KATHERINE OF BRAGANZA,

Queen of Charles the Second.

CHAPTER I.

Katherine's Birth-Parentage-Education-Income-Suitors-Match proposed between her and Charles the Second-Dower-Charles agrees to the match-Futile opposition of Spain-Charles crowned-Marriage treaty signed-Opposition of Lady Castlemaine-Katherine sails to England-Is married to Charles, who is delighted with her person and manners, but continues his amours with CastlemaineEndeavours to make Castlemaine one of the Queen's ladies-Katherine refuses to accept her-Quarrels with him-Clarendon urges her to comply-Temporary reconciliation-The Queen-mother approves her conduct-Her first state visit to London-Lady Castlemaine thrust upon her-The King and courtiers insult her -She accepts the services of Castlemaine-Royal ball-State of pablic matters.

ATHERINE OF at this time, had the command of the BRAGANZA, the army; and, being seconded in his views well intentioned, by the patriotic spirit of the nation, he but ill-used Queen of hastened to Lisbon, where he caused Charles the Second, himself to be proclaimed King, by the first saw the light at title of John the Fourth. The Spanish the delightful palace guards were attacked and routed, and of Villa Viçosa, in the chief partisans of the government Portugal, on the twenty-fifth of Novem- put to death by the populace. All the ber, 1638, the very day of the year-an principal towns followed the example of auspicions day for Portugal-on which the capital, and shortly afterwards, all her father, John, Duke of Braganza, the foreign settlements. From that era, instigated by the ambition of her mo- the twenty-fifth of November, 1640, ther, Donna Luiza, the daughter of the Portugal became an independent soveDuke of Medina Sidonia, undertook to reignty, after having been for sixty emancipate his bleeding country from years an appanage of Spain. the yoke of tyrannic Spain, or die in the Immediately after John the Fourth attempt. This important revolution had defeated the Spanish forces in 1640, was effected with ease and celerity. Charles the First recognized him as soThe people were disgusted with the rivereign of Portugal, a service refused gorous and impolitic administration of to him by the Pope, and by all the Olivarez. Duke John was a descendant Catholic courts of Europe, excepting of the ancient Kings of Portugal; he, France, and which emboldened him to

Shortly after Charles the Second had been restored to the throne, his more sober friends, perceiving what scandal his immoralities gave rise to, urgently entreated him to marry, and at last he seriously resolved to choose a consort. Whilst pondering on the subject, and yet undecided as to which of the mar riageable Princesses of Europe he should offer his hand, his mother, at the secret

propose, through his Ambassador, the fifty thousand pounds, and invited him marriage of his daughter, Katherine of to return and take possession of his Braganza, with the Prince of Wales, throne, both the Princesses of Orange afterwards Charles the Second; a pro-and Mazarin sought to renew the neposal to which the needy English mo-gotiation, but to each of them Charles narch listened with stoical indifference. answered, "I was too poor for the lady Katherine was educated in a convent, in my adversity, now she is not exalted under the immediate superintendence of enough for me." her wise, energetic mother, the Queen of Portugal; and in November, 1654, her father, out of the unbounded affection he bore her, gave her, besides other sources of income, the island of Madeira. the city of Lanega, and the town of Mour; but with a proviso, that if she married out of the kingdom, she should exchange them for a suitable equivalent from the nation. Shortly afterwards her father died, and her el-instigation of the French court, directed dest brother, Don Alphonso, being too his attention to Katherine of Braganza. young to reign, her mother assumed the France, be it observed, had aided Por regal authority, which she exercised for tugal to preserve its independence ten years, with such success, that the against Spain, but, by the recently conindependence of Portugal was firmly cluded treaty of the Pyrenees, Louis established, the commerce and trade of had bound himself to afford no further the nation enlarged, and the social con assistance to the Portuguese patriots; dition of the people greatly meliorated. he, however, to prevent that country Many were the offers made for the from being again incorporated with hand of the Infanta Katherine; but her Spain, determined to procure the marmother, foreseeing the restoration of riage of the Donna Katherine to Charles Charles the Second, refused them all, the Second; and afterwards, through with the secret intention of marrying England, to afford that assistance to her to that sovereign. Donna Luiza's Charles's wife's family, which he otherfirst proposals for this match were made wise could not do without violating the to General Monk, by a clever Jew, who treaty. He wrote to the court at Lisat the time almost ruled her cabinet. bon, proposing the match; Donna Luiza But Monk felt no desire to wed his so- thanked him, and as his advice accorded vereign to a Catholic. Meanwhile, with her own politic views on the subCharles himself fell in love with Hen- ject, immediately adopted it. The bu rietta, the young Princess of Orange, siness was opened by Don Francisco and had the mortification to learn that de Mello, the Portuguese Ambassador in her mother, the Princess-dowager of England. He proposed the match to Orange, peremptorily refused his offer for the King's Lord Chamberlain, the Farl her hand, with the cutting remark, that of Manchester, and on the following although the son of a King, he was day paid Charles a visit in person, and but a poor exile, and therefore she could offered with the Princess a dower of five not think of throwing her daughter away hundred thousand pounds in ready money, upon him." Charles also made the and to annex Tangiers, on the coast of offer of his hand to the niece of the Car- Africa, and Bombay, in the East Indies, dinal Mazarin, but with no better suc- to the crown of England for ever; and cess. In a few weeks, however, the to grant to the English a free trade to tide of popular feeling in England turned Portugal and to the Portuguese coloin favour of royalty, and when a depu-nies. Charles, who greatly needed motation from the Parliament arrived at ney, lent a willing ear to the proposal, Breda, presented the royal Stuart with consulted a secret council composed of

