Elizabeth Queen and Earl of Essex - (Illustrated Collector's Edition)

Author: (British) / Country: Mainland China
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-06-01
Features: His first misfortune in life struck when the young Essex appeared at court. Just as the aging Leister seemed to be paving the way for his future victory, and as Walter Raleigh expected the Queen’s favor to increasingly concentrate on him, the young heir apparent, Essex, with his charming, youthful demeanor, stepped onto the stage and instantly captivated Elizabeth. Raleigh suddenly realized his own position—like a once-conquering beauty gradually losing her allure. The Queen might reward him with three or four estates of executed conspirators, or allow him to travel overseas to establish a colony in the Americas, or perhaps sniff his tobacco and give him a playful grin while biting into a potato—none of it mattered anymore: her heart, her body, were with Essex on the other side of the door of the Queen’s bedchamber. He frowned deeply, determined not to succumb with subservience. During a visit to the Earl of Warwick’s country estate, he successfully provoked Elizabeth. The Countess of Warwick was a friend of Dorothy Percy, the sister of Essex. Dorothy had secretly married someone, and the Queen, in anger, forbade her from entering court. However, the careless hostess, the Countess of Warwick, believed the Queen’s anger had long subsided and invited Dorothy and her brother Essex to stay at her home. Raleigh flattered Elizabeth, claiming that Dorothy’s visit was a deliberate insult to the Queen by Essex. Elizabeth, upon hearing this, ordered that Dorothy be confined to her residence and forbidden from leaving. Upon learning of this, Essex flew into a rage. After dinner, when he was with the Queen and the Countess of Warwick, he strongly protested, defending his sister and openly declared that Elizabeth’s actions were "nothing but an attempt to curry favor with that scoundrel Raleigh. I see her willing to make me and my family heartbroken, and to humiliate me in front of the whole world for this man." Elizabeth fiercely retorted, accusing him of "seeming unable to tolerate any slight against Raleigh, repeatedly using the word ‘insult.’ She accused me of having no reason to insult Raleigh." This remark "made me very uncomfortable, so I spoke to her as kindly as possible, detailing Raleigh’s past and present." The reckless young man grew bolder and bolder. He shouted, "I have served my master to the best of my ability, yet he shows such respect and fear for such a person—how can I find comfort in this?" Meanwhile, the Captain of the Guard remained on duty. "I spoke many resentful words attacking Raleigh, and at the time, Raleigh stood outside. I’m sure he heard every single insult." But Essex’s passionate words were useless; the argument grew even fiercer. In the end, to defend Raleigh, Elizabeth began to insult Essex’s mother, the Countess of Leister, whom she had always disliked. And so, the young man could no longer endure it. He said that even though it was late at night, he could take his sister back. He also told the agitated Elizabeth, "As for me, since I know my deep affection is so utterly disregarded, and that such a villain as Raleigh is so highly esteemed by the Queen, I can never be happy around her and must stay away." Elizabeth did not reply, "but simply turned to the Countess of Warwick." At that moment, Essex rushed out of the room, first escorting his sister out of the Earl of Warwick’s estate, then riding alone to Margate, determined to cross the channel to join the war in support of the Dutch. He wrote in a letter, "If I return, I will be warmly welcomed in the country; if not, it is better to die gloriously than to live in torment." However, the Queen’s swift response prevented him from leaving. She sent Robert Carey in hot pursuit, catching up to him just as he was boarding the ship and bringing him back before the Queen. The two reconciled, and the Queen’s favor burned like fire once more. Within a month or two, Essex became a cavalry commander and the Knight of the Garter. Although the clouds had dispersed, the sky remained unpredictable. The second quarrel was an inauspicious sign. The extraordinary quarrel at the Earl of Warwick’s estate, on the surface, seemed to be born of jealousy over others and the frustration of his own feelings, but the deep-seated suspicion, even latent hostility, could suddenly manifest in an instant. Moreover, Essex discovered that he, a young man of his standing, could openly rebuke the great Queen without punishment—even though Elizabeth had raged and been fiercely insistent in defending Raleigh, refusing to back down, she had not forbidden him from continuing his bold and reckless protests, and seemed almost to delight in hearing them. P44-46