Elizabeth her character and times

Papers by Allan Reid (1855 - 1933)

ELIZABETH: HER CHARACTER AND TIMES

31st October 1873 - Read at Excelsior Literary Soc.

One of the most interesting eras in English History is that of the reign of Queen Elizabeth. It is so because to it belong some of the greatest men both in Science and Literature that the country has produced and who stand unequalled in the World's History. In this reign England wrested the sovereignty of the seas from a foreign nation and thus the kingdom has still the honour to retain and during this time discoveries were made in all quarters of the globe. The bleak and pathless but nevertheless wealth producing tract of country on the shores of the Arctic Ocean and the unknown and undreamt of wealth of a western continent were at this time revealed to the awestruck gaze of adventurous mariners. Taking a glance at almost all historical works we find such a diversity of opinions on, and characters assigned to the actors of these bygone ages, that it is difficult to draw a fair picture of any "shining lights". However, by judiciously comparing the various authors we may manage to sketch a somewhat correct picture. With this affirmation I will endeavour to give an account of the character of Elizabeth and her times.

It would be altogether out of place I think in a paper of this sort to speak of or even mention every incident we find recorded in the numerous histories. Secondly, sufficient room is assigned to hear these in History. It is, therefore, needless that we should descend to minor matters of this reign - accordingly we will only touch upon a few of the more particular features of the reign.

Generally speaking Elizabeth is regarded altogether as the "Good Queen Bess": people laying aside and forgetting all concerning her moral character, which was none of the highest if we compare the present with the past. Few will question her force of character when we mark conducting her kingdom through such a stormy and momentous period as that in which we held the sceptre of England. That this period of history required a strong will and keen intelligence must be allowed by everybody. When the rival and equally balanced parties, Protestants and Catholics, were convulsing the land with their mutual and passive animosities it required great prudence on the part of the youthful Queen to abstain from violent demonstrations in favour of her own party to the prejudice and discontent of the opposing. When a Protestant Queen, young in years, ascended England's throne she was surrounded by jealous and powerful potentates animated by blind zeal for their Church, ready to pounce upon and destroy her at the first unguarded moment - Amidst all surrounding dangers and difficulties with mightiest powers of the world arrayed against her, animated with the unquestioning hate of bigotry: the "man queen" guides the storm-tossed bark of her divided state towards a quiet and sheltered harbour.

On the whole we have a blending of good and bad points in Elizabeth's character, the bad almost eclipsed by the good. Thus though evincing great passion for outward show, together with an independent spirit, we see her economical in everything save dress and yielding on the question of her prerogative when public weal was at stake, or when pertinacity ^ would have caused a collision with parliament. Because of the many masculine virtues the Queen possessed, Cecil once remarked, and with great truth "She was more than a man and in truth sometimes less than a woman". A most beautiful feature in the character of Elizabeth was the reverence she paid the Scriptures. These in infancy were her favourite study with her companion, the youthful Edward II. In all triumphs and perils she expressed herself as being under the sole protection of the Almighty. As an example of this we may take the spirit-stirring words which she addressed to her soldiers during the Spanish War. "Let tyrants fear. I have always so behaved myself that, under God, I have placed my chiefest strength and safe-guard in the loyal hearts and good-will of my subjects and therefore I am come amongst you as you see at this time, not for my own recreation and disport, but being resolved in the midst and heat of the battle, to live or die amongst you, to lay down for my God, and for my kingdoms and for my people, my honour and my blood, even in the dust. I know I have the body of a weak and feeble woman, but I have the heart and stomach of a King and a King of England too; and think foul scorn that Parma or Spain, or any Prince of Europe, should dare to invade the borders of my realms to which rather than any dishonour shall grow by me, I myself will take up anew. I myself shall be your general judge and rewarder of every one of your virtues in the field". Surely with such a leader as this an army could do little else than conquer. During her whole reign Elizabeth was the great champion and promoter of the Reformation in England. The Queen was an accomplished scholar - she had a great taste for ladylike accomplishments, indeed she was quite a linguist and no mean poetess. From youth she was a diligent and active student. So high did she stand in the estimation of her tutor, Roger Ascham, that he is said to have given vent to his feelings by exclaiming that "he would challenge all the young men in Oxford and Cambridge, and any ten prebends of any of the cathedrals to equal his one little maiden in her ripeness of knowledge and range of erudition. We are told by a German that visited England at this time that the Queen was mistress of French, Italian, Spanish, Scotch, Dutch and well skilled in Greek and Latin.

