GREY, LADY JANE, born in 1537, remarkable for her virtues, accomplishments, and untimely death, was of the blood-royal of England, being, the great-grand-daughter of Henry VII., whose daughter Mary married first Louis XII. of France, secondly Charles Brandon, duke of Suffolk, by whom she had a daughter, Frances Brandon, married to Henry Grey, marquis of Dorset. Of this marriage Lady Jane Grey was the eldest daughter : there was no male issue. She was distinguished from childhood by her talents; and her acquire ments were, for a lady, very unusuaL Greek, Latin, Italian, and French, she spoke and wrote with correctness and fluency ; and she understood Hebrew, Chaldee, and Arabic. Great beauty, sweetness of temper, piety, and skill in the usual female accomplishments, com bined to render her the delight of all, except her parents, whose severity would in modern times be termed brutal, yet did not alienate her willing obedience. (See Ascham'a well-known and very beautiful account of an interview with her in his ' Schoolmaster.) Filial obe dience proved her ruin. Her father, then created Duke of Suffolk, presuming on his own power and favour, and the declining health of Edward V L, undertook in concert with the powerful Duke of Northum berland to transfer the crown into their own line. With this view a marriage was concluded between Lady Jane Grey and Northumber laud's fourth son, Lord Guilford Dudley, in May 1553 ; and Edward VI.
was persuaded by his interested advisors to set aside the rights of his sisters, Mary and Elizabeth, and his cousin Mary of Scotland ; and, in consideratiou of her eminent virtues and royal descent, to settle the crown upou Lady Jane Grey or Dudley. The king died on the 6th of July; and it was not until the 10th that this unfortunate lady even knew of the plot in which she was involved. She was very reluctant to accept the crown ; but was at last over-persuaded by the importunities of her parents, and the entreaties of her husband, whom she tenderly loved. The two dukes had no party among the people; and ten days placed Mary in undisputed possession of the throne. Lady Jane and her husband wore confined in the Tower, apparently without intention of taking their lives in the first instance. But Wyat's insurrection determined their fate. Both were beheaded February 12, 1554. Lady Jane Grey's last hours were marked by the some wisdom, piety, and resignation which distinguished the whole of her short and beautiful life. Her only error was being persuaded to accept a crown, to which she had no good title, and for which she did not wish. (Ascham, Works; Burnet, Hist. Ref. ; Biog. Brit.)