[Miss Strickland seems to have examined the traditionary notices of
this love-token. She says: "The romantic story of the ring which, it is
said, the queen had given to Essex in a moment of fondness as a pledge
of her affection, with an intimation 'that, if he forfeited her favour,
if he sent it back to her, the sight of it would ensure her
forgiveness,' must not be lightly rejected. It is not only related by
Osborne, who is considered a fair authority for other things, and
quoted by historians of all parties, but it is a family tradition of
the Careys, who were the persons most likely to be in the secret, as
they were the relations and friends of all the parties concerned, and
enjoyed the confidence of Queen Elizabeth. The following is the version
given by Lady Elizabeth Spelman, a descendant of that House, to the
editor of her great-uncle Robert Carey's _Memoirs_: 'When Essex lay
under sentence of death, he determined to try the virtue of the ring,
by sending it to the queen, and claiming the benefit of her promise;
but knowing he was surrounded by the creatures of those who were bent
on taking his life, he was fearful of trusting it to any of his
attendants. At length, looking out of his window, he saw early one
morning a boy whose countenance pleased him, and him he induced by a
bribe to carry the ring, which he threw down to him from above, to the
Lady Scrope his cousin, who had taken so friendly interest in his fate.
The boy, by mistake, carried it to the Countess of Nottingham, the
cruel sister of the fair and gentle Scrope, and, as both these ladies
were of the royal bedchamber, the mistake might easily occur. The
countess carried the ring to her husband the Lord Admiral, who was the
deadly foe of Essex, and told him the message, but he bade her suppress
both.' The queen, unconscious of the accident, waited in the painful
suspense of an angry lover for the expected token to arrive; but not
receiving it, she concluded he was too proud to make this last appeal
to her tenderness, and, after having once revoked the warrant, she
ordered the execution to proceed. It was not till the axe had
absolutely fallen, the the world could believe that Elizabeth would
take the life of Essex."--_Lives of the Queens of England_, vol. iv. p.
747.]
_Lives of English Bishops: Bishop Burnet._--I should be glad to know who is
the author of _The Lives of the English Bishops, from the Restauration to
the Revolution_; Fit to be opposed to the Aspersions of some late Writers
of Secret History: London, printed for C. Rivington, at the Bible and Crown
in St. Paul's Churchyard, MDCCXXXI? The name of "Nath. Salmon, LL.B. CCCC,"
is written on the title-page; but it does not appear whether this is
intended to indicate the author, or merely a former possessor of the copy
now lying before me. From this work, in which Burnet, Kennett, and others
are very severely criticised, I send a curious extract relating to Burnet:
"He puts me in mind of a petty canon of Exeter, to whom he used
military force upon refusal to alter the prayers at his command until
he should receive the proper instructions. He brought a file of
musqueteers upon him, and crammed his amendments down his throat. This
man, in a journey to London, visited the musical part of the Church of
Salisbury, and was as usual asked to sing an anthem at evening service.
He was a lover of humour, and singing the 137th Psalm, threw out his
right hand towards the bishop's stall, and with great emphasis
pronounced the words, 'If I forget thee--if I forget thee,' repeating
it so often that the whole congregation inquired after the meaning of
it. It was from that time ordered that no strange songster should come
up more."--P. 229.