THE LIFE OF THE Lady JANE GRAY, &c.
[3]YOU deſired me to ſend you the Life of the Lady Jane Gray. I do aſſure you, my Friend, (and hope to be believ'd) that I ſpent a whole Day in the ſearch, and to as little purpoſe, as he that carry'd a lighted Torch at Noon-day, to look for an honeſt Man. But however, you ſhan't altogether loſe your Longing: For you may, if you pleaſe, read this following Account, Collected out of the beſt, and moſt exacteſt, Hiſtorians.
THis Incomparable Lady was Eldeſt Daughter to Henry Lord Grey, Duke of Suffolk. She was born in the Year 1534. She was Endow'd with all the Graces both of Mind and Body. She gave in her earlieſt Infancy, many Proofs of her growing Piety, and her Veneration for Holy Writ. For once being di⯑verting herſelf with her Companions, one had an occaſion to have ſomething that was above her reach, and taking a large Bible to tread on to get it; the young Lady ſeeing her, wou'd not ſuffer her, and expreſt her Reſentment: She was ſo taken with it, that ſhe broke off their ſport, and retir'd to her Cloſet, more than ordinary Melancholly.
She was a Lady indeed that ſeem'd cut out by Heaven for Greatneſs. As She was a Beautiful and a Graceful Perſon, ſo [4] ſhe was Endow'd with all thoſe Virtues that are eſteem'd by Heaven, and all good Men, as is expreſs'd in the Tragedy of her, by the Poet.
When ſhe came to years of more ſolid Underſtanding, Dr. Elmer (afterwards Biſhop of London) was her Tutor: And from him ſhe learn'd Latin and Greek, to a Perfection, and wou'd Diſcourſe in thoſe Language upon any Subject, and wou'd give her Sentiments to Admiration. Nay, ſhe delighted in ſuch Conferences: For when others of her Sex and Age were taking their Diverſion abroad, ſhe employ'd her time in Reading. The Lady Elizabeth's Tutor (Roger Aſcham) coming once to wait on her at her Father's Houſe in the Country; was ſurpriz'd to find her alone reading of Plato's Works in Greek, while the reſt of the Family were diverting themſelves with Hunting, (in her Father's Park) and other Rural Diverſions. He ask'd her how ſhe could loſe the ſhare of ſuch Diverſion: She anſwer'd, Thoſe were but faint Shadows of what ſhe en⯑joy'd in Contemplation there—[pointing to Plato's Phoedon that lay before her] And added ſhe, I eſteem it one of the greateſt Bleſſings of my Life, that I have had ſevere Parents, and a Milder Maſter, which have made me delight with thoſe Companions, which were not like Mankind; for when I find my ſelf weary, I can lay by their Company without commit⯑ing a Solieciſm againſt good Manners.
The young King was ever fond of her Company, and as their Ages were much the ſame, ſo was their Fancies and De⯑ſires. As the Poet has it.
[5] She was well read in Sacred, as well as Prophane Hiſtory, and had attain'd to a large Knowledge in Divinity: And at the Age when others were but taſting the Notions of Philoſophy, ſhe had Capacity enough to make a full Feaſt. And with all theſe Advantages of Birth and Parts, ſhe was ſo Humble, ſo Meek, and Pious, that all People both Admir'd and Lov'd her. She had a Mind wonderfully rais'd above the World, and the Pleaſures of it ſhe call'd Vanities.
Lord Guilford, Son to the Aſpiring Duke of Northumberland, by his Father's Politick means, was Marry'd to her on the Third of June 1553, and as well as I can make out in the Twentieth Year of her Age. She expreſt all the ſorrow imaginable at the King's Death, and in his Sickneſs gave him moſt conſtant Attendance, which is finely expreſt in the Poets Lines by Nor⯑thumberland on the occaſion.
When her Father, the Duke of Northumberland, with the reſt of the Privy Council, came to attend, and hail her Queen, ſhe expreſt a great deal of Reluctancy, and was rather forc'd to take it, out of an Obedience to her Parents, than any deſire of her own. She ſaid the Crown, by Right of Inheritance, was to deſcend to the Siſters of the late King, and that ſhe was un⯑willing to burden her Conſcience to enrich herſelf with the ſpoils of others. At laſt, for the Safety of the People, and the Main⯑taining and Preſerving the Reformation, ſhe was won upon to accept the Crown. The Author of the Tragedy of Lady Jane, has expreſt her unwillingneſs in this manner.
