CHAPTER V.

ANNE OF DENMARK, QUEEN-CONSORT OF JAMES THE FIRST.

(A.D. 1575-1618.)

|Anne of Denmark was certainly less intellectual than some of her

predecessors, and on many occasions showed herself wanting in judgment

and common sense; but her political position was of immense importance,

because she was the wife of the first monarch who ruled over the whole

of the British isles. The Orkney and Shetland islands had fallen into

the hands of the Danish King during the preceding century, and were

yielded to James VI. of Scotland on condition of his marrying the

Princess Anne.

These islands were of value because of their geographical position; for

they had become the rendezvous of pirates, who found them convenient

headquarters whence their raids could be made along the British coast.

Princess Anne's parents were Frederic II. of Denmark, one of the

richest princes of Europe, and Sophia, a woman loved and admired for her

domestic virtues. These royal parents had such luxurious ideas about

the rearing of their children that although Anne was a strong, healthy

child, well-formed in every respect, she was never permitted to walk

until she was nine years of age.

[[A.D 1585.]] Negotiations for her marriage began when she was ten; and

then it was thought proper to teach her to sew, read, and dance, before

she could be regarded as an accomplished maid. {114}James VI. was born

at Edinburgh Castle, but the poor little unfortunate was early deprived

of parental care; for while he was yet a baby his father, Lord Darnley,

was killed, and his luckless mother, Mary Stuart, was forced to seek

refuge in England.

At the early age of fourteen months James was proclaimed King of

Scotland. On that occasion the Earl of Marr, his guardian, carried the

infant in procession and placed him on the throne; another peer held the

crown above his head, while a third placed the globe and sceptre in his

little hands, and Lord Marr repeated the necessary oath in the name of

the little one, who was then carried back to his nursery.

Of course little James was only king in name, for many years would have

to pass before he would be fit to undertake the reins of government.

Meanwhile, his uncle, the Earl of Murray, was appointed to act as

regent. Unfortunately for the young king, he had a nurse who was by no

means capable of taking charge of him, for she drank to excess and

never controlled him or his diet properly. The consequence was that he

developed slowly, and was such a weakling that he was full five years

old before he could walk, and throughout his life his limbs were never

as strong as they ought to have been. This defect may have been partly

due, however, to the absurd manner of dressing infants three centuries

ago in Scotland; for as soon as they were born they were swathed in

bandages, with their arms bound down to their side and their legs close

together and straight out, precisely after the manner of an Egyptian

mummy. Is it any wonder that they were long in discovering the use of

their limbs? In some parts of Germany babies are subjected to this

cruel swaddling to the present day, but the arms are left free, and

fortunately the custom is gradually going out of favor.

{115}

[Illustration: 0121]

{117}Though backward in the use of his legs, little James talked

wonderfully well, and soon learned to ask questions that were difficult

to answer, and to make remarks that often seemed most profound for one

of his age

[[A.D. 1571.]] He was just four years when he was called upon to perform

regal duty by convening parliament. The Earl of Marr carried him to the

grand Gothic hall of Stirling Castle, and placed him on the throne. He

seemed impressed at the numerous assemblage of lords and gentlemen, but

looked around as though to familiarize himself with the scene, and when

the proper time came recited the speech that had been drilled into him

beforehand. But he added a little impromptu speech of his own, for his

eyes rested on a hole in the canopy above the throne, and he exclaimed

aloud in his childish voice: "There is _ane_ hole in this parliament."

In the present day such a remark from the lips of a little boy might

excite a smile, but certainly no great importance would be attached to

it, but in the year 1571 the Scotch were very superstitious, and so

they gazed at the infant monarch with amazement. "What could he possibly

mean?" asked the wise lords of one another; for they never for one

moment doubted that the spirit of prophesy had prompted the remark, and

that the king foresaw an awful decrease in their numbers to be made by

death.

In the course of the year the Earl of Lenox, James's grandfather, was

killed, and that justified the royal child's remark in the eyes of the

superstitious. The old earl was on his way to visit James, when he was

stabbed in the back by conspirators. The brave Earl of Marr, attracted

by the dying man's groans, rushed out from Stirling Castle with his

servants and carried him to a place of safety. "Is the babe attacked?"

asked the old man, and on being assured that he alone was the sufferer,

he replied, with a sigh of {118}relief, "Then all is well," and died

soon after with perfect resignation.

The Earl of Marr was tutor to the king until he died, when he was

succeeded by George Buchanan, a bad, morose, capricious man, who had

such rigid ideas with regard to discipline that old Lady Marr, the

earl's mother, often wept on account of his cruel treatment towards his

pupil.

James had been removed to Stirling Castle during his infancy, and there

he passed his youth. His favorite companion was Thomas Erskine, his

foster-brother, who happened to be born on the same day as the young

king, whose cradle and sports he shared. Another playmate was the young

Earl of Marr, for whom James formed an attachment so warm and true that

it lasted to the end of his life.

[[A.D. 1577.]] The civil and religious wars that were raging in Scotland

had their effect on the young king, and, to some extent, appear to have

injured his character; for he was, in consequence, under the control of

some people whose influence was bad, and prompted him to authoritative

manners that were out of place in one so young, and made him appear in a

false light.

As he grew older he would at times pretend to be an imbecile, merely

from a spirit of perversity; but he was neither a fool nor a coward, as

he proved later.

He was only sixteen years of age when the Earl of Gowrie captured

him, but he managed to make his escape and seek the protection of his

great-uncle, the Earl of March. A revolution succeeded, and Gowrie was

beheaded soon after.

[[A.D. 1580.]] Three years later, Frederic II. of Denmark sent

ambassadors to Scotland to offer to the young king the hand of his

second daughter in marriage. Queen {119}Elizabeth opposed this alliance

so violently that the marriage-treaty was delayed several years. She

ought to have been pleased at the prospect of a Protestant wife for the

future King of England, but it was her peculiarity to break off every

match that she could influence.

Meanwhile, Henry of Navarre offered his sister Catherine for a wife to

James; but as she was many years older than the young king, and as

Anne of Denmark was just sixteen, and a miniature that had been sent

to Scotland represented her as being very beautiful, the decision was

quickly made in her favor.

Before the necessary arrangements could be completed her father, King

Frederic, died.

[[A.D. 1589.]] The Earl-marischal of Scotland, accompanied by other

dignitaries, proceeded, as proxies for James, with a noble fleet, to

claim the young princess and carry her to Scotland. They were received

with great joy by Queen Sophia, who, with Princess Anne, met them at

the fortress of Corenburg. There the bride embarked on board a ship

commanded by the Danish admiral, Peter Munch, who, with a fleet of

eleven other fine ships, set sail for Scotland. It was in the month of

September, and the sea was so rough that although the squadron sighted

land in due season contrary winds blew them to the coast of Norway.

Instead of attributing this occurrence to natural causes, Peter Munch

was in a dreadful state of perplexity, and began to consider what

witches he had offended to such an extent as to induce them to raise the

winds and waves so that he could not bring the young queen to Scotland.

Suddenly it occurred to him that he had boxed the ears of an officer at

Copenhagen, whose wife was a well-known witch. He felt satisfied then

that in order to avenge the insult to her husband the witch-wife had

tampered with the winds, and so the unfortunate creature was burnt

alive when he got back home. {120}Having once determined that they were

bewitched, nothing went well with the fleet, and a series of disasters

reduced ten of the ships to such a deplorable condition that they

returned to Denmark. The one in which the queen had sailed took refuge

in a harbor on the coast of Norway, where, as the cold weather had

already set in, there was every prospect that the bride would have to

stay all the winter. She wrote an account of her sufferings to the King

of Scotland, which a young Dane undertook to deliver in spite of witches

and weather.

While expecting his wife King James had made grand preparations for her

reception, and he was so disappointed at her delay that he resolved to

go himself to fetch her. Now this was a brave undertaking, for the best

ship that could be furnished was a miserable bark, scarcely fit to brave

the wintry storms of the German ocean; however, a prosperous breeze

favored the courageous king until he approached the Norwegian coast.

He had enjoyed four days of fine weather, but on the fifth a furious

tempest sprang up, and for twenty-four hours the royal bark was in

danger of wreck. At last she ran into a little harbor, where King James

landed.

After several days' travelling through snow and ice, he reached the

village where Anne had established herself, and without waiting for the

ceremonies of his rank and station, he left his attendants and marched

straight to the presence of his bride. On the following Sunday they

were married, and the king immediately, and very thoughtfully, sent a

messenger over the mountains to Denmark to inform Queen Sophia of his

arrival and marriage with the princess.

Her majesty then invited the newly-wedded pair to make her a visit. They

consented, and set out upon a journey beset with so many hardships that

they were obliged to {121}halt several times before they reached the

Castle of Croenburg, where all the royal family of Denmark had assembled

to meet them.

All was gayety and splendor at the rich court, where the marriage of

James and Anne was celebrated over again according to the Lutheran

rites. Nothing interfered with their pleasure, excepting the quarrelsome

spirit of the Scottish nobles who had accompanied the king. They all

drank too freely, his majesty included, and there were frequent brawls

and strifes among them.

