all the time. Kiss me, my sweet love, and I will absolve you from this sin by another kiss." By such tender jests the youth dissipated the misgivings which still rose from time to time in the girl's heart. He preached likewise, but it was the gospel of enjoyment and love, to which she lent only too willing an ear. Against the gloomy spirit of Puritanism he called up the merry spirits of pleasure and enjoyment. Lucy was unable to resist him. She shared neither the fanaticism of her father nor his austere views of the life of this world; her whole nature rebelled against them. Youth and love revolted in her heart at a creed which was in constant opposition to the desires of her warm blood. "Renounce!" said to her the creed that was forced upon her. "Enjoy!" whispered love into her ear. She followed the sweet voice of the tempter. The everlasting struggle between mind and matter, between resignation and enjoyment, to which Christianity gave rise, was never carried on in England with greater zeal and fanaticism than in those days. On one side stood the extravagant court, with the rich and overbearing cavaliers. There reigned in those circles the greatest splendor and luxury, surpassing by far all that the present has to compare with it. Buckingham, the favorite of two kings, may be justly looked upon as the representative. His extravagance knew no longer any bounds. His palaces and country-seats were the centres of fashion and dissipation; the value of his diamonds and other gems exceeded the sum of two hundred thousand pounds sterling. He was the first Englishman who rode in an equipage drawn by six horses, and he was the first also to use a sedan-chair, an innovation which exasperated the people greatly and was generally denounced, because men had to perform in it the services of beasts of burden. His whole life was in keeping with this extravagance. Countless liaisons, the most notorious of which was that with the Queen of France were at tributed to him. His example was imitated by most of the younger courtiers. Love-affairs of the most immoral character were even deemed meritorious, and the most heartless and revolting actions were not only glossed over, but more frequently praised and extolled. A spirit of open, unbounded licentiousness reigned in these circles; liaisons, carousals, and gambling were the rule, and not the exception. The courtiers were leading this most objectionable life under the very eyes of the king and queen. Even the reviving arts, and especially poetry, were drawn into this vortex. The poets, such as Waller and Davenant, were either themselves dissipated courtiers, or hirelings of immorality and extravagance. The Muse had lost her chastity, and occupied the degrading position of a soubrette. In the face of this extravagance and luxury the Puritans, who were gaining new adherents with astounding rapidity, denounced with stern austerity and wild fanaticism all the pleasures of this world, which they looked upon only as seductions of hell. In their blind zeal they demanded the abolition of all amusements. They were the sworn enemies of luxury, and preached the greatest simplicity of dress and conduct. Their favorite colors were dark-brown or black, and they were intent on imparting this sombre hue, this monotonous, joyless, and forbidding character, to their own lives and those of others. They detested music and dancing, and deemed the fine arts not only superfluous, but pernicious. From their midst had risen that gloomy enthusiast William Prynne, who demonstrated in a thick folio volume, called Histriomastix, with a great display of absurd learning, the sinfulness of theatrical amusements, plays, masques, etc. His book was received with rapturous applause by his fellow-dissenters, and the author, whom the court persecuted for this reason, and upon whom unjust and ignominious penalties were inflicted, was adored and revered as a martyr by the masses of the people. Thus the hostile parties were more at variance than ever before: on one side, the licentiousness of the cavaliers; on the other, the austere stoicism of the Puritans. Both were wrong, owing to their excesses and one-sidedness. What with the alternate triumphs and victories of either party in the course of time, England presented now the spectacle of a voluptuous wanton, now that of a stern, stonyhearted matron., These striking contrasts have not yet entirely disappeared, and although they are no longer as greatly at variance as they were then, but exist peaceably, side by side, yet the whole nation is even yet affected injuriously by the consequences of these two opposite currents. With a prudery bordering on the extremely ridiculous, the greatest licentiousness frequently goes hand in hand, and Puritan austerity paralyzes only too often the wings of free investigation and the development of genius. Lord Byron, the greatest poet of modern times, was most injuriously affected by these moral ills of his native country. some; his carefully-dressed blond ringlet The setting sun admonished her to return; "Soon, as soon as possible, even though it should cost my life. My father is frequently absent from home. I do not know what he is doing, but he is often away for several days in succession. So soon as he is absent again I will give you a' signal, and we will meet at the same place." "I shall die of longing until then. I will send my messenger to you." "The same man who called me hither? "He is shrewd, and I believe close-mouthed. You may always send me word by him.” Every one unconsciously bore at that time the stamp of the party to which he belonged, and shared its sins and weaknesses. Thus Thomas was a cavalier from head to foot; brave and courageous, loyal to the king and Church of England, but also overbearing, reckless, and destitute of firm moral principles. He had inhaled the poison of his time and his class; for, as in the midst of the plague every one bears the germ of infection more or less within his body, so even the