wood, let us now see what is toward at Long Ichington. Here Leicester had received the Queen with a great feast, and after she had rested during the heat of the day, about five o'clock they set out for Kenilworth Castle. 5 It had been arranged that they should hunt the hart on the way; and as it was but seven miles from Long Ichington to Kenilworth, Leicester had planned that the wayside hunt would bring them to the Great Gate of his castle about eight in the evening, where he had in waiting for 10 the Queen the most magnificent preparations that had ever been seen in England. Soon after the brilliant cavalcade left Long Ichington, the Queen spurred her horse into the forest. A longing to be quite alone among the great oaks possessed her; 15 and so, waving her hand to her attendants, with instructions to Leicester to follow, she galloped forward until she found herself out of sight of humanity. Then she tossed the reins on her horse's neck and slowly walked him over the turf betwixt the oaks, inhaling the sweet, pungent breaths 20 that floated about the forest, and saying to herself: "Would the air of courts was so sweet! Why be men's souls so foul, and trees so fresh!" Presently, while she was absorbed in thought, with head declined on her bosom, her horse pointed his ears forward, 25 lifted his head, and stopped, in such a way as, though gentle enough, had nearly thrown her from the saddle. “What, Roger!" she said; and, quickly recovering herself, looked forward. A few feet distant she saw a slender-limbed boy lying stretched on the green bank of a brook; one hand 30 was resting on an open volume of poems, the other lying near an undevoured slice of venison pasty. The Queen's eyes sparkled; she had all a woman's eye for a cunning sight or a pretty situation. Dismounting from her horse, she stole on tiptoe to young Shakespeare for it was 35 he, still dreaming of his love - knelt by him, and bent over to kiss the lips which were parted in the ravishing smile of a dream. The rustle of her long drapery half awoke the boy, and with eyes partly open, though not yet freed from his dream, 5 he murmured, "Elizabeth!" Then, coming to full consciousness, he opened his great eyes wide on the radiant face which was bending over him, and lay still, in a maze of wonder and pleasure. "Thou hast the best taste of any lad in England," said 10 the Queen, and broke into peals of laughter which rang through the forest. "To murmur 'Elizabeth' at waking! Do the very boys in Warwickshire dream of me, Leicester?" she cried, as the earl made his appearance between the trees, and rapidly advanced, in almost as great a maze 15 as Shakespeare's at seeing the figure of the Queen bending over what seemed in the distance like the figure of a man. "Leicester, here is thy most dangerous rival. Do not eye his book. Here's a lad that eats his very venison pasty 20 seasoned with sonnets, sleeps by the sweetest pool in all thy Warwickshire woods, and, to crown all, breathes Elizabeth's name when he is but half awake." 25 "I pray the venison be not out of my park, got by night," said Leicester, coming up to the Queen. "Nay," she rejoined; "we shall have thee claiming the poetry next; but thou canst not, for it is Wyatt's-God rest his soul!- and not Leicester's." At the second sound of his name young Shakespeare for the first time remembered his errand. 30 "I pray you," he said, "are you my lord of Leicester?" "Yea," cried the Queen, with a roguish tone in her voice; "and would be my lord of the universe an he had but his way." "Then," continued Shakespeare, "here is a packet for 35 your Grace"; and herewith he pulled out the hunting gloves and presented them to the earl. The Queen's mirth deepened, while a slight shade of half-amused chagrin crossed Leicester's face, as the boy proceeded to relate the history of the packet. "Last night," he said, "about 5 midnight came one from Kenilworth to my father, John Shakespeare, the glover of Stratford, and banged us out of our beds at midnight, and said the Earl of Leicester would hunt with the Queen to-day, and his Grace's brave hunting gloves were stolen, and his Grace's gentleman 10 therefore bid my father send him a pair of the bravest hunting gloves to Long Ichington to-day against his Grace's calling for them; and here are they, worked with his Grace's arms, and the two ragged staves of silver in white silk," finished Shakespeare, with some pride in the prompt 15 performance of his commission. The Queen laughed, as this narrative concluded, till the forest echoed, and rallied Leicester unmercifully. Presently she took up Shakespeare's books and cried: "Mark you, my lord of Leicester, upon what milk this baby feeds. 