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    10 Female Sovereigns ofEngland when youn...

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    The Accession Of Queen To The Throne Ayo...

    of the matter , without its being necessary to enter into those Would-be political circumstances , which , in almost all such cases , are only the apparent , not real causes of action .

    The Duchess in her old age , with the unabated over-weeningness of her character , gave the world what she called an " Account of her Conduct , " purely , as she said , to save her

    fair fame after death ; and the consequence was , as it always must be when such things are written by such persons ( for their character is sure to break

    through all disguises ) , a confirmation of the opinion which the world entertained of her vanity and presumption . There is no doubt , however , that all the

    facts we are about to quote are true , however different were the conclusions they suggested to the world , from what she hoped them to turn out . And after

    being in possession of Anne ' s general character , we feel that we are here made spectators of it at its earliest and most candid period . " The beginning of the PrineesB ' s kindness for me / ' says

    the Duchess , had a much earlier date than my entrance into her service . My promotion to this honour was wholly owing to impressions she had before received to my advantage ; we had used to

    play together when she was a child , and she even then expressed a particular fondness for me . This inclination increased with our years . I was often at court , and the Prine § 8 r always distinguished me by the pleasure she took to honour me ,

    The Accession Of Queen To The Throne Ayo...

    preferably to others , with her _eorM versation and confidence . In all her parties for amusement , I was sure , by her choice , to be one ; and

    so desirous she became of having me always near her , that , upon her marriage with the Prince of Denmark in 1683 , it was , at her own earnest request to her father , I was made one of the ladies of her

    bed-chamber . " What conduced to render me the more agreeable to her in this station was , doubtless , the dislike she had conceived to most of the other persons about her ; and particularly to her first lady of the

    bed-chamber , the Countess of Clarendon— a lady whose discourse and manner ( though the Princess thought they agreed very well together ) could not possibly recommend her to so _'jfoung a mistress , for she looked like a mad-woman

    and talked like a scholar . Indeed her Highness _' s court was throughout so oddly composed , that I think it would be making myself no great compliment if I should say , her chusing to spend more of her time with me than with any of her other servants did no discredit

    to her taste . Be that as it will , it is certain she at length distinguished me by so high a place in her favour , as perhaps no person ever arrived at a higher with Queen or Princess . And , if from hence I may draw any glory , it is , that I both obtained and held this

    place without the assistance of flattery—a charm which , in truth , her inclination for _mej together with my unwearied application to serve and amuse her , rendered needless ; but which , had it been otherwise , my temper and turn of mind would never have suffered me

    to employ . " Young as I was , when I fir « t

    10 Female Sovereigns Ofengland When Youn...

    10 Female Sovereigns ofEngland when young .

• Citation
  • Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), July 1, 1837, page 10, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/mrp_01071837/page/8/