It was not until after the wedding of Queen Anne's sister Elizabeth to

the Duke of Brunswick, which took place early in the spring, that the

Scottish bride and groom thought of proceeding to their future home.

The royal family of Denmark entertained such a warm affection for one

another that when the moment of parting arrived it was a sore trial for

the young queen to bid farewell to her loving mother, as well as to the

young king, her brother, who was so fond of her that in later years he

paid several long visits at her court.

The royal fleet sailed from Croenburg in April, and when the bridal

pair landed a large crowd of faithful subjects assembled to welcome them

to Scotland.

Shortly after, preparations for the queen's coronation were begun. On

the Tuesday preceding that ceremony her majesty made her state-entry

into the city of Edinburgh, riding in a richly gilt car, lined with

crimson velvet; on either side of her sat her favorite Danish maids of

honor. The king rode on horseback just in front of the queen's carriage,

and a train of robles escorted the royal couple to Holyrood. The

coronation ceremony was performed on the following Sunday at the Abbey

church of Holyrood.

On the following Tuesday, accompanied by the king and {122}all the lords

and ladies who had assisted at her coronation, the queen passed through

the streets of Edinburgh in an open coach.

At the end of a month passed in all sorts of festivities and rejoicings,

the Danish visitors returned home, and Queen Anne went to live at

Dunfermline Palace, which had been renovated and refurnished to suit her

taste.

As the young queen's knowledge of household arrangements was necessarily

limited, and as she was inexperienced concerning the customs of her new

country, the king advised her always to consult his faithful friend and

loyal subject, Sir James Melville, who held a high position in the royal

household.

With the perversity that she showed on many occasions throughout her

reign Queen Anne immediately took a decided aversion to Melville, and

never in any emergency sought his advice.

There had been no queen at the Scottish court for a quarter of a

century, consequently the men surrounding it had become so course and

brutal in their manners that it was necessary to make many changes, and

even to dismiss some of the most faithful officials before ladies could

feel safe or comfortable.

[[A.D. 1590.]] Among the reformations that were taking place in

Scotland, the destruction of all the works of art in the churches

were deemed necessary; but no steps were taken to abolish the horrible

superstition that led to the burning of hecatombs of witches. More than

half the time of the judges was occupied with their absurd confessions.

One of the most remarkable of these witches was Annis Simpson, called

by her neighbors "the wise wife of Keith." She declared that she had

a familiar spirit, who appeared in a visible form at her call, and

informed her whether people who were ill or exposed to danger should

{123}

[Illustration: 0129]

{125}live or die. The king asked her what words she used to summon the

spirit. She replied: "That she merely called ''Holla, master!' and he

came without fail." Then she proceeded to describe one of the witch

meetings which, she said, was held at night in a church, where the devil

in a long black gown, with a hat on his head, preached from the pulpit

to an audience of witches. She added, furthermore, that one man got his

ears boxed by the preacher because he thanked God that no harm had come

to the king, though many had been injured. Thereupon the devil solemnly

pronounced this sentence: "_Il est un homme de Dieu_." This was the

more firmly credited because the woman did not understand what the words

meant; therefore, it was argued, she could not have invented them. James

was immensely flattered at being called a man of God by the evil spirit.

"The wise wife of Keith" was first strangled, and then burned in company

with others whom she had accused.

[[A.D. 1592.]] One summer when Queen Anne was visiting at her palace

of Falkland, Bothwell, a relation of the earl who was Mary Stuart's

husband, made a furious attack on it. He was repulsed, but entered the

stables and carried off all the horses. The queen was so annoyed at

this rude adventure that she removed at once to Dalkeith. Margaret

Twineslace, one of the Danish maids of honor, was engaged to be married

to John Wemys, one of the king's gentlemen, who was known to be in

constant communication with Bothwell. He was, therefore, suspected of

knowing, at least, that the attack on Falkland was to take place, though

there was no proof of his having participated. Still he was shut up in

the guard-room of Dalkeith Castle, and every one thought his life was in

danger.

One night, when it was Margaret's turn to sleep in the queen's

bed-chamber, she waited until the royal pair were {126}in the land of

Nod, then softly stole out and went to her lover's prison, where she

told the guard that the king had sent her to command them to lead John

Wemys forthwith to the queen's apartment, where his majesty wished to

question him. Never, for a moment, suspecting that they were deceived,

two sentinels led the prisoner to the queen's chamber door. Margaret

then charged them to remain outside quietly, and taking her lover by the

hand, led him boldly into the room and closed the door. Without speaking

a word she softly opened the window, and, presenting John with a rope,

helped him to let himself down and escape.

The guard waited patiently until morning dawned, then raised the alarm,

which led to the discovery of the little trick. The queen laughed

heartily when she heard how Wemys had escaped, and begged the king to

pardon him.

James himself was amused at the adventure, and issued a proclamation

offering pardon to the escaped prisoner if he would return to his

duties. This he did within a few days, and soon after married the Danish

maid-of-honor who had risked so much for his sake.

[[A.D. 1594.]] In 1594 Queen Anne had a little son born at Stirling

Castle. He was baptized according to the Episcopal ritual of Scotland,

and named Henry-Frederic. The ceremony was conducted with great pomp,

and after it was over the queen received all the foreign ambassadors.

They brought costly presents, and Queen Elizabeth sent a set of silver

and several cups of massive gold, so heavy that Sir James Melville

declared he could hardly lift them.

The young queen loved her little son so tenderly that when she found it

was her husband's intention to leave him at Stirling Castle to be cared

for by the Earl of Marr and the old countess, his mother, she was sorely

grieved {127}and begged that she might keep the child with her. But the

king refused, saying, "that he knew the infant was in safe keeping with

Marr, and though he doubted nothing of her good intentions, yet if some

faction got strong enough she could not hinder his boy from being used

against him, as he himself had been against his unfortunate mother."

No doubt Anne ought to have been satisfied to make a virtue of

necessity; but she could not understand any argument but that of her own

heart, which prompted her to rebel against the Marrs because they had

possession of her darling, [[A.D. 1595.]] She fretted and wept until the

king was beside himself to know what was best to do. When little Henry

was fifteen months old his mother requested that the question of his

guardianship might be settled by council; but James was too shrewd to

submit to that proceeding, so he urged the queen to satisfy the craving

of her heart by going at once to Stirling Castle. But that was not what

her majesty desired; therefore, she declared that she was not well,

and refused to stir. James insisted, and obliged his wife to obey by

superintending the arrangements for the journey and turning a deaf ear

to all her objections. Finding that there was no help for it, Queen Anne

set out on horseback with her train of attendants; but with her usual

perversity she feigned illness, and stopped at a palace by the way.

She was anxious to see her baby, no doubt, but could not bear that her

husband should find her too yielding; so, on every occasion when he

deemed it necessary to oppose her, she made him suffer for it. Yet James

VI. was a devoted husband throughout his life, and never took a firm

stand against his wife unless urgent reasons required it.

As soon as the Earl of Marr was informed of the queen's whereabouts he

hastened to pay his respects to her; but {128}she absolutely refused

to see him, and her people treated him so uncivilly that he was glad to

return to Stirling Castle. It was foolish in Queen Anne to insult her

husband's most faithful friend and the man who had charge of her infant,

but that was not the extent of her folly.

During the king's absence on his summer travels she actually went so far

as to plan an expedition, which she meant to head, for the purpose of

carrying off the infant prince by force. Fortunately, James heard of

it in time to reach the place where his wife was stopping and bring her

back to her senses. He at once accompanied her to Stirling Castle, where

she was permitted to fondle little Henry as much as she pleased.

It was not unnatural that Queen Anne should want to keep her child with

her; but she showed decided want of character in insisting upon it after

the king had explained to her that the safety of his own person, the

child, and the kingdom required this sacrifice at her hands. Had

she taken pains to inform herself she would have seen that all the

misfortunes of the preceding kings of the line of Stuart had arisen on

account of their having been minors at the time of their accession. The

throne had in each case been claimed for the son, which necessitated

the destruction of the father and the appointment of a regent. Thus the

strongest party had ruled according to their own ideas of justice.

It was to prevent the recurrence of such a miserable state of affairs

that King James fortified his son in a well-guarded castle, under the

supervision of such tried friends and loyal subjects as the Earl of Marr

and his mother.

[[A.D. 1596.]] Anne's outbursts of temper because of this arrangement

were for a time appeased, when her second child was born. It was a girl,

and received the name of Elizabeth for the Queen of England. The infant

princess {129}was given in charge of Lord and Lady Livingstone, though

the ministers of the Episcopal Church objected on the score of the

latter's adherence to Catholicism. This child afterwards became Queen of

Bohemia.

There were two people among Queen Anne's court who occupied a very

prominent position, and were specially favored with her protection.

These were Alexander and Beatrice Ruthven, members of a family in

Scotland who claimed royal descent. The Ruthven family had attained the

earldom of Gowry, and its members had aided in three separate assaults

on the personal liberty of the sovereign; they were, therefore, the

cause of a great deal of fighting and bloodshed.

