Author: Amanda Elyot
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 110109821X
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 373
Book Description
Emma Hamilton is renowned as the real-life heroine of the greatest love story in British history, as legendary for her beauty as for her passionate love affair with Britain’s greatest hero, Lord Horatio Nelson. Amanda Elyot breathes new life into this remarkable woman, in what might have been Emma’s very own words. The impoverished daughter of an illiterate country farrier, young Emily Lyon sold coal by the roadside to help put food on the family’s table. By the time she was 15, she had made her way from London nursemaid to vivacious courtesan, and continued a meteoric rise through society, rung by slippery rung, to become the most talked-about woman in all of Europe, mistress of many tongues, a key envoy in Britain’s and Italy’s war against the French, and confidante to a queen. This novel, inspired by her remarkable life, recounts Emma’s many extraordinary adventures, the earth-shattering passion she eventually found with Lord Nelson, and how they braved the censure of king and country, risking all in the name of true love. “A thoughtful retelling of the life of a common-born beauty and her infamous love affair with Admiral Lord Nelson.”—Susan Holloway, author of Duchess “An energetic portrait of a unique historical figure.”—Publishers Weekly
Too Great A Lady
Author: Amanda Elyot
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 110109821X
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 373
Book Description
Emma Hamilton is renowned as the real-life heroine of the greatest love story in British history, as legendary for her beauty as for her passionate love affair with Britain’s greatest hero, Lord Horatio Nelson. Amanda Elyot breathes new life into this remarkable woman, in what might have been Emma’s very own words. The impoverished daughter of an illiterate country farrier, young Emily Lyon sold coal by the roadside to help put food on the family’s table. By the time she was 15, she had made her way from London nursemaid to vivacious courtesan, and continued a meteoric rise through society, rung by slippery rung, to become the most talked-about woman in all of Europe, mistress of many tongues, a key envoy in Britain’s and Italy’s war against the French, and confidante to a queen. This novel, inspired by her remarkable life, recounts Emma’s many extraordinary adventures, the earth-shattering passion she eventually found with Lord Nelson, and how they braved the censure of king and country, risking all in the name of true love. “A thoughtful retelling of the life of a common-born beauty and her infamous love affair with Admiral Lord Nelson.”—Susan Holloway, author of Duchess “An energetic portrait of a unique historical figure.”—Publishers Weekly
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 110109821X
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 373
Book Description
Emma Hamilton is renowned as the real-life heroine of the greatest love story in British history, as legendary for her beauty as for her passionate love affair with Britain’s greatest hero, Lord Horatio Nelson. Amanda Elyot breathes new life into this remarkable woman, in what might have been Emma’s very own words. The impoverished daughter of an illiterate country farrier, young Emily Lyon sold coal by the roadside to help put food on the family’s table. By the time she was 15, she had made her way from London nursemaid to vivacious courtesan, and continued a meteoric rise through society, rung by slippery rung, to become the most talked-about woman in all of Europe, mistress of many tongues, a key envoy in Britain’s and Italy’s war against the French, and confidante to a queen. This novel, inspired by her remarkable life, recounts Emma’s many extraordinary adventures, the earth-shattering passion she eventually found with Lord Nelson, and how they braved the censure of king and country, risking all in the name of true love. “A thoughtful retelling of the life of a common-born beauty and her infamous love affair with Admiral Lord Nelson.”—Susan Holloway, author of Duchess “An energetic portrait of a unique historical figure.”—Publishers Weekly
Women Who Love Too Much
Author: Robin Norwood
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1416550216
Category : Self-Help
Languages : en
Pages : 355
Book Description
Discusses "loving too much" as a pattern of thoughts, feelings, and behaviors which certain women develop as a reponse to various problems in their family backgrounds.
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1416550216
Category : Self-Help
Languages : en
Pages : 355
Book Description
Discusses "loving too much" as a pattern of thoughts, feelings, and behaviors which certain women develop as a reponse to various problems in their family backgrounds.
