isery.

The first thing we hear of this unfortunate scion of royal blood
concerns a marriage. The whole story of her life, in fact, is concerned
with marriage, and its fatal ending was the result of marriage. Never
had a woman been more sought in marriage; never more hindered; her life
was a tragedy of marriage.

Her earlier story may be briefly given. James VI. of Scotland, cousin of
the Lady Arabella, chose as a husband for her another cousin, Lord Esme
Stuart, Duke of Lennox, his proposed heir. The match was a desirable
one, but Queen Elizabeth forbade the banns. She threw the lady into a
prison, and defied King James when he demanded her delivery, not
hesitating to speak with contempt of her brother monarch.

The next to choose a husband for Arabella was the pope, who would have
been delighted to provide a Catholic for the succession to the English
throne. A prince of the house of Savoy was the choice of his holiness.
The Duke of Parma was married, and his brother was a cardinal, and
therefore unmarriageable, but the pope had the power to overcome the
difficulty which this created. He secularized the churchman, and made
him an eligible aspirant for the lady's hand. But, as may well be
supposed, Elizabeth decisively vetoed this chimerical plan.

To escape from the plots of scheming politicians, the Lady Arabella now
took the task in her own hand, proposing to marry a son of the Earl of
Northumberland. Unhappily, Elizabeth would none of it. To her jealous
fancy an English earl was more dangerous than a Scotch duke. Thus went
on this extraordinary business till Elizabeth died, and King James of
Scotland, whom she had despised, became her successor on the throne, she
having paved the way to his succession by her neglect to provide an heir
for it herself, and her insensate determination to prevent Arabella
Stuart from doing so.

James was now king. He had chosen a husband for his cousin Arabella
before. It was a natural presumption that he would not object to her
marriage now. But if Elizabeth was jealous, he was suspicious. A foolish
plot was made by some unimportant individuals to get rid of the Scottish
king and place Arabella on the English throne. A letter to this effect
was sent to the lady. She laughed at it, and sent it to the king, who,
probably, did not consider it a laughing-matter.

This was in 1603. In 1604 the king of Poland is said to have asked for
the lady's hand in marriage. Count Maurice, Duke of