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THE LIFE OF THE Lady JANE GRAY. WITH SOME REMARKS ON THE PLAY. In a LETTER to a FRIEND. By William Rufus Chetwood.

DUBLIN: Printed for G. Riſk, Bookſeller, at the London in Dames-ſtreet, over-againſt the Horſe-Guard; where New Plays and Novels are to be Sold. And the Tragedy of Jane Grey, 1715.

THE LIFE OF THE Lady JANE GRAY, &c.

[3]
SIR,

YOU deſired me to ſend you the Life of the Lady Jane Gray. I do aſſure you, my Friend, (and hope to be believ'd) that I ſpent a whole Day in the ſearch, and to as little purpoſe, as he that carry'd a lighted Torch at Noon-day, to look for an honeſt Man. But however, you ſhan't altogether loſe your Longing: For you may, if you pleaſe, read this following Account, Collected out of the beſt, and moſt exacteſt, Hiſtorians.

THis Incomparable Lady was Eldeſt Daughter to Henry Lord Grey, Duke of Suffolk. She was born in the Year 1534. She was Endow'd with all the Graces both of Mind and Body. She gave in her earlieſt Infancy, many Proofs of her growing Piety, and her Veneration for Holy Writ. For once being diverting herſelf with her Companions, one had an occaſion to have ſomething that was above her reach, and taking a large Bible to tread on to get it; the young Lady ſeeing her, wou'd not ſuffer her, and expreſt her Reſentment: She was ſo taken with it, that ſhe broke off their ſport, and retir'd to her Cloſet, more than ordinary Melancholly.

She was a Lady indeed that ſeem'd cut out by Heaven for Greatneſs. As She was a Beautiful and a Graceful Perſon, ſo [4] ſhe was Endow'd with all thoſe Virtues that are eſteem'd by Heaven, and all good Men, as is expreſs'd in the Tragedy of her, by the Poet.

Candour with Goodneſs, Fortitude with Sweetneſs,
Strict Piety, and love of Truth, with Learning,
More than the Schools of Athens ever knew,
Or her own Plato taught—

When ſhe came to years of more ſolid Underſtanding, Dr. Elmer (afterwards Biſhop of London) was her Tutor: And from him ſhe learn'd Latin and Greek, to a Perfection, and wou'd Diſcourſe in thoſe Language upon any Subject, and wou'd give her Sentiments to Admiration. Nay, ſhe delighted in ſuch Conferences: For when others of her Sex and Age were taking their Diverſion abroad, ſhe employ'd her time in Reading. The Lady Elizabeth's Tutor (Roger Aſcham) coming once to wait on her at her Father's Houſe in the Country; was ſurpriz'd to find her alone reading of Plato's Works in Greek, while the reſt of the Family were diverting themſelves with Hunting, (in her Father's Park) and other Rural Diverſions. He ask'd her how ſhe could loſe the ſhare of ſuch Diverſion: She anſwer'd, Thoſe were but faint Shadows of what ſhe enjoy'd in Contemplation there—[pointing to Plato's Phoedon that lay before her] And added ſhe, I eſteem it one of the greateſt Bleſſings of my Life, that I have had ſevere Parents, and a Milder Maſter, which have made me delight with thoſe Companions, which were not like Mankind; for when I find my ſelf weary, I can lay by their Company without commiting a Solieciſm againſt good Manners.

The young King was ever fond of her Company, and as their Ages were much the ſame, ſo was their Fancies and Deſires. As the Poet has it.

From their firſt early Days of Infant Life,
A gentle Band of Friendſhip grew betwixt 'em;
As Brother, and as Siſter, bred together,
Beneath one Common Parents Care they liv'd.
In every Innocent Delight they ſhar'd,
They Sung, and Danc'd, and Sat, and Walk'd together:
She left the ſhining Courts to ſhare his Toil,
To turn with him the Grave Hiſtorian's Page,
And taſte the Rapture of the Poets Song.

[5] She was well read in Sacred, as well as Prophane Hiſtory, and had attain'd to a large Knowledge in Divinity: And at the Age when others were but taſting the Notions of Philoſophy, ſhe had Capacity enough to make a full Feaſt. And with all theſe Advantages of Birth and Parts, ſhe was ſo Humble, ſo Meek, and Pious, that all People both Admir'd and Lov'd her. She had a Mind wonderfully rais'd above the World, and the Pleaſures of it ſhe call'd Vanities.