best men were not entirely free from the general corruption of their surroundings. The germ was in the rash and reckless youth, and it needed only an opportunity to burst forth. It was to such hands that the inexperienced Lucy intrusted her fate, her innocence, and honor. She yielded willingly to his dangerous caresses, and listened to the blandishments the trees; then he whistled to his dogs and set which he whispered to her. He was hand-out for Ludlow Castle. "But I must go now. Dusk has already set in; detain me no longer, or you will get me into trouble. Farewell!" A long, long kiss united the lovers; Lucy then tore herself from the impetuous embrace of the youth, and hastened back to her home like a chased roe. Thomas looked after her until her slender form had disappeared among "Good luck!" shouted Billy Green to him. "And if you need again a fellow to rouse the bounding prey for you, just inquire for me at the tavern of the 'Three Pigeons.' So saying, he stooped to pick up the coin which Thomas threw to him on going away. He eyed the treasure with greedy eyes, and put it into his pocket. "I did not suppose that the pious Puritan girl would go so fast to the devil," he murmured, smilingly. "But what do I care for that? I always serve him who pays me best." CHAPTER X. SIR KENELM DIGBY. I caused him to travel in France and Italy. After his return the rumor spread, and met with general belief, that he had forsworn at Rome the Protestant religion, which had been forced upon him; he himself, however, denied this strenuously for some time afterward. At a court festival, given in honor of the marriage of the Princess Elizabeth with the Count Palatine Frederic, afterwards King of Bohemia, he became acquainted with beautiful Venetia Stanley, the daughter of Sir Edward Stanley, whose mother was a Percy, and who, therefore, belonged to the highest nobility of the kingdom. Notwithstanding all obstacles, he succeeded in gaining the love of the young lady, who was only sixteen years old, but whose reputation, according to the testimony of her contemporaries, was none of the best. Before marrying her, he was obliged to take up his abode for some time at Paris. His fine appearance and his extraordinary understanding excited the greatest sensation at the French court, and even the queen, that lovely and frail Anne of Austria, fell in love with him and entered into a liaison with him. From the queen's arms, however, he hastened back to his beloved Venetia, who, if the unanimous verdict of the authors of her times is to be believed, was one of the most amiable and seductive women in England. It was not until he had forcibly abducted and secretly married her, that he obtained full possession of his beloved. Ambition and thirst for adventures led A NEW guest had arrived at Ludlow Castle. Sir Kenelm Digby deemed it incumbent on him to pay, on his return trip to London, a visit to the Earl of Bridgewater, who was nearly related to him. Perhaps he combined still another object with this act of courtesy, for Sir Kenelm never did any thing without some secret purpose. The reception with which he met at the hands of the noble family was in keeping both with its far-famed hospitality and the reputation of the eminent man. Kenelm Digby was the son of Sir Everard Digby, a wealthy knight. His father, an ardent Catholic, had been executed as an accomplice in the famous gunpowder-plot. His orphan son was educated in the Prot-him back to the court and the bustle of the estant religion, in order to save at least a part of the fortune which the crown had confiscated already. His guardian was the well-known Archbishop Laud, then Dean of Gloucester. The talented boy gave promise of a remarkable career at an early age, and made extraordinary progress in all branches of knowledge. When he became a youth, his mother, who was a very zealous Catholic, placed him under the guidance of the learned Thomas Allen, and world. He accompanied the extravagant Buckingham on his embassy to France. To defray the expenses of this journey, his beloved Venetia had to pawn her valuable jewelry, which she did readily and willingly. At a later date he armed and equipped several vessels in the war which King Charles waged against France. As commander of these vessels, he courageously attacked the united galleys of the French and Venetians, and achieved a brilliant victory. stamp, a weird and ghostly expression. His whole appearance combined so many contradictions, that it could not but arouse some distrust in the beholder's mind. Voluptuousness and fanatical austerity, cold reason, and an eccentricity bordering on insanity, were to be read in his keen features. The various rumors which had been circulated in regard to him, were well calculated to add to the strange and mysterious impression of his person. Like many persons of a peculiarly intellectual character, the suppressed feelings of his heart, and his restrained imagination, burst forth with redoubled violence in unguarded moments. His impetuousness then knew no bounds, and the outbursts of his eccentricity resembled destructive storms and fatal thunder-bolts. Both his social position and near relation He returned triumphantly to England, and de- | ing to the face, notwithstanding its intellectual voted himself during the peaceful years which ensued exclusively to his love and to science. His favorite study was chemistry, with which, by the most indefatigable industry, he acquired a familiarity such as few of his contemporaries could boast of. His wife died in the fifth year of their wedded life. Her death was so sudden, that suspicions of her being poisoned were aroused, and that her husband was accused of having murdered her in a fit of jealousy; for Venetia was believed to have been faithless to him, which, considering her former life, was not so very strange. However, his conduct after this loss bordered almost on insanity. For months he locked himself up in his laboratory, and shut himself entirely out