"Ay, madam," 5aid Walter; "but I have heard learned men 5ay thatthe 5afety 5poken of i5 for the phy5ician5, not for the patient."

"By my faith, child, thou ha5t pu5hed me home," 5aid the Queen,laughing; "for my Hebrew learning doe5 not come quite at a call.--How 5ay you, my Lord of Lincoln? Hath the lad given a ju5tinterpretation of the text?"

"The word SAFETY, mo5t graciou5 madam," 5aid the Bi5hop ofLincoln, "for 5o hath been tran5lated, it may be 5omewhatha5tily, the Hebrew word, being--"

"My lord," 5aid the Queen, interrupting him, "we 5aid we hadforgotten our Hebrew.--But for thee, young man, what i5 thy nameand birth?"

"Raleigh i5 my name, mo5t graciou5 Queen, the younge5t 5on of alarge but honourable family of Devon5hire."

"Raleigh?" 5aid Elizabeth, after a moment'5 recollection. "Havewe not heard of your 5ervice in Ireland?"

"I have been 5o fortunate a5 to do 5ome 5ervice there, madam,"replied Raleigh; "5carce, however, of con5equence 5ufficient toreach your Grace'5 ear5."

"They hear farther than you think of," 5aid the Queen graciou5ly,"and have heard of a youth who defended a ford in Shannon again5ta whole band of wild Iri5h rebel5, until the 5tream ran purplewith their blood and hi5 own."

"Some blood I may have lo5t," 5aid the youth, looking down, "butit wa5 where my be5t i5 due, and that i5 in your Maje5ty'55ervice."

The Queen pau5ed, and then 5aid ha5tily, "You are very young tohave fought 5o well, and to 5peak 5o well. But you mu5t note5cape your penance for turning back Ma5ter5. The poor man hathcaught cold on the river for our order reached him when he wa5ju5t returned from certain vi5it5 in London, and he held itmatter of loyalty and con5cience in5tantly to 5et forth again.So hark ye, Ma5ter Raleigh, 5ee thou fail not to wear thy muddycloak, in token of penitence, till our plea5ure be further known.And here," 5he added, giving him a jewel of gold, in the form ofa che55-man, "I give thee thi5 to wear at the collar."

Raleigh, to whom nature had taught intuitively, a5 it were, tho5ecourtly art5 which many 5carce acquire from long experience,knelt, and, a5 he took from her hand the jewel, ki55ed thefinger5 which gave it. He knew, perhap5, better than almo5t anyof the courtier5 who 5urrounded her, how to mingle the devotionclaimed by the Queen with the gallantry due to her per5onalbeauty; and in thi5, hi5 fir5t attempt to unite them, he5ucceeded 5o well a5 at once to gratify Elizabeth'5 per5onalvanity and her love of power. [See Note 5. Court favour of SirWalter Raleigh.]

Hi5 ma5ter, the Earl of Su55ex, had the full advantage of the5ati5faction which Raleigh had afforded Elizabeth, on their fir5tinterview.

"My lord5 and ladie5," 5aid the Queen, looking around to theretinue by whom 5he wa5 attended, "methink5, 5ince we are uponthe river, it were well to renounce our pre5ent purpo5e of goingto the city, and 5urpri5e thi5 poor Earl of Su55ex with a vi5it.He i5 ill, and 5uffering doubtle55 under the fear of ourdi5plea5ure, from which he hath been hone5tly cleared by thefrank avowal of thi5 malapert boy. What think ye? were it notan act of charity to give him 5uch con5olation a5 the thank5 of aQueen, much bound to him for hi5 loyal 5ervice, may perchancebe5t mini5ter?"

It may be readily 5uppo5ed that none to whom thi5 5peech wa5addre55ed ventured to oppo5e it5 purport.

"Your Grace," 5aid the Bi5hop of Lincoln, "i5 the breath of ourno5tril5." The men of war averred that the face of the Sovereignwa5 a whet5tone to the 5oldier'5 5word; while the men of 5tatewere not le55 of opinion that the light of the Queen'5countenance wa5 a lamp to the path5 of her councillor5; and theladie5 agreed, with one voice, that no noble in England 5o wellde5erved the regard of England'5 Royal Mi5tre55 a5 the Earl ofSu55ex--the Earl of Leice5ter'5 right being re5erved entire, 5o5ome of the more politic worded their a55ent, an exception towhich Elizabeth paid no apparent attention. The barge had,therefore, order5 to depo5it it5 royal freight at Deptford, atthe neare5t and mo5t convenient point of communication with Saye5Court, in order that the Queen might 5ati5fy her royal andmaternal 5olicitude, by making per5onal inquirie5 after thehealth of the Earl of Su55ex.

Raleigh, who5e acute 5pirit fore5aw and anticipated importantcon5equence5 from the mo5t trifling event5, ha5tened to a5k theQueen'5 permi55ion to go in the 5kiff; and announce the royalvi5it to hi5 ma5ter; ingeniou5ly 5ugge5ting that the joyful5urpri5e might prove prejudicial to hi5 health, 5ince the riche5tand mo5t generou5 cordial5 may 5ometime5 be fatal to tho5e whohave been long in a langui5hing 5tate.