Page:Readings in European History Vol 2.djvu/224

 1 86 Readings in European History VII. Mary Queen of Scots and Elizabeth James Melville, a trusted ambassador of Mary Queen of Scots, tells in his Memoirs of an interview with Queen Elizabeth in 1564, when she was thirty-one years of age. 288. Mel- During nine days that I remained at the court it pleased vine's im- ^ QT ^| a i es ty to confer with me every day and sometimes pressions of,. ., , . V. V 1 c Elizabeth thrice in a day, — in the morning, after dinner, and atter in 1564. supper. Sometimes she would say that, seeing she could not meet with the queen [i.e. Mary], her good sister, to con- fer with her familiarly, she was resolved to open a good part of her inward mind to me, that I might show it again to the queen. . . . [She said,] "I am resolved never to marry if I be not thereto necessitated by the queen, my sister's, harsh behavior toward me." " I know the truth of that, madam," said I; "you need not tell me. Your Majesty thinks if you were married you would be but queen of England ; and now you are both king and queen. I know your spirit cannot endure a commander." She appeared to be so affectionate to the queen, her good sister, that she expressed a great desire to see her ; and because their (so much by her desired) meeting could not be so hastily brought to pass she appeared with great delight to look upon her Majesty's picture. . . . The queen, my mistress, had instructed me to leave mat- ters of gravity sometimes and cast in merry purposes, lest otherwise I should be wearied, she being well informed of that queen's natural temper. Therefore, in declaring my observations of the customs of Dutchland, Poland, and Italy, the buskins of the women was not forgot, and what country weed [i.e. costume] I thought best becoming gen- tlewomen. The queen said she had clothes of every sort; which every day thereafter, so long as I was there, she changed. One day she had the English weed, another the French, another the Italian, and so forth. She asked me which of them became her best. I answered, in my