his daughter Jeanne, a deformed girl, but of amiable disposition. The poor girl loved her handsome husband passionately, but when he came to the throne, he put her away through a dispensation of the pope. Jeanne wept and begged in vain, for Louis married Anne of Brittany, who was a faithful and pious wife. She died in January, 1514. Mary, the sister of Henry VIII., was affianced to Prince Charles, grandson of Maximilian and Ferdinand, while his father was detained years before at Windsor Castle. The prince did not consider the engagement binding, and Louis XII. proposed the hand of his own daughter to him as his wife. Henry VIII. was frantic with rage at what he termed the treachery of the prince, and the ambassador of France proposed, with adroitness, that Mary Tudor should marry the king, his master. Henry accepted the proposal-never for a moment considering the heart of his sister. The French king was fifty-three years old while Mary was only sixteen, and very charming in her beauty. She was deeply in love with Charles Brandon, but saw that opposition was utterly useless, and consented to the union. A treaty was made between the two monarchs, Louis agree

ing to pay Henry a million of crowns in ten yearly instalments, in discharge of arrears due on the old treaty of Etaples, and Henry bound himself to give his sister Mary a dower of four hundred thousand crowns. A marriage ceremony took place at Greenwich, on the 7th of August, the French ambassador acting as proxy for the king. Louis became very impatient for the personal society of his beautiful wife, but she, her heart far from being his, preferred to linger in England. Louis wrote to Cardinal Wolsey early in September, demanding that Mary come over to France at once, but she staid at her brother's court till October, when the court removed with her to Dover, on the coast, where with a gorgeous retinue she sailed for Boulogne. Among her retinue was her lover Charles Brandon, and one of her maids of honor, was the then young and pretty Anne Boleyn, who afterwards became the wife of Henry VIII., and ended her brilliant but sad career upon the scaffold. Lady Anne Grey and Elizabeth Grey, sisters to the Marquis of Dorset, were also among the young queen's maids of honor.

The royal company had been detained at Dover on account of the fearful storms which swept

over the channel, but on the second day of October, Henry conducted his sister to the shore, kissed her affectionately, and committed her to God and the king, her future lord. The sea was yet violently agitated, and the perils of the short voyage were great,—the fleet being scattered, and some of the ships driven upon the French shore. On the way from Boulogne to Abbeville, Queen Mary rode on a palfrey which was covered with a golden cloth, and her ladies were dressed in crimson velvet. On the 8th of October the French monarch received her joyfully at Abbeville, and the day after they were re-married. The day was one of great festivity and splendor, but the next morning the queen was severely tried by an order of Louis, to the effect that all her English attendants should return home. Two or three exceptions were finally made, and the Duke of Suffolk, the queen's old lover, remained in the quality of ambassador. The queen's coronation took place on the 5th of November; and there followed it a continual round of festivities. Louis seemed to be intoxicated with his charming young wife, and indulged in dangerous dissipations. In the meantime, the Duke of Suffolk remained at the French court, though his conduct

towards Mary was irreproachable. On the first of January, Louis, worn out with his excesses, expired at Paris. Ten days only after his death, Mary wrote the following letter to Cardinal Wolsey, showing pretty plainly that her heart was not broken by the death of her royal husband:

"My reverend, good Lord,—I recommend me to you, and thank you for letters and good lessons that you have given to me. My lord, I pray you as my trust is in you, to remember me to the king, my brother, for such cause and business as I have for to do: for as now I have no other to put my trust in but the king my brother, and you. And as it shall please the king my brother and his council, I will be ordered; and so pray I you, my lord, to show his grace, saying that the king my husband is departed to God, whose soul God pardon. And whereas you advise me that I should make no promise, my lord, I trust the king my brother and you will not depend on me solely please God. I trust I have so ordered myself since I came hither, that it hath been to the honor of the king my brother and me, since I came hither, and so I trust to continue. If there be anything that I may do for you, I would be

glad for to do it in these parts, and shall be glad

to do it for you.

No more to you at this time,

but God preserve you.

"Written at Paris the 10 of January, 1515, "By your loving friend,

"MARY, Queen of France."

A short time after the date of this letter, Mary wrote a letter to Henry, begging him to send for her, as she longed to see his face. The truth was, she longed to see the face of her old lover, the Duke of Suffolk, who had returned a short time before Louis's death, to England. Henry, in answer to his sister's letter, sent the Duke of Suffolk and others to Paris, to escort her home. As soon as she met Suffolk, Mary was in transports of joy; and he, being encouraged by her, ventured upon asking for her hand. She replied that if he did not win her in a month, he would never do so. They were soon privately married in Paris, after which Mary wrote the king, her brother, imploring his pardon for the step she had taken without his leave. They then travelled to Calais, at which place her marriage was celebrated by public rites and ceremonies.

Henry was angry for a time, and when the