It is to be accounted for in this way: In the first place, her parents were both English, and she herself was in every way like a middle-class Englishwoman, because of her very limited education. She was a comfortable sort of a matron, the last of the Stuarts, and by no means disposed to govern arbitrarily. Then she was, as we have seen, exceedingly generous to the church, and her reign witnessed a series-of continental victories. No wonder that the populace called her "good Queen Anne." Strange to say, although her majesty was never known to read a book, and passed a large part of her time at card-playing, poetry and science awakened into new life in her reign, and many of the writers delighted to sound her praises. She probably did not appreciate their work, but she patronized men of letters, it may be for love of approbation. {455}The number of learned men of Queer. Anne's reign exceeded that of Elizabeth, and represented every branch of art, science, and literature. It included no Shakespeare, it is true; but there were Newton, Wren, Locke, Hogarth, Congreve, Colley, Cibber, Pope, Swift, Gay, Addison, Steele, and a host of others. We must not omit to mention Defoe, because every child will connect his name with that delightful romance, "Robinson Crusoe." It was on account of the existence of such a bevy of luminaries that Queen Anne's reign was entitled the Augustan age of England. That reign witnessed the beginning of periodical papers, for there were three, the "Tattler," "Spectator," and "Guardian," edited by Addison and Steele. The "Tattler" contained accounts of the political events of the day, and was placed on her majesty's breakfast-table, with the hope that she would occasionally read it, but she is not supposed ever to have done so. The "Ladies' Diary, or Women's Almanack" was another of the periodicals published in Queen Anne's reign, that have since become so numerous. It began by containing articles that are of most interest to women in general, but is now a mathematical periodical, which women are not likely to care for. We have mentioned the continental victories that distinguished this reign. The most splendid of them all was the battle of Blenheim, news of which was brought to Windsor Castle in August by Colonel Parkes, aid-de-camp to his grace, the Duke of Marlborough. This glorious victory was celebrated with unusual splendor.