youth; nor had his foibles
become, by indulgence, vices. He loved to see all around him happy; he
loved, more especially, to make them so. He delighted in all the
exercises of the field; he was unrivalled in the tilt and the
tournament; and when engaged in them forgot kings and kingdoms. His
vanity, outrageous as it was, hardly sat ungracefully on him, so much
was it elevated then by buoyant good humour--so much was it softened
at that time by his noble presence, his manly grace, his kingly
accomplishments, and his regal munificence. The stern and selfish
tyrant whom one shudders to think upon, was then only "bluff King
Hal," loving and beloved, courted and caressed by an empire. He gave
himself up to the gaieties of the time without a care for the present,
a thought for the future. Could he have glanced dimly into that
future! But he could not, and he was happy.

FRANCIS was admirably qualified to grace this scene, and to enjoy it,
as probably he did enjoy it, vividly. Yet was this gratification by no
means unalloyed. His gentle manly nature was irritated at certain
stipulations of Henry's advisers, by which their most trivial
intercourse was subjected to specific regulations. There were recorded
instances enough of treacherous advantages taken to justify fully this
conduct on the part of Henry's ministers; but Francis felt its
injustice, as applied to himself, and at that time, made use of a
generous and well-known stratagem to convince others. But in the midst
of his enjoyments he had misgivings on his mind of a more serious
nature, caused by the Emperor's recent visit to Dover. These
misgivings were increased by the meeting between Henry and Charles at
Gravelines; and too surely confirmed by quickly-following
circumstances.

The gentle and good KATHARINE of England, and the equally amiable
Queen CLAUDE, the carefully-trained stepdaughter of the noble and
admirable Anne of Bretagne, probably derived their chief gratification
here from the pleasure of seeing their husbands amicable and happy.
For queens though they were, their happiness was in domestic life, and
their chief empire was over the hearts of those domesticated with
them.

Not so the DOWAGER QUEEN of France--the lively, and graceful, and
beautiful Duchess of Suffolk; for though very fond of her royal
brother, and devoted to her gallant husband, she had yet an eye and an
ear for all the revelries around, and had a radiant glance and a
beaming smile for