The Guyde
Author: Howie Reith
Publisher: Howard Reith
ISBN: 9780998352718
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 396
Book Description
The Guyde is the most comprehensive men's dating and self-improvement book ever written, designed to be everything you need to transform into the most confident version of yourself. There are no lines or routines; instead you'll find exercises and information to improve your self-esteem, social skills, and other elements integral to social success. Everything in these pages is backed with scientific evidence, and when I say scientific evidence, I mean cited peer-reviewed literature, not pop evolutionary psychology or the "law of attraction." You won't be reading anecdotes telling you about my "successes" or opinions; you'll be learning the practical steps necessary for the specific changes you want to manifest in your life. The Guyde is divided into four sections: Part I - Psychology Part I focuses on the internal elements of social interaction. How do you overcome your toxic self-limiting beliefs that keep you from being authentic with people? How do you overcome your fears? How can you stay motivated to make your changes? You will learn clinically effective approaches to all of these and more. Part II - Social Skills For many men, the biggest barrier between themselves and social success is a lack of social skills and awareness. In Part II, you'll learn how to shore up this weakness. You will learn how to listen, banter, share stories, and assert yourself with others. You'll learn how to improve your body language and vocal tonality to project confidence and charisma. Part III - Physical Attractiveness Part III will teach you how to improve your physical features. The first two chapters detail the most clinically effective approaches to diet and exercise. We'll also discuss the basics of fashion and how to dress to impress. Master Part III, and when you go out, you will turn heads. Part IV - Dating The final portion of The Guyde deals with dating, in this version, in a heterosexual male context. You'll learn the best places to meet potential dates, how to flirt, and how to ask someone out. You'll learn how to plan brag-worthy romantic evenings and how to address problems like rude cancellations and "ghosting." You'll learn how to interact physically while being sensitive to your date's wishes, as well as how to perform better in bed. You'll learn why relationships fail and how to avoid the pitfalls most couples fall into, and you'll come to understand a bit about what it's like to date from a woman's perspective, including many of the cultural factors they face that most men don't understand. The Guyde is a labor of love. I wrote it to be everything I wish I'd known when I was younger, the sorts of things that turned my life around for the better. I hope it does the same for you.
Publisher: Howard Reith
ISBN: 9780998352718
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 396
Book Description
The Guyde is the most comprehensive men's dating and self-improvement book ever written, designed to be everything you need to transform into the most confident version of yourself. There are no lines or routines; instead you'll find exercises and information to improve your self-esteem, social skills, and other elements integral to social success. Everything in these pages is backed with scientific evidence, and when I say scientific evidence, I mean cited peer-reviewed literature, not pop evolutionary psychology or the "law of attraction." You won't be reading anecdotes telling you about my "successes" or opinions; you'll be learning the practical steps necessary for the specific changes you want to manifest in your life. The Guyde is divided into four sections: Part I - Psychology Part I focuses on the internal elements of social interaction. How do you overcome your toxic self-limiting beliefs that keep you from being authentic with people? How do you overcome your fears? How can you stay motivated to make your changes? You will learn clinically effective approaches to all of these and more. Part II - Social Skills For many men, the biggest barrier between themselves and social success is a lack of social skills and awareness. In Part II, you'll learn how to shore up this weakness. You will learn how to listen, banter, share stories, and assert yourself with others. You'll learn how to improve your body language and vocal tonality to project confidence and charisma. Part III - Physical Attractiveness Part III will teach you how to improve your physical features. The first two chapters detail the most clinically effective approaches to diet and exercise. We'll also discuss the basics of fashion and how to dress to impress. Master Part III, and when you go out, you will turn heads. Part IV - Dating The final portion of The Guyde deals with dating, in this version, in a heterosexual male context. You'll learn the best places to meet potential dates, how to flirt, and how to ask someone out. You'll learn how to plan brag-worthy romantic evenings and how to address problems like rude cancellations and "ghosting." You'll learn how to interact physically while being sensitive to your date's wishes, as well as how to perform better in bed. You'll learn why relationships fail and how to avoid the pitfalls most couples fall into, and you'll come to understand a bit about what it's like to date from a woman's perspective, including many of the cultural factors they face that most men don't understand. The Guyde is a labor of love. I wrote it to be everything I wish I'd known when I was younger, the sorts of things that turned my life around for the better. I hope it does the same for you.
Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man LP
Author: Steve Harvey
Publisher: Harper Collins
ISBN: 0061999571
Category : Self-Help
Languages : en
Pages : 254
Book Description
Steve Harvey, the host of the nationally syndicated Steve Harvey Morning Show, can't count the number of impressive women he's met over the years, whether it's through the "Strawberry Letters" segment of his program or while on tour for his comedy shows. Yet when it comes to relationships, they can't figure out what makes men tick. Why? According to Steve it's because they're asking other women for advice when no one but another man can tell them how to find and keep a man. In Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man, Steve lets women inside the mindset of a man and sheds light on concepts and questions such as: The Ninety Day Rule: Ford requires it of its employees. Should you require it of your man? The five questions every woman should ask a man to determine how serious he is. And much more . . . Sometimes funny, sometimes direct, but always truthful, Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man is a book you must read if you want to understand how men think when it comes to relationships.
