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death of Louis, Mary returned to England, but Anne remained in France, in the service of Claude, wife of Francis I.; and, after her death, with the duchess of Alençon. The beauty and accomplishments of Anne, even at that early age, attracted great admiration in the French court.

most distant suspicion of collusion with Joseph | when she went to marry Louis XII. After the and Mary in palming a false Messiah on their countrymen, as they had not the smallest probable chance of living to see him grow up to maturity, and fulfil their prophecies, and therefore could have no interest in declaring a falsehood. Thus we find the advent of our Lord was made known, spiritually, to woman as well as to man. The good old Simeon had no clearer revelation than the aged devout Anna. Both were inspired servants of the Most High; but here the characteristic piety of the woman is shown to excel. Simeon dwelt "in Jerusalem," probably engaged in secular pursuits; Anna "departed not from the temple, but served God with fasting and prayers night and day." See St. Luke, chap. ii.

ANNE

OF Bohemia, daughter of the emperor Charles IV., was born about 1367, and was married to Richard II. of England, when she was fifteen years of age. This was just after the insurrection of Wat Tyler; and the executions of the poor, oppressed people who had taken part with him, had been bloody and barbarous beyond all precedent, even in that bloody age. At the young queen's earnest request, a general pardon was granted by the king; this mediation obtained for Richard's bride the title of "the good queen Anne." Never did she forfeit the appellation, or lose the love of her subjects.

She was the first in that illustrious band of princesses who were "the nursing mothers of the Reformation;" and by her influence the life of Wickliffe was saved, when in great danger at the council at Lambeth, in 1382. Anne died 1394; she left no children; and from the time of her decease all good angels seem to have abandoned her always affectionate, but weak and unfortunate husband.

ANNE BOLEYN,

OR, more properly, BULLEN, was the daughter of Sir Thomas Bullen, the representative of an ancient and noble family in Norfolk. Anne was born in 1507, and in 1514 was carried to France by Mary, the sister of Henry VIII. of England,

She returned to England, and, about 1526, became maid of honour to Katharine of Arragon, wife of Henry VIII. Here she was receiving the addresses of Lord Percy, eldest son of the duke of Northumberland, when Henry fell violently in love with her. But Anne resolutely resisted his passion, either from principle or policy; and at length the king's impatience induced him to set on foot the divorce of Katharine, which was executed with great solemnity. The pope, however, would not consent to this proceeding; so Henry disowned his authority and threw off his yoke.

He married Anne privately, on the 14th of November, 1532. The marriage was made public on Easter-eve, 1533, and Anne was crowned the 1st of June. Her daughter Elizabeth, afterwards queen, was born on the 7th of the following September. Anne continued to be much beloved by the king, till 1536, when the disappointment caused by the birth of a still-born son, and the charms of one of her maids of honour, Jane Seymour, alienated his affections, and turned his love to hatred.

He caused her, on very slight grounds, to be indicted for high treason, in allowing her brother, the viscount of Rochford, and four other persons, to invade the king's conjugal rights, and she was taken to the Tower, from which she addressed the following touching letter to the king:

"SIR,

"Your grace's displeasure, and my imprisonment, are things so strange unto me, as what to write, or what to excuse, I am altogether ignorant. Whereas you send unto me, willing me to confess a truth, and so obtain your favour, by such an one whom I know to be mine ancient professed enemy, I no sooner received this message by him, than I rightly conceived your meaning; and if, as you say, confessing a truth indeed may procure my safety, I shall with all willingness and duty perform your command.

"But let not your grace ever imagine, that your poor wife will ever be brought to acknowledge a fault, when not so much as a thought thereof preceded. And, to speak a truth, never prince had wife more loyal in all duty, and in all true affection, than you have ever found in Anne Boleyn; with which name and place I could willingly have contented myself, if God and your grace's pleasure had been so pleased. Neither did I at any time so far forget myself in my exaltation or received queenship, but that I always looked for such an alteration as I now find; for the ground of my. preferment being on no surer foundation than your grace's fancy, the least alteration I knew was fit and sufficient to draw that fancy to some other object. You have chosen me from a low estate to be your queen and companion, far beyond my de

