HENRIETTA MARIA, Queen of Charles the First. CHAPTER I. Henrietta Maria, daughter of Henry the Fourth of France-Birth-InfancyEducation-Wooed by the Count of Soissons-Charles the First's adventures in search of a bride-His marriage with Henrietta negotiated-The marriage treaty -Nuptials solemnized in France-Henrietta conducted to England-Charles meets her at Dover-Conducts her to Canterbury-Marries her there-Aquatic procession up the Thames. ENRIETTA MA- was made one of the partakers in the RIA, consort of marriage festivity of her sister, Elizabeth, Charles the First, with the King of Spain, which was celeand partaker of that brated, with all conceivable pomp and weak, insincere mo- rejoicings, at the palace of the Place narch's calamities, Royale; and, when six years old, she was was the youngest present at the solemn delivering of her daughter, and the sister, Elizabeth, to the King of Spain, fifth and last child of the more famed as his spouse, and the receiving of Anne, than really illustrious Henry the Fourth the Infanta of Spain, as the consort of of France, and of his wife, Mary of Louis the Thirteenth. She was eduMedicis. She first saw the light at the cated under the immediate supervisal of Louvre, on the fourteenth of November, her mother, who instilled into her young 1609; and, on the fourth of May, 1610, mind extravagant ideas of the infallibiher father was stabbed to the heart by lity of royalty; and taught her to beone Ravaillac, who, it is said, was insti- lieve that "Kings are the visible gods of gated to the crime by the Jesuits. She men, as God is the invisible King of took part at that monarch's funeral, men"-a false and dangerous doctrine, which was solemnized with sad magni- and a belief in which, doubtless, mateficence, on the thirteenth of the subse- rially aggravated the sorrows of the quent June; and at the inauguration of unfortunate Queen Henrietta Maria. her brother, the young Louis the Thirteenth, she was carried in the procession by the Princess of Condé. During her infancy, she chiefly resided at the palaces of Blois and Fontainbleau. Before she had completed her third year, she The principal tutor of the Princess Henrietta was M. de Brevis-a man of energy, wisdom, and erudition; but the good that, in all probability, would have resulted from his sound teachings, was destroyed in the embryo by the egotis “SIR, tical weakness, pride, and vanity of Henrietta at this his first view of her, Mary de Medicis, and by the bigoted is evident by the subjoined letter, which religious counsels of the enthusiastic he addressed to his father, James the Mère Magdelaine -a sincere but nar- First::row-minded ultra-popish Carmelite nun, who, in the doctrines of religion, completely controlled the mind of the Princess during her childhood. After the deservedly-unpopular Mary de Medicis was deprived of the regency, and sent captive to the castle of Blois, Henrietta shared her seclusion for about three years, when her presence was required at the marriage of her sister, Christine, with the Duke of Savoy; and, after the ceremony, she was not again permitted to return to her mother, who, however, in 1620, effected a reconciliation with her son, Louis the Thirteenth, and, from that time, obtained a greater influence in the government of France than she had ever before possessed. Henrietta's first lover was the Count of Soissons. He claimed her hand as the reward for his valuable services at the siege of Rochelle; nor was his suit discouraged, till it was next to certain that the Princess would become the bride of Charles, the only surviving son of James the First. Impressed with a conviction that domestic happiness could not exist where love was wanting, Charles resolved, in person, to woo and win his destined bride. The first object of his love was Maria Althea, daughter of Philip the Third of Spain, and sister of the then reigning monarch, Philip the Fourth. To woo this Princess, Charles and the Duke of Buckingham, who accompanied him, set out in the disguise of English merchants. Travelling under the fictitious names of Tom Smith and John Brown, they, in their route, passed through Paris, where, without their disguise being detected, they obtained a view of the ladies of the French court, and witnessed the rehearsal of a court ballet, in which the Queen of France danced with the beautiful Henrietta, who, although scarcely fifteen, and girl. ish withal, on being informed of the Prince's adventures, exclaimed, with a sigh, "He need not have travelled so far as Madrid to search for a bride.” That Charles did not fall in love with "Since the closing of our last, we have been at court again (and that we might not hold you in pain, we assure you that we have not been known), where we saw the young Queen [of France], little Monsieur, and Madame, at the practising of a mask that is to be presented to the King, and in it there danced the Queen and Madame [Henrietta Maria], with as many as made up nineteen fair dancing ladies, amongst which the Queen is the handsomest, which hath wrought in me a greater desire to see