Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1877-11-05
A CHILD QUEEN.

wonder how many of the little girl
tory ? If they answer candidly, | do
not doubt that very large proportion
will declare that they prefer the charm
ing stories they find in St. Nicholas to
the dull pages of history, with its count
less battles and murdered sovereigns.
But history is not every bit dull, by
any means, as you will find if your ell
der sisters and friends will select por-
tions for you to read that are suitable |
to your age and interests. Perhaps you
are very imaginative, and prefer fairy
tales to all others. | am sure, then,
that you will like the story | am about
to tell you, of little French princess,
! who was married and crowned Queen of
England when only eight years old, and
who became widow at twelve.
This child-sovereign was born many
hundred years ago-in l387-at the
palace of the Louvre in Paris, of whose
noble pictures gallery am sure you all
have heard,-if, indeed, many of you
have not seen it yourselves. She was
the daughter of the poor king Charles
VI, whose misfortunes made him insane,
and for whose amusement playiDg-cards
were invented md of his queen, Isa-
beau of Bavaria, beautiful but very
wicked woman Little Princess Isabella
was the eldest of twelve children. She
inherited her mothers beauty, and was
petted by her parents and the entire
court of France.
King Richard ii. of England, who
was widower about thirty years old,
was urged to marry again; and, instead
of selecting a wife near his own age, his
choice fell upon little Princess Isabella.
"She is much too young" he was
, told. "Even in five or six years she
, will not be old enough to be married. :"
E The king, however. thought this objec-
, ton to trifing to stand in the way of
his marriage, and saying, 1.-The lady's
r age is fault that every day will rene
a dy," he sent magnificent embassy to
the court of France, headed by the
: Archbishop of Dublin, and consisting of
3 earls, marshals. knights and squires of
n honor uncounted. with attendants to
a the number of FIVE hundred.
/ When the Embassy reached Paris, and
> the offer of marriage had been formally
n accepted, the archbishop and the earles
d asked to see the little princess who was
q soon to become their queen. At first
J. the French Council refused, saying SC
n young child was not prepared to ap-
pear on public occasions, and they could
# not tell how she might behave. The
k English noblemen were so solicitor, how
d ever, that at last she was brought before
h them. The earl marshal immediately
knelt before her, and said, in the old
it fashioned language of the time Mad
ot am, if it please God you shall be oul
k lady and queen
re- Queen Isabeau stood at little dis
8. lance, curious and anxious, no doubt
Ne to know how her little daughter would
h answer this formal address. To he
D. great pleasure, and the great surprise o
ut all present, Princess Isabella replied:
he ''Sir, if it please God and my fathc
IN that be Queen of England l shall b
st well pleased, for | am told shall thel
in be great lady"
On Then giving the marshal her tin,
he hand to kiss, she babe him rise fron
his knees, and leading him to her moth
IL. er she presented him to her with th
or grace and ease of mature woman.
it According to the fashion of the time
nd Princess Isabella was Immediately mai
off ried by proxy, and received the title Q
as Queen of England Froissart, cele
ul brated historian living at that epoch
it says: sit was very pretty to see hel
ed young as she was. practicing how t
oh act the queen"
~ In few days, King Richard. arrive
u from England with a gay and numerou
We retinue of titled ladies to attend hi
", little bride. After many grand festiv
ties they were married and were take
. in state to England, where the Bah
ne Queen was crowned in the famou
Jul Westminster Abbey.-Cecilia CLevelast
-. | ~ MaokoL.o e.. Moa.o..ah1..