Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1868-01-22
consort for her execution having been kept


tators were assembled to witness the dreadful
yet strangely exciting pageant. Jew MN
utes before twelve o'clock, the portals through
which she was to pass for the last time were
thrown open, and the royal victim appeared,
led by the lieutenant of the Tower, who acted
as her lord chamberlain at this last iatal
ceremonial. Anne was dressed in robe oil
black damask, with a deep white cape fall
ing over it on her neck. Instead OF the
pointed black velvet hood edged with pearls
which is familiar to us in her portraits, she
wore small hat with ornamented colts un-
der it. The high resolve with which she had
nerved herself to 90 through the awful scene
which awaited her as became queen, had
doubtless recalled the lustre to her eyes, and
flushed her faded cheek with hues of feverish
brightness, for she came forth in fearful
beauty. Never, )" says an eyewitness OF
the tragedy, g had the queen looked SO beau
tiful before" She was attended by the foui
maids of honor who had waited upon her in
prison. Having been assisted by Sir Will
liam Kingston to ascend the steps of the seat
fold, she saw there assembled the lord-mayor
and some of the civic dignitaries. and her
great enemy the Duke of Suffolk, with
Henry's natural son, the Duke of Richmond,
who had, in defiance of all decency and hui
manity, come hther to disturb her last mo-
Inents with their unfriendly espionage.
There, also, was the ungrateful blacksmith
secretary of state, Cromwell; who. though
he had been chiefly indebted to the patron
age of Anne Boleyn for his present greatness,
had shown no disposition t. succor her in
her adyersitv. The fact was. he meant to
make alliance offensive and defensive with
the family of Henry's bride-elect Jane Scv-
mour Anne accorded him the mercy Of her
silence when she met him on the scaffold.
She came there, as she with true dignity oh
served, - to die, and not to accuse her enc
mics" w hen she looked round her, she
turned to Kingston, and entreatcd him = not
to hasten the signal of her death till she had
spoken that which was ON her mind to say
to which he consented. and she then spoke
- Good Christian people, am come hlther
to die according To law, for by the law | am
Judged to die, and therefore Will speak moth
4 ing against it. | am come hither to accuse
no man nor TO speak any thing of that
whereofI am accused as | know full we'll
that aught that could say in my defense
doth not appertain unto you, and that could
draw no hope of life from the same. But |
come here only to die, and thus to yield my
self humbly unto the will of my lord the
king | pray God TO save the king, and send
him long To reign over YOU. for gentler or
more merciful prince was there never. To
me he was ever good and gentle sovereign
lord. If any person Will NEEDLE with my
cause, require them to Judge the hest. Thus
| take my leave of the world and of YOU, and
| heartily desire you all to pray for me. "
She then with her own hands removed her
hat and collar, which might impede the ac-
tion of the sword, and taking the colts from
her head, delivered them 10 one of her ladies
Then covering her hair with linen cap (tor
it seems that her ladies We're too much over
powered with grief and terror t. assist her.
and that she was the only person that re
tained her cOmp0surc.) -he said. = Alas. poor
head in a very brief space thou wilt roll in
the dust on the sclffold and as in lite thou
didst not merit u wear the crown of 4 queen.
80 in death thou deseryest no better doom
than this.
All present were then in tears, save thc
base court svcophants who came To tatter
the evil passions of the sovereign Anne
took leave OF her weeping ladies in these pa
thetic words .. And yc, my damsels. who,
while | lived. ever showed yourselves - dill
gent in NV service. and who arc now TO he
I'rcrout nj my last hour and mortal agony
as in good fortune We were faithful u me, 50
even at this my miserable death We do n1t
for-ake And as cannot reward You f.
your true service to me, [ pray you t. take
comfort for my loss ; howbeit, forget me not.
and be ALWAYS faithful 10 the king : grace.
and to her whom, with happier fortune. ye
may have as your queen and mistress And
esteem your honor far beyond your life and
in your prayers to the Lord Jesus Christ.
forget not to pray for my soul. Among
these true-hearted adherents of the fallen
queen the companion Of her childhood.
Mrs. Mary Wyatt. Sir Thomas Wyatt's sis
ter. who, faithful through every reverse. at
tended her on the scatfold. 70 this tried
friend Anne Boleyn gave, a parting gift,
her last pOssession-a little book Of deyOtions,
bound in gold, and enameed black. which
she had held in her hand from the time she
left her apartment in the Tower till she COM
menced her preparations for the block. Mary
always Wore this precious relic in her bosom.
Some mysterious last words, supposed to be
a message to Sir Thomas Wyatt, the queen
was observed to whisper very earnestly t.
Mrs. Mary Wyatt before she knelt down
/ One of her ladies covered her eyes with
bandage; and then they withdrew them
selves some little space, and knelt down over
against the scaffold, bewailing bitterly and
shedding many tears. And thus, and With
out more to say or do, was her head struck off;
she making no confession Of her fault. but
saying. - o Lord God. have pity on my
soul - She died with great resolution.
Her eyes and lips were observed to move
when her head was held up by the exeeu-
toner. 1t is also said that before those beau
tiful eyes sunk into the dimness OF death.
they seemed for instant mournfully to re-
gard her bleeding body 1t fell on the
scaffold.
1t does not appear that the last moments
of Anne were disturbed by the presence of
Lady Bolcyn and Mrs. Cosyns. The gentler
females who, like minstering angels. had fol-
lowed their royal mistress to her dolcful
prison and dishonoring scafold, half iainting
and drowned in tears as they were. sur
rounded her mangled remains, a spec
tacle appalling to womans eyes vet they
would not abandon them to the rufian
hands of the executioner and his assistants,
but, with unavailing tenderness, washed
away the blood from the lovely face and
glossy hair, that scarcely three years before
had been proudly decorated with the crown
of ST. Edward, and now, but for these un-
bought offices of faithful love, would have
been lying neglected in the dust. One
weeping lady took the severed head, the
others the bleeding body Of the unfortunate
| queen, and having revcreutially covered them
with sheet, placed them in chest which
there stood ready, and carried them to the
church, which is within the Tower; where
they deposited it.
There is, however. some reason to doubt
whether the mangled remains of this haplcss
queen reposes in the place generally pointed
out in St. Peters Church within the Tower
as the spot where she inferred. 1t is
true that her warm and almost palpitating
form was there conveyed in no better coffin
than an old elm-chest that had been used for
keeping arrows, and in less than half an hour
after the executioner had performed his Office,
thrust into a grave that had been prepared
for her by the side of her murdered brother
And there she was inferred, without other
obsequies than the whispered prayer and
lcho Oh hS Of beo cd l1nI w