The History of England Volume V

XLVII. Death of Prince Henry - Marriage of the Princess Elizabeth with the Palatine - Rise of Somerset - His marriage - Overbury poisoned - Fall of Somerset - Rise of Buckingham - Cautionary towns delivered - Affairs of Scotland

HistEng5_001-050.indd 50 6/1/11 8:09 AM r6r2. Nov. 6th. Death of Prince Henry. XLVII Death of Prince Henry Marriage of the Princess Elizabeth with the Palatine - Rise of Somerset His marriage- Overbury poisoned- Fall of Somerset - Rise of Buckingham Cautionary towns delivered Affairs of Scotland ~~~ T HIS YEAR the sudden death of Henry, prince of Wales, diffused an universal grief throughout the nation. Though youth and royal birth, both of them strong allurements, prepossess men mightily in favour of the early age of princes; it is with peculiar fondness, that historians mention H enry: And, in every respect , his merit seems to have been extraordinary. He had not reached his eighteenth year, and he already possessed more dignity in his behaviour, and commanded more respect, than his father, with all his age, learning and experience. Neither his high fortune, nor his youth, had seduced him into any irregular pleasures : Business and ambition seem to have been his sole passion. His inclinations, as well as exercises, were martial. The French ambassador, taking leave of him, and asking his commands for France, found him employed in the exercise of the pike; Tell your king, said he, in what occupation you left me engaged. a He had cona T he French monarch had given particular orders to his ministers to 50 HistEng5_051-100.indd 1 6/1/11 8:10 AM CHAPTER XLVII ceived great affection and esteem for the brave Sir Walter Raleigh. It was his saying, Sure no king but my father would keep such a bird in a cage.& He seems indeed to have nourished too violent a contempt for the king, on account of his pedantry and pusillanimity; and by that means struck in with the restless and martial spirit of the English nation. Had he lived, he had probably promoted the glory, perhaps not the felicity, of his people. The unhappy prepossession , which men commonly entertain in favour of ambition, courage, enterprize, and other warlike virtues, engages generous natures, who always love fame, into such pursuits as destroy their own peace, and that of the rest of mankind. Violent reports were propagated, as if Henry had been carried off by poison; but the physicians, on opening his body, found no symptoms to confirm such an opinion.c The bold and criminal malignity of men's tongues and pens spared not even the king on the occasion. But that prince's character seems rather to have failed in the extreme of facility and humanity, than in that of cruelty and violence. His indulgence to Henry was great, and perhaps imprudent, by giving him a large and independent settlement , even in so early youth. The marriage of the princess Elizabeth, with Frederic, Elector Palatine, was finished some time after the death of the prince, and served to dissipate the grief, which arose on that melancholy event. But this marriage, though celebrated with great joy and festivity, proved, itself, an unhappy event to the king, as well as to his son-in-law, and had ill consequences on the reputation and fortunes of both. The Elector, trusting to so great an alliance, engaged in enterprizes beyond his strength: And the king, not being able to support him in his distress, lost entirely, in the end of his life, what remained of the affections and esteem of his own subjects. Except during sessions of parliament, the history of this reign may more properly be called the history of the court than that of the nation. An interesting object had, for some years, engaged the cultivate the prince's friendship; who must soon, said he, have chief authority in England, where the king and queen are held in so little estimation. See Dep. de Ia Boderie, vol. i. p. 402 , 415, vol. ii. p. 16, 349· b Coke's detection , p. 37· c Kennet, p. 6go. Coke, p. 37· Welwood, p. 272. Febr. 14. Marriage of the Princess Elizabeth with the Palatine. Rise of Somerset. HistEng5_051-100.indd 2 6/1/11 8:10 AM 52 HISTORY OF ENGLAND attention of the court: It was a favourite, and one beloved byJames with so profuse and unlimited an affection, as left no room for any rival or competitor. About the end of the year 16og, Robert Carre, a youth of twenty years of age, and of a good family in Scotland, arrived in London, after having passed some time...