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

110 MARY, PKINCESS-EOYAL. [1657.
his equerry, and wrote so angrily to his sister, on the
subject, that she replied with some degree of spirit, con-
sidering that her brother was causing invidious remarks oh
her, by the headlong course he was pursuing. She says : —
" Now that you see how exactly you are obeyed, I hope
you will give me leave to desire you to consider, what
consequences your severity will bring upon me. To justify
any of my actions to you, on this occasion," she proudly
observes, " were, I think, to do as much wrong to both my
brothers as to my own innocency, since they have been
witnesses of what some person's insolency, has dared to
represent unto you as faults. Therefore, I leave it to them
and only think of what will now reflect upon me, which as
I have the honour to be your sister, you ought to consider,
and not to make a public discourse of what can neither
prove for your honour nor mine. I am so willing to think
you only try to what a degree my obedience is to you,
that I cannot persuade myself you will not, now, give my
brother, the Duke of York, leave to send for Mr. Jermyn
back, which will not only stop malicious" tongues, but give
me the happiness of seeing that you take a kindly, as well
as a brotherly interest in me."*
There was a long and angry correspondence, between
Charles and his sister, on the subject of Harry Jermyn ;|
but she succeeded in justifying herself and him, from the
absurd suspicion, she had so bitterly resented, on the part
of her brothers.
Her troubles seemed to increase, instead of diminishing.
Some great offence, too, she had taken with her young-
friend, Lady Stanhope's son, Philip Stanhope, who had
recently succeeded his grandfather, the Earl of Chester-
field. This had involved a visit to England, where he was
most favourably received by Cromwell, who even offered
* Lambeth MSS. t Ibid.