Page:The Ancestor Number 1.djvu/63

 THE ANCESTOR 29 of the eighth Earl of Northumberland. He was suspected of plotting in favour of Mary Queen of Scots, imprisoned in the Tower of London, and found dead in his cell from a pistol shot, supposed to have been self-inflicted. The miniature is inscribed, ' Vere noblisissimus et magnanimus Henricus Percy, Northumbriae Comes,' and on the light-blue background, ' Ano. D'ni. 1585. ^tatis Suae 54.' The date 1585 would be the year of his death. An interesting family portrait is that of Isabella wife of the third Earl of Rutland and daughter of Sir Thomas Holcroft ; this is inscribed, 'Anno Dni. 1572. ^tatis Suae 20,' and is most likely by Nicholas Hilliard, though it is not signed. From an historical point of view the Raleigh portraits are perhaps the most interesting and curious, so a detailed descrip- tion of them here may not be out of place. Sir Walter is depicted in armour inlaid with gold, and on the blue back- ground is the inscription, ' ^t. 68, Anno 161 8,' the year of his execution. On the left side of the vignette, below the portrait, is the word ' Calis,' and opposite to it ' Fial.' The probability is that Calis stands for Cadiz and Fial for Fayal, where naval fights took place in which Raleigh much distin- guished himself. The vignette represents the attack upon Fayal. The following description of the beautiful miniature case (which is also intended to contain the portrait of the son) is taken from the Catalogue of the Exhibition of European Enamels held by the Burlington Fine Arts Club in 1897 : ' Oval minia- ture case of gold, about 2^ in. by nearly 4 in. English Cloi- sonne. End of sixteenth century. The pattern is a floral arabesque, worked in gold cloisons, on a black background with flowers in translucent green. In the centre is a heart- shaped lozenge under a W, while beneath it is the monogram E.R. all in green translucent enamel. The shapes and the front of the ornaments over the portrait are picked out in black.' This case, bearing the entwined initials W. E. R. (Walter and Elizabeth Raleigh) and heart, was no doubt pre- served and worn by Lady Raleigh as a souvenir of her ill- fated husband and son, for the son's portrait originally fitted into the back of the case, its present frame being a more modern one. The young Walter Raleigh must have been extremely handsome, if his portrait is a faithful likeness, with black hair, regular features and dark eyes. The blue back- ground is inscribed, ^ Mt. suae 24, Anno Do. 161 8.' On the