The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1896-05-17

Elizabeth. Mary sent him home, and babe HIN
! never come back To England with such a mes
sage as that. In November Of the same yeai
Mary was dying. and Philip II. was Informed b.
a Flemish agent In London that the common
people we're already full Of projects for marry
ing Nine. Elizabeth to the Earl OF Arundel, OF
some one else" Before the breath was out OF
Merv's body the spanish Ambassador limited
at the younger sisters marriage with her broth
er-ln-law, and from that hour. for "A quarter OF q
century, went on the keen contest Of wits around
the matrimonial possibilities Of Elizabeth.
-
~.
For tho moment, a French marriage was Inn
possible because the heir to the Crown Of France
was married to Mary stuart. whose legal right
to the English throne was undoubtedly stronger
than TINT OF Elizabeth herself. On the other
hand. the new Queen OF England knew that the
most unpopular step she could take would be
one that bound her interests to Spain, and par
ticularly n marriage with Philip. So the
Englishmen began to pluck up heart and to
think that the great prize might fall to one OF
them. Early In December. 1903. the Earl OF
Arundel, a widower Of mature age. foppish and
foolish. came over from Flanders, and the
Spanish envoy remarks in one OF his letters
that ho had seen him at the palace
looking very smart and clean, and
they say he carries his thoughts very
high" Some people thought the Earl OF Arun-
del would be the man, others the Earl OF West
moreland: then Lord Howard's son, and then
Sir William Pickering: every day there is
new cry raised about q husband" Feria, the
| Spanish envoy, hoped at this time that, II they
took any foreigner, the Arohduke Ferdinand
would be the man. Feria's plan Of campaign
was ingenious. lie explained that, after arous-
ing Elizabeth's jealousy OF her dead sister, and
deprecating tho idea of the degradation in
volved in the marriage OF q queen with a sub
iect, We can take those whom she might marry
here. and pick them to pieces, one by one, which
will not require much rhetoric, for there Is not
a man amongst them worth anything, counting
the married ones and all. II, after this. she in
clincs to your Majesty, 1t will be necessary for
you to send me orders whether I am to carry 1t
any further. or throw cold water on 1t, and set
up the Archduke Ferdinand, for | see no other
person we can propose to whom she would
agree" Feria felt, however. that the young
woman might outwit him, for he added: In
deed. | am afraid that one fine day we snail
find this woman married. and / shall be the
last man in the place to know anything about
It," a little later he wrote: There is a great
deal of talk, also. about the Queen marrying
the Duke Adolphus, brother Of the King OF Den
mark. One Of the principal recommendations
they find In him is that he is a hereto. But |
am persuading them that he Is a very good
Catholic, and not so comely as they make hin
out to be-" At last Philip III. made up his mind
that he would save the cause OF his religion by
sacrificing himself, and in q letter to Feria he an
nounced his intention of marrying the Queen OF
England on condition OF her becoming a Cath
Ollie and obtaining secret absolution from the
Pope. 1t must have been evident to Feria Mt
this time, January. 1859. that the Queen could
not marry his master without losing the crown.
The Protestants were now paramount, and
Elizabeth had cast in her lot with them. To
acknowledge the POpe's power Of absolution
would have been to confess herself a bastard
and usurper. There was only one possible Cath
Ollie sovereign OF England, and that was Mary.
Queen of Scots. Elizabeth perceived tho truth
quickly enough. and when Philips letter
wa. delivered to her she began coyly
to fence with the question. protesting
her maiden disinclination to change her
state. The end of 1t was that Feria
refused to take any answer at all unless 1t were
a favorable one. and so deprived Elizabeth Of
the satisfaction OF saying that she had actually
rejected his masters oITer-which was a griev-
ance with her for many years afterward.
Ofall this the multitude knew nothing. An 1tal-
ian gossip monger soiourning in London wrote to
the Mantuan Ambassador in Brussels (January.
1851: Some persons declare that she will
take the Earl Of Arundel, he being the chief
peer of this realm. Notwithstanding his being
old in comparison with the Queen. Others as
sert that she will take a very handsome youth,
eighteen or twenty years of age, and robust, judy
ing from passion. and because at dances and
other public places she prefers him to any one
else. A third opinion is that she will marry an
individual who. until now. has been In France
on account OF his religion. 1t being well known
how much she loves him. He is a very hand
some. gallant gentleman whose name ! forget.
But all are agreed that she will take an English
man. although the Ambassadors of the King of
Sweden think the contrary" The very hand
some youth" was, perhaps. the Earl of Oxford;
the Handsome gentleman" was certainly Sir
William Pickering, who, for a time, was tho
favorite candidate. 1t is known that there had
been love passages long before between Eliza
beth and him, but to what extent was never dis
covered. lie had been guilty Of some double
dealing on the Continent. but now. satisfied
that bygones would be byRones, he came to
England In fine feather. TiepolO, the Fene-
tian agent, writes to the Doge, Feb. %, 1850:
concerning her marriage, It still continues to
be said that she will take that Master Picker
ing. who. from information received by me. is
about thirty-six years OF age. Of tall stature,
handsome, and very successful with women.
for he is said to have enjoyed the intimacy OF
many and great ones HE had fingered too
long. however. for Lord Robert Dudley had
already come to tho front. On April 10 Feria
wrote to Philip: During the last few days
Lord Robert has come so much into favor that
he does whatsoever he pleaAes with affairs. and
II is even said that her Majesty visits him In his
chamber day and night. People talk OF this so
freely that they go 80 far as 10 say that his
wife has q malady in one of her breasts,
and the Queen ia only waiting for her to die to
marry Lord Robert" simultaneously Swedish
Ambassadors were lavishing presents and
pressing the suit of Prince Eric, but they must
have been extremely maladroit, for they were
ridiculed to their own faces In court Mosques.
HI.
A much moro serious negotiation was running
its course at the same time. When tho En-
pcror had been informed that Philip had
abandoned the plan of marrying Elizabeth
himself, ho begged him TO support tho suit of
the Archduke Ferdinand, and the Spanish Am
bassador in England was instructed TO forward
the matIar IN tina hast NJ hia ability The Ana