20 Here is Kit Marlowe's tragedy of Tamburlaine and of Edward. the Second, and thumbed, too; and do but listen, my lord of Leicester, to this"; and here the Queen struck an attitude and recited: 30 "And wilt thou leave me thus, "Nay," continued the Queen, in a sudden caprice, as Leicester moved with impatience to get her forward; "nay, thine Elizabeth will not leave thee thus; if thou drinkest in Marlowe and Wyatt thou hast a deep eye, look at me straight! - if thou drinkest Marlowe so early, 35 come with me; I hear my lord Leicester hath prepared me such shows and plays and poesies at Kenilworth as never 5 mortal beheld. Mount, young Brakespeare · "Shakespeare," corrected the lad. “Nay, if thou shake a spear, thou shouldst break it, lad; but come, Shakespeare, with thine Elizabeth, to Kenilworth." And hereupon the Queen mounted with 10 speed and dashed off for Kenilworth at such a round pace that Shakespeare had great ado in following at a respectful distance. And thus it was that young William Shakespeare came to see the "princely pleasures of Kenilworth," which he, 15 in Midsummer Night's Dream, afterwards recalled to the mind of Queen Elizabeth by Oberon's vision of Cupid, all armed, flying betwixt the cold moon and the earth. HELPS FOR STUDY In what years did Elizabeth reign in England? What is a “dicing house ”? Explain "here is a great ado as far off as Killingworth." Why does the horseman say, "There is no man but thee can mend it"? What are pageants? Have you ever seen any? Explain "Domesday"; "upper and nether millstone"; "bravest new pair"; "belike"; "gentry"; "to prank in"; "arms of my lord of Leicester"; "two ragged staves.” Why do you think the boy Shakespeare's mother urged his request? What effect did the woods in the early summer morning have upon the boy? What is a "strolling tinker"? A "thorp"? Explain "admonished him to look about." What is a "venison pasty"? What did Shakespeare mean by "though I cared not to munch by the roadside with Jack and Jill"? Explain "feeding body and soul at the same time"; "making fantastic application to his own case"; "let us now see what is toward at Long Ichington." What is a hart? Explain "brilliant cavalcade"; "pungent breaths"; "seasoned with sonnets"; "half-amused chagrin' "rallied Leicester unmercifully"; "sudden caprice"; "poesies"; "round pace"; "had great ado in following." Select all the word pictures in this story. NOTES In 110: 17 Kenilworth. A town in Warwickshire, England, in which was Kenilworth Castle, where the Earl of Leicester (les'ter) entertained Queen Elizabeth with great magnificence. The Castle was founded about 1120, and was long noted as a royal residence. 1562, it was granted to the Earl of Leicester by the queen. It is the scene of Scott's novel, "Kenilworth." Among the notable features of the ruins are the Norman keep, the picturesquely traceried banquet hall, and the many towers of the outer defence. 110:20 Lord of Leicester. Robert Dudley (1532 or 1533-1588), an English courtier, politician and general, son of John Dudley, the Duke of Northumberland. 113:13 Tottel's Miscellany. This collection of poetical miscellany was issued in 1577 by Richard Tottel. It contained the songs and sonnets of Sir Thomas Wyatt and the Earl of Surrey, Grimald, and others. 113:19 Wyatt's. Sir Thomas Wyatt (1503-1542), an English diplomatist and poet. He was sent by Henry VIII on various diplomatic missions. 116: 20 Kit Marlowe's. Christopher Marlowe (1564-1593), an English poet and dramatist. As "Tamburlaine was not licensed for publication until 1590, and “Edward the Second," 1593, it will be seen that Marlowe is put before his time. 117: 16 Oberon's. Oberon is the king of the fairies in medieval mythology. 117:16 Cupid. The Roman god of love, son of Venus and Mercury. ADDITIONAL SELECTIONS Song of the Chattahoochee The Marshes of Glynn The Mocking Bird Sunrise Song for the Jaquerie Tampa Robins The Stirrup Cup Ballad of Trees and the Master |