Agnes Strickland's Queens of England, Vol. 2. (of 3): Abridged and Fully IllustratedStrickland, Agnes
History
Agnes Strickland's Queens of England, Vol. 2. (of 3): Abridged and Fully Illustrated
Strickland, Agnes
Queens -- Great Britain -- Biography
A bishop, ten priests, a confessor, and ten musicians were to be
furnished, as well as ladies of the bed-chamber, a clear-starcher, two
physicians, an apothecary, a surgeon, a grand-chamberlain, a squire,
a secretary, a gentleman-usher, a valet, and a baker, all from her
majesty's native land.
Even then the queen was not satisfied. She continued to play the vixen
to such an extent that, regardless of her rank, Bassoinpierre took
it upon himself to administer a bit of plain language. She had been
flattered into believing that all her little tyrannies were quite
becoming to a pretty queen, but she was now told that she behaved unlike
a true wife, and that her conduct should be reported to her family in
France.
Henrietta was surprised at this honest dealing; but the effect was
wholesome, and secured for her nearly eighteen years of happiness with
her husband. {159}Instead of being received with honors on his return to
France, de Bassompierre was frowned upon because he had avoided extreme
measures in his capacity of mediator, and because he had spoken the
truth too plainly.
Shortly after a war broke out between England and France; but it did
not in the least disturb Queen Henrietta's tranquillity, for she and her
husband were never on better terms.
But the French nation despised Charles I., and considered his wife a
martyr and a victim. This led to the belief in an imposture of a crazy
girl, who, calling herself the persecuted Queen of England, presented
herself at a convent in Limoges, and claimed the protection of the
nuns. She declared that she had escaped from England because she was
persecuted on account of the true faith. She described the court and
household of the queen so correctly that she was eagerly listened to by
the whole neighborhood, who flocked to see her. Louis XIII., who knew
how happily and peacefully his sister was then living, was so incensed
at this imposition that he had the girl imprisoned, and she was heard of
no more.
[[A.D. 1628.]] The sudden death of Buckingham occurred when Henrietta
was just eighteen years old, and she was thus rid of a person who had
never ceased to be an object of dislike to her.
Queen Henrietta had a great fancy for dwarfs; so, at an entertainment
given to her once when she was making a _progress_ through her kingdom,
an immense venison pasty was placed in the centre of the table. The
crust was removed and Geoffrey Hudson, a little man just eighteen inches
high, stepped out, prostrated himself before her majesty, and asked to
be taken into her service. His request was immediately complied with,
and he was employed to carry state messages of slight importance. He was
not {160}the only dwarf at courts for there was a married pair of these
little monsters besides.
[[A.D. 1630.]] The queen had a son born at St. James's Palace in 1630,
who succeeded to the throne as Charles II.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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