these epistles of Elizabeth, although they were written under the greatest mental stress and with the greatest responsibility attaching to every word. It cannot be too often repeated that no more desperate, shameful, cruel, malicious, and critical situation ever faced Elizabeth at any time in her long life than in the case we have considered-and the most important fact of all is this: that there was not a friend to advise her. The only guides available were hostile gaolers who were doing their utmost to force her to write some word that would bring herself and her most intimate friends to the direst punishment.

But before leaving this question of Elizabeth's possession of the most extraordinary native mental equipment, let us glance once again at these letters of Elizabeth, to observe something to which historians have only incidentally referred, namely, to their handwriting. To consider it more closely, we recur to the very remarkable communication to the Protector of the 21st of February, 1549, in Chapter I. We reproduce the first and last of it, in the exact size of chirography as it was set down.

Elizabeth was then fifteen and a half years of age. How many of our readers have ever known any one so young who could turn out such a piece of penmanship?

Any student of handwriting, even the most casual, will at once notice that, looked at as a whole, the extract is beautiful. There is not even one letter standing out to attract the eye. The same character is repeated in every detail, even in slant or angle from the perpendicular. In particular, there is the uniform construction of the w by two strokes, a fact that almost escapes one. Then, too, with what great care and uniformity the cross of the t never passes the perpendicular, but is always confined to the right of it!—a supreme test in the view of the handwriting expert. Then there is the ornamentation of certain letters in graceful and pretty scroll-work, complete uniformity of distance between the different lines, their straightness, and the undeviating margin to the left in the absence of any guiding marks.

There is little room for variation in judgment in interpreting the character indications of such graphology. There is no

An exceptionally authoritative, simple, and practical work which we have often employed, is How to read Character in Handwriting, by Henry Frith, London, 1890.

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My Lorite haumige referede your Lordehips letters I parcene in them your goodwil towarde me bicaufe you declare to me plamlic your mynde m this thinge and agame for that you wolde not wische that I shude do any thmoe that shulde not feme good unto the counsel for the wiche tnmize I give you most hartie thankes. And wherds I do understande that you do take minel parte the letters that I did write unto your Lordefhipe Lau verye fore that you shulde take them fo for my mynae was to declare unto you plam lie as I thooth in that thmoe wiche I did aid the more willimgelye bicanfejas I write to you you defires me to be plame with you mal thinges. And as concerninge you write that I feme to stande in my none witre in bemee so wel that porte assured of my none selfe of did assure me of my jelfe nomore than I trust the tructh Thal trie, And to say that wiche I Knewe of my felfe I did not these shulde haue displeased the counsel or your grace And furelye the cause whie that I was forge that they shulde be anye fuche abonte me was bicause that I thooth the people wil fay that I deferued throwoth my lewsle slemenure to haue fuche a one, and not that I milike anye thmoe that your Lorde hope, or the counsel that thinke good for I knowe that you and the counsel archarged with me, or that I tak apon me to rule my selfe for I kno? we the ar most dyfcener that trusteth most in them felues, wherfore I trust you fhal

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your grace Shulde haue so mel a opimon of me that Thane so litel respecte to my none honestic that I wolde manteme it if I had fouficiente proms. of the fame, and so your grace fhal proue me whan it comes to the ponite & And thus I bid you farewel, desiringe god alwass to assiste you m al your affaires. Writen m hast Frome Hatfelde this 21 of Februarye

LETTER TO SOMERSET, ET. 15