[[A.D. 1597.]] Young Alexander became the object of King James's

jealousy on one occasion. It occurred in this wise: "One day, when

the queen was walking in the gardens of Falkland Palace with Beatrice

Ruthven, they suddenly came upon the maid-of-honor's brother, Alexander,

a youth of nineteen, who lay fast asleep beneath the shade of a large

tree. For a bit of fun her majesty tied a silver ribbon around his neck,

which had been given to her by the king, without arousing the sleeper.

Presently King James himself came along. The silver ribbon caught his

attention, he stooped to examine it, frowned, and looked angrily on the

youth, who was, by the way, a gentleman-of-the-bed-chamber, then hurried

on without waking young Ruthven. Beatrice, who had been anxiously

watching this little scene from behind a neighboring bush, rushed

forward, snatched the ribbon from her brother's neck, and hastened with

it through a private entrance to the queen's room. Hurriedly opening a

drawer, she deposited the ribbon therein, and had just time to inform

her majesty 'that her reason for so doing would be presently explained,'

when the king entered, and in a threatening tone demanded {130}the

silver ribbon. Luckily Anne was able to produce it, and thus dispel

the angry frown that had gathered on the brow of her lord, no

doubt congratulating herself upon the possession of so sagacious a

maid-of-honor."

For the time being King James's jealousy was appeased; but the Gowry

conspiracy aroused it again three years later, and Alexander Ruthven was

again the object of it.

[[A.D. 1600.]] The queen was awakened much earlier than usual one

bright, warm morning in August by the king's preparations for a hunting

expedition. She asked "why he started so early;" to which he replied,

"that he wished to be astir betimes, as he expected to kill a prime buck

before noon."

It was true that he was going hunting, but he had another object in

view. He had been informed by Alexander Ruthven that a Jesuit with a

large bag of gold had just been seized and shut up at Gowry House, in

Perth, awaiting examination. It was no unusual occurrence at that era

for any one besides a common robber to take possession of whatever gold

might be found on the person of a traveller, and then spare no effort

to prove said traveller Jesuitical. So King James set forth in high glee

with the prospect of counting over a bag of gold, besides enjoying a

morning hunt. Several hours were passed in the latter diversion; and at

noon, accompanied by only one or two attendants, the king left the woods

and entered Gowry House. He was received by the Earl of Gowry, young

Ruthven's elder brother, who had just returned from the court of Queen

Elizabeth. After dinner, at a sign from Alexander Ruthven, the king

withdrew, expecting to be introduced to the Jesuit with the gold.

Unsuspectingly he followed the young man up various winding stairs and

through gloomy, intricate passages to a circular room, {131}used by the

Go wry family as a prison. He was surprised, on entering, to behold a

gigantic man in a complete suit of black armor, and still more so when

Alexander closed the door and locked it, cutting off all retreat.

[Illustration: 0137]

He then made an assault upon the king,--who, though unarmed, kept him

at bay,--and reproached him with the death of his father, the Earl

of Gowry. The man in armor took no part in the struggle. The king

remonstrated with Alexander, and reminded him that he was a child when

the late Earl of Gowry was beheaded, and had nothing whatever to do

with it. He also spoke of the affection the queen bore to his sister

Beatrice, and of the kindness and attention he himself had received at

court. Young Ruthven paused {132}for a moment, then made a second attack

upon the king, who would surely have been murdered but for the vigilance

of his page, young Ramsay. This youth missed his royal master, and,

suspecting some evil, sought him through the house. The king's voice,

calling for help, guided the boy's steps to the circular chamber, which

he entered through a private door, having forced it open. He flew at

Alexander Ruthven and dragged him from the king's throat, shouting all

the time for help. Some of the Gowry servants rushed upon the scene

and assisted Ramsay, who was struggling with Alexander Ruthven. At this

juncture the rest of the royal hunting party arrived, and broke open

the door, but not until the Earl of Gowry, who proved to be the man in

armor, and young Ruthven were slain.

[[A.D. 1601.]] This conspiracy created great consternation in Scotland.

It was a dark, gloomy night when the king set out with his retinue

to return to Falkland Palace; but all the people swarmed out of their

houses with torches, and shouted with joy to behold their sovereign safe

from the hands of traitors.

In 1601 a little prince was born at Dunfermline, who later became

Charles I. of England.

[[A.D. 1603.]] A couple of years after this event Queen Elizabeth died,

and King James was invited to come to London, and take possession of the

crown under the title of James I.

Of course this was no surprise; it was an exaltation that had been

eagerly anticipated by the royal family as well as the whole nation.

Yet when the moment arrived for the king to bid farewell to his Scottish

subjects, it was very like a father parting from a numerous family, and

many tears were shed. On the Sunday before his departure from England

a sermon was preached on the subject in church, to which King James

responded, bidding his people a loving and tender farewell. {133}He went

to England alone, having arranged that the queen should follow in twenty

days, providing his reception was such as to assure him that his family

would be safe and happy. On his arrival there he was greeted with such

wild demonstrations of joy that he was perfectly astonished. "These

people will spoil a good king," was his pithy remark to the Earl of

Marr, who had accompanied him.

No sooner was Queen Anne convinced that her son's guardian was well

out of the way, than she set off for Stirling Castle, accompanied by a

strong body of nobles, never doubting that she could easily intimidate

the Countess of Marr into the surrender of her son Henry. But the old

lady proved herself equal to the emergency, and flatly refused to give

up the boy unless ordered to do so by the king himself. Some fighting

ensued, and the queen flew into such a tremendous passion that she

became seriously ill, and had to be put to bed in the royal apartments

of the castle.

Messengers were forthwith despatched to inform the king of the condition

of his silly, spoiled wife, and of the action that had occasioned her

illness. With his usual forbearance, James forgave his spouse, and

thought only of her illness. He immediately sent the Duke of Lenox and

the Earl of Marr to see what arrangements they could make to pacify her

majesty.

The royal lady not only refused to see Marr, but would not receive her

son from his hands, nor travel from Stirling to Edinburgh if he were of

the company,--so thoroughly did she hate one of her husband's most loyal

adherents.

When this whim was conveyed to James, he swore a great many oaths, and

wrote a letter of remonstrance to his better half, which, however, did

not mollify her in the least. Then the royal husband compromised by

ordering Marr to deliver the young prince to the Duke of Lenox, {134}who

would consign him with due ceremony to the queen, and then to hasten to

England, where his presence was greatly needed.

This arrangement pacified Anne, and she removed at once to Holyrood to

make preparations for leaving Scotland. These were completed in a couple

of months.

Her majesty was met at Berwick by the ladies of Queen Elizabeth's court,

who carried her the costumes and jewels of the defunct queen.

King James ordered that the queen's household should be settled before

her entrance into London, so that she might be properly escorted on that

occasion. But the royal pair could not agree as to the appointments, for

Anne desired to retain her Scottish subjects in the principal posts of

honor, and his majesty knew that the English would not submit to that

arrangement.

He appointed Sir George Carew for the queen's chamberlain. Her majesty

persisted in retaining Kennedy; whereupon James, whose patience had been

sorely tried by the number of applicants who had presented themselves

for confirmation, flew into a passion when Kennedy appeared before him.

He bade him "Begone!" and added "that if he caught him carrying the

chamberlain's staff before his wife he should take it out of his hand

and break it over his pate."

The Scotchman very prudently made the best of his way back home, and

then Queen Anne accepted the English chamberlain, but retained all her

Scottish ladies, adding to their number only two of her new subjects.

Her two elder children accompanied her, and they were enthusiastically

received everywhere. Among the presents that were generously bestowed

on them were silver cups filled with gold-pieces. When they arrived

at Althorpe an exquisite _fête_, prepared by Ben Jonson, awaited them.

{135}It was called the Masque of the Fairies, and took place in a

magnificent park, where, accompanied by joyful music, fairies and satyrs

recited appropriate poems of welcome, and made presents to the royal

family.

The queen was so delighted with Ben Jonson's genius that she afterwards

employed him to prepare entertainments for the amusement of her court.

The first festival held at Windsor Castle after the arrival of the

royal family was for the purpose of bestowing the title of Knight of the

Garter on Prince Henry, the Duke of Lenox, and other nobles.

The queen openly expressed her pride and admiration of Prince Henry when

he was presented to her in the robes of the Garter, which she pronounced

exceedingly becoming.

In consequence of the plague, which was raging to an alarming extent in

England, the coronation was postponed from time to time, and when it

did take place the usual procession from the Tower through the city to

Westminster was dispensed with, and the ceremony was performed almost

in private. The people were so disappointed that a grand festival was

promised to them as soon as the pestilence should abate. It took place

with great splendor the following spring, when the king, queen, and

Prince Henry participated.

In the household of Anne of Denmark there was an office filled by an old

lady called "the mother-of-the-maids," whose duty it was to keep order

among the ladies,--no doubt an exceedingly difficult one.

The belle of the court was Lady Arabella Stuart, whose descent made her

the next heir to the crown of England after James I. and his family.

