HENRY IV. oval, in the centre of a triumphal altar, with trophies, &c. De Leu; scarce. HENRY IV. bust in a niche; 1605. De Leu. HENRY IV. with emblems of his victories. Briot. HENRY IV. touching for the evil. P. Firens fecit. scarce. HENRY IV. lying in state, description in French. Briot sc. sheet; scarce. HENRY IV. on horseback; two French lines. P. Holbrouck sculp. scarce. HENRY IV. the same by C. Turner; mezz. There are several portraits of him in the Luxemburg Gallery. The capacity of Henry IV. was equally adapted to peace or war. France, which had been harassed and torn by civil wars for near half a century, had an interval of repose under this great prince; who, by the assistance of the Duke of Sully, one of the most able, industrious, and faithful ministers that ever served a king, brought order into the finances, encouraged agriculture and the manual arts, and laid the foundation of that power and grandeur to which the French monarchy afterward rose. The Bishop of Rodez, in his "Life of Henry," intimaets, that his extravagant passion for the female sex, was the occasion of his death. He in 1610, was assassinated by Raviliac, a lay Jesuit. FREDERICK VI. duke of Wirtembergh; in "Atrium Heroicum." FREDERICK VI. prefixed to the work mentioned below. Frederick VI. duke of Wirtembergh, &c. was elected knight of the Garter in this reign. He was invested with the ensigns of the order by Robert, lord Spencer, of Wormleighton, 1603; he having been sent into Germany, by King James, for that purpose. His portrait is at Hampton-court; and there is a print of him in a quarto volume which I have seen, entitled, "Equis Auratus Anglo Wirtembergicus." It was written in Latin by Erhardus Cellius, and contains a particular account of the order of the Garter and the inves titure of the duke, and is interspersed with a variety of memoirs relative to Frederick and his family. This prince was deservedly styled "the Magnanimous." Upon the demise of his uncle, Lewis III. he recovered the dutchy of Wirtemberg, and shook off the dominion of the house of Austria. He was more than once in England in quality of ambassador. Ob. 29 Jan. 1608. FOREIGNERS, WHO WERE IN ENGLAND. FRANCOIS, duc d'Alençon, depuis duc d'Anjou; in armour, whole length, h. sh. FRANCOIS, duc d'Alençon; in "Atrium Heroicum.” Francis, duke of Anjou, brother to Francis II. Charles IX. and Henry III. was twenty-five years younger than Elizabeth. He had made some progress in his suit with that princess before he came into England,* and had a secret interview with her at Greenwich; in which, though his person was not advantageous, he gained considerably upon her affections. He came into England a second time the same year, and was graciously received by her. On the anniversary of her coronation, she publicly took a ring from her finger, and put it on the duke's. This wise princess was very near being the dupe of her passions; but, after a long struggle between her reason and her love, she reluctantly yielded to the former, and the match was broken off.† It hath been observed, that Queen Elizabeth had much better have married the tailor who died for love of her than the Duke of Anjou.‡ When the French commissioners were sent to make their proposals of marriage between Elizabeth and this prince, they were attended by a great train of the French nobility, in all the pomp and glitter of dress. The English vied with them upon this occasion, and the court was never seen so brilliant. Justs and tournaments were celebrated, in which the prime nobility were challengers; and a magnificence was displayed in this romantic solemnity, superior to what had been seen in the time of Henry VIII. + I never could believe that Queen Elizabeth meant to marry the Duke of Alençon, a mean-looking diseased debauchee.-LORD HAILES. It must be a matter of concern to a true antiquary, that the name of this illstarred wight was never recorded. Osborne mentions his disastrous passion, styling him "that tailor reported to have whined away himself for the love of Queen Elizabeth."-Osborne's Works, p. 54, edit. 9. CECILIA, marchioness of Baden, and sister of Eric, king of Sweden, was here in the reign of Elizabeth.