nor permitted the right of his heirs to depend upon anything more stable than his own despotic will. Katherine Parr and the Princess Mary wore both about the same in ago, their accomplishments and pursuits were similar, and although in religion the one was a llcformer, the other a Papist, an ardent friendship ever subsisted between them, and they frequently sent each otherpresents. According to the privy purse expenses of the Princess Mary, Katherine, on one occasion, made Mary a present of an elegant night-gown, another time she sent her a cheese, and when Mary was taken ill on her journey to Woodstock, the Queen sent her own litter, and had her conveyed in it to Ampthill, where she herself and the King were then abiding. Amongst other acts of friendly kindness, Mary embroidered a beautiful cushion, which she presented to the Queen ; and Katherine, shortly after her marriage, and at the request of the Princess, received Mrs. Barbara, one of Mary's pensioners, into her household. The similarity between the writing of Katherine Parr and Prince Edward, has led to the conjecture that, previous to her marriage with the King, Katherine superintended the education of that Prince ; but, however this may be, she, on becoming Queen, took a laudable pleasure in directing the studies of her royal step.children. King Edward the Sixth, Queen Elizabeth, and their cousins, Jane and Katherine Grey, imbibed from her their taste for literature and art, and their attachment to the reformation. And what is remarkable, besides prevailing upon the Protestant Elizabeth to translate passages of the Scripture into English, and otherwise further the cause of the true religion, she also succeeded in engaging that sincere Papist, Queen Mary, in the same laudable task, as will be more fully shewn in the two subse quent memoirs. When the Spanish Duke de Najera visited England on his return from the Emperor's army, the Queen, assisted by the Princess Mary, held a grand court for his reception at the palace, at West minster, in February, 1544. Najcra, being the accredited minister of Charles the Fifth, was entertained with royal magnificence, and permitted to kiss the Queen's hand. At this period England was at war with France and Scotland ; and as Henry resolved to head an expedition in person against the former power, about the seventh of July, he caused Katherine to be invested with full sovereign powers, and solemnly constituted regent of the realm in his absence, by the style and title of Queen Regent of England and Ireland, and as her assistants he named—Lord Chancellor Wriothesley, the Earl of Hertford, Sir William Petre, Secretary of State, Katherine's uncle Lord Parr, of 11 orton, Archbishop Cranmer, and the Pish op of Westminster. On the fourteenth of July, Henry passed over to Calais with great pomp, the sails of his ship being of cloth of gold, and a few days afterwards saw himself at the head of thirty thousand men, and fifteen thousand Imperialists. Accompanied by the flower of the English nobility, he directed his operations against Boulogne and Montreuil; on the thirteenth of September, Boulogne capitulated, and on the thirtieth of the same month Henry raised the siege of Montreuil, and returned to England, On Henry's departure for France, Katherine commenced her regency by penning a beautiful prayer, imploring God to protect the King and his kingdom, and " so to turn the hearts of our nation's enemies to the desire of peace, that no christian blood be spilt, or else that with but small effusion of blood and little damage of innocents, victory may be obtained, and the wars soon ended." She then wrote a long letter to the King; but as it contains no matter of interest, we pass it by, to glance at the following fragment of one of Henry's most pleasing letters, addressed to her whilst he lay encamped before the walls of Boulogne : " The closing up these OUT letters this the castle before-named with the dike is at our commandment, and not like to be retaken by the Frenchmen again ; as we trust, not doubting, with God's grace, but that the