countenance, I bethought me of our Lady Elizabeth's own pleasant aspect. And this young maiden has her wide forehead, and crisp curls of pure flaxen; blue eyes, round and well set under high brows arched as it were with a silver pencil. The mouth has a pretty pouting plumpness, but little red; and it should seem as if her arms and all of her neck that her kirtle shewed, and all of her face, except those ripe lips, had been made of wax thrice refined, or the white pulp of a peach before the sun has reddened it. As for her dress, Mall, which thy woman's curiosity will ask to know, else a wise man heedeth not such vanities, it was what tiremakers here call a frock of fine lawn without muffler or mittens, or fine lace, or fringe, or jewels, such as merchants' wives make themselves gaudy with at noon-day; but stitched plain and close; shewing, however, an ancle of such neat turn that it might have fitted my best coranto, and such an arm and hand as would have made the virginals proud. Marry, I tell thee, if she had worn our Lady Elizabeth's best stomacher and sleeves of knotted pearls, no man would have seen any pearl but herself. So she stepped forwards toward me with a sweet composure of aspect, and holding out her fair hand for my gift, she asked me many questions of my love for poesy, and spoke so shrewdly of some that she had read, I hethought me it was pity my Lord Herbert and Sir Philip Sidney had not lived to hear her, for they would not have wanted inspiration. Whereupon I said she excited poets by loving poesy; and she said, laughing, that none but me had thought fit to bring a poor recluse like her an offering. Then her governess bid her bethink herself of her drawing-master, as her time for study would soon be at an end; to which she made answer, lovingly twining her arm under the lady's, Ah! but when there are visitors, it is a holiday.' And this reverend lady's lovingness to her pupil minded me of our great Elizabeth's governess at Hunsdon House-the Lady Bryan of blessed memory: more especially when she asked me, with her hand laid

under the princess's cheek, if I had not seen a royal face much like her's at Windsor.

I made answer, bowing as when I was vice-chamberlain of the court-" I have never seen Windsor, my lady, but there once lived at Greenwich a queen of the same aspect."--At which the princess smiled, and I asked her good leave to compare her countenance with a painting I had brought, that I might mend the resemblance. Which she kindly granted; and being made bold with presumption, as is the way among old courtiers, I said there was a young damsel in my coach wondrously eager to see her highness, and I prayed that she might see the princess step into her's. It would not be fit,' she answered, that those who come with my friends should wait to see me in a court-yard. She shall come here, and know herself welcome.' And when my friend's fair little niece stood in the presence, she cheered her with such kind words as a queen should use who knows she is most great when she lifts up the lowly.

Then she walked with us through the anti-room to the great stair-case, laughing and mixing a pleasant jest with her farewell-that it grieved me to see her turn away, and I said to myself, as our prelate said of our lady, When this snow melts, there will be a dark flood.'

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Master Harrington waited for me in St. James's-street, as the rogues of this day call their Paul's Walk, and was hugely pleased when I likened the princess and her governess to old Lady Bryan and Queen Elizabeth, my good mistress. But I did not forget the purpose of my coming to this vile town, where there are nothing but shops crammed with as much finery as would have served the feast at Richmond when she dined under a pavillion of green sarsnet powdered with gold, and ate from a pomegranate-tree made of confectionary. And I reminded my loyal friend of his promise to shew me the queen's secret place of refuge at Marybone Park, but he would needs shew me first a great show going to my Lord Mayor's. There was store of gilt carriages and men harnessed in shirts of mail; but I

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with drums and trumpets, morris-dancers and a cart with two white bears, when she visited St. Mary's Church in Bishopsgate-street.* And one might have thought every dame in the street had been one of her court, there was such store of outside-skirts made of velvet and silk or russet damask, and bonnets of silver cloth tasseled and feathered. Marry,' said I, there is more gold abroad than when Burleigh was treasurer. Ay, truly,' quoth he, ⚫ more abroad but less at home.'-Now it happened we rode through Drurylane, where the ambassadors used to live and seeing many gaping and staring gossips, as always will be where great men abide, I urged Sir John to shew me Secretary Walsingham's abode. He made a little pause, and said, "Sir Francis Walsingham has taken a strange freak. Thou knowest, friend Christopher, what vast acquisitions he made of foreign learning while he was our queen's ambassador in France: but as no king careth for a wise counsellor now, and he has no mind to be either Whig or Tory, which all men are expected to choose between, he has put on women's attire, and has been well received at court as a German Baroness." And does he give advice too?' asked I. A great deal in print,' quoth he, which would not have been minded had he wrote like a man; but as a tolerable wit makes a marvellously clever woman, every body is astounded at the masculine knowledge of a female politi

cian.

But since he has put on a lady's garments, he has put off his own wisdom, and is as vain as if he had always worn a hood and tucker. Nothing will please his fancy so much as to wait upon him in this attire, as if your journey from your country-house had been solely to gaze at and hear him. Say nought of your real name, and let me inanage the scene.'-Thereon we stopped at a gay house near a square, and honest John Harrington left me in the coach while he prepared my way into

In 1557, when her sister Queen Mary entertain. od her.

