e invasion, and sent it to Ireland under the command of a man who was
utterly unfit for the place. And when, beset by enemies, harassed by
defeat, and overwhelmed with shame, the impetuous and noble-hearted
Essex rushed into the presence of majesty as a lover would have sought
his mistress, her woman's heart forgave him all. Had this frame of mind
continued, had not the resumed majesty of the queen condemned what the
woman forgave, the world would have been spared the consummation of
one of the most mournful tragedies in history, and the last days of
Elizabeth might have been serene and happy, instead of being tortured
with anguish and despair.

The former of these sentiments made her an object of dread, the latter
of ridicule; and both conspired to render her tyrannical. But she was
not a tyrant in the full sense of the word. She never acted upon the
nation with that degrading influence which is always the attendant of
selfish, cold-hearted, and perfidious tyranny; she never had the power,
and we doubt if she ever had the wish, to make slaves of her people. She
understood the English character; she comprehended, appreciated, and
admired its nobleness; and she had sagacity enough to see that this very
character constituted her chief glory. A thorough and hearty affection
subsisted between her and her people; an affection Which was increased
and cemented by many circumstances of a nature not to be forgotten. As a
nation, England had been persecuted, distressed, and trampled upon
during the reign of Mary. The party which triumphed in the ascendency of
the Roman Catholic religion was small; the great majority of the people
were not very zealous in favor of one side or the other; they had been
ready to welcome Protestantism under Edward VI, and they were not
disposed to fight against the Church of Rome under Mary. The number of
zealous papists, they who were in favor of the rack and the stake, was
not more than a thirtieth part of the nation. The other twenty-nine
parts, though perhaps nearly equally divided on the question of
religion, condemned alike the bigotry of their melancholy sovereign and
looked on with sorrowful indignation while the bloody Mary, assisted
by a few narrow-minded bigots, was carrying on the infernal work of
persecution. It was a sorrow and a shame to all true Englishmen, whether
Catholic or Protestant; and the hated Philip felt the effects of their
vengeance till the day of his death.

In these tim