Agnes Strickland's Queens of England (37 page)

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 good-sized 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 Ir©

The Queens of England.

land were supplied with bad food and damaged clothing, and many of them died of disease. 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

BENTINCK, EARL OF PORTLAND.

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

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

The Queens of England.

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.

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

GARDENS OF WILLIAM III.

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

Beachy Head was a great misfortune that would not have be-Jallen 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 djiily 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 in capable of appreciating the sacrifices offered for his sake.

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.] 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 posi-

tions, 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 m 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 England 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 enemity 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

^^' Mary IT. of England. ^'^'j

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."