Publisher: Harper Collins
ISBN: 0061999571
Category : Self-Help
Languages : en
Pages : 254
Book Description
Steve Harvey, the host of the nationally syndicated Steve Harvey Morning Show, can't count the number of impressive women he's met over the years, whether it's through the "Strawberry Letters" segment of his program or while on tour for his comedy shows. Yet when it comes to relationships, they can't figure out what makes men tick. Why? According to Steve it's because they're asking other women for advice when no one but another man can tell them how to find and keep a man. In Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man, Steve lets women inside the mindset of a man and sheds light on concepts and questions such as: The Ninety Day Rule: Ford requires it of its employees. Should you require it of your man? The five questions every woman should ask a man to determine how serious he is. And much more . . . Sometimes funny, sometimes direct, but always truthful, Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man is a book you must read if you want to understand how men think when it comes to relationships.
A Lady Can Never Be Too Curious
Author: Mary Wine
Publisher: Sourcebooks, Inc.
ISBN: 140226481X
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 213
Book Description
Beneath the Surface of Victorian Life Lies a Very Different World... Hated and feared by the upper classes, the Illuminists guard their secrets with their lives. Janette Aston's insatiable quest for answers brings her to their locked golden doors, where she encounters the most formidable man she's ever met. Darius Lawley's job is to eliminate would–be infiltrators, but even he may be no match for Janette's cunning and charm... Praise for Highland Heat: "Dramatic and vivid...Scorching love scenes threaten to set the sheets aflame."—Publishers Weekly, Starred Review "[The characters] fight just as passionately as they love while intrigue abounds and readers turn the pages faster and faster!"—RT Book Reviews, 4 Stars
Publisher: Sourcebooks, Inc.
ISBN: 140226481X
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 213
Book Description
Beneath the Surface of Victorian Life Lies a Very Different World... Hated and feared by the upper classes, the Illuminists guard their secrets with their lives. Janette Aston's insatiable quest for answers brings her to their locked golden doors, where she encounters the most formidable man she's ever met. Darius Lawley's job is to eliminate would–be infiltrators, but even he may be no match for Janette's cunning and charm... Praise for Highland Heat: "Dramatic and vivid...Scorching love scenes threaten to set the sheets aflame."—Publishers Weekly, Starred Review "[The characters] fight just as passionately as they love while intrigue abounds and readers turn the pages faster and faster!"—RT Book Reviews, 4 Stars
Captivating
Author: John Eldredge
Publisher: Thomas Nelson Inc
ISBN: 1400200385
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 256
Book Description
What Wild at Heart did for men, Captivating is doing for women. Setting their hearts free. This groundbreaking book shows readers the glorious design of women before the fall, describes how the feminine heart can be restored, and casts a vision for the power, freedom, and beauty of a woman released to be all she was meant to be.
Publisher: Thomas Nelson Inc
ISBN: 1400200385
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 256
Book Description
What Wild at Heart did for men, Captivating is doing for women. Setting their hearts free. This groundbreaking book shows readers the glorious design of women before the fall, describes how the feminine heart can be restored, and casts a vision for the power, freedom, and beauty of a woman released to be all she was meant to be.
The Love of a Good Woman
Author: Alice Munro
Publisher: McClelland & Stewart
ISBN: 1551993988
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 366
Book Description
In eight stories, a master of the form extends and magnifies her great themes—the vagaries of love, the passion that leads down unexpected paths, the chaos hovering just under the surface of things, and the strange, often comical desires of the human heart. Time stretches out in some of the stories: a man and a woman look back forty years to the summer they met—the summer, as it turns out, that the true nature of their lives was revealed. In others time is telescoped: a young girl finds in the course of an evening that the mother she adores, and whose fluttery sexuality she hopes to emulate, will not sustain her—she must count on herself. Some choices are made—in a will, in a decision to leave home—with irrevocable and surprising consequences. At other times disaster is courted or barely skirted: when a mother has a startling dream about her baby; when a woman, driving her grandchildren to visit the lakeside haunts of her youth, starts a game that could have dangerous consequences. The rich layering that gives Alice Munro's work so strong a sense of life is particularly apparent in the title story, in which the death of a local optometrist brings an entire town into focus—from the preadolescent boys who find his body, to the man who probably killed him, to the woman who must decide what to do about what she might know. Large, moving, profound, these are stories that extend the limits of fiction.
