The Press. — London, England, 1854-07-08 00:00:00

JULY 8, 1854• Ifittraturr. 77w Life of Marguerite D'Angoulime, Queen of Navarre. By Martha Walker Freer. Lou don: Hurst and Blackett. Tax age described in these very readable volumes is certainly one of the most interest ing in modern history. It presents a variety of features which rivet the attention. Its re ligious contests have enduring attractions for the supporters of Protestantism and the vo taries of Papal Rome, while its political struggles, influencing the balance of power, must be studied by all desirous of compre hending the gradual formation of our modern European system. The period is sufficiently removed from our own times to give us sensations of variety as we study its transac • tions and survey its remains of ar•t, while the modern tone of its manners, and blending of the aristocratic and popular influences, enable us to sympathise with its life more thoroughly than in the case of remoter eras equally im portant but far less interesting. Another source of its attractiveness is to be found in the number of historical characters which rivet our attention. There is no pleasanter way of familiarising ourselves with the striking social changes of that time than by perusing such a work as has been here presented to us by Miss Freer. She has filled two volumes with a quantity of cu rious matter judiciously selected, not merely from the old French writers, but from a num ber of documents and letters hitherto unpub lished. The collection of remarkable papers published under the auspices of the Society of the History of France, and edited by M. Genin, have also been drawn upon by the authoress, and she has spared no pains in the collection of copiously-illustrative matter for her work. In literary execution it bears a strong resemblance to the works of Miss Agnes Strickland. Its narrative is tesselated with a quaint variety of suggestive passages from the writers of the time, and to the general English reader its greatest merit is that of completely transporting him into the period described. Amongst the female celebrities of modern Europe, Margaret of Angouleme is in the first rank. Her personal fascinations, her literary accomplishments, her generous protection of some of the sufferers from religious frenzy, and the strength of her affections, commend her to the regard of all who like to observe the humane and the generous entering into the composition of exalted personages. She was not, indeed, one of those dominating women who, like our Elizabeth or Mary Queen of Scots, affected the events of history and car ried in their persons the fates of nations and the hopes of rival churches. Ardent affection for her brother, Francis 1., was possibly her strongest feeling, and the love subsisting be tween them, extinguished only by death, is the most romantic element of her career. Sir James Stephen has truly observed that Francis I. was rather a great actor than a great agent in the political drama of his times. The same remark applies also to his sister, the Queen of Navarre. She had not that fixity of resolve which sways others as by some overmastering principle. Her attention was too often divided, and the very extent of her accomplishments may possibly have impeded the concentrative nese so absolutely necessary to form ruling natures. But, surveyed from a strictly per sonal point of view, what Margaret of Angou leme loses in importance she more than gains by the strong personal interest her character excites. We see that she had a warm human heart beating under her robes of state. A joy ous, gracious air reigns over her life. Neither the slave of etiquette, nor the unwise despiser of social forms, her demeanour was at once dignified and affable. Endowed with the tem perament rather than the inspiration of genius, her literary performances display the resources of a fertile mind and a most exuberant fancy. There is a characteristic verve in her lan guage and that peculiar freshness of utterance which results from the union of a genial tem per and a wide range of mental powers. The learned men of Europe, when she died, cele orated her praises. As Queen Elizabeth had THE PRESS. translated one of her best works, so three ac complished daughters of the house of Seymour extolled her merits in Latin verse. Calvin, Beza, and Melancthon have all paid literary homage to her virtues. Ronsard cast some of his finest poetry on her tomb, and the grave page of De Thou records the bright qualities that have given lasting brilliancy to her fame. No part of Miss Freer's work is more inter esting than that which describes the visit of the Queen of Navarre to her imprisoned brother, after the battle of Pavia. Indeed, one of the greatest charms of the volumes is that the reader, from the events of the narra tive, is introduced to the history of Francis I. The visit of Charles V. to his illustrious prisoner is thus described by Miss Freer : On the morning of the 18th of September, 1525, an im perial chamberlain presented himself before the King to announce, that during the day the Emperor intended to pay him a visit of friendly condolence. This intimation of Charles's intentions produced not the slightest