Elixir

e-liks'er, in alchemy, a solid substance believed to have the property of changing the common metals into silver or gold. We read of two elixirs. The great elixir was also called the red tincture and the philosopher's stone. A little of it shaken into a quantity of melted silver, lead, or other base metal was reputed to turn the entire mass into gold. A belief in this philosopher's stone was at one time very general, but no writer appears to have been familiar with its exact appearance. A minute dose was supposed also to prolong life and restore youth. In this connection, it was called the elixir of life. The lesser elixir or white tincture was reputed to have the power of turning base metals into silver. Much time and money were expended in searching for these elixirs. The term elixir is not altogether obsolete today in pharmacy, although the term, tincture, has taken its place largely. An elixir of today is a solution of bitter and aromatic vegetable substances in spirits of wine (alcohol). Elixir of vitriol is composed of cinnamon, ginger, alchohol, and a small quantity of oil of vitriol. See Chemistry; Medicine

Elizabeth (1533-1603), queen of England. She was born at Greenwich September 7, 1533, and died at Richmond March 24, 1603. Her father was the much-married Henry VIII; her mother, Anne Boleyn, was his second wife. Elizabeth was well taught, chiefly by the celebrated Roger Ascham. She was an apt student of Latin and Greek.

Henry's successor, Edward VI, maintained the Episcopal church. At the death of Edward, however, Mary, known in Protestant annals as Bloody Mary, reestablished the Roman Catholic religion. Her advisers brought many Protestant leaders to the block, and authorized persecutions, even burning at the stake, on account of religious belief. Elizabeth was a Protestant at heart, but she supported Mary's accession to the throne. She saved herself much annoyance, and possibly saved her life, by apparent conformity to the religious views of her sister.

Elizabeth no sooner ascended the throne, however, an event which occurred in 1558, than she took immediate measures to restore the Church of England to its former position of authority. The Episcopal organization and form of worship established in her reign have continued practically without change to the present time. Nevertheless, the queen was far from tolerant. Her affections were rooted in the Episcopal church, of which, as sovereign, she was the supreme head. The Catholics were, of course, very much dissatisfied because the authority of the pope had been denied. At the other extreme were many people who were equally dissatisfied because the Church of England did not, in their opinion, go far enough. Many of them had resided abroad under the influence of Calvin, Luther, and other reformers. They regarded the Church of England as entirely too papistical. They desired a "purer form of worship," and became known as Puritans. Elizabeth disliked Catholics and Puritans. She persecuted both, and both of these religious bodies hated her most cordially. As a matter of state policy she favored the Huguenots in France and the Protestant party in the Netherlands. She became the recognized head of European Protestantism.

Her foreign policy was strong. It was her good fortune to have for prime minister and confidential adviser William Cecil, afterward Lord Burleigh, who had served under Edward VI. The exploits of Sir Philip Sydney, Sir Francis Drake, Captain John Hawkins, Sir Walter Raleigh, and Admiral Lord Howard, and the destruction of the Spanish Armada belong to this period. England became the leading maritime power of the world.

During Elizabeth's reign the British East India Company commenced operations, and the foundation of the British empire in the New World was laid. The first English colony in America was founded on Roanoke Island by Sir Walter Raleigh, one of Elizabeth's courtiers. Virginia was named in honor of Elizabeth, the Virgin Queen. Owing to the large number of eminent writers, her reign is known as the Elizabethan Period of English Literature. William Shakespeare, Edmund Spenser, and Francis Bacon are the great names of this period.

Elizabeth was a woman of ability and undoubted patriotism. She was ambitious and fond of power. Though considered cold-hearted, she had many suitors. A desire to rule uncontrolled is given as the most probable reason for not marrying. Although arbitrary by nature, she had the good judgment to be guided by the wishes of Parliament. She was a handsome, vain woman, untruthful, far from staunch and loyal to her friends, arbitrary and even despotic in her little court circle; but she had the strength of character to avoid licentiousness and to work for the good of her people. Many oppressive laws were repealed, many obnoxious monopolies were abolished. During her reign a great improvement took place in the condition of the common people. Schools and colleges were encouraged. Manufactures were built up; the people were relieved from burdensome taxes; comfortable houses took the place of hovels; floors of dirt and beds of straw became less common. Her treatment of the unfortunate Mary, Queen of Scots, is described elsewhere. On the whole she deserves the popular name accorded her of "Good Queen Bess." The following tribute from Shakespeare's play of King Henry VIII is not undeserved:

The dress worn at Elizabeth's court was peculiar in many respects. It was very showy, being much trimmed with silk, embroidery, and jewels. The broad Elizabethan ruff, worn by both men and women, was a conspicuous feature of the dress of the times. Men wore short breeches and padded stockings. Their coats were often slashed, and were made of brilliant colors. The hats were tall and were adorned with great plumes. Rich velvet capes were also worn. The fashions of the women were equally extravagant. Enormous hoops for extending the skirts and long pointed bodices were much worn. Elizabeth herself is said to have had 3,000 dresses. In spite of her strength as a sovereign, Elizabeth had many feminine weaknesses. She affected the dress and manners of a coquette to the day of her death, and expected her attendants to heap flattery upon her. They compared her to Venus and Diana in fulsome language that would be offensive at the present day. A German who visited her court when she was sixty-five years of age is quoted by the Britannica as follows:

She appeared stately and majestic; her face oblong, fair, but wrinkled; her eyes small, yet black and pleasant; her nose a little hooked, her lips narrow, her teeth black, her hands slender and her fingers long (there was a special beauty in her delicate white hands, and in her audiences she took care not to hide them). She had pearls with rich drops in her ears, wore false red hair, had a small crown on her head, her bosom uncovered, her dress white silk, bordered with pearls of the size of beans, a collar of gold and jewels; and thus arrayed, Elizabeth passed along, smiling graciously on the spectators, who fell down on their knees as she approached; while a marchioness bore up her train, a bevy of ladies followed her dressed in white, and she was guarded on each side by fifty gentlemen pensioners carrying gilt battle-axes.

See Raleigh; Mary; Queen Of Scots; Bacon; Shakespeare; Virginia

Elizabeth (1709-1762), empress of Russia. She was the daughter of Peter the Great and Catharine. From her father, she inherited ability; from her mother, beauty. She ascended the throne of Russia December 17, 1741, having first, by means of a conspiracy, removed her brother Ivan VI. She was an unprincipled and licentious woman. She was influenced by favorites and governed the country through them. The slightest objection to her measures or to her friends was followed by imprisonment or by exile for life to the mines of Siberia. The redeeming quality in her life was her patronage of literature. She furnished Voltaire with the materials for his life of Peter the Great. She also founded the University of Moscow and the Academy of Fine Arts at St. Petersburg. In the case of men like Alexander, Peter, and Napoleon, the historian permits their talents to cover their vices and accords the title of the Great. In the case of a woman, however, vices are never forgotten. The name of Elizabeth is prominent in Russian history, but the art of writers has never been employed to shield her from the reputation of infamy.