her sister. So, in haste, going to bed, we humbly take our leave, and rest your Majesty's most humble and obedient son and servant, "Paris, the 22nd of Feb." "CHARLES." "And your humble slave and dog, have no space to detail, Charles reached Madrid in safety, was honourably received there, saw the Princess, loved her, and, in the ecstacy of passion, wrote, or rather translated, from a Spanish verse, composed on the wooing After a series of adventures, which we "Charles Stuart am I, After much negotiation, the marriagetreaty was arranged, and the Infanta assumed the title of Princess of Eng land; but, before the betrothal could take place, Charles was suddenly recalled to England; and as the people of both countries strenuously opposed the alliance, the match was broken off. However, previous to the formal nullification of the treaty, King James, by the desire of Charles, who, when at Madrid, had been requested by Elizabeth, the young Queen of Spain, to marry her sister, Henrietta - Maria, dispatched Henry Rich, Lord Kensington, to Paris, in the summer of 1624, to make private in- intentions proceed this way, as by many quiry of the Queen-Mother, Mary of reasons of state and wisdom there is Medicis, who at that period completely cause now rather to press it than slacken ruled the reins of the state, whether a it, you will find a lady of as much lovematch between Charles and Henrietta liness and sweetness to deserve your afwas feasible, before any public treaty fection as any creature under heaven was entered upon. The Spanish am- can do; and, Sir, by all her fashions bassador at Paris guessed or learned the since my being here, and by what, from errand of this nobleman, and resolved, the ladies, I hear, it is most visible to if possible, to thwart his purpose. How-me her infinite value and respect unto ever, after both parties had intrigued, you. Sir, I say not this to betray your quarrelled, and manoeuvred, the Queen-belief, but from a true observation and Mother lent ear to the suit, and accepted the wooing ambassador's explanation of the breaking-off of the Spanish engage ment. Kensington was a genuine specimen of politeness and discretion; he inflamed the fancy of the Prince and the Princess by artfully exaggerating their charms and virtues to each other; he wore at his bosom an elegant miniature of Charles, enclosed in a gold case, which, immediately the purport of his visit could no longer be kept secret, he took pleasure in displaying to the ladies at court, and, on one occasion, lent it for an hour, that Henrietta might contemplate it in private; whilst to Prince Charles he wrote as follows: "MAY IT PLEASE YOUR HIGHNESS, knowledge of this to be so. I tell you this, and must somewhat more, in way of admiration of the person of Madam, for the impressions I had of her were but ordinary, but the amazement extraordinary, to find her as, I protest to God, I did, the sweetest creature in France. Her growth is very little short of her age, and her wisdom infinitely beyond it. I heard her discourse with her mother, and the ladies about her, with extraordinary discretion and quickness. She dances, of which I am a witness of, as well as ever I saw any creature. They say she sings most sweetly: I am sure she looks so. Sir, you have thousands of servants here that desire to be commanded by you, but most particularly the Duc de Chevereau and "I find here so infinite a value of Monsieur le Grand, who seek all opporyour person and virtue, as what instru-tunities to do you service, and hath ment soever (myself the very weakest) having some commands, as they imagine, from you, shall receive excess of honours from them; they will not conceive me, nor yet scarce receive me, but as a public instrument for the service of an alliance that, above all the things in this world, they do so earnestly desire. The Queen-Mother hath expressed, as far as she thinks is fit, for the honour of her daughter, great favour and goodwill in it. I take the boldness to tell her (the which she took extremely well) that if such a proposition should be made, your Highness could not believe that she had lost her former inclination and desire in it. She said, your trust of her should find great respect. There is no preparation, I find, towards this business but by her; and all persuasions of amity made light, that look not towards this errand; and, Sir, if your credit and power to do so. Sir, if these that are strangers unto you are thus ambitious of your commands, with what infinite passion have I cause to beg them, that am your vassal, and have no other glory than to have you as "Your Highness' most humble When Kensington had sufficiently smoothed the way for the marriage, James sent, as his coadjutor, the Earl of Carlisle, the regular ambassador, to France. Carlisle was an empty-headed fop, and being a mere state puppet, the treaty for the alliance was negociated by Kensington. On obtaining a formal audience, the English ambassadors presented, by the Queen-Mother's permission, letters, and a portrait of Charles to the Princess. Henrietta received them with |