It was one of the only three jewels of which she did not finally strip herself for the relief of the distressed British emigrants, who followed the adverse fortunes of her unfortunate lord; but of this hereafter.

When the spousal rites were over, the noble proxy of that unknown consort to whom Mary Beatrice had, with much reluctance, plighted her nuptial faith, led her by the hand to her apartment, where, taking his leave, he went to repose himself in his own, till he was fetched to accompany the princess at the dinner.

"This," proceeds our record," did succeed about one of the clock, and, as to the ceremony of it, it was performed at a long table, over the upper end whereof was a rich cloth of state (or canopy), under which, in representation of a bride and bridegroom, the earl of Peterborough sat with the princess, who was now given the title of her royal highness the duchess of York. The duke of Modena, her brother, the duchess-regent, and the other princes of the house of Esté, sitting on either side, according to their degrees.

"This dinner was served with all the care and curiosity that was possible for anything of that nature to be contrived. What the sea could afford, (though it was not near,) and what the rivers and the lakes, was there; what the land could produce, or the air of Italy, was not wanting; and all this was made more excellent by the courtesy and good humour of the princes; but it ended at last; and all arose, in order to a greater liberty of conversation; that also had a conclusion for a time, and the company, for their repose, retired to their respective apartments; his excellency being conducted to his with the same ceremony as he was brought to dinner. The night was dedicated to dancing, for there was a ball in honour of the nuptials, to which all the beauties of the court resorted. It was performed with the order and magnificence suitable to the rest of the entertainments, much to the satisfaction of all the guests and spectators. The saddest heart there, being, no doubt, that of the beautiful young bride, who had made such obstinate and unexampled efforts to defend her maiden freedom. Her struggles had been fruitless; she had been led a powerless victim to the marriage altar, her reluctant lips had been compelled to pronounce the irrevocable vow; 1 Mordaunt Genealogies.

2 Ibid.

the glittering fetter was on her finger; the most solemn rites of her church had been employed to accomplish the sacrifice; and all her kindred and her people were rejoicing in festivities, which had cost her oceans of tears.

The next day the duke of Modena and the earl of Peterborough rode in state to the cathedral, where a solemn service and Te Deum were sung in honour of the accomplishment of the marriage. Two or three days more were spent in triumphant pageants and other testimonials of public rejoicing. The manner in which the bridegroom, to whom the virgin hand of Mary Beatrice had thus been plighted, received the announcement of the actual solemnization of his state nuptials, is thus related by lady Rachel Vaughan, in a lively, gossiping letter to lord William Russell. The news came on Sunday night to the duke of York that he was married; he was talking in the drawing-room; when the French ambassador brought the letter, and told the news, the duke turned about to the circle, and said, "Then I am a married man.""

"His bride proved to be the princess of Modena, but she was rather expected to be Canaples' niece.' She is to have 100,000 francs, and more. They say she has more wit than any woman had before; as much beauty and more youth than is necessary. The duke of York sent his daughter, lady Mary, word the same night that he had provided a play-fellow for her.'

1 A daughter of the duke of Crequi, who shared the royal blood of France by distant descent.

MARY BEATRICE OF MODENA,

QUEEN CONSORT OF JAMES II. KING OF GREAT
BRITAIN AND IRELAND.

CHAPTER II.

Mary Beatrice duchess of York-Her childish behaviour-Grief at quitting Modena Insists on her mother accompanying her-Duke of York's directions for her journey-Her Italian ladies-She commences her journey overiand-Sorrowful parting with her brother-Gallantry of the duke of Savoy-Attentions paid to her by Louis XIV. and his queenOpposition to the marriage in England-She leaves Paris-Her journey to the coast-Embarks at Calais-Lands at Dover with her motherReceived on the sands by the duke of York-Their nuptials-Her wedding ring-Verses on her marriage-Journey to Gravesend-Voyage to Whitehall-Flattering reception by king Charles-Her bridal medals-Her court at St. James's palace-Duchess of Modena leaves England-Mary Beatrice becomes attached to her husband-Her losses at cards-Goes to Cambridge-Learns English-Her attention to authors-Birth of her first child, the princess Catharine-Makes her confessor baptize it into the Romish church-King Charles has it re-baptized in the chapel royal-The child dies-Impertinence of the duchess of Portsmouth-Her visit to the duchess of Portsmouth-Displeasure of the queen-Birth of the princess Isabella-Birth of her first son- -His christening-Created duke of Cam bridge-His death-Grief of the duke and duchess-Frightful dream of the duchess-Her incognito visit to the princess of Orange with the princess Anne-Troubles of the duke of York about the Popish plot-He is banished to Flanders-Mary Beatrice resolves to accompany her lordCompelled to leave her child-Sorrowful departure-Her passionate reproaches to the king—Embarkation—Visit to William and Mary-Her residence at Brussels-Duchess of Modena comes to see her-Arrival of the princesses Anne and Isabella Dangerous illness of the king-The duke's incognito journey to England-Obtains leave to live in ScotlandReturns to fetch Mary Beatrice-Their visit to the Hague-Stormy passage to England-Illness of the duchess-Obtains leave to land-They arrive in London-Visited by the duchess of Monmouth-King enjoins them to retire to Scotland-Mary Beatrice resolves to share the fortunes of her lord.

