|James II. arrived in London just after the excitement caused by Anne's
escape had subsided. He had been obliged to leave his army on account
of illness, and when he heard of his daughter's conduct, he struck his
breast and exclaimed: "God help me! my own children have forsaken me in
my distress." From that moment he lost heart and ceased to struggle to
retain his crown; but he never censured Anne as he might have done, nor
was he aware of the extent of her treachery.
Meanwhile, the Prince of Orange induced many of the most loyal subjects
of the crown to join him by circulating the report that he had come to
England for the sole purpose of establishing peace between James II.
and his people. So he advanced as far as Henley, and while resting there
heard, to his unspeakable joy, that the king had disbanded his army, and
followed his wife, who, with the Prince of Wales, had escaped to France.
They could not more completely have played into his hand.
Prince George of Denmark waited for his wife at Oxford, which place
she entered with military state, escorted by several thousand mounted
gentlemen, who, with their tenants, had joined her followers as she
passed through the various counties. Bishop Compton, Anne's early tutor,
rode before her in military dress, and carried a purple flag in token of
his adherence to her cause. {368}James had been captured and taken back
to Whitehall, so William of Orange stopped at Windsor and sent his Dutch
guard forward to expel his uncle; for neither he nor his sister-in-law
dared to face the father whom they had so basely injured. The next day
the prince entered London quietly, went straight to St. James's Palace,
and retired to his bedchamber. In the evening bells rang, guns fired,
and there was general rejoicing among the Orange party. A few days later
the Prince and Princess of Denmark returned, and took up their abode
at the palace they had lived in ever since their marriage, called the
Cockpit, because the site of it had once been used for that barbarous
amusement.
[[A.D. 1689.]] Anne felt no regret at the fate that had overtaken
her unfortunate father, but triumphantly appeared in public with Lady
Churchill, both decked in orange ribbons, an emblem of the cause they
had espoused. Her uncle, Lord Clarendon, took her severely to task for
not showing some concern on account of her father's downfall, but she
proved very plainly that she felt none; but it was not many weeks before
she regretted having taken sides with William. This was not because of
any qualms of conscience, or awakening of affection for her parent,--no,
indeed! It was only that her interests were at stake, and her rights in
danger of being forfeited. A convention had been called to arrange how
the kingdom was to be governed, and as leader of a well-disciplined army
of fourteen thousand foreign soldiers, quartered in and about London,
the Prince of Orange was likely to have the matter settled just as he
chose. The convention were perplexed, however; for though they decided
to exclude the Prince of Wales and settle the succession on Mary of
Orange, they were by no means willing, in the event of her death, to
have the kingdom governed by a foreigner, particularly as his religion
{369}
[Illustration: 0375]
{371}was as far removed from that of the Church of England as James's
was.
While they were considering this matter William was so taciturn and
glum that the English lords could not find out what he wanted, so they
applied to some of his Dutch attendants to know what ailed their master,
and were informed that if Princess Mary was to occupy the throne and
take precedence of her husband he would go back to Holland; for he
was not willing to be tied by apron strings, or to play the part of
gentleman-usher to his own wife. The English nobles were more perplexed
than ever; but at this juncture Dr. Burnet came to their relief, and
said, that as Mary's spiritual adviser he was well aware of how she
would decide if the matter were left to her, because she had told him
that she preferred yielding precedence to her husband in every affair of
life. Then word was sent to the Princess Mary, "that if she considered
it proper to insist on her lineal rights the convention would persist
in declaring her sole sovereign." Her answer was: "That she was the
prince's wife, and never meant to be other than in subjection to him,
and that she did not thank any one for setting up for her an interest
divided from that of her husband." That settled the matter; for the
national convention of lords and commons decided that the Prince of
Orange was to be offered the crown, and that his wife was to have joint
sovereignty. Their children, if they had any, were to succeed them, but
if not the Princess Anne was next in the line.
Being satisfied at last, William permitted his wife to join him in
England. The Princess of Orange had made herself beloved in Holland, and
tears filled her eyes when she heard one of the common people say, as
she was embarking, "that he hoped the English might love her as well as
those had done whom she was leaving." {372}A swift, pleasant voyage soon
brought Princess Mary to Gravesend, where she was met by her sister
and Prince George of Denmark. The two sisters were so elated at their
success that they embraced again and again, and went into perfect
transports of joy. Amidst a chorus of shouts and welcomes they entered
their exiled father's barge, and soon landed at Whitehall, where William
met them. All those who witnessed Mary's conduct that day, even her best
friends, were shocked. Gravity would have been becoming considering that
she was taking possession of the home from which reverse of fortune had
driven her father only a few days before; but she was excessively gay,
and went all over the palace, looking into the cupboards, examining the
furniture, and making remarks upon what had been removed, and what left
for her use with revolting heartlessness. She took possession of the
apartments Mary Beatrice had used, slept in her bed, made use of her
toilet articles, and within a night or two sat down to a game of basset
in the very spot her predecessor had occupied.
