safety of thy liege sovereign-silence, sirrah! thy vindiIcation hath been heard. Thou hast sworn, and the evidence of sundry avoucheth, that this outrage arose in thy self-defence against the retainers of Edward de Vere, Earl of Oxford, who fell upon thee with superiority of numbers, inflicting divers wounds on thy person, in the progress of a scheme of abduction, laid against that of a free British maiden; daughter of our Verderer of Greenwich. Have I heard rightly, my Lords? - Prisoner;

are these things true?

Hugh Wollaton replied by a lowly obeisance of assent. "For these crimes and misdemeanours," said the queen, "we adjudge thee"- Maud Glanvil pressed forward with an imploring air,-" we adjudge thee, in consideration of thy known loyalty, and deep provocation, to a term of six months' imprisonment within the limits of the royal park; which thou may'st improve, an' it like thee," continued the princess, with a grim smile, "by renewing thine attempts to win the sanction of yonder weather-worn woodsman to thy courtship of his daughter. And Maud-see thou set no more of my courtiers' brains a-gadding, by those looks which have condemned the bold and mis-proud De Vere to a year's banishment from our court. Let thy future bearing keep pace with thy past discretion, and thou shalt never lack the countenance of Elizabeth!"

Thus ended the sorrows of the Verderer's Daughter. "And what said the queen's majesty as touching the

P

fashion of thy masking suit?" said Weltwell to the happy Maud, when, some weeks afterwards, she recounted in his presence the chances of her royal audience.

But my

"I'sooth, but little, my friend in need. kind godmother hath bidden me seek at your hands a goodly garment of three-piled-Genoa for myself, and another of stout kersey, for-for Wollaton."

"Of a bridal fashion, as I guess?"

Maud gainsayed not the opinion; and when, in process of time, the said vestments were appointed to figure in a wedding junket at the Heath Court, they were commended for shape and substance of all present, including the point-device Euphuist himself.

KING PEDRO'S REVENGE.

BY ALARIC A. WATTS.

Of the various romances of real life with which history abounds, there are few of more absorbing interest than that of Pedro the First of Portugal, and the fair but illstarred Inez de Castro. The following little poem is founded on a very striking passage in the life of the monarch, which has never, as far as I am aware, been touched upon before. A brief recapitulation of incidents with which the historical reader must, already, be familiar, is, however, in some respects unavoidable.

Donna Inez de Castro was the daughter of a Castilian gentleman who had taken refuge at the court of Portugal, in the reign of Alfonso IV. Her beauty and accomplishments having attracted the notice of Prince Pedro, his son, he became so passionately enamoured of her, as to desire to make her his wife. Satisfied, however, of the impossibility of prevailing upon his father to consent to his union with a woman so much his inferior in rank, he determined to espouse her secretly. They were, accord

ingly, married by the Bishop of Guarda, in the presence of only a single witness; and from that period lived together in the most private manner, in the palace of Santa Clara at Coimbra; where Donna Inez bore her royal consort several children, to whose education, and the performance of her domestic duties, her attention was almost exclusively devoted*. The fear of provoking the anger of his father, with the severity of whose disposition he was but too well acquainted, induced Don Pedro to allow the king to consider his connexion with Donna Inez as a mere affair of gallantry; and it was not until Alfonso had proposed to him a marriage with the daughter of the King of Castile, that he was induced to acknowledge the real truth. The old king, who was a man of a weak mind, but stern passions, was so exasperated by his disobedience, that, at the instigation of several of his nobles, who were jealous of the ascendancy which had been acquired by Inez over the young prince, he resolved upon putting her to death. With this intent, he set out for Coimbra, accompanied by three of his ministers and an armed escort. arrived at his son's palace during the Prince's absence on a hunting party; but was so moved by the supplica

He

* La Neufville Le Clede and other historians, confirm the fact, that Inez was privately married to the prince; and add, that his conjugal fidelity was no less remarkable than the ardour of his passion. One of their favourite places of residence was an old castle on the banks of the Mondego, through the grounds of which streamed the little rivulet known by the name of the Fountain of Amours, and alluded to by Camoens, in the third Book of the Lusiad.

tions of Donna Inez, who, with her children, threw herself at his feet and entreated of him mercy and forgiveness, that he would, in all probability, have spared her life, had it not been for the interposition of his counsellors. Not content with urging, strongly, the necessity of her death, they reproached him in bitter terms for his disregard of the welfare of his kingdom. Thus instigated, he relapsed into his former resolution, and commanded them to dispatch her. But little time was allowed him to reflect upon his cruel mandate; for, dragging her immediately from his presence, they murdered her with their own hands, and then returned to the king, with their daggers reeking with her blood! No sooner was the prince informed of the assassination of his beloved Inez, than he was transported alternately with the most violent grief and rage. For a long time he appeared perfectly inconsolable; but his melancholy yielded at length to a deep and rooted passion for revenge. Immediately after her interment, he took up arms against his father; and having placed himself at the head of a powerful army, whose leaders sympathized with him strongly in his indignation, he carried fire and the sword through the adjacent provinces. It was not until he had ravaged the whole country between the rivers Minho and Doura, and laid waste the property of the murderers, that he was in some degree appeased by the interposition of the Bishop of Guarda; who, much as he loved the prince, and commiserated the fate of Inez, was anxious