Agnes Strickland's Queens of England (36 page)

ENTRANCE OF WILLIAM INTO LONUON.

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 Mar)'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 mad< 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,"

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 heartless-ness. 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 HI. 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 hi^ve contained some unflattering

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 wi!e 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, «iceptre, 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;

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, Willianr 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-

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

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-decamp 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 tflat time.

Dillon told her besides that he heard the king say " that Lord Marlborough had the best talents for war of any one

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 hmi 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 mdefinitely had not Wilham 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

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 Dul:e 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