The Historical Nights Entertainment | Page 2

false.
In the case of "The _Hermosa Fembra_" I confess to having blended
together into one single narrative two historical episodes closely
connected in time and place. Susan's daughter was, in fact, herself the
betrayer of her father, and it was in penitence for that unnatural act that
she desired her skull to be exhibited as I describe. Into the story of
Susan's daughter I have woven that of another New-Christian girl, who,
like the Hermosa Fembra, her taken a Castilian lover--in this case a
youth of the house of Guzman. This youth was driven into concealment
in circumstances more or less as I describe them. He overheard the
judaizing of several New-Christians there assembled, and bore word of
it at once to Ojeda. The two episodes were separated in fact by an
interval of three years, and the first afforded Ojeda a strong argument
for the institution of the Holy Office in Seville. Between the two there
are many points of contact, and each supplies what the other lacks to
make an interesting narrative having for background the introduction of
the Inquisition to Castile. The denouement I supply is entirely fictitious,
and the introduction of Torquemada is quite arbitrary. Ojeda was the
inquisitor who dealt with both cases. But if there I stray into fiction, at
least I claim to have sketched a faithful portrait of the Grand Inquisitor
as I know him from fairly exhaustive researches into his life and times.

The story of the False Demetrius is here related from the point of view
of my adopted solution of what is generally regarded as a historical
mystery. The mystery lies, of course, in the man's identity. He has been
held by some to have been the unfrocked monk, Grishka Otropiev, by
others to have been a son of Stephen Bathory, King of Poland. I am not
aware that the theory that he was both at one and the same time has
ever been put forward, and whilst admitting that it is speculative, yet I
claim that no other would appear so aptly to fit all the known facts of
his career or to shed light upon its mysteries.
Undoubtedly I have allowed myself a good deal of licence and
speculation in treating certain unwitnessed scenes in "The Barren
Wooing." But the theory that I develop in it to account for the
miscarriage of the matrimonial plans of Queen Elizabeth and Robert
Dudley seems to me to be not only very fully warranted by de Quadra's
correspondence, but the only theory that will convincingly explain the
events. Elizabeth, as I show, was widely believed to be an accessory to
the murder of Amy Robsart. But in carefully following her words and
actions at that critical time, as reported by de Quadra, my reading of the
transaction is as given here. The most damning fact against Elizabeth
was held to be her own statement to de Quadra on the eve of Lady
Robert Dudley's murder to the effect that Lady Robert was "already
dead, or very nearly so." This foreknowledge of the fate of that
unfortunate lady has been accepted as positive evidence that the Queen
was a party to the crime at Cumnor, which was to set her lover free to
marry again. Far from that, however, I account it positive proof of
Elizabeth's innocence of any such part in the deed. Elizabeth was far
too crafty and clear-sighted not to realize how her words must
incriminate her afterwards if she knew that the murder of Lady Robert
was projected. She must have been merely repeating what Dudley
himself had told her; and what he must have told her--and she
believed--was that his wife was at the point of a natural death.
Similarly, Dudley would not have told her this, unless his aim had been
to procure his wife's removal by means which would admit of a natural
interpretation. Difficulties encountered, much as I relate them--and for
which there is abundant evidence--drove his too-zealous agents to
rather desperate lengths, and thus brought suspicion, not only upon the

guilty Dudley, but also upon the innocent Queen. The manner of Amy's
murder is pure conjecture; but it should not be far from what actually
took place. The possibility of an accident--extraordinarily and
suspiciously opportune for Dudley as it would have been--could not be
altogether ruled out but for the further circumstance that Lady Robert
had removed everybody from Cumnor on that day. To what can this
point--unless we accept an altogether incredible chain of
coincidence--but to some such plotting as I here suggest?
In the remaining six essays in this volume the liberties taken with the
absolute facts are so slight as to require no apology or comment.
R. S.
London, June, 1919.

CONTENTS

I. THE ABSOLUTION Affonso Henriques, First