With this somewhat hasty glance at the character and acquirements of one of England's greatest queens, we will now speak a little more fully of her reign. England had been nominally at peace with the other powers of Europe: but Elizabeth's lending her aid to the Protestants of Netherlands against Spain at once opened hostilities between the two countries. We have already stated that the two parties, Protestants and Catholics, are convulsing the country with their animosities. The Pope took advantage of this and endeavoured by every possible means to raise the Catholics of England in arms against their sovereign. It was now rumoured that the Spanish King was preparing a large fleet with which to descend upon England. In vain had the Pontiff laboured to scatter dissention through the "threatened nation", for when this crisis had been reached each man stood loyal to his Queen notwithstanding their religious differences. It was at this time Elizabeth rose in full majestic splendour. Inspired by the sovereign each breast glowed with patriotic fire; alike in the peasant and the nobleman. With such a people to deal with little time was lost ere an army of considerable strength was mustered and a navy equipped and soon the whole nation was in arms. When the rumour of the preparations of the Spanish king came to the ears of the English government, Sir Francis Drake put to sea to watch his movements. He ere long discovered that there was great truth in the rumour of an invasion - At length all necessary arrangements were completed and the so-called "Invincible Armada" set sail against England. After several days combating with, and being damaged by, adverse winds, the Armada was seen steering up the English Channel in the form of a crescent, "extending" as it has been said "about seven miles from one extremity to another". The English Commanders, Howard, Drake, Hawkins and Frobisher, all experienced and tried seamen, at once put to sea. The Spanish Admiral having received orders not to attempt a landing on the southern coast, held his way up the English Channel. He encountered Hawkins who keeping up a running fight for a lengthened time, succeeded in disabling and destroying a large number of vessels. One night, a few weeks after the approach of the enemy on English waters Howard threw the Spaniards into the utmost consternation by running several gun-boats amongst them. The following morning an engagement commenced which lasted the entire day. Before sunset the Spanish admiral, with what remnant of his fleet he managed to collect, had abandoned the struggle and was steering Northwards in an attempt to circumnavigate the British Isles to make the best of their way back to Spain. Few, very few, of both men and vessels that had sailed from Lisbon in such glory returned. Howard for want of ammunition was unable to follow up his advantage. The Spaniards sustained more deluge from the elements than they received from the hands of the English. Their vessels were not only large, unwieldy, crafts but at the same time they were under the guidance of men who were for the most part unskilled in nautical affairs. This in some little degree aided in bringing to an end their rash and unsuccessful enterprise. Oft numbers of the adventurers who sailed from England to explore the newly found continent of America were urged on by greed and thirst of gold. The majority of these men on reaching the shores of the "New World" instituted buccaneering and returned home laden with wealth. Even the mighty Drake bemeaned himself by attacking the Spaniards and the inhabitants of South America for the sake of their gold. Oxenham, the first Englishman who sailed the waters of the Pacific Ocean, crossed the Isthmus of Darien, founded a puissance and started to this buccaneering business systematically which he carried on for a short time with great prosperity, but the Spaniards at length seized him and he suffered the death of a pirate.

The darkest blotch on this glorious reign is the execution of the hapless Mary of Scotland. This was an ignoble deed on the part of Elizabeth or rather on the part of the English Parliament in particular and the Nation in general: it is, therefore, unjust to charge, as some do, the Queen alone. The English sovereign had no right either to imprison or put her to death. She came from he own kingdom, a fugitive, asking of her sister-queen a hospitable reception, but instead the unfortunate victim was thrust into a low and unwholesome dungeon and in the end was executed. An opinion very generally held regarding this case is that for "the safety of her life, the security of the state and the protection of the church" Elizabeth sanctioned Mary's death. But even taking these things into consideration and viewing the whole case in the light of justice, we feel bound ay almost compelled to exclaim that such a proceeding was altogether unjustifiable.

