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Your lordship fees by these letters of tenderness how impoffible it must have been for the PRINCESS to comply with the QUEEN's defire, had it appeared lefs unreasonable than it did. However, fhe was very attentive not to be wanting in any point of due respect. Falling in labour at Sion, the fent fir BENJAMIN BATHURST to prefent her humble duty to the QUEEN, and acquaint her with it, and that she was much worse than fhe ufed to be; as the really was. The QUEEN did not think fit to fee the meffenger, nor to make any answer.

Notwithstanding this, when the PRINCESS was brought to bed of a child, that died fome minutes after the birth, fhe fent my lady CHARLOTTE BEVERWAERT to inform her MAJESTY of what had happened. My lady waited fome confiderable time before the QUEEN faw her. The reason of this was my lord ROCHESTER's not being prefent, when the meffage came. After fome converfation with him, the QUEEN fent for my lady CHARLOTTE, and told her, he would go that afternoon and fee the PRIN

CESS at Sion, and she was there very foon after the notice arrived.

She came attended by the ladies DERBY and SCARBOROUGH. I am fure it will be neceffary to have a good voucher to perfuade your lordship of the truth of what I am going to relate. The PRINCESS herself told me, that the QUEEN never afked her how the did, nor expreffed the leaft concern for her condition, nor fo much as took her by the hand. The falutation was this: I have made the first step, by coming to you, and I now expect you should make the next by removing my lady MARLBOROUGH. PRINCESS answered, That she had never in all her life disobeyed her, except in that one particular, which he hoped would, fome time or other, appear as unreasonable to her MAJESTY, as it did to her. Upon which the QUEEN rofe up and went away, repeating to the PRINCE, as he led her to the coach, the fame thing the had faid to the

PRINCESS.

The

My lady DERBY did not come to the bed-fide, nor make the leaft enquiry after her

her health, though the PRINCESS had recommended her, for groom of the stole, to the QUEEN, on her acceffion to the crown. Lady SCARBOROUGH indeed behaved her felf as became her on that occafion, and afterwards afked the QUEEN's leave to vifit me, because we had been old acquaintance; which was granted.

I have heard that the QUEEN, when the came home, was pleafed to fay, she was Sorry fhe bad spoke to the PRINCESS; wha, fhe confeffed, bad fo much concern upon her at renewing the affair, that fhe trembled and looked as white as the fheets. But if her MAJESTY was really touched with compaffion, it is plain, by what followed, that she overcame herself extremely. For presently after this vifit, all company was forbid waiting on the PRINCESS; and her guards were taken away.

I do not fee how the moft zealous advocates for the QUEEN can vindicate her in these proceedings to an only fifter, nor how a man of that mighty understanding, my -lord ROCHESTER was faid to have, could think,

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think, that a vifit (which the QUEEN made to every countess) was fo extraordinary a grace to a fifter, that it should oblige her to do, what he had retired from the court to avoid.

I must observe to your lordship, that the KING was not in England, when this last thing happened. My lord ROCHESTER Was the QUEEN's oracle; and whether he had any fhare or not in beginning the ill ufage of the PRINCESS, he was without question the profecutor of it.

I fancy, you have been wishing, during all this ftory, that I had made fome propofal to the PRINCESS, to free her from the trouble fhe was in, and to fave her from fuch indignities, as furely have seldom, if ever, been offered to the prefumptive heir of a crown. When you have read fome letters. I had from her on the occafion, I believe you will be fatisfied I did my part. Laffure you, that from the very beginning of the difference, it was my earneft request to her to let me go from her; for though, had I been in her place, I would not have complied

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plied with the QUEEN's demand, yet I thought that in mine, I could not discharge what I owed to the PRINCESS, without employing every argument my thoughts could fuggeft, to prevail with her to part with me. But whenever I said any thing that looked that way, he fell into the greatest paffion of tenderness and weeping that is poffible to imagine. And though my fituation, at that time, was fo difagreeable to my temper, that, could I have known how long it was to laft, I could have chofen to go to the Indies fooner, than to endure it; yet, had I been to suffer a thousand deaths, I think I ought to have fubmitted, rather than have gone from her against her will.

As foon as the PRINCESS was recovered from a fever, which followed the indifpofition of her lying-in, (and which, I believe, was, in great meafure, caufed by her trouble) fhe began to think she should be found fault with, if she did not exprefs her thankfulness for the great honour the QUEEN had done her. Whereupon the fent to doctor STILLINGFLEET, bishop of Worcester, to

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