Loveday's history : $b A tale of many changesGuernsey, Lucy Ellen
History
Loveday's history : $b A tale of many changes
Guernsey, Lucy Ellen
Great Britain -- History -- Tudors, 1485-1603 -- Fiction; Historical fiction; Reformation -- Fiction
And now it is time for me to bring this story to a close. We lived in
Wesel some two years. Then, Mr. Batie, unwisely as we thought, made
another move to the dominions of the Palsgrave. However, we went with
them, for Mistress Curtis had died in the meantime, and my mistress
depended much upon me. Here we lived a while longer, poor enough, for
all the money and jewels we had brought from home were exhausted. Mr.
Batie, with all his learning, could find little to do, and, indeed, we
were hungry more than once. In this strait, it was my privilege to help
the lady who had done so much for me. I had always kept up my music,
and I was fortunate in obtaining pupils on the lute and in singing,
enough at least to find us bread, and buy clothes for my godson.
At the end of another year, a great piece of good fortune befell us.
Mr. Batie found an old schoolmate in a Polish nobleman who was high
in the favor of Julius, King of Poland. He interested the king in his
friend's behalf, and by and by we heard that the king had assigned Mr.
Batie quite a princely domain. We had a hard journey thither, and a
harder time still, or so I thought, in cleaning the old rookery of a
castle, and making it decent for Christians to live in. I would like to
tell you of our life in that far-away land, but this book of mine hath
run too long already. Be it enough to say, that we lived in great peace
and comfort till the accession of our present gracious queen brought us
back to England once more.
When I had seen my dear lady settled in her own house, we went down to
Coombe Ashton, taking with us one I never thought to see again—Father
Austin, whom we found absolutely starving in the streets of London.
The dear old man hath lived with us ever since. He will not say out
and out that he hath abandoned his old religion, but he reads all the
Scriptures, and goes to hear my husband preach. Mr. Batie exerted
himself to procure the arrears of Father Austin's small pension, which
is now paid regularly. He is as happy as possible, his only trouble
arising from the performances of the Jesuits, as the new order is
called.
Katherine and her husband still live at Wesel. Her oldest girl—my
adopted daughter—is well married, and lives near us, and I have two
boys and a girl of mine own. My uncle died full of years, just in time
to escape the storm of persecution and war which Philip of Spain hath
let loose on the Netherlands. We have heard nothing of Avice and her
husband for years.
And now this hand of mine, feeble and wrinkled, lays down the pen. I
have seen many changes in my time, and passed through many sorrows. It
is some times hard for me to feel that this is the same England, where,
when I was young, a man who read the Bible in his family, took his life
in his hand. Truly the Lord hath been bountiful to us beyond all our
deserts. May we never be so unmindful of His favor as to draw down His
judgments once more upon us.
THE END OF LOVEDAY'S HISTORY.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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