* Her print is in Leti's" Elizabetha," tom. i. Helena, marquesse of Northampton, to whom Spencer dedicated his "Daphnaida," was in her retinue, as appears from her monument in Salisbury cathedral. There is a medal of this marchioness. The Duke of FERIA; an etching; collar of the Golden Fleece; cloak; half len. 12mo. Don Gomez Suarez, de Figueros y Cordova, came into England with King Philip, and was afterward created duke of Feria in Spain. He married Jane, daughter of Sir William Dormer, knight of the Bath, maid of honour to Queen Mary, and sister of the first baron Dormer, of Wenge, in the county of Bucks. He was employed in several embassies from Philip to Elizabeth, in the beginning of her reign; and was much incensed against her for not suffering his wife's grandmother, and other Catholics, to reside in the Low Countries, and preserve their estates and effects in England. In Leti's "Elizabetha," tom. i. is a print of Don DIEGO GUZMAN DE SILVA, ambassador from Philip II. in 1564. There is also a print of POMPONE DE BELLIEVRE, chancellor of France; it is a large quarto engraved by Boissevin. He was sent into England in the quality of ambassador by Henry IV. as was also the Marquis of Rosni, mentioned in the next reign. In Hofman's HARRALD HUITFELD. Sysang sc. octavo size. Portraits Historiques des Hommes illustres de Dannemarcke," part i. HARRALD HUITFELD; in the set of Ambassadors, folio. N. v. Hulle. * See Stow, Holinshed, and Camden, under the year 1565. Harrald Huitfeld, lord of Odisberg, chancellor and senator of the kingdom of Denmark, was advanced to the important office of principal secretary of state when he was but twenty-six years of age. In 1597, he, together with Christian Bernekau, was sent ambassador to the English court. He was charged to propose a renewal of the former treaties between the two crowns; to complain of the depredations of the English privateers upon the Danish merchants, and to offer his master's mediation in negotiating a peace between England and Spain. The queen readily consented to a renewal of the treaties, and promised to make restitution for the damages done by the privateers, and to put a stop to their hostilities, provided that the subjects of the King of Denmark would no longer supply her enemies with warlike stores. Her majesty waved the overture of mediating a peace between England and Spain; alleging, that if the Spanish monarch were desirous of putting an end to the war, he should propose it himself. Chancellor Huitfeld stands high on the list of historians. His "Histories of Denmark and Norway" are his capital works. The best edition of the former is in two volumes folio. He died the 16th of December 1608, aged fifty-nine years. CHARLES GONTAUT, duc de Biron. P. Daret. In " Illust. Franc.” 1652. CHARLES GONTAUT, &c. J. de Leu. CHARLES GONTAUT. Tardieu. Charles Gontaut de Biron, son of Marshal Armand de Biron, was at the age of fifteen so excellent an officer, that he was chosen by the consent of the army to supply the place of his father as general, who was prevented by his wounds. In 1601 he was sent ambassador to Queen Elizabeth; and was so imprudent as not only to mention the Earl of Essex, whom she had lately beheaded, but to lament the fate of that nobleman. He intrigued with Spain and Savoy against Henry IV.; but when brought to the scaffold, he who had so often looked upon death with intrepidity in the field, beheld it upon the scaffold with the utmost fear; and the executioner was obliged to do his office as by stealth, in 1602. See Sully's Memoirs, &c. CHRISTIAN FRIIS, Chancellier. F. van Bleys VOL. I. 2 z wyk del. & f. a small head; in Hofman's "Portraits Historiques," &c. CHRISTIANI FRISII, with emblematical figures, arms suspended. S. P. (Simon Pass) fec. scarce. Christian Friis, lord of Borreby was sent ambassador into England by Frederic II, king of Denmark, in the reign of Elizabeth; and by Christian IV. in the next reign. He was eminent as a scholar, and distinguished himself in the higher provinces of business. Christian, after his worth had been sufficiently tried, raised him to the great office of chancellor. He died the 29th of June, 1616. WILLIAM DU BARTAS; cut in wood; before Sylvester's translation of his works; oval. William du Bartas, an eminent French poet and a gallant soldier, was agent for the King of Navarre, afterward Henry IV. at the courts of England and Scotland. He was sent as agent into the latter kingdom, with a view of bringing about a match between Henry's sister and James VI.* James did his utmost to prevail with him to enter into his service, but he was too strongly attached to Henry. He has been ranked, by some, with the modern heroic poets of the first form; a distinction to which he is by no means entitled. Though Sylvester got more reputation by translating the "Weeks and Works of Du Bartas" than by all his own compositions, he has been justly accused of debasing the original with false wit. One of the most considerable of Du Bartas's works is his poem on the memorable battle of Ivry, won by the king his master in 1590. PIERRE de BOURDEILLE, Seigneur de Brantôme. J. V. Schley sc. 1740, 12mo. In the 15th tome of his works. Peter Bourdeille, abbé of Brantôme, by which name he is generally distinguished, was, in the former part of his life, a man of uncommon curiosity and spirit, which carried him not only through most parts of Europe, but into Africa and Greece. He enjoyed Thuanus. + See Davenant's preface to "Gondibert." |