Publisher: McClelland & Stewart
ISBN: 1551993988
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 366
Book Description
In eight stories, a master of the form extends and magnifies her great themes—the vagaries of love, the passion that leads down unexpected paths, the chaos hovering just under the surface of things, and the strange, often comical desires of the human heart. Time stretches out in some of the stories: a man and a woman look back forty years to the summer they met—the summer, as it turns out, that the true nature of their lives was revealed. In others time is telescoped: a young girl finds in the course of an evening that the mother she adores, and whose fluttery sexuality she hopes to emulate, will not sustain her—she must count on herself. Some choices are made—in a will, in a decision to leave home—with irrevocable and surprising consequences. At other times disaster is courted or barely skirted: when a mother has a startling dream about her baby; when a woman, driving her grandchildren to visit the lakeside haunts of her youth, starts a game that could have dangerous consequences. The rich layering that gives Alice Munro's work so strong a sense of life is particularly apparent in the title story, in which the death of a local optometrist brings an entire town into focus—from the preadolescent boys who find his body, to the man who probably killed him, to the woman who must decide what to do about what she might know. Large, moving, profound, these are stories that extend the limits of fiction.
Mean Girls at Work: How to Stay Professional When Things Get Personal
Author: Katherine Crowley
Publisher: McGraw Hill Professional
ISBN: 0071802053
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 209
Book Description
One of the New York Post's Top 10 Career Books of 2012 and a Booklist Top 10 Business Book DO YOU WORK WITH A MEAN GIRL? A woman’s field guide to the new frontier of professional development—working with other women Women-to-women relationships in the workplace are . . . complicated. When they’re good, they’re great. But when they’re bad, they can ruin your day, your week—even your year. Packed with proven advice from two of today’s leading experts in workplace relationships, this one-of-a-kind guide gives women the tools they need to navigate difficult situations unique to women-to-women relationships—whether with a boss, a colleague, a client, or an employee. Have you dealt with a woman in the workplace who: “Accidentally” excludes you from important meetings? Seems intent on taking you down professionally? Gossips about you with other coworkers? Makes you look bad by missing deadlines? Forms a “pack” of mean girls to make your life miserable? Mean Girls at Work isn’t just about surviving difficult situations. It’s about transforming a toxic relationship into one that benefits and supports both of you. This book is also for women who engage in mean behavior . . . but don’t know it. After all, who hasn’t gossiped about a female coworker? Who hasn’t rolled her eyes in the presence of a woman she doesn’t like? Who hasn’t scanned another woman head to toe—which is just a nonverbal way of saying, “You’ve just been judged”? The authors provide invaluable advice to the more subtle ways of being mean—even if they’re not intended. With a workforce composed of a higher percentage of women than ever, workplace dynamics have changed. Crowley and Elster cover every conceivable scenario, providing critical advice on how to rise above the fray and move forward professionally. Mean Girls at Work is your map to dodging the mines and moving forward in today’s transformed workplace. Praise for Mean Girls at Work “An invaluable suit of armor for surviving nine to five!” —Leil Lowndes, bestselling author of How to Talk to Anyone “If you think the emotional cruelty of comedies like Mean Girls and Heathers doesn’t exist in the real world workplace, think again. In Mean Girls at Work, Katherine Crowley and Kathi Elster valuably chronicle female vs. female predators and offer solid defensive strategies.” —Ann Kreamer, author of It’s Always Personal: Navigating Emotion in the New Workplace “Whether you are in your twenties and just starting your professional career, your midcareer forties, when you are supposed to have figured it out already, or a woman in her fifties or sixties who’s seen it all—this book is a must-read. . . . The authors have finally given women the tools and the sound advice necessary to deal with . . . conflicts that keep us all from succeeding. . . . Carry this book with you to work every day!” —Carolyn Cassin, President, Michigan Women’s Foundation “A must-read for women of all ages in today’s workforce. This book offers what we all need to develop the capacities to endure this ever-changing workplace. We know it is all about relationships and you need the skills outlined in this book to survive and thrive when the Mean Girls attack.” —Kim Harrington, Coordinator, Professional Development and Training, Office of Human Resources, California State University, Sacramento
Publisher: McGraw Hill Professional
ISBN: 0071802053
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 209
Book Description