This reign is the most brilliant period of English literature. It was in the course of it that Shakespeare gave forth his plays to the world. Together with Shakespeare we have Spencer the famed author of "Faerie Queene". These are still regarded as the two brightest stars in the firmament of English poetry, striving with rival lustre and far surpassing all otherwise vivacity of imagination. Though they stand thus closely knit together as being the two greatest poets of this epoch, still they chose fields for their thoughts vastly different. Spencer has been aptly termed the last "Minstrel of Chivalry" as he delighted in dwelling in and roaming through the land of romance, while Shakespeare dealt more with past history of Greece and Rome and also with that of his own country. But while we have those two adding brilliancy to the Elizabethan era of poetry, we must also take a glance at the prose writers of this time. The principal of these is Hooker whose "Ecclesiastical Polity" is still considered a splendid specimen of both English eloquence and composition. Spedding remarks of it "In Eloquence this work is at this day perhaps the very noblest monument which our language possesses....More than Ciceronian in fullness and dignity of style, it wears with all its richness a sober majesty which is equally admirable and rare". Side by side with Hooker we find two of the greatest philosophical thinkers the country can boast of, Hobbes and Bacon, the latter of whom laid a firm and sure base of modern philosophy. During this epoch Sir Philip Sidney, the literary and military hero, wrote his "Defence of Poesy" and the "Arcadia". Sir Walter Raleigh also now composed his "History of the World" while imprisoned in the Tower of London. Many more names could be mentioned but time will not permit. However, of the few mentioned we may safely and without fear of contradiction, say that their works show very poorly beside those of Hookers.

In turning from literature to examine the "maritime enterprise" of this reign, we are again set face to face with a large and splendid array of England's "great men". And at the same time we find that a great amount of attention was paid to this object and that it received great encouragement both from the Crown and private individuals. In the ranks we may discern Drake, Willoughby and Chancellor (and Cabot of the discovery of the mainland of America. It is said that he reached the coast of Labrador about fourteen months before Columbus came in sight of the American continent). To Chancellor we owe the opening of trade between England and Russia: which since then has been yearly increasing. We have what we might almost call a "coincidence" between the times of Elizabeth and those in which we live, namely:- by history we are told that Ivan the Terrible, the barbaric Czar of Russia, proposed, as it is termed, to Elizabeth, but was refused, whereas in our own day, we see one of our princes proposing to a Russian princess but was accepted, which, as some would say, makes all the difference in the world. In this reign the first voyage round the world was accomplished by Sir Francis Drake. We have also Frobisher, who about this time explored the northern shores of America to a considerable extent. Here also may Sir Walter Raleigh be placed; the introducer of the tobacco and potato into England. This man, who might well be said to have been unfortunate in all his undertakings with his half-brother Gilbert, failed in two separate attempts at colonisation in America. But while we have all these bringing good alike to themselves and their country, we have one man, namely Hawkins, who has caused justifiable anathemas to be invoked on England and Englishmen as being the first person to commence slavery. But more of this again.

Liberty at all times lying dormant but powerful in the human breast for the first time now raised its voice. Fostered by the prudence of the Queen while distasteful to her on account of its partial independence of her, it gradually gained ground till the awful and solemn spectacle of 1649 proclaimed the rising power of freedom and rang the knell of dying feudalism.

Religion too, the noblest and finest basis of our beloved land burst forth like the oft unseen and unheeded bud of spring, which strengthened by the sun's rays appears in all its vigour. In this reign began that blessed and unchecked worship which so materially raises and purifies our moral footing.

But while Religion, Commerce and Freedom form with glowing colours, the bright side of the reign of the "Good Queen Bess", the darker side must not be neglected for "what rose ever bloomed without a thorn or what pleasure was ever unalloyed by care". The deadly sin of Slavery was commenced, which afterwards brought a heavy and terrible penalty - a sure and merited requital. Millions and millions of money were necessary to cleanse the external blot but the inward stain remained. The burdensome yoke has at length been cast off, but the memory remains to cloud and sully the brighter era of fact and mysterious ages. But in spite of all the weight of this foul stain, the commonality will ever preserve a glowing recollection of the days of the "Good Queen Bess".

[Allan has shown the addition of the following quotation at this point: "An exposition and defence of these views of the relation between Church and State, according to which the Reformed Church of England was organised" - Spedding "On the Advancement of Learning" ("On the Advancement of Learning" was written by Francis Bacon, and James Spedding appears to have edited many of his works. Presumably the above quotation was taken from Spedding's comments on "On the Advancement of Learning")]