Next day the ceremony of recognition of William and Mary as sovereigns
of England took place. They proceeded in state robes to the banqueting
hall of the palace, and placed themselves in chairs of state under the
royal canopy, their attendants taking their respective places near
by. Then Lord Halifax made a short speech, desiring their majesties to
accept the crown. The prince answered, and the princess curtsied, but
showed no reluctance at assuming her father's crown. After affixing
their names to the Bill of Rights, which promised enjoyment of religious
liberty to every Protestant Englishman, William III. and Mary II. were
proclaimed king and queen.
Lord Clarendon was so disgusted with the turn of affairs that he retired
to his country seat, but he sent a letter to his niece, which must
have contained some unflattering {373}remarks, for his wife, to whom he
intrusted it, was afraid to deliver it. His brother Laurence had been
civilly received by William; but Mary had refused to see him or his
children, little girls of seven and eight years, respectively.
After a few weeks of London life King William hurried his wife away
with him to Hampton Court, and only went to town on business. He pleaded
ill-health as an excuse; but his conduct gave great dissatisfaction,
because diversions that had attended previous courts disappeared, and
the king was so surly that people feared to approach him. The queen was
vivacious and affable, but as she took little or no interest in state
affairs, nothing was to be gained by special attention to her, so few
gathered about her.
There were many loyal citizens who positively refused to take an oath of
allegiance to the new sovereigns. Among these were Lord Clarendon, four
of the bishops who had been sent to the Tower by James II., and several
hundred members of the English clergy, besides Archbishop San-croft,
who it was fondly hoped would perform the coronation ceremony. That
important event next occupied the attention of everybody at court. A new
globe, sceptre, and sword of state were made for Mary II., but she was
to wear the beautiful crown that her father had provided for his queen.
The eleventh of April was the day appointed; it was fraught with anxiety
and care, for just as the king and queen were ready to set out for
Westminster Hall news was brought to them of the successful landing of
James II. in Ireland. Added to that, a letter was handed to Queen Mary
by her lord chamberlain, which proved to be from her father,--the
first he had written her since her arrival in England. He wrote: "That
hitherto he had made all fatherly excuses for what had been done, and
had attributed her part in the revolution to obedience to her husband;
{374}but the act of being crowned was in her own power, and if she were
crowned while he and the Prince of Wales were living, the curses of
an outraged father would light upon her as well as of that God who has
commanded duty to parents."
After reading this awful letter, William declared that he "had done
nothing but by his wife's advice and approbation;" and she retorted,
"That if her father regained his authority her husband might thank
himself for letting him go as he did." When these words were reported
to King James he felt convinced that his daughter Mary had desired some
cruel act to be committed towards him.
Whether she had or no, she must have performed her part in the
coronation ceremony with a heavy heart, for with a father's curse
resting upon her how could it have been otherwise!
As the clock struck twelve the king descended the stairs of Whitehall,
entered the royal barge, and was rowed to Westminster Palace, where,
in a private chamber, he dressed himself in the parliamentary robes. An
hour later the queen was carried in her sedan chair also to Westminster.
She wore state robes of velvet, bordered with ermine; on her head was a
diadem of gold, richly studded with precious stones. The procession
was much smaller than that attending any previous coronation had been,
because so many of the lords and ladies refused to be present.
As soon as the usual ceremonies were completed, Dr. Burnet, who had been
created Bishop of Salisbury, preached the sermon; then the Bishop
of London administered the oath, and anointed both sovereigns. The
Archbishop of Canterbury had refused to crown either William or Mary, so
that office also was performed by the Bishop of London.
The banquet was given at Westminster Hall; but every- {375}thing had
gone so slowly that it was almost dark before the challenger entered.
This was Dymoke, son of the champion of James II. As he flung his
gauntlet upon the ground an old woman hobbled out from among the crowd
that stood to witness the feast, and replaced it with a lady's glove, in
which was an answer to the challenge, the time and place being appointed
in Hyde Park. From two till four the next day a large man was seen to
pace up and down the appointed spot; but Dymoke did not appear, and the
champion of James II., whoever he was, went on his way unharmed.
King William attended parliament both before and after his coronation;
but never did Queen Mary accompany him or have any voice in the
government whatever.
After James II.'s defeat in Ireland, the Dutch ambassador arrived in
England to congratulate the king and queen on their accession, when
rewards and honors were distributed very freely, especially on those who
held positions in the household of either Mary or Anne. Lord Churchill
received the title of Earl of Marlborough, and henceforth Anne's
confidential friend will be known by the name of Lady Marlborough.
Now Princess Anne's displeasure was aroused because she failed to see
any gain that had accrued to her from the revolution. While others had
attained wealth and station, she had heard a rumor that King William had
expressed his astonishment at her having a revenue of thirty thousand
pounds per annum, and wondered how she could possibly spend it. This
alarmed her, particularly as she had been promised an additional sum
by her brother-in-law, which she soon saw there was no probability of
getting. King William carried economy to such an excess that he objected
to Anne's having separate meals for her branch of the family; but his
manners at table were so disagreeable {376}that no lady cared to be
present when he ate. He was unpolished in every action, selfish, vulgar,
and ill-natured in the extreme. One day a dish of early green peas was
placed in front of Anne; they were the first of the season, and looked
particularly inviting; but a look was all she got of them, for the king
took possession of the dish and devoured the entire contents.
