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

1642.] REMOVAL OF THE EOYAL CHILDREN. lol)
The plague broke out and raged in the neighbourhood
of the palace of St. James's, on which the Earl of Pem-
broke, who had the care of the royal children, was ordered
to remove them to the house of Lord Cottington in
Bread Street.* Thither the children were accordingly
transferred, with their attendants. But the Princess
Elizabeth, became so languid and generally indisposed,
that her governess, Lady Roxburgh, sent to inform the
Lords, " that the royal children were very incommodiously
lodged in that house ; the neighbourhood of a glass-
house occasioning such unhealthy smoke, that the Lady
Elizabeth was ill in consequence of the noxious vapour ;
therefore she begged to have them removed back to
St. James's palace, unless a more salubrious situation
could be found for their abode." The Lords communicated
with the Commons on the subject, and in consequence the
children were brought back to St. James's palace, and the
Earl of Pembroke was ordered to overlook their removal,
and cautioned that no plots for their escape should be
attempted.!
Lady Eoxburgh, now petitioned, that " a suitable allow-
ance for the necessities of her royal pupils, should be ac-
corded by Parliament, protesting that they were in want
of everything." The Speaker of the Commons, after making
careful inquiries into the truth of her ladyship's statements,
declared in the House that "the destitution of the royal
children was such that he should be ashamed to speak of it,
or have the particulars publicly known."! The Commons
then promised to take the matter into consideration, and
in consequence directions were given to the officers of the
Mint, that the sum of eight hundred pounds monthly, should
be allotted to the maintenance of the royal children. §
* ' Journals of the House of Commons.'
t Ibid. % Ibid. § Ibid.