Previous to the arrival of James there had been a plot, headed by Sir

Walter Raleigh, formed for the purpose of asserting that lady's claim;

but that fact did not make any impression on the {136}sovereign's mind

that could affect her unfavorably; on the contrary, he distinguished her

with marked favors, and allowed her, as she deserved, the rank of first

lady at court after the queen.

[Illustration: 0142]

The conspirators of this plot were brought to trial during the autumn

while the court was sojourning at Winchester Palace, and many of

them were pardoned just at the moment when they were being led to the

scaffold. King James did this to make them appreciate the full extent

of his mercy, though many of them were banished afterwards. Sir Walter

Raleigh was shut up in the Tower, with his sentence hanging over his

head, to be carried into effect at the royal pleasure. He was not,

however, deprived of his income or his actual property, because the

queen interested herself in his behalf, and felt very sorry on account

{137}of the cruel treatment he had received from the attorney-general

during his trial. It was supposed by some people that she, as well as

Prince Henry, doubted his guilt, but there is no proof of that.

[[A.D. 1604.]] When Prince Charles was between three and four years of

age his health was so bad that Sir Robert Carey and his wife, who had

charge of the royal child, were ordered to bring him from Dunfermline to

his parents. From that time he improved so rapidly that he soon became a

robust boy; and as years went by, and he developed into manhood, he was

distinguished for his graceful bearing and splendid constitution.

[[A.D. 1610.]] One of the proudest and happiest periods of Queen Anne's

life was when her eldest son was created Prince of Wales. The event

was celebrated with great splendor, and Ben Jonson wrote an address

in verse, which was read, while a pantomime represented the prince as

wakening and reviving the dying genius of chivalry.

The royal parents, the Princess and Prince Charles stood at the bridge

by Westminster Palace to receive the prince when he arrived, escorted

down the Thames in state by the lord-mayor and city authorities.

The gratified mother conducted him into the palace. A number of

festivals succeeded, and the king introduced his son formally to the

assembled houses of parliament during the following week.

A grand masque was given, in which all the ladies and gentlemen of the

court took part, the music, painting, dancing, and decorations being

guided and arranged by Inigo Jones, an architect of great talent. Even

the queen and the princess-royal took part, and devoted several days to

rehearsing the dances and situations and preparing costumes.

The object of this masque was to deliver presents to {138}the

newly-created Prince of Wales. The court ladies personated nymphs of

the principal rivers that belonged to the estates of their husbands

or fathers, and eight of the handsomest nobleman attended these river

nymphs as Tritons.

Prince Charles appeared with a dozen young ladies of his own age and

size. They were daughters of lords or barons, and personated the naiads

of springs and fountains.

The prince, as Zephyr, wore a short robe of green satin, embroidered

in gold; silver wings were attached to his shoulders, and a garland of

flowers encircled his brow; on his right arm, which was bare, the queen

had clasped a valuable diamond bracelet.

The naiads wore pale blue-satin tunics, embroidered in silver; their

hair hung in loose tresses, and water-lilies crowned their heads. These

children danced a ballet,--Prince Charles always occupying the centre of

a group,--which was enthusiastically applauded by the whole court.

Prince Charles's next duty was to offer to his brother, the Prince of

Wales, the queen's present, which consisted of a jewelled sword, valued

at four thousand pounds, attached to a scarf of her majesty's own work.

He also presented a gold trident to the king as ruler of the ocean. This

presentation was made during an address by one of the Tritons.

Her majesty was then invited to descend from the throne and dance her

ballet with her water-nymphs. This was succeeded by another dance of

the little naiads, and the entertainment concluded with the queen's

quadrille. The summer morning had dawned when the gay party dispersed.

[[A.D. 1612.]] Two years later the Prince of Wales, that youth of

eighteen, who was the joy of his parents and the {139}pride of the whole

nation, was attacked with the worst and most malignant form of typhus

fever, which resulted in his death on the 5th of November, 1612.

It was the anniversary of the Gunpowder Plot, and the procession of

grotesque figures presented a strange contrast, as they swarmed around

St. James's Palace, to the sad scene that was enacted within. When at

last young Henry's death was announced, loud lamentations filled the

air, and those who had left their homes to mingle with the festivities

of the day returned bowed down with grief.

It was many months before the poor queen recovered from the shock

produced by the death of her dearly-beloved boy, and she was still so

depressed when the marriage of her daughter was solemnized that she

was scarcely fit to be present. However, she aroused herself for that

occasion; but the reaction was so great after the departure of the

princess from England that she was ordered to Bath by her physicians.

The change proved of great benefit, and by the end of the summer her

majesty had regained her health and spirits.

Sometimes she shot at the deer from a stand. On one occasion she missed

her aim, and hit the king's favorite hound. No one dared to announce the

dreadful accident to his majesty, but he discovered the dead animal,

and stormed so outrageously that it was many minutes before he could be

informed whose hand had sent the deadly arrow. He was instantaneously

mollified, and not only sent his beloved spouse a most affectionate

message, but followed it with a jewel worth two thousand pounds,

pretending it was a legacy to her from his dear, dead dog.

[[A.D. 1614.]] A visit from her brother, the King of Denmark, gave the

queen a great deal of pleasure. His sole object in going to England was

to see her, whom he {140}loved very dearly. He travelled _incognito_,

and although one of the queen's attendants recognized him after his

arrival at the palace, and told his sister of his presence, she would

not believe it until he stole up behind her chair and gave her a kiss.

The king, who was travelling through the country, was summoned home

forthwith to receive his royal guest, and on his return there was a

fortnight of hunting, bear-baiting, hawking, plays, and feasts. Just

before his departure the King of Denmark entertained the English court

at his own expense with the finest display of fireworks that had ever

been witnessed in their country. After this visit Queen Anne never saw

her brother again, though she corresponded with him until her death.

It was while King James was on a visit to his native land, where he went

for the purpose of establishing parish schools, that his wife's health

began to fail. Three years previously her physicians had treated her for

dropsy, from which she had never entirely recovered, and now a dreadful

cough was added to the other malady. She was hastily removed to Hampton

Court, where she was tenderly cared for. After his return, the king went

to visit his wife two or three times a week, when he was well enough

to do so, but his health was by no means good, for he had gout in his

knees.

[[A.D. 1618.]] About this time the poor sick queen received a most

touching appeal from Sir Walter Raleigh, whose death-sentence was about

to be carried into effect. It was written in verse, and ended thus:--

"Save him who would have died for your defence!

Save him whose thoughts no treason ever tainted."

Queen Anne interceded for Sir Walter in vain, though she asked as a

personal favor that his life might be spared,

{141}

[Illustration: 0147]

{143}for he was beheaded on the 29th of October, 1618. It is not

reported how her majesty bore the news of Sir Walter's death; but her

own was so near at hand that she probably viewed all affairs of this

world with calmness and resignation, and turned her thoughts to the

future state.

King James was not with his wife during her last moments, but Prince

Charles kneeled at her bedside and received her dying blessing. She was

conscious to the end, and when the Bishop of London prayed, he said:

"Madame, make a sign that your majesty is one with your God, and long to

be with him." She held up her hands, and when one failed she raised the

other until both dropped, and she was no more.

The royal corpse was taken to Somerset House, where it lay in state for

three days, and was then carried to the grave by ten knights, followed

by most of the nobility then sojourning in London. The Countess of

Arundel was chief lady mourner, and walked between the Duke of Lenox

and the Marquis of Hamilton. All the ladies of the royal household came

after, and as each one was enveloped in from twelve to sixteen yards of

heavy black cloth, it was difficult for them to walk even at a funeral

gait. Prince Charles preceded the funeral car, which was drawn by six

horses, and the Archbishop of Canterbury walked by his side. The queen's

riding horse was led by one of the officers of her household, and half

a dozen heralds carried banners and flags bound with _crepe_ just behind

the pall.

Queen Anne of Denmark died in the forty-sixth year of her age, and

was buried at Westminster Abbey. She left two children, one who became

Charles I. of England, and the other was Elizabeth, Queen of Bohemia.

{144}

CHAPTER VI. HENRIETTA MARIA, QUEEN-CONSORT OF CHARLES I., KING OF GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND

(A.D 1609-1669.)

|Henrietta Maria, wife of Charles I., was the youngest child of Henry

IV. of France, and his second wife, Marie de Medicis.

[[A.D. 1609.]] She was born at Louvre in 1609, and Madame de Monglat,

the royal governess, took charge of her, as she had done of all her

brothers and sisters from the time of their births.

This princess had a grand baptism, no less a person than the pope's

nuncio acting as sponsor. The name given to her was Henrietta Marie, but

it became anglicized when she was so young that we must speak of her

as she was known during the greater and more important part of her

existence.

She was unfortunate in having a mother who was so weak-minded, petulant,

and bigoted as to be quite incapable of instilling into her children the

wise principles that they needed to fit them for the battle of life.

