Lives of the last four princesses of the royal house of Stuart

1649.] DEATH OF THE STADTHOLDER. 35
thoughts and attention of all parties for awhile, and
placed Prince William in the seat of government.
The Prince of Wales boldly entered the Thames and
took several rich prizes, and would have engaged the
Earl of Warwick, who commanded the main body of the
Parliament's navy, but the more prudent of his coun-
cillors protesting against his rash design, he reluctantly
sailed back to Holland, and accepted the invitation of
the States-general to land and proceed to the Hague,
where he was hospitably entertained by his generous
brother-in-law, who kept open table for all the ruined
Cavaliers.
The respectful manner of his reception is thus an-
nounced in a letter from Amsterdam. Prince Charles was
brought to the Hague with thirty coaches, and solemnly
feasted and entertained. He gave orders for the new
rigging and fitting the revolted ships which had declared
for the King, out of the prizes he had taken.*
The heart-rending tidings of the murder of their royal
father, King Charles, reached his afflicted children, the
Prince of Wales and the Princess-royal, in the following-
February, and overwhelmed them with grief and horror.
Their only comfort was that they could weep together,
and receive the heartfelt sympathy of the Prince of
Orange ; who, aware that his brother-in-law was destitute
at that time of money to provide mourning for himself
and his attendants, kindly supplied everything requisite
for the melancholy occasion at his own expense.
The States-general and the ministers at the Hague
waited on Charles and offered him their condolences.
He took the style and title of Charles II., King of Great
Britain, with a heavy heart. He had no funds to support
his rank, or feed his starving household, and was indebted
* Clarendon.
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