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sert or desire. If then you found me worthy of such honour, good your grace let not any light fancy, or bad counsel of mine enemies, withdraw your princely favour from me; neither let that stain, that unworthy stain, of a disloyal heart towards your good grace, ever cast so foul a blot on your most dutiful wife, and the infant princess your daughter. Try me, good king, but let me have a lawful trial, and let not my sworn enemies sit as my accusers and judges; yea, let me receive an open trial, for my truth shall fear no open shame; then shall you see either mine innocence cleared, your suspicions and conscience satisfied, the ignominy and slander of the world stopped, ❘ or my guilt openly declared. So that whatsoever God or you may determine of me, your grace may be freed from an open censure; and mine offence being so lawfully proved, your grace is at liberty both before God and man, not only to execute worthy punishment on me as an unlawful wife, but to follow your affection already settled on that party for whose sake I am now as I am, whose name I could some good while since have pointed unto, your grace not being ignorant of my suspicions therein.

"But, if you have already determined of me, and that not only my death, but an infamous slander, must bring you the enjoying of your desired happiness, then I desire of God that he will pardon your great sin therein, and likewise mine enemies, the instruments thereof, and that he will not call you to a strict account for your unprincely and cruel usage of me, at his general judgmentseat, where both you and myself must shortly appear, and in whose judgment I doubt not, whatsoever the world may think of me, mine innocence shall be openly known and sufficiently cleared. My last and only request shall be, that myself may only bear the burden of your grace's displeasure, and that it may not touch the innocent souls of those poor gentlemen who, as I understand, are likewise in strait imprisonment for my sake. If ever I have found favour in your sight, if ever the name of Anne Boleyn hath been pleasing in your ears, then let me obtain this request, and I will so leave to trouble your grace any farther, with mine earnest prayers to the Trinity to have your grace in his good keeping, and to direct you in all your actions. From my doleful prison in the Tower, this sixth of May.

"Your most loyal and ever faithful wife,
"ANNE BOLEYN."

This pathetic and eloquent address failed to touch the heart of the tyrant, whom licentious and selfish gratification had steeled against her.

Norris, Weston, Brereton, and Smeton, the four gentlemen who were accused with her, were brought to trial; but no legal evidence could be produced against them, nor were they confronted by the queen. Smeton, by a vain hope of life, was induced to confess his guilt; but even her enemies despaired of gaining any advantage from this confession, and he was immediately executed, together with Weston and Brereton. Norris, a favourite of the king, was offered his life if he

would criminate Anne, but he replied, that rather than calumniate an innocent person, he would die a thousand deaths.

Anne and her brother were tried by a jury of peers, of which their uncle, the duke of Norfolk, one of Anne's most inveterate enemies, was president. The sittings of this commission were secret, and all records of its proceedings were immediately destroyed; none of the ladies of the queen's household were examined; and the queen was unassisted by legal advisers, but, notwithstanding the indecent impatience of the president, she defended herself with so much clearness and presence of mind, that she was unanimously believed guiltless. Judgment was however passed against her and her brother, and she was sentenced to be burned or beheaded, according to the king's pleasure. Not satisfied with annulling the marriage, Henry had her daughter Elizabeth declared illegitimate.

The queen, hopeless of redress, prepared to submit without repining. In her last message to the king, she acknowledged obligation to him, for having advanced her from a private gentlewoman, first to the dignity of a marchioness, and afterwards to the throne; and now, since he could raise her no higher in this world, he was sending her to be a saint in heaven. She earnestly recommended her daughter to his care, and renewed her protestations of innocence and fidelity. She made the same declarations to all who approached her, and behaved not only with serenity, but with her usual cheerfulness. "The executioner," said she to the lieutenant of the Tower, "is, I hear, very expert; and my neck (grasping it with her hand, and laughing heartily,) is very slender."

When brought to the scaffold, she assumed a more humble tone, recollecting the obstinacy of her predecessor, and its effects upon her daughter Mary; maternal love triumphed over the just indignation of the sufferer. She said she came to die, as she was sentenced by the law; that she would accuse no one, nor advert to the ground upon which she was judged. She prayed fervently for the king, calling him a most merciful and gentle prince, and acknowledging that he had been to her a good and gracious sovereign. She added, that if any one should think proper to canvass her cause, she desired him to judge the best. She was beheaded by the executioner of Calais, who was brought over for the purpose, as being particularly expert. Her body was thrown into a common elm chest, made to hold arrows, and buried in the Tower.

The innocence of Anne Boleyn can hardly be questioned. The tyrant himself knew not whom to accuse as her lover; and no proof was brought against any of the persons named. An occasional levity and condescension, unbecoming the rank to which she was elevated, is all that can be charged against her. Henry's marriage to Jane Seymour, the very day after Anne's execution, shows clearly his object in obtaining her death.

