KENILWORTH - Penn State University

Kenilworthextraordinary forms, intended to represent the spirits whowaited to do his powerful bidding; and so much did this partof the pageant interest the menials and others of the lowerclass then in the Castle, that many of them forgot even thereverence due to the Queen’s presence, so far as to thrust themselvesinto the lower part of the hall.The Earl of Leicester, seeing his officers had some difficultyto repel these intruders, without more disturbance than wasfitting where the Queen was in presence, arose and went himselfto the bottom of the hall; Elizabeth, at the same time,with her usual feeling for the common people, requestingthat they might be permitted to remain undisturbed to witnessthe pageant. Leicester went under this pretext; but hisreal motive was to gain a moment to himself, and to relievehis mind, were it but for one instant, from the dreadful taskof hiding, under the guise of gaiety and gallantry, the laceratingpangs of shame, anger, remorse, and thirst for vengeance.He imposed silence by his look and sign upon the vulgar crowdat the lower end of the apartment; but instead of instantlyreturning to wait on her Majesty, he wrapped his cloak aroundhim, and mixing with the crowd, stood in some degree anundistinguished spectator of the progress of the masque.Merlin having entered, and advanced into the midst of thehall, summoned the presenters of the contending bands aroundhim by a wave of his magical rod, and announced to them, ina poetical speech, that the isle of Britain was now commandedby a Royal Maiden, to whom it was the will of fate that theyshould all do homage, and request of her to pronounce on thevarious pretensions which each set forth to be esteemed thepre-eminent stock, from which the present natives, the happysubjects of that angelical Princess, derived their lineage.In obedience to this mandate, the bands, each moving tosolemn music, passed in succession before Elizabeth, doingher, as they passed, each after the fashion of the people whomthey represented, the lowest and most devotional homage,which she returned with the same gracious courtesy that hadmarked her whole conduct since she came to Kenilworth.The presenters of the several masques or quadrilles then alleged,each in behalf of his own troop, the reasons which theyhad for claiming pre-eminence over the rest; and when theyhad been all heard in turn, she returned them this graciousanswer: “That she was sorry she was not better qualified to416