New-York tribune., 1912-04-06
A Learned Princess and a no.
mantle One.

Y 4. D-f
John Lane Company.
MARY TUDOR. QUEEN OF FRANCtEd tad
~ Mary Groom Brown. illustrated
Syo. PIP $50 q. =. Putnams sohs'
Norroret of France daughter OF
rrancis ! and his poor little queen
Claude. is fortunate in her newly louhu
,;oqrapber. She is credited with all the
virtues which most Of the Nalois olo
without; with a large part of the learn
ting which the Renaissance brought ~
women. with taste, Wit, feeling eniigh'-
enment. and-in a period OF persecu'i''i
"A very noble spirit of religious toie-d-
,ion. She was not a writer Ike Hei
aunt. Margaret Of Angouleme' hoi HNo
her niece. la Refine MarSot' put "ho
loved study. and patronized ana pen
stoned poets There is pleasant S'olE
of her impetuous defence of the young
porsard whose verse was attacked At
court bv Saint-Gelais an envious writer
of another school. "A concerted YOUTH
= mere imitator Of Pindar,' said SAINT
Gelais 10 King Henry IL, Margaret
brother. and taking up Ronsards latest
poem in praise Of his majesty he READ II
in sucb a fashion as to make il ridicu-
Ions The larCe-minded princess was
angered. and. snatching the poem from
the scoffer. she read it in so proper ana
winning a way that the laughter OF me
court was hushed in admiration. IL was
the turning point into prosperity OF
ponsard du Bellay and their followers
Of the new school
All the poets Of any and every school
looked worshippingly toward Margaret
and sang her praises in countless num-
bors. often more musical than reason
able. The exceedingly plain royal
maiden was hymned AS the tenth Muse,
the fourth Grace, their Pallas Athene-
and as PaIlas Jehan de Court did her
portrait IN beautiful Limoges enamel 1t
Is reproduced in this volume, and gives
smple testimony 10 the lady's lack OF
good looks The band Of young poets,
soon 10 call itself la Pleiade," showed
great skill in fatterY, and Margaret s
common sense was not proof against it..
That she was moved TO pose little may
I've guessed from the emblem, which, as
the Pallas Of her day, she promptly
adopted-an olive branch wound about
with a serpent and bearing the device,
'Wisdom. guardian of all things. The
poets thereafter prospered nightly, FOR
Margaret was rich and generous, and
had benefiCes and high offices in her
eift. it is related that a translator Of
Horace received as the reward Of his
work the presidency Of q college, and for
en- elegant Latin poem it's writer had be-
slowed upon him a seat in the King s
Council That Margaret was not too
discriminating in her literary apprecia-
1ions was suggested TO her by her judi
cious old Chancellor, Michel L'Hospital;
and even one of her train of poets Jo-
dele pointed out that in Pallas Athene's
temple "hoarse crows" were cherished
equally with "rarest swans"-Jodelle
himself, it is understood, being a swan OF
EXTREMIST rarity.
Like other eminent princesscs of The
period Margaret was pawn in the polti'
cal marriage market, though with some
what more freedom Of choice than haC
others. She refused TO marry the Duke
OF Nendome. on the ground that though
he was a prince of the blood royal he wa!
her fathers subject. Henry vii pro
posed for her after Anne Boleyns un
lucky head had been cut off, and Kine
Francis's dislike of that proceeding
brought him TO refuse so convenient ar
alliance. There was a question Of marry.
1ng her 10 the Emperor Charles Y a!
his second wife, Charles being the mos
eligible parsonage of that age. But .Aat
project failed I'VE are too old fol
Madam" said he 1t was well that she
waited until her thrty-siXth Year t.
we'd for in every way her marriage tC
the splendid soldier, Emmanuel Phil.
bert. Duke of Savoy, was a happy one
lie was not only courageous man OF
action. but hard student He was kinC
hearted and good looking, and a gentle
man with equal adroituesS and resOlu-
lion ne had rcSained the lost dominion>
Ur his father and could offer his wife 9
life a. stately and as comfortable as was
that of her youth He adopted her view:
60 many subjects. particularly that OF
religious liberation. Faithful members
Of the Church Of Rome as they were
they STAYED the persecution of the Wal
dense. i'm a letter to one Of his generals
the duke admitted that he had par
doued his rcbcllious subjects for the sake
g.. Madam. Let it be remembered of
Margaret that because OF her wise per-
euaeiou Protcstants of the Savoyard
valleys lived in comparative peace and
freedom for almost a century. IT may
be remembered Of her, too, that she tried
20 induce her sistCr-in-laW. Catherine de
AIcdicis TO see danger in the coercion
and persecution of the Protestants There
pho failed. but the attempt was without
effect upon their relations; there was
lifelong love between the two women. if
indeed the shrewd and cruel Italian could
be said to love anybody. II is in her
later chapters that Miss Stephens is
most entertaining. as in her later life, as
wife, mother and reigning duchess Mar
raret was most eStmablc. To this an
cestross the present royal line Of Italy
may We'll he said To owe something Of
character and brain
Margaret was a child Of six when
there died i'm England a princess who
had been for three months the wife Of
the little girls grandfather Louis XII.
We know less Of the daily life of Mary
Tudor than Of that Of Margaret Of