The little Henrietta was but six months old when her father was killed

by Ravaillac; and her first appearance in public was made on the

occasion of his funeral. She was carried in the arms of Madame de

Monglat in the doleful procession, and her baby hands sprinkled the

murdered

{145}

[Illustration: 0151]

{147}corpse with holy water, according to the national custom in

Normandy.

The coronation of Louis XIII. followed close upon his father's

assassination; but in consequence of his extreme youth his mother was

appointed queen-regent, and civil war never ceased to rage in France

while she continued in power.

The royal children were kept at Fontainebleau, safe from the

disturbances that were going on in Paris. It was the beautiful daughter

of Madame de Monglat who superintended the toilet and daily life of

little Henrietta, and the child loved her so dearly that she called her

Mamanga, an Italian pet name, meaning mamma, and learned from the lips

of Marie de Medicis, who was a native of Italy.

The religious education of the little princess was guided by a Carmelite

nun, whom she visited at stated intervals during her childhood. She

and her little brother, Duke Gaston, who studied together, were taught

music, painting, and some of the lighter branches, but were never put

to any solid work; and later in life Henrietta often lamented her slight

knowledge of history, saying that all her lessons of human character

were learned from her own sad experience. She was a beautiful child,

very much spoiled and flattered, and frequently summoned from the

nursery to appear at public entertainments. When she was but six years

old her mother took her to Bordeaux to witness the departure of her

eldest sister, Elizabeth, to become the wife of the King of Spain, and

the arrival of Anne of Austria, the Spanish bride of Louis XIII.

About six years after her husband's death, France had become so

desolated by the civil wars brought on by unwise government, that the

queen-regent was imprisoned at the Castle of Blois, and the boy king of

France assumed the power. {148}Princess Henrietta shared her mother's

imprisonment for three years. At the expiration of that time she was

present at the marriage of her sister Christine to the Duke of Savoy,

and this event was succeeded by a reconciliation between Marie de

Medicis and the young king. This was brought about by her almoner, who

afterwards became Cardinal Richelieu, and thenceforward her influence in

the government of France was greater than ever.

[[A.D. 1625.]] When the Princess Henrietta was sixteen years old James

I. sent Lord Kensington to France on a secret mission to find out

whether her hand could be obtained for his son Charles, who had by that

time become the most elegant and accomplished prince in Europe.

The queen-mother was delighted with the prospects of such a match for

her daughter, but would give no decided answer until the girl herself

had been consulted.

It was not long before every one at the French court knew the object

of Kensington's visit, and the ladies crowded around the handsome

Englishman to question him about the Prince of Wales, and to examine the

miniature of the royal gentleman, which the ambassador wore suspended

from a ribbon around his neck.

Etiquette forbade the princess even to mention her royal suitor, much

less to look at the picture she was dying to behold. But, remembering

that the lady at whose house the ambassador sojourned had been in her

service, Henrietta went to her and begged her to borrow the miniature,

that she might feast her eyes on it as long as she pleased. This was

done, and the young lady blushingly gazed upon the face of her future

husband, and expressed her entire satisfaction with his appearance.

Kensington lost no time in reporting her little stratagem; it was his

intention to promote the alliance between Prince Charles and Princess

Henrietta, so he expatiated on the

{149}

[Illustration: 0155]

{151}beauty, graces, and accomplishments of the former to the ladies of

the French court, and wrote to England about the princess: "She is

the sweetest creature in France and the loveliest thing in nature. Her

growth is little short of her age, and her wisdom infinitely beyond it.

She dances as well as I ever saw any one; she has a wonderful voice, and

sings admirably."

When it was ascertained that the marriage would be agreeable to both

royal families, the Earl of Carlisle joined Kensington for the purpose

of preparing the treaty.

Then the pope raised an objection on the score of religion; for he did

not believe the Catholic princess could be happy with a Protestant,

husband in a country where her co-religionists had been persecuted.

However, the queen mother had set her heart on the marriage; so after a

great deal of debate it was agreed that Henrietta and all her attendants

should be made welcome, and should have liberty to observe their

religion in England; that she should renounce all claim to the French

throne, and that her children should be brought up under her care until

their thirteenth year.

[[A.D. 1625.]] As soon as the treaty was signed King James ordered all

persons imprisoned for religion to be released, fines levied against

Catholics to be returned, and the execution of convicted papists to

be stopped. This was the origin of all the opposition of the English

parliament to the Stuart monarchs.

King James died before the marriage took place. The ceremony was

performed at Notre Dame, a prince of the house of Guise representing the

royal groom. The Duke of Buckingham, with a splendid train of English

nobles, met the bridal party at the church door, in order to escort the

young Queen of England home.

The whole court and royal family of France prepared to {152}accompany

the bride to the coast in magnificent style; but at the last moment

Louis XIII. was prevented by illness from travelling, and the entire

retinue were detained for two weeks at Compeigne by a dangerous malady

which attacked Marie de Medicis.

Charles I. was at Canterbury when his bride arrived in England, but he

hastened to Dover to meet her as soon as the tidings were brought him.

She was at breakfast when he was announced, but arose promptly and ran

down stairs to meet him. She would have knelt and kissed his hand, but

he drew her towards him and pressed her in his arms. Then the bride

attempted to recite a little speech that she had prepared, but her

courage failed, and she burst into tears. Charles treated her very

kindly, drew her gently aside, and soothed her with loving and tender

expressions.

The weeping girl was soon reassured, her dark eyes brightened, and she

conversed freely with her royal lover. Then she presented all her

French attendants by name,--"Mamanga," now Madame St. George, being the

principal of her ladies.

The royal party left Dover the same day, and stopped at Canterbury,

where all the English ladies of the queen's household were assembled to

be presented to their royal mistress. It was in the open air on a June

morning that Henrietta held her first court. The king assisted her to

alight from her carriage, and after the presentation a magnificent feast

was served.

The royal pair entered London by the river Thames, hundreds of beautiful

barges forming a procession, which was greeted by thundering salutes

from the navy. That evening the bells rang till midnight, bonfires

blazed on every side, and rejoicing was kept up for several days.

King Charles opened his parliament with his bride seated beside him on

the throne, and soon after retired for

{153}

[Illustration: 0159]

{155}several weeks to Hampton Court, because the plague was raging so

dreadfully in London.

The young queen was very attractive at this time. She was of medium

height, but possessed a beautiful figure, her complexion was fine, face

oval, eyes large, dark, and sparkling. Her hair was black, her teeth

handsome, her forehead, nose, and mouth large, but well-formed.

The king loved his little wife devotedly, and gave her the pet name of

Mary,--a very unpopular one to English lads; but Charles declared that

his people would soon forget their prejudice against it for the sake of

the blessings the present bearer of it would bring them.

Before many months the French attendants became objects of jealousy and

dislike to the king, and notwithstanding the agreement that formed part

of the marriage treaty he determined to get rid of them. Not only was it

objectionable to the king that his wife should have mass celebrated in

the palace, but his own attendants found fault with this arrangement,

and Father Sancy, the queen's confessor, made himself obnoxious by

insisting upon the establishment of a Roman Catholic chapel. Besides,

Henrietta was so thoroughly under the influence of her French household

that King Charles feared she would never become attached to him or

his country. He thoroughly disliked Madame St. George, who was always

thrusting herself forward, and interfering between him and his wife; but

the most serious cause of displeasure that Charles I. had against the

French attendants was that they influenced the queen in her refusal to

share his coronation.

This was an unpardonable piece of ignorance and bigotry, injurious to

the king and dangerous to herself; for it was charged against her in

later years that she had never been recognized as the consort of Charles

I.

[[A.D. 1626.]] The king was therefore crowned at West- {156}minster

Abbey alone, his young and lovely wife refusing even to be present at

the ceremony. This obstinacy was a death-blow to her popularity, and

increased the difficulties that surrounded her husband. The Duke of

Buckingham, who was in Paris, was notified that the French attendants

would be sent home, and the king wrote a letter to his brother-in-law,

Louis XIII., in justification of the proceedings.

One day King Charles entered his wife's apartment at Whitehall, and

found her attendants dancing about, and behaving in a manner that he

considered disrespectful to the queen, so taking her quietly by the

hand, he led her into a side room and closed the door. Presently an

order was received bidding her majesty's French servants, young and old,

to repair at once to Somerset House, there to await the king's orders.

The women wept and lamented as though they had been summoned to

execution; but the guard cleared them all out of the queen's apartments

and bolted the doors after them.

Meanwhile a stormy scene was being enacted between the royal couple.

Henrietta flew into a rage when her husband told her what he had done,

and rushed to the window to bid farewell to her train. The king drew her

away, telling her "to be satisfied, for it must be so." Then she broke

the panes with her fist, and his majesty was obliged to hold her wrists

until her temper abated.

She was not permitted to see her country-people again, excepting her

nurse, her dresser, and Madame de la Tremouille,--those three being

retained in her service.

In a few days the king repaired to Somerset House, and in a set speech

informed the French household of the necessity of dismissing them to

their own country, and promised them their wages with gratuities to the

amount of twenty-two thousand pounds. {157}These people had robbed the

queen to such an extent that she was actually left without a change of

linen, and had, besides, contracted debts in her name.

