Monmouth weekly herald. [volume] (Freehold, N.J.) 1854-1860, 1859-04-28
E ELIZABETH.

~ 00N 4ShAO 0hAb IL
following "Reminiscences of Queen Eliza.
beth, which some of our readers will
doubtless pursue with interest.
Not long after the death of Mary,
Queen of Scots, Margaret Lambrun, who
had been one of her attendants, became
in some measure desperate, on account
of the loss ofa husband whom she dearly
loved-a loss which had been occasioned
by grief for the melancholy fate of the
unfortunate Princess, to whose ~retinne
he also had belonged. She formed a res
%olution to revenge the death of both upon
the person Of Queen Elizabeth-and, to
accomplish her purpose dressed herself
in the habit of a man, assumed the name
Of Anthony Spark, and attended at the
Court Of England with a pair of pistols
constantly concealed about her ; one
to kill the Queen when an opportuni-
ty should offer, and the other to kill her
self, if her crime should be discovered.
Que day as she was pushing through the
crowd, in order to get to her Majesty
who was then walking in the garden,
she accidentally dropped one of her pis.
tolls. This circumstance being observed
by the guards, she was instantly seized,
in order to be sent to prison. The
Queen, however, interfered, and desired
to examine the culprit first. She accord.
ingly demanded her name, her country
and her quality, and Margaret, with a
resolution still ~undaunted, replied: Mad
am, though | appear before you in this
garb, yet | am a woman. My nam is
Margaret Mambrun, and | was several
years in the service of Mary, a Queen
whom you have unjustly put to death
and thereby deprived me Of the best Of
husbands, who could not survive the
bloody catastrophe Of his innocent mis-
tress. His memory is hardly more dear
to me than is that of my injured Queen
and, regardless Of consequences, [ de
termined to revenge their deaths upon
you. Many, but fruitless, were the eff
forts to diver: me from my purpose.
found myself constrained to prove by ex.
~perience Athe turth of the maxim, that
neither reason nor force can hinder a
woman from vengence when she is i'm
PEELED to it by love-"
Highly as Queen Elizabeth had cause
to resent this speech, she heard it with
calmness. and answered it with modera-
ton. You are persuaded, them" said
her Majesty, " that in this step you have
done nothing but what your duty requi
red-what think you is my duty to do to
your"
lis that question put in the character
of a Queen, or that Of a Judge 2" inquired
Margaret, with the same intrepid firm
ness"
Elizabeth professed to her that it was
that of a Queen.
Then" continued Margaret, sit Is
your Majesty's duty to grant a pardon"
But what security" demanded the
Queen, can you give me that you will
not make the like attempt on some future
occasion"
"A favor ceases to be one Madam"
replied Margaret, I" when it is yielded
under such restraints. In so doing, your
Majesty would act against me as a
judge"
II have been thirty years a QUEEN
cried Elizabeth, turning to the courtie:s
then present, . and never had such a lee
ture read to me before = and so imme-
diately gr ned the pardon entire and
unconditional, as it had b zen desired, in
opposition to the opinion of the Presi
dent of the Ceuncil, who told her Maj
esty that he thou sht she ought to have
punished SO daring an offender.
The fair criminal, however. gave an
admirable proof of her prudence, in beg
ging the Queen to extend her generosity
M degree further, by granting her a
safe conduct out of the kingdom, with
which favor, also, Elizabeth cheerfully
complied and Margaret Lambrun from
that period lived a peaceable life in
France.