emotion on the sore and weary heart of the King ; and the news of his intended tardy performance of this act of indispensable courtesy and kindness was received with indifference. The Emperor, attended by a numerous suite, arrived to visit the King between eight and nine o'clock in the evening. Charles ordered his attendants to await him in the antechamber, and entered the royal apartment accom panied only by 1)e Lannoy, and preceded by the Marshal de Montmorency, bearing a lighted torch, The King was reposing on his bed, feeling too weak to rise; on the right of the couch stood the Bishop of Senlis. Charles fixed his keen and eager gaze on the wasted features of the King. " Your Imperial Majesty has at length come to see your prisoner die!" exclaimed Francis, as the Emperor advanced to salute him. Charles hastily replied, " You are not my prisoner, but my brother, and my friend. I have no other design than to give you liberty, with all the satis faction that you can desire." " I expected no less a thing from your Majesty's loyalty and honour," rejoined the King, with prompt dignity. The two monarchs then entered into conversation, during the course of which the wily Charles deplored the political necessity that compelled him to prolong the captivity of his friend and brother. Throughout the interview the deportment of the King was dignified and collected ; for, during the entire period of his painful captivity, never did Francis forget that a crown, at that time the most brilliant in Europe, encircled his brow. It was this admirable union of majesty and affability which proved so captivating to the Spaniards, as well as to his own more impulsive sub. jects ; and that raised notwithstanding his arbitrary enforcement of his prerogative—the enthusiasm of the French to a height they never lavished on any previous sovereign. The attractions of the accomplished gentle. man and of the gallant cavalier were so happily blended with the dignity of carriage becoming the mighty monarch that Charles himself was fascinated. After the lapse of half an hour, spent in conversation on indifferent subjects, the Emperor withdrew, perceiving that Francis was too indis posed to render it advisable for him to prolong his visit. Margaret had hastened to her brother's bed side when she heard that he was ill. It is curious to observe the mixture of human sor row and courtly etiquette exhibited in the following passage : The Emperor approached Marguerite with a lowly obeisance ; he then kissed her on the forehead, and with words of profound courtesy welcomed her to Madrid. The duchess, we are told, made a dignified reply to the Empe ror's address ; and, accepting the hand offered to her by Charles, entered the palace, passing between two lines of courtiers. It was an embarrassing moment for Marguerite to present herself thus before a prince to whom her hand had been so unceremoniously offered; but she bore herself with her accustomed self-possession and grace. Marguerite appeared attired in her widow's robes of black velvet. Not a colour or a jewel relieved the sombre hue of her attire, which displayed to the greatest advan tage the exquisite tints of her complexion. A white veil shrouded her head, and drooped from her shoulders in graceful folds to the ground. The Emperor's admiration was so visibly demonstrated that the nobles in Margue rite's train formed the most sanguine hopes of the success of her personal negotiation for the release of the King. The senechale of Poitou, Madame de Silly, and the other ladies and gentlemen in the duchess's suite, followed their royal mistress, and were afterwards severally presented by her to the Emperor. When this tedious ceremonial was over Charles again offered his hand to Marguerite to con duct her to her brother's apartment. But the intelligence which there greeted the duchess was heartrending ; the King's malady had augmented so greatly since the pre vious evening that the gravest apprehensions were enter tained for its result. Francis had scarcely life enough left in him to respond to the agitated greetings of his sister. He was in bed, attended by two of his own physicians and by other two in the service of the Emperor, and reduced to so deplorable a degree of weakness from the severity of the fever that even Marguerite's presence and the sight of her tears failed to rouse him from the apathy in which he lay. The Emperor silently stood by the King's couch for some minutes, contemplating his captive, then, profoundly bowing to the duchess, he retired, and quitted Madrid the same evening. But the power of affection is great, and Margaret's presence was a healing medicine to the royal captive. The following scene is worthy of a great painter: — Kneeling, surrounded by the King's weeping attendants, herself bathed in tears, Marguerite fervently again waited 639 her prayers to theirs. Solemn must have been that scene in the chamber of Francis. The mighty King of France lay apparently dying in a strange land ; while within that small and lonely prison•chamber knelt the sister *hose presence was cheering to him as the light of day—Mont morency, and many other faithful friends, mingling their prayers in his behalf with the impressive