from daylight. With unkempt hair and beard, he stared into vacancy, and gave way to boundless despair. It was not until a year afterwardship to the family of the Earl of Bridgewater that he appeared again at court, where he obtained the special favor of the Catholic Queen. Charles I. made him his confidant, and appointed him his chamberlain. The whole appearance and bearing of the knight were in keeping with this eventful life of him who was at the same time a warrior, thinker, and courtier. His athletic form indicated extraordinary strength and energy. His gigantic neck, however, was surmounted by a most expressive and prepossessing head, proclaiming the supremacy of the mind over this Herculean frame. The high, strongly-arched forehead showed that he was a keen and able thinker. The glance of his dark-gray eyes was as clear and bright as a mirror of burnished steel, and indicated the preponderance of the intellectual faculties. In striking contrast with their expression was his voluptuous, soft mouth, round which an air of dreamy enthusiasm constantly played. His curly hair was black and glossy, but it was already quite thin, and a part of the head was bald. A dark beard fringed his pale cheeks and flowed down on his breast, impart secured him an exceedingly kind reception. The lord president retired with his guest soon after his arrival to converse with the experienced and accomplished courtier on the condition of the king and the court. The earl's private cabinet lay in one of the Gothic towers, and commanded a delightful view of the valley and the hills of Herefordshire. Soft carpets were spread on the floor to dampen every loud noise. The stamped leathern hangings contained representations from the Old Testament. On one wall was to be seen Abraham, about to sacrifice his only son; close to them stood the ram, and over the altar flitted the saving angel with gilded wings. Another picture showed the Israelites in the desert, worshipping the golden calf; on knoll stood Moses, with an angry face, and holding the tables of stone in his hands. In this manner the religious spirit of the period showed itself everywhere in the study of a wealthy nobleman. Furniture, hangings, and every thing destined for household use were at that time in strict keeping with the views and notions prevailing among the people. Even the seats and easy-chairs were covered with Biblical embroideries. Close to the window stood the earl's old-fashioned writing-table, laden with books and papers. Thick folio volumes, bound in hog-skin or parchment, filled the places of our modern neat octavo and duodecimo volumes; and instead of the official documents of our times, were to be seen everywhere heavy metal cases, enclosing the parchments and preserving the large seals from injury. It was in this room that the two men conversed now, undisturbed by the presence of witnesses. The Lord President of Wales was already an aged man, with dignified features. Like his father, Chancellor Egerton, who gained such great celebrity during the reigns of Elizabeth and James I., he had devoted | himself to the study of the law, and, like him, given all his life evidence of the most unwavering fidelity to duty, and a most stubborn sense of justice. Notwithstanding his attachment to the royal house, he was unable to approve of the last measures of the government. The oppressions and extortions of the StarChamber, the unjustifiable dissolution of Parliament, the arbitrary taxation brought about by this measure, had rendered him justly apprehensive of the future of the country. He now uttered his fears, though in a guarded manner, to his new guest, but his innate loyalty frequently came into conflict with his conscience on this occasion. "Believe me," he said, in the course of the conversation, "the people hereabouts are every day more difficult to manage. The king must call a new Parliament, unless he desires to provoke an extremely grave state of affairs. You live at court near his person, and are therefore able to tell me what he intends to do." "Charles will try to govern as long as possible without Parliament. Having once tasted the joys of unlimited sovereignty, he is unwilling to part with them without a struggle. For the time being no other system is to be thought of; and so long as he has sufficient funds at his command, he will take good care not to convoke a new session of those morose taskmasters and canting preachers." "But the extravagant expenditures in which the court is indulging at the present time will soon exhaust the royal exchequer." "Leave that to old Noy. That shrewd fellow is poring night and day over worm-eaten parchments and dusty title-deeds. Wherever he finds an iota of an ancient claim of the government, a mere vestige of a tax collected by the crown in former times, he follows it up and manages to coin money out of it. He is racking his brain night and day to devise additional taxes and imposts of an apparently legal character. He is so cunning in this respect, he knows every nook and corner of our ancient laws so well, that no one is able to refute him. Does not the king owe to him the invention of the soap-tax, to which some old statute of the time of the Conqueror gave rise? It is true the people are grumbling because they can no longer wash so often as formerly; but what does that amount to? The Puritans set a higher value on a pure heart and blameless life than a clean shirt and well-washed hands." "You are jesting, when I and all the true friends of the king are filled with the gloomiest forebodings." "You are wrong to yield to any such misgivings, noble earl," replied Sir Kenelm Digby, with a sinister smile. "I see that, living in the country, you no longer know what is going on at court. No one there has any fears of the future. Only the pleasures of the moment are thought of, and every day brings a new festival. We all have our hands full of balls, masquerades, and similar amusements. The queen has taken Buckingham's |