Will he not be amazed,' I said, 'to see Sir Christopher Hatton in a white silk boddice and a red skirt, instead of a wrought jerkin, a tall hat, and a spruce orange-tawny beard ?'- Tush,' quoth he, if Sir Francis Walsingham wears an old wife's apparel, he will be glad to see thee no wiser than himself.'-With that, he made a long step into a room finer than any in Theobald's palace, and bowing thrice, presented me to the Baroness de Holstein. Truly, Mail, I saw small change in Sir Francis, saving that his chin was well shaven, for his hat was as high-crowned and shrewdly perched on his head as in our lady's day, and his tawny doublet was, as I verily think, the same he used to wear; but his ruff was sorely missed, for his skin is the worse for time, and looked, as my crony Shakspeare used to say, like a wet cloak ill laid up. I may say without vanity, I looked the prettier damsel of the two, and it made my sides swell with pent laughter to see Sir Francis's false locks curled so like a girl's while he talked on the politics and the the learning and the legislation of other realms. Then I brought to use my courtierly breeding, and said much of my admiration and love for his great wit, which had brought me from mine own house; and besought him to give me his hand and his blessing. Which he gave very graciously, lifting up my chin with both hands, and kissing it in the French fashion with great affection, till mine eyes watered, and I vowed to keep the kiss as a relic in the wreck of these sorrowful times. Which so touched Sir John, our stander-by, that he was fain to hide his face in his handkerchief, and made divers rueful twistings of his features as we rode home; I, all the while weeping to think that our queen's prime counsellor, the flower of his age and the mirror of politicians, should come to wear a cap and hanging sleeves, and be deemed no better than a woman-wit.

"Now it was the second night of

Here again the poor knight seems to have adapted a real occurrence to his story.

my stay in town, and behold! a page brought me a perfumed packet, containing the left hand glove which my dear mistress promised as a token. Thereupon we went secretly, and at a safe hour, to the house in Marybone Park, where we found her sitting on cushions with some damsels round her, and they looked at me as if they had all learnt those rhetorical figures which Puttenham recommends in his Art of Poesythe fleering frump-the broad flout, and the sly nip. For mine own part, I kissed her hand as my custom ever was, and she putting aside her cards, for she always loved them for her recreation, asked me what I thought of her maidens. Truly, madam,' said I, it seemeth to me that they are as ill off as your grace was at Hunsdon, when your governess was fain to beg my Lord Cromwell to let you have wherewithal to make body-stitchets and kerchiefs, having none left.' Whereto she made answer that her ladies were learning Greek, Latin, Spanish, Italian, and French, besides handling lutes, citharnes, pricksong, and all kinds of music. They learned all that in your grace's court,' said I- but if there be any tongue among them as skilled in learning as your own, it will make the proudest man quake like Zisca's drum.' Then Sir John bade me hold my peace, for that sentence was written by a bishop for the last part of a funeral sermon.

I know that,' said I, and there is never any thing good in a funeral sermon but the text and the conclusion.'The queen laughed, and bidding me stand before her, asked what a man was thinking of who thought of nothing.

May it please your highness,' said I, of a woman's promise.'- Well said,' quoth she; anger makes a fool

Never

witty, but it keeps him poor. theless, Sir Christopher, I keep in mind my word that thou should'st always be my master of the revels, and I sent for thee to teach these girls dancing.'Madam,' I answered,' your grace well knows that I have not danced since your successor came to the throne, and old wood is stiff; and I have not the little fiddle to which it often pleased your highness to dance when you had a mind to vex the Scotch ambassador.'At this-the queen stepped forth, and giving me such a blow as she was wont to give her favourites, bid me go about my business. But as this was the signal or watchwords agreed on by Sir Joha, I bowed humbly, and waited her farther pleasure. Ods'death,' quoth she, laying another box on my ear, ‘I will be mistress here, and have no master-Do my bidding, or be hanged.'— One of her handmaids, an envious minx I doubt not, that bore me a grudge in my young days, sayed, Mayhap a little whipping and a dark chamber to fast in would not be amiss.'-Would'st thou think it, Mall? This withered and wrinkled old queen, whom I have served so long, ordered me forthwith to be beaten with rods, and fed on waterpossets thrice a day till I danced at her bidding, Which I endured man fully seven days and eight hours, till I bethought me that the mayor of Colchester does as much at any king's bidding for his town's charter. Whereupon I have resolved to-morrow to dance if she wills it, and to return home to thee, think no more of kings or queens, mind my books, and make my jests, but take heed who they light on.

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"Thine in all love, "CHRISTOPHER HATTON."

MR. EDITOR,

IN the last number of your Miscellany there appeared an affecting instance of the sagacity of a Shepherd's Dog, the truth of which I can well at

test, for the owner, John Hoy, was my uncle. He was all his life remarkable

for breeding up his Dogs to perform his commands with wonderful promptitude and exactness, especially at a distance from him, and he kept always by the