It was through the influence of Anne Boleyn that the translation of the Scriptures was sanctioned by Henry VIII. Her own private copy of

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Of Beaujeau, eldest daughter of Louis XI. of France, born in 1462, was early distinguished for genius, sagacity, and penetration, added to an aspiring temper. Louis, in the jealous policy which characterized him, married her to Pierre de Bour- | bon, sire de Beaujeu, a prince of slender fortune, moderate capacity, and a quiet, unambitious nature. The friends of Anne observed on these nuptials, that it was the union of a living with a dead body. Pierre, either through indolence, or from a discovery of the superior endowments of his wife, left her uncontrolled mistress of his household, passing, himself, the greatest part of his time in retirement, in the Beaujolais.

On the death-bed of Louis, his jealousy of his daughter, then only twenty-six, gave place to confidence in her talents: having constituted her husband lieutenant-general of the kingdom, he bequeathed the reins of empire, with the title of governess, to the lady of Beaujeu, during the minority of her brother, Charles VIII., a youth of fourteen. Anne fully justified, by her capacity, the choice of her father.

Two competitors disputed the will of the late monarch, and the pretensions of Anne; her husband's brother, John, duke de Bourbon, and Louis, duke of Orleans, presumptive heir to the crown; but Anne conducted herself with such admirable firmness and prudence, that she obtained the nomination of the states-general in her favour. By acts of popular justice, she conciliated the confidence of the nation; and she appeased the duke de Bourbon by bestowing on him the sword of the constable of France, which he had long been ambitious to obtain. But the duke of Orleans was not so easily satisfied. He, too, was her brotherin-law, having been married, against his own wishes, by Louis XI. to his younger daughter, Jeanne, who was somewhat deformed. Having offended Anne by some passionate expressions,

she ordered him to be arrested; but he fled to his castle on the Loire, where, being besieged by Anne, he was compelled to surrender, and seek shelter in Brittany, under the protection of Francis II.

The union of Brittany with the crown of France, had long been a favourite project of the lady of Beaujeu, and she at first attempted to obtain possession of it by force of arms. The duke of Orleans commanded the Bretons against the forces of Anne, but was taken prisoner and detained for more than two years. Philip de Comines, the celebrated historian, also suffered an imprisonment of three years, for carrying on a treasonable correspondence with the duke of Orleans. Peace with Brittany was at length concluded, and the province was annexed to the crown of France, by the marriage of the young duchess, Anne of Brittany, who had succeeded to her father's domain, to Charles VIII. of France.

The lustre thrown over the regency of Anne, by the acquisition of Brittany, received some diminution by the restoration of the counties of Roussillon and Cerdagne to the king of Spain. Anne became duchess of Bourbon in 1488, by the death of John, her husband's elder brother; and though, before this, Charles VIII. had assumed the government, she always retained a rank in the council of state. Charles VIII. dying without issue in 1498, was succeeded by the duke of Orleans; and Anne dreaded, and with reason, lest he should revenge himself for the severity she had exercised towards him; but, saying "That it became not a king of France to revenge the quarrels of the duke of Or leans," he continued to allow her a place in the council.

The duke de Bourbon died in 1503; and Anne survived him till November 14th, 1522. They left one child, Susanne, heiress to the vast possessions of the family of Bourbon, who married her cousin, the celebrated and unfortunate Charles de Montpensier, constable of Bourbon.

ANNE,

OF Bretagne, or Brittany, only daughter and heiress of Francis II., duke of Bretagne, was born at Nantz, Jan. 26th, 1476. She was carefully educated, and gave early indications of great beauty and intelligence. When only five years old, she was betrothed to Edward, prince of Wales, son of Edward IV., of England. But his tragical death, two years after, dissolved the contract. She was next demanded in marriage by Louis, duke of Orleans, presumptive heir to the throne of France, who had taken refuge in Bretagne, to avoid the displeasure of Anne of Beaujeu, governess of France; and Anne of Bretagne, though but fourteen, was supposed to favour his pretensions.

