Page:The Queens of England.djvu/415

 MARY THE FIRST. 373 nious ; the one requiring a million of crowns, while the other would only bestow on his daughter two hundred thousand. Each of the ambassadors employed on this occasion endeav- ored to enhance the merits of the party represented, but with little avail, for the affair ended as similiar ones in less elevated stations have often done, by Plutus having more influence than Cupid ! The ruin of the fair but 'frail Katharine Howard seemed to remove another obstacle from the succession of Mary to the throne. Her brother Edward, after her father, alone stood between her and the throne, to which, notwith- standing all the steps taken by Henry to deprive her of all right, her claims were still tacitly, if not openly, acknowledged by the nation. That Mary now held a more dignified station may be admitted by the fact that she was employed by Henry to negotiate a peace between him and her cousin and former suitor, Charles the Fifth, and was permitted to grant an audience to the Spanish ambassador. The gifts presented to Mary on the Christmas of 1542 were numerous and costly ; and we notice the fair Geraldine, then Lady Browne, and her aged husband, among those who offered their homage on this occasion. Henry did not long remain a widower, and his sixth and last choice fell on Katharine Parr. Mary graced the nuptials with her presence, and as a mark of' favor shown to her, accompanied the king and queen on their extended tour in the country during the summer. The illness to which, for some time previous and ever after, Mary became subject at certain seasons of the year, attacked her during this journey, and she was removed to Ampthill, a place pregnant with sorrowful memories to her, as having been the residence of her mother. She did not join the court again until Christmas, on which occasion Katharine Parr be- stowed on her the very acceptable gift of forty pounds, which came when Mary's finances were reduced to so low an ebb as to have compelled the sale of some articles of her plate. That Henry had never felt any compunctious visitings with regard to his injustice to Mary in despoiling her of her birthright, may be judged by his having decreed that any daughters he might have by Katharine Parr, or by any succeeding wives, should be entitled to the throne in case of default of male issue. Nev- ertheless, in 1554, he caused an act of parliament to be enacted by which Mary was restored to royal rank, but was only to succeed the daughters of Katharine Parr, or those by any future queen of Henry.