MARY II. QUEEN-REGNANT OF GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND. CHAPTER V. Regnal life of Mary II.-Her position in the sovereignty-Remarkable instances of conjugal submission-Scene of her landing, from a contemporary painting -Arrival at Greenwich-Meeting with her sister Anne-Lands at Whitehall-stairs-Unseemly joy-Proclamation of William III. and Mary II.— Queen sends for archbishop Sancroft's blessing-Awful answer-Queen's illwill to her uncles-Her visit to Hampton-Court-Exhortation to Dr. Burnet and his wife-Coronation morning—Arrival of her father's letter-His malediction-Coronation of William and Mary-They take the oath as king and queen of Scotland-Dissension with the princess Anne-Her pecuniary distress-King's rudeness to her at table-Queen's behaviour at the play-Goes to curiosity-shops-To a fortune-teller-Rude reproofs of the king-Life of king and queen at Hampton-Court-Birth of the princess Anne's sonBaptized-Proclaimed duke of Gloucester-His delicate health-Anne retires from Hampton-Court to Craven-hill-Quarrel with the queen-Parliament provides for Anne-Ill-will of the queen-Insults to the princess-King prepares for the Irish campaign. THE Swiftest gales and the most propitious weather that ever speeded a favourite of fortune to the possession of a throne, attended Mary princess of Orange in her short transit from the port of the Brill to the mouth of her native Thames. She arrived there, glowing in health, and overflowing with an excess of joyous spirits beyond her power to repress. Mary was brilliant in person at this epoch, and had not yet attained her twenty-seventh year; she had been declared joint sovereign with her husband, but was not yet proclaimed, their signatures to the Bill of Rights being expected in return for the election which elevated them to her father's throne. Mary brought in her train her domestic rival, Elizabeth Villiers, whom she had neither the power nor the moral courage to expel from her household. William of Orange had not dared to outrage public opinion in England, by making this woman the companion of his expedition against his consort's father; but as he by no means intended to break his connexion with her, his wife was doomed to the mortification of chaperoning her from Holland. Subservient to conjugal authority in all things, Mary submitted even to this degradation. Her compliance prevented the English people from murmuring at witnessing the toleration of her husband's mistress at Whitehall, at the same time holding a responsible situation about her own person. The success of William and Mary was not a little accelerated by the publication of an absurd prophecy, which affected to have described the tragic death of Charles I., the restoration of Charles II., and ended by declaring "that the next king would go post to Rome;" all which was to happen "when there were three queens of England at the same time." The three queens were expounded to mean herself, Catharine of Braganza, and Mary Beatrice.1 The scene of Mary's landing in England' on the morning of February 12, 1688-9, is graphically delineated in the second of the contemporary Dutch paintings recently brought to Hampton-Court palace. A group of English courtiers are bowing down before the princess: her page stands in the background, laden with her large orange cloak, which, with its hanging sleeves and ample draperies, sweeps the ground. Her gown is very low, draped with folds of fine muslin round the bosom, looped with strings of pearls; her hair is dressed with lofty cornettes of orange ribbon and aigraffes of pearls; the purple velvet robe shows an ostentatiouslooking orange petticoat. Orange banners are borne before the princess, and about her. Her tall lord chamberlain, hat in hand, is directing her attention to her grand state charger, which is richly caparisoned with purple velvet saddle, and housings emblazoned with the crown and royal arms of Great Britain, and led by her master of the horse, 1 Lamberty, vol. i. p. 371. 2 The queen embarked at the Brill, Monday, Feb. 10, and was at the Nore in a few hours. sir Edward Villiers, who is in full court dress. Females are strewing flowers. Mary is surrounded by her officers of state, and attended by her Dutch lady of honour, in lofty stiff head-gear. It appears that she made a land journey from the place of her debarkation to Greenwich. The princess Anne and prince George of Denmark, with their attendants, received her majesty at Greenwich-palace.1 The royal sisters met each other "with transports of affection," says lady Churchill, "which soon fell off, and coldness ensued." But not then; both Mary and Anne were too much elated with their success, to disagree in that hour of joy and exultation,-joy so supreme, that Mary could neither dissemble nor contain it. The royal barge of her exiled father was waiting for her at Greenwich-palace stairs, and, amidst a chorus of shouts and welcomes from an immense throng of spectators, she entered it with her sister and brother-in-law, and was in a short time rowed to Whitehall-stairs, where she landed, and took possession of her father's palace. Her husband, for the first time since his invasion, came to Whitehall, but not until Mary had actually arrived there." "By such artifice William threw on the daughter of the exiled king the odium of the first occupation of his palace."4 Four writers, who all profess to be eye-witnesses of her demeanour, have each recorded what they saw one of them, a philosophical observer, Evelyn; another an enemy, lady Churchill; a third, a panegyrist, Oldmixon; and the fourth an apologist, her friend Burnet. This concurrence of evidences, each of whom wrote unknown to the other, makes the conduct of Mary one of the best authenticated passages in history. "She came into Whitehall, jolly as to a wedding," wrote Evelyn, "seeming quite transported with joy." Some of Mary's party, to shield her from the disgust that eye-witnesses felt at her demeanour, declared she was acting a part that had been sternly prescribed her 1 Oldmixon, p. 780. 2 Conduct of the Duchess of Marlborough. VOL. VII. 3 Lamberty. • Mazurc, Révolution d'Angleterre, vol. iii. 365. 1 by her husband's letters. Her partisan, Oldmixon, enraged at these excuses, exclaimed, "If they had seen her as others did, they would not have ventured to report such falsity; so far from acting a part not natural to her, there was nothing in her looks which was not as natural and as lovely as ever there were charms in woman." Lady Churchill, in her fierce phraseology, speaks of what she witnessed without the slightest compromise, and as her assertions are borne out by a person respectable as Evelyn, she may be believed: "Queen Mary wanted bowels; of this she gave unquestionable proof the first day she came to Whitehall. She ran about it, looking into every closet and conveniency, and turning up the quilts of the beds, just as people do at an inn, with no sort of concern in her appearance. Although at the time I was extremely caressed by her, I thought this strange and unbecoming conduct; for whatever necessity there was of deposing king James, he was still her father, who had been lately driven from that very chamber, and from that bed; and if she felt no tenderness, I thought, at least, she might have felt grave, or even pensively sad, at so melancholy a reverse of fortune.' But I kept these thoughts in my own breast, not even imparting them to my mistress, the princess Anne, to whom I could say any thing." As the conduct of her mistress had been still more coarse and unnatural than that of her sister, lady Churchill knew that she could not blame one, without reflecting severely on the other. The following apology, made by her friend Burnet,3 weighs more against Mary than the bold attack of her sister's favourite. "She put on an air of great gaiety when she came to Whitehall. I confess I was one of those who censured her in my thoughts. I thought a little more seriousness had done as well when she came into her father's palace, and was to be set on his throne the next day. I had never seen the least indecency in any part of her deportment |