It was not until the following month, when the king sent a body of

stout yeomen to turn the late attendants out of Somerset House by the

shoulders, if they would not go otherwise, that they finally departed.

The royal couple had been married just one year when all the French

attendants, including Father Sancy, returned to their native land.

The queen attributed her husband's turning off her household so

summarily to the influence and advice of Buckingham, whom she disliked

thoroughly.

She became so restless and unhappy that she wanted to go back to France,

and wrote her mother to that effect, repeating the grievances of which

the banished household had already given an exaggerated account.

The Duke de Bassompierre, a man of sense and spirit, and an old friend

of Henry IV., was sent to England to inquire into the wrongs of

which Henrietta complained. He found her dreadfully incensed against

Buckingham, the prime minister, with whom she had had a violent quarrel,

though she knew scarcely any English, and he very little French.

Nevertheless he managed to make her comprehend him when he told her "to

beware how she behaved, for in England queens had had their heads cut

off before now."

Henrietta assured de Bassompierre that the prime minister was constantly

making mischief between her and her husband, because he was jealous of

her influence.

Bassompierre had several private interviews with the young queen, the

king, and Buckingham, which resulted in a complete reconciliation.

But her majesty was displeased because her father's old friend neither

flattered nor spoiled {158}her, and so she fell out with him, and by the

expiration of a fortnight the reconciled parties were more angry with

each other than ever before.

The new subject of quarrel was the king's refusal to permit more than

three chaplains for the performance of the Catholic service in the

palace. Henrietta was too young to reason sensibly about her husband's

affairs, and she was such a fervent Catholic that she could bear no

opposition concerning her religion from her Protestant husband. Her

position was an exceedingly difficult one, and all the errors she

committed were the result of her youth and inexperience.

The French ambassador had to begin his work all over again; and so

adroitly did he manage, that in the course of a few days he had arranged

all the disputed points. It was agreed that the queen should have two

chapels built for her, one at St. James's, the other at Somerset House.

A bishop, ten priests, a confessor, and ten musicians were to be

furnished, as well as ladies of the bed-chamber, a clear-starcher, two

physicians, an apothecary, a surgeon, a grand-chamberlain, a squire,

a secretary, a gentleman-usher, a valet, and a baker, all from her

majesty's native land.

Even then the queen was not satisfied. She continued to play the vixen

to such an extent that, regardless of her rank, Bassoinpierre took

it upon himself to administer a bit of plain language. She had been

flattered into believing that all her little tyrannies were quite

becoming to a pretty queen, but she was now told that she behaved unlike

a true wife, and that her conduct should be reported to her family in

France.

Henrietta was surprised at this honest dealing; but the effect was

wholesome, and secured for her nearly eighteen years of happiness with

her husband. {159}Instead of being received with honors on his return to

France, de Bassompierre was frowned upon because he had avoided extreme

measures in his capacity of mediator, and because he had spoken the

truth too plainly.

Shortly after a war broke out between England and France; but it did

not in the least disturb Queen Henrietta's tranquillity, for she and her

husband were never on better terms.

But the French nation despised Charles I., and considered his wife a

martyr and a victim. This led to the belief in an imposture of a crazy

girl, who, calling herself the persecuted Queen of England, presented

herself at a convent in Limoges, and claimed the protection of the

nuns. She declared that she had escaped from England because she was

persecuted on account of the true faith. She described the court and

household of the queen so correctly that she was eagerly listened to by

the whole neighborhood, who flocked to see her. Louis XIII., who knew

how happily and peacefully his sister was then living, was so incensed

at this imposition that he had the girl imprisoned, and she was heard of

no more.

[[A.D. 1628.]] The sudden death of Buckingham occurred when Henrietta

was just eighteen years old, and she was thus rid of a person who had

never ceased to be an object of dislike to her.

Queen Henrietta had a great fancy for dwarfs; so, at an entertainment

given to her once when she was making a _progress_ through her kingdom,

an immense venison pasty was placed in the centre of the table. The

crust was removed and Geoffrey Hudson, a little man just eighteen inches

high, stepped out, prostrated himself before her majesty, and asked to

be taken into her service. His request was immediately complied with,

and he was employed to carry state messages of slight importance. He was

not {160}the only dwarf at courts for there was a married pair of these

little monsters besides.

[[A.D. 1630.]] The queen had a son born at St. James's Palace in 1630,

who succeeded to the throne as Charles II.

A Welsh nurse was provided for the royal infant, because it was the

custom that the first words uttered by any Prince of Wales should be

Welsh.

He could not have been a handsome child, for his mother wrote of him to

her friend, Madame St. George: "He is so ugly that I am ashamed of him;

but his size and fatness supply the want of beauty."

[[A.D. 1632.]] The royal family was increased by the birth of a daughter

a couple of years later. She was named Mary, baptized, as her brother

had been, according to the form prescribed in the Book of Common Prayer,

and placed under the care of Catherine, Lady Stanhope.

Henrietta's unpopularity was increased to an alarming degree on account

of her laying the corner-stone of a Capuchin chapel, in the courtyard of

Somerset House. She had already commenced one at St. James's; and when

the Roman Catholic service was celebrated in them, about two years

later, it was most injurious to the prosperity of the king, although it

had been agreed that these chapels should be built. Henrietta refused

to take part in her husband's coronation in Scotland as she had done in

England, consequently he went alone.

[[A.D. 1633]] On his return another prince was added to the family, and

baptized James. His title was the Duke of York. He was a handsome baby,

and his father destined him for the navy. Henrietta was a fond mother,

and devoted much of her time to the nursery. Etiquette prevented a queen

from entertaining guests with her voice, but its magnificent strains

often filled the galleries of the palace when she sang to her infants.

[[A.D. 1638.]] {161}In 1638 King Charles incurred the displeasure of

Cardinal Richelieu by offering a home in England to Marie de Medicis.

This cardinal owed much of his grandeur to the queen-mother of France,

but when she was in distress he turned his back on her.

[[A.D. 1641.]] Marie de Medicis prolonged her stay in England nearly

three years. During that period she witnessed the riots and disturbances

that led to the execution of the Earl of Strafford,--an event that

seriously grieved Charles I. and his wife, and that, in the end, was

disastrous to both.

In the midst of these scenes of terror, Mary, the princess-royal, who

was just ten years of age, was publicly espoused, at Whitehall chapel,

to the son of the Prince of Orange, a boy of eleven.

The queen-mother had been so maligned by the rioters that she was

terrified for her personal safety, and insisted on departing forthwith

for Holland. She was escorted, by the king's orders, as far as Dover,

and about the same time Charles I. set out on a journey to Scotland.

During his absence the queen's confessor, Father Phillips, was summoned

several times by parliament, for examination, and ominous threats were

made regarding the establishment of Capuchins at Somerset House. Signs

of civil war were daily becoming more numerous and more marked, Sir

Edward Nicholas, the king's private secretary, wrote a letter urging his

majesty to dismiss the monks at the next session of parliament; but he

would take no decided steps in opposition to his wife's religion without

consulting her. The consequence was that an infuriated mob destroyed the

Capuchin chapel a year later.

[[A.D. 1642.]] Among the queen's attendants was Lady Carlisle, who,

while appearing loyal, was acting the part of {162}a spy, and reporting

every incident of the royal household to the Roundhead leaders.

These Roundheads were Puritans, and it was Queen Henrietta herself who

named them, because their hair was clipped so close and short that their

heads looked like balls, and formed a marked contrast to the flowing

locks of the courtiers.

When parliament informed the queen that she must surrender her children

into their hands until her husband's return, lest she should make

papists of them, she refused, but left them at Oatlands and went to live

at Hampton Court, hoping thus to keep her five little ones together and

remove all cause of complaint. Her youngest child, Henry, was then only

a few months old.

Henrietta knew that she was closely watched, and had reason to fear that

her children might at any moment be seized and taken away from her; so,

like a true mother, she took every precaution to prevent it. She had a

ship ready to receive them at Portsmouth, and a hundred cavaliers with a

supply of five horses at her disposal; but no attack was made.

The Irish rebellion broke out that autumn, attended with all the horrors

of civil strife and religious persecution. The Roundheads accused

Queen Henrietta of having encouraged the massacre, although there is no

evidence of her having done so.

When the king returned from Scotland he was received with every mark

of loyalty. His family went to meet him, and the populace assembled

to greet their sovereign. He entered the metropolis on horseback,

the Prince of Wales rode by his side, and the queen, with her younger

children, followed in an open carriage.

While in Scotland the king had ascertained that five members of the

house of commons were traitors; so, taking {163}advantage of his popular

reception on his return, he made up his mind to arrest them. He confided

in no one but the queen. When he left her on the morning that he had

fixed for the arrest, he said: "If you find one hour elapse without

hearing ill news of me, you will see-me, when I return, the master of my

kingdom."

[Illustration: 0169]

Queen Henrietta watched the clock anxiously until the hour had passed,

then turning to the treacherous Lady Carlisle she exultingly exclaimed:

"Rejoice with me, for at this hour the king is, as I have reason to

believe, master of his realm, for Pym and his confederates are arrested

before now."

