The Norfolk post. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 1865-1866, 1865-08-04
Queen Elizabeth and her Favorites.

The partiality of Queen Elizabeth for
handsome and accomplished chevaliers,
ia notorious. Her fOndness for Robert
Dudley, Earl of Leicester, and for his
step-son, the Earl of Essex, is no mere
palace gossip, but historic fact. We may
mention the names of Raleigh and
MountjOy as two other instances.
AS but little is generally known of the |
Queens partially for Mountjoy, we shall
mention two or three incidents In ms
short but brilliant career, before treating |
of Sir Walter Raleigh, whom this pa
per principally concerns.
Charles Blount was one of the hand |
soonest cavaliers of his day. He was
first noticed by the Queen at Whitehall, |
in 1886, who asked her lady carver, 'who |
was the youth of graceful stature and |
agreeable countenance?" and was in
formed, he was "a learned student of
Oxford, and the younger brother of Lord
William Mountjoy."
The young student heard the whis- |
pered inquiry, marked the Queens gaze,
and blushed to the eyes.
Elizabeth gave him her hand to KISS,
and said: II saw there was noble blood
in thy veins.n
Some days after this she witnessed his |
success at tilt with Essex, and awarded
him q golden chess-queen, richly enam-
eled, which Charles wore in passing
through the royal chamber.
Essex, observing the ornament, asked
Mr.. Fulke Greenville "where he got
"The Queen sent it to him after the |
tiltingn was the reply.
''Now perceive that every fool must |
have favor" said Essex. .-.a
Blount heard these words, and sent |
the prime favorite a challenge. They
met in Marylebone Park. Essex was
,, wounded in the thigh. When the Queen
! heard it, she exclaimed: BY Gods
: death, it's fit and proper that some one
. should take the Earl down, and teach
q him manners otherwise there would be
" no ruling him."
} Charles Blount was too much of a sol
"a dier to remain long at the Queens apron
~ AZ string. He broke away, and went tothe
!, war in Flanders. Elizabeth discovered
u it, and wrote to her general, Sir John
Norrcys, tosend hertruant back. "Serve
me SO once more, and I'll lay you too fast
: for running. You will never leave of
till you are knocked on the head, rs that
Il incOnsderate fellow Sidney was" said
q the Queen to her truant knight.
4 Sidney, as the reader is aware, receiv-
4 his mortal wound in the battle fought
" beneath the walls of Zutphen. AS he
-
= great favorite that she thought the
of Court no court without him.-we may re-
=, mind the reader, in this parenthi ca
", ID paragraph, of the last and noblest act o
~, W. his life, recorded by Lord Brooks: "Pas
e. sing along the rest of the army. wher
ao his uncle, the general Ii. e., the Earl Q
va Leicester) was, and being thirsty thrOugl
M excessive bleeding, called for a drink
ad which was presently brought him; bu
~, m as he was putting the bottle to his mouth
10 he saw poor soldier carried along, who
of had eaten his last at the same feast
=. ghastly casting up his eyesat the bottle
ar which Sir Philip perceiving, took 1t from
q, his head, before he drank, and delivered
y it to the poor man, with these words:-
ID 'Thy necessity is greater than mine.'n
~ ~ But to turn back to Charles Blount
g. the Queen appointed him her deputy,
nr and sent him to Ireland, In place Of Els
w u, sex, who had made terrible mess of the
war in that country.
q. On her mentioning this appointment
q to Bacon, hereplied, courtier-like, "Sure.
-. ly, madam, you cannot make better
cd choice, unless you send over my Lore
n. Essex"
r. 1t is just possible that this might have
w been sneer at Mountjoy, who was not
q. at this time, much over thirty years Of
or age. But sheer was never more unjust
y for Mountjoy was the ablest, and Essex
al the weakest and most inefficient viceroy
a. that Ireland ever had.
a. Essex :" exclaimed the Queen
20 "When 1 send Essex back into Ireland
or I'll marry you. Claim it of me-"
of But this appointment was looked up
w on, In those days, as a sort of Danish
q. ment from the Court. 1t was Essex IS
q enemies who procured him the appoint
&c ment to Ireland, from which he, after a
ri few months, cut and run. s.
cd Mountjoy owed it to his talents; but
m Judging from his letters, he did not the
D ua less regret his absence from Court. In
;s. one of those epistles he boldly speaks OF
a his love for the Queen; she being nearly
q seventy "This most dear sovereign, l
,ta do not write with any swelling 1ustlhca-
IN ton ofmyself. If any lmpious Tongue
W. do tax my proceedings. will patiently
re. bless it, that by making me suffer for
,el vour sake,-I that have suffered for your
sss sake torment above all Others griev-
w ed and despised love-"
Elizabeth, far from taking such Ian
~ guage amiss, replies:
~ "Oh, what melancholy huu1or hath
~ - exhaled up into your brain, from a full.
"a fraughted heart, that you should breed
~ NJ such doubt, bred upon no cause giver
VI VI by us at all, never having pronounced
-
,pl should be framed" lu A.
N rs 1.-THE old fool, I" we were going to say
in' after reading thus far but let US hea
~, our good Queen Bess out: YEA
ri "There is no louder trump that ma,
Id sound out your praise, your hazard
al your care, your luck, than we hav
ed blasted in all our court and elsewhere
he Well, will attribute it to Gods provi
of dence for you, that-lest all these glorie
at might elevate you too much-He hat
n. suffered, though not made, such scru
pie, to keep you under His rod, VIII
,Ie best knows we have more need of bi,
rs than spurs: 'VaIe0nt istG Gn,orG O
,r- Idrtarus eat metdncholin.'
eft Your Sovereign, Z. r."
he The vain and pious old lady (for tn
nd letter was written in an earnest and pl
for Gus strain) little suspected when sn
lse penned it, that her lovesick favorite Ne,
al. other loves, which were not "despisetlh ~,
ose He seduced the beautiful PeneioPe, w
the sister of his rival, the Earl OF d Ti hee,
her whom he married, after sne Hau md
Ca repudiated by her injured ausoa 1,o
the Robert Lord Rich. This marriage wa