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

238 THE TRINCESS HENRIETTA ANNE. [16G0.
James's palace., for fear of the infection either attacking her
life or destroying her beauty. Immediately after the sad
event of the death of the Princess-royal, on Christmas eve,
a courier arrived from Monsieur, to express his earnest
desire for the return of his beloved cousin and affianced
wife.
The Princess Henrietta, with the Queen, her mother,
commenced their journey to Portsmouth, on the 2nd of
January. They slept the first night at Hampton. The
next morning they were followed by the King and a
choice company of his Court.
Unfortunately the Duke of Buckingham, though a
married man, had fallen in love with the youthful
Henrietta, and besought the King to permit him to have
the honour of escorting the Queen-mother and the Princess
to Paris.
He had crossed over from Calais, with these illustrious
ladies, and rendered himself forward and disagreeable
enough to both, so that it was entirely against their will
that he now attached himself to their suite. He set off,
without changing his dress or making any preparation for
the voyage. The wind was at first favourable, but suddenly
shifting, the vessel ran on a dangerous sand, and they were
all in great danger of foundering. After some hours of
peril, the good ship, the London, was got out of danger, but
the Princess was very ill with an eruptive fever. The
Queen, fearing it was the small-pox, insisted on the ship
putting back into port. Physicians came on board, and
declared the illness was not small-pox, but measles,
and advised the royal patient to be carried on shore after
the crisis was over.
They all landed. The Princess suffered a severe relapse,
so that her life was considered in danger. King Charles
sent two of his physicians to her aid, but her recovery