The sun., 1908-02-23

the Worcester fight. Charles, as Louis her-
neguy, is James III; Alice Lee is Beatrix
Esmond; Phoebe is Lockwood's lass; JOce-
line is Lockwood; Albert Lee is Frank
Castlewood; Col. Everard is Col. Esmond,
and Charles, while unknown to Everard In
his true character, accepts the challenge OF
that true lover of Alice Lee. Charles II.
was a man who could do such thinge, and
one who, although a Catholic at heart,
would alternately sign the Covenant and
accept the Anglican prayer book; but James
III. could no more run after the girls. reck-
less Of safety, OF his cause and Of honor,
than he could forswear his faith.
II.
The James III. whom the authors OF this
book have disclosed after a painstaking
ard unbiased study OF the contempor-
aneous sources OF history is all unlike the
weak, wavering heartless, deceitful bigot
OF a tradition accepted by Thackeray, a
tradition fashioned out Of the pamphlets
Of his enemies, out Of ignorance OF authentic
documents and out OF errors made in
memoirs, the least trustworthy Of testi-
mony. Mr. Lang directs attention to the
fact that as soon as Mr.. Glover published
one volume drawn from the copious Stuart
Papers in the Royal Library at Windsor,
those containing Atterbury's correspond
ence, he could not but perceive and pro-
claim that James III. had been unjustly
judged in the matter Of his domestic mis-
fortunes. His character as a loving father
and an honorable man displayed itself in
his letters Of the period from 1744 to 1870,
the touching and mournful appeals to his
wayward son, the Young Pretender, first
published in 1888. The study Of these doc
uments and others in the Royal Library,
undertaken when he was at work on the
biography OF Prince Charles Edward, first
led Mr.. Lang to conceive, he tells US, that
among his other misfortunes James III.
had been hardly dealt with by general his
torians, while on the other hand he had
no modern biOgrapher. That conception
has been confirmed by the facts brought
out by Miss Alice Shield, one Of the CO.
authors Of this volume. who for several
years has devoted time and toll to research
in many quarters, manuscript and printed.
Her labors have proved that but for the
sense Of duty in which he had been edu-
Gated it il probable that James III. would
at an early date have ceased to trouble his
native country, for by nature and reflection
AAt Wd5 dAluObb ~ AuACAAFb AilO udu HuCu
less Of ambition than Of attachment TO duty
as he understood il. His. in verify, was a
religious nature: his heart was set on a
crown not of this world; his birth and his
traditions were the worst of his misfor-
tunes. ReasOnableness, self-cOntrol, sad
lucidity" and, in his own words, "a nice
regard to truth and prudence" were his
leading characteristics.
OF course the authors Of this biography
have no difficulty in proving the falsity Of
the legend invented by the Wings. that the
prospective James III. was a supposititious
child. The Wings asserted that neither his
father nor his mother was any longer capa-
ble Of bearing children, a charge refuted
by the subsequent birth of a daughter
According to another slander the Queen
did really bear a son. but he died soon after
ward and was replaced by the son Of tile
maker, whose wife was employed to nurse
him. This story had great vogue at the
time. and lived on till 1897. when il aroused
the wrath Of the well known painter. Sir
Godfrey KnelieT. Vat de DEVIL" he cried
TO DIR. Wallis. who had professed to de-
cipher a letter which, he said, proved the
child to be the son OF bricklayer's wife.
DE Prince Of Wales de son Of a brickbatts
woman? Be GOtt, it is liel am not of his
party and shall not be for IL. am satisfied
with what de Parliament has DONE but
must tell you what I'm sure OF, and in what
l cannot be mistaken. His fader and his
mOder have sat to me about thirty-six
times apiece. and know every line and bit
in their faces. l say the child il so like them
both that there is not a feature in his face
but what belongs to fader or moder. This
am sure Of; nay. the nails Of his fingers are
his moder's. de Queen that was Doctor.
you may be ont in your letters. but cannot
be out in my lines Il il, indeed. no longer
disputed that the legal evidence in favor
Of the authenticity Of the birth Of James III.
is conclusive and overwhelming
Is there any proof that the Old Pretender
visited England. as Tbackeray max es him
do, with view Of taking advantage Of the
death Of his half sister. Queen Amer Not
an atom. IL is. on the other hand, quite
certain that Anne desired to be succeeded
by her brother. To the last the poor.
dying. irresoluts Queen held out against
any bringing into England Of her brothers
supplanter. the Electoral Prince Of Hanover
On the night OF her death. August hip. I7lA.
she sent for the Bishop Of London. to whom
she unburdened her soul OF her desire re-
garding her brother. Madam, will obey
your commando said the Bishop. "Tll de-
clare your mind. but IL will cost me nv
head" In a sealed packet which she al
ways carried about with her. sleeping with
it under her pillow, and which was broken
open after her death. proof was found OF
her efforts on behalf Of her brother
so Bolingbroke told d'Iberv ille-though
the contents Of the packet seem TO have
been kept secret. and it was destroyed in
Council. It was suspected that the feloni-
Ously destroyed document was a will in fa-
vor Of her brother. Long expected az Anne's
death had been. il fell upon the Jacobites
like holt from the blue There was no
concerted plan to meet the sudden emer-
gency. No measures had been taken. nor
could be taken on the southern side Of the
Channel; it lay with the well affected Eng
lish 10 arrange matters.