Jacob Abbott 
History of Elizabeth, Queen of England [PDF ebook] 

Whilst the greatest effort has been made to ensure the quality of this text, due to the historical nature of this content, in some rare cases there may be minor issues with legibility. A far greater sovereign than woman was Eliza beth of England. Inheriting grave defects of charac ter, she developed commanding qualities of mind. Intriguing, lying, courting flattery, she carried on a series of amours while governing her land with rare sagacity, never allowing her chamber-maid’s heart to influence her statesman’s head. Ascending the throne at a time when the world was witnessing the begin nings of a terrible convulsion she dexterously piloted her own realm past threatening disaster into a period of unexampled prosperity and splendor. Ignoring her faults, grievous as they were, England calls her its Virgin Queen and renders her homage as one of its greatest rulers.