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

366 THE PRINCESS LOUISA MART. [1711.
de Boulogne, that day, and that she had sent for her use
one of the horses she had been herself accustomed to ride ;"
adding, " that she hoped her majesty would excuse the
liberty she had ventured to take, in presenting also one
of her own hunting dresses to her royal highness, the
time being too short to allow of her having one made on
purpose for the occasion."
The French court being still in mourning for the late
Dauphin, the great ladies of France, were dressed in black
and grey riding habits, with black buttons ; but that which
the Dauphiness had sent for her royal English cousin, the
Princess Louisa, was of fine scarlet cloth, laced and
trimmed with gold — a dress well suited to set off the
beauty off her complexion and the brilliancy of her
lovely dark eyes.
In order to mark her respectful consideration for the
royal rank of her unfortunate kinswoman, knowing that
the widowed Queen, Mary Beatrice, could not accompany
her to the chase, the Dauphiness sent two ladies of the
highest rank in her household, the Duchesses of Lauzun
and De Duras,. to attend her to the place of rendezvous.
Mean time the equerry and the groom having brought
the beautiful, well-trained palfrey into the convent garden,
the Princess mounted there and took a few turns, and
though she had not been in the saddle for upwards of two
years, felt perfectly fearless and self-possessed.*
All Paris ran to the Bois de Boulogne, to look at the
English Princess, whose romantic situation, and singular
grace and beauty, rendered her an object of the greatest
interest in France. She had not been seen in public for
more than a year, and had spent that time in the deep
seclusion of a convent ; yet she was distinguished above
all the French princesses, by the unaffected ease and
* Memorials of Mary Beatrice, in the Hotel de Soubise.