William was inhospitable, too, excepting to his own countrymen. When
he dined at St. James's Palace, Marshal Schomberg, the general of the
foreign troops, sat at his right hand, and some Dutch officers occupied
other places at the table; but if any English nobleman came in William
neither spoke to them nor invited them to sit down and eat, which common
courtesy demanded. This was very galling, for it humbled the English and
placed the Dutch in the position of their conquerors.
The Earl of Marlborough had an aid-de-camp named Dillon, who was
intimate with Arnold von Keppel, a favorite page of King William. These
boys were usually present at the royal dinners. One day Dillon said:
"I have never heard your master utter a word to anybody; does he ever
speak?"
"Oh, yes," replied von Keppel, "he talks fast enough at night over his
bottle of Holland gin, when he has only his Dutch friends about him."
When Lady Marlborough questioned the young Dillon as to what he saw and
heard at the king's table, he replied "That no man was ever treated with
such neglect and contempt as Lord Marlborough was.
"It is just what he deserves," replied the gracious dame; "he should
have considered how much better he was off some months ago." This shows
that Anne's favorite was not very friendly to King William at that time.
Dillon told her besides that he heard the king say "that Lord
Marlborough had the best talents for war of any one {377}in England; but
he was a vile man, and though he had himself profited by his treason he
abhorred the traitor."
This may have been merely a bit of gossip; but William placed the earl
in command of English troops, which he sent to Holland to fill the place
of the Dutch forces he thought fit to retain near him in case of need.
While Marlborough was absent his wife busied herself with Princess Anne
to get possession of the best suite of apartments at Whitehall. The
queen wanted them, and a regular dispute arose between the two sisters,
which might have gone on indefinitely had not William settled the matter
in favor of Anne, to whom he felt he must yield something for peace
sake. She retained her palace of the Cockpit also, and demanded the one
at Richmond; but that passed into the possession of Madame Puissars, one
of the daughters of Lady Villiers, and she would not relinquish it.
From that hour the royal sisters were at enmity with each other, though
for a time they kept up an appearance of cordiality
On the very evening that a report was brought to William and Mary of the
death of James II. in Ireland they attended the theatre; but it happened
the play contained so many allusions to various actions of their
majesties relating to their accession and the treachery that preceded
it, that they were both rendered excessively uncomfortable, particularly
as each time the whole audience turned and looked straight at them.
After that the master of the court amusements was ordered to be very
careful what plays were produced.
Several of Shakespeare's were prohibited, but particularly King Lear,
which is not surprising. Nevertheless, the whole country blamed Queen
Mary for her indifference to her father's fate, and verses containing
the most scathing {378}satire on her conduct were constantly distributed
at the various coffee-houses.
Princess Anne had a son born during the summer, which was a very joyful
event for all the royal family represented at Hampton Court. They were
pleased, because as the child would be educated in the Reformed faith,
there would be little probability of his being superseded by the Roman
Catholic line of Stuart.
The king and queen stood sponsors for the infant, who was baptized
William, and the same day proclaimed Duke of Gloucester. Mary fondled
her little nephew a great deal, and paid more attention to her sister
than she had done before. But she became dreadfully angry when she
found out that through the instrumentality of Lady Marlborough Anne had
applied to the House of Commons for an income to be settled on herself.
It was perfectly natural that the princess should make this demand,
and it was granted; but Mary accused her of deceit and ingratitude for
acting in such an underhand manner, and asked her in an angry tone:
"What was the meaning of the proceedings in the House of Commons?"
Anne replied: "That she heard her friends there wished she should have a
settled income."
"Friends?" asked the queen, haughtily, "Pray what friends have you but
the king and me?"
Perhaps Queen Mary might not have objected to a provision being made for
her sister, had it not been the decision of parliament that the fifty
thousand pounds they granted Anne should be deducted from King William's
income. But she did not get it, for her brother-in-law managed to
postpone the payment of the money throughout the summer, and Anne became
deeply involved in debt. So much ill-feeling had grown up between her
and her sister in consequence of this pecuniary difficulty that she
resolved {379}to remove from Hampton Court. An excellent excuse offered
itself in the illness of her baby, for he did not thrive for the first
two or three months of his existence, and it was thought change of air
would benefit him. Lord Craven offered his fine house at Kensington for
the prince's nursery; and just before his removal a young Quakeress,
named Mrs. Pack, was engaged to nurse him. Anne was soon gratified by
seeing a decided improvement in her child, who was taken out every day
to get the air in a little carriage drawn by a pair of ponies no larger
than goodsized dogs. These animals were led by Dick Drury, the Prince of
Denmark's coachman.
