CONTENTS OF THE SEVENTH VOLUME. ILLUSTRATIONS то THE SEVENTH VOLUME. PORTRAIT OF MARY, WHEN PRINCESS OF ORANGE, engraved by permission, from the Original by WISSING, in Her Majesty's MARY IN HER INFANCY, FER FATHER AND PEPYS. Vignette Title. (Described page 4.) Love-match of queen Mary's parents-Its unpopularity-Birth of lady Mary of York, (queen Mary II.)-Nursery at Twickenham-palace-Fondness of her father, the duke of York-Birth of lady Anne of York, (queen Anne)— Maternal indulgence-Ill health of the lady Anne-Is sent to France-Visits queen Henrietta Maria-French court-mourning-Education of the prin cesses at Richmond-Their mother dies a Roman-catholic-Their father professes the same faith-Their step-mother, Mary Beatrice of Modena—The princesses Mary and Anne educated at Richmond-palace-Preceptor, tutors, and chaplain-Introduction of the princesses to court-Confirmation of Mary in the Church of England-Marriage projects for Mary-Arrival in England of the prince of Orange, (William III.)-As her suitor Marriage deter- mined-Her agony of mind-Incidents of the marriage-Disinherited by the birth of a brother-Illness of lady Anne with the smallpox-Fears of infection-Interview between the princess of Orange and Dr. Lake-Her continual grief-Lady Anne's sick chamber-Danger-Departure of the princess and prince of Orange-They land at Sheerness-Adventures at Canterbury-Their first acquaintance with Dr. Tillotson-Voyage to Hol- land-The prince admires Elizabeth Villiers-Reception in Holland- THE personal life of Mary II, is the least known of all 1 For the purpose of preventing repetition, the events of the life of her sister Anne, whilst she was princess, are interwoven with this biography. Thanks, however, to the memorials of three divines of our church, being those of her tutor Dr. Lake, and of her chaplains Dr. Hooper, dean of Canterbury, and Dr. Ken, bishop of Bath and Wells, many interesting particulars of Mary II. before she left England, and of the first seven years of her married life in Holland, are really extant. These clergymen were successively domesticated with Mary for years in her youth, and chiefly from their evidence, and as far as possible in their very words, have these portentous chasms in her biography been supplied. The Mary II. was the daughter of an Englishman and an Englishwoman, owing her existence to the romantic lovematch of James duke of York with her mother, Anne Hyde, daughter of lord-chancellor Clarendon. The extraordinary particulars of this marriage have been detailed in the biography of Mary's royal grandmother, queen Henrietta Maria. father of Mary had made great sacrifices in keeping his plighted word to her mother. Besides the utter renunciation of fortune and royal alliance, he displeased the lower and middle classes of England, who have a peculiar dislike to see persons raised much above their original station; the profligates of the court sneered exceedingly at the heir of three crowns paying the least regard to the anguish of a woman, while politicians of every party beheld with scornful astonishment so unprincely a phenomenon as disinterested affection. All this contempt the second son of Charles I. thought fit to brave, rather than break his trothplight with the woman his heart had elected; neither could he endure the thought of bringing shame and sorrow on the grey hairs of a faithful friend like Clarendon. The lady Mary of York, as she was called in early life, was born at St. James's-palace, April 30, 1662, at a time when public attention was much occupied by the fêtes and rejoicings for the arrival of the bride of her uncle, king Charles II. Although the duke of York was heir-presumptive to the throne of Great Britain, few persons attached any importance to the existence of his daughter; for the people looked 1 See vol. v. forward to heirs from the marriage of Charles II. with Catharine of Braganza, and expected, moreover, that the claims of the young princess would be soon superseded by those of sons. She was named Mary in memory of her aunt the princess of Orange, and of her ancestress, Mary queen of Scots, and was baptized according to the rites of the church of England in the chapel of St. James's-palace; her godfather was her father's friend and kinsman, the celebrated prince Rupert,' her godmothers were the duchesses of Ormonde and Buckingham. Soon afterwards, she was taken from St. James's to a nursery which was established for her in the household of her illustrious grandfather, the earl of Clarendon, at the ancient dower-palace of the queens of England at Twickenham, a lease of which had been granted to him from the crown.2 In the course of fifteen months, Mary's brother, James duke of Cambridge, was born, an event which barred her in her infancy from any very near proximity to the succession of the crown. The lady Mary was a beautiful and engaging child. She was loved by the duke of York with that absorbing passion which is often felt by fathers for a first-born daughter. Sometimes she was brought from her grandfather's house at Twickenham to see her parents, and on these occasions the duke of York could not spare her from his arms, even while he transacted the naval affairs of his country as lord highadmiral. Once, when the little lady Mary was scarcely two years old, Pepys was witness of the duke of York's paternal fondness for her, which he commemorates by one of his odd notations, saying, "I was on business with the duke of York, and with great pleasure saw him play with his little girl just like an ordinary private father of a child." It was at this period of her infant life that a beautiful picture was painted of the lady Mary, being a miniature in oils, on board, of the highest finish, representing her at full length, holding a black rabbit in her arms. The resemblance to her adult portraits 1 Life of Mary II.: 1795. Published by Daniel Dring, of the Harrow, Fleet-street, near Chancery-lane. 2 Clarendon's Life. 3 Pepys' Diary, vol. ii. p. 215, 8vo. General sir James Reynett, the governor of Jersey, obligingly permitted |