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

1656.] EETUENS TO TAUIS. 109
A very sound reason for the daughter of Charles I. not
employing them about her son, if it had been true. But she
was almost adored in Zealand, where, also, her son was very
popular ; but, of course, Cromwell's agents did not earn
their wages unless they maligned the faithful sister of
the exiled king, the generous friend of the starving
Cavaliers.
The Princess-royal returned from France, through
Bruges, where she rested a short time, and wrote to her
confidential friend Heenvliet, about Prince Adolph, who
was then on his way to the Hague, and had signified that
he expected her son to pay him a formal visit of ceremony
on his arrival.
"A thing too ridiculous," observes the royal mother,
" to expect a child of my son's age, who is still in the
hands of the women, to pay him formal visits of
ceremony."
She writes a little later from Breda, to Heenvliet.
" Monsieur de Dona has written to my son, from Orange,
(of which he was the governor), to ask him to hold his
babe at the baptismal font. He must be answered,"
continues she, " and I am in pain lest my son should write
himself. I think it will be far better that Mr. Higlandus
should do it for him."*
After her return to the Hague, her son and the Princess
settled quietly at Breda, but her tranquillity was disturbed
by very angry letters from her brother Charles, excited by
the unkind reports which had been circulated by the
enemies, by whom she was surrounded, namely, that she
was engaged in a love affair with Henry Jermyn, the
equerry of the Duke of York. Charles, without taking the
trouble of examining whether there was any truth in the
report, treated it as a fact, ordered his brother to dismiss
* Thurloe's ' State Papers.'