lum, her glory and her greatness would have suffered no diminution. In truth it may be doubted whether Mary would have had it in her power to have been a greater scourge to Elizabeth, had her liberty been granted, than she exerted during her confinement.

Elizabeth has been much censured for her severity towards Stubbs; but his invectives, against what he termed 'The discovery of the gaping gulf wherein England is likely to be swallowed by another French marriage,' was deemed a seditious appeal to the passions and prejudices of the nation, which the queen felt bound to suppress. Her treatment of Sir Philip Sidney evinces her superiority to the vanity and selfconceit of which she has so often been accused. Such had ever been the devoted loyalty of Sir Philip, that the queen imputed his interference in this projected marriage, to his sincere desire of saving her from the evils he foreboded, and was thought to be deeply moved by his arguments, albeit some of them were of a character which might be deemed offensive to the vanity and self-complacence of any female, more especially when the lover is approved, as may in this instance be supposed from the encouragement given by Elizabeth to the urgent suit of the Duke of Anjou; for we are not disposed to ascribe her conduct to political management alone, or to what has been termed crooked policy; but it should be had in remembrance, that at an early period it was necessary to preserve a show of amity with those powers she could not openly oppose.

But, whatsoever may have been said to disparage the character of the English queen, it is an established

fact, that notwithstanding the numberless difficulties she had to encounter, England had arisen to a state of unequalled prosperity during her reign,—great among the nations of the earth. If she exacted obedience, it was for the general good; and the folly and perversity of seeking for hidden springs of action must be perceived by all who attend to the extraordinary success which crowned all her political movements. These all had a straight-forward direction to promote the prosperity of her people and to protect the protestant religion; and although by a wise policy she did not openly declare her intentions, and was at times compelled to temporize, these objects were kept steadily in view without any deviation. She generously assisted the protestants in the Low Countries with large sums of money before she openly declared in their favor, and had supported the king of Navarre by her negotiations in Germany, and also by large sums of money which she remitted him, albeit she was very unwilling to burden her people; whilst her parsimony, as it has been invidiously styled, had it been so in reality, would have prevented her generous interference; yet herein we find only that attention to economy and care that no part of the revenue should be embezzled or misapplied, which enabled Elizabeth to accomplish so many great objects. Had the world been blessed with sovereigns like queen Elizabeth, its fate would have been changed, and those improvements, whose advance is so tardy, might ere this have been realized.

We have previously noticed that our intention at first was merely to remark that, in our opinion, Mr

Prescott had not done justice to the character of the English queen, by making no allowance for the peculiar circumstances under which she was placed. Yet it afterward occurred to our minds, that, by exhibiting some of the principal events of this celebrated reign, a more correct judgment could be formed of the degree of comparison, which could be substituted between Elizabeth of England and Isabella of Spain. With a view to a better understanding of the estimation in which the former was held by her subjects, we have briefly narrated the enthusiastic attentions paid by them to their royal mistress, during her progresses through her kingdom, and the splendid pageantries exhibited for her entertainment.

This attempt to do justice to the wonderful talents of Elizabeth is, we are aware, somewhat desultory, yet it is hoped that its conciseness will recommend it to some, who might, from a general view, adopt the erroneous opinions too commonly embraced. We are aware of the prejudice which exists in the minds of common thinkers against queen Elizabeth; the male part overlooking her great endowments as a sovereign, because she appeared to them to want those feminine qualities which would have made her an agreeable companion; and the females, as well as the other sex, are annoyed by her intellectual superiority, and they fear to advocate that strength of mind which is deemed to be the peculiar attribute of men; yet, laying aside all these petty objections, should we not generously pass over all that indicates the imperfections which are attached to natures merely human, in

admiration of her great abilities as a sovereign? England assuredly could never boast of one so truly wise, the great Alfred always excepted; nor can any other country lay claim to a sovereign so devoted to the welfare of their subjects. We also, of America, have a right to boast of queen Elizabeth as one of the great examples of human greatness, for we were then all of England.

WE have asserted that neither at any former period, nor at the present, have the rights of women been any where so little respected by the laws or usages, as in this boasted land of freedom. In proof of this position, one may find in "The First Settlers of New-England" a narration of the arbitrary and humiliating restraints to which women are subjected by our code of laws, and the inference relative to the ills which devolve on society at large, from this unwise and partial distribution of justice.

A slight retrospect has also been taken of the customs and manners of the ancient Jews, and some others, in connection with this subject. It may be well to extend our views to a more remote period, as the influence of women can be traced from the beginning of time. It may be here remarked, that as Adam assumed no authority over Eve, and was as easily overcome by temptation, we may assume that the same elements entered into their composition. Nay, the serpent found it necessary to use some arguments to in

duce our first mother to transgress the divine cornmand;* but the man could find no other excuse than the simple affirmation :-" The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.'

Sarah, the wife of the patriarch Abraham, commanded her husbund to cast out the bondwoman and her son, for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, even with Isaac ;' and albeit the thing was very grievous in the sight of Abraham, he harkened to the voice of Sarah. Indeed, through the whole transaction, Abraham appears to have been very passive and submissive to his wife in all things; Sarah was however a very important personage, as we find the blessings promised to Abraham all had reference to the seed of Sarah,-as in Isaac alone were all the nations of the earth to be blessed.

Rebecca appears not to have acquired much influence over her husband, and of course was induced to practise a bold stratagem to obtain the blessing for Jacob, which Isaac had determined to bestow on Esau, and thus sacrificed her own and her son's honor and integrity, in the hope of obtaining a temporal good, and thus sowing perpetual discord between her sons. Artifice is the usual resort of the injured, who have no other way of obtaining redress. Had Isaac and Rebecca been possessed of any true wisdom, they would have united in making their children happy by a manifestation of their parental love. By the indulgence of a weak or vicious partiality and the perpetual desire of power, how much strife and division has been en

* Ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.