For this indiscretion King Charles paid dearly. He had been stopped at

the entrance to the house of commons by a large number of persons, who

presented petitions which he stood to read and discuss.

This delay afforded Lady Carlisle ample time to dispatch one of her

agents to inform the persons marked for arrest. They fled just

as Charles entered the house, and their party organized a plan of

resistance on the spot. {164}Insurrections followed, and the king and

queen retired to Hampton Court to watch the result. Parliament then

warned all the nobility to arm, and prevent the king from going further.

King Charles was surprised; for he had not the least idea that any

restraint would be put upon his personal freedom.

The queen then proposed that she should go to Holland, under pretence of

conveying the princess-royal to her young spouse, the Prince of Orange,

but in reality for the purpose of selling her jewels to provide the king

with means of defence. No opposition was made to her departure, and

the Prince of Orange received her most cordially. Not so the Dutch

burgomasters, who treated her with marked disrespect at first; but by

the end of one year she had so won them over by her tact, diplomacy,

and courteous manners that she had raised upwards of two million pounds

sterling, all of which had been forwarded to her husband, who had raised

his standard at Nottingham and commenced a warlike struggle.

Meanwhile the Princess of Orange pursued her studies in Holland, where

she soon won the affections of the people, and her alliance proved a

most happy one.

[[A.D. 1643.]] Queen Henrietta set out on her return to England just a

year after she had left. She sailed in an English ship, accompanied by

eleven smaller ones filled with stores and ammunition for the king. The

fleet was commanded by the Dutch admiral Von Tromp.

A tremendous gale blew them about for nearly a fortnight, the travellers

suffering all the torments of sea-sickness, and expecting every moment

to go to the bottom.

The queen behaved bravely on this trying occasion, and cheerfully

replied to the wailing and lamentations of her ladies: "Comfort

yourselves, _mes chères_; queens of England are never drowned." The poor

priests on board were as {165}sick as the rest, but they had to listen

to the confessions of the terrified ladies and gentlemen, who bawled

out their sins, regardless of the presence of others, in a way that must

have been truly amusing.

At last the queen landed safely at a port near the Hague, having lost

two of her ships. After two days' rest she again set sail, and made a

quick voyage to Burlington, where, guarded by a thousand cavaliers on

land, and Von Tromp at sea, she went ashore. The next morning, at dawn,

five ships-of-war, that had entered the bay during the night, began a

cannonade on the house where the queen was sleeping. She was obliged

to rise in haste, put on her clothes, and seek shelter in a ditch some

distance from the town of Burlington. Bullets fell thick about her as

she hurried on foot to the place of shelter, and one of her servants

was killed. Nevertheless, when Henrietta remembered that her favorite

lap-dog had been left behind, she ran back, hastily climbed the stairs

to her bed-chamber, caught up the animal, and carried it off in safety.

One ball grazed the edge of the ditch where the royal party were

concealed, and covered them with earth and stones. At night the

attacking ships retreated, much to her majesty's relief, for she then

remained quietly for ten days in the neighborhood of Burlington.

While there she distributed arms to those gentlemen who seemed loyally

disposed, and thus gained many friends for the king.

A captain of one of the ships that had bombarded the queen's house on

the morning after her arrival was caught on shore, tried by a military

tribunal, and sentenced to be hung. The queen happened to meet the

procession when the prisoner was being conducted to execution, and

inquired what was the matter. She was told that King Charles's loyal

subjects were about to punish a man who had aimed at her. {166}"Ah,"

replied the queen, "but he did not kill me, and he shall not be put to

death on my account." The captain was then set at liberty, and so deeply

was he touched by Henrietta's generosity that he came over to the royal

cause, and persuaded several of his shipmates to do likewise.

[[A.D. 1644.]] Previous to the battle of Newbury, so fatal to his cause,

Charles escorted his wife to Abington, and there this devoted couple

parted never to meet again.

The queen was ill when the Earl of Essex advanced with his army to

besiege the city in which she had taken refuge; but rising from her bed

she escaped in disguise with one lady, one gentleman, and her confessor,

leaving behind her an infant only a few weeks old.

She hid for two days in a hut by the roadside three miles from Exeter,

and lay couched under a heap of rubbish when the parliamentary soldiers

marched by. She heard them say "that they meant to carry the head of

Henrietta to London, and receive for it a reward of fifty thousand

crowns." As soon as they were gone she stole out of her hiding-place,

and with her three companions travelled on to a wood, which became the

rendezvous that night for all her faithful attendants. Geoffrey Hudson,

the dwarf, was of the number, and everybody was in disguise.

The whole party pushed on to the coast and embarked on board a friendly

Dutch vessel.

Meanwhile the king, by a series of victories, had fought his way to

Exeter, where he hoped to see his dear Henrietta, but she had been gone

several days when he arrived. He beheld his new baby--a princess--for

the first time, and had her baptized under the name of Henrietta Anne,

after her mother and her good aunt in France.

Queen Henrietta did not reach her native land without another trial;

for her vessel was chased by a cruiser in the service of parliament, and

several cannon balls fired at it. {167}The danger of being taken or sunk

became so great that the queen took command of the vessel herself,

had every sail set for speed, urged the pilot to keep straight on his

course, and charged the captain to fire the powder magazine if escape

were impossible. She was determined not to fall into the hands of her

husband's enemies, and preferred death to the disgrace of being dragged

captive to London.

However, she did not have to resort to such an extreme measure, for in

a few hours she landed at Bretagne. Such a sorry spectacle did the queen

and her attendants present that the natives took them for pirates and

arose in arms against them; but no sooner were they convinced that it

was the daughter of their beloved King Henry IV. who had sought refuge

among them, than they speedily took measures to supply all her wants,

and provided her with equipages to convey her to the baths of Bourbon,

where she hoped to regain health and strength.

Anne of Austria, who was then queen-regent, sent her confidential

lady-of-honor to Henrietta, with offers of all the assistance it was

in the power of France to bestow, and supplied her with liberal sums of

money; but Queen Henrietta stripped herself of every farthing she

could command to send to her husband, over whose misfortunes she wept

constantly.

Queen Henrietta was met on her return to Paris, and most affectionately

welcomed by the queen-regent and the little King Louis IV., who escorted

her to the Louvre, where a luxurious suite of apartments had been

prepared for her. They treated her with the consideration due to a

queen, and, as a daughter of France, she was supplied with the liberal

income of twelve thousand crowns per month.

But she deprived herself even of necessary comforts in order that she

might keep her suffering husband supplied. A few days after her arrival

in her native land she removed {168}to St. Germains, a country-palace

that the queen-regent had placed at her disposal. There she lived in

retirement, and her wants being less, she was enabled to save larger

sums to send to England.

The affairs of King Charles had grown from bad to worse; and with his

usual thoughtfulness for his family, he instructed his sons to escape

from a country where neither he nor they could hope for protection.

[[A.D. 1645.]] Accordingly both the Prince of Wales and the Duke of York

made their way to Paris, where they spent some time with their mother,

then joined the English fleet that had forsaken the Cromwell party, and

was lying off the coast of Holland.

The same year Lady Morton, who had been left at Exeter with the infant

Henrietta Anne, made her escape, disguised as a beggar, and, with the

child in her arms, travelled on until she placed her in her mother's

lap. The queen's heart was gladdened at the sight of her little one,

whom she covered with kisses, and called "child of benediction."

She had made up her mind that this little princess should become a

Catholic, and for that reason appointed Père Gamache to instruct her.

Now, so long as the royal family of France were rich, Queen Henrietta

shared their prosperity, and was treated with the utmost respect and

consideration, but when their own civil wars reduced them to a state of

destitution she had poverty added to her other troubles.

She behaved nobly when her sister-in-law, Anne of Austria, was in danger

from the fury of her own subjects, and left her quiet retreat at St.

Germains to share her danger in Paris during the battles of the Fronde

and the Barricades. It was she who acted as peacemaker between the

queen-regent and her people, and she had become such {169}a favorite in

France that after much trouble and many privations she finally succeeded

in restoring order.

[[A.D. 1648.]] But the Christmas of 1648, before this was accomplished,

Cardinal de Retz, who was one of the principal leaders of the Fronde,

but a good friend to Queen Henrietta, found her shut up in an apartment

of the Louvre with little Henrietta, without any fire, although it was

a cold, snowy day. The sorrowing mother had kept the four-year old

princess in bed lest she should suffer from the cold, but both were

without food. The cardinal supplied the necessary comforts forthwith,

and on the same day represented to the parliament of Paris the distress

in which he had discovered the daughter of their former king. His

eloquence was the outpouring of a kind heart, and met with an immediate

response, for a subsidy of twenty thousand livres was instantly voted

for the destitute queen.

Then she wrote to Lord Fairfax in England, asking his assistance, that

she might see her husband once more. This letter was delivered to the

house of commons, and contemptuously thrown aside, with the remark "that

the writer had been voted guilty of high treason in 1643."