Lord Guilford, Son to the Aſpiring Duke of Northumberland, by his Father's Politick means, was Marry'd to her on the Third of June 1553, and as well as I can make out in the Twentieth Year of her Age. She expreſt all the ſorrow imaginable at the King's Death, and in his Sickneſs gave him moſt conſtant Attendance, which is finely expreſt in the Poets Lines by Northumberland on the occaſion.

All deſolate, and drown'd in flowing Tears,
By Edward's Bed, the Pious Princes ſits;
Faſt from her lifted Eyes, the pearly Drops
Fall trickling o'er her Cheek, while ſtrong Devotion,
And fervent Zeal pour forth her lab'ring Soul,
And every ſigh is wing'd with Prayers ſo potent,
As ſtrive with Heaven to ſave her dying Lord.

When her Father, the Duke of Northumberland, with the reſt of the Privy Council, came to attend, and hail her Queen, ſhe expreſt a great deal of Reluctancy, and was rather forc'd to take it, out of an Obedience to her Parents, than any deſire of her own. She ſaid the Crown, by Right of Inheritance, was to deſcend to the Siſters of the late King, and that ſhe was unwilling to burden her Conſcience to enrich herſelf with the ſpoils of others. At laſt, for the Safety of the People, and the Maintaining and Preſerving the Reformation, ſhe was won upon to accept the Crown. The Author of the Tragedy of Lady Jane, has expreſt her unwillingneſs in this manner.

Take me, Crown me;
Inveſt me with this Royal Wretchedneſs:
Let me not know one happy Minute more,
Let all my ſleepleſs Nights be ſpent in Care,
My Days be vex'd with Tumults and Alarms,
[6] If only I can ſave you; if my Fate
Has mark'd me out to be the Publick Victim,
I take the Lot with Joy.—Yes, I will Die
For that Eternal Truth my Faith is fix'd on,
And that dear Native Land which gave me Birth.
All that I ask, is, tho' my Fortune frown,
And bury me beneath this Fatal Crown;
Let this one good be added to my Doom,
To ſave this Land from Tyranny and Rome.

She was neither lifted up when ſhe wore the Crown, nor caſt down, when her Palace became her Priſon, but carry'd herſelf in an even Temper of Mind in thoſe great inequalities of Fortune, that ſo ſuddenly exalted, and depreſs'd her. All the Paſſion ſhe expreſt was, that her Father, Mother, and Huſband were involv'd in her ill Fortune. When ſhe had notice that her Sentence of Death was paſt, ſhe did not expreſs the leaſt concern, but bore it with a Conſtancy of Mind beyond thought. The Queen ſent Dr. Fecknam Three Days before to prepare her for Death: He had a long Converſation with her, and anſwer'd to all his Queſtions, with that calmneſs of Mind, and clearneſs of Reaſon, that it was a Wonder to hear, how ſo Young a Perſon of her Sex, cou'd look on Death ſo nigh her with ſo little concern. She ſent a Letter to her Father, to mitigate his Sorrow for her Unhappy End. She rejoyced at aproaching Death, and thought the nigher it appear'd it look'd leſs dreadful. She expreſt a great deal of tenderneſs, when ſhe ſaw her Huſband led out firſt to Execution: He had deſir'd to take leave of her before he dy'd, but ſhe declin'd it, ſince (ſhe ſaid) it wou'd rather be an Addition to her Grief: And ſhe hop'd to meet ſhortly, and be united in a much happier State. She ſaw her Huſband's Headleſs Trunk carry'd by her without any outward concern, or Woman's Wailings, and conſol'd herſelf in knowing ſhe ſhou'd ſoon follow him. When ſhe was brought to the Scaffold (which for fear of the People was built within the Tower) ſhe confeſt ſhe had Sin'd in taking the Crown when it was proffer'd her, but ſhe took it to a good end. She declar'd ſhe dy d a true Chriſtian in the reform'd Faith, but hoped to be ſav'd only, thro the Merits and Sufferings of her Bleſſed Lord and and Saviour Jeſus Chriſt. Then having deſir'd the Peoples Prayers, ſhe repeated the 51ſt Pſam, [7] when after ſome private Devotion, ſhe undreſs'd herſelf, put her Hankerchief herſelf upon her Eyes, then laying her Head upon the fatal Block, ſhe reſign'd her Breath to him who gave it her.