The death of her father, in 1490, which left her an unprotected orphan, and heiress of a spacious domain, at the time when the duke of Orleans was detained a prisoner by Anne of Beaujeu, forced her to seek some other protector; and she was married by proxy to Maximilian, emperor of Austria. But Anne of Beaujeu, determined to obtain possession of Bretagne, and despairing of conquer

ing it by her arms, resolved to accomplish her purpose by effecting a marriage between her young brother, Charles VIII., of France, and Anne of Bretagne. Charles VIII. had been affianced to Margaret, daughter of Maximilian, by a former marriage; the princess had been educated in France, and had assumed the title of queen, although, on account of her youth, the marriage had been delayed. But the lady of Beaujeu scrupled not to violate her engagements, and, sending back Margaret to her father, she surrounded Bretagne with the armies of France.

Anne of Bretagne resisted for a time this rough courtship; but, vanquished by the persuasion of the duke of Orleans, who had been released from captivity on condition of pleading the suit of Charles, she yielded a reluctant consent, and the marriage was celebrated, Dec. 16th, 1491.

Anne soon became attached to her husband, who was an amiable though a weak prince, and on his death, in 1498, she abandoned herself to the deepest grief. She retired to her hereditary domains, where she affected the rights of an independent sovereign.

Louis, duke of Orleans, succeeded Charles VIII. under the title of Louis XII., and soon renewed his former suit to Anne, who had never entirely lost the preference she had once felt for him. The first use Louis made of his regal power was to procure a divorce from the unfortunate Jeanne, daughter to Louis XI., who was personally deformed, and whom he had been forced to marry. Jeanne, with the sweetness and resignation that marked her whole life, submitted to the sentence, and retired to a convent. Soon after, Louis married Anne at Nantes.

Anne retained great influence over her husband throughout her whole life, by her beauty, amiability, and the purity of her manners. She was a liberal rewarder of merit, and patroness of learning and literary men. Her piety was fervent and sincere, though rather superstitious; but she was proud, her determination sometimes amounted to obstinacy, and, when she thought herself justly offended, she knew not how to forgive. She retained her attachment to Bretagne while queen of France, and sometimes exercised her influence over the king in a manner detrimental to the interests of her adopted country. Louis XII. was sensible that he frequently yielded too much to her, but her many noble and lovely qualities endeared her to him.

Anne died, January 9th, 1514, at the age of thirty-seven, and Louis mourned her loss with the most sincere sorrow.

ANNE,

Of Cleves, daughter of John III., duke of Cleves, was the fourth wife of Henry VIII., of England. He had fallen in love with her from her portrait painted by Holbein, but as the painter had flattered her, Henry soon became disgusted with her, and obtained a divorce from her. Anne yielded without a struggle, or without apparent concern. She passed nearly all the rest of her life in England as a private personage, and died 1557.

ANNE,

Or Cyprus, married, in 1431, Louis, duke of Savoy, and showed herself able, active, and discriminating, at the head of public affairs. She died in 1462.

ANNE,

OF Hungary, daughter of Ladislaus VI., married Ferdinand of Austria, and placed him on the throne of Bohemia. She died in 1547.

ANNE,

Or Russia, daughter of Jaraslaus, married Henry I., of France, in 1044; after his death, she married Raoul, who was allied to her first husband; in consequence of which she was excommunicated, and at last repudiated, when she returned to Russia.

ANNE,

DUCHESS of the Viennois, after the death of her brother, John I., defended her rights with great courage and success against the claims of Robert, duke of Burgundy. She died in 1296.

ANNE,

Or Warwick, was born at Warwick Castle, in 1454. She was almost entirely educated at Calais, though she was often brought to England with her older sister, Isabel, and seems to have been a favourite companion, from her childhood, of the duke of Gloucester, afterwards Richard III., who was two years older than herself. In August, 1470, Anne was married, at Angers, France, to Edward of Lancaster, son of Henry VI., and Margaret of Anjou, and rightful heir of the English throne. She was very much attached to him, and, when he was barbarously murdered after the fatal battle of Tewksbury, in 1471, she mourned him bitterly. She disguised herself as a cook-maid, in a mean house in London, to elude the search of Gloucester, who was much attached to her. She was, however, discovered by him, and, after a resolute resistance, forced to marry him in 1473. There are strong proofs that Anne never consented to this marriage. Her son Edward was born at Middleham Castle, 1474. By a series of crimes, Richard obtained the throne of England, and was crowned, with his consort, July 5th, 1483. In 1484, Anne's only son died, and from this time her health declined. There were rumours that the king intended to divorce her, but her death, in 1485, spared him that sin. She had suffered all her life from the crimes of others, and yet her sorrows and calamities seem to have been borne with great meekness, and till the death of her son, with fortitude.

