TRANSLATOR'S PREFACE.

The following work, now first presented to the English public, is translated from the German of the accomplished Madame Palzow, who, in the opinion of most of her countrymen, stands at the head of this class of literature. During a recent residence in Germany, the original was recommended to the translator, as the best specimen of the modern German romance; and much surpise was expressed, that it had not been rendered into English; since, besides its healthy and moral tone, the stirring nature of its incidents, and its beautiful touches of natural feeling, the scene of the story lies in our own country.

Scott has familiarized the world to the mixture of fiction with history; and Madame Palzow has followed his example, by interweaving with her historical facts, many characters and circumstances not to be met with in authentic history; but she has done this with so much skill that we do not feel our reverence for truth at all intruded upon.

Perhaps there is no period of our own history more interesting than that during which the weak-minded and unfittingly educated James of Scotland swayed the sceptre of England, which, in the hands of Elizabeth, had become so glorious at home, and so formidable abroad. It is true that the tragedy which terminated in the death of Charles I., had long been preparing; but the unfortunate ignorance of James with respect to the mental qualities of his English subjects, his carelessness in not striving to conform to their

oits, and that obtuseness of comprehension which could reap no benefit from the misfortunes of his mother, struck away the last support from an already tottering monarchy.

These features in our English history, Madame Palzow's intelligent mind seems to have grasped with more than feminine power; while the exquisite grace with which she has drawn the character of her heroine, Lady Mary Stuart, and the vigour with which she has portrayed the noble-minded Duchess of Nottingham, evince an imagination as fervid and delicate as her philosophy is true and pure.

If we should find that, on some subjects, Madame Palzow's ideas differ from our own, we must attribute this variance to the great diversity that exists between the social relations of our own country and those of Germany; but, notwithstanding this occasional variance, our readers will freely admit that she had depicted, with equal force and truth, the manners and habits of the transition period of our English history.

F. K. B.

GODWAY CASTLE.

CHAPTER I.

Day was drawing to its close. The light fogs which arose from the valleys spread a magic tint over the landscape, softly veiling the rays of the sun, which had given brightness to a warm spring day. In such moments, when the massy appearance of the clouds, and the rich light, dimmed by the mist, give to the landscape so unearthly a character, who is not reminded of the charming fables learned at our nurse's knee, and which, with their golden trees, emerald meadows, and palaces of rubies and precious stones, most probably had their origin in natural appearances resembling those of which we are speaking.

The wide prospect from the point in the landscape whence we enter upon our story, afforded a charming union of sublime and lovely objects, from which the eye could not willingly withdraw itself. We find ourselves in the most beautiful part of the county of Nottingham, between Chesterfield and the pleasant hills of Sheffield. Here stood the ancestral castle of the Earls of Derbery, Dukes of Nottingham. Its extensive woods and smiling valleys. formed the most remarkable features in the neighbourhood; while the building itself was a distinguished monument of different centuries, with their progressive taste and increased requirements.

The ancient name, Godway Castle, had descended from such an early age, that even the old family who now possessed it were uncertain whether it had been erected by one of their own ancestors; and the escutcheons which decorated it were so nearly obliterated

by time, that all the efforts of heraldry to decipher them were in vain. The castle was, nevertheless, preserved with a respect and solicitude due to it, whether as a specimen of the earliest ages of architecture, or whether as a family possession of ancient times. But it was certain that the enlargements of the castle, which belonged to as many different ages as possessors, had been always undertaken with a view to complete the first rough, yet grand, projects of the original architect. It was easy to discern throughout, that a union between the different styles of building was aimed at, even from the earliest period when a safe abode was the great requisite, to an age of public peace, when wealth and increased civilization asked and allowed a greater regard to what was beautiful and agreeable.

The keep, for thus the most ancient part was called, stood on the side of a hill which had formerly been fortified, and which gave to the later possessors plenty of room for their pleasure-grounds. The gateway remained as the entrance to the castle; and it was suited to that purpose by its majesty and grandeur, and still more by its martial appearance. The wide, even roads, which ran through the wood and the valley in different directions, met in a large green space, spreading itself before the walls, and was bounded towards the north by a beautiful semicircle of wood. The vallerins, with their green banks and fortified bridges, appeared still able to offer resistance in case of attack; but a careful observer might discover that these banks and ditches lost themselves in the beautiful meadow ground on the south side, which had been cultivated on account of its greater safety. In that direction lay the farms and the cottage abodes of the foresters, unconnected with each other; and on the west was a lake, which, extending itself towards the north, reached the wood which clothed the declivity of the hill. From the terraces of the castle, steps, roughly hewn in the stone, descended to this wood, which was also used as a pleasure-ground.

The towers of the bridge were still occupied by warders, whose business it was to announce with their horns the arrival of strangers. But against the old towers leaned peaceful huts; and blooming, rosy-cheeked children gambolled in intimate companion

ship with the deer, which availed themselves of the green sunshiny banks for their feeding-place.

The entrance to the castle was over a drawbridge, leading to a lofty vaulted gateway, between two towers, connected by a gallery. The castle court was then reached; and opposite to the entrance gate was seen the most beautiful, if not the most ancient, part of the castle. This building was the work of a later day, and in the Gothic style; but the upper part had, through some unknown circumstances, fallen to decay, and only the lower rooms were preserved, consisting of three vaulted halls, which formed the entrance to a second court. Passing through these, the spectator found himself, with pleased surprise, in front of the splendid dwelling-house, which, built in all the richness of the purest style, produced a pleasing impression of peace and civilization, encouraging the development of beauty.

The castle was placed much above the fortifications, whence broad, walled-in roads led to the castle court; while, on the other side, the terrace led along the building into the park. Here, on the garden side, might be seen the most recent improvements, made under the grandfather of the late duke, after his return from Italy; whither he had been sent by Elizabeth on an embassy to Sixtus V., during her short friendship with the holy see. The architect had here somewhat departed from the taste of his forefathers. Italy had filled his fancy with images which had no reality in his paternal country. Every kind of work of art was procured by him; but the lofty Gothic rooms of the old castle, with their narrow pointed windows, and the uncertain light which played through the thousand coloured panes, were no abode for the marble statues which had been brought from her noble pillared halls; nor for the exquisite works of the pencil, which vainly sought companionship with the walls overladen with ornaments; where, amidst countless shields, carved in stone and marble, the gloomy ancestral pictures of the childhood of art stared down upon them.

For this reason the active care of the duke soon provided a more fitting abode for his favourites, in a new wing, built with clear windows and lofty cupolas. This Italian wing of the great building