Peter lived in the greatest dissipation

and on such intimate terms with a lady of the court, named Elizabeth Woronzoff, that it was generally thought that he would repudiate Catharine and marry his mistre . Peter was imprisoned and murdered by the Orloffs, and Cathee ES arine became empre . <A fit of apoplexy ended her life on Nov. 17, 1796. Apart from her debauchery she was an enlightened and progre ive ruler, -and deserves to be remembered gratefully by Americans for having refused to sell her subjects to George III. to fight in the Revolution. Catharine de’ Medici, wife of Henry IL, ai of France; born in Florence in 1519, the only daughter of Lorenzo de’ Medici, Duke of Urbino, and the niece of Pope Clement VII. Francis I. consented that his son Henry should marry her only because he did not believe she ever would ascend the throne, and because he was ‘in great want of money, with which | Lorenzo could furnish him. The marriage was celebrated at Marseilles in 1533. The ma acre of St. Bartholoae was her work. She had two daughters, Elizabeth, married to Philip II. of Spain in 1559, and Margaret of Valois, married to Henry of Navarre, afterward Henry IV. She died in 1589. ‘ Catharine of Arragon, Queen of England, the youngest daughter of Ferdinand of Arragon and Isabella of Castile; born in 1483 or 1485. In 1501 she was married to Arthur, Prince of Wales. Her husband dying about five months after, the king caused her to be contracted to his remaining son, Henry, and a dispensation was procured from the Pope for that purpose. In his 15th year the prince made a public protest against the marriage; but yielding to the representations of his council, he consented to ratify the contract, and on his acce ion to the throne in 1509 was crowned with her. The want of male i ue proved a source of disquietude to him, and scruples, real or pretended, at length arose in his mind concerning the legality of their union, which were enforced by a growing pa ion for Anne Boleyn, one of the queen’s maids of honor. He made application to Rome for a divorce from Catharine. An encouraging answer was returned, and a dispensation promised.