Thus ended all hope of being reunited to the husband whose afflictions

she shared and for whose sake she would willingly have died. Added to

this was the suspense the queen endured while the civil strife in Paris

and its neighborhood rendered the passage of couriers impossible.

King Charles might well have escaped from England and joined his wife,

but nothing could induce him to enter France as a supplicant sovereign.

He preferred to suffer and struggle alone, through four long years of

insult and abuse,--most shocking to us of the present day to read about.

The Roundheads grew so powerful that, with Oliver {170}Cromwell for

their leader, they became a body of ruffians, who either thrust into

a dungeon or expelled any of their band who evinced the least mark of

favor towards the king.

Through treachery Charles I. had fallen a prisoner in their hands.

They showed him no mercy; they granted him no justice. A handful of

self-appointed judges went through the mockery of a trial, and condemned

their unfortunate sovereign to the block.

On the day before the execution Princess Elizabeth and the Duke of

Gloucester, the only royal children who remained in England, were

admitted to their father's prison to bid him farewell. They both

sobbed passionately. King Charles drew them to his bosom with words of

consolation, and solemnly blessed them.

He told the princess not to grieve for him, for his was a glorious

death,--for the laws and religion of the land; advised her what books

to read; bade her to forgive his enemies, as he hoped God would, and

charged her to be obedient to her mother, and to tell her that his love

for her would be the same to the last.

Then taking little Gloucester on his knee, he said: "Sweetheart, now

will they cut off thy father's head. Heed, my child, what I say: they

will cut off my head, and perhaps make thee king; but, mark what I say,

you must not be a king so long as your brothers Charles and James live;

therefore, I charge you, do not be made a king by them."

Earnestly looking up into his father's face, the boy replied: "I will be

torn in pieces first." This unexpected answer pleased his majesty,

who with a few more words of advice fervently kissed his children, and

ordered them to be taken away. They sobbed aloud, and the king turned

away as they passed out, and leaned his head against the window trying

to repress his tears. {171}While this painful interview was taking place

Cromwell and his gang of ruffians sat in secret conclave to determine

upon the hour of their victim's death; and some of them swore later that

it was only violent threats on the part of their leader that forced them

to place their signatures to the fatal warrant.

The noble and dignified bearing of the king as he ascended the scaffold

was noticed by all who saw him, and the populace, who were kept at a

distance by a dense mass of soldiers, wept amidst their blessings and

prayers for the martyr king.

Charles made a short speech, saying that "if he had been a despot

he might have remained their sovereign; but he died to preserve the

liberties of the people of England." Some one touched the axe while he

was speaking. "Have a care of the axe!" he exclaimed, "if the edge be

spoiled it will be the worse for me."

Then his executioner kneeled before him and asked forgiveness. Charles

drew himself up with proud dignity and replied;--"No! I forgive no

subject of mine who comes deliberately to shed my blood."

He then said a short prayer, raised his eyes to heaven, then placed his

head upon the block. It was severed with one blow, as a cry of agony

arose from the horrified multitude.

Queen Henrietta did not hear of the dreadful fate that had overtaken her

husband for several days; and when at last it was communicated to her,

she stood motionless as a statue, without words or tears.

The visit of the Duchess de Vendôme, whom the queen tenderly loved,

produced a change in the afflicted widow, who burst into a passionate

fit of weeping at the tender words of sympathy expressed by her friend.

She called {172}herself the most miserable woman on the face of the

earth, and resolved to retire with a few of her ladies to the Carmelite

Convent in Paris. She well knew that for the future life could contain

nothing but bitterness for her, and said: "I have lost a crown, but that

I had long ceased to regret; it is my husband for whom I grieve,--the

good, just, wise, virtuous man, so worthy of my love and that of his

subjects."

She named herself _La malheureuse reine_, and mourned for King Charles

to the day of her death.

[[A.D. 1649.]] Queen Henrietta was not long permitted to enjoy the

peaceful retirement of the convent; for her son, the Prince of Wales,

determined to return to England, and desired to consult his mother about

it. She therefore met him at St. Germains in the summer of 1649, and

afterwards returned with him to her former apartments at the Louvre.

In the following autumn, accompanied by his brother James, Duke of York,

Charles went to the Isle of Jersey, where he was proclaimed King of

Great Britain. Scotland acknowledged him next, and then followed the

scenes of blood in Ireland, under the leadership of Cromwell, more

horrible than any that had ever been witnessed in the world before.

Charles was absent more than two years; and while he was contesting

for his hereditary rights his young brother and sister, who were still

prisoners in England, were treated very harshly by the republicans.

[[A.D. 1650.]] In the September of 1650 Princess Elizabeth died of a

malignant fever.

Cromwell had established a strong military despotism in the British

Islands; and when Queen Henrietta demanded of him the payment of her

dower, he replied: "That she had never been recognized as Queen-Consort

of Great {173}Britain by the people, consequently she had no right to a

dower."

This was because she had refused, on account of her religious bigotry,

to be crowned with the king.

But the usurper did her a great favor when he allowed the young Duke of

Gloucester to return to her. The permit said: "That Henry Stuart, third

son of the late Charles I., had leave to transport himself beyond seas."

Queen Henrietta treated her sons most harshly because they refused to

become Catholics, and adhered to the Episcopal church; in consequence a

great deal of ill-feeling and enmity had grown up between her and them,

which at last drove them from her.

The young Duke of Gloucester went to Holland to live with his sister,

the Princess of Orange, whose husband had died of small-pox a short time

before she offered her brother an asylum.

Queen Henrietta remained at the Palais Royal with her youngest child as

a guest of the queen-regent.

[[A.D. 1658.]] At last, in 1658, Cromwell died, and two years later

Charles II. was restored to the throne of England, without the shedding

of a single drop of blood. His brother, the young Duke of Gloucester,

had accompanied Charles to England, where four months after the

Restoration he died of small-pox.

[[A.D. 1660.]] In October of 1660 the Duke of York met Queen Henrietta

and his youngest sister at Calais, where they embarked for England in

grand state. The vessels were all decked with gay flags, and as each one

discharged her cannon in regular order the noise was so great that it

could be distinctly heard at Dover. The channel was so calm that its

surface looked like a mirror. Not a breath of wind was stirring, and it

was two days before the English fleet could accomplish the passage that

{174}usually took three or four hours. Fortunately the Duke of York had

provided a sumptuous banquet for his mother, sister, and their whole

retinue, which passed a few hours pleasantly, and saved the travellers

from hunger.

When the queen reached Dover, Charles II. went on board the vessel

to welcome her, and conducted her to Dover Castle, where a pleasant

surprise awaited her.

Not only was a magnificent supper spread, but every member of the royal

family of Stuart had assembled to receive Queen Henrietta, who once more

had the satisfaction of embracing each of her children in turn.

For the moment she was happy, surrounded by those she loved; but after

she reached London she was overcome by the deepest sorrow. The sight of

the apartments once occupied by her husband agonized her, and it wrung

her heart to look upon the spot where he had suffered and died. She sank

into the deepest melancholy, and would shut herself up for hours at a

time, denying admittance to any of her ladies.

Life in England became insupportable to the afflicted queen, and she

determined to return to France.

[[A.D. 1661.]] In the evening of New Year's Day she gave an audience

to those who desired to bid her farewell, and then retired to Hampton

Court.

As the Princess Henrietta was engaged to be married to Philippe, the

Duke of Orleans, parliament settled on her a liberal marriage-portion,

and by the middle of January she sailed, with her mother, for France.

Two months later the marriage between Princess Henrietta and the Duke

of Orleans was solemnized at the Palais Royal; and when the young couple

went to pass the summer at Fontainebleau, Queen Henrietta retired to her

favorite château of Colombe, a few miles from Paris. The following

year the Duke and Duchess of Orleans made her {175}a long visit, then

accompanied her to Calais, where she embarked to return to England once

more.

[[A.D. 1662.]] Charles II. had married Catharine of Braganza during

his mother's absence, and the royal couple received Queen Henrietta

affectionately, and welcomed her to Greenwich Palace. She remained

with them until the summer, when Somerset House having been handsomely

renovated, she set up her court there; but her health began to decline,

and she sent for her son, the king, and told him that she could only

regain strength in her native land. He urged her to repair to the

Bourbon baths, though it grieved him sorely to part from his mother

again.

[[A.D. 1665.]] She went first to her château of Colombe, where the King

and Queen of France met and welcomed her, and after a short season of

repose she proceeded to the baths of Bourbon.

[[A.D. 1669.]] But her health declined from year to year, and although

her daughter and son-in-law were indefatigable in their loving

attentions, and summoned the most celebrated physicians of Paris to her

bedside, she expired suddenly and painlessly at midnight of August 31,

1669.

Charles II. and the Duke of York received the news with deep grief, and

retired to Hampton Court, where they remained until all the mourning

ceremonies were completed at Whitehall.

Louis XIV. ordered a general mourning to be observed throughout France

for his aunt,--not because she was a queen of England so much as because

she was the last child of Henry IV. of France. {176}