One of the New York Post's Top 10 Career Books of 2012 and a Booklist Top 10 Business Book DO YOU WORK WITH A MEAN GIRL? A woman’s field guide to the new frontier of professional development—working with other women Women-to-women relationships in the workplace are . . . complicated. When they’re good, they’re great. But when they’re bad, they can ruin your day, your week—even your year. Packed with proven advice from two of today’s leading experts in workplace relationships, this one-of-a-kind guide gives women the tools they need to navigate difficult situations unique to women-to-women relationships—whether with a boss, a colleague, a client, or an employee. Have you dealt with a woman in the workplace who: “Accidentally” excludes you from important meetings? Seems intent on taking you down professionally? Gossips about you with other coworkers? Makes you look bad by missing deadlines? Forms a “pack” of mean girls to make your life miserable? Mean Girls at Work isn’t just about surviving difficult situations. It’s about transforming a toxic relationship into one that benefits and supports both of you. This book is also for women who engage in mean behavior . . . but don’t know it. After all, who hasn’t gossiped about a female coworker? Who hasn’t rolled her eyes in the presence of a woman she doesn’t like? Who hasn’t scanned another woman head to toe—which is just a nonverbal way of saying, “You’ve just been judged”? The authors provide invaluable advice to the more subtle ways of being mean—even if they’re not intended. With a workforce composed of a higher percentage of women than ever, workplace dynamics have changed. Crowley and Elster cover every conceivable scenario, providing critical advice on how to rise above the fray and move forward professionally. Mean Girls at Work is your map to dodging the mines and moving forward in today’s transformed workplace. Praise for Mean Girls at Work “An invaluable suit of armor for surviving nine to five!” —Leil Lowndes, bestselling author of How to Talk to Anyone “If you think the emotional cruelty of comedies like Mean Girls and Heathers doesn’t exist in the real world workplace, think again. In Mean Girls at Work, Katherine Crowley and Kathi Elster valuably chronicle female vs. female predators and offer solid defensive strategies.” —Ann Kreamer, author of It’s Always Personal: Navigating Emotion in the New Workplace “Whether you are in your twenties and just starting your professional career, your midcareer forties, when you are supposed to have figured it out already, or a woman in her fifties or sixties who’s seen it all—this book is a must-read. . . . The authors have finally given women the tools and the sound advice necessary to deal with . . . conflicts that keep us all from succeeding. . . . Carry this book with you to work every day!” —Carolyn Cassin, President, Michigan Women’s Foundation “A must-read for women of all ages in today’s workforce. This book offers what we all need to develop the capacities to endure this ever-changing workplace. We know it is all about relationships and you need the skills outlined in this book to survive and thrive when the Mean Girls attack.” —Kim Harrington, Coordinator, Professional Development and Training, Office of Human Resources, California State University, Sacramento
Lives of Fair and Gallant Ladies
Author: Pierre de Bourdeille, seigneur de Brantôme
Publisher: Library of Alexandria
ISBN: 1465600647
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 928
Book Description
And now we find seated on the throne of France a young Monarch of a strange, wild, unattractive exterior. His eye is pale, colourless and shifty, seeming to be void of all expression. He trusts no man, and has no real assurance of his power as Sovereign; he looks long and suspiciously at those about him before speaking, rarely bestows his confidence and believes himself constantly surrounded by spies. 'Tis a nervous, timid child,—'tis Charles IX. History treats him with an extreme severity; and the "St. Bartholomew" has thrown a lurid light over this unhappy Prince's figure. He allowed the massacres on the fatal nights of the 24th and 25th of August, and even shot down the flying Protestants from his palace roof. Without going into the interminable discussions of historians as to this last alleged fact, which is as strongly denied by some authorities as it is maintained by others, I am not one of those who say hard things of Charles IX. It is more a sentiment of pity I feel for him,—this monarch who loved Brantôme and Marot, and who protected Henri IV. against Catherine de Medici. I see him surrounded by brothers whom he had learned to distrust. The Due d'Alençon is on the spot, a legitimate object of detestation by reason of the subterranean intrigues he is for ever hatching against his person; while his other brother Henri (afterwards Henri III.), Catherine's favourite son, is in Poland, kept sedulously informed of every variation in the Prince's always feeble health, waiting impatiently for the hour when he must hurry back to France to secure the crown he covets. Then his sister's vicious outbreaks are a source of constant pain and anxiety to him; and last but not least there is his mother Catherine de Medici, an incubus that crushed out his very life-breath. He cannot forget the tortures his brother Francis suffered from his mysterious malady, and his premature death after a single year's reign. Catherine hated Mary Stuart, his young Queen, whose only fault was to have exaggerated in herself all the frailties together with all the physical perfections of a woman; and dreadful words had been whispered with bated breath about the Queen Mother. An Italian, deprived of all power while