The Chautauquan, Vol. 04, July 1884, No. 10Chautauqua Literary and Scientific Circle
History
The Chautauquan, Vol. 04, July 1884, No. 10
Chautauqua Literary and Scientific Circle
Chautauqua Institution -- Periodicals; Chautauqua Literary and Scientific Circle -- Periodicals
The Chevalier de St. George, whom we saw in the story of “Rob Roy,”
retired to Italy after his unsuccessful enterprise of 1715, “where the
sufferings of his father for the Roman Catholic religion gave him the
fairest right to expect hospitality.” He was at this time thirty years of
age, and, following the suggestions of his counselors, fixed his choice
of a wife on the Princess Clementina Sobieski, daughter of the Prince
of Poland. The romantic history of the Chevalier in pursuit of a throne
was now to be paralleled in the getting of a wife. This young lady was
accounted one of the greatest fortunes in Europe. She was granddaughter
of that King John Sobieski, who defeated the Turks before Vienna. The
dazzling expectations of the Pretender gratified the ambition of her
parents, and they agreed to conduct her privately to Bologna, with a view
to the marriage. The preparation became known to the British Court. The
Emperor of Austria, at the request of England, arrested the bride as she
passed through Innspruck, and detained her as prisoner in a cloister.
A bold attempt for the release of the Princess was contrived and executed
by Charles Wogan—a devoted partisan to the Stuart cause. “He obtained a
passport from the Austrian ambassador, in the name of Count Cernes and
family, stated to be returning from Loretto to the low countries. Major
Misset and his wife personated the supposed count and countess; Wogan
was to pass for the brother of the count; the Princess Clementina, when
she should be liberated, was to represent the Count’s sister, which
character, in the meantime, was enacted by a smart girl, a domestic of
Mrs. Misset. Captain Toole, with two other steady partisans, attended on
the party of the supposed Count, in the dress and character of domestics.
They arrived at Innspruck on the evening of the 27th of April, 1719, and
took lodging near the convent. It appears that a trusty domestic of the
princess had secured permission of the porter to bring a female with him
into the cloister, and conduct her out at whatever hour he pleased. This
was a great step in favor of their success, and taking advantage of a
storm of snow and hail, Mrs. Misset’s domestic was safely introduced
into the cloister, and the princess, changing clothes with her, came out
at the hour by which the stranger was to return. Through bad roads and
worse weather the liberated bride and her attendants pushed on until they
quitted the Austrian territories, and entered those of Venice. On the
second of May, after a journey of great fatigue, and some danger, they
arrived at Bologna.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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