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

214 THE PRINCESS HENEIETTA ANNE. [1644.
Queen's letter, when the Prince was last at Exeter, about
the end of September. She showed it me, and asked my
help. I durst not communicate, the season not being
come, which was pointed out by the Queen, for her
remove, which was when Exeter should be in danger to
be besieged, which we had no reason to believe would be
before the winter was over. It was no wonder, if they
were not forward to leave that place till forced, since
there they had complete subsistence, which nobody else
had, and which they could not expect in any other place
in England. On the enemy's advance, we had reason to
believe our troops, then little inferior in number, would
have stopped them awhile; and moreover a report was
just then raised that we were carrying the Prince of Wales
to France, which caused strange disturbance, and at
Exeter, itself, people would have formally protested
against it, had not the Governor prevented them. In
Cornwall, at the public sessions, a petition was framed by
the judges, that the Prince should be desired to declare,
that no adverse fortune should drive him out of the king-
dom, but it was suppressed by Killigrew. Even the
servants spoke big, and vowed what they would do, if the
Prince's removal were undertaken. Was this the time to
remove the Princess ? Had it been done, all security for
the Prince's safety, would have passed away. The governess
would have procured a pass to bring the Princess to Corn-
wall, had not her letters been taken at Dart well, by which
the design of transporting her transpired. You have now
the whole story, and may conclude the governess could as
easily have beaten Fairfax, as prevented being shut up in
Exeter ; from whence I hope she will yet get safely with
her charge, to whom I am confident she hath omitted no
*->art of her duty."*
* 'Clarendon Papers,' vol. ii. p. 203.