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

08 MARY, PRINCESS-ROYAL. [1654.
liked her so well that she desired to have her about her
person, and had spoken to him herself, to move it, so as to
prevent displeasure from the Queen ; therefore he knew
not why Hyde should neglect such an opportunity of
providing for his daughter in so honourable a way."
Hyde repeated his excuses, and went to the Princess to
thank her for her goodness, telling her, "if it had not
been for her bounty in assigning them a house where
they might live rent free, they could not have been
able to subsist \ and confessed it was not in his power to
make his daughter such an allowance as would enable her
to live in her royal highness's court conformably to the
position that was offered to her."*
The Princess would not permit him to enlarge on his
difficulties or to dwell on her kindness, but generously told
him " she knew well the straightness of his circumstances,
and how his fortunes came to be so low ; that she had no
intention that he should be at the charge to maintain his
daughter in her service, but bade him leave that to her,
with many expressions of esteem for him, and kindness
and grace to his daughter."
He replied "that since her goodness and generosity
disposed her to such beneficence, it became his duty and
gratitude to prevent her from bringing inconvenience on
herself; that he had the misfortune to be more in the
Queen, her mother's displeasure, than any gentleman who
had had the honour to serve the crown so many years in
some trust, and that he could not but know that her royal
highness's charity would produce some anger in the Queen
her mother."f
The Princess answered with some warmth " that she had
always paid that duty to the Queen her mother, which was
her due, and would never give her just cause to be offended
* Clarendon. f Ibid.