The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1888-12-08
QUEEN MARY BEATRICE.
A Few Interesting Notes on the
Last of the Catholic Queens
OF England.
UNFORTUNATE JAMES
Driven from the Throne by Force Of Re-
ligious Intolerance and Treacher-
ous Ambition Of His Children.

I AAAuVASAsSAAS0 sS>es~ -S~s'~--~~
GUS Ambition Of His Children.
Queen Victoria can claim no descent
more honorable, observes a writer IN
the Nation, than that she derives from
the ducal house of d'Este Of Modena.
He says further: A former daughter
of that huuse, Mary Beatrice d'Este
was once Queen of England, wearing
the crown matrimonial as the wife OF
James II. Her story is fully and
graphically told by Agnes Strickland
! in her ''Lives of the Queens" and is
replete with fascinating and striking
Incidents. Mary Beatrice came into
England as the bride of the then Duke
of York, and heir presumptive to the
throne of his brother, the second
Charles. James was a widowhr with
two daughters, the elder, Mary, (after-
wards Princess Of Orange) being very
near the age of his youthful bride, who
had just completed her 18th year.
Mary Beatrice was at once plunged into
the vortex Of society i'll the gayest and
most dissipated court Of Europe.
Young, beautiful and admired as she
was, her innate purity Of mind and the
governing influences of conscience and
religion kept her unsullied in the midst
Of the contaminating associations
which surrounded her. She, in COM
mon with her husband, became the ob.
ject of sectarian hatred and persecution
from those who opposed the Cath olic
succession, but no word redectiug on
her honor or fair fame was ever uttered
by the most inyeterate of her foes.
Soon after coming into England, the
young Queen had, at the request Of
her husband, sat for her portrait to
Lely, the famous artist. He had just
completed series of portraits Of the
beauties of the court OF Charles the
Second, and had depicted them las was
the fashion OF those times) in character
as the several fair goddesses Of mythol-
ogy. But Mary Beatrice he portrayed
as Innocence in the modest robe OF
white, her fair hair falling in natural
waves over her graceful neck and
shoulders, aud without single orna-
ment, A distinguished Protestant
traveller who visited the Royal Gallery
OF Hampton Court, where the portrait
has now hung through the lapse OF two
centuries, wrote of her that 'ttha face
is touching in its innocent loveliness,
and no one with heart or sensibllity
could gaze on it without emotion" !"
Before her marriage Mary Beatrice had
earnestly desired to embrace the reli-
gious life, and TO enter the novit1ate ct
the devout community in which she
had been educated, In that holy re-
treat her pure heart had been imbued
with the supreme love of God, and de-
sire for the tul6llmeut Of his Holy will,
and proved her tower Of strength in the
dangers hich beset her youth and in
experience-her ark OF refuge when
the storms OF life gathered round her,
and the bitter waters Of aHliction
seemed ready to engulf her soul stricken
spirit, The brilliant alliance offered
her at the English court proved too
dazzling to her family and the state,
and she was compelled by absolute
authority TO relinquish her own choice
Of life and yield up her cherished de-
sire. She came into England sad and
unwilling bride; but, once she had taken
upon herself the solemn vows Of we'd
lock, she obeyed assiduously those pre-
cepts Of duty that had been inculcated
on her youthful soul, and was through
out life model Of every wifely excel
lence and devotion. All know the fate
of the unfortunate James II. Driyen
from his throne by the force Of reli-
gious intolerance and the treacherous
ambition Of his own children, he fed
from invading foes and falthless SUBJ
jects to seek refuge and aid from the
friendly and powerful kingdom of
France. His devoted wife was with
him in this time of grief and humilia
ton, bearing in her arms their infant
son, the rightful heir to his fathers
throne. Many Of their people were
loyal in the midst Of traachery, and
numbers followed them into exile.
These last unhappily became their fel-
low-sufferers; tor their estates in Eng
land were thus confiscated, and they
became charge upon their sovereigns,
themselves dependent upon the gener-
osity Of their royal kinsman Of France.
The Queens constant devotion to her
shiict.d husband, her careful and
ap xious training Of their son, her char
| |ities to the poor, and self-sacrifcing
kindness to their fellow-exiles, fill
many pages Of her beautif ful biog ography.