Thus fell this Great, this Good, and Pious Lady, which ſeem'd by Virtue to be form'd for Greatneſs, which may be as an Example to the World of the Mutability of Fortune: And I think our Poet has been very exact in his Characters in following the truth of Hiſtory. Nothing can Deſcribe the Haughty Ambitious Northumberland better than himſelf, in the following Lines, where he ſeems to have laid the Scheme of his deſigns even before the King's Death.

She muſt be here, and lodg'd in Guilford's Arms
E're Edward Dyes, or all we have done is Marr'd,
Ha! Pembroke! that's a Bar that thwarts my way;
His fiery Temper brooks not oppoſition,
And muſt be met with ſoft and ſubtile Arts,
With crouching Courteſie and Hony'd Words,
Such as Aſſwage the fierce and bend the Strong.

See Baker's Chronicle, in giving an account of Northumberland, Marching with his Troops out of London. The 14th of July he March'd thro' Shoreditch with 2000 Horſe and 6000 Foot, and tho' there were many Spectators in the Streets as he paſs'd, none wiſh'd him Succeſs. Now judge how high the Poet comes, where he makes Pembroke a Spectator.

I ſaw him Marching at his Army's Head,
I mark'd him Iſſuing thro' the City Gates;
And (for he wore his Beaver up) cou'd read
Upon his Viſage Horror and Diſmay.
No Voice of friendly Salutation cheer'd him,
None wiſh'd his Arms might thrive, or bad Heaven ſpeed him:
But thro' a Staring ghaſtly looking Croud,
Unhail'd, Unbleſt, with heavy Heart he went.

The Duke of Northumberland went back to Cambridge to wait for more Succours from London; but hearing how Matters were carry'd, he diſmiſt his Troops, and went to the Market-place, only Accompanied with the Mayor, and himſelf, for want of a Herald, flung up his Cap (for Joy) and cry'd, God Save Queen [8] Mary. But the Earl of Arundel came with orders from the Queen to apprehend him, as one guilty of Treaſon, and brought him from Cambridge to the Tower on the 25th of July, and on the 22d of Auguſt 1553 was Beheaded. This paſſage is deſcrib'd by the Duke of Suffolk to his Daughter the Lady Jane.

With ſome ſew Followers he arriv'd at Cambridge,
But there, even they forſook him, and himſelf,
Was forc'd with heavy Heart, and watry Eye,
To caſt his Cap up with diſſembled Chear,
And cry, God ſave Queen Mary: But alaſs!
Little avail'd the Semblance of that Loyalty;
For ſoon thereafter by the Earl of Arundel,
With Treaſon was he charg'd, and there Arreſted:
And now they bring him Priſoner up to London.

I muſt confeſs in my Judgment there is a great many fine thoughts in this Play, but I leave 'em to yours; only I muſt beg leave to point you out one, and ſo conclude, for I reckon by this time you're as tir'd with Reading, as I with Writing.

It is in the Concluſion of the 4th Act, where Guilford is bewailing the Loſs of each other in Death: But ſhe endeavours to comfort him, by telling him they ſhall meet again.

Behold the Univerſal Works of Nature,
Where Life ſtill Springs from Death. To us the Sun
Dies every Night, and every Morn revives.
The Flow'rs, which Winter's Icy Head deſtroy'd,
Lift their fair Heads, and live agen in Spring.
Mark with what Hopes upon the furrow'd Plain,
The Careful Ploughman caſts the pregnant Grain
There hid as in a Grave, a while it lies,
Till the revolving Seaſon bids it riſe,
Till Natures Genial Pow'rs Command a Birth,
And potent call it from the teeming Earth;
Then large increaſe the buried Treaſures yeild,
And with full Harveſt Crown the plenteous Field.

I ſhall trouble you no farther, and I ſhall think my Pains amply required if this Succinct (but true) Account can give any ſatisfaction to the entire Frend of

Sir
Your Humble Servant, W. R. C.
FINIS.
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Zitationsvorschlag für dieses Objekt
TextGrid Repository (2020). TEI. 3349 The life of the Lady Jane Gray With some remarks on the play In a letter to a friend By William Rufus Chetwood. University of Oxford Text Archive. . https://hdl.handle.net/21.T11991/0000-001A-5C53-0