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got himself as to endeavour to raise an insurrection in London. But the plot having been discovered, he was condemned to die. Elizabeth was much grieved at this; in former years she had given him a ring, and had told him that if at any time he should be in trouble he was to send the ring to her.

Essex, in his necessity, sent her the ring; but the Countess of Nottingham, his secret enemy, to whom he intrusted it, kept it. The Queen, thinking that Essex was obstinate, gave orders for his execution. The Countess of Nottingham, on her deathbed, revealed her treachery to Elizabeth. The Queen was stunned with horror, and seizing the Countess by the arm, she shook her violently and exclaimed, "God may pardon you—I never can!" Elizabeth did not recover this shock, but died a few days after at Richmond, in the seventieth year of her age and the forty-fifth of her reign.

JAMES THE FIRST.

1603-1625.

JAMES the Sixth of Scotland, and the First of England, was descended from Margaret Tudor, daughter of Henry VII., and, at the death of Elizabeth, was the undoubted heir to the English throne. By his accession, the crowns of England and Scotland were united, and from that time the British Isles have formed one empire.

He

James was an excellent scholar, but was very vain of his learning. He was awkward in person and ungraceful in manners. spoke broad Scotch, and had an unpleasant mode of uttering his words, as if his tongue were too large for his mouth.

He had been married to Anne, daughter of the King of Denmark; and at his accession he had three children,-Henry, Eliza

beth, and Charles. Charles was such a weak, sickly child, that none of the ladies of the court were willing to take charge of him, lest he might die while under their care.

Very soon after his coronation a plot was discovered, the object of which was to place the Lady Arabella Stuart, a cousin of the King, on the throne. Among those who were concerned in it was the famous Sir Walter Raleigh, who was one of the chief favourites of Queen Elizabeth. Sir Walter, with several others, was condemned to death. He was, however, reprieved, and confined in the Tower for thirteen years. After that time he spread a report that he knew where there was a rich gold-mine in South America. The King permitted him to go and find it. Raleigh was unsuccessful, and on his return was again imprisoned, and beheaded in accordance with his former

sentence.

There is little doubt that this

cruel act was committed to please the Spanish court, who disliked Sir Walter.

In 1605, the conspiracy known by the name of the Gunpowder Plot was discovered. The Roman Catholics had expected great indulgence from James, on account of his mother, Mary of Scotland; but they were mistaken, as James adhered as steadily to the Protestant faith as Queen Elizabeth; and several of them in their disappointment determined to destroy both the King and the Parliament. For this purpose they hired a large vault under the Parliament House, and placed there some barrels of gunpowder, concealed with faggots and billets of wood. Guy Fawkes, a bold and zealous man, was to set fire to them at the appointed time. A few days before the meeting of Parliament, a nobleman named Lord Monteagle received a mysterious letter from an unknown friend, advising him to retire into the

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