The Hawaiian gazette., 1878-10-30
WEDNESDAY, OCT. so. 1878.
Queen Elizabeth.
HER CHARACTER AS sKErcHED IN GEEES's "HIs'
TORY or THE ENGLISH PEOPLE"

HER CHARACTER AS sKErcHgD IN GEEESS his
TORY OF rus ENGLISH PEOPLE"
She was at once the daughter of Henry aud Of
Anne Boleyu. From her ialber she Inherited
Der frank and hearty address, Der love Of pOpu-
larity and free intercourse with the people, her
dauutless courage. and her amazing self-eonh-
denee. Her harsh manlike voice, her impetu-
Gus will her pride. her furious outbursts OF anger
came with her Tudor blood. Sha rated great
mobiles as if they were schooLboys; she met the |
insolsnce OF Lord Essex with box on the ear; |
she broke now aud then into the grayest deb- |
erarons TO swear at Der ministers like hshwiie |
Strangely in contrast with these outlines OF her |
fathers temper stood the ssnSnous, self.iudu |
gent nature she drew from Anne Boleyu. Splen- |
dor aud pleasure were. with Elizabeth the very
air she breathed. Her delight was 10 move in
perpetual progress from castle TO castle through
= series Of gorgeous pageauts, fancltul and ex-
irsyagantt as 5 caliphs dream. She loved gaieiy
aud laughter and wit. A happy retort or hu-
ishei compliment never failed TO win her favor.
She hoarded Jewels. Her dresses were innumer-
able. Her vanity remained, even to old age, the
vanity OF coquette 10 her teens. No adulAtion
WAS 100 tulsome for her no battery too gross.
She would play with her rings that her cour,iers
might note the delicacy of her hands; or dance
a covaute that an ambassador. hidden dexterous-
Is behind curtain. might report her sprightli-
ness 10 his master. Her levIty, her frivolous
laughter, her unwomanly jests. gave color tc a
Thousand scandals Her character. 10 fact. ike
her portraits, was utterly without shade-of NO.
manly reserve or se-restraiut she knew nothing
No instinct Of decacy yelled the vOluptuouS
temper which broke out in the romps OF Der girl
hood and showed itself almost SYSTEMATICALLY
through her later life. Personal beauty 10 man
was sure passport 10 her liking. She patted
IN ha nasE han RI
knelt To kiss her hand, and fondled her sweet
Robin" Lord Leicester. in the face of the court
IL was no wonder that the statesman which she
outwitted held Elizabeth TO be little more than
frivolous woman. or that Philip of Spain won.
dsred how ga wantou" could hold IN check the
policy Of the Escurial But the Elisabeth whom
they saw was far from being all OF Elizabeth.
Willfalness aud trivialty played over the surface
OF a nature hard as steel, temper purely intel
lectual, the very type OF reason untouched by
Imagination or passion. luxurious and pleasure
LOVING as she seemed. the young Queen lived sim
ply and frugaly aud she worked hard. Her
vanity aud caprice had no weight whatever with
her in State affairs.
The coquette of the preSeuce-chamber became
the coolest aud hardest of politicians at the coun.
Gil board Fresh from the iattery of her eour-
tiers. she would tolerate hattery 10 the closet;
she was herself plain and downright Of speech
with her counsellors, and she looked for cor
responding plainness of speech il return. The
very choice of her advisers indeed showed ElIzs-
beth's ability. She had quick eye for merit Of
any sort, and q wonderful power of eulstiug its
whole energy 10 her service. The sagacity which
chose Cecil and Walsingham was just as userr-
ing in its choice of the meanesr OF her agents
| Her success indeed 10 securing, from the begin
ming OF her regu to its end with the single ex-
ceptio0 OF Leicester, precisely the right men for
the work she set them to do, sprang in great
measure from the uoblest characteristic of her
Intellect. If in Otlness Of aim the Queens TEN.
per Tell below many OF the tempers OF her time,
10 the breadth OF its range, in all the universally
of its sympathy, il stood far above them all.
Elizabeth could talk poetry with Spencer and
philosophy with Bruno she could discuss eu-
phemism with Lilly, and enjoy the ehyalry Of
Essex she could turn from talk OF the last fash.
ions 10 pore with Cecil over dispatches and
treasury books she could pass from tracking
traitors with Walsiugham TO settle points of doe
trine with Parker, or to calculate with Froblsher
the chances OF the northwest passages 10 the Iu-
dies. The versatility and mauysIdedness OF her
mind enabled her to understand every phase OF
| the intellectual movement about her, aud to fix
by sort of instinct on its higher representatives
1t vas only on its intellectual side. indeed that
| Elizabeth touched the Eogland Of her day. All
It's moral sspects we're simply dead to her. 1t
was time when men we're being lifted into no
bleness by the new moral energy which seemed
suddenly to pulse through the whole people when
] honor and enthusiasm took coiors of poetic
beauty aud religion became chisalry. But the
/ finer sentiments of the men about her touched
| Elizabeth simply the fair tinls of picture
would have touched her. She made her market
with equal indifference, out Of the heroism of
William of Orange or the bgotry Of Philip. The
noblest aims aud lives were only counters on her
/ board. She was the one soul in her realm whom
/ the news OF st. Bartholomew stirred to no THIRST
/ for vengeance; and while England was thrilling
with triumph over the Armada, its Queen was
coolly grumbiug over the cost, and making her
| profit out of the spoiled provisions she had Or
dered for the fleet that saved her. No womanIy
| sympathy bound her even to those who stood
/ closest 10 Cecil. But for the most part she was
deaf to the voice either OF love or gratitude She
accepted such services as were never rendered to
any other English sovereign without thought
/ OF return. Walsingham spent his fortune 10 sa-
wing her life and her throne and she left him TO
die beggar. But as if by q strange Irony, it was
TO this very lack Of wOmauly sympathy that she
| owed some OF the grandest features of her char
! setter. Ii she was without love, she was without
hate She cherished no petty resentments
/ she never stopped to envy or suspicion of
/ the men who served her. She was Indifferent
to abuse. Her good humor was never rutfled
| by the charges of wantouuess and cruelty
with which the Jesuits filed every court IN EG-
rope. She was insensbie to fear. Her life be-
came at last mark for assassin after assassin,
bat the thought of peril was the thought hardest
10 bring home to her. Even when Catholic plots
broke out in her very household, she would listen
70 no proposals for the removal Of Catholics from
her court