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

58 mart, peincess-eoyal. [1653.
"My Lady Balcaeees,
" You may be confident that if it had layne in my
power, as much as in my desires, to assist your lord and
you, you had not been in that ill condition you are in ; for
truly the only cause why I have not sent you what I in-
tended, has been caused by the want of ready mony.
Therefore the proposition you make to me is so good, that
if you will find out any person that will advance you the
mony, I will give an assurance, under my own hand, to
see it payed in the space of two months ; and to that end I
shall give Oudart order to draw up a paper, which I will
sign and send to you to-morrow night or Monday morning
— for on all occasions you shall find me to be,
" My Lady Balcarres,
" Your most affectionate Friend,
[No date.] " Maeie."
The Princess being prevented from appointing Lady
Balcarras governess to her sou, the little Prince of
Orange, placed him under the care of Mrs. Howard, the
daughter of Lady Stanhope and the Lord of Heenvliet,
and had much satisfaction in her choice of his precep-
tress.
Understanding that her brother, Charles II., meditated
a visit to the Hague this summer, the idea was peculiarly
inconvenient to her, because of the negotiations of the
States with Cromwell for a peace with them. She wrote
in the following frank style to his minister, Sir Edward
Nicholas, from Breda, hoping he would dissuade his
master from taking the step she apprehended.
" I am very uncertain," she says, " of my stay here,
because it depends on his majesty's return, who I wish
with all my heart would not come into these parts till he
sees what becomes of the treaty ; for I do much apprehend