Meanwhile the Earl of Marlborough returned from Holland, when he and his
wife put their heads together and took such decided steps in favor of
Anne's income that before the end of the year the Commons intimated to
the king the propriety of allowing her fifty thousand pounds.
The Protestant branch of the royal family firmly held the reins of
government in England at last but they were no happier than the exiled
Catholic portion, and dissatisfaction had grown steadily among the
masses.
James II. had left his country free from debt. One year after his
deposition the revenue was minus three millions of pounds. The king had
not spent it all; but dishonesty was the order of the day, and whoever
could obtain a government contract, whether for raising a regiment,
provisioning, or clothing the army in Ireland, or providing ammunition
for the navy, stole more than half the sum they received. They took
advantage of the unsettled state of public affairs to enrich themselves.
Thus the English navy--the pride of the sailor-king, James--sustained
a shameful defeat, and the seamen were perfectly well aware that it was
not lack of skill and bravery on their part that caused it. The soldiers
in Ire land {380}were supplied with bad food and damaged clothing, and
many of them died of disease.
[Illustration: 0386]
James had never permitted the merchant ships to be taxed for the
protection they received from war-vessels; but now the convoy money
reached such an enormous sum that the merchants sent an appeal to
parliament to relieve them of such a dreadful tax. One of the worst
offenders in exacting this extortion was Captain Churchill, brother to
the Earl of Marlborough, and so serious was the charge brought against
him that he {381}was expelled from the House of Commons, of which he was
a member, and deprived of his vessel.
[[A.D. 1690.]] The Duke of Schomberg made serious complaints by letter
to the king, to whom he wrote with regard to Mr. Harbord's regiment:
"I do assure your majesty that the existence of this fine regiment is
limited to its standard, which leans in a corner of his dressing-room,
and that is all that he can show of it. Never, in all my life, did I see
a nation so willing to steal."
William knew that his throne was tottering beneath so much corruption,
and he deserved the misery such knowledge occasioned him. One day he was
discussing his troubles with his favorite, Bentinck, whom he had created
Earl of Portland, and expressed his surprise at the financial condition
of the country..
Portland asked his royal friend, "Whether he believed that there was one
honest man in the whole of Great Britain?"
"Yes, there are many," replied William, with a deep-drawn sigh,
"there are many men of high honor in this country as well as in
others,--perhaps more; but, my Lord Portland, they are not _my_
friends."
The following spring King William meant to join his troops in Ireland,
and purchased Lord Nottingham's estate at Kensington, in order that a
palace might be completed thereon by the time he should return. The
king was a martyr to asthma, and could scarcely breathe in the smoky
atmosphere of London; therefore, he determined to have a home, not too
far off, in a healthful district.
Queen Mary superintended the building of this palace, and displayed
extraordinary taste in the planning of the grounds and the laying out
of the gardens. This occupied a great deal of her time during the
king's absence, but as he left the government in her hands she had other
matters {382}to attend to besides. Nine councillors were appointed to
advise and assist the queen; but Prince George was not of their
number, because he had hired some Danish troops to fight against his
father-in-law, and accompanied the king to Ireland.
[Illustration: 0388]
Queen Mary acted with a great deal of decision, and wrote letters to her
husband every day to keep him informed of everything that transpired.
When a French fleet appeared in the channel she had a large number of
noblemen who were not friendly to her cause arrested. Among these were
her two uncles, who had viewed her conduct with shame and disgust. Her
next step was to banish all Catholics from London and its vicinity. Her
position was really dreadful, for she was surrounded by secret enemies
and people who consulted their own interest above everything else.
The defeat of the navy by the French at {383}Beachy Head was a great
misfortune that would not have befallen the English if their ships had
been kept in proper condition; but there was no one to look out for
them as King James had done. Queen Mary had no confidence in several
candidates who offered themselves for the command, and others whom she
desired to take it had no confidence in themselves for naval service.
This defeat was soon forgotten, however, when news arrived of the
victory of William's army at the Boyne. Without any thought for the fate
of her father, Mary gave herself up to rejoicing over the success of
her husband,--the one subject that filled her mind. She at once began to
urge his return, but William was too good a general not to know that the
contest was not yet decided. Much misery had been caused in Ireland by
the presence of his enormous army, and that wretched country was not yet
to cease groaning under his despotism. When compelled to raise the siege
of Waterford, William was asked how the sick and wounded prisoners were
to be disposed of. "Burn them!" was his wicked command; and this was
only one of the many cruel acts really perpetrated by his troops.
William was anxious to return to England; but, as the victorious French
fleet occupied both the English channel and that of St. George, it was
no safe matter for him to venture past their ships.
Meanwhile, the queen continued her daily letters, and made most humble
apologies to her despotic lord, because his Kensington Palace was not
quite ready for his reception, and still smelt of the fresh paint. She
took all the blame on herself, and expressed her willingness to put
herself to any inconvenience, no matter how great, if only she might
advance his comfort and hasten his return. This wifely devotion would be
all right if William had been a good husband, but he was not, and showed
himself incapable of appreciating the sacrifices offered for his sake.
