Page:Public School History of England and Canada (1892).djvu/87

 her; so was Philip of Spain; and so were some of Elizabeth’s subjects.

Mary was Elizabeth’s heir, and this made Elizabeth’s friends anxious. They were afraid that some fanatic would murder Elizabeth to give Mary the crown. So they frequently urged Elizabeth to marry and give them an heir to the throne. She would refuse until sorely pressed by her Parliament, and then would promise to choose a husband. But she never married although she had many lovers and suitors, who, for a time, were encouraged and then quietly rejected. Why she did not marry we do not know. Some think she desired to marry Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, who was for many years her favourite. She knew that if she married a Protestant she would displease her Roman Catholic subjects, whereas if she married a Roman Catholic she would anger her Protestant subjects. So she remained a “Virgin Queen” and found in the love and devotion of her people a partial recompense for the lack of husband and children.

The anxiety of Elizabeth’s subjects was increased when Mary married, in 1565, Lord Darnley her cousin. Darnley, like Mary, was descended from Margaret, Henry VIII’s sister, and his family were Roman Catholics. By this marriage Mary strengthened her claim on the throne of England, and had she now acted with prudence, Elizabeth might have been driven from the throne, or else compelled to recognize Mary as her successor. But Mary, with all her cleverness, could not control her passions, and by giving way to them she lost not only all chance of becoming queen of England, but also caused herself to be driven into exile. She soon tired of her young husband, who was a foolish youth, and wanted to become king, and by his jealousies and follies gave Mary much annoyance. She had an Italian secretary, David Rizzio, with whom she was so intimate that Darnley grew jealous. Aided by a band of rough Scotch lords he broke into Mary’s chamber at Holyrood when she was supping with Rizzio. Rizzio was dragged out and stabbed to death, and his body flung down a staircase near Mary’s chamber. Mary tried to save him but was held back by Darnley while the murder took place. After a time she pretended-to forgive her husband, and three months after the murder, her son, James, was born. Not long after this event, Darnley being ill, Mary had him removed to an old building, Kirk-O’-Field, not