Page:Life and history of Mary, Queen of Scots.pdf/4

THE HISTORY OF, "It (meaning the crown) came with a lass, and it will go with a lass!"

When Mary attained her fifth year, it was determined to send her to France, that she might receive an education befitting her exalted station. She was accompanied by four young ladies of her own age, destined to be her play-fellows in infancy, and her companions when she grew up. They all bore the same name with their mistress, and were called the Queen's Maries.

Mary's education in France was strictly attended to, and she profited by the opportunities of instruction she enjoyed. She was mistress of several languages, and, was not only the most accomplished of her sex, but also, without exception, the most beautiful woman of her time. Her countenance was lovely; she was tall, well formed, graceful in all her actions, and her amiable and condescending manners gained the heart of all who approached her.

At this period, two powerful parties contended for the favour of the Scottish Queen. Henry VIII of England, her paternal uncle, backed by the interest of her Protestant subjects in Scotland, wished her to marry his son, Prince Edward; and, on the other hand, her mother, the Queen Regent, with her uncles the Dukes of Guise, laboured to bring about a marriage betwixt her and the eldest son of the King of France. This they ultimately accomplished; and she was accordingly