{384}Queen Mary was sorely perplexed about the command of the navy. Her
father had left it ruler of the seas, but two disastrous defeats that
had overtaken it since her accession had so demoralized the sailors and
destroyed the vessels that none of the old sea-captains could be induced
to contend against the well-appointed fleet of Louis XIV. She proposed
Churchill in one of her letters, but she ought to have recoiled from
placing the man who had extorted convoy money from the merchant ships in
such an important position of trust. At last the French fleet left the
Irish coast, and gave the king a chance to slip over to England, which
he gladly began to prepare for; but first he attempted to besiege
Limerick. Twelve hundred of his soldiers were killed, but the governor
made such a desperate resistance that William raised the siege, and
embarked for England with Prince George of Denmark.
His return had been delayed so much longer than he intended that
Kensington Palace was ready for his reception. After spending a couple
of days at Hampton Court, he went with the queen to their new home,
where they remained throughout the autumn.
Mary possessed unusual ability for governing, as she proved later, when
her husband was carrying on his war in Flanders. As soon as he finished
his Irish campaign, his whole time and attention were directed towards
preparations for his war, which was a great drain on the wealth of Great
Britain, and consequently a source of dissatisfaction to the people.
Lord Marlborough made his first military success in Ireland just after
William had returned from that country, and was warmly thanked for it,
when he presented himself at Kensington, by the king and queen, though
they had not forgiven him for the interest he took in procuring Princess
Anne's income for her.
[A.D. 1691.] {385}At the beginning of the following year the king
embarked for the Hague, leaving the same nine lords to advise and assist
the queen as before. A plot for the restoration of James II. had been
discovered; but that did not detain William after his arrangements were
perfected for the war he was anxious to continue.
The very day after his departure the trial of Lord Preston and Mr.
Ashton began. Both were implicated in this plot, and both had occupied
important positions in the household of King James. Ashton was executed,
but Preston's life was spared in this way: Lady Catherine Graham, a
little girl nine years of age, was his daughter, and loved him very
dearly. During his trial she remained at Windsor Castle, where she had
lived up to that period with her parents. The day after Lord Preston
was condemned the queen found the child in St. George's gallery gazing
earnestly up at a picture of James II. Her mournful expression attracted
the attention of Mary, who asked little Catherine, "What she saw in that
picture that made her look at it so steadily?"
"I was thinking," replied the child, "how hard it is that my father must
die for loving yours."
The queen's conscience was pricked by this answer, and she signed Lord
Preston's pardon.
But she may have had another reason for this good deed, for Preston
could tell all the particulars of the plot, and did so. His evidence
caused the punishment of many of the nobility and clergy, and led to the
imprisonment of the queen's uncle, Lord Clarendon, who remained shut up
in the Tower as long as Mary's regency lasted. Many people were put to
the torture who either had conspired against their majesties or were
suspected of doing so; and Sancroft, the Archbishop of Canterbury,
besides other Church of England clergymen, were deprived of their
positions, {386}because they refused to take the oath of allegiance to
William and Mary.
During these dreadful proceedings King William's life had been in danger
on the coast of Holland, where a dense fog prevented his making land as
soon as he expected. Hearing from some fisherman that he was not more
than a mile and a half from shore, the king resolved to be rowed in his
barge. The Duke of Ormond and some other noblemen accompanied him. In a
few moments the boat was lost in the fog, and could neither approach the
shore nor return to the fleet. Night came on, and the waves dashed over
the king, as he lay in the bottom of the boat covered up with his cloak.
Some one expressed alarm at the situation when William asked sternly,
"What, are you afraid to die with me?" At daybreak the fog had risen,
and the party in the royal barge landed.
The king met with a grand reception at the Hague, for this was his first
appearance there since he had mounted the British throne, and the Dutch
considered that he had made the conquest of Great Britain. They hailed
him "The Conqueror," which was not a pleasant sound to the Englishmen
who had accompanied him.
After a stay of three months William returned to Eng-land for a supply
of money and troops, and arrived just in time to see the Palace of
Whitehall burned to the ground. Queen Mary barely escaped with her life,
for she was a sound sleeper, and had not been aroused until the fire was
well under way in the part of the palace she occupied.
The enmity between Mary and Anne was kept alive by several disagreeable
circumstances, and encouraged by the partisans of each.
We have seen what influence Lord Marlborough and his wife exerted over
the Princess Anne. Their ambition prompted them to prefer a request
through her that the {387}Order of the Garter might be bestowed on the
earl as a reward for his military merit. This was refused by Queen Mary,
and Marlborough was so enraged that he at once set to work to conspire
for the downfall of herself and the king. As he was one of the council
of nine appointed to assist the queen in governing, her position
became dangerous, particularly as Marlborough wrote James II., "That he
regretted his crimes against him, and would bring the Princess Anne back
to her duty at the least word of encouragement."
James's only reply was, "That his good intentions must be proved by
deeds rather than words."
