Descendants of the Stuarts
(353) Page 297
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or THE STUARTS. 297
should doubtless have found your majesty opposed to the giiidings of
Divine Providence in my behalf, I could not act otherwise, and all my
duty consisted in advertising you of my resolution by the means which
I now employ.
" I must tell you, then, Madam, that the Christmas festivals being so
near, I have been obliged to withdraw from your majesty, from fear
of being wished to receive the sacrament against my conscience, since
at length it has pleased God to discover to me the surest way of salva-
tion, and to give me to know that the Catholic religion is the only way,
out of which there can be no other. As to the reasons and instructions
which have thus persuaded me, I shall take the liberty to inform your
majesty further when I am arrived at the place, whither I am going
solemnly to embrace this belief; but yet, Madam, I trust you will
pardon me for a course which is inspired by a power which the powers
of earth vainly resist, and which I have only resolved to adopt from the
pure motive of assuring the repose of my soul, protesting to your
majesty that you shall discover, by the results of this enterprise, that
I have no other aim than that of securing a tranquil retreat, where I
may have full leisure for the service of God, and to testify to you in all
things that I am, and wish to remain all my life. Madam, your
majesty's most humble and most obedient servant,
" Louise."
« The 19th December, 1657."*
The distress into which the Queen of Bohemia
was thrown, when this missive was placed in her
hands, may be better imagined than described, as
uncognizant of where Louisa had taken refuge, she
felt only the agonizing conviction that she had
deserted her. The mystery, however, was soon
unravelled, for on searching Louisa's cabinet, a
letter was found from the Princess of Hohenzollern,
detailing the manner in which she was to effect her
escape, instructions which it appeared had been impli-
citly followed. Armed with this epistle the Bohemian
queen reproached the Princess of Hohenzollern,
* Green's Princesses of England.
should doubtless have found your majesty opposed to the giiidings of
Divine Providence in my behalf, I could not act otherwise, and all my
duty consisted in advertising you of my resolution by the means which
I now employ.
" I must tell you, then, Madam, that the Christmas festivals being so
near, I have been obliged to withdraw from your majesty, from fear
of being wished to receive the sacrament against my conscience, since
at length it has pleased God to discover to me the surest way of salva-
tion, and to give me to know that the Catholic religion is the only way,
out of which there can be no other. As to the reasons and instructions
which have thus persuaded me, I shall take the liberty to inform your
majesty further when I am arrived at the place, whither I am going
solemnly to embrace this belief; but yet, Madam, I trust you will
pardon me for a course which is inspired by a power which the powers
of earth vainly resist, and which I have only resolved to adopt from the
pure motive of assuring the repose of my soul, protesting to your
majesty that you shall discover, by the results of this enterprise, that
I have no other aim than that of securing a tranquil retreat, where I
may have full leisure for the service of God, and to testify to you in all
things that I am, and wish to remain all my life. Madam, your
majesty's most humble and most obedient servant,
" Louise."
« The 19th December, 1657."*
The distress into which the Queen of Bohemia
was thrown, when this missive was placed in her
hands, may be better imagined than described, as
uncognizant of where Louisa had taken refuge, she
felt only the agonizing conviction that she had
deserted her. The mystery, however, was soon
unravelled, for on searching Louisa's cabinet, a
letter was found from the Princess of Hohenzollern,
detailing the manner in which she was to effect her
escape, instructions which it appeared had been impli-
citly followed. Armed with this epistle the Bohemian
queen reproached the Princess of Hohenzollern,
* Green's Princesses of England.
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| Histories of Scottish families > Descendants of the Stuarts > (353) Page 297 |
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| Permanent URL | https://digital.nls.uk/94932214 |
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| Description | An unchronicled page in England's history. By William Townend. 2d edition, with additions. London: Longman, Brown, Green, Longmans, & Roberts, 1858. |
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| Shelfmark | A.110.b |
| Additional NLS resources: | |
| Attribution and copyright: |
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| Description | A selection of almost 400 printed items relating to the history of Scottish families, mostly dating from the 19th and early 20th centuries. Includes memoirs, genealogies and clan histories, with a few produced by emigrant families. The earliest family history goes back to AD 916. |
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