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

1655.] AVOIDANCE OF THE PEINCE ELECTOE. 81
Charles was so well aware of Stephen's prudence,
fidelity, and zeal for his service, that he sent him, sub-
sequently, on many secret messages, both to the Princess-
royal and to many persons of great importance in Holland
and England, also, from whom he procured large sums of
money, for his necessitous sovereign.*
The Prince-elector, while the Princess-royal was with
her brother Charles at Frankfort, expressed a great desire
to visit them, and invited them to Heidelburg ; but they,
having had reason to consider that he had previously
slighted them, declined either to receive his visit or to
accept his invitation. He, therefore, endeavoured to meet
them, on their usual promenade, or as they came from
the comedy, which they frequented every day ; but they
carefully avoided him ; and when he was placed so that
he could see them, and made sure of being able to speak,
as soon as the play should be over, they prevented him, by
taking coach so precipitately, that he could neither speak,
nor overtake them. The next day he sent for their agent,
to whom he made a complaint of their studied avoid-
ance, sent his kind greetings to them, and said he would
remain in Frankfort, next day, to receive any commands
with which they might be pleased to honour him ; but
though he stayed all the morning, they took not the
slightest notice of his desire of friendly intercourse. They
had evidently not forgotten his conduct to their royal
father, by paying base court to the parliament, seven
years before.
On their return from Frankfort, the royal brother and
sister passing down the Maine and Ehine, through the
Elector of Mentz's country, accepted hospitable enter-
tainment from that prelate, without hesitation ; but from
the Elector-palatine they would accept nothing, save some
* Collins's ' Peerage,' vol. vi. p. 1623.
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