The result was a very dutiful letter written by Anne to her father; but
as Lady Fitzharding acted as a spy for the king, both he and Queen Mary
knew all about the letter long before it reached its destination. It
was written near the end of the year, and shortly after William's return
from Flanders, where some bloody battles had been fought, and a great
number of lives had been lost among the English troops; so his majesty's
temper was not sweetened in the least.
When it was Marlborough's turn to act as gentleman of the bed-chamber
he began his duties, but was soon dismissed, and afterwards received
a message, "that the king and queen desired Lord Marlborough to absent
himself from their presence for the future."
This made Princess Anne very angry; but her anger was changed to alarm,
when she was informed by an anonymous letter that the next step of the
government would be to imprison Lord Marlborough, and added a warning
as to the treachery of Lady Fitzharding. The king and queen brought
no charge; because, if they had dared openly to accuse Marlborough of
trying to effect a reconciliation between Anne and her father, many of
their subjects would have followed his example.
[A.D. 1692.] {388}Shortly after her husband's dismissal, Lady
Marlborough attended Princess Anne to a court reception. The next day
Queen Mary wrote her sister that not only must the lady not appear again
at court, but she must be at once dismissed from her service, because
her presence at the Cockpit gave Lord Marlborough an excuse for
appearing where he was forbidden to come.
Anne wrote her sister a letter full of remonstrance, praising the
virtues of Lady Marlborough, and refusing to part with her. The only
reply she got was an official message from Queen Mary, warning Lord and
Lady Marlborough to remain no longer at the palace.
But Anne was determined not to part with her favorite, so politely
informed the queen rather than do so she herself would depart. She then
applied to the Duchess of Somerset for the loan of her Sion house for
the summer, and received the reply, "that Sion house was entirely at her
service."
King William had requested the Duke of Somerset not to grant the demand
of Princess Anne; and finding that he had not been obeyed, he determined
on a petty revenge, rather unusual with him. He ordered that Anne should
be deprived of the guards that had attended her ever since her father
had allowed her to set up an establishment of her own. This was a
serious matter, because highwaymen infested all the roads in the
vicinity of London, and the princess was really stopped once when
driving out, and robbed of all the jewels and money she had with her.
The king and queen were very much censured for allowing their sister
to go about in such an unprotected state. This was done by means of
placards and circulars; for there were no daily papers in those days for
the expression of public opinion, and, as a rule, they were made out in
rhyme. Sometimes they were set to music and sung about the streets or in
the various coffee-houses. {389}William returned to his Flemish campaign
again in March, and left his wife to govern alone for the third time.
Previous to his departure he had signed the warrant which authorized
the massacre of Glencove. A hundred men, women, and children were
slaughtered in cold blood in this Highland glen; but William was
probably ignorant of the details of this atrocious crime, which cast a
dark shadow over his glory. He may have thought that the intention of
his agents in Scotland was merely to extirpate a band of thieves, but
such was not the case; theirs was an act of outrageous cruelty prompted
by revenge, and William was too much interested in his campaign to pay
much attention to it.
One of Mary's first public acts after her husband's departure was to
review a band of ten thousand men in Hyde Park, who were destined to
defend the capital in case of an invasion from France. Next she sent
Russell, an arrogant, dishonest politician, in charge of the English
navy, to combine with the Dutch fleet in opposition to the French.
It was necessity that compelled the queen to choose Russell for her
admiral: she would have preferred the more able Marlborough; but as he
was now an open enemy, ready at a moment's notice to fly to the side of
King James, that could not be.
Princess Anne was seriously ill a short time after, and the queen went
to see her as soon as she heard of it; but instead of talking kindly to
her sister, and expressing sympathy, she merely sat by her bedside for
a few moments, and then said: "I have made the first step towards
reconciliation by coming to you, and I now hope that you will make
the next by dismissing Lady Marlborough." The remark was certainly
ill-timed, and no doubt the queen regretted it later; but she never told
her sister so, and they remained enemies to the end. Anne's reply, which
{390}was made in a weak, trembling voice on account of her illness,
was: "I have never in my life disobeyed your majesty but in this
one particular, and I hope at some time or other it will appear
as unreasonable to your majesty as it does now to me." Queen Mary
immediately arose and took her departure, but repeated to Prince George,
as he was leading her to her carriage, precisely what she had said
to his wife. An attack of fever followed her sister's visit, and for
several days Anne's life was despaired of, but she recovered at last. No
sooner was her convalescence established, however, than she was thrown
into a dreadful state of distress, because the queen had ordered
Marlborough to be arrested and hurried off to the Tower. The charge
brought against him was that he was in correspondence with the court at
St. Germain; and while the French invasion threatened Mary thought best
to secure herself against his treachery by putting him safely out of the
way.
