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

112 MARY, PRINCESS-ROYAL. [1658.
surrounded, and her apparent insensibility to them. It is
remarkable that she speaks of the taking of Gravelines,
as occurring, months before the fall of Dunkirk; but in
history it is not recorded, till after Dunkirk was taken.
As she was within a few miles of the place we must receive
her account as correct.
" For my dear Brother the Duke of Gloucester.*
" Nieuport, Sejrf, 4ih.
" I received yours of the 30th of last month, and
take it very kindly from your writing to me so often as
you have done. I could not write sooner to you than now,
for though I writ once, since, to the Marquis of Ormonde,
yet it required such haste that I had not leisure for any-
thing else. We are now further than I thought we should
have been, and I fear it will be yet longer for all that. M.
de Turenne, is by this time, very near the Lis (at least ife
believe him so), and that M. de la Ferte's troops are past
Din ant. Yet I do not believe it will be thought fit to
degamish this place. This bearer, tells me that when they
(the enemy) past by this town, after they had taken
Graveling, they were resolved to have besieged us, but
that now they have changed, at least deferred that resolu-
tion. It is an Italian officer told me this, that was one of
the hostages of Graveling, and came but this day, from
Fumes? It is he that carries this letter: his name is
Strozzi. This is all the news of this place. I received, at
the same time as yours, letters from my sister, of which I
have a great deal to say to you. You may be sure it is very
kind, and I shall defer telling it, even till I see you, which
I assure you I long for very much. You will have news
before this comes to you of the little journey the King is a
* This letter is one of the unedited series, in possession of Charles
Cottrell Dormer, Esq., of Bousham, Oxford.