HENRIETTA MARIA, Queen of Charles the First. CHAPTER I. Henrietta Maria, daughter of Henry the Fourth of France-Birth-Infancy— Education-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 proces sion up the Thames. ENRIETTA MARIA, consort of Charles the First, and partaker of that weak, insincere monarch's calamities, was the youngest daughter, and the fifth and last child of the more famed than really illustrious Henry the Fourth of France. and of his wife, Mary of Medicis. She first saw the light at the Louvre, on the fourteenth of November, 1609; and, on the fourth of May, 1610, her father was stabbed to the heart by one Ravaillac, who, it is said, was instigated to the crime by the Jesuits. She took part at that monarch's funeral, which was solemnized with sad magnificence, on the thirteenth of the subsequent June; and at the inauguration of 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 lois and Fontainbleau. Before she had completed her third year, she was made one of the partakers in the marriage festivity of her sister, Elizabeth, with the King of Spain, which was celebrated, with all conceivable pomp and rejoicings, at the palace of the Place Royale; and, when six years old, she was present at the solemn delivering of her sister. Elizabeth, to the King of Spain, as his spouse, and the receiving of Anne, the Infanta of Spain, as the consort of Louis the Thirteenth. She was educated under the immediate supervisal of her mother, who instilled into her young mind extravagant ideas of the infallibi lity of royalty; and taught her to believe that Kings are the visible gods of men, as God is the invisible King of men"-a false and dangerous doctrine, and a belief in which, doubtless, mate rially aggravated the sorrows of the unfortunate Queen Henrietta Maria. 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 First: "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 narrow-minded ultra-popish Carmelite nun, who, in the doctrines of religion, completely controlled the mind of the Prin cess 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 fluence in the government of France than she had ever before possessed. "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 dein-sire 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, 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 "Paris, the 22nd of Feb." "CHARLES." "And your humble slave and dog, have no space to detail, Charles reached "Charles Stuart am I, After much negotiation, the marriage treaty was arranged, and the Infanta assumed the title of Princess of England; but, before the betrothal could take place, Charles was suddenly recall d 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 manœuvred, the Queen-belief, but from a true observation and Mother lent car to the suit, and accepted knowledge of this to be so. I tell you the wooing ambassador's explanation of this, and must somewhat more, in way the breaking-off of the Spanish engage of admiration of the person of Madam, ment. Kensington was a genuine spe- for the impressions I had of her were cimen of politeness and discretion; he but ordinary, but the amazement extrainflamed the fancy of the Prince and the ordinary, to find her as, I protest to Princess by artfully exaggerating their God, I did, the sweetest creature in charms and virtues to each other; he France. Her growth is very little short wore at his bosom an elegant miniature of her age, and her wisdom infinitely of Charles, enclosed in a gold case, beyond it. I heard her discourse with which, immediately the purport of his her mother, and the ladies about her, visit could no longer be kept secret, he with extraordinary discretion and quicktook pleasure in displaying to the ladies ness. She dances, of which I am a witat court, and. on one occasion, lent it ness of, as well as ever I saw any creafor an hour, that Henrietta might con- ture. They say she sings most sweetly: template it in private; whilst to Prince I am sure she looks so. Sir, you have Charles he wrote as follows: "MAY IT PLEASE YOUR HIGHNESS, credit and power to do so. Sir, if these "Your Highness' most humble 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 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 |