when she made her public entry into the Tower. 3 Of this lovely scholar's writing we have — three to Bullinger, and one to her sister the lady Catharine; printed in a book called, 66 Epistolæ ab Ecclesiæ Helvetica Reformatoribus, vel ad eos scriptæ," &c. Tiguri, 1742, 8vo. The fourth was written the night before her death, in a Greek Testament, in which she had been reading, and which she sent to her sister. "Her Conference with Feckenham, Abbot of Westminster, who was sent to convert her to Popery." 4 "A Letter to Dr. Harding, her Father's Chaplain, who had apostatized." "A Prayer for her own Use during her Imprisonment." duchess. 5. If, however, Charles Brandon's first marriage should be deemed null, there is no such plea to be made in favour of the duchess Frances herself, Henry duke of Suffolk, father of Jane, being actually married to the sister of the earl of Arundel, whom he divorced without the least grounds, to make room for his marriage with Frances. Strype's Memorials, vol. iii. p. 2. Ballard, p. 105. and the Harleian Miscellany. Vide Fox's Acts and Monuments. "Four Latin Verses written in Prison with a Pin. 7 "Her Speech on the Scaffold.” s Hollinshed and sir Richard Baker say, she wrote divers other things, but know not where they are to be found. Bale adds to the above mentioned: "The Complaint of a Sinner.” "The Duty of a Christian." And Fox2 mentions "A Letter to her Father."3 There are besides, in a manual of prayers, which has been supposed to be the composition of the Protector Somerset, two notes written by Lady Jane Grey, and another by her husband, which have escaped all the authors that mention her. They are preserved among the Harl. MSS. in the Museum, No. 2342. [Lady Jane Grey, the eldest daughter of Henry Grey, marquis of Dorset and duke of Suffolk, by Frances Brandon, eldest daughter of Charles Brandon duke of Suffolk, by Mary, youngest daughter of king Henry the seventh, was not more distinguished by her 7 Ballard, p. 116. 2 Fox, p. 1420. 8 Ib. p. 114. ⚫ Vide infra. • P. 110. descent than by her extraordinary accomplishments; and these were adorned with such sweetness of temper and innate goodness of heart, as rendered her the delight and wonder of all who knew her. Under the tuition of bishop Elmer she made a surprising progress in arts and sciences, and could express herself very properly in the Latin and Greek tongues. We are assured by Ascham, that she wrote in the Latin with great strength of sentiment; and we are informed by her contemporary sir Thomas Chaloner, that she was well versed in Hebrew, Chaldee, Arabic, French, and Italian; that she played well on instrumental music, wrote a curious hand, and was excellent at her needle; and with all these rare endowments, was of a mild, humble, and modest spirit. Fuller adds, that she had the " innocency of childhood, the beauty of youth, the solidity of middle, the gravity of old age, and all at eighteen; the birth of a princess, the learning of a clerk, the life of a saint, yet the death of a malefactor for her parents' offences." Ascham, who was queen Elizabeth's languagemaster, thus describes this pattern of every female excellence, as Mr. Seward justly termed lady Jane Grey:"Aristotle's praise of women is perfected in her. She possesses good manners, prudence, and a love of labour. She possesses every talent, without the least weakness of her sex. She speaks French and Italian as well as she does English. She writes readily ✦ Ballard, p. 98. Strype's Memoirs, vol. iii. Holy State, p. 311. |