Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: trong an interest. The visiter to the Tower sees little?and can. sse little of it most curious features. But it is the hope of the writer, that the day is not far off, when all that is really worth seeing will he accessihle. In this view, the present puhlication may not he without use. To those, who conceive that the Author has treated the character of Queen Mary with too great leniency, he can only affirm that he has written according to his conviction of the truth. Mary’s worst fault as a woman?her sole fault as a sovereign?was her higotry; and it is time that the cloud, which prejudice has cast over her, should he dispersed.
Let us judge of her dispassionately and disinterestedly, says Gritfet; let us listen to the testimony of those ‘who have known her, and have had the hest means of examining her action and her discourse. Let us do this, and we may perbaps discover that the reproaches which Protestant writers have heaped upon her have heen excssive; and after a strict and impartial examination of her character, we may recognise in her qualities worthy of praise. To this authority may he added that of Mr. Patrick Frazer Tytler, aud Sir Frederick Madden, the latter of whom, in his ahle introduction to the
Privy Purse expenses of the Princes Mary, haa most eloquently vindicated her. Presuming upon the favour which the present work has experienced, the Author hegs to intimate that he has other chronicles of the old fortress in contemplation, which he hopes to find leisure to produce. Those who desire further insight into its history and antiquities, are referred Mr. Bayley’s excellent and eomprehensive work on the suhject?a puhlication not so much known as it deserves to he, and from which much important information contained in the present volume is derived. I…