She was neither lifted up when ſhe wore the Crown, nor caſt down, when her Palace became her Priſon, but carry'd herſelf in an even Temper of Mind in thoſe great inequali⯑ties of Fortune, that ſo ſuddenly exalted, and depreſs'd her. All the Paſſion ſhe expreſt was, that her Father, Mother, and Huſband were involv'd in her ill Fortune. When ſhe had no⯑tice that her Sentence of Death was paſt, ſhe did not expreſs the leaſt concern, but bore it with a Conſtancy of Mind be⯑yond thought. The Queen ſent Dr. Fecknam Three Days before to prepare her for Death: He had a long Converſation with her, and anſwer'd to all his Queſtions, with that calmneſs of Mind, and clearneſs of Reaſon, that it was a Wonder to hear, how ſo Young a Perſon of her Sex, cou'd look on Death ſo nigh her with ſo little concern. She ſent a Letter to her Fa⯑ther, to mitigate his Sorrow for her Unhappy End. She re⯑joyced at aproaching Death, and thought the nigher it appear'd it look'd leſs dreadful. She expreſt a great deal of tenderneſs, when ſhe ſaw her Huſband led out firſt to Execution: He had deſir'd to take leave of her before he dy'd, but ſhe declin'd it, ſince (ſhe ſaid) it wou'd rather be an Addition to her Grief: And ſhe hop'd to meet ſhortly, and be united in a much happier State. She ſaw her Huſband's Headleſs Trunk carry'd by her without any outward concern, or Woman's Wailings, and con⯑ſol'd herſelf in knowing ſhe ſhou'd ſoon follow him. When ſhe was brought to the Scaffold (which for fear of the People was built within the Tower) ſhe confeſt ſhe had Sin'd in taking the Crown when it was proffer'd her, but ſhe took it to a good end. She declar'd ſhe dy d a true Chriſtian in the reform'd Faith, but hoped to be ſav'd only, thro the Merits and Suffe⯑rings of her Bleſſed Lord and and Saviour Jeſus Chriſt. Then having deſir'd the Peoples Prayers, ſhe repeated the 51ſt Pſam, [7] when after ſome private Devotion, ſhe undreſs'd herſelf, put her Hankerchief herſelf upon her Eyes, then laying her Head upon the fatal Block, ſhe reſign'd her Breath to him who gave it her.
Thus fell this Great, this Good, and Pious Lady, which ſeem'd by Virtue to be form'd for Greatneſs, which may be as an Example to the World of the Mutability of Fortune: And I think our Poet has been very exact in his Characters in fol⯑lowing the truth of Hiſtory. Nothing can Deſcribe the Haughty Ambitious Northumberland better than himſelf, in the following Lines, where he ſeems to have laid the Scheme of his deſigns even before the King's Death.
See Baker's Chronicle, in giving an account of Northumberland, Marching with his Troops out of London. The 14th of July he March'd thro' Shoreditch with 2000 Horſe and 6000 Foot, and tho' there were many Spectators in the Streets as he paſs'd, none wiſh'd him Succeſs. Now judge how high the Poet comes, where he makes Pembroke a Spectator.
The Duke of Northumberland went back to Cambridge to wait for more Succours from London; but hearing how Matters were carry'd, he diſmiſt his Troops, and went to the Market-place, only Accompanied with the Mayor, and himſelf, for want of a Herald, flung up his Cap (for Joy) and cry'd, God Save Queen [8] Mary. But the Earl of Arundel came with orders from the Queen to apprehend him, as one guilty of Treaſon, and brought him from Cambridge to the Tower on the 25th of July, and on the 22d of Auguſt 1553 was Beheaded. This paſſage is de⯑ſcrib'd by the Duke of Suffolk to his Daughter the Lady Jane.
I muſt confeſs in my Judgment there is a great many fine thoughts in this Play, but I leave 'em to yours; only I muſt beg leave to point you out one, and ſo conclude, for I reckon by this time you're as tir'd with Reading, as I with Writing.
It is in the Concluſion of the 4th Act, where Guilford is be⯑wailing the Loſs of each other in Death: But ſhe endeavours to comfort him, by telling him they ſhall meet again.
I ſhall trouble you no farther, and I ſhall think my Pains am⯑ply required if this Succinct (but true) Account can give any ſatisfaction to the entire Frend of▪