The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1877-04-05
Henrietta Maria and Charles L.

Henrietta Maria and Charles 4.
In her 10th year she was married to
Charles. The marriage articles pro-
vided that she and her retinue should |
practice the ordinances of their religion
with fitting dignity, and that her chill |
dren should be educated by her until
their 18th year. There appears to
have been a kind of understanding be-
tween the courts of London and of
Paris that this last engagement was a
mere form. The French court played
fast and loose with the Vatican, the
English negotiators with the Parlia-
ment and people of England. Marie
de Medicis, however, looked on the
stipulation as reality, and the success
of Henrietta Maria in giving it effect
cost her children the crown of these
realms. When she left France for
England, she received letter from her
mother, enjoining her with the utmost
solemnity to act in her new sphere as
the missionary and protectress of
Catholicism. "The descendant of st.
LOUIS" she was exhorted to strive, like
him, IS for the good of the faith and the
exaltation of the church, and to fol-
low his example in being faithful unto
death 60 among the infidels." The King
met her at Dover. At the moment of
his arrival she was at breakfast, but
arose from the table, ran down pair
of stairs, and on seeing him offered to
kneel and kiss his hand. He wrapped
her up in his arms with many kisses"
She had got ready a little French
speech. Sire, je stsis repue en- &c
pays de Uotre Majeste pour etre COM
nlGndee de votSS"-here she broke down
and burst into tears, but Charles
came to her relief with
more kisses and tender protesta-
tons. She was tiny in person, with
features of large form but delieately
shaped, brown hair, dark eyes, now
touchingly soft, now sparkling ike
stars, air spirituelle, complexion ''per-
fectly beautiful, :" and something in her
face which ''made all the world love
her." Not an unpleasant thing for q
bridegroom to "wrap her up in his
arms with many kisses!" Presently
they started for Canterbury. On Bar
ham Downs pavilion was erected and
banquet prepared. The King, who
had winning ways with those he loved,
was tenderly gallant, carving with his
own royal hand for Henrietta, and serv-
ing her both with pheasant and venison.
Under the June sky, in the bracing air
of the upland near the sea, her spirits
rose, and her joyful sympathy with the
men and manners of her new home
passed all bounds. Father Sancy, her
confessor, comes siding up to her
elbow, and whispers that it is the vigil
of st. John the Baptist, when no good
Catholic would give scandal by eating
flesh. Henrietta sticks to the savory
meat, and lets the austre shayeling side
back again. Her English subjects,
watching these symptoms with eager
Protestant eyes, are in ecstasies of de-
light. "Can your Majesty" ventures
one bold inquirer to ask, "tolerate q
HuguenotP" "Why notP" answers
Henrietta; "was not my father oneP"
They entered London by the
river, where hundreds of gilt
tering barges, with streamers
flying, joined the royal procession.
This brilliant dawn of married life
was soon overcast, nor did the gay &c
clesiastical contumscies of Barham
Downs herald the emancipation of the
Queen from the rule of Father Sancy.
On the first day of her holding court at
Whitefeld, she showed that her eyes
could flash the dark lightnings of anger,
as well as beam with the piquant sweet
ness of coy surrender. Finding room
inconveniently hot and crowded, she
cleared it "with a scowl." Charles
soon became aware that she was to be
a Catholic first and English seconds
Neither pride as wife nor her ambi-
ton as queen could prevail with her
to take part in the coronation. Not
even from latticed box in the Abbey
would she witness the ceremony or
countenance the schismatic Church of
England. On no point could Charles
be more keenly sensitive; but Henrietta
was inexorable. She atoned to Father
Saney for the freakish peccadilloes of
Barnham Downs by ostentatious and
abjact submission to her spiritual adj
visers. While the latter rode in car
rage she trudged through the mud on
foot in penitential pilgrimage; and
Charles always believed-nor has the
statement, though denied by Henri
eta and mythically colored by her enc
mics, been ever conclusively disproved
that she once went to Tyburn and
paid reverent homage to those ques-
tionable martyrs who had died for the
gun-powder plot. These things SOON
made her unpopular in England; but
her conduct is not surprising. She
must have felt, on establishing herself
in London, that something very ike
fraud had been practiced upon her.
Her marriage articles conceded all that
was required for the free and stately
practice of her religion, and both King
James and King Charles had made
promises as to the liberation of Catho-
lies in general. She found herself in the
midst of nation fanatically Protest
ant, convinced that the liberation of