recklessness in his antagonist, and once blood was
drawn from the wrist of the great man; but at length Lempriere went upon
the aggressive. Here he erred, for Leicester found the chance for which
he had manoeuvred--to use the feint and thrust got out of Italy. He
brought his enemy low, but only after a duel the like of which had never
been seen at the Court of England. The toreador had slain his bull at
last, but had done no justice to his reputation. Never did man more
gallantly sustain his honour with heaviest odds against him than did the
Seigneur of Rozel that day.

As he was carried away by the merry gentlemen of the Court, he called
back to the favourite:

"Leicester is not so great a swordsman after all. Hang fast to your
honours by the skin of your teeth, my lord."

CHAPTER XIV

It was Monday, and the eyes of London and the Court were turned towards
Greenwich Park, where the Queen was to give entertainment to the French
Envoy who had come once more to urge upon the Queen marriage with a
son of the Medici, and to obtain an assurance that she would return to
France the widow of the great Montgomery and his valiant lieutenant,
Michel de la Foret. The river was covered with boats and barges,
festooned, canopied, and hung with banners and devices; and from
sunrise music and singing conducted down the stream the gaily dressed
populace--for those were the days when a man spent on his ruff and his
hose and his russet coat as much as would feed and house a family for a
year; when the fine-figured ruflier with sables about his neck, corked
slipper, trimmed buskin, and cloak of silk or damask furred, carried his
all upon his back.

Loud-voiced gallants came floating by; men of a hundred guilds bearing
devices pompously held on their way to the great pageant; country
bumpkins up from Surrey roystered and swore that there was but one
land that God had blessed, and challenged the grinning watermen from
Gravesend and Hampton Court to deny it; and the sun with ardour drove
from the sky every invading cloud, leaving Essex and Kent as far as eye
could see perfect green gardens of opulence.

Before Elizabeth had left her bed, London had emptied itself into
Greenwich Park. Thither the London Companies had come in their varied
dazzling accoutrements--hundreds armed in fine corselets bearing
the long Moorish pike; tall halberdiers in the unique armour called
Almainrivets, and gunners or muleteers equipped in shirts of ma