Clarke courier. [volume] (Berryville, Va.) 1869-1997, 1907-01-30
QUEENED ONLY TO DIE
THE TRAGIC DESTINY OF LOVELY
LADY JANE GREY.


Learned Girl For Her Age of Which
HirtOry Has Any Record Her
Whole Life Was sOmber and sad.
Sweet Lady Jane Grey, who reigued
for few months as queen of Eng
land and had her head cut of with
an AK in the Tower OF London for SO
doing. was as n little girl the most
. learned child for her age OF which
history has any record.
Before she was nine years old she
wrote a beautiful hand and was able
10 play well on several different sorts
OF musical instruments. In languages
she was wonderful. She could speak
several, both ancient and modern.
with ease
By the time she was twelve she was
possessed Of all the Accomplishments
taught young ladies OF rank in those
days and, besides that, could not only
write but speak in Latin. Greek, ChaI-
daic. Arabic. French, Italian and He
brew She was also well grounded In
philosophy, and when other children
were out playing she used to amuse
herself by reading the writings OF the
philosopher Plato in the original
Greek.
Perhaps 1t was because the pretty
Lady James childhood was so lonely
as well as because OF the extraordI-
nary powers OF her mind that she took
TO study so kindly and learned so MANY
things while so young Her father
and mother were away at court much
or the time, leaving the girl to the
care or her governess and her school
masters at the great, gloomy family
place called ERADICATE. down in the
country The big. ugly, square brick
house was built on the edge OF a great
forest and surrounded by thousands
or acres OF almost uninhabited land.
There were few books and no news
papers at the castle and no playmates
for Lady Jane, for her governess would
not let her play with the children OF
the servants, and there were no other
children within miles.
When she was fourteen years old
Lady Jane was taken TO court by her
parents and after that spent much
time there. where everybody was de-
lighted by her learning. her beauty and
her wit At court she was able to
have some recreation, but she still kept
up her studies, Sand when she went to
spend long periods with her parents at
gloomy ERADICATE she had a hard time
OF It,
In letter which she wrote to the
celebrated scholar Roger Ascham.
with whom she used to correspond as
with an equal. she tells how whenever
she tried TO do anything In the presence
OF her sharp and severe parents"
either to speak. keep silent. sit stand
or go eat drink. be merry or sad. be
sewing, playing, dancing or doing any
thing else" she was constantly criti-
cised and very often pinched or slap
ped II she did not do il perfectly.
In those days children were freely
chastised by their parents even after
they had grown up, and Lady Zane.
great heiress though she was and of
the royal blood, gothic share OF whip
pings. But she says that when she
was at her studies she was always
happy, and when called away from
them she would burst into tears.
Ascham. who visited her at ERADICATE
when she was a girl OF twelve. found
her reading Plato in the original when
the rest Of the family were out hunting.
and she told him that she was thank
full for having such stern parents, as
she had learned by their strict disci-
pine to find more happiness In learning
than In all the pomps and vanIties and
all the pieSSs0SSss - the world.
She was a wonderful child in her
knowledge Of politics and OF what was
taking place in foreign countries. and
great men used to correspond with her
about Affairs OF state when she was a
little miss OF twelve as IL she were q