Princess Anne considered herself a very ill-used sister, and never lost
an opportunity of appearing in the attitude of injured innocence, so she
wrote to Stillingfleet, Bishop of Worcester, and requested him to come
to her. He obeyed, and she showed him a letter she had written her
sister, the queen, in which she requested permission to wait upon her
majesty, but dared not do so without it, because of the displeasure she
had incurred. At the conclusion of the letter the princess added, that
she would not think of returning to the Cockpit to live unless it was
agreeable to her majesty. Anne's reason for sending this submissive
document through the Bishop of Worcester, was that she wanted everybody
to know she had tried to act in a friendly manner towards her sister.
After reading the letter the bishop consented to be the bearer of it,
and the reply he brought back was decided and formal.
{391}
[Illustration: 0397]
{393}The queen stated that she had done all towards a reconciliation
that she meant to do, and that if Princess Anne would not consent to the
dismissal of Lady Marlborough she need not trouble herself to come to
court; for she would not be received.
Knowing that in the circumstances a residence at the Cockpit would
be anything but agreeable, Anne retained it only for those of her
attendants who were not obnoxious to the government, and leased Berkeley
House for herself. Then she wrote to Lady Marlborough, who was with
her husband, and related all that had happened, closing her letter with
assurances of undying devotion and a desire soon to be reunited.
The battle of La Hogue was so decided a success for the English navy
that it restored some of its lost credit. Queen Mary was well pleased
with the valor of her sailors, and sent thirty thousand pounds in gold
to be distributed among them, and a gold medal to each of the officers.
But she deserves credit for a still worthier deed; she ordered the
unfinished palace of Greenwich to be fitted up for the wounded seamen,
and every possible care to be taken of them.
After the victory of La Hogue the queen made an effort to keep alive the
popular enthusiasm by receiving addresses of congratulation, dressed in
her regal robes, and by reviewing the militia and artillery companies in
person. But she was at the same time guilty of several acts of tyranny
in causing the death of those whom the jury had failed to convict.
She kept Lord Marlborough shut up in the Tower as long as possible, and
only released him at last on bail. Meanwhile, Princess Anne was deprived
of the society of her favorites, but she frequently wrote to Lady
Marlborough, and referred to the king as "Caliban," or "that Dutch
{394}monster"; she sometimes mentioned her little son, the Duke of
Gloucester, and said that she patiently awaited the bright day when he
should arrive at man's estate, so that England might flourish again.
In order to rid the metropolis of burglars, and the neighboring roads
of highwaymen, Queen Mary issued a proclamation offering forty pounds a
head for such offenders. This led to the execution of an enormous number
of people without remedying the evil, and the reward thus obtained
was called "blood-money." Queen Mary's order was meant to benefit her
subjects, but it proved a serious evil, for the prisons were soon filled
to overflowing, and the jailers and thief-catchers played into each
other's hands, and often punished innocent people for the sake of the
"blood-money." They managed in this way: One of the villains would
pretend to be a professional robber, and entice a couple of youths or
dishonestly inclined men to join him in waylaying and robbing a certain
party. That party would of course be a confederate, who would follow
up the dupes, trace the stolen property with the assistance of the
originator of the crime, and by that means cause two arrests and
executions, for which the human fiends would receive eighty pounds. Then
the chiefs engaged in the plot would meet and divide the spoils at an
entertainment to which they gave the name of "the blood-feast."
The executions under this system amounted to as many as forty a month in
the city of London alone. Another evil which exists to this very day
is to be traced to William and Mary's reign; it is the establishment of
gin-shops. William gave encouragement to the manufactories of spirituous
liquors, the imbibing of which is the source of most of the crime and
sorrow of the world, and any one who has noticed the number of gin-shops
in London, and the drinking saloons in other cities, can scarcely
be blind to the evil they tend to promote. {395}Before King William
returned to England again much blood had been shed, and the wealth of
both France and Great Britain was nearly exhausted. When Louis XIV. was
discussing the probable termination of the war he said: "Ah, the last
guinea will carry the victory." He was right, for the people of both
countries were heavily taxed, and it was only a question who should hold
out longer with their guineas.
Whenever the king was with her, Mary abandoned all government cares,
and took to needlework, in which she was imitated by her ladies. Her
favorite occupation in this line was the making of knotted fringe of
white flax-thread, that no doubt closely resembled the macramé lace of
the present day. The Dutch ladies knitted, and even took their work to
church, and kept their fingers employed while listening to a sermon.
[[A.D. 1693.]] King William's return from Flanders was celebrated by a
grand thanksgiving dinner at Guildhall, and another at the armory of the
Tower, where their majesties dined in state, and were waited on by the
master architects and workmen in masonic aprons and regalia. It was the
king's policy to gain favor with his English subjects, because he had
only come among them for more supplies, and was off again within four
months, to remain until towards the end of the year.
During that interval Queen Mary's navy met with two disastrous defeats,
and the king had lost the hard-fought, bloody battle of Landen in
Flanders. The people of England were groaning under the weight of heavy
taxation, and general dissatisfaction with the government was openly
expressed. There had been several dishonest prime ministers; but
previous to his departure the king appointed Charles Talbot, Earl of
Shrewsbury, to that important position.