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confirmation of De Mello's account of the Infanta's personal charms and agreeable manners, by several trustworthy persons who had lately returned from Portugal, completely turned the balance in favour of Katherine. Her portrait was shewn to Charles-he prot.unced it beautiful; and after a full council of eight-and-twenty members had, without a dissentient voice, decided in favour of the match; he sent for the Portuguese Ambassador, received him with marked distinction, and acquainted him with his earnest desire to marry the Infanta with out further delay. De Mello received the communication with infinite satisfaction, and assured Charles that the Queen-mother, to show the confidence she reposed in his honour, had resolved to send her daughter to him unmarried, The motive which really induced the politic Donna Luiza to dispense with the betrothment of her daughter by proxy, was, that the marriage being between a Protestant and a Catholic, a dispensation was necessary; and as the see of Rome had never acknowledged the independence of Portugal, the Pope, in the dispensation, would mention Katherine, not as the Infanta of King John the Fourth of Portugal, but simply as the daughter of the late Duke of Braganza—a slight which the jealous Queenmother and her court would on no account submit to.

Clarendon, Ormond, Southampton, Man- | weighed all other considerations, the chester, and Nicholas, and, in compliance with their advice and his own inclination, caused De Mello to be given to understand that the proposal would be accepted. To facilitate the negotiation, De Mello returned to Portugal, with letters from Charles to Katherine, to her mother, the Queen-regent, and to her brother, the young King, in favour of the marriage. The court at Lisbon, overjoyed at the prospects of the alliance, conferred the title of Count Da Ponte upon De Mello, and dispatched him to England, with full powers to conclude the marriage. At the commencement of 1661, he arrived at London, when, to his surprise, he was received with great coolness at court; in fact, in his absence, Vatteville, the Spanish Ambassador, had informed Charles, that Katherine was known to be incapable of becoming a mother; she was ugly and deformed, and his marriage with her would lead to a war with Spain and other evils; but if he would take one of the Princesses of Parma, the King of Spain would give with either of those ladies as large a dower as would be given with a daughter of Spain. These suggestions, seconded by the efforts of the Earl of Bristol, the enemy of the Portuguese match, induced Charles to dispatch that nobleman to Parma, to obtain information regarding the two Princesses. He saw them on their way to church; the one sight convinced him that the one was too ugly, the other too corpulent, to be recommended to the royal choice. The ill success of Bristol's mission urged Vatteville to make further efforts against the Portuguese match; he, in the name of his royal master, offered to dower a Princess of Denmark or of Saxony, or the Princess Henrietta of Orange; or, indeed, any lady Charles chose to accept as a bride, whether Catholic or Protestant, saving Katherine of Braganza. But the English monarch turned a deaf ear to his proposals. The amount of the dower, the urgent entreaties of Louis the Fourteenth, who, to secure the Portuguese match, offered him a dower of Afty thousand pounds and other valuable services; and what, perhaps, out

To prevent the occurrence of unplea santnesses similar to those which dimmed the lustre of his father's coronation, Charles resolved to be crowned before his marriage with the Catholic Katherine was solemnized. His inauguration was performed with the usual ceremonies, pomp, and rejoicing, on the twentythird of April, 1661. The Parliament met on the eighth of May; the King opened the session in person, and in his speech to both houses, informed them of his intended marriage. Both the Lords and the Commons voted him congratulatory addresses, and in June the treaty was signed, and the Earl of Sandwich dispatched with a fleet to cruise in the Mediterranean, and after teaching piratical Algiers and Tunis to pay due