“Time,” was the answer.
“It is time that has brought me here,” she said as if to herself. The chariot moved slowly on, and when it was almost under the arch, “Truth” let down the volume by a silken cord. Elizabeth took the Bible, kissed it and pressed it to her heart, then held it up before the people.
“Truly, I thank my city of London,” said she. “No other gift could have pleased me as this does, and I promise you that every day I will read it most diligently.”
So it was that Elizabeth made her journey through London. The whole scene was rather theatrical, but it pleased the people, and that was what she most wished to do. All around her were shouts of joy, silent tears of happiness, wild promises of service, and sober, heartfelt prayers. As she came to the gates of the city, she looked back and called, “Farewell, my people, farewell. Be well assured that I will be a good queen to you.” Then the cannon of the Tower thundered, and Elizabeth went on to Westminster.
There she was crowned, and Sir Edward Dymock performed the office of champion, introduced by William the Conqueror. At the coronation banquet he rode into the hall in full armor, threw down his gauntlet and proclaimed:—
“If there be any manner of man that will say and maintain that our sovereign lady, Queen Elizabeth, is not the rightful and undoubted inheritrix to the imperial crown of this realm of England, I say he lieth like a false traitor, and that I am ready to maintain with him, and therefore I cast him my gage.” After a few minutes a herald picked up the glove and presented it to Sir Edward. This ceremony was repeated at two other places in the hall. The queen then drank to the health of the champion in a golden cup which was presented to him as his reward.
During the glories of the coronation, the people seemed to have almost forgotten for a moment the important question whether the queen would rule as a Catholic or a Protestant. There had been much discussion about the matter, and after the days of celebration there was even more.
“She was brought up as a Protestant,” one man said, “and she will rule as a Protestant.”
“Oh, but has she not declared that she is a Catholic, and has she not been to mass with Queen Mary? Does she not go to mass now?” retorted another.
“Who wouldn’t go to mass to gain a kingdom?” laughed a third lightly. “If Queen Mary had named the queen of Scotland as her heir—yes, I know there was a decree of Parliament, but another decree might have been passed as well as that—I don’t say the Catholics would have tried to make the Scotch girl queen, but Elizabeth was wise, she was wise.”