The San Francisco call., 1904-07-24
The Heart Book
Of Queen Mary

7 7 was not without the warrant of
literary wisdom that Maurice
Hewlett. still persistent to avoid
being that has been which is
TO hang, quite out Of fashion like a
rusty nail" and 10 hold continuously
his high rank in the realm Of English
letters, chose for the subject Of new
essay conquest in that field wherein
he moves TO our imagination as d
bright-mailed champion knight. a ro-
mantle historical novel fetched from
the fountain source Of the heart life
Of Mary. Queen OF Scots.
He calls il The Queens QUAR- and
as that term sounds. queer and query
challenging TO most Of US who are not
adopts in the Interpretation Of archaic
phrase, first and foremost we should
seek for light on the name of the thing
10 which this knight of romance writ
ing would have US lend a loving ear.
A QUAR-" is a little book-thats as
easy as consulting any complete die
tiOnary. but in the case of this
Queens QUAR-" there is much more
70 il than just that This overplus
needs explaining. and our author does
II very prettily- In one such a GER
tain King wrote fairly the tale of his
love business" This certain King was
"A Stuart ancestor Of that romantic
Scottish Queen who stands forever be-
fore the imagination Of all chivalric
manhood as the most fascinating and
most questioning question mark that
was ever incarnate in a fair woman's
form. Here" says Hewlett, in this
other. I pretend TO show you all the
tragic error, all the pain. known only
TO her that moved in it" But how ?
We readers wonder, if known only to
her" Listen close to his sentence tell
ing how he does it: But the whole of
it lay in her heart, and to know her
IS to hold the key Of that" So-and
sincerely so, he seeks to read the rid
die Of the Sphinx and unravel the
mystery Of Queen Mary" Suppose
her hand had been at this pen; sup
pose mine had turned that key; there
might have resulted The Queen s
QUAR- Certainly we must say that
method is sovereign one, provided
only human genius has the strength to
let love-sure intuition make UP the
missing links between the correctness
Of old records and what that suffering
and shining heart Of hers held secret
locked and hid the key where none
but those who loved her might ever
ind IL.
As long as men live will the mystery
OF Queen Mary return again and again,
with the certain periodicity Of spring
and winter. to haunt both mind and
heart. The witchery begins with the
very mention Of the name Of Mary,
Queen Of Scots" and We wonder why
she lives so securely IN history as
queen Of Scots" rather than Queen of
Scotland Manhood's Imagination in
its flight Of leal longing for the re-
oemption Of all that is most fair in
womanhood, out and up from the en-
tsnglements Of all that is befouling in
the selfish sin-touch Of mans woman
mastering love, must hope TO hail,
somewhere and somewhen, on loyal
bended spirit knee, this earth stained
sovereign, lifted up till there is left Of
her angel only. Here we instinctively
feel that she will still delight in calling
herself, and by divine right" too,
Mary, Queen Of Scots" reigning in
her purified and nobler self over the
- VA NlAS t7IDANiHH pEDDtc lyuS dlDeI
turbulent, brave, beautiful, cruel Scot
land has gone back to the chaos out Of
which her pardOning Creator called it.
And not the men Of Scotland only, by
birth or by descent, but the chosen men
Of al races and all ages viii eagerly
seek TO be. in some chivalrous sense,
subjects loyal and loving. by adoption,
Of Mary, Queen Of Scotsi" So her
story fascinates US forever
Hewlett's story is not Of the whole
OF her life. but only that part Of it
which he calls the six years tragedy
1T begins with her coming from France
and her girlish widowhood from the
invalid boy, Francis, to attempt to rule
over her own turbulent Scots. IT takes
her through the soul warping stress of
her marriage with Lord Darnley;
through all the entanglements Of her
affection for her favorites who adored
her: and thence through all the ter
rible consequences Of her full blown
woman's passion for the ambitious but
unworthy Boutwell,. When that is all
over, then his voice ceases 10 tell her
history, for it is this fragment has ap-
pealed 10 him as the most important
in her life. So out Of the records Of
this period he extracts the QUAR-
the little heart-book Of the Queen.
When the doors Of Holyrood Pal
ace closed forever against her who
had reigned there as Queen of Scots