No. 150, Oct. 27, No. 151, Æt. 68. Nov. 22, 1601. No. 152, Jan. 29, 1602. No. 153, Æt. 68. Feb. 20, 1602. No. 154, Æt. 68. rebellion.-F. C.) are over, and yet she always keeps a sword by her table . . . so disordered is all order that her highness hath worn but one change of raiment for many days; and swears much at those that cause her griefs in such wise. . ."-Letter from Elizabeth's godson, Sir John Harrington, to Sir Hugh Portman, in Nuga Antiquæ, vol. i. p. 46, ed. 1769. "The Queen in all her robes had fallen the first day of the parliament, if some gentlemen had not suddently cast themselves under that side that tottered, and supported her."-Lord Henry Howard (acting for Sir Robert Cecil) to the Earl of Marr (acting for James VI.), Secret Corresp. of Cecil and James, by Haile, p. 26. "Whilst the duke of Lennox was on his embassy in France, news came that the Queen was dangerously ill. The King of France being with some of the princes, one of them said that once upon a time on a similar occasion a bastard of Normandy conquered England; . . ."-Statement of a Spy of the Adelantado of Castile. He left Bristol November 22. Group 31.-Et. 68 to 69 and 5 mos. (1602) "Elizabeth has had three or four days of pain in her left arm."-French Ambassador to Paris. "I was sorry to hear of the Queen's' craziness,' and pray for her long and perfect health as the main pillar of our general good."-Geo. Gilpin from The Hague. Her arm still troubles her. she (Elizabeth) is in very good health, but taking this year less exercise April 8, 1602. than she is used to, for her arm still troubles her and prevents her riding on horseback."-M. de Beaumont, French Ambassador, to his King. No. 156, Elizabeth tells French Ambassador at London that she was a-weary of life" and with sighs and tears bemoans Essex and explains why she beheaded him. 66 Wednesday night the Queen was not well, but would not be known of it, for the next day she walked Aug. 6, 1602. abroad in the park, lest any should take notice of it.... The day of the remove, Her Majesty rode on horseback all the way, which was ten miles, and also hunted, and No. 157, Æt. 69. Uncertain; Essex d. whether she was weary or not I leave to your censure." -Earl of Northumberland to Lord Cobham. "Our queen is troubled with a rheum in her arm, which vexeth her very much. . . . She sleepeth not so much by day as she used, neither taketh rest by night. Feb. 25, 1601. Her delight is to sit in the dark, and sometimes with shedding tears to bewail Essex."-Rept. of unknown correspondent of James VI. from London, Advocates' Lib., Edinb., A1, 34, n. 35. No. 158, Æt. 69. Nov. 26, 1602. No. 159, Æt. 69. Dec. 27, 1602. No. 160, 4 mos. Jan. 12 to Feb. 20, 1603. "... she can do no more, and her strength is so exhausted that when she has been on horseback for an hour she has to rest for two days."-French Ambassador to Paris. Our dear Queen . . . doth bear show of human infirmity, too fast for that evil which we shall get by her death, and too slow for that good which we shall get by her releasement from pain and misery. It was not many days since I was bidden to her presence I. found in her a most pitiable state . . . I replied that I had seen him (Tyrone, for whom she inquired) with my Lord Deputy (Essex). She looked up with much choler and grief in her countenance . . . and hereat she dropped a tear and smote her bosom. She held in her hand a golden cup which she often put to her lips; but in sooth her heart seemeth too full to lack more filling. (Later the same day she said to him)' Thou seest my bodily meat doth not suit me well; I have eaten but one ill-tasted cake since yesternight. She rated most grievously at noon at some who minded not to brung certain matters of account. Several men had been sent to, and when ready at hand, Her Highness hath dismissed them in anger." -Sir John Harrington to his wife. Group 32.-Et. 69-4m. to 69-8m. (1603) She took cold on the 12th January, 1603, and on Æt. 69 and the 14th moved to Richmond, but before this had begun to see visions. The French Ambassador states that she complained of "her left arm, which had pained her for three or four days . . ." This was on January 29th. She appears to have conquered the cold, but on the 20th of February she began to fail rapidly. 7 mos. March 9, 1603. No. 161, ". . . for although she hath good appetite, hath Æt. 69 and neither cough nor fever, distemper nor inordinate desyre to drincke, yet she is troubled with heat in her brestes and drynes in her mouth and tongue, which keepes her from sleepe every night greatly to her disquiet. And this is all, whatsoever you hear otherwise; for which she never keept her bedd, but was within theise three dayes in the garden."-Robt. Cecil to James VI. No. 162, 7 mos. The almonds of her throat swelled, and apparently Æt. 69 and an abscess broke there. Dr. James Rae concludes that influenza carried her off at last. With the sore throat came loss of appetite, complete melancholy and great weakness. She gradually wasted away until the 24th of March when the end came. Mar. 10-24, 1603. No. 163. General Notes on her Physique No contemporary appears to have spoken of any colour in her face, that is, red colour. The whites of her eyes were gray in the last years, there is a lack of eyebrows and lashes in her portraits, considered as a whole, and there was a thick net of blue veins apparent about the temples. Robt. Johnston, a contemporary, says that "her skin was of pure white." He also said," A pleasing face, dignified form, were not even missing in middle age. With the advance of years and the approach of old age [she was] deformed with wrinkles, emaciated, with hollow cheeks; so that her fine features and beauty could not be recognized." -Historia Britannicarum, p. 346. NOTE BY THE COMPILER.-(1) With respect to the ulcer on the leg; it is first mentioned in July, 1569. Nearly nine years later it is reported (Item 121, in Jan. 1578) to be then dried up; and by Item 130 referring substantially to the time of Item 121, it would seem fairly evident that this affection endured for about nine years. (2) By Item 97 it would appear that Elizabeth had been regularly bled. She was then in her 39th year; and the inference from her statement is that she admitted she had been wrong in discontinuing the bleedings and would resume them. By p. 4 we know that her sister Mary was bled for amenorrhoea. For what other cause could Elizabeth be regularly bled? Is it not extremely probable that her apparently better health from her 55th to her 63rd year is largely due to the discontinuance of the regular bleedings when she was 54, as the reason for them had ceased to exist? CHAPTER V MEDICAL EXPERTS ON THE MEDICAL RECORD A S said in the headnote preceding the Medical Record comprised in the last chapter, that document as printed (except for additions designated "New,") was presented to five gentlemen, four of whom the medical profession of all countries acknowledge to be at least the equals of any living authorities. Moreover, all of them are also historical students and writers of the first rank. A fifth copy was submitted to Doctor Howard, who is a good example of the combined physician and surgeon actually engaged in everyday practice with its bewildering demands upon the most varied knowledge that medical science has acquired. We felt that the opinion of such a man, between forty and fifty years of age, was necessary to supplement that of the four older men whose days of actual practice are ended; who now occupy those positions as teachers and guides which are the greatest prizes of their profession. With only one of these gentlemen, Doctor Howard, had we any personal acquaintance. To all of them, with the exception of Doctor Doran, whose Opinion had previously been received, Ten Questions were submitted. As, however, Doctor Doran's conclusions are substantial replies to the Questions, it was thought best to leave his Opinion as it was handed to us. The Ten Questions were preceded by this PRELIMINARY NOTE The following contemporary references to the ill-health of Queen Elizabeth have been brought together by a layman as a result of more than five years' research, with a new life of her as its object. The compiler now seeks to obtain for the purpose of publication the opinion of the best medical authorities upon the pathological significance of the accompanying |