intercessions of the archbishop. At the elevation of the Host, the arch- bishop advanced to the bedside of Francis, and, holding it aloft, solemnly exhorted him to look upon it, and adore. " Then the King," writes the President de Selve, " who had been for long deprived of sight and hearing, opened his eyes, and fixed them intently upon the holy sacrament, and clasped his hands. After the mass Madame la i)uchesse again caused the said sacrament to be presented to the King ; and incontinently the King exclaimed, 'ltis my God, who will cure both my soul and my body ; I pray yon that I may receive him.' Upon this it was observed to the said sieur, that he could not swallow the wafer; but he replying that he was able, then Madame la Duchesse corn mended that the holy wafer should be divided, which being done, he received it with such marks of contrition and ex treme humility, that there was not one person present who did not melt into tears. Madame la Duchene then partook of the other half of the said holy sacrament. From that hour the said sieur has continued to amend ; so much so that he is now quit of all danger, which is a miraculous work of God, as all the French and Spaniards unanimously testify." The Romish Church did not fail to ascribe the King's sudden revival to a miracle wrought by the Host ; but doubtless, the crisis of the fever being past, the solemn celebration of the rites of his Church round his bed roused Francis from the lethargy of exhaustion in which it had left him. From that day forwards, however, with the exception of one slight relapse, the King was pronounced out of all immediate peril of death, though many weeks elapsed before he could rise from his bed. The selections from old French literature in these volumes add greatly to the value of their contents. The reader can form his own opinion on the talent of many of the writers of that age from the specimens aptly cited by Miss Freer. The original letters of Margaret her • self will particularly please. We shall extract the following as a specimen of these in teresting documents, written on the occasion of a slight coolness between her brother and Margaret : QUEEN MARGUERITE TO FRANCIS I. Monseigneur,—You well know that it is not in my power to conceal from you anything, or even to dissimulate my thoughts ; for all my life long it has been my hnhit to speak to you without fear or reserve, expressing my wishes as to my brother, in order, afterwards, to receive your com mand, as that of one who stands to me in stead of a father, and from whom I receive all that I possess or can hope for in this world, and for whom I have esteemed the sacrifice of my own will a privilege—and should deem either my life happy, or my death glorious, if only I might render you service. But, monseigneur, it cannot be that God has doomed me to the misfortune that this my constant aim is unknown to you ; and that the voluntary obedience, which 1 have tendered out of love for you, should have produced so contrary an effect as to put into your mind that which mine cannot even dwell upon without insupportable pain. From the purgatory of this fear I very humbly beseech you, monseigneur, to give me relief, and to do me the honour to believe that if I have said that I thought to be the last survivor, it was thinking to receive the summit and perfection of every misfortune and sorrow that God can inflict upon one of his creatures; for, monseigneur, if my desire correspond with the fear that I expressed I should have taken more trouble to preserve my life and my health than I have done. I feel sure, monseigneur, that you do me the justice to believe this ; but the words that you said to me when we took leave of you, " That perhaps God had ordained that my life should exceed your own and that of Madame," have since weighed so heavily upon my heart, that unless I had written this letter in the hope of receiving the reply from you which I so greatly need, I ant sure my life could not long have sustained this suspense; for I have neither aim, hope, nor intention, but to live and die.—Your very humble and very obedient sub ject and sister, MARO uzurrz. We have no doubt but that these volumes will be welcomed by many readers. The pre sent season is deficient in works of light literature ; and there is in the contents of this work a happy mixture of " the grave and gay," almost certain to meet with approbation from those who desire that the useful and agreeable should be blended in historical composition. Three Years Cruise in the Australasian Colonies. By R. Edmond Malone. London : Bentley. Ma. MALONE'S attention was directed to the sub• ject of emigration by three years' official employ ment during the famine in Ireland. Meditating a settlement in Australia, he took an opportunity of visiting the antipodean colonies as an officer of H.M.S. Fanteme. " Three years' cruise" in the Australasian seas furnishes the materials for this volume, which is plainly written, in a style not particularly animated or forcible, but sometimes picturesque, from the literal matter of-fact character of the author's description s. The Fantome arrived off Sydney just when the gold discoveries had become known, the pilot . • Mllnimi•