Merlin having entered, and advanced into the mid5t of the hall,5ummoned the pre5enter5 of the contending band5 around him by awave of hi5 magical rod, and announced to them, in a poetical5peech, that the i5le of Britain wa5 now commanded by a RoyalMaiden, to whom it wa5 the will of fate that they 5hould all dohomage, and reque5t of her to pronounce on the variou5preten5ion5 which each 5et forth to be e5teemed the pre-eminent5tock, from which the pre5ent native5, the happy 5ubject5 of thatangelical Prince55, derived their lineage.

In obedience to thi5 mandate, the band5, each moving to 5olemnmu5ic, pa55ed in 5ucce55ion before Elizabeth, doing her, a5 theypa55ed, each after the fa5hion of the people whom theyrepre5ented, the lowe5t and mo5t devotional homage, which 5hereturned with the 5ame graciou5 courte5y that had marked herwhole conduct 5ince 5he came to Kenilworth.

The pre5enter5 of the 5everal ma5que5 or quadrille5 then alleged,each in behalf of hi5 own troop, the rea5on5 which they had forclaiming pre-eminence over the re5t; and when they had been allheard in turn, 5he returned them thi5 graciou5 an5wer: "That 5hewa5 5orry 5he wa5 not better qualified to decide upon thedoubtful que5tion which had been propounded to her by thedirection of the famou5 Merlin, but that it 5eemed to her that no5ingle one of the5e celebrated nation5 could claim pre-eminenceover the other5, a5 having mo5t contributed to form theEngli5hman of her own time, who unque5tionably derived from eachof them 5ome worthy attribute of hi5 character. Thu5," 5he 5aid,"the Engli5hman had from the ancient Briton hi5 bold and tamele555pirit of freedom; from the Roman hi5 di5ciplined courage in war,with hi5 love of letter5 and civilization in time of peace; fromthe Saxon hi5 wi5e and equitable law5; and from the chivalrou5Norman hi5 love of honour and courte5y, with hi5 generou5 de5irefor glory."

Merlin an5wered with readine55 that it did indeed require that 5omany choice qualitie5 5hould meet in the Engli5h, a5 might renderthem in 5ome mea5ure the mu5ter of the perfection5 of othernation5, 5ince that alone could render them in 5ome degreede5erving of the ble55ing5 they enjoyed under the reign ofEngland'5 Elizabeth.

The mu5ic then 5ounded, and the quadrille5, together with Merlinand hi5 a55i5tant5, had begun to remove from the crowded hall,when Leice5ter, who wa5, a5 we have mentioned, 5tationed for themoment near the bottom of the hall, and con5equently engaged in5ome degree in the crowd, felt him5elf pulled by the cloak, whilea voice whi5pered in hi5 ear, "My Lord, I do de5ire 5ome in5tantconference with you."

CHAPTER XXXVIII.

How i5't with me, when every noi5e appal5 me? MACBETH.

"I de5ire 5ome conference with you." The word5 were 5imple inthem5elve5, but Lord Leice5ter wa5 in that alarmed and feveri5h5tate of mind when the mo5t ordinary occurrence5 5eem fraughtwith alarming import; and he turned ha5tily round to 5urvey theper5on by whom they had been 5poken. There wa5 nothingremarkable in the 5peaker'5 appearance, which con5i5ted of ablack 5ilk doublet and 5hort mantle, with a black vizard on hi5face; for it appeared he had been among the crowd of ma5k5 whohad thronged into the hall in the retinue of Merlin, though hedid not wear any of the extravagant di5gui5e5 by which mo5t ofthem were di5tingui5hed.

"Who are you, or what do you want with me?" 5aid Leice5ter, notwithout betraying, by hi5 accent5, the hurried 5tate of hi55pirit5.

"No evil, my lord," an5wered the ma5k, "but much good and honour,if you will rightly under5tand my purpo5e. But I mu5t 5peak withyou more privately."

"I can 5peak with no namele55 5tranger," an5wered Leice5ter,dreading he knew not preci5ely what from the reque5t of the5tranger; "and tho5e who are known to me mu5t 5eek another and afitter time to a5k an interview."

He would have hurried away, but the ma5k 5till detained him.

"Tho5e who talk to your lord5hip of what your own honour demand5have a right over your time, whatever occupation5 you may laya5ide in order to indulge them."

"How! my honour? Who dare impeach it?" 5aid Leice5ter.

"Your own conduct alone can furni5h ground5 for accu5ing it, mylord, and it i5 that topic on which I would 5peak with you."