Queen of This Realm - Plaidy Jean. Страница 120

I had scored a victory over the she-wolf, which brought me some satisfaction, though it did not ease the ache in my heart.

IF ONLY HE HAD been beside me how I would have reveled in those celebrations which were taking place all over the country in honor of the great victory over the Spanish armada.

The most important of them all was the thanksgiving at St Paul's when I rode in state through the city of London attended by members of my Privy Council, the bishops, judges and nobles of the land. I sat in a triumphal chariot shaped like a throne with a canopy over it in the form of a crown. Two white horses drew this and next to me rode my newly appointed Master of Horse, Robert Devereux, Earl of Essex.

It gave me some comfort to look at him. He was not Robert, of course, but there was an indefinable charm about him, and I had a special fondness for him. He lacked Robert's suave manners; very few of my men were as outspoken as Essex; he was the sort of man who would make no concessions in his conversation … even to his Queen. But he admired me. I knew that because I read it in his eyes, in his gestures; and being the young man he was his feelings must be sincere. With most of the others I should have known they were looking for advancement, but with Essex, he must admire me for he would not pretend to do so if he did not. In a way Essex was in love with me. It may seem absurd for a young man of his age to feel love for an old woman, but it was a special sort of love. It was not a physical emotion. That would have been abhorrent to me… but a kind of adoration. It might have been for my royalty or my strength of character; but there were times when he appeared to be dazzled by my person. I was always bejeweled with emeralds, rubies and diamonds and my gowns were decorated with scintillating aglets; my ruffs often sparkled with tiny diamonds; so I was a figure of splendid royalty. But Essex had a special kind of devotion to give me which was different from that I received elsewhere. All my beautiful men—Raleigh, Hatton, Heneage, Oxford, behaved as though they were in love with me. Some were—Hatton, I think. He had remained a bachelor all his life; not that he—unlike Robert—had hoped for marriage, but simply out of love for me. That was touching. Dear Hatton! Burghley, Walsingham… well, to them I was their beloved Queen and they served me devotedly. But with Essex it was different. There was an element of romance in his feelings for me—and that did more to soothe my pain at the loss of Robert than anything else could, and I must be grateful to him for that.

So it pleased me to see him riding beside me, looking extremely distinguished and handsome with that thick auburn hair and those big expressive dark eyes—that look of Lettice which irritated me a little. I was not sorry that the man I had taken such a fancy to was her son.

We passed through the gates of Temple Bar where I was received by the Lord Mayor and Aldermen, and after the ceremony of the keys the scepter was placed in my hands.

From the Temple to St Paul's the streets were hung with rich cloth and the people crowded out to cheer me. I entered the church under my canopy while the clergy sang the litany; and afterward I listened to the sermon which was given by the Bishop of Salisbury.

His text was: “Thou didst blow with the winds and they were scattered.”

It was more than that, I thought. My gallant seamen did a great deal toward gaining that victory; and the winds which finally scattered the armada—after it was beaten—were responsible for our losing the prizes; the booty from those ships would have covered the cost of the enterprise.

After the service I returned through those decorated streets to the palace of the Bishop of London. The cheers thundered out and I knew that whatever tragedy had come to me, I still held the hearts of my people.

It was a time for rejoicing, and would have been the happiest time of my life if Robert had been beside me.

I was trying to stop thinking of him and I told myself that this victory was my great compensation. We had dispersed the menace of years. The Spaniards had been too crippled, too ignobly defeated, to come again to us. My people revered me. They loved me. There could not have been a reigning monarch who was more beloved by the people.

I had another example of this a few days later when I was returning from the Council. It was December and dark and I came back to my palace lighted by torches.

A rumor had gone around telling the people that if they waited they would catch a glimpse of me. Thus, when I returned I found a crowd gathered at the gates.

A cheer went up as the people saw me and many of them cried: “God save Your Majesty.”

I stopped my coach and called to them: “God bless you all, my good people.”

Then the cry went up again from all assembled there. It was deafening. “God save Your Majesty.”

I was deeply moved. I held up my hand and there was an immediate silence.

“Dear people,” I said, “ye may have a greater prince, but ye shall never have a more loving one.”

They were all about me. I smiled and waved my hand and they saw that I was as affected as they were. Some were in tears and I knew that they would have died for me.

My spirits were uplifted. My life had lost that which had made it joyous, but I had to go on. It was a fortunate ruler who after thirty years of rule could arouse such emotions.

I was amused that the Spaniards should attempt to tell their people that they had had a great victory. Philip must indeed be governing a country of fools. Did not the Spaniards know that they had lost their armada which they had been told was invincible?

A pamphlet which was being circulated throughout Europe came into my hands. It made us laugh. It was so ridiculous. It was supposed to have been written by an eyewitness of the great battle and was called Relations and Advise come to His Majestie from the Happie Fleete whereoff is Generall the Duke of Medina in the Conquest of England.

It explained how the English had been hopelessly defeated, fled or been captured, and the Duke of Medina Sidonia had El Draque as his prisoner.

We ceased to laugh because we feared that some people who were away might believe these lies.

Drake was furious; so was Raleigh; and one of them produced a counterattack in the shape of a pamphlet entitled A Packe of Spanish Lyes, sent abroad to the world Now Ripped Up, Unfolded and by Just Examination, condemned as conteyning false, corrupt and detestable wares worthy to be damned and burned.

How I despised them! They had been overboastful before the conflict. Surely it was tempting fate to call an armada invincible? They had come with their instruments of torture to set up their vile Inquisition in our land with their organization of pious persecution. They had been soundly beaten; and now they sought to cover up their ignoble defeat by telling blatant lies which they hoped the world would believe.

Where was the armada? Where were those braggarts who had set out to conquer England? Many were at the bottom of the ocean, some faring not too comfortably I imagined along the inhospitable coasts.

It is a pitiable nation which is boastful in planning and despicable in defeat.

I ordered that this great victory should not be forgotten. I had two medals struck. One showed the Spanish armada in flight and it was inscribed Venit, Vidit, Fugit. Julius Caesar had said that he came and saw and conquered, so my medal said they came and saw and fled.

The other medal was inscribed Dux Foemina Facti. Well, there were many men who doubted the ability of a woman to rule. In France they had their foolish Salic law which prevented a woman's mounting the throne. It was a mercy there was no such law in England. I wanted the whole world to know that a woman was able to rule as well as a man—in some cases with greater skill.