We have not said anything about the little Duke of {396}Gloucester for a
long time; but it must not, therefore, be supposed that he was forgotten
either by his mother or his royal aunt. He lived at Campden House, and
was taken daily to visit the queen whenever she was at Kensington.
[[A.D. 1694.]] Princess Anne was very desirous that her son should be
made a Knight of the Garter; but her relations with the queen were such
that she dared not ask it. However, she sent the prince to visit her
majesty one day with a broad blue ribbon passed over his shoulder and
fastened down on the left side as a reminder. No notice was taken of
it; but the child had evidently been taught that something was to be
accorded him in connection with the ribbon, for when the queen offered
him a brilliantly-colored bird, he looked very sober, and said, "He
would not rob her majesty of it."
When he had attained his fifth year, the prince's mother thought it
high time that he should be put into masculine attire, and consulted
her husband about it, saying that the clothing he was wearing interfered
with his military amusements. An order was accordingly given to Lady
Fitzhard-ing, who procured for the child a suit of white cloth with
silver loops and buttons, and a periwig. Under his waistcoat he wore a
stiff corset that hurt him dreadfully. His tailor, Mr. Hughes, was sent
for to remedy the trouble, and when he appeared at Campden House he was
surprised to find himself surrounded by a score of mimic soldiers,--the
little prince having summoned his regiment to punish the man who had
caused him pain. There is no telling how far the little urchins would
have gone, for they were beating and mauling Mr. Hughes at a great rate,
when Lewis Jenkins, the usher, appeared to inquire into the cause of
the racket. An explanation followed, and, upon the tailor's giving
a faithful promise that he would alter the stays to fit his little
highness, he was released. {397}One day the little regiment was busily
drilling in Kensington Gardens, while the king and queen watched their
movements with a great deal of interest. Suddenly the Duke of Gloucester
approached his uncle, and gravely offered himself and his whole troop
for the Flemish war. Then turning to Queen Mary, he added: "My mamma
once had guards as well as you; why has she not now?" Her majesty
colored and looked surprised, while the king offered the drummer of the
regiment two guineas as a reward for the noise he could make; whereupon
the little fellow drowned any further awkward questioning. Of course,
Queen Mary knew very well that the prince could not remember when his
mother's guard had been dismissed, therefore all the knowledge he had of
it was what he had heard from his parents.
The Duke of Gloucester's soldiers were often a nuisance to the
neighborhood; for on their way home after drill they would enter houses
on the road to London, and help themselves to any dainty bit of food the
larder happened to contain. This they did in imitation of the soldiers
quartered in the vicinity of London, and felt especially privileged
as "Gloucester's men." Like most people who ape others, it was the bad
qualities these little boys selected.
Next time King William returned from Flanders he found the bribery and
corruption in his government just as bad as ever, and the new prime
minister worse than the old ones had been. Parliament was opened, and
charges of the gravest character were brought even against the queen's
immediate attendants, in some of whom she reposed the utmost confidence.
This was a source of great trouble to Queen Mary, and in the midst of it
Archbishop Tillotson fell dead in the pulpit one Sunday while performing
the service.
Christmas was approaching, and the royal pair decided {398}to spend it
quietly at Kensington Palace. By the twentieth of December the queen was
so ill that she must have had some doubts as to her recovery, for she
sat up at her secretary the whole night examining and burning papers
that she desired nobody to see. Perhaps this occupation aggravated
her illness, for she grew worse, and two days later was considered in
danger. Princess Anne sent to ask permission to wait on her majesty. The
message was delivered to the first lady-in-waiting, who went into the
bed-chamber where the queen lay, and in a few moments returned with the
message, "That the king would send an answer the next day."
But the only message received by the Princess Anne was a request to
postpone her visit, because it was necessary to keep the queen as quiet
as possible. The king was so distressed at his wife's danger that he had
his camp-bed removed to her room, and remained with her night and day.
At last Archbishop Tennison, who had replaced Tillotson, informed the
queen that her end was drawing near. She was not at all surprised, and
said, "That she thanked God she had left nothing to the last hour; she
had then nothing to do but to look up to God and submit to His will."
Then the last rites of the church were administered; but the queen did
not die until the twenty-eighth of December, in the sixth year of her
reign, and the thirty-third of her age. Not a word had the dead woman
left for the sister with whom she had quarrelled; not an expression of
sorrow or regret for the father whom she had injured.
All the members of the House of Commons marched in the funeral
procession, and Queen Mary was interred at Westminster Abbey.
Queen Mary had desired to convert Greenwich Palace {399}into a retreat
for seamen, which work she had begun after the battle of La Hogue, as
we have seen. After her death King William reproached himself for having
neglected her wishes in this respect. He lost no time in ordering a plan
which was supplied by the well-known architect, Christopher Wren, and
soon a magnificent building arose in place of the one that had been
burned down. The king did not live to see the completion of this asylum,
otherwise a statue of the real foundress would have graced the court.
However, the building itself is a noble monument to the memory of Queen
Mary II. {400}