ANTONINA,

THE infamous wife of Belisarius, the general of the emperor Justinian's army, and one of the greatest commanders of his age. She repeatedly dishonoured her husband by her infidelities, and persecuted Photius, her own son, with the utmost virulence, because he discovered her intrigues, and

revealed them to his step-father. In the language | house of Burgundy had sworn allegiance to a fo

of Gibbon, "She was, in the various situations of fortune, the companion, the enemy, the servant, and the favourite, of the empress Theodora, a woman as wicked and worthless as herself." She lived in the sixth century.

APOLLONIA, ST.,

A MARTYR at Alexandria, A. D. 248. In her old age, she was threatened with death if she did not join with her persecutors in pronouncing certain profane words. After beating her, and knocking out her teeth, they brought her to the fire, which they had lighted without the city. Begging a short respite, she was set free, and immediately threw herself into the fire, and was consumed.

ARC, JOAN OF,

GENERALLY called the Maid of Orleans, was born in 1410, at the little village of Domremy, in Lorraine. Her father was named Jacques d'Arc, and his wife, Isabella Romee; Isabella had already four children, two boys and two girls, when Joan was born, and baptized Sibylla Jeanne. She was piously brought up by her mother, and was often accustomed to nurse the sick, assist the poor, receive travellers, and take care of her father's flock of sheep; but she was generally employed in sewing or spinning. She also spent a great deal of time in a chestnut grove, near her father's cottage. She was noted, even when a child, for the sweetness of her temper, her prudence, her industry, and her devotion.

During that period of anarchy in France, when the supreme power, which had fallen from the hands of a monarch deprived of his reason, was disputed for by the rival houses of Orleans and Burgundy, the contending parties carried on war more by murder and massacre than by regular battles. When an army was wanted, both had recourse to the English, and these conquering strangers made the unfortunate French feel still deeper the horrors and ravages of war. At first, the popular feeling was undecided; but when, on the death of Charles VI., the crown fell to a young prince who adopted the Armagnac side, whilst the

reigner (Henry V.) as king of France, then, indeed, the wishes and interests of all the French were in favour of the Armagnacs, or the truly patriotic party. Remote as was the village of Domremy, it was still interested in the issue of the struggle. It was decidedly Armagnac, and was strengthened in this sentiment by the rivalry of a neighbouring village which adopted Burgundian colours.

Political and party interests were thus forced upon the enthusiastic mind of Joan, and mingled with the pious legends which she had caught from the traditions of the Virgin. A prophecy was current, that a virgin should rid France of its enemies; and this prediction seems to have been realized by its effect upon the mind of Joan. The girl, by her own account, was about thirteen when a supernatural vision first appeared to her. She describes it as a great light, accompanied by a voice telling her to be devout and good, and promising her the protection of heaven. Joan responded by a vow of eternal chastity. In this there appears nothing beyond the effect of imagination. From that time, the voice or voices continued to haunt Joan, and to echo the enthusiastic and restless wishes of her own heart. We shall not lay much stress on her declarations made before those who were appointed by the king to inquire into the credibility of her mission. Her own simple and early account was, that voices' were her visitors and advisers; and that they prompted her to quit her native place, take up arms, drive the foe before her, and procure for the young king his coronation at Rheims. These voices, however, had not influence enough to induce her to set out upon the hazardous mission, until a band of Burgundians, traversing and plundering the country, had compelled Joan, together with her parents, to take refuge in a neighbouring town; when they returned to their village, after the departure of the marauders, they found the church of Domremy in ashes. Such incidents were well calculated to arouse the indignation and excite the enthusiasm of Joan. Her voices returned, and incessantly directed her to set out for France; but to commence by making application to De Baudricourt, commander at Vaucouleurs. Her parents, who were acquainted with Joan's martial propensities, attempted to force her into a marriage; but she contrived to avoid this by paying a visit to an uncle, in whose company she made her appearance before the governor of Vaucouleurs, in May, 1428. De Baudricourt at first refused to see her, and, upon granting an interview, treated her pretensions with contempt. She then returned to her uncle's abode, where she continued to announce her project, and to insist that the prophecy, that

France, lost by a woman (Isabel of Bavaria), should be saved by a virgin from the frontiers of Lorraine,' alluded to her. She it was, she asserted, who could save France, and not 'either kings, or dukes, nor yet the king of Scotland's daughter'— an expression which proves how well-informed she was as to the political events and rumours of the day.

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