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

138 MARY, PFJNCESS-EOYAL. [1660.
of the succeeding, which truly has not been so successful
as I could have wished for. De Witt continues so wilfully
in the opinion I ought not to desire my son's designation
to the offices of stadtholder and general, that it will give
one many difficulties to surmount.
" This assembly finisheth the next week. If I can pos-
sibly, I will make some proposition, before they separate,
that at their next coming together, which will be about
a month hence, they may take some resolution, that at
the least I may know who are our friends and who are
not.
" If you have, at any time, leisure enough to speak to
Monsieur Beverwort about it, I think it would do good ;
and if you please to tell him, that, according to your own
belief, I have made some proposition for my son, and as he
has always been my friend, you expect he will assist me,
that all may happen to our good ; for these, seeing here,
that you expect I should make some proposition, it will be
a great means to let them see your affection.
" But I hope you are well enough persuaded, that there is
nothing that I would not do, to let you see how passionately
I wish to serve you. I am going to Amsterdam, to see
what the ships have brought home."*
The Princess was rash and unthinking in her politics,
and she had always the Princess-dowager's party to con-
tend against her.
Charles II. advised more temporising conduct, as he,
indeed, had always done. This was not agreeable to his
sister, who desired him to assume a decided appearance
in her favour, and, indeed, to insist on the election of her
young son as stadtholder, an election she never was
happy enough to see.
* Lambeth MSS.