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Romance and Poetry: Lennox

It will be seen that the jewel contains three distinct divisions, the front, the reverse, and the interior, in which are twenty-eight emblems, and six verses, or mottoes. All these emblems point to the truth of the tradition that the jewel was made for Margaret Douglas, Countess of Lennox, in memory of her husband. He, by maternal descent, was of the royal blood of Scotland, his mother being the Lady Anne Stuart, a daughter of John, Earl of Athol, brother of James II. She was of the blood royal of England, her mother being Margaret Tudor, the only daughter of Henry VII., and widow of James IV. of Scotland. Her father was Archibald Douglas, sixth Earl of Angus. The letters M. S. L. are the initials of the name of the Countess of Lennox and her husband, Matthew Stuart Lennox, and Margaret Stuart Lennox. The salamander is the crest of the house of Lennox; the circumstance that here it is crowned may be in allusion to the royal descent of the Lady Margaret. The three fleurs-de-lys on an azure ground are the arms borne in the first quarter by Matthew Stuart, Earl of Lennox, being the royal arms of France, granted to his ancestor, Sir John Stuart, of Darnley, by Charles VII. of France.

The heart also is most emphatic, for it is the well-known emblem of the house of Douglas. The wings represent the soaring ambition of that house. The two little hearts, joined together not only by a true-love knot, but by a blue buckle, point to Lennox and Douglas, for both these ancient houses bear buckles in their arms.

The emblems, the pelican and the salamander, express great affection and great trials. The recumbent figure on the grass seems to represent the unfortunate Darnley. "He was not," says Mr. Tytler, "in his own right a king, but a king sprang from him, and the crown, as I have interpreted the little figure, placed, not upon his head, but in his side, expresses this; whilst the sunflower growing out of the crown, equally clearly denotes a royal scion, his son King James VI." The sun and phoenix Mr. Tytler regards as emblems of Queen Elizabeth.

The two warriors are supposed to allude to the death of Lennox, who being mortally wounded points to the crowned shield with a face on it, an emblem of the young king, as if saying, "If the babe is well, all is well." The crowned warrior seizing a lady by the hair, may indicate the temporary triumph of the Scottish Queen's party over the fortunes of the Countess of Lennox and the young king.

The stake surrounded by flames, the lady liberated and seated on a chair of state, and the emblems of Time and Truth, have to be considered. The first is an emblem, doubtless, of religious persecution. Lady Lennox had been reported a Roman Catholic, and as such became an object of suspicion and persecution by Queen Elizabeth. Three points in her life may offer a key to the complicated emblems in the group of Time and Truth. Her being slandered and threatened with loss of honour, birthright, and royal descent, is indicated by the jaws vomiting forth fire and lies, whilst Time pulling Truth from the well, marks the triumph of truth in the establishment of her legitimacy. The celestial sphere, with the words ze seim, etc., may allude to the bright influences which seemed to reign over her early days, her education at the court of Henry VIII., her marriage, and the favour she enjoyed from her sovereign, Mary of England--these were succeeded by her becoming under Elizabeth the victim of persecution and dissimulation. This temporary triumph of evil over celestial influences is represented by the double face of Time, and by half his body, in the shape of a demon, resting on the celestial sphere, and checking its motions. The lady enthroned, last feature of the group, points to the same story. "She is no longer" (to use Mr. Tytler's own words) "at the mercy of her enemy, no longer in the miserable state in which she appears below, dragged by the hair, wretched and discrowned. She has regained her liberty, her honours are restored, her diadem sparkles on her brow, and she proclaims her release, Gar Tel My Relaes."

From this examination it appears that this curious and ancient jewel contains internal evidence that it was made for Margaret, Countess of Lennox, in memory of her husband, the Regent, as a present to her royal grandson, the King of Scots.

Mr. Tytler supposes it to have been made about 1576 or 1577. He concludes by pointing out that in the spirit of the times, which delighted in concetti, the three inscriptions in the interior of the heart, may be anagrammatic, and they may be so transposed as to include the names of the countess, her husband, and Queen Elizabeth. Tym gares al leir will read, "Margaret is leal;" Gar Tel My Relaes--Mat. S. L. Ye. Real. Reg., for Matthew Stuart Lennox, the royal Regent;" and Ze Seim. Al. My. Plesvr, may be read, "My P. L. Eliza rvles me." In April, 1866, the Rev. Mr. Blencowe exhibited, at a meeting of the Society of Antiquaries, a jewelled ornament consisting of an oval cameo in onyx, representing Queen Elizabeth, in profile to the left. It is set in a frame of rubies and table diamonds, the upper part is in the form of a crown, and from the lower hangs a bunch of grapes formed of pearls. The entire height of the ornament is about two and a half inches. The workmanship of this cameo has been attributed to Coldore, chief engraver to Henry IV. But apart from its artistic beauty, it has a romantic interest. William Barbor was, for his religion, in the reign of Queen Mary, brought to the stake in Smithfield to be burnt, but before the fire was lighted, news came of the queen's death, and the execution was stopped. In memory of this signal deliverance the jewel in question was made, inclosing a portrait of Elizabeth, by whose accession William Barbor had escaped such imminent danger.