous queen of England. We 
have already noticed, that Henry VII. married his eldeft 
daughter Margaret to James IV. king of Scotland, who 
dying, left an infant fon, by Margaret, afterwards James V 
who marrying, for his fecond wife, Mary Guile, duchefs 
dowager of Longue ville, had iffue Mary, afterwards queen 
of Scots. At a very early age, this princefs, being pof- 
felfed of every accompliftiment of perfon and mind, was 
married to the dauphin of France, afterwards Francis II. 
who dying in 1560, left her a widow at the age of nine¬ 
teen. As Elizabeth had been declared illegitimate by 
Henry VIII. Francis, in right of his wife, the grand¬ 
daughter of Margaret, began to affume the title ot king 
of England ; nor did the queen of Scots, his confort, 
feem to decline (haring this empty appellation. But 
what gave the greatett offence to Elizabeth, was a report 
that Francis and Mary had coined money with the arms 
of France quartered with thofe of England, and had afttt- 
ally caufed the fame to be engraved on their fervice of 
plate. 
Upon the death of Francis, Mary, the widow, ftill 
feemed difpofed to keep up the title ; but finding herfelf 
expofed to the perfecution of the dowager queen, the 
mother of Francis, who now began to take the lead in 
France, (he determined to return home to Scotland, and 
demanded a fafe paffage from her coufin Elizabeth 
through England. But it was.now Elizabeth’s turn to 
refufe ; and (lie fent back a very haughty anfwer to 
Mary’s requeft, upbraiding her with having defigns on 
the crown of England. From hence a perfonal enmity 
began to prevail between thefe rival queens. 
The reformation in England having completely taken 
place, that work was now alfo going on in Scotland ; but 
with circumftances of great animofity among the people. 
The mutual refentment which either party in that king¬ 
dom bore to each other, knew no bounds. It was in 
this divided date of the country, that Elizabeth, by giv¬ 
ing encouragement to the reformers, gained their affec¬ 
tions from their native queen, who being a catholic, 
naturally favoured thofe of her own communion. The 
reformers confidered Elizabeth as their patronefs and 
defender, and Mary as their perfecutor and enemy. In 
this fituation of things Mary had returned from France 
to reign in Scotland, entirely attached to the cu(lotus and 
manners of that airy people, and confequently averfe to 
the gloomy aufterity which her reformed fubjefts affect¬ 
ed, and which they fancied made an indifpenlable ingre¬ 
dient in religion. The jealoufy thus excited, began 
every day to grow ftronger; the clergy waited only for 
fome indiferetion in the queen, to fly out into open oppo- 
8 C lition ; 