her husband lived, insulted by a proud and beautiful favourite, yet knowing herself well fitted for command, she had brought up her children with ideas of respect and submission to her will they were never able to throw off. The ill-will she bore her daughter-in-law was the cause of all those accusations History has listened to over readily. But Charles, a nervous, affectionate child, whose natural impulses however had been chilled by his mother's influence and the indifference of his father Henri II., was thrown back on himself, and grew up timid, suspicious and morose. The frantic love of Francis for his fascinating Queen, the cold dignity of Catherine in face of slights and cruel mortifications, her bitter disappointment during her eldest son's reign, her Italian origin (held then even more than now to imply an implacable determination to avenge all injuries), her indifference to the sudden and appalling death of the young King, the insinuations of her enemies,—all combined to make a profound impression on Charles, giving a furtive and, if we may say so, a haggard bent to his character. Presently, seated on the throne of France, Huguenots and Catholics all about him, exposed to the insults and pretensions of the Guise faction on the one hand and that of Coligny on the other, dragged now this way now that between the two, yet all the while instinctively drawn toward the Catholic side by ancestral faith and his mother's counsels no less than by reasons of state, Charles signed the fatal order authorizing the Massacre of the Saint Bartholomew.
Publisher: Library of Alexandria
ISBN: 1465600647
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 928
Book Description
And now we find seated on the throne of France a young Monarch of a strange, wild, unattractive exterior. His eye is pale, colourless and shifty, seeming to be void of all expression. He trusts no man, and has no real assurance of his power as Sovereign; he looks long and suspiciously at those about him before speaking, rarely bestows his confidence and believes himself constantly surrounded by spies. 'Tis a nervous, timid child,—'tis Charles IX. History treats him with an extreme severity; and the "St. Bartholomew" has thrown a lurid light over this unhappy Prince's figure. He allowed the massacres on the fatal nights of the 24th and 25th of August, and even shot down the flying Protestants from his palace roof. Without going into the interminable discussions of historians as to this last alleged fact, which is as strongly denied by some authorities as it is maintained by others, I am not one of those who say hard things of Charles IX. It is more a sentiment of pity I feel for him,—this monarch who loved Brantôme and Marot, and who protected Henri IV. against Catherine de Medici. I see him surrounded by brothers whom he had learned to distrust. The Due d'Alençon is on the spot, a legitimate object of detestation by reason of the subterranean intrigues he is for ever hatching against his person; while his other brother Henri (afterwards Henri III.), Catherine's favourite son, is in Poland, kept sedulously informed of every variation in the Prince's always feeble health, waiting impatiently for the hour when he must hurry back to France to secure the crown he covets. Then his sister's vicious outbreaks are a source of constant pain and anxiety to him; and last but not least there is his mother Catherine de Medici, an incubus that crushed out his very life-breath. He cannot forget the tortures his brother Francis suffered from his mysterious malady, and his premature death after a single year's reign. Catherine hated Mary Stuart, his young Queen, whose only fault was to have exaggerated in herself all the frailties together with all the physical perfections of a woman; and dreadful words had been whispered with bated breath about the Queen Mother. An Italian, deprived of all power while her husband lived, insulted by a proud and beautiful favourite, yet knowing herself well fitted for command, she had brought up her children with ideas of respect and submission to her will they were never able to throw off. The ill-will she bore her daughter-in-law was the cause of all those accusations History has listened to over readily. But Charles, a nervous, affectionate child, whose natural impulses however had been chilled by his mother's influence and the indifference of his father Henri II., was thrown back on himself, and grew up timid, suspicious and morose. The frantic love of Francis for his fascinating Queen, the cold dignity of Catherine in face of slights and cruel mortifications, her bitter disappointment during her eldest son's reign, her Italian origin (held then even more than now to imply an implacable determination to avenge all injuries), her indifference to the sudden and appalling death of the young King, the insinuations of her enemies,—all combined to make a profound impression on Charles, giving a furtive and, if we may say so, a haggard bent to his character. Presently, seated on the throne of France, Huguenots and Catholics all about him, exposed to the insults and pretensions of the Guise faction on the one hand and that of Coligny on the other, dragged now this way now that between the two, yet all the while instinctively drawn toward the Catholic side by ancestral faith and his mother's counsels no less than by reasons of state, Charles signed the fatal order authorizing the Massacre of the Saint Bartholomew.