FIVE days after the solemnization of her espousals with the duke of York, Mary Beatrice completed her fifteenth

year, and it must be confessed, that she conducted herself with no more regard for her newly acquired dignity as a bride, than if she had been ten years younger; when the time was appointed for her to commence her journey to England, she cried and screamed two whole days and nights, and it was only by force that she could be kept in bed. Nothing, in fact, would pacify her, till her mother consented to accompany her to England, and the duke her brother, part of the way.' The earl of Peterborough, who does not appear to have been at all aware of these perversities on the part of the virgin duchess of York, and was by no means desirous of such additions to his travelling party as would compel him to depart entirely from the programme arranged both by the king and the duke for the homeward journey, tried vainly to dissuade the duchess of Modena from this resolution. He says, "The time for the departure being come, the duchess-mother would by all means accompany her daughter into England, and it could not be diverted by any means, although it proved chargeable to her, and of ill consequence to her concerns."2

Mary Beatrice, however, who had reason to know the real state of the case, told the nun of Chaillot, who recorded these particulars from her own lips, "that her passionate importunity prevailed over the extreme reluctance of the duchess her mother to undertake so long a journey, which was extremely inconvenient to her as regent for her son, as she was thus in a manner compelled to leave the government in other hands." Her absence was unavoidably a month longer than she had by any means anticipated, and in the meantime a party was formed against her which finally stripped her of her authority in the state, and caused an estrangement between her and the young duke her son. "I shall never cease,' would Mary Beatrice say, when adverting to these circumstances, "to reproach myself for my childish importunity, which led to such bad results for my mother."3

The duke of York, in his paper of instructions to lord Peterborough, expressly says-

"When the marriage shall be over, and you have adjusted all the manner of your coming into France, which journey will, I think, be most conveniently

France.

'MS. Memorials of Mary of Modena, in the Archives au Royaume de 2 Mordaunt Genealogies. MS. Memorials, in the Archives au Royaume de France.

performed by sea to Marseilles, whither the galleys of the most Christian king will be ordered to bring her, and whither you must attend her, it will be fit that then, or before, you dismiss most of your retinue, lest their attendance may not consist with the figure the princess may probably desire to take of travelling incognito, or embarrass you in the conveniences of your journey, retaining only as many as will fill one coach, and thus follow her all the way, until she arrive at Paris or Calais, at one of which places my servants shall be appointed to attend upon her."1

Such was the prudent arrangement of the princely bridegroom for the journey of his bride to England; but Mary Beatrice, young as she was, having a will of her own, determined to travel overland under the protecting care of her mother and uncle, and to leave her native city with some degree of eclat, her plans superseded those of her new consort. James had, with great wisdom, directed the earl's attention to a point of no small importance to his domestic comfort, and the future popularity of his bride, who, as a catholic princess, would, he was well aware, be regarded with jealous eyes, by a very considerable party in England.

"You will do your utmost," he says, " to inculcate to the princess herself, and the ministers there, the great inconvenience that would follow her being attended by a numerous train of foreigners, who are seldom so useful here as natives, and are obnoxious to censure upon any miscarriages."

The quarrels that had threatened to destroy the conjugal happiness of his parents, in consequence of their struggle about the French attendants of Henrietta Maria, and the unhappiness of his royal sister-in-law, queen Catherine, at the dismissal of her Portuguese followers, were not forgotten by James, when he gave this order. There were, however, three Italian ladies of the highest rank, Madame Molza, Madame Montecuculi, her daughter Anna Montecuculi, and a lady of the name of Turenie, who had been attached to the service of Mary Beatrice from her cradle; and these, in compliance with her earnest desire, she was permitted to retain among her bed-chamber appointments as duchess of York. They attended her to England, and they followed her fortunes through every vicissitude, whether for good or ill, with devoted fidelity, till death. Madame Molza was scarcely seventeen years of age at the time of her royal

1 Appendix of the Mordaunt Genealogies.